Nancy on the Home Front

How Sustainable Are We?

Do you recycle? Buy local or grow your own food? Drive an electric vehicle? Have you made home energy improvements? Do you live off grid? Just how sustainable are we?

I grew up with a mom who was totally committed to recycling. In fact she started the first recycling program back in the early 70s! Every Saturday we would go to the town hall where folks would drop off their glass and aluminum. The glass would be sorted by color and crushed in barrels using sledgehammers. The profits from selling the glass and aluminum was donated to the local land trust and used to purchase land for the town. It was never an option to not recycle in our family.

My mother also had a vegetable garden and blueberry bushes. What fruit she didn’t grow we would go to the local orchard and pick. Not only did we eat extremely well but also the harvest was canned or frozen to enjoy later in the year.

We may not have lived off grid but we were a family that desired to be more sustainable.

My husband and I have always had a garden as well and we always had a full stocked pantry. I would can or freeze anything that wasn’t consumed immediately.

My husband deigned our home to be south facing to take advantage of the passive solar. The floor plan was open so we could heat easily with a woodstove. The house was also equipped with both solar hot water and photovoltaic power. Out yearly electric bill was between $300-400 dollars! The solar hot water not only gave us an abundance of hot water but also helped cut down on the propane bill used to heat the hot water.

Now that we are living in another part of the country we are looking for a new home, one that is either already equipped with some of the features we let behind or one that we can implement these features ourselves.

We still recycle and as soon as we can we will have our own garden again. In the meantime I am helping my daughter with her vegetable garden. Nice to know that the lessons my mother taught me have been passed down to another generation.

Join us as we challenge ourselves to live a more self-reliant lifestyle for the entire month of January.

Follow our Pinterest Board for Self Reliance Challenge posts.

Stop By & Visit The Self Reliance Challenge Bloggers…

Kathi – Oak Hill Homestead

Nancy – Nancy On The Homefront

AnnMarie – 15 Acre Homestead

Farmgal – Just another Day on the Farm

Candy – Candy’s Farm House Pantry

Kristi – Stone Family Farmstead

Marla – Organic 4 Greenlivings

Heidi – Healing Harvest Homestead

Victoria – Modern Homestead Mama

Shawna – Homegrown Self Reliance

Stephanie – Happily Homegrown

Bethany – Family Growing Pains

Dianne – Hidden Springs Homestead

Julie – The Farm Wife

Lacey – Home & Harrow

Robin – A Life in the Wild

Sheri Ann – Experimental Homesteader

Lisa Lynn – The Self Sufficient HomeAcre

The New Homesteader’s Almanac

What To Do With Leftover Candy Canes?

As the holidays wind down and we start to put the decorations away you often end up with leftover candy canes. How you ever wondered what to do with leftover candy canes?

I love the look of candy canes on a Christmas tree; perhaps it brings back memories of my childhood. As much as we enjoy having candy canes on the tree we never end up eating them all. Each year I end up with a pile of candy canes and I wonder what I am going to do with them all. After all I don’t want to just throw them away! After spending a bit of time searching the Internet I found there are actually numerous ways you can use up the candy canes!

What To Do With Leftover Candy Canes?

1. Use them to stir in your tea.

2. Stir them into your hot chocolate.

3. Add them to a milkshake.

4. Break off the hooked end and dip the straight piece in melted chocolate.

5. Crush them.

Crushing them creates so many ways to use up the leftover candy canes. I decided to take our leftover candy canes and put them in the blender and make sugar cane sugar.

What do you do with sugar cane sugar?

You can use it in so many ways.

Ice Cream Sprinkles. (I love this idea, Peppermint Stick Ice Cream is my favorite)
Cake Sprinkles.
Cupcake Sprinkles.
On top of whipped cream in your hot chocolate.
Sweeten your hot tea.
Sweeten your hot chocolate.
Use the sugar in recipes.

