It's the final push of activity before Old Man Winter begins to rear his ugly head...
I was a whirlwind of activity yesterday, it's amazing how things add up around here, and we don't even have that big of an operation, but if you do some things on your own (without corporations) you'll know what I mean. Fall is the time of the "crunch".
Since we began homesteading I've finally learned to enjoy the winter. I used to hate winter before. Now I just "die"...literally I allow myself to die, to be slow, to go to bed super early (which I could never do before because I was an eternal night hawk) and take joy in doing nothing.
Banana bread, my kids have been bugging me for a few days to make some, and nothing makes me happier than when they come home from school to a nice warm treat!
My musical selection for your scrolling...
A little dark around the edges, I don't know how I get fooled by this every time, the recipe always says to bake for 1 hour, yet 30 minutes is usually good. This one I checked at 40 and Fucking Burned lol!!
Didn't stop the after school crowd though!
Would you like a little bread with that butter @EddieBowes?
Didn't stop the after work crowd either haha, @hendrix22 always enjoys!
Banana bread never lasts long...an hour or so and she's pretty much annihilated.
I make 30 every couple days now, my growing boys...how they make me sweat haha!!
Homestead Soup!
This I made 2 days prior, all ingredients from our homestead except salt, pepper and garlic. Chicken bones which I cooked with onion and garlic for 24 hours to make the broth. Carrots and chicken, oregano and sage. A really simple one because @hendrix22 had a bit of a stomach bug.
More Veggie Harvesting And Saving Seeds
Found some more random squashes around...
Went out with some baggies to collect some seeds.
Lettuce.
Cosmos.
Poppies! This variety I have which grow SO HUGE!
The cosmo seeds still had a bit of green on them so I transferred them to a paper bag.
Found these stragglers outside as well, drying them for the seed.
Bagging seeds I had been drying all over the house lol!
Beans.
Peas.
Getting the Lupin seeds out of their pods.
And Final Bonus...
I found some paper bags with Sage in them that I had dried in the spring, time to smudge!
I hope you enjoyed poking around our humble homestead, I left some things out like taking care of the chickens, the meat birds and my other chore drudgery but you get the hint, yesterday was a busy day. The thing that made me finally stop was when I burned my arm pulling out the last buns after we had supper. I felt so sick after, it was a pretty good one. I ended up just having a shower and reading my book for the rest of the night. Oh and of course stalking my friends on the Steem blockchain!
Sending out tonnes of love to you on this Autumn day (or Spring depending where you are on Earth), thanks again for witnessing my journey!
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Oh my ! It was really a busy day for you. Keep it like that @lyndsaybowes!
Thank you, I will definitely try and stay busy, as the saying goes: Idle hands are the devil's playthings :)
My winter is going to be a bit off the normal for me as I recently moved so my storage is low BUT the good news is I belong to a local "shop and swap" group and have found a friend that bakes zucchini and other breads, makes soap etc and sells (or barters) for winter feed for her livestock, so I'll still be getting my yummy home made baked goods and necessities and be able to help her at the same time. Going out on my once a month restock outing and hoping to have the time to swing by her farm. Thanks for sharing your how-to's @lyndsaybowes
That is AMAZING news Vickie! What a fabulous place to have found, this "shop and swap" I love it, really brings me joy to know that people are doing this type of bartering/trading...what a perfect solution!!
Yes, winter is a force of nature to be reckoned with. However, perspective is everything. With the right gear, it's something manageable to get through. Giving thanks for that!
I'm not a homesteader; but, I certainly glean a lot of wisdom from your posts.
The banana bread looks nice and dense. That with a cup of coffee is the perfect snack.
One tip, maybe lowering the oven just a bit, by maybe 25-degrees would keep the crust from forming too soon.
Also putting a layer of foil around the inner wall of the pan might work, too.
Btw, raw honey and aloe vera helps with the oven burns.
Again, thanks for your posts!
Peace.
Wow, thank you so much for the very meaningful comment @spiritualmatters! I will certainly try your advice with the oven and banana bread, unfortunately I don't have any honey or an aloe plant, I can't believe I don't have one of those yet!
Yes, I have to admit I am surprised you don't have either of these ingredients on hand.
In my mind, I imagine you having your own bee-project going outback and a large patch of aloe vera plants...;+)
Well, now hubby has an idea of what to buy you for your birthday, or just because...They're a beautiful and odd-looking plant which yields so many benefits. They're relatively easy to propagate.
Peace.
:D Goals ... :) :) :)
✌!
Winter is almost setting in and we are about done with dealing with the harvest, seeds, ect. The Banana Bread looks delicious. Never mind the touch of burnt. We are four generations here on this homestead, so I am only one person. When I am home, I will do a lot of the baking. This is a time that I get ready to travel. Once it is time to start the early plants, I will not have time till November of next year. Enjoy the down time @lyndsaybowes. Upvoted and followed.
Oooh wow it sounds like you really have your hands full @floridagypsy! Congrats on living so sustainably!! And you enjoy your downtime too <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 xoxo
Wow, lovely food post, super well done. You have a new follower
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed the food @gringalicious!
Looks great @lyndsaybowes! There's nothing better than a warm loaf of banana bread after a long day or studying or work! I absolutely love banana bread. Can see why your kids were so eager for it. 😉😄
Thanks, I'd whip you up a loaf if you lived close!
It all looks so good...
What kind of oven do you use? Have you checked the temperature with a separate thermometer to see if it's matching what you set it for? Might have something to do with those cooking times.
Ooh good call Winston, good call! I will have to get an oven thermometer to check that out! Thanks for the suggestion my friend xo!
Oh, my God...that's a lot of work! The banana bread looks good, nevermind the slight burning...nobody's perfect!
Thank you very much Lady Rebecca <3 <3 <3 ox
This is fantastic @lyndsaybowes! You make prepping look fun! I always forget I can make my own banana bread and since I have a couple over ripe bananas....
Oooooh yes! I'm happy I could inspire you to make a loaf, your home will smell like heaven <3 <3 Whenever I get over ripe bananas I just chuck em into the freezer, and I always have a stock ready for when the boys make their demand haha!