Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Vol 3
Week 18: May 6, 2023

It’s been a while, but Samuel and I did a homestead walkabout this weekend. What is a homestead walkabout, you say? It’s simply walking around our place with open eyes and a notebook. It’s very informal. We look for what’s blooming, appreciate what we have, and try not to be critical. A homestead walkabout helps us see what’s happening at our place on at least a monthly basis.

You can reap the benefits of monthly walkabouts at your place, too. Note what is in bloom, what needs fixing, and what you can do to make your place more…whatever you want it to be, whether that is attracting more butterflies, providing more fresh produce, or more relaxing by creating a sitting space outdoors.

Our place is a little more than 3 acres, so we divided it into zones: lawn areas, pasture and orchard, gardens, hen yard / marsh / ponds area, and driveway and woodshed.

Lawn areas

We noticed dozens of strawberry plants popped up in the lawn. This is a resource we could choose to take advantage of by transplanting them to another area that doesn’t get mowed or we can leave them be.

Pasture and orchard

The pasture is sloped and contains a wide mixture of plants from timothy grass (Phleum pratense) to clover to herbs like Great mullein, mayweed (aka stinking chamomile), chickweed, and nuisance plants like wild blackberry vines, and poison oak. We actually did not find any poison oak, so either the sheep ate it all down or it is very (thankfully) sparse.

The Gravenstein apple is one of 10 apple trees in the pasture and orchard area and there are 4 more along the driveway, bringing the apple tree total to 14! This is 2 more than we thought. Our two favorites are the Gravenstein and a pale yellow that may be a Yellow Transparent. These two are biennial bearing, meaning they bear apples every other year and opposite of each other at that. We have always liked it that way. Oddly, last year’s hard May freeze upset the cycle and now both are in bloom this year, which means next year neither will bear fruit.

Sam stumbled over a metal stake in a low spot in the orchard. It was obscured by Himalayan blackberry vines until he burned them this weekend. He will try to determine if the stake is a marker and if not, remove it for safety.

Gardens

Hen yard / marsh / ponds

Last fall Sam cut brush, mostly blackberry vines, cattails, and willows in a successful effort to evict a pair of bears that were camping in the hen yard. This weekend he burned the heaped up brush and we talked about revisions to the hen yard fencing.

Bubble Tea

Sunny days make me think of bubble tea, a throwback to when our girls were in high school. I cooked small tapioca pearls in water and brewed a pint of Enchanted Forest Chai and refrigerated both. Later I combined the two and added milk plus a touch of brown sugar for a super fun refreshment.

Convenience without the can

Home-cooked beans are so much better!

I soaked 2 pounds black beans, 2 pounds pintos, and 1 1/2 pounds navy beans overnight in salted water. The next day I drained and rinsed them, and cooked them until tender with seasonings.

Part of the seasoned pinto beans were turned into bean dip with my trusty old Vitamix and divided into half pint jars to freeze. (Pureed or mashed beans cannot safely be canned at home.) The remaining pintos, along with black beans and navy beans, were divided into freezer Ziploc bags in amounts that match our favorite recipes.

Bean packets are frozen flat on cookie sheets. Once solid, they are “filed” in a plastic shoebox and returned to the freezer where they are easy to locate. Flat packets of beans are a wonderful kitchen convenience! To thaw place packet on the kitchen counter for about an hour or in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes, until the beans break apart. Then heat them in a saucepan.

Precooked beans are perfect for Sweet Potato Nachos, chili, Confetti Bowl, or as a side dish.

Restarting kombucha

I am a fair weather kombucha drinker – meaning my kombucha crock sits neglected in the corner next to the Tea Station from about November to April or May.

Now that sunny weather has returned, it’s time to brew kombucha. I pulled the fabric cap off to inspect the SCOBY. It looked surprisingly healthy, so I cleaned the crock out, brewed a fresh batch of sweet tea, and added it to the crock with a cup of liquid from the previous batch and the SCOBY. The house is still cool and kombucha likes it warm, so I checked the temp with my favorite thermometer and added a heating pad to make it cozy.

I am anticipating all kinds of fruity and herby fizzy drinks! Tell me, do you brew kombucha? I know it’s not everyone’s “cup of tea,” but I love it.

Thank you for visiting Chocolate Box Cottage!
Love,
Michele and Samuel

Note: This post contains links to products and vendors I use and appreciate for their quality and usefulness. Some are affiliate, some are not. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases when you use the links I provide; this does not change your price. Thank you!

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 2
Week 42: October 22, 2022

The weather caught up with the calendar, bringing good conditions for deer hunting at last. The ducklings are growing into gangly juveniles, and pears are ripe and ready to preserve.

Sam watches the weather forecast with intensity and rain means the deer are moving around, improving our chances of bagging one for the freezer.

The views were spectacular and the air was damp and delicious.

While plodding along behind Samuel, I had a thought. The finest carpets in the finest hotels can’t compare to walking on moss.

Fall webworm-infested manzanita bush. Wild turkey surprised me by posing for a portrait!

We tramped through miles of forest over moss, twigs, and leaves silenced by rain, got our pant legs soaked, and picnicked on hot soup. We even ran into snow flurries. In the end, we saw a lot of does, but just had a glimpse of a spike.

We ran into snow at 4,500 feet (1,372 meters) elevation.

Hot, homemade Chicken Noodle Soup on a cold day felt luxurious and we enjoyed it with a spectacular view.

Back home, Sam made me a perfect Enchanted Forest Chai using my homemade mix and I paged through a favorite cookbook to unwind and warm up.

The ducklings are doing fine. Each day they grow a little bigger and braver – within sight of their parents.