Use them in recipes, what an idea! I found all sorts of recipes that you could use the crushed candy canes in.

Here are links to just a few:

Candy Cane Fudge
2. Peppermint Four Layer Cake
3. Chocolate Peppermint Bark
4. Peppermint Ice Cream
5. Candy Cane Brownies
6. Peppermint Meringues
7. Candy Cane Cheesecake

What did I do with our candy cane sugar? First I made Peppermint Meringues. I love meringues because they are low in fat.

I also made a batch of Candy Cane Brownies, I didn’t use the recipe mentioned above but instead used a recipe passed down from my husband’s grandmother’s recipe box.

I also made some Peppermint Sauce. Poured over vanilla ice cream it is almost as good as peppermint stick ice cream.

The Perks of Being a Seed Saver

I have been interested in being a seed saver for many years. You may wonder what the perks of being a seed saver are? When you think of extinction you probably don’t think picture lettuce, tomatoes or cucumber being at risk. Believe it or not, many crop varieties today are in danger of going the way of the dodo bird.

If you were a gardener in the early 20^thcentury, you would have been able to flip through a seed catalog and choose from hundreds of varieties of each fruit and vegetable. Now, unless you are looking at a catalog put out by seed savers, you will find your choices are much less. Many of the seeds available just thirty yeas ago are no longer available commercially.

What happened was we shifted from being seed savers to seed buyers. Over most of the agricultural history seeds were the concern of small farmers and home gardeners, who would let some of their plants produce seed in the fall, save that seed over the winter, and plant it the following spring. Seeds were considered a public resource and traded freely among people.

Over the last century, however, we have become increasingly dependent on a small handful of corporations for acquiring seed. These companies focus on fruits and vegetables that will withstand transportation and look good in the grocery store; they are not concerned with preserving the crops of the past. Due to privatization of seeds, fewer old varieties are being grown and as a result our food system has been weakened. Without the genetic diversity there once was in seed, we are relying on a small number of crops to feed a lot of people. And as we know less biodiversity means greater potential for collapse.

What can you do? Try seed saving in your own garden. The best way to keep heirloom fruit and vegetables alive is for more people to grown them. First off, you’ll need some open pollinated seeds that will produce plants identical to the parent. Do not use hybrids; hybrids are a cross between two parents and the next generation will not produce true. The easiest crops to start with are tomatoes, lettuce, peas and beans because they are self-pollinating and therefore will not cross within the species.

There are many good recourses out there to help get you started. The Seed Savers Exchange has a great website with instructions for beginners. If possible find a local seed saver, when we lived in Vermont Solstice Seeds was a great resource. I knew all the seeds they sold would grow in my garden. Now that we are living in the state of Washington I will have to find new resources and continue to save my own seeds!

The perks of being a seed saver will allow you to separate yourself from the industrial agriculture model and take control of your food in a sustainable way. It will also enable your crops to adapt better to your specific garden site. Because you will be selecting seed from your best performing plants, the traits you find most appealing will be magnified. I would replant my garlic each year and after five years I had bulbs that had a good taste and had about four cloves to a bulb. Just what I liked in a garlic.

Seed saving is what gardeners before you have done for centuries. By saving and planting seed, you will be participating in an ancient tradition and doing your part to preserve history.

Follow our Pinterest Board for Self Reliance Challenge posts.

Stop By & Visit The Self Reliance Challenge Bloggers…

Kathi – Oak Hill Homestead

Nancy – Nancy On The Homefront

AnnMarie – 15 Acre Homestead

Farmgal – Just another Day on the Farm

Candy – Candy’s Farm House Pantry

Kristi – Stone Family Farmstead

Marla – Organic 4 Greenlivings

Heidi – Healing Harvest Homestead

Victoria – Modern Homestead Mama

Shawna – Homegrown Self Reliance

Stephanie – Happily Homegrown

Bethany – Family Growing Pains

Dianne – Hidden Springs Homestead

Julie – The Farm Wife

Lacey – Home & Harrow

Robin – A Life in the Wild

Sheri Ann – Experimental Homesteader

Lisa Lynn – The Self Sufficient HomeAcre

The New Homesteader’s Almanac

Goal Setting & Happy New Year

A new year, a fresh start and endless possibilities await us as we move through the year. May you all have a wonderful year ahead. wishing you health and happiness this New Year! Goal setting was a big part of my New Year’s resolutions last year and I plan once again write my goals down and keep track of them on a weekly basis!

