#keeperoftheoldways

[akwardkisses]

Today I caught up on things in the kitchen. My chicken broth was nearly depleted so I made some more and canned it. I also pulled out my sourdough starter that has been hibernating in the fridge all summer and gave it a good feeding. It's nearly bread baking weather and I need to be ready. From the looks of it it's still very much alive and quite active. It smells amazing. A lovely cross between bread and beer. Then I made some banana bread just because I wanted to. It gives me a great deal of personal satisfaction to take things that most people see as garbage such as soft bananas and a roasted chicken carcass and turn them into something delicious and useful. Do I think everybody should be doing that? No of course not, I do it because I enjoy it. I even found the time to take Sammy for a short ride in the car which is his most favoriteest thing in the whole world and made him so so happy. Now he's curled up in his bed being the cutest boy. It's been a really good day. I hope you've all been enjoying your Wednesday too. Stay safe, stay well. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #homesteadersofinstagram #canning #baking #bakingfromscratch #realfood #slowfood #homemadegoodness #frugalliving #homemaking #homemakingisanart #nojudgement #bekind #wastenothing #wastenotwantnot #dowhatyoucanwithwhatyouhave #thinklikeyourgrandparents #keeperoftheoldways #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #simplepleasures #slowliving #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWZDAxLvZDe/?utm_medium=tumblr

[akwardkisses]

Chive blossom vinegar update. This is for anyone who has never seen this gorgeous stuff. This is the color of homemade goodness. The color comes from lavender colored garlic chive flowers, and the color isn't even the best part. It smells better than it looks, and it tastes better than that. Yes I went and stood in my yard so y'all could see this in all of it's colorful glory, you're welcome. You can't buy this vinegar in any store that I know of, you have to make it yourself. Typically that means growing your own chives and harvesting the blossoms, unless you have an inattentive neighbor with a green thumb. I don't recommend liberating things from other people's gardens, gardeners get a little grumpy about that and many of us are armed. I'm just saying I wouldn't risk it, you make your own choices. Happy Saturday my friends, it's a gorgeous warm sunny day in Pennsylvania and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I hope you are too wherever you may be. Stay safe, stay well. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #homesteadersofinstagram #homemade #infusedvinegar #chiveblossomvinegar #beautiful #beautyiswhereyoufindit #homecrafts #homemaking #homemakingisanart #keeperoftheoldways #keepingtheoldwaysalive #frugal #frugallife #frugalcooking #gormetonabudget #playwithyourfood #ruralpa #countrylife #countryliving #simplelife #simplepleasures #slowliving #slowfood #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPwDAC2necT/?utm_medium=tumblr

[akwardkisses]

Busy days on the homestead. I've been canning charro beans because I was nearly out. That would be a tragedy! I can't let that happen, they're too good. I'm sure there are people who don't think those jars are pretty but to me my canning jars represent home cooking and food security. So they will always be beautiful to me. I'm also getting a lot of fresh eggs everyday. The girls have been doing a fabulous job paying their rent. I've been baking everyday and sharing and I still have them literally stacking up. I'm not about to complain though. I'm grateful and every single one of them is precious. I've been taking extra care to keep my sourdough very healthy and it smells so good it's a cross between beer and bread that I can't get enough of. It would make a fabulous cologne, I'm just saying. I hope you're all keeping busy and not stressing too much about covid-19, It absolutely does help to stay busy. Don't tell me you can't find something to do either. There's always something to clean, especially now. Don't forget to wash your hands and stay safe my friends. #poverty_hill #homestead #canning #canningjars #shelfstable #stockingtheshelves #pantry #pantrystaples #projectpantry #eggs #prettyeggs #fresheggs #prettyeggsfromprettychickens #backyardchickens #lovemychickens #stayathomechickenmom #crazychickenlady #motherofchickens #sourdoughstarter #keeperoftheoldways #ruralpa #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-fOxS2AcZK/?igshid=1fvcg7ks15386

[akwardkisses]

Today's project was cleaning out this garden bed and replanting it. The whole thing was thickly weeded over and all that greenery went to the goats. Because they think it's yummy. I then put in two volunteer tomato plants that I pulled out of another bed and two replacement zucchini plants that I had to buy because something chewed through my seedlings at root level. Hopefully they will take off and I'll get a decent crop this year but if I don't at least I tried. Now I need to go and get cleaned up and ready for work. Enjoy this beautiful sunny day my friends. Stay safe, stay well. #povety_hill #homestead #homesteading #homesteadersofinstagram #garden #gardening #growingallthethings #kitchengarden #pottager #pottagergarden #growsomething #frugallife #dowhatyoucanwithwhatyouhave #doingmyownthing #doingthebestican #barefootgardening #makingdo #keeperoftheoldways #keepingbusy #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #simplepleasures #simplenoteasy #slowliving #slowfood #realfood #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfJxMzdOqUh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[akwardkisses]

