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This Month On The Farm: January 2021
We have been blessed with more beautiful snow this month coating the trees like frosting. I'm so happy we kept our outbuildings red. The contrast with the winter white is quite beautiful.
Have you started planning your 2021 garden yet? This is a favorite time of year for many gardeners, myself included, as we are inundated with seed catalogs which are quickly thumbed through and marked up to indicate all we would love to plant. Of course, I mark enough to plant 10 acres of garden instead of the small plot I actually have. So I have to go back through a couple more times and look with a bit of realism in order to narrow down my choices to what I plan to purchase.
This year, however, is a bit different for me. I'm actually in a really good spot with seeds. I was fortunate to have ordered most of them last year prior to the pandemic therefore before seeds were suddenly scooped up at a record pace. We had really good success last year using organic potatoes and sweet potatoes purchased from our local health food store instead of seed potatoes, so I will likely do that again this year.
Coop Girls - the girls are producing a decent amount of eggs so Jay is happy. He's even getting so smug that he's eating them every morning. We are now up to an average of 6 per day! The Coop Girls are not fond of winter, as you know, so they aren't too terribly happy about chilly days and even less so about snow and frozen ground. Without the ability to peck and forage in the ground for goodies they decide it's not fun to be out and about.
Needless to say, they spend a LOT of time inside their coop this time of the year. We lure them out with goodies (leftovers, cooked rice with milk or yogurt, oatmeal, etc.) but as soon as they've gobbled down what we've brought, back in they usually go. Occasionally we go in and shoo them out while the sun is shining, trying to encourage them to spend time outdoors but it only lasts a few minutes.
Jackson (I was taking grocery haul photos and his little head was in the background. This is the chair he sits in to receive his treats so he's patiently waiting for them....
Oliver
Oliver & Jackson - they are both doing well. Jackson has his cardiology appointment this month and we don't see any signs of him having issues with his heart so, fingers crossed, all is well.
Oliver is 11!!!!
And guess who turned 11 in January???? Our little man Oliver did. He has some bad days/moments but mostly good, all things considered, and is generally doing well. I suspect bad moments are partly due to the ice in our yard. It doesn't take much to tweak your back and particularly when you've got the damage he has, so we are limiting him to where he can/can't walk to try and keep him safe.
What I've Been Reading - I read a few good books this month, three autobiographies and a novel, including one that I loved. I would recommend them all! (affiliate links)
Go North, Young Man: Modern Homesteading In Alaska, by Gordon Stoddard - I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did but Gordon really did a nice job writing about his experience of his first 4 years on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. This book is from the 50's when you could actually acquire land by homesteading on a parcel. Gordon shares his experience of leaving his family in California, arriving in Alaska, and building a home and life in the rugged wilderness. He shares stories of the characters he met and befriended as well as many of the challenges to living an off-grid homesteading lifestyle. I only wished he'd written a sequel!
We Took To The Woods, by Louise Dickinson Rich - Another autobiography, originally published in 1942, where Louise writes about her life in the remote backwoods of Maine. I found this book to be candid, witty, simple yet sophisticated as she describes her absolute love of living and raising a family off-grid.
The Secret To Hummingbird Cake: A Novel, by Celeste Fletcher McHale - this book brought me through all of the emotions. I laughed out loud, I cried, I chuckled, I sobbed, you get the idea - it was, in my opinion, a great read. This book touches on friendship, marriage, death, life, community, and gratitude for the one precious life we have on earth. It is the story of 3 lifelong friends who are now in adulthood and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. Some of the criticism I read noted frustration with both the immaturity of the friends as well as one of the main characters very poor decisions that was easily excused by her friends and family. I can understand the points but I still thought it was very well written and have added it to my re-read list.
A Year And A Day On Just A Few Acres by Peter Larson - this was recommended by a friend and I honestly wasn't so sure it was for me. I've seen Peter's website and watched one of his YouTube videos (regarding farmers markets during the pandemic) and liked and appreciated them but I still had doubts. I was wrong. It was a good read and I would recommend it. Here's the excerpt from the back because I think it sums it up well: When Peter Larson, a 44 year old principal at an architectural firm decides to leave his job to restart his family's seventh generation farm near Ithaca, NY, he encounters doubting ghosts of his former self, hundreds of frankenchickens, fifty personable turkeys, three pigs, one enduring friendship, and the true self he has searched for his whole life. Filled with the psychology of change and down-to-earth stories of farming and homesteading, this is a true story of making the leap so many wish for but dare not.
And an absence - I am going to be away from the blog for a bit. I don't know how long, honestly. I have some things I've wanted to pursue and I've decided to take my own advice and use any spare time to work on them. A little writing, a little crafting. Who knows what the end result will be but it's time to get to work! 😀
Hoping you had a wonderful January!
This Month On The Farm: January 2021 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
0 notes
Text
This Month On The Farm: January 2021
We have been blessed with more beautiful snow this month coating the trees like frosting. I'm so happy we kept our outbuildings red. The contrast with the winter white is quite beautiful.
Have you started planning your 2021 garden yet? This is a favorite time of year for many gardeners, myself included, as we are inundated with seed catalogs which are quickly thumbed through and marked up to indicate all we would love to plant. Of course, I mark enough to plant 10 acres of garden instead of the small plot I actually have. So I have to go back through a couple more times and look with a bit of realism in order to narrow down my choices to what I plan to purchase.
This year, however, is a bit different for me. I'm actually in a really good spot with seeds. I was fortunate to have ordered most of them last year prior to the pandemic therefore before seeds were suddenly scooped up at a record pace. We had really good success last year using organic potatoes and sweet potatoes purchased from our local health food store instead of seed potatoes, so I will likely do that again this year.
Coop Girls - the girls are producing a decent amount of eggs so Jay is happy. He's even getting so smug that he's eating them every morning. We are now up to an average of 6 per day! The Coop Girls are not fond of winter, as you know, so they aren't too terribly happy about chilly days and even less so about snow and frozen ground. Without the ability to peck and forage in the ground for goodies they decide it's not fun to be out and about.
Needless to say, they spend a LOT of time inside their coop this time of the year. We lure them out with goodies (leftovers, cooked rice with milk or yogurt, oatmeal, etc.) but as soon as they've gobbled down what we've brought, back in they usually go. Occasionally we go in and shoo them out while the sun is shining, trying to encourage them to spend time outdoors but it only lasts a few minutes.
Jackson (I was taking grocery haul photos and his little head was in the background. This is the chair he sits in to receive his treats so he's patiently waiting for them....
Oliver
Oliver & Jackson - they are both doing well. Jackson has his cardiology appointment this month and we don't see any signs of him having issues with his heart so, fingers crossed, all is well.
Oliver is 11!!!!
And guess who turned 11 in January???? Our little man Oliver did. He has some bad days/moments but mostly good, all things considered, and is generally doing well. I suspect bad moments are partly due to the ice in our yard. It doesn't take much to tweak your back and particularly when you've got the damage he has, so we are limiting him to where he can/can't walk to try and keep him safe.
What I've Been Reading - I read a few good books this month, three autobiographies and a novel, including one that I loved. I would recommend them all! (affiliate links)
Go North, Young Man: Modern Homesteading In Alaska, by Gordon Stoddard - I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did but Gordon really did a nice job writing about his experience of his first 4 years on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. This book is from the 50's when you could actually acquire land by homesteading on a parcel. Gordon shares his experience of leaving his family in California, arriving in Alaska, and building a home and life in the rugged wilderness. He shares stories of the characters he met and befriended as well as many of the challenges to living an off-grid homesteading lifestyle. I only wished he'd written a sequel!
We Took To The Woods, by Louise Dickinson Rich - Another autobiography, originally published in 1942, where Louise writes about her life in the remote backwoods of Maine. I found this book to be candid, witty, simple yet sophisticated as she describes her absolute love of living and raising a family off-grid.
The Secret To Hummingbird Cake: A Novel, by Celeste Fletcher McHale - this book brought me through all of the emotions. I laughed out loud, I cried, I chuckled, I sobbed, you get the idea - it was, in my opinion, a great read. This book touches on friendship, marriage, death, life, community, and gratitude for the one precious life we have on earth. It is the story of 3 lifelong friends who are now in adulthood and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. Some of the criticism I read noted frustration with both the immaturity of the friends as well as one of the main characters very poor decisions that was easily excused by her friends and family. I can understand the points but I still thought it was very well written and have added it to my re-read list.
A Year And A Day On Just A Few Acres by Peter Larson - this was recommended by a friend and I honestly wasn't so sure it was for me. I've seen Peter's website and watched one of his YouTube videos (regarding farmers markets during the pandemic) and liked and appreciated them but I still had doubts. I was wrong. It was a good read and I would recommend it. Here's the excerpt from the back because I think it sums it up well: When Peter Larson, a 44 year old principal at an architectural firm decides to leave his job to restart his family's seventh generation farm near Ithaca, NY, he encounters doubting ghosts of his former self, hundreds of frankenchickens, fifty personable turkeys, three pigs, one enduring friendship, and the true self he has searched for his whole life. Filled with the psychology of change and down-to-earth stories of farming and homesteading, this is a true story of making the leap so many wish for but dare not.
