Our little garden (compared to past years) is doing very well.
Grapes!
Lettuces & Bok Choy
Broccoli & Tomatoes
Apples
One of our beautiful artichokes!
8 years ago
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Chevre
I made more cheese over the last 2 days - more Mozzarella &... Chevre. It's a soft cheese made from goat's milk. You heat the milk & add the culture, then let it sit on the counter for 12 hours. You then drain the curd into butter muslin & hang to let they whey drain (much like cream cheese) for 6-12 hours.Draining....
The finished product!
Yummy with crackers!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Psalm 139
Psalm 139 is one of my favorite passages to meditate on. May it bless & comfort you today. Soli Deo Gloria! ~Marcy
~~Psalm 139~~
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying downand are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before,and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me,and the light about me be night, 12 even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is bright as the day,for darkness is as light with you. 13 For you formed my inward parts;you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works;my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.I awake, and I am still with you. 19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent;your enemies take your name in vain! 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred;I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting!
English Standard Version
~~Psalm 139~~
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying downand are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before,and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me,and the light about me be night, 12 even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is bright as the day,for darkness is as light with you. 13 For you formed my inward parts;you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works;my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.I awake, and I am still with you. 19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent;your enemies take your name in vain! 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred;I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting!
English Standard Version
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Missions' Trip
Joshua & Valerie will be going on a Missions' Trip with our church, HOFCC, August 23-31, 2008.
“Gleanings for the Hungry” was founded in 1982 by Wally and Norma Wenge, who after having spent time in Thailand on outreach with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), saw the need for fruit there. They remembered all the fruit that goes to waste in the rich produce valley of San Joaquin, and the idea of Gleanings was birthed. “Gleanings for the Hungry” is located in the small agricultural community of Dinuba, California. This community is about 35 miles southeast of Fresno, California. Cull fruit that can't be sold because its too small, has a split pit, or a mark on the skin of peaches and nectarines are donated by fruit packers in the area. The fruit is run through a processing line where it is washed, sorted, pitted, and put on trays. It is then sulfured for 4 hours to preserve the color, sun-dried out in the field, and then packed into 4 gallon plastic buckets to send to the world's hungry. They will be working from 8-5, Monday-Friday, washing, drying & packaging the fruit. You can check out more about Gleanings at: http://www.gleanings.org/.
Please pray that they will be able to raise the money ($140 each), for safe travels, closer devotion with their Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, and for the strength they will need while volunteering at Gleanings.
“Gleanings for the Hungry” was founded in 1982 by Wally and Norma Wenge, who after having spent time in Thailand on outreach with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), saw the need for fruit there. They remembered all the fruit that goes to waste in the rich produce valley of San Joaquin, and the idea of Gleanings was birthed. “Gleanings for the Hungry” is located in the small agricultural community of Dinuba, California. This community is about 35 miles southeast of Fresno, California. Cull fruit that can't be sold because its too small, has a split pit, or a mark on the skin of peaches and nectarines are donated by fruit packers in the area. The fruit is run through a processing line where it is washed, sorted, pitted, and put on trays. It is then sulfured for 4 hours to preserve the color, sun-dried out in the field, and then packed into 4 gallon plastic buckets to send to the world's hungry. They will be working from 8-5, Monday-Friday, washing, drying & packaging the fruit. You can check out more about Gleanings at: http://www.gleanings.org/.
Please pray that they will be able to raise the money ($140 each), for safe travels, closer devotion with their Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, and for the strength they will need while volunteering at Gleanings.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
CHEESE
Today was my first attempt at making homemade cheese. I made mozzarella & ricotta cheese. I was very happy with the results! I purchased a "beginner's kit" from New England Cheesemaking (http://www.cheesemaking.com/) which included a DVD, book "Home Cheese Making", and a 30-minute Ricotta/Mozzarella Kit.
MOZZARELLA CHEESE
Here's the ingredients needed for making Mozzarella Cheese - whole milk, citric acid and rennet.
The milk heating in the pot.
After you add the rennet, the cheese curds & whey seperate.
The cheese curds after removing them from the pot.
Draining the excess whey off the cheese.
The finished product!! And yes it only took 30 minutes!!
WHOLE GOAT MILK RICOTTA CHEESE
Ingredients: Goat milk & apple cider vinegar
Heating the milk.
After adding the vinegar, the cheese curds & whey seperate very quickly.
Draining the ricotta.
The finished product!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Being Frugal
Being "Frugal" is a discipline that I have always tried to follow, but with the rising cost of gas & groceries (due to gas prices) I have been challenged to find ways to cut costs. God is our provider and I glorify Him by using the things He gives us wisely. Early on in our marriage, when money was VERY tight, I made a lot of things from scratch out of necessity. Then raises came, more children came, I started homeschooling & quite frankly, I got lazy. I am now doing some of those things again: making homemade bread products, spice mixes, mayonnaise, etc. I have been greatly inspired by some of the young mothers at our church & their websites – check them out here: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/; http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/; THANK YOU Lindsay & Kimi!! My next project is to learn to make cheese – we’ve been getting almost ½ gallon of goat milk a day from Uni! That’s only milking her once, too! Here are some pictures of Valerie & I making homemade whole wheat rolls. YUMMO!
Freshly ground Whole Wheat Flour (we use Hard White Wheat Berries)
Mixing the dough - Thank you Rick, for my K-Tec Mixer (9 years & still loving it!)
The dough after it had doubled.
Mom kneading the dough.
Valerie shaping the rolls.
The rolls after shaping, but before they had risen.
The finished product - Yummo!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
SPRING!
It's finally spring here in Lebanon - after our snow April 20th. The apples trees (5) have blossoms, the grapes have buds, and we have finished the first tilling for our garden. 
Our artichoke plants (4) survived being dug-up & transported!
We found a great buy at BiMart on starts & bought some lovely peppers, tomatoes, onions, herbs & broccoli.
Our garden will be smaller than the when we were in Ridgefield. This plot is ~43 ft X 30 ft. We will have tomatoes, peppers (bell & hot), broccoli, corn, carrots, lettuce, baby bok choy, beans, cucumbers, spinach, and onions.
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