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To Home school or not Home school? That is the question.
Over the course of days and months and years many have asked the Farmer’s Wife why she should choose to home-school her children, especially lately, when so many are taking the notion into consideration. And to each and now to you as well, she gives the same answer. “It’s a question we ourselves ask each year.” And that is true. Each year a family meeting is held, where it is decided if home-schooling is still the best choice for their family. Some years it’s not. This year it was. And here is why: People who are making decisions about school–how to have it, or even if to have it keep…
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The BEST Coconut Cream Pie (Seriously)
The Farmer’s Wife has sooooo many eggs, she hardly knows what to do! “I know,” she says. “I will make the BEST Coconut Cream pie!” And so she does. First, she starts with the Crust. For that, she takes 3/4 cup flour and stirs with it 1/3 cup confectionary sugar and a pinch of salt. To that she cuts in 4 tablespoons of cold butter. The Farmer’s Wife uses an old fashioned pastry blender, but you can use a food processor or your hands if you don’t have either of those. She keeps mixing until the butter is as small as peas. To that she stirs in one egg yolk…
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Make Your Own Scratch-Made Pizza
Pizza is a frequent thing on the Farm, be it cooked on the grill in the Summer or baked then broiled on a stone in the oven all the other Seasons long. (The Farmer’s Wife has been after the Farmer for one of those Brick Pizza Ovens for years, but as of yet, the Farm remains Oven-Less.) No matter the time or the toppings, one thing remains the same and is vital for a truly good Pizza, and that is: the dough. The dough at the Farm starts the day before, with an Italianisk Bigga–that’s what gives the dough it’s flavor and all those bubbles. To make a Bigga, you…
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The Way With The Farmer
Surely, you have been waiting all weekend long to discover what the Farmer chose to do on his special day–maybe you pictured a day of leisure–the Farmer works so hard, a day of doing nothing and then nothing some more would be just what he needs. But that is not the way with the Farmer. Maybe you thought he’d feast all day, after all, the Farmer’s Wife told him she would make whatever he wanted! But that is not the way with the Farmer. Or maybe you thought he would pass the day with friends, celebrating fifty years well spent. If that is what you guessed, then Bravo! My hat…
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What Half a Century Looks Like
Today, yes, this very day is the Farmer’s Birthday! And not just any birthday, today the Farmer has been on this earth five decades, indeed, a half a century. And how does one celebrate such a momentous occasion on the Farm? Any way the Farmer wants. What that looks like is simply this: If the Farmer wants to sleep in, he will. If he wants to get up with the Chickens, he can. If he wants to make cookies and pies and eat them in his p.js, that’s fine, too (doubtful, but fine). Basically, stating, no plans have been made. No celebrations, no parties, no gatherings. When the Farmer’s Wife…
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Harvest Time on the Farm
Harvest time has officially come to the Farm–the apples are all in and put up–some sauced and some dried and some just eaten right off the tree. The squashes line the far cellar floor–all kinds– buttercup and butternut, acorn and pumpkins. Now, just the pie pumpkins of course. The cutting-kind are outside–you can see them in the picture above. The Rhubarb has just been brought in, most of it frozen for making pink drink and fruit leather all winter long. But some was turned into jelly, into the two types the Farmer’s Wife likes: Pink (studded with rose petals and hips) and Red (filled to the brim with that spicy…
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Garden-braised lamb shanks over garlic mashed potatoes
The Farm has lots going on under the ground in the way of potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions. The Farmer’s Wife has gathered those (and a tomato or two), and taken them into the Farm kitchen. There, they’re washed if they need washing, peeled if they need peeling, and roughly chopped. Several lamb shanks are set out to room temperature before they’re put in a large cast-iron skillet sizzling with browned butter. They’re turned this way and that, making sure all sides are a nice brown. The shanks are removed and set aside to rest and all those vegetables that grow under the ground are added–you know the ones–the garlic,…
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Jacob’s Invention
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On Occasion…
We have a variety of Farm products available for sale and when we do, you can find them here. For example, every Spring we have East Friesian lambs for sale (pick-up only please!), and in Autumn (have you ever noticed that people who really love the Fall always call it Autumn?) we will have dried teas and soaps, jams and mixes. Supply is limited on everything, as this is a very small farm. Now a little Information on the lambs. East Friesians are very special type of sheep. They’re the ones that produce rich, creamy milk for lots of rich, creamy yogurt and cheese. We’ve had them here on our…