And an absence - I am going to be away from the blog for a bit. I don't know how long, honestly. I have some things I've wanted to pursue and I've decided to take my own advice and use any spare time to work on them. A little writing, a little crafting. Who knows what the end result will be but it's time to get to work! 😀
Hoping you had a wonderful January!
This Month On The Farm: January 2021 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
0 notes
Text
Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: February 2020
Grocery shopping has changed quite a bit for us as compared to pre-pandemic. Has it for you as well? I used to shop monthly at a handful of stores so we could work to spend the least amount possible. Now days we are definitely paying more so we can limit our shopping mainly to 3 stores. Of course there have been price increases as well with many items, so that doesn't help. Regardless, having a well stocked pantry and freezer has been a huge benefit.
Here we go:
Total Amount Spent for February: $336.55 = $84.14/week.
Whole Foods - $71.35
Hannaford - $86.13
BJ's - $179.07
Like last month we will need a re-stock on milk and half & half in a couple of weeks and may get fresh greens at that time as well.
A note about our groceries:
You won't see meat or veggies purchased much because we have both stockpiled in our freezers for winter & spring, and grow many of our own veggies during the growing season. When we do purchase meat it's usually in large quantity (for re-stocking the freezer) and most of it is purchased from local farmers. Eggs should not show up on our grocery lists as our chickens supply us with those. Our shopping of boxed/bagged/jarred items is usually for re-stocking our pantry.
More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Our Groceries:
Whole Foods
Fruit/Veg - my husband's favorite fruit, grapes ($2.99/lb), were on the list as were more sweet potatoes ($1.99/lb) (this time Hanna Sweet Potatoes), organic Envy apples ($1.79/lb), mini cucumbers ($3.99), cilantro ($1.49), and parsley ($1.49). The avocados were placed in this photo by mistake. They are accounted for in the Hannaford list because that's where they were purchased.
"Dairy" - of course I bought more Oately ($4.99/ea), no surprise there. I also bought my 2 favorite non-dairy butters. I rarely have oils/butters so they will last a while. If you are looking for a good non-dairy butter and haven't tried either the Foragers ($5.99) or Milkadamia ($3.59), I can recommend both. Foragers tastes like a cultured butter with a bit of a tang and Milkadamia is just a clean buttery flavor. Neither have palm oil if you're looking to avoid that as well.
Pantry - I like the King Arthur Organic Bread Flour ($9.99) for no-knead bread and pizza dough. I can't get the organic in the 2 regular stores I shop at so I usually either order it from King Arthur in bulk or purchase it at Whole Foods. Date Syrup ($7.99) - ok, yes, I know I can make this cheaper. Here's the issue. I have yet to be able to successfully make it as smooth as the syrup you buy. I use it in my coffee so if it has any chunks at all it's unappetizing. For any of you who make your own, any tips? I think it's my blender. I have a vitamix and I do not like it at all.
Other - sometimes I purchase pre-made hummus and Hope brand is one that I really like. I bought the Spicy Avocado (sooooooo good) ($2.70) and Original ($2.70)
Hannaford
Fruit/Veg - Avocados (shown by accident in the Whole Foods photo) (.49/ea), fresh salad greens (Little Leaf Farms $3.99/ea, Arugula 2 for $6.00), broccoli crowns ($1.69/lb), and I bought a package of mushrooms ($4.99) in case I couldn't get any at BJ's.
Meat - A package of little cocktail sausages ($4.29) as an option for Jay for lunch (pigs in a blanket with honey mustard dipping sauce), canned chopped clams ($3.19/ea) and bottled clam juice ($1.79/ea) for Clam Linguine later in the month.
Dairy - we had to buy milk at the store since we are only selling at the farmers market once a month right now. Local milk ($2.89), half & half (2.59/ea.) and cream ($1.99). And my husbands favorite butter ($6.99/ea) - 2 tubs because they run out of the large ones frequently.
Other - white vinegar ($2.69), rotisserie chicken spice blend ($4.99), Dentek floss sticks ($2.79), organic powdered sugar ($4.19) and organic brown sugar ($4.19), both of which we rarely use but I like to have them on hand, just in case. Salsa ($2.99) for days when I don't make any.
BJ's
Fruit/Veg - Kiwi fruit ($6.49 for 3lbs), mushrooms ($3.59), 3 bags frozen organic blueberries ($9.99/ea), 3 bags frozen organic cherries ($13.99/ea), POM Juice for the husband ($8.99), and 5 lb bag of sweet onions ($5.99).
Dairy & Meat - we have not been able to purchase all of the chicken we wanted to put in the freezer from a local farmer so we bought boneless skinless chicken thighs ($12.64 - just over $2.00/lb). Cheese sticks (Jay likes them wrapped with pepperoni and a bit of pizza dough then baked and served with pizza sauce) ($7.49)
Other - tri-color organic quinoa ($8.49), a special treat for my husband - PEEPS! ($9.99), cashews ($16.99), macadamias ($9.49) - both nuts are for Jays goji berry trail mix (noted in last month's post). Rao's marinara ($8.99) (the BEST once our homemade is used up), and Ro-Tel canned tomatoes ($7.99).
February's Meal Plan
A Note About Our Meal Plans
I create monthly meal plans because it's what I've found to be easiest for me. There may be some change but usually not much. Changing works because I rotate the same 30+ meals so we would use the ingredients at some point over the next 30-45 days. If we have perishables that need to be used up then that becomes priority and I may make changes to avoid food waste.
I usually make 2 separate meals - Jay and I eat completely different at this point. He used to be willing to eat what I eat as his side but not so much anymore. He's not a fan of whole grains and can only tolerate one type of veggie per meal. So.....you can see that I tend to eat the same thing multiple nights because it's easy and I don't mind at all. Where there's only one meal noted, I make a meat & cheese version for him and a vegan version for me. Where there's no veggie side noted for him I use whatever I've got that needs using up or I select a frozen veggie.
You will see that for Jays meals there are a few noticeable rotations.
In general, chicken meals are Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Pork is Tuesdays. And Beef is Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is in part due to the fact that he tells me it's illegal to serve chicken 2 days in a row. (insert eye roll)
Also, other then the occasional new recipe that I try, his meals rotate about every month and a half (a different rotation will show up for summer).
Our Sundays rotate around the same 4 meals (Tamales, Tacos, Homemade Pizza, and Pot Roast) because it's our farmers market day which means I want something super simple to make. I do not make the tamales, we love those by Tucson Tamale (not an affiliate link). Around us we can find a small variety at Healthy Living. Tucson Tamale offers meat, vegetarian, and vegan varieties and they are sooooo delicious. They do use oil in all of their tamales so if you are completely oil-free this is unfortunately not an option for you.
I remembered to photograph some of the meals!
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Manicotti
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Recipe Links:
Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti (Damn Delicious)
Chicken Fajita Rice (The Girl Who Ate Everything)
Lentil Loaf (Simple Veganista)
Oven Baked BBQ Pork Ribs
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
Homemade Hamburger Helper (Damn Delicious - I sub chicken stock for the beef stock)
Homemade Pizza - this is the pizza dough recipe we use
Spinach & Sausage Manicotti (South Your Mouth)
Bourbon Dijon Ham Steak (Martha Stewart - is delicious without the bourbon as well)
Slow-Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: February 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
0 notes
Text
Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: February 2020
Grocery shopping has changed quite a bit for us as compared to pre-pandemic. Has it for you as well? I used to shop monthly at a handful of stores so we could work to spend the least amount possible. Now days we are definitely paying more so we can limit our shopping mainly to 3 stores. Of course there have been price increases as well with many items, so that doesn't help. Regardless, having a well stocked pantry and freezer has been a huge benefit.
Here we go:
Total Amount Spent for February: $336.55 = $84.14/week.
Whole Foods - $71.35
Hannaford - $86.13
BJ's - $179.07
Like last month we will need a re-stock on milk and half & half in a couple of weeks and may get fresh greens at that time as well.
A note about our groceries:
You won't see meat or veggies purchased much because we have both stockpiled in our freezers for winter & spring, and grow many of our own veggies during the growing season. When we do purchase meat it's usually in large quantity (for re-stocking the freezer) and most of it is purchased from local farmers. Eggs should not show up on our grocery lists as our chickens supply us with those. Our shopping of boxed/bagged/jarred items is usually for re-stocking our pantry.
More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Our Groceries:
Whole Foods
Fruit/Veg - my husband's favorite fruit, grapes ($2.99/lb), were on the list as were more sweet potatoes ($1.99/lb) (this time Hanna Sweet Potatoes), organic Envy apples ($1.79/lb), mini cucumbers ($3.99), cilantro ($1.49), and parsley ($1.49). The avocados were placed in this photo by mistake. They are accounted for in the Hannaford list because that's where they were purchased.
"Dairy" - of course I bought more Oately ($4.99/ea), no surprise there. I also bought my 2 favorite non-dairy butters. I rarely have oils/butters so they will last a while. If you are looking for a good non-dairy butter and haven't tried either the Foragers ($5.99) or Milkadamia ($3.59), I can recommend both. Foragers tastes like a cultured butter with a bit of a tang and Milkadamia is just a clean buttery flavor. Neither have palm oil if you're looking to avoid that as well.
