A Little In Love With Basil

My Potted Basil ((Ocimum basilicum)

One of my favorite plants in the garden and in pots on my deck, is basil.   Basil is a gorgeous plant, it grows easily and quickly into a bushy, full, tender leaved plant.  This plant is an annual, which must be planted by seed each year.  It has glossy-surfaced leaves and the plant reaches about eighteen inches in height when mature. The plant will bloom tiny white or purple flowers on spikes. However, leaves are the gardners harvest so once you see the flowering spikes, it has given the plant a signal to stop growing.  So, although beautiful when in flower, seeing them tells you that your plant has reached it's full maturity.  

The seeds can be sown directly into the garden after the last frost, in early spring.  Basil likes to be planted in full sun, in well-drained soil, and thrives well using composted manure or other organic materials as a mulch. Basil can be affected by too much water, be sure not to over-water the plants.

When grown in pots by the front door or on a back porch, basil will be a repellent against mosquitoes.   In the garden planted as a companion plant it will be a repellant from mites and aphids. Basil can slow down the growth of milkweed bugs, and this allows it to be a useful fungicide.

Basil is easy to start from cuttings. Use a tall glass or a bottle and fill it with water.  Cut a 4" to 6" piece of basil and remove the lower leaves, leaving about three sets of leaves on the stem.  Put the cutting into the water and in about two weeks there will be nice roots allowing you to plant it in a small pot with quality potting soil.

Whether you plant basil to harvest and eat or for a repellent for insects or even as a annual flower for it's beauty in the garden, you can't go wrong with this plant.  I love how it looks and I love being able to harvest the leaves and make a tasty salad or pesto for pasta.  Basil is a wonderful herb, plant and green that even beginner gardeners can grow and harvest.

I wanted to share a delicious way to use your basil with this recipe:

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 Cup

INGREDIENTS

 

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano or Asagio cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts (any nut can be substituted such as cashews or pecans)

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

 

 Combine the basil in with the nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

It's not raining...YET!

I just went out to feed the chickens, ducks and goats.  The ground is a mucky mess with mud, and the grass is growing like crazy because of all the rain.  But, it's not raining yet, I may be able to get out and work in the animal house this morning.  I am so in love with our baby chick.  It is getting big and is much more mature than the hatchery chicks, which is surprising to me.  It really makes a difference when baby chicks have a "mommy" chicken to teach them all their chicken ways.

Our "home made" baby chick

I can't wait for this chick to grow up and I can tell if it's a hen or a rooster.  At the moment, I think it may be a rooster.  It's got really thick legs and it's getting it's comb already.  I think I read somewhere that roosters get their combs earlier than hens.  I may be wrong but in time we will know for sure, won't we?

I made such a delicious cake this past weekend for fellowship at church.  I feel compelled to share the recipe.  I made it exactly as the recipe suggests, but next time I think I may try apples instead of peaches.  The cake was so moist and tasty, even my husband ate some of it and he hates peaches.  That event will go down in history, that he even tried something out of a pan that is made with peaches.  This recipe is called Gooey Peach Cake and I found it on Pinterest.  Yes, I am still addicted to Pinterest.  I love that site and have found some amazing recipes from other pinners.  If you want to check out some of the recipes I've found, just check out my boards.

I planted some seeds left over from a spaghetti squash that we ate for dinner one night.  I laid them out on a paper towel for a few days and let them dry a bit.  I planted them last week and hoped that they would grow.  I'm always leery about seeds from vegetables from grocery stores.  You never know if they have been genetically altered or treated not to sprout.  I am excited to see that they all have sprouted and are growing now.  I hope they do well and I end up with some spaghetti squash.  I love it and would love to have an ample supply of it, because it's expensive to buy in the store.  I will keep my fingers crossed that I see some squash growing this summer and if I do I will propagate the seeds to plant for next year.

Spaghetti Squash is sprouting

I have a lot I want to get done today so I better get off the computer and out in the humidity.  Even though it's cool in the morning you can still feel that humidity.  I can handle heat, but humidity makes it miserable. I hope if you are looking for a good treat you try that recipe!  Here is too a great day for everyone!

Where Have I Been? The winding road of life took over!

It has been a long time since I sat down and took the time to make a blog post.  Why? well, I could come up with a thousand excuses but the truth of it is I'm lazy!  I have a million thoughts, ideas and things I am always wanting to share and put on my blog, but I get so busy living life, and doing other things that I don't make the time.  It's just plain laziness that has kept me from taking the time to sit down with my computer.  The journey since my last post has been a busy one and a lot of fun.  Autumn kept me busy getting some things done around the homestead. The holidays came and went, and we enjoyed all the holidays that ended out 2012.  We had a great Halloween party and Thanksgiving was wonderful.  We butchered our own turkey we raised, and ended up with 40 pounds of turkey in the pan.  That was a first for our family, and there were upsides and downsides to doing it.  We aren't doing it again this year.  First, the cost in raising a turkey for Thanksgiving was much more expensive than buying one. Secondly, who needs 40 pounds of turkey?  Third, I got very attached to my turkey and it was very sad to lose him.  I never realized how much fun a turkey could be and I still miss him following me around outside.  Christmas was exceptional this year and I went all out and decorated the house more than usual.  I even added another tree to the family room so that there was a little Christmas in the room we spend most of our time in as a family.  My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on New Years Eve and we rang in 2013 on a wonderful note.