1. Continue to monetize my blog. This is an ongoing goal. I made a start last year and plan to continue on with it this year. Part of this goal involves getting my readership up. If you enjoy reading my bog please recommend it to your friends. The more the merrier!

2. Create a cookbook. You may remember this goal was on my list last year and I finally put it aside. With making a cross country move and packing I did not have time to complete this goal. I would like to have my cookbook ready by November 2019. The recipes are there it’s just a matter of organizing the into a book!

3. Have 20 minutes of exercise at least 5 times a week. Last year I was a little ambitious about this goal and I really thought I could get 10k steps in at least five times a week. It just didn’t happen. So 20 minutes a day should be doable and I can always increase it!

4. Explore ten parks or hiking trails in this new state of Washington we now call home! There is so much to see and do around here and some excellent hiking trails. It would be nice To do some exploring on a monthly basis!

5. Incorporate 20 new recipes into our dinner plans with the focus being on healthy eating. I love finding new recipes so this should be fun.

6. Read 35 new books this year. Last year my goal was 25 and I competed that and kept going! Decided to move it to 35 this year! Keeping track on Goodreads is a great motivator, I can keep track of the books I want to read and the books I have read all on one app. I’m starting my reading with these four books which I’ve been meaning to read all year! Anyone have any recommendations for books you’ve enjoyed in the last year?

7. Complete 4 knitting or sewing projects this year. I have several big sewing projects I want to complete as well as a few smaller ones. Looking forward to moving into our own home and having a little more room to sew. Four sewing and knitting projects should be doable. First project to complete is a set of placemats! I friend of mine gave me the material and I think it will be perfect for contrasting!

8. Visit family on the west coast. We have relatives that live here on the west coast. Some just a few hours away and others more like 7 hours away. Look forward especially to visiting my cousin in British Columbia.

9. Explore 6 new museums in the area. There is so much to learn about this new area we are living in. First on the list will be the Tacoma Glass Museum.

10. Find a new home. This sounds simple but we still have to decide exactly where we want to be! Somewhere between Tacoma and Portland and definitely not right in the city. My ideal home would have enough room to have a vegetable garden and some fruit trees or bushes and maybe even a little room for a few chickens, hoping that’s possible in this populated area!

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Joanna Worsley

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front.

Goal Setting Weekly Update #52

A few days before we move into the New Year, can you believe it? I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day and enjoyed time relaxing with friends and family. Tuesday I will reveal my goals for the 2019. Goal Setting

~~1. Find a new hosting site for my blog and make it secure.~~ Done! This was the first goal accomplished this year and I am so happy to have a secure website.

2. Monetize my blog. This is an ongoing goal and will probably continue next year. I have set up two affiliate accounts. You may be noticing links to my favorite items on Amazon. I’ve also teamed up with an amazing heirloom seed company, Mary’s Heirloom Seeds. As we head into the New Year I plan to focus more on this goal. How nice it would be to cover the costs of having a blog! In addition to earning money by placing ads on my site I have also made up a Blessing Jar. If you’ve always wanted to write down your daily blessings I have made it so easy for you to do this. Check out my post on The Blessing Jar.

3. Create a cookbook. This is definitely getting put on hold. This goal will put at the top of next year’s list. goal setting, recipe box, recipes, prudent living

4. ~~Be diligent about getting 10K steps in 5 out of 7 days a week.~~ I’ve decided to change this goal to 3 out of 7 days a week! We’ve had a week of rain and the only walking we’ve done this past week was running errands!