Pantry - I like the King Arthur Organic Bread Flour ($9.99) for no-knead bread and pizza dough. I can't get the organic in the 2 regular stores I shop at so I usually either order it from King Arthur in bulk or purchase it at Whole Foods. Date Syrup ($7.99) - ok, yes, I know I can make this cheaper. Here's the issue. I have yet to be able to successfully make it as smooth as the syrup you buy. I use it in my coffee so if it has any chunks at all it's unappetizing. For any of you who make your own, any tips? I think it's my blender. I have a vitamix and I do not like it at all.
Other - sometimes I purchase pre-made hummus and Hope brand is one that I really like. I bought the Spicy Avocado (sooooooo good) ($2.70) and Original ($2.70)
Hannaford
Fruit/Veg - Avocados (shown by accident in the Whole Foods photo) (.49/ea), fresh salad greens (Little Leaf Farms $3.99/ea, Arugula 2 for $6.00), broccoli crowns ($1.69/lb), and I bought a package of mushrooms ($4.99) in case I couldn't get any at BJ's.
Meat - A package of little cocktail sausages ($4.29) as an option for Jay for lunch (pigs in a blanket with honey mustard dipping sauce), canned chopped clams ($3.19/ea) and bottled clam juice ($1.79/ea) for Clam Linguine later in the month.
Dairy - we had to buy milk at the store since we are only selling at the farmers market once a month right now. Local milk ($2.89), half & half (2.59/ea.) and cream ($1.99). And my husbands favorite butter ($6.99/ea) - 2 tubs because they run out of the large ones frequently.
Other - white vinegar ($2.69), rotisserie chicken spice blend ($4.99), Dentek floss sticks ($2.79), organic powdered sugar ($4.19) and organic brown sugar ($4.19), both of which we rarely use but I like to have them on hand, just in case. Salsa ($2.99) for days when I don't make any.
BJ's
Fruit/Veg - Kiwi fruit ($6.49 for 3lbs), mushrooms ($3.59), 3 bags frozen organic blueberries ($9.99/ea), 3 bags frozen organic cherries ($13.99/ea), POM Juice for the husband ($8.99), and 5 lb bag of sweet onions ($5.99).
Dairy & Meat - we have not been able to purchase all of the chicken we wanted to put in the freezer from a local farmer so we bought boneless skinless chicken thighs ($12.64 - just over $2.00/lb). Cheese sticks (Jay likes them wrapped with pepperoni and a bit of pizza dough then baked and served with pizza sauce) ($7.49)
Other - tri-color organic quinoa ($8.49), a special treat for my husband - PEEPS! ($9.99), cashews ($16.99), macadamias ($9.49) - both nuts are for Jays goji berry trail mix (noted in last month's post). Rao's marinara ($8.99) (the BEST once our homemade is used up), and Ro-Tel canned tomatoes ($7.99).
February's Meal Plan
A Note About Our Meal Plans
I create monthly meal plans because it's what I've found to be easiest for me. There may be some change but usually not much. Changing works because I rotate the same 30+ meals so we would use the ingredients at some point over the next 30-45 days. If we have perishables that need to be used up then that becomes priority and I may make changes to avoid food waste.
I usually make 2 separate meals - Jay and I eat completely different at this point. He used to be willing to eat what I eat as his side but not so much anymore. He's not a fan of whole grains and can only tolerate one type of veggie per meal. So.....you can see that I tend to eat the same thing multiple nights because it's easy and I don't mind at all. Where there's only one meal noted, I make a meat & cheese version for him and a vegan version for me. Where there's no veggie side noted for him I use whatever I've got that needs using up or I select a frozen veggie.
You will see that for Jays meals there are a few noticeable rotations.
In general, chicken meals are Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Pork is Tuesdays. And Beef is Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is in part due to the fact that he tells me it's illegal to serve chicken 2 days in a row. (insert eye roll)
Also, other then the occasional new recipe that I try, his meals rotate about every month and a half (a different rotation will show up for summer).
Our Sundays rotate around the same 4 meals (Tamales, Tacos, Homemade Pizza, and Pot Roast) because it's our farmers market day which means I want something super simple to make. I do not make the tamales, we love those by Tucson Tamale (not an affiliate link). Around us we can find a small variety at Healthy Living. Tucson Tamale offers meat, vegetarian, and vegan varieties and they are sooooo delicious. They do use oil in all of their tamales so if you are completely oil-free this is unfortunately not an option for you.
I remembered to photograph some of the meals!
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Manicotti
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Recipe Links:
Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti (Damn Delicious)
Chicken Fajita Rice (The Girl Who Ate Everything)
Lentil Loaf (Simple Veganista)
Oven Baked BBQ Pork Ribs
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
Homemade Hamburger Helper (Damn Delicious - I sub chicken stock for the beef stock)
Homemade Pizza - this is the pizza dough recipe we use
Spinach & Sausage Manicotti (South Your Mouth)
Bourbon Dijon Ham Steak (Martha Stewart - is delicious without the bourbon as well)
Slow-Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: February 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
0 notes
Text
Prepping For A New Flock
Episode 1190. Today, poultry veterinarian Dr. Maurice Pitesky, DVM will be discussing how to prepare for a new flock. Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer®, brought to you by Tucker Milling, is a nationally broadcast web radio show and podcast all about keeping backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Each week, the Chicken Whisperer®, Editor In Chief of, Chicken Whisperer Magazine, Author of, The Chicken Whisperer's Guide To Keeping Chickens, and Chicken Fact or Chicken Poop, and National Spokesperson for the USDA-APHIS Biosecurity for Birds Program (2009 - 2019), welcomes experts in their field from around the country to share their knowledge about backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Regular guests include, poultry scientist Dr. Brigid McCrea, Ph.D., poultry veterinarian, Dr. Maurice Pitesky, DVM, MPVM, Dipl ACVPM, Alexandra Douglas, aka The Quail Lady, and more! Other guests include, but are not limited to, FFA members, 4H members, poultry club members, and the who's who in the backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, and self-sufficiant lifestyle industries. The Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer® web radio show has given away more chicken coops, and chicken related prizes than anyone else on the planet! Tune in to learn more about raising healthy poultry from the experts! Prepping For A New Flock was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
0 notes
Text
Prepping For A New Flock
Episode 1190. Today, poultry veterinarian Dr. Maurice Pitesky, DVM will be discussing how to prepare for a new flock. Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer®, brought to you by Tucker Milling, is a nationally broadcast web radio show and podcast all about keeping backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Each week, the Chicken Whisperer®, Editor In Chief of, Chicken Whisperer Magazine, Author of, The Chicken Whisperer's Guide To Keeping Chickens, and Chicken Fact or Chicken Poop, and National Spokesperson for the USDA-APHIS Biosecurity for Birds Program (2009 - 2019), welcomes experts in their field from around the country to share their knowledge about backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Regular guests include, poultry scientist Dr. Brigid McCrea, Ph.D., poultry veterinarian, Dr. Maurice Pitesky, DVM, MPVM, Dipl ACVPM, Alexandra Douglas, aka The Quail Lady, and more! Other guests include, but are not limited to, FFA members, 4H members, poultry club members, and the who's who in the backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, and self-sufficiant lifestyle industries. The Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer® web radio show has given away more chicken coops, and chicken related prizes than anyone else on the planet! Tune in to learn more about raising healthy poultry from the experts! Prepping For A New Flock was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
0 notes
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Come Learn All About 4-H Poultry Opportunities
Episode 1189. Today, Dr. McCrea, Ph.D., will be discussing all the poultry opportunities available through 4-H! Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer®, brought to you by Tucker Milling, is a nationally broadcast web radio show and podcast all about keeping backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Each week, the Chicken Whisperer®, Editor In Chief of, Chicken Whisperer Magazine, Author of, The Chicken Whisperer's Guide To Keeping Chickens, and Chicken Fact or Chicken Poop, and National Spokesperson for the USDA-APHIS Biosecurity for Birds Program (2009 - 2019), welcomes experts in their field from around the country to share their knowledge about backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Regular guests include, poultry scientist Dr. Brigid McCrea, Ph.D., poultry veterinarian, Dr. Maurice Pitesky, DVM, MPVM, Dipl ACVPM, Alexandra Douglas, aka The Quail Lady, and more! Other guests include, but are not limited to, FFA members, 4H members, poultry club members, and the who's who in the backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, and self-sufficiant lifestyle industries. The Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer® web radio show has given away more chicken coops, and chicken related prizes than anyone else on the planet! Tune in to learn more about raising healthy poultry from the experts! Come Learn All About 4-H Poultry Opportunities was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Come Learn All About 4-H Poultry Opportunities
Episode 1189. Today, Dr. McCrea, Ph.D., will be discussing all the poultry opportunities available through 4-H! Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer®, brought to you by Tucker Milling, is a nationally broadcast web radio show and podcast all about keeping backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Each week, the Chicken Whisperer®, Editor In Chief of, Chicken Whisperer Magazine, Author of, The Chicken Whisperer's Guide To Keeping Chickens, and Chicken Fact or Chicken Poop, and National Spokesperson for the USDA-APHIS Biosecurity for Birds Program (2009 - 2019), welcomes experts in their field from around the country to share their knowledge about backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, heritage poultry, and living a self-sufficiant lifestyle. Regular guests include, poultry scientist Dr. Brigid McCrea, Ph.D., poultry veterinarian, Dr. Maurice Pitesky, DVM, MPVM, Dipl ACVPM, Alexandra Douglas, aka The Quail Lady, and more! Other guests include, but are not limited to, FFA members, 4H members, poultry club members, and the who's who in the backyard poultry, commercial poultry, show poultry, and self-sufficiant lifestyle industries. The Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer® web radio show has given away more chicken coops, and chicken related prizes than anyone else on the planet! Tune in to learn more about raising healthy poultry from the experts! Come Learn All About 4-H Poultry Opportunities was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Goals For 2021
Goals, resolutions, whatever you choose to call them, they are a great way of keeping you on track to moving toward positive changes and/or experiences in your life. I, personally, love having goals written after all, it's the tool we used to achieve living the lifestyle we love including working for ourselves.
