what's for breakfast? Potatoes and sausages!

Do you ever have those moments in the kitchen pondering what you're going to make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I admit, I occasionally do.  After looking through the refrigerator and cupboards taking inventory on hand.  I found onions, potatoes from our garden, sausage, and decided to whip something up for breakfast.

In the back of my mind I'm hoping that this turns out good or I'm going to have an unsatisfied husband.  I'd rather satisfy him than give him something not even I would eat.

Chopped the potatoes into bite size pieces and quickly steam them.  If you don't have enough time on hand, you can steam the potatoes the day before.  Luckily I had steamed some potatoes the night before and sauté them in olive oil with a dash of salt and pepper.

Cooking with pre-steamed potatoes creates several advantages.  You're sure that the potatoes are throughly cooked, it fries much quicker, and it cuts down on the cooking time.

Chopped an onion, and red bell pepper. Moved the potatoes to the edge of the pan and added chopped onion and red bell pepper in the middle and sauté them until tender.

Moved the bell peppers and onions aside.  Sliced the cooked apple chicken sausage and added to the pan.

Cook the sausage until golden and mix all of the ingredients together.

Ta Da!! Serve it warm with fresh farm eggs, scramble or fried, and breakfast is ready. Easy and a simple receipt.  If you don't have cooked sausage, I'd suggest to prepare the sausage first, set aside and then add the potatoes.

For more breakfast ideas, updates, and discussions please connect with me via Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

How to grow a blueberry bush I your backyard

Blueberries need soil that is quite acidic -- between pH 3 to 5.5. To start with you need to know what the pH (acidity) of your soil is. You can get pH meters or test strips from your local nursery. I personally like to use the test strips. It's simple and inexpensive.

Are your blueberry bushes going in the ground or in containers?
If your natural soil is pH 7 or above (neutral to alkaline), you will be better off growing them in large containers. Anything you do to acidify the soil planting them in the ground will be constantly neutralized by contact with the surrounding soil. I've found that it is a lot easier to control the pH in a container than it is in the ground.

I've planted 6 blueberry bushes thus far and plan to add two more next fall. I've read that the more you plant different varieties together it with help increase yield. This year I decided to give a try. I started by purchasing a used wine barrel from our local winery. The wine barrel created two fairly large plant containers (click here for more information). We placed the large containers in its permanent location, one on each side of the entrance to the garden. You'd want to do this before filling the container with soil because it will be heavy and more of a challenge to move it.

Blueberries bushes do well in rich, organic soil as well as acidic. I created a recipe and so far the blueberries bushes are eating it up!

Acidic Planting Mix- I purchased a bag of acidic planting mix from my local nursery. Dumped half of the bag into the wine barrel and placed it aside for the second barrel.

Organic Matter- Then I added about the same amount of compost. Our compost is made here onsite so that we have a better control on what is being added to the compost.

Rich Dark Organic Matter

Peat Moss- Add about half the amount of compost.

Mix it all together with a shovel. At this point I felt like I was making a witches concoction for the blueberry bush, add a little fish bone meal for taste and you have soil remedy ready for the blueberry bushes.

Fish Meal- Before placing the new blueberry bush in the wine barrel I coated the roots with fish meal. This helps reduce the plant shock of transplanting and it helps establish a healthy root system.

Okay now you've made your soil concoction, you've coated the roots with fish meal. Now you're ready to place the plant in its new home.  Follow the planting instructions on the plant container.

The best time to transplant blueberry bushes is in the fall and earlier spring. I've planted two different varieties together. A mid season variety and a late season variety. I wanted to make sure that I had a long harvest between May through August. This has been my experience with blueberry bushes.  I hope this information helps you on your journey as an gardener.

For more garden ideas, updates, and discussions please connect with me via Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

oxoxox

"Skip the market prices and head to your herb garden for money-saving flavors."

History has shown us that our ancestors had grand gardens.  It had various vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants.  It has had many titles, a Witch Garden, a Vegetable Garden, a Kitchen Garden, a Potager Garden, and in scottland it's called Kailyaird Garden.   Back in time, having a garden was essential to your survival.  Presently a great percentage of humanity depends on grocery markets for their produce and stables.  How many people do you know have a vegetable garden all year long?   How many people have told you that they don't have a green thumb?

Some might say it's easier to head to the market rather than growing their own food and I agree, it is easier.  Some might say that they don't have the time because they work long hours, and have other responsibilities to attend to on their time off.  I agree, you can only spread yourself around to a certain limit.

Let me take you on a journey. A journey of building a herbal garden for culinary and medicinal purposes.  Below I describe how having a herb garden can benefit you and your family.

