Nancy on the Home Front

April Showers Bring May Flowers

We all know the saying “April Showers Bring May Flowers.” Well, the last week of April brought a light dusting of snow for us, while this week it is raining. I don’t mind because the world is turning green before our eyes.

Everywhere you look the fields are turning a bright green and the gardens are being tilled and readied for planting.

Our forsythia has been in full bloom and covered with bright yellow goldfinches! We may not have an abundance of flowers yet but the colorful birds are more than making up for it.

My garlic is up and doing well. Looking forward to another good harvest in July. I do hope our house sells, but I would also love to harvest my garlic first. That’s not too much to ask for right?

The rhubarb is also growing. I don’t care if we are moving and trying to empty the pantry… I will have to can a few jars of my wonderful rhubarbecue sauce. It is so good on grilled pork and chicken!

I love spring. Everything is bursting with new life and the colors are so vibrant! Hopefully you are enjoying a beautiful spring where you are too!

Why Read Food Labels?

Check your Farmer's Markets for local produce!

I strongly believe that we should try to eat as local as we can. Does this mean all the food I consume is raised locally? No, I love bananas and oranges and they just don’t grow here in Vermont! I do try to keep on top of news stories regarding food and I am getting better about reading the labels. Are you aware that there are 10 major food companies that are supplying our processed food?

Here are a few more facts:

In 2008, direct sales of food from farmers to consumers hit a high of $4.8 billion
Total sales in grocery stores was approximately $1.23 trillion that same year
Local sales represents less than 0.5% of the the money spent on food in the U.S.

So, what about this “battle”? It seems like it is already lost! BIG FOOD won….

A few more facts:

Americans spend 90% of our food budget on processed food
We eat half of our meals and snacks away from home
One of every three dollars spent on groceries in the U.S. goes to Walmart
For every $19 bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken sold, the farmer makes 25 cents

Did you know that Smithfield Farms, the largest pork producing farm in the United States was sold in September to China? The hogs will be raised in the US, but slaughtered and packaged for sale in china before being sent back here. How crazy is that?

Many chickens are also being raised this way, they can be shipped to China for slaughtering but the labels will read, “raised in the USA”, not that they were packaged in China! All the more reason to raise your own meat birds or at least buy from someone you know raising their own birds. It may cost a little more but at least you know where your food is coming from.

Do you know where your fish is coming from? Starkist Tuna is now owned by Korea. Much of the tilapia sold in the US may say “farm raised” but if you look at the label a little closer you will also see “China”. Many of the fish raised on these fish farms are fed raw sewage daily. There are no food and safety inspectors involved there. The fish is raised in china and then shipped to the US for you to consume! Never buy fish from Vietnam, China or the Philippines.

Charlie the Tuna — (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here are some other bands that are imported.

Green Giant frozen vegetables are from China. Birdseye are not.

Never buy grocery store garlic unless it is clearly marked grown in the USA. China is the largest producer of garlic. Better yet, grow your own. It is so easy!

Buy only local honey! Much of the store bought honey is shipped in huge containers from China and then repackaged. Make sure the country of origin is clearly marked or don’t buy it! Your best option is to purchase local honey!

When you are checking the labels watch for packages that state “prepared for” or “packed by” or “imported by”, instead look for items that are from the USA! For example the “Our Family” band of mandarin oranges says right on the can that it is from China, pay a little more and purchase those from California!

Bottom line, check the bottom of every product you buy and if it says “Made in China” or “PRC” simply find another product or do without. Start reading your labels more closely and buy something else even if it costs a few cents more!

Support your local farmer’s markets in season, start your own garden and purchase meat from local farmers! You’ll be much better off!

Spice-Crusted Steak with Mushrooms

In anticipation of an eventual move we have been trying to make meals that use up items we have on hand. Each year we usually purchase some local, grass fed beef and as a result we have an abundance of delicious beef in our freezer. Spice-Crusted Steak with Mushrooms seemed like an excellent way to use up one of the steaks! The spice mixture is different from what I usually marinate steak in but it was equally delicious!