For me, if I don't write down my goals then I forget about them and then there's zero chance they will be achieved. Of course it's hard to know what we will be able to do/not do this year with the pandemic still a strong part of our lives, but I've decided to set some goals that may be impacted anyway.
Learn A New Craft
Last year I set a goal to learn to knit and I did (thank you YouTube!). This year I plan to work a bit more at knitting in order to achieve more than a (very) long scarf but I also want to keep learning. So I need to narrow down my list of crafts to learn and pick one for this year!
Read 24 Books
I've done pretty good since September and hope to keep this going. If you have any book suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Purge The Second Floor Of The Barn & Take The "Go" Pile To The Flea Market
Now part of this relies on my husband's willingness to do this because much of the stuff is his and I've tried very hard not to pressure him into getting rid of things that are his. I definitely want to go through anything that is mine and hopefully inspire 😉 him to do the same. If we both go through and purge we should have enough stuff to drag to one of the summer flea markets.
The Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY
Visit 6 Museums, Gardens, Etc. In New York
We typically travel to neighboring states rather then exploring our own state so this year I am making it a goal to explore more of NY.
Go Through Saved New Recipes And Either Try Them Or Toss Them
Unfortunately, I've got quite the collection of saved recipes I've recently discovered. Whether they are saved on the computer, torn from a magazine, or printed and put in a file, the goal is that the collection will be dwindled down to nothing by the end of the year.
Plant More Flowers
I've wanted to work on the flower beds I created a few years ago but every summer comes and goes without that happening. This year I'll start with the beds at the very front of our property. I'll rework and add to them.
Keep Walking & Running Regularly
When the business hits the busy season it's too easy to let walking or running get pushed aside and this year I'm going to keep it a priority in my day.
Put More Money Toward Paying Off The Mortgage Early
This past year we had stopped putting extra money toward it because of the financial loss we sustained but this year I want to get back on track and (hopefully) make up for last year! If this past year taught me nothing else, it cemented the decision to be completely debt free as an integral missing piece of our life.
What goals have you set for yourself? Do you set monthly or annual goals? How about 1 year, 5 year or longer goals?
Goals For 2021 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Text
Goals For 2021
Goals, resolutions, whatever you choose to call them, they are a great way of keeping you on track to moving toward positive changes and/or experiences in your life. I, personally, love having goals written after all, it's the tool we used to achieve living the lifestyle we love including working for ourselves.
For me, if I don't write down my goals then I forget about them and then there's zero chance they will be achieved. Of course it's hard to know what we will be able to do/not do this year with the pandemic still a strong part of our lives, but I've decided to set some goals that may be impacted anyway.
Learn A New Craft
Last year I set a goal to learn to knit and I did (thank you YouTube!). This year I plan to work a bit more at knitting in order to achieve more than a (very) long scarf but I also want to keep learning. So I need to narrow down my list of crafts to learn and pick one for this year!
Read 24 Books
I've done pretty good since September and hope to keep this going. If you have any book suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Purge The Second Floor Of The Barn & Take The "Go" Pile To The Flea Market
Now part of this relies on my husband's willingness to do this because much of the stuff is his and I've tried very hard not to pressure him into getting rid of things that are his. I definitely want to go through anything that is mine and hopefully inspire 😉 him to do the same. If we both go through and purge we should have enough stuff to drag to one of the summer flea markets.
The Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY
Visit 6 Museums, Gardens, Etc. In New York
We typically travel to neighboring states rather then exploring our own state so this year I am making it a goal to explore more of NY.
Go Through Saved New Recipes And Either Try Them Or Toss Them
Unfortunately, I've got quite the collection of saved recipes I've recently discovered. Whether they are saved on the computer, torn from a magazine, or printed and put in a file, the goal is that the collection will be dwindled down to nothing by the end of the year.
Plant More Flowers
I've wanted to work on the flower beds I created a few years ago but every summer comes and goes without that happening. This year I'll start with the beds at the very front of our property. I'll rework and add to them.
Keep Walking & Running Regularly
When the business hits the busy season it's too easy to let walking or running get pushed aside and this year I'm going to keep it a priority in my day.
Put More Money Toward Paying Off The Mortgage Early
This past year we had stopped putting extra money toward it because of the financial loss we sustained but this year I want to get back on track and (hopefully) make up for last year! If this past year taught me nothing else, it cemented the decision to be completely debt free as an integral missing piece of our life.
What goals have you set for yourself? Do you set monthly or annual goals? How about 1 year, 5 year or longer goals?
Goals For 2021 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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This Month On The Farm: December 2020
And just like that December is over. Happy new year to all of you! 2020 was a bit of a crazy ride but all-in-all, for us, it was quite alright. While we didn't have a great year financially, we really can't complain. We learned that we could tighten our already tight financial belt even more. With that it ensured our bills are paid, we have food in our pantry and freezers, the animals are very well taken care of, our business survived, and we had more time to spend on things we weren't finding time to get done in previous years.
Please know that I am not trying to be insensitive to those who had tragic outcomes in 2020, rather, we are trying to focus on what went well for us. On that same note I am super grateful we had made the decision not to move our business off of our farm so our overhead was limited. We had struggled with that decision since we started the business and just about a year and a half ago made a final decision that we would not grow the business any larger than what we could handle ourselves in the space we've got.
the mound on the left of this photo is my Jeep Grand Cherokee....
Well, Jay had been complaining that it didn't feel like Christmas a couple of weeks prior. He said that because we didn't have snow he just wasn't feeling it. Sooooo....I blame him completely for the 3 feet that were dumped on us shortly before the big day. Yup - he is the one you can blame as well if you'd like. It took a full 2 days to complete our snow removal - paths, deck, porches, and roofs and, since he does most of it, he was exhausted by the time it was done. Of course he didn't much appreciate my singing of Christmas songs as we suited up to head outside for each round of shoveling or snow blowing. Clearly he doesn't always appreciate my enthusiasm or talents.
Christmas was quiet, as it was just the two of us and the critters, so I made some special meals and treats to celebrate the day. We basked in the hum and warmth of the pellet stove, binge watched the new season of Virgin River on Netflix, drank mugs of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, and enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing day together.
And then Saturday I deemed a "no cook" day. We had simple breakfasts, leftovers for lunch, and frozen pizza for dinner. I did throw chicken wings in the air fryer for Jay's dinner as well, but it's no more difficult then throwing frozen pizza in the oven. It was perfect.
Oliver & Jackson - Let's start with updates on Mr. Oliver. We took him to his consultation for alternative treatments to help keep him comfortable with his multiple herniated discs. First, let me tell you that he had to finish up a round of a steroids in December and I am SO HAPPY it's over. My goodness that boy was constantly starving!! Steroids increase hunger and thirst and if he wasn't ravishingly hungry he was drinking a ton. My day was spent feeding him, filling up his water bowl, and taking him out to go to the bathroom. Repeat. I also decided after the first morning of his poor bladder being so incredibly full he was clearly uncomfortable, that I would get up at 2a.m. every night to take him out to pee. I did this until that darned steroid was out of his system. I felt so bad for him. He absolutely will not go potty in the house so he holds it despite the discomfort it causes.
His doctor decided that acupuncture and laser therapy were not necessary as of yet, so we purchased a therapy loop that she recommended to give him electromagnetic therapy at home. She's hoping this will help keep the inflammation down for a while. Eventually we will add in the other 2 therapies when needed. He also has some stretches we do daily to keep his little body limber.
He is not allowed to run, jump, etc. and we are keeping his walking to a minimum which is what the remainder of his life will be. He is happy, seems to feel pretty good (we have to hold him back from trying to run, jump, etc.), and takes nice long naps so all seems to be well at the moment. He will turn 11 in January and I think he's definitely feeling his age.
And then there's Jackson. Actually, he's doing well. He's the same - bratty but handsome, and is still loving his new routine of going to bed in his very own bedroom. He LOVES taking his Rescue Remedy every night. I have no idea why. I do have to make sure the room is always "Jack-proofed" because he gets into anything and everything during his 7-8 hours of alone time.