One herb that I find rewarding is basil.  Did I hear you say why? I make a pesto with fresh basil.  Basil pesto is very easy and fast to make, and it can turn an adverage meal into a gourmet delight .  You can make chicken pesto pizza, pesto aloe sauce on a turkey sandwich and/or on a breakfast egg sandwich, and finally, but not least you can make an Italian themed dinner with chicken pesto pasta topped with parmigiana cheese.  Does all of the above sound delicious to you?  Thinking about it is making my mouth water.

What is your favorite culinary herb? Is it Garlic?

I guess I better head outside and transplant the Echinacea's while I still have some daylight.

Hope you are all doing well.

oxoxox

New Life For An Old Barrel

Once upon a time before the big corporations provided everything for everyone, man utilized all the resources around them.

Here at the Life Beyond the City Homestead we believe by re-purposing, recycling, and reducing our carbon foot print we can make a difference in the world.  Our chicken coop is a living proof of what you can build out of recycled materials from your local habitat for humanity.  This process does take time and patience because you are collecting the materials over time instead of purchasing them all at once at your local hardware supply store.  It's amazing how everything falls into place, and the timing was perfect.  It's almost as if the community unconsciously knew what we want for as the design of our three story chicken mansion.  Thank you to those who've donated to the habitat for humanity.Ancient American Indians were a good example of living sustainability off the land.  For instance, instead of chopping down a new tree, they would take a dead tree and build a canoe out of it.  The list is endless as to the methods that we can utilized, to re-purpose what nature abundantly provides.

I came across a winery discarding old oak wine barrels.  My husband cut the barrels in half to make charming planter containers.  The barrels make a great plant container and adds a rustic charm to your garden or patio. These are perfect for a plant that needs a special kind of soil to grow in. I will be using them for my blueberries because of the high acid soil content needed for the blueberries to thrive.

When we unloaded the barrels from the vehicle and onto the driveway I couldn't help but to notice all the natural beauty it retained.  The rainbow color created by the rust made each barrel unique. The texture on the aged wood added an antique charm. I tried capturing it with the camera.

 

How To Turn A Wine Barrel Into A Charming Planter.

Materials Needed:

• Saw-Circular saw
• Marker- Felt pen is the best
• Measuring tape
• Wine Barrel
• Orbital Sander
• Sand paper- 120Grit
• Stain of Choice and/or clear polyurethane to preserve the outer shell
• 1 in. whole bit auger
• potting mix soil
• Plants

Easy Fun Five Steps

1. Use the tape measure and a felt tip marker to draw a line on the desired location to cut.  We cut the barrel in the middle to create two even planter containers.
2. Using a circular saw, cut using the marked line as your guide. 
   
   

   

   

   
   
3. Attach a 120 grit sandpaper to the orbital sander and sand along outer and inner cut areas. If you do not have access to an orbital sander, you may sand the cut area with 120 grit sand paper.
   
   

   

   

   

   
   
   
   
4. Stain the wine barrels with a color of your choice, or apply a clear polyurethane coat to preserve the outer shell.
5. Turn the half barrel upside down and drill 2 holes with a 1 inch bit auger for drainage. Add a potting mix soil and you're ready for planting!

Before adding the potting mix soil be sure to move the barrel to the desired location.  Once you've added the soil the container will be very heavy to move.

The barrels are versatile because you can add edible plants, dwarf citrus trees, ornamental plant with an obelisk in the center as a focal point.

I like to place my wine barrel on each side of a gate to add character to the entry way into the secret garden. Below is a couple of examples how they look with a solid stain and a clear polyurethane.

Wine Barrel planters add drama and mystery to a garden and/or patio. I hope this inspires you to add drama and mystery to your gardens.

For more garden ideas, updates, and discussions please connect with me via Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Catalog Season.... Perfect Reading On Rainy Days

How many of you enjoy the sound of water?

I don't know about you, but I enjoy listening to water, whether it is in a form of ocean waves, a running creak or river, or the sound of rain drops.

There is something magical about water in motion.  It's relaxing, calming, and soothing. Heck there is something magical about water period.  Did you know our body is about 50-75% of water?  Earth is made up of 71% of body water.

Imagine it's stormy outside, You crack the window open just enough to hear the rain drops hitting the oak tree leaves, a gentle breeze travels through the oak leaves forcing the raindrops to hit the ground.

It's winter.  It feels like spring is just around the corner. The seed catalogs arrived in the mail. I've perused through them creating a mile long list of what heirlooms I'd like to grow this year.

Like a child in a candy store, flipping through the pages, reading each description of an item, learning about a seeds history,  which country each heirloom originally came from, and how rare the seed is. Each catalog carrying something new and different.  The hardest part is having to narrow the list down.  Maybe I'll try this one next year as I cross items off the mile long list.