5. ~~As we continue to prepare for our house sale, continue to de-clutter~~. DONE!!

6. ~~Read 25 books this year!~~ Done! However this doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reading.

7. Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead. Work in Progress.

8. ~~Finish 4 knitting projects.~~ Completed! Having fun wrapping the two scarves I made earlier this year. Also looking ahead to what projects I plan to complete next year. Knitting or quilting or both? Two of my favorite books are Quick and Easy Projects for the Weekend Quilter and One-Skein Wonders. I may just pick my projects from these books! goal setting

9~~. Clean out our freezer.~~ Done! I miss having our larger freezers but I am not planning on stocking up while we live in this apartment. Shopping is done for the week ahead and that’s about it!

10. ~~Take a few road trips and visit family and friends on the east coast that we will not see as often once we move to the west coast~~. Done! Looking forward to visiting family on the west coast in 2019. I have a cousin in British Columbia, she and her husband own the first organic brewery in Canada, (Crannog Ales) not to mention an amazing farm. I can’t wait to plan a trip to visit!

“Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can

do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them .”

Jim Rohn

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front

The Self Reliance Challenge 2019

You may remember last year when I took part in the Self-Reliance Challenge. I’m so excited because during the month of January I will once again be joining a dynamic group of bloggers in the Self Reliance Challenge – 31 Days to a More Self Reliant Life.

Join us as we challenge ourselves to live a more self-reliant lifestyle for the entire month of January.

Follow our Pinterest Board for Self Reliance Challenge posts.

Stop By & Visit The Self Reliance Challenge Bloggers…

Kathi – Oak Hill Homestead

Nancy – Nancy On The Homefront

AnnMarie – 15 Acre Homestead

Farmgal – Just another Day on the Farm

Candy – Candy’s Farm House Pantry

Kristi – Stone Family Farmstead

Marla – Organic 4 Greenlivings

Heidi – Healing Harvest Homestead

Victoria – Modern Homestead Mama

Shawna – Homegrown Self Reliance

Stephanie – Happily Homegrown

Bethany – Family Growing Pains

Dianne – Hidden Springs Homestead

Julie – The Farm Wife

Lacey – Home & Harrow

Robin – A Life in the Wild

Sheri Ann – Experimental Homesteader

Lisa Lynn – The Self Sufficient HomeAcre

The New Homesteader’s Almanac

You may wonder what it means to be self-reliant? According to Webster it means, “having the resources to be able to survive without outside assistance.” When we are truly self-reliant, we can use the blessings and abilities God has given us to care for our families and ourselves and find solutions to our own problems.

When we think of our grown children becoming self-reliant and we think of them being able to support themselves, pay their own bills and manage their money. When I think of my husband and I becoming more self-reliant I tend to think of self-reliant living. The ability to survive when times get tough. Sometimes we want to become self reliant and sometimes we have to. It is good to have a sense of being self-reliant before you are forced into it due to difficult circumstances.

Things can rapidly change in our world; you may have a good job today and be unemployed tomorrow. You can survive a flood or a terrible storm but then find yourself cut off from civilization because the roads are destroyed.

There are several steps you can take to make sure that you are just a little more self-reliant than you have been. It won’t happen overnight but with a little preparation you will be ready for what ever lies ahead. As my husband and I move into a new stage of life we are no longer living on a huge piece of property with massive gardens. We still plan to raise our own food but it will be on a much smaller piece of property. We still will take steps to be as self-reliant as we can.

The first thing is to get out of debt. This should be your number one priority. Being in debt costs you money. Taking care of your debt will give you an important sense of freedom. Money that was going to pay off your debt can be used for other things.

Learn new skills. Learn to grow a garden or bake bread. Take up sewing or knitting. These are skills you can use to help out the family and you might even be able to make a little money. I bake three loaves of bread at once, one to enjoy and two for the freezer!