In The Coop - We have EGGS!!!! Jay is so happy. Although we aren't getting many, at least we are getting an egg or two each day as of a week ago. He's still rationing his use since he's not fully confident we will get them daily, but that will change soon I'm sure.
The Coop Girls are doing well. They dislike the colder temps and absolutely detest that beautiful white snow. When we leave their coop open they get so excited to run out and that lasts all of about 3 minutes. Once they realize that there is snow everywhere except for their coop they return to their outdoor coop. There's usually a lot of chatter after this is attempted each morning. I suspect it's a bit of disappointment being shared amongst the flock.
Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread
In The Kitchen - I've been making this recipe for Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread (by King Arthur Flour) and we've been enjoying it. If you happen to have any maple sugar lying around it is perfect in this bread. I substitute out most of the white a/p flour with white whole wheat flour but other then that I follow the recipe exactly. It's a fairly dense, sweet, and moist loaf that is perfect for morning toast or a sandwich where a slightly sweet bread would work.
I also made up a few batches of bean burgers (using 3 different recipes as guides) to store in the freezer for quick meals. And as a surprise snack one day I made a batch of DELICIOUS Honey Butter Popcorn (it's good with or without the nuts). If you add a touch of salt it's almost like a kettle corn (without the nuts) or cracker jacks (with the nuts) but not cloyingly sweet. I altered it slightly by using a non-dairy butter and about 10-12 cups of popped popcorn (it calls for 6 cups) so it wasn't too sweet. It was good even days later.
I also discovered a recipe for vegan Amaretti Cookies. They are gluten free as well but the recipe does use refined sugar. They are really good. My husband (the anti-vegan) loves them. After he ate 2 I told him they are almond flour and aquafaba. After explaining what aquafaba was he said "why did you have to go and tell me there's chickpeas in my cookies???" (Of course aquafaba is the chickpea cooking liquid not the beans, he was being dramatic) I told him because I'd promised that I will always tell him what's in food he tries and never hide ingredients. But I tell him AFTER he's tried the recipe of course! 😁 (p.s. mine look more like snowball cookies because they didn't crack but they were still delicious!) He ate quite a few more over the course of a couple days and has requested them for this week's dessert. So I guess he likes them!
What I've Been Reading - I haven't read as many books over the past month but I did read a few good ones. (affiliate links)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel by Gail Honeyman - this was a very different book for me to read but it was written so incredibly well. A word of caution that it does deal with child abuse but it really is brilliant. It's tragic, sad, funny, and enlightening.
The Twelve Dates Of Christmas: A Novel by Jenny Bayliss - apparent from the title it's a rom-com and a very well written debut novel. I really liked the main characters and the little twists and turns of the story which is set in England.
The Clause In Christmas: A Poppy Creek Novel by Rachael Bloome - honestly, I really didn't think I would like this book. I guess I thought it would be a bit too cheesy. Quite surprisingly I enjoyed it (not cheesy at all). It was light, the events were predictable, but I liked the characters and the storyline and it was a fun read. It's the first of a series of five.
That's what happened around here in December!
This Month On The Farm: December 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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This Month On The Farm: December 2020
And just like that December is over. Happy new year to all of you! 2020 was a bit of a crazy ride but all-in-all, for us, it was quite alright. While we didn't have a great year financially, we really can't complain. We learned that we could tighten our already tight financial belt even more. With that it ensured our bills are paid, we have food in our pantry and freezers, the animals are very well taken care of, our business survived, and we had more time to spend on things we weren't finding time to get done in previous years.
Please know that I am not trying to be insensitive to those who had tragic outcomes in 2020, rather, we are trying to focus on what went well for us. On that same note I am super grateful we had made the decision not to move our business off of our farm so our overhead was limited. We had struggled with that decision since we started the business and just about a year and a half ago made a final decision that we would not grow the business any larger than what we could handle ourselves in the space we've got.
the mound on the left of this photo is my Jeep Grand Cherokee....
Well, Jay had been complaining that it didn't feel like Christmas a couple of weeks prior. He said that because we didn't have snow he just wasn't feeling it. Sooooo....I blame him completely for the 3 feet that were dumped on us shortly before the big day. Yup - he is the one you can blame as well if you'd like. It took a full 2 days to complete our snow removal - paths, deck, porches, and roofs and, since he does most of it, he was exhausted by the time it was done. Of course he didn't much appreciate my singing of Christmas songs as we suited up to head outside for each round of shoveling or snow blowing. Clearly he doesn't always appreciate my enthusiasm or talents.
Christmas was quiet, as it was just the two of us and the critters, so I made some special meals and treats to celebrate the day. We basked in the hum and warmth of the pellet stove, binge watched the new season of Virgin River on Netflix, drank mugs of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, and enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing day together.
And then Saturday I deemed a "no cook" day. We had simple breakfasts, leftovers for lunch, and frozen pizza for dinner. I did throw chicken wings in the air fryer for Jay's dinner as well, but it's no more difficult then throwing frozen pizza in the oven. It was perfect.
Oliver & Jackson - Let's start with updates on Mr. Oliver. We took him to his consultation for alternative treatments to help keep him comfortable with his multiple herniated discs. First, let me tell you that he had to finish up a round of a steroids in December and I am SO HAPPY it's over. My goodness that boy was constantly starving!! Steroids increase hunger and thirst and if he wasn't ravishingly hungry he was drinking a ton. My day was spent feeding him, filling up his water bowl, and taking him out to go to the bathroom. Repeat. I also decided after the first morning of his poor bladder being so incredibly full he was clearly uncomfortable, that I would get up at 2a.m. every night to take him out to pee. I did this until that darned steroid was out of his system. I felt so bad for him. He absolutely will not go potty in the house so he holds it despite the discomfort it causes.
His doctor decided that acupuncture and laser therapy were not necessary as of yet, so we purchased a therapy loop that she recommended to give him electromagnetic therapy at home. She's hoping this will help keep the inflammation down for a while. Eventually we will add in the other 2 therapies when needed. He also has some stretches we do daily to keep his little body limber.
He is not allowed to run, jump, etc. and we are keeping his walking to a minimum which is what the remainder of his life will be. He is happy, seems to feel pretty good (we have to hold him back from trying to run, jump, etc.), and takes nice long naps so all seems to be well at the moment. He will turn 11 in January and I think he's definitely feeling his age.
And then there's Jackson. Actually, he's doing well. He's the same - bratty but handsome, and is still loving his new routine of going to bed in his very own bedroom. He LOVES taking his Rescue Remedy every night. I have no idea why. I do have to make sure the room is always "Jack-proofed" because he gets into anything and everything during his 7-8 hours of alone time.
In The Coop - We have EGGS!!!! Jay is so happy. Although we aren't getting many, at least we are getting an egg or two each day as of a week ago. He's still rationing his use since he's not fully confident we will get them daily, but that will change soon I'm sure.
The Coop Girls are doing well. They dislike the colder temps and absolutely detest that beautiful white snow. When we leave their coop open they get so excited to run out and that lasts all of about 3 minutes. Once they realize that there is snow everywhere except for their coop they return to their outdoor coop. There's usually a lot of chatter after this is attempted each morning. I suspect it's a bit of disappointment being shared amongst the flock.
Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread
In The Kitchen - I've been making this recipe for Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread (by King Arthur Flour) and we've been enjoying it. If you happen to have any maple sugar lying around it is perfect in this bread. I substitute out most of the white a/p flour with white whole wheat flour but other then that I follow the recipe exactly. It's a fairly dense, sweet, and moist loaf that is perfect for morning toast or a sandwich where a slightly sweet bread would work.
I also made up a few batches of bean burgers (using 3 different recipes as guides) to store in the freezer for quick meals. And as a surprise snack one day I made a batch of DELICIOUS Honey Butter Popcorn (it's good with or without the nuts). If you add a touch of salt it's almost like a kettle corn (without the nuts) or cracker jacks (with the nuts) but not cloyingly sweet. I altered it slightly by using a non-dairy butter and about 10-12 cups of popped popcorn (it calls for 6 cups) so it wasn't too sweet. It was good even days later.
I also discovered a recipe for vegan Amaretti Cookies. They are gluten free as well but the recipe does use refined sugar. They are really good. My husband (the anti-vegan) loves them. After he ate 2 I told him they are almond flour and aquafaba. After explaining what aquafaba was he said "why did you have to go and tell me there's chickpeas in my cookies???" (Of course aquafaba is the chickpea cooking liquid not the beans, he was being dramatic) I told him because I'd promised that I will always tell him what's in food he tries and never hide ingredients. But I tell him AFTER he's tried the recipe of course! 😁 (p.s. mine look more like snowball cookies because they didn't crack but they were still delicious!) He ate quite a few more over the course of a couple days and has requested them for this week's dessert. So I guess he likes them!
What I've Been Reading - I haven't read as many books over the past month but I did read a few good ones. (affiliate links)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel by Gail Honeyman - this was a very different book for me to read but it was written so incredibly well. A word of caution that it does deal with child abuse but it really is brilliant. It's tragic, sad, funny, and enlightening.