Preserving and cooking

Italian oregano and strawberry mint hang in bunches from the kitchen beams to dry. Strawberry mint really does smell and taste like fresh strawberries and makes lovely tea. I like to use my Chantal stainless steel tea kettle for tea.

Meanwhile, I was fortunate as a Master Food Preserver (MFP) to be able to purchase pears for preserving from Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC).

Most of our fruit trees did not produce this year which highlights our gratitude at having pears. The Rogue Valley is pear country, or used to be before wine grapes, hemp, and cannabis became hot commodities, so I have many delicious pear recipes and I’m using them all!

From left to right: Michele, Carole Evans, Vickie Belknap, Margaret Crow, Jeanne Prince.

Left to right: Vanilla-Laced Pear Jam, Pear Cider and Paragon Pear Vinegar.

On another hunting day we enjoyed Beef Stew with Vegetables cooked right on top of the wood stove. Cooking on a modern wood stove took some practice and experimenting to master, but once you figure out your stove it’s easy. Learn more by reading my 10 Tips to Cooking on a Modern Wood Stove.

Is there anything better and more comforting than Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup? Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Knoephla, fluffy German egg noodles.

Tea at Mom’s

Tea at Mom’s this week included a lovely lunch made by Mom’s best friend, Joy: buffalo sloppy joes on homade buns and Italian Almond Cookies.

Earlier in the week Sam completed the sale of the sheep. Our original dream was to raise Painted Desert sheep for a few reasons: to keep the pasture mowed, sell enough to pay the annual property tax bill, earn a modest income in our future retirement years, and harvest a few extra males for meat.

We never were able to rebuild the bloodline after the losses to the mountain lion in 2020, unfortunately, so when Sam’s truck required expensive repairs he wasn’t equipped to do, we knew we would have to sell the sheep.

I have to be honest, it was disappointing to see that dream die. We invested so much time, effort, care, and money to get started with the sheep and now have nothing show for it. Life goes on…

God has new dreams for us and for you.

Bookshelf

A new book at my side: Wildcrafted Vinegars by Pascal Bauder. I have only skimmed it thus far, but can already tell it is a good one! Having played with making vinegars from scratch with a variety of fruits, berries, herbs, flowers, peels, cores, and pomace, this is an exciting addition to my bookshelf.

Blessings,
Michele and Samuel

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 2

Week 8: February 26, 2022

One way to deal with uncertainty and keep anxious thoughts at bay is to keep our hands busy.

Another way to deal with uncertainty and anxious thoughts is to pray, and I hope many of us are doing a lot of that, too.

On the hands busy side, I spent a couple of enjoyable hours pressing tinctures this week using a simple press made by a craftsman who sells on Etsy. The apothecary cupboard is restocked with echinacea and St. John’s wort tinctures for personal use, for sharing with family, and for trade and barter.

Sam and I put in 2 full days on repairs to our vintage A-frame greenhouse, with Sam as contractor and me as assistant. I am thrilled with the results! There is just one small problem, as you will see in the photos.

We welcomed new babies to the farm – and we ate well. Follow along with our week in pictures and feel free to ask questions.

An unusual cold spell for southern Oregon brought morning temps in the teens: 13-17F (-11c to -8c). No swimming today!

“I would like to lodge a complaint,” said Jasper, the handsome polydactyl cat.

Poopy eggs means it’s time to add fresh straw to the nest boxes.

A new tea blend creation: Enchanted Forest Chai.

Pressing Tinctures

This whole plant echinacea tincture uses leaf, bud, flower, and root in season to make better use of the plant, without waste and without killing the plant. You can find the tincture press here.

Greenhouse Repairs

Sam tears off the old, 1980’s era greenhouse roof.

Reinforcing the framework of the greenhouse on a budget.

Tinted roof panels being installed in two overlapping layers.

Finished. for now. Somehow we ended up with one mismatched panel – it is clear, the others are tinted.

Side view of our vintage A-frame greenhouse. Or is it front view? Note custom-built door that Sam made with salvaged wood and the old hardware. Small space, endless possibilities.

Most of my Norwegian and scented geraniums died in the cold snap, even inside the greenhouse. The hanging baskets escaped and thankfully I have rooted cuttings of the ones that died. The lemon trees are unfazed.

Good Food

Shrimp Pho (soup) with veggies a coconut broth and oodles of spiralized daikon noodles. Daikon is a long, white radish that spiralizes easily and is a neutral-tasting substitute for traditional rice noodles in this recipe. My favorite spiralizer, the Inspiralizer, has been discontinued. It is worth watching for on ebay.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with roasted garlic and homemade knoephla (puffy German eggs noodles) is the ultimate comfort food.

Cauliflower rice is a pain to make, I will be the first to admit it. But oh, how delicious is this dish with cauli-rice, egg, scallions, and garlic, topped with toasted almond flour and fresh parsley.

Tea station, restocked with my favorite teas, tea cups, and utensils. Watch this video for ideas for creating a tea station or coffee bar in your home?

Toby, being magnificent.

Painted Desert Lambs

Babies! Triplet lambs for this third time mama, a Painted Desert ewe.

Day old Painted Desert lambs with coats reminiscent of marbles.

Mama with her parade of Painted Desert lambs.

This girl took over the nest when the mama who built it died unexpectedly. She is a Silver Muscovy.

Movie Night

Looking for a new series? The Mysterious Benedict Society follows four orphans on an unusual mission. Full of vivid color, plot twists, and a sense of urgency, this one is aimed at both kids and adults and is eminently bingeable.

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another week at Chocolate Box Cottage. Thank you for visiting and if you have a few minutes, feel free to keep reading or investigate the links provided in the text. Blessings to you on your day today.