Chocolate Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

These cookies are soft and gooey. Perfect paired with a glass of milk.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp molasses

1 egg

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup light spelt flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

 

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Prep cookie sheet. I like to lightly butter my pan.

 

In a large bowl beat together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, molasses, cocoa powder, and egg until smooth and creamy.

Stir in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until smooth.

Spoon dough onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

 

Makes about 15 large cookies.

 

 

 

Milkweed Cordial

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our home smelled wonderful this morning while making this!

 

 

 

~Milkweed cordial~

 

6 cups of milkweed flowers (stemsw trimmed)

4 tablespoons of lime juice

2 cups of sugar

6 cups of water

 

 

Rinse flowers after stems have been removed.

Place them in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a light boil over medium heat. Let boil for about 40 minutes or until it reduces by about a cup.

Strain the cordial.

Can or refrigerate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The arrival of Una-Mae & Gem.

 

We have been preparing for our first baby goats.

Mira, one of our three Nigerian dwarf goat does, was nearly ready to give birth.

With the due date fast approaching, Andrew and I have been working to prepare for the birth and arrival of new kids.

On Sunday morning, Andrew put together the frame of a birthing pen in the covered space between our two goat barns.

Every day I've been watching, looking for signs of Mira going into labour, but not much had been changing.

Her udder grew large about a month ago and she was very round, but there hadn't been any new changes lately. The due date was another week away.

Yesterday was hot, so in the evening we decided to go to our neighbours for a swim. We had a great visit and refreshing swim before we headed home around 6:00pm to do evening chores, starting with the goats.

I went around to the goat barn behind our home and there Mira was cleaning a fresh little baby while she was pushing another out!

I called to Andrew and the kids and then started to help clean the first baby.

Auren ran for some towels.

Mira was birthing standing up so as she pushed out the last baby I lowered it down to the ground.

What a feeling!

I was so excited and happy, I just wanted to cry.

And all three of our own kids got to watch Mira birth the second baby!

I set the second baby in front of Mira for her to clean.

She did such a great job with the first kid that I didn't want to interfere too much.

I sat with a towel and helped dry the kids off.

 

As soon as both babies were dry they started searching for Mira's udder and were both nursing in no time.

Mother Nature astounds me.

Andrew finished putting together the kidding pen so that Mira and her new little ones could settle in for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Gem ~

 

 

 

 

 

~ Una-Mae ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Spelt Dutch Oven Bread, by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Spelt Dutch Oven Bread

Ingredients

Two cups of warm water

1 tablespoon of yeast

2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup ( you could also use sugar)

1 tablespoon of salt

6 cups of light spelt flour (this will work with a bread flour or a mix of wholewheat and all-purpose)

In a large bowl stir the honey into the water until it has dissolved. Add the yeast and let it rest for about 5 minutes or until the yeast becomes foamy.

Slowy stir in two cups of flour and the salt; mix until combined.

Add the remaining flour small bits at a time.

Once the dough is too hard to stir with a wooden spoon, use your hands (this will be a little messy and sticky, but that is ok).

Once the remainder of the flour is mixed into the dough, cover and let it set for at least 3 to 4 hours ( longer is better on cool days).

There is no need to knead the dough for long.

Just long enough to incorporate all the flour.

As the covered dough sits on the counter, the gluten will develop.

When you are ready to bake your bread, preheat your oven to 425°C with your Dutch ovens inside.

I have been using a Dutch oven for years to bake my bread and they are wonderful!

They help hold the moisture in for the first half of baking and make the bread perfect.

It gives you a perfect crumb on the inside and a crisp browned crust.

While the oven is heating, spill your dough out onto a floured surface.

Separate the dough into two.

Work the dough into two soft rounds.

Don't knead too hard.

You don't want to break all the air bubbles inside.

Once you have the dough shaped, let them rest.

When the oven is up to temperature, score the tops of the loaves with a sharp knife.

You can get fancy here or keep it simple with a few lines across the top.

Carefully remove the lids from the Dutch ovens and place the loaves inside.

Place the lids back onto the Dutch ovens and put them in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes remove the lids and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes until dark golden brown.

Remove the loaves from the oven, let cool, and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

On the Edge

Like many communities on the Canadian Shield, 
Haliburton is best known for its wild highlands and countless lakes.
An economy once based on forestry now relies largely on tourism to support it.
And though the local population chides the seasonal urbanites, it is the urban influx of capital that helps maintain the economic stability of the region.
The story is the same throughout much of Ontario and many other regions throughout North America.