Learn to preserve garden harvest, whether you have your own garden or are buying from a local farm market. You can have such a wonderful sense of security having a full pantry. Even if you don’t have a full walk in pantry you can still enjoy the benefits of a well stocked pantry.

Most important, have a plan. Spend a few minutes thinking about what would happen in a financial crisis, national emergency or weather related emergency. Make lists of what you would need, plan on what steps you would take. You may not need to think about a national emergency but being prepared for your next hurricane or winter storm is always a good idea. Better to be prepared and be able to help your neighbors than be expecting help from others. As we move into the month of January I will be sharing posts on ways to save money, starting your garden, preserving your harvest and cooking from scratch.

10 Best Desserts for New Year’s Eve

This year we will be having a small New Year’s Eve celebration. We usually celebrate with either family or a few friends. Here are a few of our favorite desserts to help bring in the New Year. I think these are the 10 best desserts for New Year’s Eve.

The majority of these desserts can be made ahead of time. Several of these desserts use up frozen fruit I usually have in my freezer.

Absolutely Perfect Almond Cake

This recipe come from a dear friend of mine. It’s adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Desserts. The recipe is true to its name; it is absolutely perfect! This cake is very rich so you only need small slices. I served it with Ginger Ice Cream and my company asked for seconds! That good! It would also be delicious with fresh fruit. Tightly wrapped the cake keeps for several days.

Nantucket Welcome Cake

What better way to welcome in the New Year than with a Nantucket Welcome Cake! I found this recipe years ago in the Nantucket newspaper. I’ve been making it ever since and it’s always a hit. One of these days I’ll modify the recipe to have the whole thing be from scratch but it the meantime I will continue to use the recipe as is.

Affogato

Perhaps you’re like me and have never heard the word affogato. My daughter shared this fabulous dessert just before the holidays and it was so easy and delicious. Affogato describes and names a dessert composed of espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato. What could be simpler!

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Are you looking for a low fat dessert to serve over the holidays? These Chocolate Mint Brownies are just the thing. No one will ever know they are low fat!

Blueberry Crunch

This recipe is similar to an apple crisp but made with blueberries.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

This recipe is from one of my favorite books; Simply In Season. This book is full of recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods and encourages you to eat in season! Fall and winter is a perfect time to make apple crisp.

Rhubarb Cake

This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen rhubarb. Enjoy the taste of summer this New Year’s Eve!

Candy Cane Brownies

Not only is this a killer brownies recipe but the frosting helps use up those leftover candy canes!

Surprise Cake

I’m sure many of you have fond memories of those delicious icebox cakes made with the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. In all the years of enjoying them I never thought to make them as individual cakes. However I came across this recipe in a book called Cook What You Love by Bob and Melinda Blanchard. This recipe makes the most elegant but extremely simple dessert. You make it several hours ahead or even a day ahead so the cookies have time to soften and then serve as a fancy dessert the next night

Apple Cake

One of my favorite recipes to make is my Aunt Cathleen’s Fresh Apple Cake. My aunt shared this recipe years ago with my mom and it has been a family favorite ever since! It is delicious anytime of the year but especially good in the fall when the apples are fresh.

Apple Cranberry Jam

I’ve realized that I love cranberries, whether in a Cranberry Apple Pie or making a batch of Cranberry Vanilla Muffins or enjoying Cranberry Orange Scones. I really enjoy the taste of cranberries. I also enjoy cranberry sauce but with it just being my husband and I most of the time, if I make up a batch of cranberry sauce it lasts forever. I recently solved the problem and made a batch of Apple Cranberry Jam. This jam is tart and actually tastes very much like the cranberry sauce you would find on your table at Thanksgiving, however you can enjoy it all year if you fill your pantry with this lovely jam.