The Twelve Dates Of Christmas: A Novel by Jenny Bayliss - apparent from the title it's a rom-com and a very well written debut novel. I really liked the main characters and the little twists and turns of the story which is set in England.
The Clause In Christmas: A Poppy Creek Novel by Rachael Bloome - honestly, I really didn't think I would like this book. I guess I thought it would be a bit too cheesy. Quite surprisingly I enjoyed it (not cheesy at all). It was light, the events were predictable, but I liked the characters and the storyline and it was a fun read. It's the first of a series of five.
That's what happened around here in December!
This Month On The Farm: December 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: January 2021
The new year has finally arrived! I'm not sure what grocery shopping looks like in your neck of the woods now that there's yet another rise in COVID cases, but it's actually not too bad in ours. For the most part you can select curbside pick-up or delivery if you desire. And lately I desire.
The photo above and info below outline our monthly grocery shopping. We will need a few additional items: milk comes from our farmers market as does coffee for Jay (probably another $20.00 total for the month), and I may get some fresh greens in another 1-2 weeks (less then $10.00).
Our groceries for January came from BJ's and Healthy Living, a local health food store. Typically we would also do a Hannaford order or a trip to the commissary, however, we are really well stocked on pantry and freezer items. You'll notice there is no meat purchased. Our freezers are fairly well stocked and we will actually be bartering with a farmer friend - our products for some of his chicken and pork, this weekend. We are finally (FINALLY) getting eggs from the Coop Girls, and as you know, we put up a lot of veggies in the freezer from the summer garden.
I don't plan on returning to Healthy Living until March so I stocked up with that in mind. We will probably place another BJ's order mid February-ish.
The total spent for January is anticipated to be $439.41 or just over $100.00/week.
$269.41 (groceries already purchased) + $140.00 (bartered meat) + $30.00 (coffee, milk & greens anticipated to purchase throughout the month) = $439.41. Our January purchases are partly for January and partly for the months to come.
Healthy Living - $174.84 (almost half of this amount is from 2 items....the dandy blend and the goji berries)
BJ's - $94.57
More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Our Groceries:
Healthy Living:
The Dandy Blend Herbal Coffee Alternative is AMAZINGLY good. I absolutely love it for iced or hot "coffee". It's kind of expensive and a bit of a splurge. I purchased 2 bags which will last me through April or so. The 14 oz bags cost $22.49 each. I've looked on Amazon and they sell a slightly smaller (11 oz) bag for around the same price so this seems to be the best deal.
The Goji Berries are added to a trail mix (we already have the other ingredients on hand) for Jay that he eats daily. Macular degeneration runs in his family and goji berries have been shown to help prevent this. Plus they are high in antioxidants so we decided it was worth it regardless of whether or not it works to prevent M.D.. These bags are 8 ounces and $12.49 each. I should have bought them at Amazon because I'm pretty sure I could have gotten them cheaper. I'll research it and purchase them there going forward if it makes sense to do so. The 2 bags should last him just about 2 months.
I know there are cheaper dairy alternatives then Oatly ($4.99/carton) but I really love Oatly. I prefer the lowfat version but they were out of everything except for these 4 cartons.
We bought 12 pounds of mixed yukon & red potatoes ($1.99/lb) and 5 pounds of sweet potatoes (I splurged and bought my FAVORITE Japanese Sweet Potatoes at $2.99/lb - I call them "cake sweet potatoes" because they are soooo sweet). Oliver and I are on the last of the sweet potatoes that we harvested and stored in the fall. I can't believe they are almost gone!!! We go through a moderate amount of potatoes and only purchase them organic, and the absolute best ones we've found are at Healthy Living. This is easily a 2 month supply of each.
I have a few apples and mandarin oranges left for fruit but Jay prefers grapes so I bought a bag of grapes ($2.99/lb) and I treated myself to a couple of grapefruit ($1.49/lb). I typically try to only buy fruit that is $1.99 or less per pound (exception being the frozen berries & cherries), but that definitely didn't happen this month.
Que Pasa is our new favorite brand of tortilla chips. They are organic, non-GMO, and reduced sodium. We very rarely have chips but when we do it's tortilla for the win. They were on sale (although I'm wondering if this is a permanent sale because they were on the same sale a few months ago when I last bought them...) at $2.99/bag.
I usually make my own bread and tortillas but I like to have a bit of each in the freezer just in case. I've used up my freezer stash of both so I purchased a loaf of Dave's bread and a pack of limited ingredient corn tortillas and whole wheat flour tortillas for the freezer.
BJ's:
Not shown in the photo, we also bought a bag of frozen organic sweet cherries and a bag of frozen organic blueberries (3 lb bags for $13.99/ea.). We have 2 bags of each in the freezer already. We each eat a 1/2 cup of a mix of the two every single day so we should be good for a couple months. I also bought Kiwi (3 lbs for $6.49) as yet another splurge because we haven't had them in forever and one bunch of organic bananas (2 lbs for $1.59). We've found that our very favorite bananas are organic Chiquita. They seem to be the creamiest. I have no idea why, but the non-organic Chiquita's and other brands organic and non-organic just aren't the same. Strange....
I keep riced cauliflower on hand in the freezer because it's one of the cheapest ways to buy cauliflower off season. (I roast it from frozen in the oven to use as a veggie side) I wanted to make some buffalo cauliflower though for veggie tacos, and I need pieces instead of having it riced so I bought a bag (2 lbs for $4.29). Jay likes cooked cauliflower with cheese sauce so he'll have that as a side a few times too.
We eat a lot of mushrooms and BJ's seems to have the best price on them so I bought 2 which will get us through a few weeks. (24 oz containers for $4.99/ea.)
Pom Juice was a special request by the husband. We don't usually buy juice but he requested it last month for the first time in a long time and has been enjoying it. (48oz bottle $8.99) I'm running low on frozen peas and frozen corn and BJ's carries the organic at a reasonable cost (each is 4 lbs for $6.99) so I stocked up. I'm low on carrots too and their price isn't bad (5 lbs organic for $3.99). Also not shown is a 3-pack of frozen pizza. We keep a couple vegan frozen pizzas and a couple meat/cheese frozen pizzas on hand all of the time for the days we need something quick. We still have 2 of the vegan so we just stocked up on the meat version (3 pack DiGiornio $13.99).
January's Meal Plan
My goal was to start posting our meal plans again, per request from many of you, but to also add photos of some of the meals this time around. Unfortunately, I have yet to get in the habit of photographing dinner before it's served. I hope to add this to the posts as I remember.
A Note About Our Meal Plans
I create monthly meal plans because it's what I've found to be easiest for me. There may be some change but usually not much. Changing works because I rotate the same 30+ meals so we would use the ingredients at some point over the next 30-45 days. If we have perishables that need to be used up then that becomes priority and I may make changes to avoid food waste.
I usually make 2 separate meals - Jay and I eat completely different at this point. He used to be willing to eat what I eat as his side but not so much anymore. He's not a fan of whole grains and can only tolerate one type of veggie per meal. So.....you can see that I tend to eat the same thing multiple nights because it's easy and I don't mind at all. Where there's only one meal noted, I make a meat & cheese version for him and a vegan version for me. Where there's no veggie side noted for him I use whatever I've got that needs using up or I select a frozen veggie.
You will notice that for Jays meals there are a few noticeable rotations.
In general, chicken meals are Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Pork is Tuesdays. And Beef is Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is in part due to the fact that he tells me it's illegal to serve chicken 2 days in a row. (insert eye roll)
Also, other then the occasional new recipe that I try, his meals rotate about every month and a half (a different rotation will show up for summer).
Our Sundays rotate around the same 5 meals (Tamales, Tacos, Homemade Pizza, Pot Roast, and Meatballs) because it's our farmers market day which means I want something super simple to make. I do not make the tamales, we love those by Tucson Tamale (not an affiliate link). Around us we can find a small variety at Healthy Living. Tucson Tamale offers meat, vegetarian, and vegan varieties and they are sooooo delicious. They do use oil in all of their tamales so if you are completely oil-free this is unfortunately not an option for you.
Recipe Links:
If I have posted the recipe or use a recipe posted by someone else this month then I will link to it below. If there's a meal you'd like to see the recipe for let me know!
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
Homemade Pizza - this is the pizza dough recipe we use
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta (Budget Bytes)
Apple & Stuffing Stuffed Pork Chops (Betty Crocker)
Oven-Baked BBQ Pork Ribs
Hamburger Potato Casserole (You Tube - The Hillbilly Kitchen)
Chicken Pot Pie Muffins (You Tube - The Hillbilly Kitchen) *I used this as a guide - I use my pie crust recipe and my pot pie recipe and bake it as muffins as shown in the vlog)
Honey Mustard Chicken (Bowl Of Delicious)
Bourbon Dijon Ham Steak (Martha Stewart - is delicious without the bourbon as well)
Mac & Cheese
Easy Weeknight Chicken Cordon Bleu
Scallops Gratin (Food Network - Ina Garten) - I use this recipe without the alcohol
Slow-Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
Veggie Stew with Black Pepper Biscuits (vegan) (Vegan Richa)
Split Pea Soup (Vegan) (Simple Veganista)
What about you? Do you have favorite meals that you rotate? Do you have to cook multiple meals for different eaters?
Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: January 2021 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: January 2021
The new year has finally arrived! I'm not sure what grocery shopping looks like in your neck of the woods now that there's yet another rise in COVID cases, but it's actually not too bad in ours. For the most part you can select curbside pick-up or delivery if you desire. And lately I desire.
The photo above and info below outline our monthly grocery shopping. We will need a few additional items: milk comes from our farmers market as does coffee for Jay (probably another $20.00 total for the month), and I may get some fresh greens in another 1-2 weeks (less then $10.00).
Our groceries for January came from BJ's and Healthy Living, a local health food store. Typically we would also do a Hannaford order or a trip to the commissary, however, we are really well stocked on pantry and freezer items. You'll notice there is no meat purchased. Our freezers are fairly well stocked and we will actually be bartering with a farmer friend - our products for some of his chicken and pork, this weekend. We are finally (FINALLY) getting eggs from the Coop Girls, and as you know, we put up a lot of veggies in the freezer from the summer garden.
I don't plan on returning to Healthy Living until March so I stocked up with that in mind. We will probably place another BJ's order mid February-ish.
The total spent for January is anticipated to be $439.41 or just over $100.00/week.
$269.41 (groceries already purchased) + $140.00 (bartered meat) + $30.00 (coffee, milk & greens anticipated to purchase throughout the month) = $439.41. Our January purchases are partly for January and partly for the months to come.
Healthy Living - $174.84 (almost half of this amount is from 2 items....the dandy blend and the goji berries)
BJ's - $94.57
More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Our Groceries:
Healthy Living:
The Dandy Blend Herbal Coffee Alternative is AMAZINGLY good. I absolutely love it for iced or hot "coffee". It's kind of expensive and a bit of a splurge. I purchased 2 bags which will last me through April or so. The 14 oz bags cost $22.49 each. I've looked on Amazon and they sell a slightly smaller (11 oz) bag for around the same price so this seems to be the best deal.
The Goji Berries are added to a trail mix (we already have the other ingredients on hand) for Jay that he eats daily. Macular degeneration runs in his family and goji berries have been shown to help prevent this. Plus they are high in antioxidants so we decided it was worth it regardless of whether or not it works to prevent M.D.. These bags are 8 ounces and $12.49 each. I should have bought them at Amazon because I'm pretty sure I could have gotten them cheaper. I'll research it and purchase them there going forward if it makes sense to do so. The 2 bags should last him just about 2 months.
I know there are cheaper dairy alternatives then Oatly ($4.99/carton) but I really love Oatly. I prefer the lowfat version but they were out of everything except for these 4 cartons.
We bought 12 pounds of mixed yukon & red potatoes ($1.99/lb) and 5 pounds of sweet potatoes (I splurged and bought my FAVORITE Japanese Sweet Potatoes at $2.99/lb - I call them "cake sweet potatoes" because they are soooo sweet). Oliver and I are on the last of the sweet potatoes that we harvested and stored in the fall. I can't believe they are almost gone!!! We go through a moderate amount of potatoes and only purchase them organic, and the absolute best ones we've found are at Healthy Living. This is easily a 2 month supply of each.
I have a few apples and mandarin oranges left for fruit but Jay prefers grapes so I bought a bag of grapes ($2.99/lb) and I treated myself to a couple of grapefruit ($1.49/lb). I typically try to only buy fruit that is $1.99 or less per pound (exception being the frozen berries & cherries), but that definitely didn't happen this month.
Que Pasa is our new favorite brand of tortilla chips. They are organic, non-GMO, and reduced sodium. We very rarely have chips but when we do it's tortilla for the win. They were on sale (although I'm wondering if this is a permanent sale because they were on the same sale a few months ago when I last bought them...) at $2.99/bag.
I usually make my own bread and tortillas but I like to have a bit of each in the freezer just in case. I've used up my freezer stash of both so I purchased a loaf of Dave's bread and a pack of limited ingredient corn tortillas and whole wheat flour tortillas for the freezer.
BJ's:
Not shown in the photo, we also bought a bag of frozen organic sweet cherries and a bag of frozen organic blueberries (3 lb bags for $13.99/ea.). We have 2 bags of each in the freezer already. We each eat a 1/2 cup of a mix of the two every single day so we should be good for a couple months. I also bought Kiwi (3 lbs for $6.49) as yet another splurge because we haven't had them in forever and one bunch of organic bananas (2 lbs for $1.59). We've found that our very favorite bananas are organic Chiquita. They seem to be the creamiest. I have no idea why, but the non-organic Chiquita's and other brands organic and non-organic just aren't the same. Strange....
I keep riced cauliflower on hand in the freezer because it's one of the cheapest ways to buy cauliflower off season. (I roast it from frozen in the oven to use as a veggie side) I wanted to make some buffalo cauliflower though for veggie tacos, and I need pieces instead of having it riced so I bought a bag (2 lbs for $4.29). Jay likes cooked cauliflower with cheese sauce so he'll have that as a side a few times too.
We eat a lot of mushrooms and BJ's seems to have the best price on them so I bought 2 which will get us through a few weeks. (24 oz containers for $4.99/ea.)
Pom Juice was a special request by the husband. We don't usually buy juice but he requested it last month for the first time in a long time and has been enjoying it. (48oz bottle $8.99) I'm running low on frozen peas and frozen corn and BJ's carries the organic at a reasonable cost (each is 4 lbs for $6.99) so I stocked up. I'm low on carrots too and their price isn't bad (5 lbs organic for $3.99). Also not shown is a 3-pack of frozen pizza. We keep a couple vegan frozen pizzas and a couple meat/cheese frozen pizzas on hand all of the time for the days we need something quick. We still have 2 of the vegan so we just stocked up on the meat version (3 pack DiGiornio $13.99).
January's Meal Plan
My goal was to start posting our meal plans again, per request from many of you, but to also add photos of some of the meals this time around. Unfortunately, I have yet to get in the habit of photographing dinner before it's served. I hope to add this to the posts as I remember.
A Note About Our Meal Plans
I create monthly meal plans because it's what I've found to be easiest for me. There may be some change but usually not much. Changing works because I rotate the same 30+ meals so we would use the ingredients at some point over the next 30-45 days. If we have perishables that need to be used up then that becomes priority and I may make changes to avoid food waste.
I usually make 2 separate meals - Jay and I eat completely different at this point. He used to be willing to eat what I eat as his side but not so much anymore. He's not a fan of whole grains and can only tolerate one type of veggie per meal. So.....you can see that I tend to eat the same thing multiple nights because it's easy and I don't mind at all. Where there's only one meal noted, I make a meat & cheese version for him and a vegan version for me. Where there's no veggie side noted for him I use whatever I've got that needs using up or I select a frozen veggie.
You will notice that for Jays meals there are a few noticeable rotations.
In general, chicken meals are Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Pork is Tuesdays. And Beef is Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is in part due to the fact that he tells me it's illegal to serve chicken 2 days in a row. (insert eye roll)
Also, other then the occasional new recipe that I try, his meals rotate about every month and a half (a different rotation will show up for summer).
Our Sundays rotate around the same 5 meals (Tamales, Tacos, Homemade Pizza, Pot Roast, and Meatballs) because it's our farmers market day which means I want something super simple to make. I do not make the tamales, we love those by Tucson Tamale (not an affiliate link). Around us we can find a small variety at Healthy Living. Tucson Tamale offers meat, vegetarian, and vegan varieties and they are sooooo delicious. They do use oil in all of their tamales so if you are completely oil-free this is unfortunately not an option for you.
Recipe Links:
If I have posted the recipe or use a recipe posted by someone else this month then I will link to it below. If there's a meal you'd like to see the recipe for let me know!
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
Homemade Pizza - this is the pizza dough recipe we use
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta (Budget Bytes)
Apple & Stuffing Stuffed Pork Chops (Betty Crocker)
Oven-Baked BBQ Pork Ribs
Hamburger Potato Casserole (You Tube - The Hillbilly Kitchen)
Chicken Pot Pie Muffins (You Tube - The Hillbilly Kitchen) *I used this as a guide - I use my pie crust recipe and my pot pie recipe and bake it as muffins as shown in the vlog)
Honey Mustard Chicken (Bowl Of Delicious)
Bourbon Dijon Ham Steak (Martha Stewart - is delicious without the bourbon as well)
Mac & Cheese
Easy Weeknight Chicken Cordon Bleu
Scallops Gratin (Food Network - Ina Garten) - I use this recipe without the alcohol
Slow-Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
Veggie Stew with Black Pepper Biscuits (vegan) (Vegan Richa)
Split Pea Soup (Vegan) (Simple Veganista)
What about you? Do you have favorite meals that you rotate? Do you have to cook multiple meals for different eaters?