As prosperity appears to be on the wane, 
it is the least self-reliant communities that feel the pressure most.
Having to import most of the products we need means having to come up with the capital, 
which must also come from outside.
Tourism is one product that can bring the cash in, 
but then the fortunes of the community are bound to one industry.
It's not unlike the towns where the one big employer packed up and left leaving the community in tatters.
Tourism works fine provided there are tourists.
But as more communities turn to tourism to replace traditional industries, 
the competition for market share heats up.

For those who see the status quo remaining in place indefinitely, 
there really should be no cause for concern.
Once the global economy starts producing well again, everything will go back to normal and the tourism dollars will continue to prop the community up.
But what if it doesn't?
What happens if urban disposable income collapses and the tourists stay home?

There are plenty of people in this community who would prefer to be prepared for change.
It's a common movement in many small towns across the continent.

Food               Energy            Manufacturing

Cheap food, cheap goods, and cheap energy all come from jurisdictions far away from here.

Far away from most small communities.

Even Southern Ontario, rich in quality farmland, grows mostly corn and soy solely to feed livestock.

A considerable amount of food is imported.

Manufacturing has long been gutted.

Energy is based on tenuous international relationships and unwieldy infrastructure.

It's no wonder that community groups have been formed and are working to fill a void should the system at large fail.

Season Extension, Abbey Gardens

In Haliburton, the focus has been on food and agriculture.

Should the food system, as it is, be disrupted, food would be scarce at best.

Even now, food is not reaching everyone who needs it.

Poverty is a glaring issue in many rural communities and access to healthy food for all is inadequate.

Developing food system reform has the potential to both prepare for future changes as well as address the uneven distribution of good food.

The tragedy is that at one point in the past, there was at least some elements of self-reliance when it came to food, energy, and manufactured goods.

Skills were broad and well honed, good land was in production, and most importantly, the infrastructure needed to grow and process food were in place.

Gaps were filled by well-established inter-regional supply lines linking neighbouring communities.

The push towards globalization has, over the period of only a couple generations, eroded the potential of small communities to be self-reliant.

Instead, we rely on cheap labour elsewhere, and cheap energy to get the goods to us.

In essence, we depend on corporate imperialism and polluting energy sources that will eventually doom us if continued on as is.

And for what?

To make food and goods affordable?

Somewhere along the way we have been fooled into exchanging self-determination for convenience.

Even now, as cheap as food really is, many families still cannot afford to feed their families well.

(Food is really a scapegoat, as the real drain on incomes comes from the predatory practices of banks, utilities, insurance companies, governments, and everyone else trying to get into your wallet.)

Haliburton Grain CSA Rye

Now that our vulnerabilities are becoming clear, more people are engaging in the movement to reform the food system.

The first challenge to overcome in a community like Haliburton is getting over the repetitive insistence that we cannot grow food on the Canadian Shield.

We certainly will not become a capital of corn and soy production, or known for expansive feed lots.

But an accumulation of small scale enterprises has the potential to reach a critical mass capable of feeding the community.

The soil here will not withstand cash crop rape, nor is the land suitable for mechanization.

But we don't want to repeat the failures of the past.

There are agricultural systems that grow soil over time.

There are crops that will thrive in this climate.

There is hope and innovation.

There is a history of farming in Haliburton.

Once we have found our mettle, the next step is to collaborate.

Reforming local agriculture doesn't begin at step one and end at the twelfth step.

It must happen concurrently.

Each part of the puzzle must be put in place at the same time in order for it all to work.

A storeowner cannot promote local produce if there is no supply.

The farmer cannot grow a crop if there is no market.

The bakery cannot mill flour from grain that has not been cleaned.

The restaurant cannot sell meat that has not been processed in an appropriate facility.

Despite all of the organizations promoting and supporting local food, it still takes individual entrepreneurs and their families to undertake the risk of building up a new food system.

And even then, everyone must co-ordinate and take the risk together.

And that is where we are in Haliburton;

standing on the edge.

Lacking faith in the status quo is not enough to forge change.

Watching from the comfort zone is not an option either.

What it will take is a collective willingness to step forward,

despite the risks.

A Return to Firewood

Collecting firewood was a novelty when we first moved here over ten years ago.

It was an opportunity to spend some time in the forest, exploring and hunting for dry wood.

Running a chainsaw was a new experience, and splitting wood by hand for the stove made me feel like a real woodsman.

Each year I would find new ways of getting the wood in.

We bought an old tractor at the end of our first year and put it to work hauling wood.

It pulled a trailer, a dolly, and eventually, just the whole logs.

Each year it took less time to do, and I thought I had everything all sewn up.

But we grew.

