When Dreams Come True

Growing Garlic, Reflections, The Farm,

 

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View Of Our Farm Across the Adjoining Field

I am so excited!!! Over the last two weeks the vista of our farm has been transformed. WE HAVE A BARN!!! Something we have been wanting since we bought the farm.

As garlic growers one of our challenges each year has been finding space for the garlic to cure for several weeks after it comes out of the ground. The space needs to be dry, out of direct sunlight and have good airflow. We have been very innovative over the last few years to accomplish this, but as our crop size increased each year it became more and more apparent that what we needed to do it right was a barn.

I thought about making this a post about the entire process – including why township ordinances prevented us from building a barn and how we overcame that obstacle, securing the funds, finding a builder, etc… I instead decided just allow you to share in our excitement and give you a photo tour.

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On June 14 my husband hung the building permit as the builders (JP Construction)started working. Woo Hoo!!!

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The site as the work was just beginning.

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Drilling into the ground where the footings would be set. The footings are set 48 inches underground.

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At the end of the first day all of the posts were set. The rest of the boards that are up are acting as bracing.

IMG_4149I wasn’t around much for the actual building but each evening I would check it out and photograph the progress. Little by little our dream was becoming reality.

Various stages of construction – getting closer every day.

 

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View from the loft looking toward the front of our property. This photo was taken before the barn was finished. The 2×4 boards that were bracing the barn have now been removed and we have an unobstructed view.

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View from the dormer over looking our pond.

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Arriving at the farm.

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View from the back of the barn.

 

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The work crew. A job well done. 🙂

My husband has been working on putting in the gravel floor and there are a few finishing touches that we will add, but the barn was finished none too soon, as we will be digging garlic in July and we now have the perfect place to hang it for several weeks while it cures.

Thanks for visiting!

Garlic Scapes – Now Available At Neiman’s Family Market In Saint Clair, Michigan

garlic scapes,, Reflections,

Our locally grown (Saint Clair County, Michigan) Garlic Scapes are now available at Neiman’s Family Market in Saint Clair, Michigan. Check out their website here.

What are Garlic Scapes???

They are the seed heads produced by hardneck garlic varieties. They appear in the spring, and if left to grow they will flower and produce dozens of tiny garlic bubils (seeds). Most growers cut the scape off the garlic plant in order to allow the garlic to put more energy into growing a bigger bulb. If cut early the scapes are tender and delicious. They are said to have the same nutritional value as garlic bulbs, and although they possess a milder flavor when cooked, they are a culinary delight. They are great roasted, grilled, stir fried, sautee’d or used raw in dips, salads and pesto. To discover great garlic scape recipes simply do an internet search for garlic scape recipes or try the pesto recipe at the bottom of the page. They are only available for a short time in the spring but can be preserved by freezing or pickling.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup garlic scapes (8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into 1⁄4-inch slices
1⁄3 cup walnuts
3⁄4cup olive oil
1⁄4to 1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Ground black pepper

Method:

1. Place the scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and blend until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in the oil and process until integrated.

2. With a rubber spatula, scoop the pesto out of the bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Keeps for up to one week in the refrigerator. Also freezes well; the cheese can be added to the pesto after it has thawed.

Makes about 3⁄4 cup.

 

Remember Garlic Scapes are only available for a few weeks so stop by Neiman’s and grab a bunch or two. (While you are there you might just want to sneak back to the bakery department and treat yourself to one of the best doughnuts around 😉 )

Garlic Soap???

Garlic Soap, Reflections, ,

Yesterday my blog stats showed that someone came across my site, twice, through a search engine – The search terms were “where can I buy garlic soap?” and “how to make garlic soap”. I am certain that my blog came up because both soap and garlic are topics I blog about. While I do use many types of plants and foods in my handcrafted soaps Garlic is not one of them. I would be lying if I said that the thought never crossed my mind, but whenever it has I have immediately dismissed it, thinking it was not a good idea.

Regretfully the person searching for information on garlic soap did not find what they were looking for on my blog, so today I want to fix that.

There are actually two things that come to my mind when I hear the term “garlic soap”. One is a soap that would remove the smell of garlic. For this purpose a coffee soap is commonly recommended. Truthfully you wouldn’t even need a coffee soap, just rub some wet coffee grounds onto your hands and the garlic smell should be eliminated.