Three long years ago I planted asparagus and I have been (im)patiently waiting to harvest some ever since. I told myself it was better to wait because I wanted to give these plants a good solid start so they would last me for many years to come. I'm playing the long game here. Tonight I harvested the very first spears and careful tucked them away in the fridge until I have enough for a serving. This is when it gets really hard to wait but I want that very first taste to be special. This may be the first thing I harvested in my garden but it's not the only thing growing. I have rhubarb, kale and my strawberries are already in bloom and invading my garden paths. Not to mention my Welsh onions are gorgeous. My chives are ridiculously healthy and my oregano is doing surprisingly well. I planned this to be mostly a perennial garden from the very beginning and all that hard work and planning and patience is now beginning to pay off because I'm able to harvest some things before I could even start a garden normally. These are the things that delight me right down to my toes. It's been a good day and I am a very fortunate woman. It's important to find joy in the simple day today things. It's ok to celebrate small victories. These are the good old days, we never stop making those. I wish you all happiness, stay safe, stay well #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #firstharvest2022 #asparagus #garden #gardening #kitchengarden #pottager #pottagergarden #growingallthethings #growyourownfood #growsomething #frugalliving #keeperoftheoldways #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #simplepleasures #simplenoteasy #realfood #slowfood #slowliving #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdJ8f-gOA-O/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[akwardkisses]

It's been really cold lately and so to warm up the house I did a little baking. This is a new to me recipe called peasant bread and it's pretty easy. There's no kneading involved, so I didn't have to call in the cats. It's also delicious and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. I baked it off in my favorite cast iron bread pan and the crust is absolute perfection. I had a couple slices because I couldn't resist hot out of the oven homemade bread but the bulk of it went over to Mom and Dad because they deserve freshly baked bread. Dad seemed to enjoy it, he nearly inhaled the first slice and that makes me happy. I wonder how this would turn out if I added oat flour or whole grain flour. I might have to experiment. This recipe has me wanting to pull out my sourdough starter again as well. Wish me luck. Have a beautiful Saturday my friends. Stay safe, stay well. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteader #homesteading #homesteadersofinstagram #homemade #handmade #newtome #bakingfromscratch #homemaking #familyiseverything #lovemyfamily #homemakingisanart #keeperoftheoldways #buildingmyskillset #frugalliving #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #slowliving #slowfood #realfood #slowliving #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZm8tB1uYDJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[akwardkisses]

Homemade bread, from scratch because I can. It's never a bad time for homemade bread. I used an Amish recipe for this but of course I changed it. I can't leave recipes alone, I just can't seem to help myself. The original recipe called for two thirds of a cup of sugar and I thought that was a little excessive. So I cut that down to 1 tbsp and it was just fine. When I was a girl we had cooking class in school and we learned in cooking class that you can't change baking recipes. Because then they wouldn't work. Well I'm here to tell you that's a lie. I change recipes all the time. I rarely have anything fail. The only exception to that is sourdough bread which seems to fail whether you follow the recipe or not. I'm working on it. I will conquer sourdough bread. In the meantime I'll be consoling myself with homemade bread. Yes of course one of these went directly to my parents. How could you even question it? It's like we don't even know each other at all. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #homesteaders #baking #homemade #bakingfromscratch #freshbread #homemadegoodness #myideaoffun #lovemyparents #countryliving #simplelife #slowliving #simplepleasures #homemaking #homeiswheretheheartis #homemakingisanart #keeperoftheoldways #ruralpa #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHJgpRcgNQF/?igshid=19d5ecqq9e597

[akwardkisses]