Spice-Crusted Steak with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless sirloin steak
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
¼ cup dry white wine

Directions:

Sprinkle the steak with ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, coriander, and cumin. This steak can be cooked on the stove or on your grill. to cook on the stove heat 1 tsp oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. For even better results cook the steak on your grill! Cook about four minutes on a side or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees for medium.

While the steak is cooking, heat the remaining 1 tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until the onions are softened softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and rosemary and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and remaining ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender.While the steak is cooking oven roast some asparagus, it is the perfect accompaniment.

Sorting Seeds

flower seeds, vegetable seeds, gardening, prudent living

I use a large container to store my seeds in. It keeps them dry and I store them in a dark, cool place. Each year I usually purchase a few new packets of seeds (I just can’t resist), but I also have seeds left over from the year before.

Usually I start seeds indoors, but this is the first year in many years that I am not starting my tomatoes, eggplants or peppers indoors. Our house is on the market and my grow table adds too much clutter to the kitchen when in use. Instead I will purchase heirloom plants from a local source.

I am however, planning a garden and although we are still having nights with temperatures in the 20s it is time to plant my peas and spinach! How do I know when to plant my seeds? The back of the seed packet will give you this information. All seed packets indicate the optimum sowing time based on the average last spring frost date. You can also check the new Plant Hardiness Zone Map from the USDA, which will give you an idea, of what plants will thrive in your area.How do you find out the last spring frost date for your area? There are several sites online that can give you this information. Dave’s Garden has a page where you just enter your zip code and it will tell you. For Nancy On The Home Front (Windsor country) it is almost guaranteed that we will not get frost from June 3 through September 17^th! Our frost-free growing season is around 129 days. I do not usually transplant any seedlings into the ground until Memorial Day weekend. Even waiting until then, we will often have a very cold night where I have to cover the seedlings in the garden!

Sorting through my seeds is a fun activity. If you are using seeds left over from a previous year it is a good idea to check the viability of the seeds. An easy way to do this is to take 10 seeds and place them on a dampened paper towel. Moisten the paper towel and lay it over the seeds. Place the covered seeds in a zip lock plastic bag and store in a warm, dark place such as a cupboard. Check it occasionally to make sure it is still moist. After a week check the seeds to see if any have sprouted. By using ten seeds you can convert the viability to a percentage. If all 10 seeds have sprouted you have 100% viability. If only 6 sprouted the percentage drops to 60%. If the viability is low you may just have to plant more seeds or get a new packet of seeds. Check my video on the seed viability test I did on some pepper and tomato seeds.

You may also wonder how long are your seeds good for? Generally corn, leeks, onions, parsnips and spinach are short-lived seeds lasting only 1-2 years. Check the date on your seed packets from last year and make sure they are still viable.

Squash, pumpkins, peas, eggplant, parsley, beans, carrots and celery should last up to five years.

The seeds that last the longest are broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers and turnips.After sorting through my seeds and tossing the old corn seeds I am ready to plant! By choosing the right seeds you will have a better chance at a wonderful garden harvest.

Crispy Cheese Crackers

Did you ever see a recipe in a magazine and think… “that looks yummy, I think I will make it?” Most of the time when I do this I have good luck and the recipe comes out just as pictured. I received the latest issue of Taste of Home recently and saw a recipe for Cheese Crispies. We had company coming for dinner in a few days and I decided I would make this appetizer. Unfortunately it didn’t come out quite as expected!

Fortunately I improvised and the end result was delicious!

Crispy Cheese Crackers

1 cup butter, softened
2 ½ cups cheddar cheese (10oz)
2 cups flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 ½ cups Rice Krispies

In a large bowel, beat the butter and cheddar cheese until blended. In another bowl combine the flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Gradually add this mixture to the butter cheese mixture. Stir in the Rice Krispies.

Divide the dough in half and shape each into a 7 inch long roll. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the logs and cut the dough into ¼ inch slices. Place one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Removed the crackers from the pans and cook on a wire rack.