I've narrowed the list and placed my order. I'm anxious for the packages arrival.

Pretty soon the battle in the garden will begin.  A battle from below the ground (gophers), on the ground level (mice), and from the air (birds, and other pests).  Will I be able to conquer this battle? Only Mother Nature can tell you.  She/he might already have the answer, but I have to wait until it's time to harvest.

I've sprayed a blend of mostly peppermint, a bit of orange, and clarity sage essential oil mixed with with water and sprayed it on the plants giving the broccoli and cabbage family a fighting chance against the mice and aphids.  Planted cool flowering plants intermediate between rows of veggies as a second tactic.  Hoping the root will intertwine.  Will this confuse the root loving Jamal living below?

Will my efforts succeed?  Time will tell.

---

Dinner: Homegrown Summer Squash! Sweet Basil & Roasted Garlic Smoked Chicken Sausage Over Rice

I did it!! I don't know exactly how I did it but I'm glad it was successful. I'm sure I had help and guidance from above. Your probably wondering what I did, right! It may not seem impressive to you but its a grand challenge for me, homesteading its a whole new world. The challenge is how to grow a year round garden enough for a family of 4.

Once upon a time everything was grown organic. Above: Heirloom squash golden zucchini.

In spring I thought the gopher was going to destroy our garden. We thought by building a retaining wall would prevent any gopher from enter the planting area. "bzzzzzzt  (buzzer sound from family feud) wrong answer joe!" Little did we know that the gopher was already there just waiting for us to plant some yummy meals (that stinker).

During our first year on the property, blackberry vines made it's appearances. We treated it as a home welcoming gift and nourished it through out it's growth. one happy blackberry vine = one happy homeowner

Yep, I was totally surprise to see my lettuce get pulled underground. It was like watching a musician's disappearing act as the lettuce was sucked down or just the like stars getting sucked into a black hole never to be seen again.  The gopher was slowly making its way across the garden destroying every  plant in its path. One morning I couldn't take it any more and I started yelling at it "get out of my garden" and smashed every possible pathway. I didn't care if it understood me or not. I didn't care if my neighbors across the canyon heard me. They probably think I'm a crazy lady talking to her chickens.  I don't care. The gopher is gone now! 

The summer garden is thriving and I am very pleased with the results.   At one point I thought to myself, "what am I going to do with all of these veggies?" I had so much that I ended up giving my second harvest to my neighbors and my most recent harvest to family members.

Still giving away the produce wasn't enough... the more I gave, the bigger the next harvest. There's got to be another solution right? I  started experimenting with Zucchini. I'm not confident enough to start canning just yet.  However canning is definitely on my To Do List.   It was a great year for heirloom cucumbers and heirloom squash.  I just hope next years harvest will be just as grand.

Fun Veggie Fact: Did you know Zucchini is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium?  It is also a good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, and Phosphorus. Also Zucchini is a great source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Coffer and Manganese.

To celebrate the abundance harvest, I'd like to share a yummy recipe that my husband and I enjoy on a cool summer night. 

 Don't be shy, share your thoughts.

History has shown us that our ancestors had grand gardens.  It had various vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants.  It has had many titles, a Witch Garden, a Vegetable Garden, a Kitchen Garden, a Potager Garden, and in scottland it's called Kailyaird Garden.   Back in time, having a garden was essential to your survival.  Presently a great percentage of humanity depends on grocery markets for their produce and stables.  How many people do you know have a vegetable garden all year long?   How many people have told you that they don't have a green thumb?

Some might say it's easier to head to the market rather than growing their own food and I agree, it is easier.  Some might say that they don't have the time because they work long hours, and have other responsibilities to attend to on their time off.  I agree, you can only spread yourself around to a certain limit.

Let me take you on a journey. A journey of building a herbal garden for culinary and medicinal purposes.  Below I describe how having a herb garden can benefit you and your family.

One herb that I find rewarding is basil.  Did I hear you say why? I make a pesto with fresh basil.  Basil pesto is very easy and fast to make, and it can turn an adverage meal into a gourmet delight .  You can make chicken pesto pizza, pesto aloe sauce on a turkey sandwich and/or on a breakfast egg sandwich, and finally, but not least you can make an Italian themed dinner with chicken pesto pasta topped with parmigiana cheese.  Does all of the above sound delicious to you?  Thinking about it is making my mouth water.

What is your favorite culinary herb? Is it Garlic?

I guess I better head outside and transplant the Echinacea's while I still have some daylight.

Hope you are all doing well.

oxoxox