Yesterday was a wonderful day.
We spent the better part of the afternoon outside; both boys, Chris, and I, and did so prepping the garden beds for planting. Planting! Can you believe it? For anyone living inside zone 4 as we do, they will agree that that is a pretty impressive accomplishment. At this time of the year, the ground in most places is still frozen solid.
What is even more remarkable is the fact that we also planted our first crop of the year: onions! We planted them in one of the covered raised beds, and the difference inside was astounding. The air is much warmer within the covering, and is so moist that the inside walls have beads of condensation on them. When we started tilling the earth we got another surprise: it was so warm much warmer than even the air inside that it released steam every time we turned the earth over, and is full of worms! I don't remember there being that many worms in the beds even in the summer, so they must have been drawn to the heat.
In other exciting news, we received our other vegetable seeds too! We ordered them from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, a company that works with smaller organic seed farmers, and even tests their seeds against GMO's. Now I am not sure how I feel about the GMO seed and food debate, and I am sure I will cover that in another post in the future. However, I do like the fact that the seeds are grown in a pesticide-free environment and that they are heirloom-variety (assuming we can figure out how to harvest our own seeds in the Fall). As an added bonus I appreciate that the seeds are collected in partnership with smaller community-based farms throughout the U.S. and developing countries, and are therefore helping to support the local farms and their inhabitants. It's just a shame none of them are Canadian! (Though I think I may need to start researching more local seed producers, or start learning how to harvesting the seeds ourselves!)
I also finally took some video, and will share it with everyone below. Unfortunately the "free" software I was using was only a 30-day trial version (though nowhere was that stated when I downloaded it!), so we're on the hunt for some new software that is decent enough yet will not cost us a small fortune. In the meantime you'll have to bear with us as we share our unedited version with you!
Showing posts with label Vlogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vlogs. Show all posts
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chili for a chilly day
Chilly is one of those magical foods alongside with stews and soups that no matter what type of cold day it is, it will warm you straight to the bone Yet is hearty enough to provide you with the energy for any type of adventure.
It is perfect on those crisp cool September days; dreary soak-you-to-the-bone November ones; and is equally warming on those days in January when the cold can suck the breath right out of you.
Yesterday was the perfect day for chili: not only was it freezing cold, but what should have been a short errand run became almost a two hour long ordeal when I locked us out of the house!
So the chili was the perfect ending to our adventure, and was very easy to make!
Homestead Chili
1 medium package of lean ground beef
1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 small green peppers, diced
4-6 medium white mushrooms, diced
2 cans red kidney beans (or one white, one red) drained and rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
3 heaping tbsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
In a large pot, saute the garlic and onions with a bit of water until the onions are translucent (I have been using water to saute my meat/vegetables for a while now, and only add a little olive/sesame oil for taste if a recipe calls for it). Add the salt, chili, and ground beef, and saute until the meat is fully cooked, then add the mushrooms and green peppers and continue to cook until they just turn soft.
Pour in the beans and tomatoes and while stirring, turn down the heat so that the chili stays at a nice low simmer. Simmer with the lid on for half an hour to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve on top of steamed rice or with garlic bread, and enjoy!
It is perfect on those crisp cool September days; dreary soak-you-to-the-bone November ones; and is equally warming on those days in January when the cold can suck the breath right out of you.
Yesterday was the perfect day for chili: not only was it freezing cold, but what should have been a short errand run became almost a two hour long ordeal when I locked us out of the house!
So the chili was the perfect ending to our adventure, and was very easy to make!
Homestead Chili
1 medium package of lean ground beef
1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 small green peppers, diced
4-6 medium white mushrooms, diced
2 cans red kidney beans (or one white, one red) drained and rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
3 heaping tbsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
In a large pot, saute the garlic and onions with a bit of water until the onions are translucent (I have been using water to saute my meat/vegetables for a while now, and only add a little olive/sesame oil for taste if a recipe calls for it). Add the salt, chili, and ground beef, and saute until the meat is fully cooked, then add the mushrooms and green peppers and continue to cook until they just turn soft.
Pour in the beans and tomatoes and while stirring, turn down the heat so that the chili stays at a nice low simmer. Simmer with the lid on for half an hour to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve on top of steamed rice or with garlic bread, and enjoy!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Painting Pianos?!?
One of our readers had asked if we would share some pictures of the creative painting and crafting space I made for Chris. As I had already filmed footage of our new piano to share, I thought it would also be a great idea to film the new room as well!
So here is our family's second vlog; showcasing the new piano and crafting room!
So here is our family's second vlog; showcasing the new piano and crafting room!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A New Year's Suprise!
There are many changes that are going to take place over the next year here at the Homestead, and just now the first one has become a reality!
For a while now I've wanted to start taking footage and create some videos to suppliment the blog (which became even more important once we stopped having use of our camera!), but that has been exeedingly difficult considering we didn't own a video recorder.
But no longer! One of my gifts from Chris this year was a beautiful little Flip camera, and since Christmas Day I've been wanting to share that footage with you!
Alas, editing (and filming oneself for that matter) is much more difficult than I imagined. For starters, I find I am still quite self concience speaking into the camera. Me. Camera shy. I know, it's hard to imagine. But this strange phenomenom occurs whenever the little red light goes on: suddenly I forget everything I planned to say, I get nervous, and my voice gets high and sqeaky.
I know it will pass; the more I film the more comfortable and less self concious I'l become, but in the meantime, please bear with me!
This was also my very first attempt at film editing ever. I just know that in a year or so I'll look back at this video and loath it, but I also know that's just the learning experience right there. But for the almost two hours of footage shot, I still couldn't believe the end result was under 9 minutes!
Though I want the vlogs to be regular, at this point I am not sure what regular means. I still have footage from Boxing Day and New Years to edit, and a short vlog about our piano and painting space. What I do know is that the vlogs will vary in content, including but not limited to:
For a while now I've wanted to start taking footage and create some videos to suppliment the blog (which became even more important once we stopped having use of our camera!), but that has been exeedingly difficult considering we didn't own a video recorder.
But no longer! One of my gifts from Chris this year was a beautiful little Flip camera, and since Christmas Day I've been wanting to share that footage with you!
Alas, editing (and filming oneself for that matter) is much more difficult than I imagined. For starters, I find I am still quite self concience speaking into the camera. Me. Camera shy. I know, it's hard to imagine. But this strange phenomenom occurs whenever the little red light goes on: suddenly I forget everything I planned to say, I get nervous, and my voice gets high and sqeaky.
I know it will pass; the more I film the more comfortable and less self concious I'l become, but in the meantime, please bear with me!
This was also my very first attempt at film editing ever. I just know that in a year or so I'll look back at this video and loath it, but I also know that's just the learning experience right there. But for the almost two hours of footage shot, I still couldn't believe the end result was under 9 minutes!
Though I want the vlogs to be regular, at this point I am not sure what regular means. I still have footage from Boxing Day and New Years to edit, and a short vlog about our piano and painting space. What I do know is that the vlogs will vary in content, including but not limited to:
- Cooking and baking recipes
- Family antics and special events at the homestead
- Knitting, sewing, and crafting tutorials
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