I mixed the dough but it was too dry and would not form into a log at all. So rather than try to chill this crumbly mass I had I used a scoop and scooped up dough and placed it in a greased mini muffin tin. I had enough to fill two mini muffins tins. I patted the dough into place.Then baked at 350 until they were golden, about 15-20 minutes. I let cool for a few minutes in the tin and then removed to the wire rack.

They were delicious and our company loved them!

Between the Lines with Nancy from Nancy On The Home Front

It’s not often that you get excited when someone reaches out to you because of your age! However when Katharine from Katherines Corners told me she wanted to feature 50 Bloggers Over 50 I thought it was a wonderful idea and I was thrilled to be asked to be part of her blog series “Between the Lines”!

In fact when you follow this series you will meet some amazing bloggers all over the age of 50! I would strongly encourage each and every one of you to visit and support all of the bloggers in the series. The series “Between the Lines“ will run each Tuesday.

Many of you have been following my blog for a while and I appreciate each and every one of my readers. I don’t focus on a particular age group when writing my blog as I feel the information I provide could pertain to any age group! I am sharing my adventures as I learn to live a healthier life, one step at a time!

How am I striving to live a healthier life? For me a healthier life means adding fitness into my daily schedule and focusing on healthy eating. I love to garden and try to preserve what I grow, and we know the source of the food we eat. I love to share healthy recipes and I try to do this most of the time, but I am a foodie and also enjoy an occasional delicious treat!

I do not use chemicals on our garden or on the property to control pests or weeds. My garden provides us with our daily vegetables, and the strawberries and blueberries provide fruit enough to enjoy throughout the year.

Each year we add a load of composted manure to the garden to help improve the rocky soil. All our vegetable matter is recycled back into the garden by utilizing composting bins. It’s amazing what rich, black compost soil can be created from your kitchen scraps, lawn clippings and leaves.

What are the challenges of being an “over 50” blogger? For me it was learning the various aspects of understanding how WordPress works and learning how to use social media. When I first started almost five years ago I only had a handful of followers! Now I not only have numerous subscribers, but I have an active Pinterest page, a Twitter account and over 7,400 followers on Facebook! What a learning curve it was and I’m still learning. It seems you have to be learning new things all the time to stay up with the technology! I still struggle with simple coding especially if I want to make a button that links back to my site. Luckily I have a son who majored in computer technology and is wiling to help me!

Thank you for your interest in my “home front” blog. You can subscribe using the simple form on the side bar so you won’t ever miss a post.

Remember to click on the links below and visit all the other lovely bloggers over 50!

Eating From The Pantry

I have written posts before about the Pantry Challenge. In anticipation of an eventual move I have challenged myself to use up whatever we can from our well-stocked pantry! We have a chest freezer in our garage. I often purchase a ¼ cow from a neighbor as well as meat birds and one turkey a year. Since we hope to be moving sooner than later my goal is to use up everything that is in the chest freezer and then sell the freezer.

It will be strange because usually my focus is on stocking the freezer to get us through the upcoming year. This has helped us numerous times with unexpected company and during times when my husband has been unemployed.

The first thing I did was to empty the freezer and take an inventory of what we actually have on hand. Much to my surprise there is an abundance of frozen blueberries and strawberries. This will actually help us this year as my strawberry bed was quite old and last year I tore it up. The strawberries will not be replanted this year so at least we will have frozen berries to enjoy.The last beef that we purchased was a little over a year ago and we’ve done pretty well at using the meat up. I have a few steaks and several pounds of ground beef. We will have no problem using it up this summer. I also have two whole chickens that were purchased in the fall. Our neighbors raise the most delicious meat birds and these will also be eaten in the near future.

I imagine that I should be able to empty the freezer by early summer, the perfect time to list it for sale so someone else can fill it for the upcoming winter.

Our pantry will be another story! I have jars of dried beans and wheat berries for long-term storage. I’m not quite sure what to do with those items. I do not think we will be able to consume everything before we move even if it takes a year to sell our home! I guess the topic of moving a well-stocked pantry will have to be another blog post!We are using up the various canned goods such as salsa, tomato sauce and chicken and beef broth. I find it very interesting to switch my thinking from always having a well-stocked pantry to now using up what is in the pantry to prepare for a move! Have you ever made a big move? What did you do with your pantry items?