And growing means adding more to the chore list.

Firewood could be done after all the the other jobs.

So it fell to the bottom of the list.

And then it didn't get done in time.

A wet Fall and rutted trails meant that the job wasn't so easy anymore.

The standing dead trees and dry windfall had all been harvested.

Splitting wood by hand still made me feel like a woodsman,

but with a sore back.

Last year was by far the worst.

The time we set aside for firewood was taken up by making a living to pay the bills.

A hard choice for sure.

So we gathered our wood using snowshoes and sleigh throughout the Winter.

Last Winter was pretty tough.

I vowed to never let the firewood lapse again.

But I did,

until the very last minute.

Two very large windfall Ash trees, and a back route to our woodlot saved us.

And so far, this Winter has been merciful.

We have firewood.

I only hope it is enough.

In truth, the firewood novelty has yet to wear off.

Spending time in the forest gathering fuelwood is still a beautiful experience.

It's honest labour that you can feel really proud of at the end of the day.

Especially if there's a big pile of wood to show for it.

Fuel is of such tremendous importance on the homestead.

Using our own woodlot means that we are directly responsible for our heating fuel.

There's no calling the utility company or turning up the thermostat.

It's one of the few acts of self-sufficiency that we can manage on our fledgling homestead.

Having said that, we need to reset our priorities.

Our Winter fuelwood needs to get done sooner than it has been.

Working for money can wait.

I need to get out into the forest.

Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies with Chocolate Chips

 

 

 

 

Peanut butter spelt cookies with chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup sucanat or coconut sugar

1 duck egg

1 1/4 cup light spelt or while spelt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375

In a stand mixer, beat until smooth the butter, peanut butter, egg, and sugar.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spoon onto a cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Heart of Farming

Spelt and Einkorn

There are two worlds of field crop agriculture.
The mainstream agroindustrial system, and everything else.
They blend at the edges, but also show clear divisions.

Conventional farms belong to a well managed supply and distribution web.
The business formula and methodology is spelled out with assurance and backed by government ministry.
Typical crops include field corn, soybeans, wheat, and some oats and barley.
Corn and soy overshadow everything else; significantly.
Virtually all field crops are used to feed livestock.

Farms are well connected to a predictable distribution chain.
Farmers are well connected to seed companies and government guidance.
It's a well oiled, and tightly controlled system.

Spelt

Then there are the others. 

Typically organic or biodynamic, they are run by those who farm on the margin.

Unconventional in many ways, these farms struggle to find their place.

Alternative methods and crop choices divide these farmers from the readily accepted norm.

Information is scarce.

Support is thin.

And the market is elusive.

Most often, these are the reformists.

The dreamers; driven by passion.

Outliers overshadowed by an infinity of conformity.

Swather

Operating outside of the system often means greater risk.

The incentives are elusive and failure is only one twist of fate away.

Crop yields are lower when you're farming using sustainable methods.

The soil is heart and soul, not simply a growing medium.

Alternative endeavours are usually small scale ventures.

Minimal capital means working with outdated and weary equipment.

It means scavenging for unwanted machines, cast away by the modern conventional farms.

There is no manual.

The neighbouring farms may be disdainful.

Government agents indifferent.

Friends and family, skeptical.

Volunteer Buckwheat

Dreams

Passion 

Commitment

Foresight

Hope

Selflessness

Tenacity

Self Determination

Vision

Empowerment

Resilience

Our blessing is to be given the opportunity to work with these people.
We play a role in making connections and offering support where we can.
And by promoting agricultural systems that will be strong and lasting throughout generations.

The real reward is the challenge of agricultural reform,
and the hope that comes along with it.
We draw strength from the passion of others.

Farming has always been known for heartbreak and failure.

There is a great deal of burden.

Not everyone survives.

The problem is that food is a commodity.

The farmer's livelihood depends on the the whims of the marketplace,

and the ebb and flow of crop yields.

Wisdom, knowledge and hard work alone are not enough to weather the market system.

When crops are good, prices drop.

When there is failure, precious few prosper.

This is true of both agricultural worlds.

But that is the past.

And so it should be.

Undeterred by the obstacles, more and more people dream of meeting the challenge of farming.

Young families, seasoned workers, retired professionals, all disenchanted with the status quo, 
looking for change,

looking for more.

And there is more.

I have seen it.

In the hard won successes.

In the face of adversity.

In the people who forge their own destiny.

In the field.

In the heart.

Ripening Buckwheat

And what about you?

A Little Goat Visit, by Kira

While Andrew worked at home preparing for our goats, the kids and I travelled to Sky River Meadow to visit our new babies.