Back in the day, before everything was made of paper and meant to be disposable it was common for kitchens to have a towel roller. This consisted of a holder that looked very much like modern paper towel holders but it would hold a continuous roll of cloth toweling. It would have been located near a water source and you would move the roll down a bit to a clean dry spot then dry your hands on it after washing them. Typically there were several rolls of toweling so they could be swapped out and laundered as needed. I've wanted one ever since I discovered they existed. Unfortunately they are not easily found and I'm still looking but I'm resourceful when it matters to me so when I spotted this old wooden paper towel holder on marketplace an idea was born. Said paper towel holder was procured along with some printed flour sack towels. I hand sewed my towels together in a continuous loop while John hung the holder. He was done far sooner than I was. I had three towels to sew and it mattered to me how they would look, but I persevered and then I hung it up. I love it. No it isn't an authentic antique but it serves the same purpose plus this project only cost me $6.50 and a little bit of time. That includes the towels. I wish I could show you a picture of the entire thing but where it hangs I can't get far enough back to get it all in the shot. All in all I'm pretty happy with it, it fits the feel of my home and I still don't have paper towels hanging in my kitchen. Disclaimer: I hung the towel neatly for these pictures but this is intended to be a functional part of my kitchen so it's unlikely it will ever be this tidy again. In fact it will most likely often be damp and wrinkled. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #DIY #homemaking #frugalfind #frugalliving #lowwasteliving #makeityourself #ruralpa #rustickitchen #homekeeping #reducereuserecycle #seweasy #countryliving #simplelife #slowliving #dailylife #keepingtheoldwaysalive #keeperoftheoldways #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFIQVcugBy-/?igshid=135fntrxjtyw

[akwardkisses]

Sometimes you don't realize how many of a thing you have until you stack them all together. I had no idea that I had this many cookbooks until I went looking for all of them to relocate them to the kitchen. This isn't even all of them, I found more after I took the picture. The problem is even after going through them I don't want to get rid of any. Some are useful, some bring back fond memories, and none of them are easily replaceable. I am *not* a minimalist. It's a lovely aesthetic and if it makes you happy then by all means you do you. For me though I'll just have to keep my carefully arranged clutter. Right now though I really NEED to read a couple of these cookbooks again. Happy Tuesday my friends. Stay safe, stay well. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #cookbooks #cookbookhoarder #ineedthem #imightneedmore #cooking #cookingfromscratch #homecooking #slowfood #realfood #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #slowliving #homemaking #keepingtheoldwaysalive #keeperoftheoldways #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4uN0NgZ-s/?igshid=1lbl88rupktyb

[akwardkisses]

This is tonight's milk. This is an impressive amount from a Nigerian dwarf goat who's had babies with her all day. I know it doesn't look like much but when you're literally teaching yourself to milk by hand every drop is precious. Because it is hard won. The first time I milked by hand I was seriously questioning the wisdom of getting goats. Milking is a skill. I'm getting better though, faster and it feels less like a job to be done and more like enjoyable time with my goats. The daily chores tend to settle into a comfortable routine. They help give structure and meaning to my days in this time of near universal upheaval and I find myself greatful rather than resentful of them. When current events start stressing me out I can disengage from the doom scrolling and go find some peace in the goat shed. That is a precious gift. Happy Wednesday my friends. Stay safe, stay well. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #homedairy #dailyroutine #lucythegoat #stayathomegoatmom #lovemygoats #milkmaid #nigeriandwarfgoats #rawgoatmilk #dailychores #countryliving #simplelife #slowliving #frugalliving #keeperoftheoldways #keepingtheoldwaysalive #realfood #slowfood #ruralpa #howweroll #greatful #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEp7KPcgGj6/?igshid=14pkn6dxhblom

[akwardkisses]

In installment number two of why women live longer than men we have John doing something I think is completely crazy. He thinks that's funny and he's laughing at me. The hook my drying rack was hanging happily on for months pulled right out of the ceiling and the whole shebang went down the basement stairs. Shockingly very little fell out and he was able to quickly put it back up after installing a better (less likely to come crashing to the ground) hanging apparatus. Order has been restored and he didn't fall down the stairs and break his neck, this time. Crazy people have astoundly good luck. I guess fortune really does favor the bold. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #yeshescrazy #buthegetsshitdone #dryingrack #airdrying #naturalmethods #itsiseitheragoodtimeoragoodstory #itsfine #werefine #suicidalgarlic #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #slowliving #foodpreservation #keeperoftheoldways #keepingtheoldwaysalive #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEhXolkgLYw/?igshid=mxcgwnephdu5

[akwardkisses]

Obviously today was a canning day. There will be many more in the days to come. I made homemade chicken stock and canned it, garlic dill refrigerator pickles, and orange jelly. The pickles are made with my homegrown cucumbers and garlic. The orange jelly was an experiment. I've never done this kind before, but it's really good and I'm definitely going to make more. Tomorrow I might make apple jelly or maybe syrup. Homemade apple syrup over hot buttery sourdough pancakes is something special and not to be missed. Maybe I'll make some this weekend. I think it might be bedtime soon, it's been a long day. #poverty_hill #homestead #canning #canningseason #canningday #projectpantry #stockingtheshelves #stockingupforwinter #stockingthepantry #busydaysarethebestdays #refridgeratorpickles #garlicdill #harvestseason #planningforabundance #ruralpa #keeperoftheoldways #simplelife #countryliving #slowliving #stayinghome #stayinghealthy #makingmyownfun #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDkb0vogoUH/?igshid=122a67j8iuf33