Top 10 Spring Salads

One of my favorite means is a salad. I don’t always enjoy putting the salad together but I sure enjoy eating them. Here are ten of my favorite salads, perfect for a light spring dinner.

Blueberry and Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad with Berries

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Corn

Grilled Corn Salad with Goat Cheese

Kale Salad

Mexican Turkey Salad

Pasta Spinach Salad

Pear and Blue cheese Salad

Rice Noodle Salad with Shrimp

Seven Layer Salad

Summertime Tuna SaladHope you enjoy all these salad recipes as much as I do!

Exploring in Florida

This week I am in Florida enjoying the wonderful hospitality of my girlfriend. She was heading to Florida to visit her father and invited me along. I am never one to turn down sun, beach and salt water!

Yesterday we spent the day exploring Vizcaya located in Miami Florida. Vizcaya was built as the winter estate of Chicago businessman James Deering. The house and property originally included 180 acres today 50 of those acres still remain.

Not only was the mansion incredibly beautiful sitting right on Biscayne Bay, but the gardens were incredible. It was a perfect day with a light breeze and sunny. We walked through the orchid garden with orchids in bloom everywhere you looked.

There were gardens everywhere you went, a maze garden, a fountain garden and a large center island, just to name a few.

It was the perfect way to spend the day.

We then walked around Coconut Grove and looked at all the fancy shops. Such fun to explore a new area, especially one so completely different from my life in Vermont!

10 Ways To Save Money

There are many ways to save money. Just search on the Internet and you will find numerous suggestions! Here are ten of the more popular suggestions on ways to save money!

First recognize that God owns everything and the blessings we experience come from Him. Part of being a good steward of what we are given is to give back a portion of what He has entrusted to us. Malachi 3:10 is the fist place in the Bible that really directs the tithe: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there my be food in My house.” In the time of the Old Testament, the storehouse was a physical place where the Jews would deliver their offering of grain and animals. Today, the church should serve as the storehouse in God’s economy.
Make saving a habit. Many financial experts feel we should be saving at least 5% and preferably 10% of our income and place it in a liquid savings account. Don’t give up if you can’t save 10% instead just make it a practice to save something. Establishing a saving habit and saving consistently will eventually add up; even if you are only saving $5.00 each pay period. Once savings becomes a habit set your savings goal to maintain an savings account of at least three to six months income. This will prevent you from borrowing when you have an unexpected expense or in case of a period of unemployment.
If it is available sign up with your workplace’s 402(k) or a similar retirement plan in which your company will contribute matching funds to the plan in your name. Some companies will match 50 cents to the dollar. If this is the case you will get an immediate 50% return on your contributions!
Keep track of your cash spending. Each week decide how much money you want to have in cash and make it last. If at the end of the week you have money left over deposit it into your savings account.
Pay off your highest interest rate loans first. If you have more than one credit card take a look at the interest you are paying on the cards. Concentrate on getting that card paid off first. When you have paid it off, use the money you were using to pay off that card and start paying off the next card! After the second one is paid off, apply what was being paid on the first and second to the third highest and so forth.
Pay off Your Car Loan. Interest on you car loan is not tax deductible. Pay it off as soon as possible by rounding up your monthly payment to the nearest hundred and then add as much as you can afford to that amount.
Pay extra on your home mortgage. Once your credit cards are all paid off you can start paying extra on your home mortgage. If you consistently pay $100 extra each month on a $150,000 loan at 6 percent, you will save almost $73,000 in interest and shave more than 7 years off the original loan.
Open an IRA If your company does not offer a 401(k) plan set up an IRA immediately.
Evaluate Your Life Insurance. Check around and see if you can cut your premiums by changing policies.
Stick To A Budget. By establishing a budget and sticking to it you will be accountable for your money. If an expense is not budgeted for you should not be spending the money!

Living debt free is God’s plan for us. The blessings of being debt free are amazing. The last thing you want is stress on a marriage due to financial strain. Make it your goal to start saving money regular and make debt free living your top priority!