I do, however, make a coffee soap and many of my customers love it. This soap is made with a triple coffee infusion. I use brewed coffee as the liquid in the soap. I infuse the oils with coffee by adding coffee grounds to the oil and heating it to about 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and I then leave the coffee grounds in the soap to add some extra scrubbing power. I do sell my soaps locally and am willing to ship within the U.S. but I feel that shipping out of the country would be cost prohibitive. You can view my selection of soaps and skincare products here and if you are interested in ordering please email me at ruth20012001@yahoo.com and be sure to put “soap” in the subject line..

The second thing that comes to mind when I hear the term garlic soap is a soap that is infused with garlic. This is the one that I thought was a bad idea. I can see some potential benefits to applying garlic to the skin. Garlic is said to be antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. It sometimes used as a pesticide and is said to ward off evil. All that being said, it is questionable whether any of the beneficial properties of the garlic would survive the chemical process required in soap making.

If I were going attempt to make a soap infused with garlic I would start by infusing the oil (probably olive oil) with garlic. I would use a cold infusion method – mince the fresh garlic, add it to the oil and let it sit on a sunny window sill for several days. I would probably also infuse the water with garlic, again using a cold infusion process because heat tends to destroy the beneficial properties of garlic. I would strain all of the garlic from both the oil and water before making soap with it. For an experienced soap maker this should answer the question of how to make garlic soap. (I have not done a basic soap making tutorial but there are many available online.)

As for the other search question “where can I buy garlic soap?”. Even though I have never thought it was a good idea there are some things you just don’t know until you try. I do make custom orders. To request a custom order you must be willing to order a minimum of a two pound batch of soap (8-10 bars). Shipping would be limited to within the U.S.A.

Anyone wanting to request this type of soap or a soap made with specific ingredients just for you can send me an email at ruth20012001@yahoo.com be sure to put “soap” in the subject line.

Thanks for reading and have a great day 🙂

 

Rescue Rooster

Reflections

I decided to share this post again in honor of Father’s Day. Before you read the original post let me tell you about my dad. My dad is a story teller. His stories may be related to the content of the conversation , they my be told as an object lesson, or they my be just a funny story to make you laugh, but dad always has a story to tell. Anyone who spends a lot of time with my dad is likely to hear a story more than once.
When I was thinking about this I realized that my blogging is much like dad’s story telling except in a different format. I also realized that for my last few blog posts I have reposted articles that I had previous published. Since we have been very busy lately I haven’t had a lot of time for writing so recycling some of my older posts that are relevant seemed a good way to stay in touch, and with many new readers I feel these posts are worth repeating. For the few of you who are long time followers – I apologize for the repetition – but I simply couldn’t resist retelling this story in honor of my dad.
To all of my readers I encourage you to hang in there because I will have some new posts coming soon.
Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care

We’ve been raising chickens on our farm since 2013. Having a free range flock of egg layers was one of our priorities when we bought the farm and everyone that knows us knows how much we love our chickens. You can read some of my previous posts about chickens here https://donteatitsoap.com/category/chickens/ .

Ever since we put our first flock of chickens in the coop our lives have revolved around chickens. Every morning without fail, we (nowadays my husband) open up the coop as the sun is coming up, and provide fresh food and water for the flock. On days that he or we are not working at the farm it is necessary to make at least one, but usually two, midday runs to the farm to check on the chickens. Our presence helps to deter predators. Every evening, after doing a beak count,  the chickens are closed in the coop for the night. If any…

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A Year In Growing Garlic Part (VIII) Garlic Scapes

Reflections

The garlic scapes are forming and I expect that we will be cutting them next week. If you are not familiar with garlic scapes you can learn more from this post.

Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care

It’s time to start cutting the scapes. The music garlic has formed scapes and we want to cut them while they are still young and tender.

What are garlic scapes???

They are the seed heads produced by hardneck garlic varieties. They appear in the spring, and if left to grow they will flower and produce dozens of tiny garlic bubils (seeds). Most growers cut the scape off the garlic plant in order to allow the garlic to put more energy into growing a bigger bulb. If cut early the scapes are tender and delicious. They are said to have the same nutritional value as garlic bulbs, and although they possess a milder flavor when cooked, they are a culinary delight. They are great roasted, grilled, stir fried or used raw in dips, salads and pesto. To discover great garlic scape recipes simply do an internet search for garlic scape recipes or try the pesto…

View original post 232 more words