[akwardkisses]

Whilst picking up materials for the next project John stopped by the plant hospice section of Lowe's for me. He is very much my enabler. He found me roses, in red, yellow and pink. Two lilac bushes, and a nectarine tree. My cup overfloweth. To thank him I made a half gallon of cold brew coffee, if you love coffee and haven't tried this yet why the heck not? It's so easy and so good. Get in the kitchen and make some, consider this peer pressure. You'll thank me. As you may know I've had to keep the birds fenced in lately because there's been a fox hanging around. He'd already taken many of my birds before I had the electric fencing and today we discovered that he's been trying to dig his way into the coop since he couldn't get past the fence. We were forced to move the fence so it protected the coop at night, that entails moving it at dusk which isn't nearly as much fun as you'd think. I understand he's just trying to survive and I don't want to hurt him, I just wish he'd move on and stop killing my birds. I don't want to keep them fenced in anymore. The ticks are coming back. At least the gardens are doing well, and Sammy is still my little shadow. All in all it was a pretty good day. Take care my friends. #poverty_hill #homestead #plantbabies #plantsmakemehappy #planthospice #planthoarder #crazyplantlady #stayathomeplantmom #gardening #plantsomething #planningforabundance #coffee #coldbrew #simplepleasures #slowliving #simplelife #stayathomedogmom #keeperoftheoldways #ruralpa #sammy #pommeranian #pomsofinstagram #lovemypom #hesmybestboy #myhappyplace #myhappylife #countryliving (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCH0FKRgpVb/?igshid=117y3zx8k3tsa

[akwardkisses]

Homemade tallow soap This is my first try at tallow soap and I think it worked ok, it's pretty and it's sudsy, but I won't know for sure for six more weeks when it's done curing. It's the same basic process as lard based soap. I went with a 5% superfat so it should be nicely moisturizing. As usual there are no extras that might mess with sensitive skin. No colors, no scents, no essential oil. Just good old fashioned soap. Because it's just a very basic soap it's good for nearly anything, hands, body, hair, dishes, laundry, feeding to the dog to mess with the neighbors. Maybe next time I'll try a castile soap, I think I can handle that. Have a great day my friends and wash your hands. #poverty_hill #homestead #soaping #homemade #tallowsoap #slowliving #keeperoftheoldways #homemaking #homecraft #homecrafts #simpleliving #washyourhands #ruralpa #countryliving #makeitdontbuyit #myhappyplace (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-23IQ7gwWt/?igshid=1mitvnejs7c06

[akwardkisses]

Yesterday I cleaned out my fridge and I had a few strawberries I wanted to use up before they went bad. So I hulled and sliced them, sugared the slices and popped the strawberry tops into vinegar to infuse. Today I stained the syrup off, it will be used to make strawberry soda, and I'm dehydrating the strawberry slices to snack on. I also strained the vinegar and it smells so good. I took a picture of it next to the chive blossom vinegar I made the other day so you can see these beautiful colors. I wish you could smell my house right now, it smells like strawberry summer heaven in here. So good. Happy Tuesday my friends. Stay safe, stay well. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #homesteadersofinstagram #wastenothing #wastenotwantnot #frugallife #frugalcooking #useitupdontthrowitout #playwithyourfood #ruralpa #countrylife #simplelife #slowliving #slowfood #homemade #homemaking #homemakingisanart #keeperoftheoldways #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CP3nCSmBVX_/?utm_medium=tumblr

[akwardkisses]

After cutting I ended up with twelve bars and two ends that I can use as samples. And the fragrance so far is just right but it might fade a little bit over the curing process. I'll make some notes so I don't forget what I put in it and reevaluate again in six weeks. It's amazing how even something as humble as a bar of soap can mean so much more when you make it yourself. I use the soap that I make every single day and I like it much more than store bought. Not all, but many commercial soaps are not true soap they are detergent. Therefore they are harsher than true soap. Homemade soap is so gentle and that's a good thing for my very sensitive skin. So as long as I still have the ability to make my own soap I'm going to. #poverty_hill #homestead #homesteading #homesteadersofinstagram #soap #soaping #homemade #handmade #handcrafted #frugal #frugallife #homemaking #homemakingisanart #howwerollroundhere #ruralpa #countryliving #simplelife #simplepleasures #simplenoteasy #slowliving #keeperoftheoldways #igotskills #myhappyplace #myhappylife (at Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-FFALgXgm/?utm_medium=tumblr