Halloween Party

 Our Thanksgiving Turkey

Our Family Tree

We have been here on our "hobby farm" 2 and 1/2 years now, and things are starting to take a little shape.  We worked hard in early spring building a fence on the side of the house so that I could have a small raised bed garden this year.  The big 1/2 acre row garden that we jumped right into the first spring we were here was amazing, and a lot of hard work.  Last summer it was a nightmare with weeds and arguing and exhaustion to end up with very little yield.  This year I decided I wanted something that I could do alone and on my own and I wouldn't have to ask for help or get frustrated when no one wanted to get in the field to help.  I was living the story of the "Little Red Hen" last year and I didn't want that frustration this year.  I just love my raised bed garden and I enjoy being out there every day.  I do miss the yield of vegetables I got from the big garden and I may decide to do both next year.  This year I needed a little space to tinker with and it's really doing well and is very pretty.

Our garden fence

Some of the veggies in the beds

My middle son graduated from high school this year and we threw a big party to celebrate.  He is joining the Coast Guard in August and I am trying to spend as much time with him this summer as I can.  I am really going to miss him when he goes off to start his life.  My oldest still lives at home, but he has a busy life with work, his girlfriend and all the things he does to keep busy.  My youngest, my daughter, is starting her sophomore year in high school this school year.  It won't be long before she's graduating next.

The animals keep me very busy, we have acquired a lot of ducks and still have our chickens and goats.  Although, I sold 6 of my 8 goats in November because they were just too much to handle, and the cost of feed was expensive for what were basically pets.  I kept my wethered male Don Quigoatie and our female that had been bred, Bree and she gave birth to the two cutest kids in February.  We named them lamb chop and Noname' (no name).  We kept them, they are both female and we have a sweet family of 4 goats.  Don took over the role of "daddy" goat, even though they weren't his and they all seem very happy.  It's a nice number, they eat brush and clear a bit, not as much as they would if we didn't feed them as much, but they do what needs to be done.  Maybe in a couple of years I will breed the females and then can get into milking.  The whole point was to get into milking, but it just hasn't worked out the way we wanted.  The little goats are tame and will be easy to handle versus their mom, Bree came to us a bit skittish and still is, I don't think we would of ever gotten to that point of milking with her. So maybe the plan to wait and breed the girls will work out for me.  One thing I have learned with our "hobby farm" is patience is a must.  I have learned that not everything is going to happen when I think it should happen.   We had a few broody hens this spring and even got our first "home made" hatched baby chick.  I love watching the chick grow and two of my hens are co-parenting the chick and are doing a great job raising it.

mommy hens and the baby chick

Bree and the babies, the day they were born

Don teaching the baby how to eat brush

New baby ducks

The baby ducks all grown up!

So that is my absence in a nut shell! Will I do a better job and keep up with my blog better now? I want to say "yes, I will post all the time and keep my blog up to date." Will I fall off and get busy and get lazy again? Probably, but I do love keeping my blog and want to try to be a more consistent poster.  With that, I will try to keep myself more motivated to make a post regularly.  Even if it is just to post a photo or two that I take.

Summer is heating up here, and we have had tons and tons of rain. I am sure I will have plenty of things to post all summer long. Especially with all this rain keeping me indoors a lot.   I'm hoping that I will have a lot more to share because as usual my mind is going a mile a minute with thoughts, ideas and things I want to post.

Tuna Casserole, Still A Favorite!

Autumn is the best time of year to break out those old favorite recipes.  One of my old favorites is a creamy tuna casserole.With the cost of food going up, nothing beats an economical meal that satisfies everyone.  The tuna casserole is still a great family meal that works out to be economical as well as filling.  One thing I always have on hand is a few cans of tuna, so when I need a quick and easy meal for us on the run, this casserole tops my list.

• 1 box linguine (cooked tender)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup crushed potato chips

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, 1 cup cheese, peas, tuna, soup and mushrooms. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and top with potato chip crumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is bubbly.

I am still addicted to Pinterest, and I love trying the recipes I find on my favorite website.  I made the crock pot french toast this weekend for a church event and it was a real hit!  I have added the link to the recipe, so that you can also peruse this blog, it's a great place to spend a cup of coffee's time! Just click on the crock pot french toast to get there!