Monthly Meal Plan + Grocery Haul: January 2021 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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A Path Of Less Leads To A Life Of More
Today I sit with my hands wrapped around a hot cup of "coffee" (Roastaroma - a chicory/barley/carob coffee alternative) that is topped with the most delicious oatmilk foam, just like an expensive coffee shop drink, but at less then half the cost. It's my second cup of the day. As the notes of cinnamon and allspice fill the air I watch the snow fall. It's beautiful as it coats the ground and surrounding trees. We've received a few feet of snow already and it's still snowing enough to remind me I'll have a bit of work to do before I can let Oliver out to do his business again. That won't be anytime soon though as he is sleeping (and snoring) beside me. Watching the flakes fall I am reminded just how much I love this life we live.
A life that allows for a slower pace and the time and space to breathe and appreciate the little things in life. A life where I can stay at home for days, particularly when the weather isn't exactly optimal. Although I had to shovel a path out of the house this morning and a small area for Oliver to do his thing, I didn't have to do any more at that time. We have the luxury of waiting for the snowfall to end.
yes, we have a lit Christmas tree on our front porch. We try to give people passing by a little spirit of the holiday season. And yes, those are cookies - freshly baked (vegan) Chocolate Chip cookies and they are delicious!
We've been very fortunate to have found the right path for us. A path of learning to live with less. Less material things, less clutter, less expenses, less needs and wants. What we have been given instead is more. We've unburdened our lives a bit and learned to cherish the things, people, work, etc. that we truly enjoy. With the opportunity to work for ourselves on our little homestead we have plenty of quality time to spend with each other, with friends, and doing things that bring us happiness. Simply put, we have more choices and more freedom.
This isn't a change that happened overnight for us. Once we realized what our new path was, and became excited about following it, it took about 7 years to fully transition. SEVEN YEARS! So don't give up if you're trying to figure it out for yourself. We kept one foot firmly planted into our old lives that we were comfortable with only because it's what we knew. We would toggle back and forth, fearful of change yet excited at the same time. For us, it was once we had established our home-based business that we started to really get things moving. That's when we truly felt the freedom to design our own life. And that's when we began to enjoy this lifelong journey.
I've heard from a number of people "I'll enjoy life when I retire". I understand the saying but have to wonder, what if you never make it to retirement? Even if you do, do you really want to wait until then? Are there small changes you can make now that can impact your life for the better? Looking back I can now see small changes we could have made years before we started transitioning that would have made a huge difference. I understand that our lifestyle isn't for everyone, I just wish for anyone not fulfilled and/or happy in their current life, that in 2021 you find your unique path that leads to whatever your more is.
A Path Of Less Leads To A Life Of More was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Text
A Path Of Less Leads To A Life Of More
Today I sit with my hands wrapped around a hot cup of "coffee" (Roastaroma - a chicory/barley/carob coffee alternative) that is topped with the most delicious oatmilk foam, just like an expensive coffee shop drink, but at less then half the cost. It's my second cup of the day. As the notes of cinnamon and allspice fill the air I watch the snow fall. It's beautiful as it coats the ground and surrounding trees. We've received a few feet of snow already and it's still snowing enough to remind me I'll have a bit of work to do before I can let Oliver out to do his business again. That won't be anytime soon though as he is sleeping (and snoring) beside me. Watching the flakes fall I am reminded just how much I love this life we live.
A life that allows for a slower pace and the time and space to breathe and appreciate the little things in life. A life where I can stay at home for days, particularly when the weather isn't exactly optimal. Although I had to shovel a path out of the house this morning and a small area for Oliver to do his thing, I didn't have to do any more at that time. We have the luxury of waiting for the snowfall to end.
yes, we have a lit Christmas tree on our front porch. We try to give people passing by a little spirit of the holiday season. And yes, those are cookies - freshly baked (vegan) Chocolate Chip cookies and they are delicious!
We've been very fortunate to have found the right path for us. A path of learning to live with less. Less material things, less clutter, less expenses, less needs and wants. What we have been given instead is more. We've unburdened our lives a bit and learned to cherish the things, people, work, etc. that we truly enjoy. With the opportunity to work for ourselves on our little homestead we have plenty of quality time to spend with each other, with friends, and doing things that bring us happiness. Simply put, we have more choices and more freedom.
This isn't a change that happened overnight for us. Once we realized what our new path was, and became excited about following it, it took about 7 years to fully transition. SEVEN YEARS! So don't give up if you're trying to figure it out for yourself. We kept one foot firmly planted into our old lives that we were comfortable with only because it's what we knew. We would toggle back and forth, fearful of change yet excited at the same time. For us, it was once we had established our home-based business that we started to really get things moving. That's when we truly felt the freedom to design our own life. And that's when we began to enjoy this lifelong journey.
I've heard from a number of people "I'll enjoy life when I retire". I understand the saying but have to wonder, what if you never make it to retirement? Even if you do, do you really want to wait until then? Are there small changes you can make now that can impact your life for the better? Looking back I can now see small changes we could have made years before we started transitioning that would have made a huge difference. I understand that our lifestyle isn't for everyone, I just wish for anyone not fulfilled and/or happy in their current life, that in 2021 you find your unique path that leads to whatever your more is.
A Path Of Less Leads To A Life Of More was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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Rose Water Facial Toner Recipe
A large portion of my teenage and adult years I adored acquiring all types of make-up and facial products. I was a sucker for new ones that made claims to keep my skin youthful and healthy. As I routinely discovered the next must-have product, my bathroom filled up with more jars, bottles, and sample packs than any one person could ever use. It never ever occurred to me to try making any of these products myself.
Then we moved to our homestead just over a decade ago. With that move came a mindset change as well. Now, instead of wanting to buy everything already made, I had a passion to figure out how to make everything myself. At least once. And so my adventure into crafting and creating began. Along with this newfound desire to make things from scratch came an astute awareness of the ingredients that made up these rather expensive bottles and jars of creams and potions.
When I first began reading labels of facial toners, a product I'd used on and off since early adulthood, I was quite surprised at the easily obtainable list of ingredients. I researched and worked with different recipes I'd found online and in books and eventually settled on a mixture I was happy with. Once we started our business, it was added to the line of products. What we (quickly) discovered, however, was that we had too many products for a two-person team to continually make, package, and sell. So, little-by-little, we've worked on paring down our line and retiring some of our products.
This is one of our Cobble Hill Farm Soap Co. retired products. I announced last month that once we officially retired it I would share our recipe here, and am happy to do so. It's super easy and a wonderful product!
First things first....
What Is Facial Toner?
Facial toner can be used for a few of different purposes. 1. it can help shrink your pores, 2. it can help extract additional impurities before applying your facial moisturizer (particularly useful if you wear something heavy like make-up or sunscreen), and 3. it can help even out skin tone.
How To Use It:
Facial toners are best used after your cleansing routine and before you apply a facial moisturizer.
The ingredients are all liquid, making this the perfect product for a (affiliate link) spray bottle. If you do decide to go with a spray bottle, you can apply by gently shaking the bottle, closing your eyes and mouth, and spraying your face a couple of times. Using a clean cotton round you can dab and clean with a gentle circular motion, your now damp skin to remove any excess impurities that may remain.
If you don't have a spray bottle you can put it in a regular bottle and apply with a clean cotton round. Apply a small amount to the cotton round and then gently dab and circle all over your face.
The Ingredients:
(affiliate links)
Rose Water - created by distilling rose petals with steam or water, it is known for it's nourishing, and skin-soothing properties. **This is an optional ingredient, if you would rather not use it, replace it with the same amount of distilled water (resulting in a total amount of 1 ounce of distilled water in the recipe) or a hydrosol (which is what we used in the peppermint and lime toners we offered). A hydrosol is the water that remains after the steam distillation of a plant material, and is much less concentrated, and more affordable in many cases, then an essential oil. If using a hydrosol, omit the essential oils.**
Witch Hazel - is a liquid derived from witch hazel shrubs or smaller-sized trees. It is an astringent used for it's anti-viral and anti-inflammatory qualities.
Distilled Water - water that has had minerals and impurities removed.
Aloe Vera Liquid - derived from the aloe vera plant, it is moisturizing with natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Vegetable Glycerin - a liquid derived from plants such as coconut or rapeseed, it cleanses the face without clogging the pores and offers moisturizing and restorative properties.
Essential Oils - we used Rose and Geranium, however, there are many essential oils that can be used in your toner. Skin-loving essential oils include:
Frankincense
Lavender
Myrrh
Rose
Geranium
Tea Tree
Helichrysum
Clary Sage
and finally, the recipe....
Rose Water Facial Toner
makes one - 2 ounce bottle
1/2 ounce distilled water
1/2 ounce rose water (or equal amounts hydrosol - see note above)
1/2 ounce witch hazel
1/4 ounce aloe vera liquid
1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin (optional)
3-4 drops essential oils (see list above), (optional)
1. Add all of the ingredients to your choice of container.
2. Secure the lid or sprayer top.
3. Gently shake to combine.
4. Store in airtight container at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. (*in the summer it's refreshing to store in the refrigerator and apply cold to your skin*)
*As with any skincare product, always spot test first to ensure there is no reaction. Never use essential oils directly on your skin without first diluting.*
Rose Water Facial Toner Recipe was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)
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