Apple Cranberry Jam can be served with any turkey or chicken dish or even in place of cranberry sauce on your table over the holidays. It also is the perfect size for gift giving. I may have given up my pantry when we moved, but I’m still canning and so pleased to have found this delicious Cranberry Apple Jam.

Apple Cranberry Jam

Ingredients:

2 pounds cranberries {I used fresh}
3 Granny Smith apples
1 orange, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup honey

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a 5 quart sauce pot and slowly bring to a boil, making sure all the sugar dissolves. Bring to a full rolling boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and then skim off any foam with a spoon.

Next, ladle the preserves mixture into hot prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads clean if needed. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner and then lower the rack into canner. Make sure the water is covering the jars by about 2 inches. Place the lid on the pot and bring the water to gentle boil. If you’ve not canned with a water bath canner before follow the manufacturers directions.

Process the cranberry apple jam for 10 minutes.

Remove jars and place on a towel to cool. After 24 hours check the seals. If the lid springs back, jam is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary. One recipe makes about {12} 8oz jars

Best Christmas Gifts for Children

With three grandchildren between the ages of 2-7 we are always trying to find the best Christmas gifts for children. Instead of buying the latest toy we try to find gifts that will encourage outdoor play or creativity. We also look for good books and games that can be played with the whole family.

The best Christmas gifts for children are art supplies, lessons or classes, musical instruments, microscopes and telescopes sports equipment outdoor gear, books and games.

Here are a few of the gifts we’ve purchased in the past that are still being enjoyed.

Do you have children or grandchildren just learning to swim? Give them the gift of swimming lessons in the local pool. Such lessons are usually held once or twice a week and it’s a great activity for those long winter months. Who doesn’t like swimming in a warm pool!

Last year we gave one of our grandchildren and art easel with paints and paper. She loved it so much she even used it all summer outdoors. Her mom set the easel up under a covered patio and our granddaughter could paint to her hearts content.

Games are always a great gift idea. A few of our favorites are Gestures, Pictionary, and the classic CandyLand.

As an avid reader myself I am so delighted to see that our grandchildren have developed a real love for books. Some of our favorites are Llama Llama Red Pajamas, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and the Elephant and Piggie books for early readers.

Do you have a child or grandchild with a love for music? If they are not old enough for a real instrument yet perhaps a karaoke machine designed especially for children. Our older granddaughter loved her karaoke machine and has great fun putting on little shows. there are all sort of Karaoke machines available from simple to more elaborate.

I’m sure your children and grandchildren have wish lists that include many of the most popular toys. Be creative when giving gifts and find the best Christmas gifts for children that will last them long after the Christmas season is over.

This post contains affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front.

Goal Setting Weekly Update #51

Two weeks before we move into the New Year, can you believe it? I’m so glad I challenged myself to goal setting this year. By writing my goals down and looking at them weekly I was able to accomplish so much.

~~1. Find a new hosting site for my blog and make it secure.~~ Done! This was the first goal accomplished this year and I am so happy to have a secure website.

3. Create a cookbook. This is definitely getting put on hold. This goal will put at the top of next year’s list.

5. ~~As we continue to prepare for our house sale, continue to de-clutter~~. DONE!!

6. ~~Read 25 books this year!~~ Done! However this doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reading. I am reading The Baker’s Secret, and it was definitely worth the wait! It’s one of those books that I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it made into a movie.

7. Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead. Work in Progress. My meal focus for the weeks leading up to Christmas is to eat healthy! Not always an easy thing with all the goodies around. On the menu this week: Tortilla Pizza, Chicken Stuffed with Basil and Mozzarella and Turkey Chili!

8. ~~Finish 4 knitting projects.~~ Completed! Having fun wrapping the two scarves I made earlier this year. Also looking ahead to what projects I plan to complete next year. Knitting or quilting or both? Two of my favorite books are Quick and Easy Projects for the Weekend Quilter and One-Skein Wonders. I may just pick my projects from these books!

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment .”

Jim Rohn

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front