A blessing occurred the other day!  My little Chloe, whom is mommy to our puppies, worries me with small animals, rabbits, chickens etc.  I have spent a lot of time trying to acclimate her around the chickens and ducks.  I take her out on a leash and walk her around them all and let her spend time with them.  She is very well behaved with me.  However, I don't trust her alone with them and I never will.  I heard a puppy squeak the other day and I went outside to see what was going on with them, all out in the back playing.  I see Chloe with my sweet white hen.  She is pulling her by the back of her head as the hen is pulling back trying to resist.  The puppies are all bouncing around thinking it is just typical play time.  Why that chicken flew into the backyard is beyond me, but I don't think she will do it again!  I was so proud of Chloe though, not a feather was pulled out and the chicken was unharmed, except for her ego I imagine.  I yelled Chloes name and she let go and the hen ran off to the other side of the yard, where I quickly scooped her up and gave her a good look to make sure she was alright.  I think that Chloe was trying to play and had no intention of hurting her.  I still won't trust her alone with the birds, but I'm so happy to know that she didn't hurt this chicken when she could have, I have no idea how long that tug of war had been going on outside.  I feel blessed that my work with Chloe and the chickens is paying off.

Fall IS coming!

 The weather is changing and I get that excitement inside me that fall is fast approaching!  I know better than to give way to the thought that the wonderful weather will remain and fall is here for it's duration.  But, how can I help but love the weather lately and how it makes me feel so excited about apples, pumpkins, cool nights by a fire and all the soup and stew we can eat!  Fall IS coming and I am ready to jump on the bandwagon!

 This will be the first winter for our beautiful hens, and I am anticipating getting their house ready for the cold.  There is a lot of work ahead for us to prepare their house and get them ready to keep warm.  We had some really hot summer days here and I worried so much about my birds getting over heated.  Now, I get to worry for months about them being too cold.

Shown here, as pullets, our sweet chickens have now grown up and are giving us plenty of eggs.  I just love all of our chickens and they are adequately spoiled and come running just to the sound of my voice!

 Our baby turkeys are all grown up now, and are so big and fat!  They are so ugly they are cute!

 All of our Indian Runner ducks are growing up and have yet to start laying, but they keep the yard lively with all their laughs and conversations and they certainly are not afraid of a turkey, chicken or puppy!  They are so entertaining!

Now with the addition of the baby goats and all of our little puppies, we have quite the farm beginning.  It amazes me to see how far we have come in a year and a half since moving here.  I almost can't imagine not living on this land with all of our creatures instead of creature comforts, we have a rich life wrapped warmly in love and the basics of life.  It's been frustrating adjusting, but I think I am getting there as well as the kids.  We all had to learn how to live like this instead of  jumping in the car and being at the nearest fast food restaurant or shopping mall in a matter of minutes.  I have to admit, this life is much better for us all!

So, I am happy to say bring on Autumn, let the leaves fall and the cool nights turn into cool days too and the softness of the sun just warms your face as the cooler breezes bring chills to your skin.  Let the nights come earlier and the warmth of a glowing fire warm our hearts and our home.  Bring on apple peeling and pumpkin pie making, big pots of soups and hearty stews to feed our family night after night.  Let the greens turn to grays and browns and bring us those stunning leaves of reds and golds and yellows that brighten the dull sky landscape.  Let the pine cones drop to offer amazing garlands and fireplace mantel decorations.  I will once again drag out the jackets and sweaters and boots and another season will be upon us leading us into winter.  I am ready for fall and I am excited that it's almost here!

We have new baby goats! Yay!

 We woke up Sunday morning to quite a surprise.  I was expecting the girls to have their babies soon, but I did not expect them both to kid at the very same time over night!  Dixie, our white goat and Mama the brown goat were acquired in June and they said that one might be bred.  Well they both were bred and Mama was huge so I knew she was having at least twins.  Mama is the mother of the white goat Dixie.  They were already named when we got them.  So, not only is Mama a new mommy again she's also a grandma to Dixies first kid.  They are adorable little goats.

 Mama had a set of twins, two tan and black and white goats, one boy and one girl.

 The chickens are not quite sure of what to think of the new goats taking over the house, but they will all get along just fine!

 This is Dixies first time to have a baby, she's quite a good mommy and I love how she and Mama work together taking care of all three of the goats.

We are very excited to have our new babies.  They will be very spoiled in no time and we will be able to start working on milking the goats to start making our own cheese.  I am very excited about that!

Puppies Everywhere!

We have some adorable puppies that have finally hit 8 weeks today and are ready to look for their forever homes.  However, I am so attached to these little puppies I'm finding it hard to let them go.  Never before have I had trouble with finding puppies homes after breeding dachshunds for years.  These little babies really stole my heart!  These little puppies are a gorgeous mix from a full blood chihuahua and a Westie, they are the cutest puppies I've ever seen.  Apparently, they are considered a "designer breed" called Chesties!  I thought I would share how cute they are with everyone.  I am going to miss them terribly when I finally give in to letting them go! :(

Daddy

Mommy

The Babies

 They love to play outdoors and will play until they pass out!