The trip gave us one more chance to get to know our goats,

and it was time that I learned how to milk!

I'm thankful that Angee gave me the opportunity, and that Carmella (the goat) was very patient with me.

Milking is a very slow, yet relaxing chore.

I'm looking forward to next Spring when I can wander out to the barn early in the morning, sit quietly and milk goats.

We snuggled and played with babies and mamas nearly all day!

The bucks came out for visit and some love too.

Even though they are a little on the smelly side, they are very gentle and friendly.

While I sat on the grass visiting Angee and Erica, we watched the kids strip down and play in a flooded area that was full of tiny tadpoles.

Tired out by the end of the day, the kids finished off the remainder of our picnic lunch on the ride home.

The van smelled of mud, buck and garlic scape pesto.

Our goats will be coming home in a couple of weeks.

We can hardly wait!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bee balm + tarragon chaga iced tea, by Kira

bee balm + tarragon chaga iced tea

In a 1.9L jar add:

1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup maple syrup

Fill the jar with brewed chaga tea.

Place a couple sprigs of bee balm and tarragon inside.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours and enjoy!

 

Nigerian Dwarf Goats

It's naturally assumed that if you homestead, then you must have goats.

And though that's not always the case, chances are high that goats are part of your small farm.

Because of their manageable size, varied diet, and efficient feed conversion,

goats are preferred over cattle in most of the world, for milk and meat.

 

 

Certainly, now that it is becoming abundantly clear that small scale organic farming has the potential to provide global food security, it makes sense to choose livestock that meets the need of the small holder.

But thus far, for our own farm, I have been resistant.

 

There's a funny quote from a book we have here that says that,

the best way to test a goat fence is to throw a pail of water at it.

If the water goes through the fence, so can a goat.

So with vegetable gardens, herb gardens, fruit bushes, fruit trees, and other valuable perennial plants,

there is a lot to lose if a goat escapes it's pen.

Goats love, well, most everything. So despite Kira's insistence that we get some goats, I have managed to convince her that it's not a good fit.

Until now.

 

There was a plan to have a family cow here to supply us with dairy and some beef.

But we simply don't have the right kind of land to provide the feed needed for a cow.

We would need to bring in a considerable amount of hay, and that simply isn't a good strategy for self-sufficient farming.

Goats, however, subsist on a greater variety of feed and don't necessarily need hay if there is enough other forage available.

In the short term, we will need to bring some hay in from the south,

but we do have the capacity to grow goat forage on our land.

And like most small farms throughout the world,

we'll do best working with what is on hand.

So, in order for us to have our own dairy products,

we need to have goats.

And so goats we shall have.

 

Kira has chosen to keep Nigerian Dwarf goats.

More commonly sold as pets in North America, Nigerian Dwarf goats are actually excellent dairy goats that produce a high quality, high butterfat milk.

Unfortunately, misguided breeding practices have diminished the working characteristics of these small goats.

As a result, many passionate breeders are working hard to restore the functionality to Nigerian Dwarf goats.

And we are fortunate to have found such a breeder who has hand picked a genetically diverse starter herd for us.

Animals that show great promise as milkers, so that we can carry the line forward with the same intention of making these goats a prime dairy breed.

Angee Pell of Sky River Meadows will be providing us with five (or six) goats to start our own herd, as well as support based on her extensive experience with Nigerian Dwarf goats.

We visited Angee last year to see if this breed was suitable for us.

This past weekend, we visited again to see some of the animals that she has chosen for us.

We will grow our herd, and sell surplus goats in the future.

These goats have been screened for disease, and registered, so that we can start breeding with a fresh start, and high quality animals.

 

It certainly helps that goats are cute and capricious.

Especially these small and colourful Nigerian Dwarf goats.

It may be that breeding them for pets has improved their compatibility with humans.

Our farm animals should be our friends as well as our providers,

even if we do eat them sometimes.

But these goats are not a dual purpose breed and it's unlikely that any will end up as supper.

 

Our kids are enamoured with the goats and having heard about other families' experiences, the novelty doesn't easily wear off.

Goats are known to play, even in adulthood.

In fact, they need playground toys to help keep them entertained.

Things like merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters, and climbing structures;

pretty much the same stuff that children like.

Our hope is that our kids will develop a strong relationship with our goats, and will be eager to help care for them.

 

It is still going to be another two months before our goats will be ready for us.

And though it'll be a long wait for Kira and the kids,

I still have fencing and buildings to put up.

I have to admit though,

that they are pretty cute.

And that maybe I'm just as excited to get them home.