Little Valley Homesteading
In The Know!
June 12, 2009
Your Pets Health!
Animals, similar to us have health issues too. If you are a pet owner you should always know what is normal for your pet. Just like people all pets are just a little different. Type of animal, breed of animal, size of animal, etc. may determine it. There is always many variables. Since you live with your pet daily and you are the owner only you know what is normal for your pet.
When your pet has their regular check ups with their Veterinarian ask questions. Keep a diary for each pet of what the veterinarian tells you. Know their heart rate, breath rate, weight, size and general health. Don’t forget your pet’s teeth. Teeth are very important to the health of your pet, no matter what type of pet you have. Just like people if your pet has problems with their teeth it will affect their nutrient. As your pet gets older they may even loose teeth causing eating problems, you may even have to adjust their food choices. A diary will always keep you updated on visits, shots, and general health of your pets.
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Your Pets Health!
Animals, similar to us have health issues too. If you are a pet owner you should always know what is normal for your pet. Just like people all pets are just a little different. Type of animal, breed of animal, size of animal, etc. may determine it. There is always many variables. Since you live with your pet daily and you are the owner only you know what is normal for your pet.
When your pet has their regular check ups with their Veterinarian ask questions. Keep a diary for each pet of what the veterinarian tells you. Know their heart rate, breath rate, weight, size and general health. Don’t forget your pet’s teeth. Teeth are very important to the health of your pet, no matter what type of pet you have. Just like people if your pet has problems with their teeth it will affect their nutrient. As your pet gets older they may even loose teeth causing eating problems, you may even have to adjust their food choices. A diary will always keep you updated on visits, shots, and general health of your pets.
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May 28, 2009
Gardening season is upon us. I love the gardening season when I get to see old plants come back up and I get to add new plants in. The only down fall is the cost. Though gardening is very relaxing, shopping for the garden can raise your blood pressure. I find that yard sale and auctions help. I watch for great bargains with pots, statues, knick knacks, ect.. Many of the pieces I buy are originally made for inside the house, but that is okay with me. As long as the price is right! Now I realize many of these items that I purchase will not last in the weather. I may get only one or two seasons out of them, but thats fine too. If you think about it, most gardeners change some of their garden plants and decorations yearly anyway. Maybe each year there is a theme and they decorate for the theme. Maybe next year they choose a certain color and they decorate for the color. If you are changing decorations in the garden anyway why not buy what you like at a yard sale even if it will only last one year or two.
I was cleaning the basement this afternoon trying to get rid of things I do not want anymore. I found some old sections of plastic fence I had purchased a few years ago at a yard sale. The color had not worked then, so I had stashed them away. Well, the color still does not work, but while at the hardware store I noticed they now have paint for plastic. If the color is not right paint it. Paint is a inexpensive way to spruce something up. Paint not only comes for plastic and wood, but metal. porcelain, ceramic, and any other surface you can think of. Make sure you clean the item to remove any dirt or residue, primer if needed and paint as directed on the label. Those old plastic fences will be beautiful when they get painted to look all fresh and new.
A friend was throwing out some old bricks he no longer needed and wanted to know if he could help fill a ditch with them at my house. No, but they will make great steps in the new garden area I am planning for the hill in front of my house. Lucky for me he has more he wants to get rid of, now all I have to do is get him to haul them over here too. There are so many things you can do with old bricks. Just off the top of my head, I could make a wishing well planter, border a area in the garden or the whole garden if I had enough. I could lay them down, stand them up or pivot them at a angle. You can leave them as is or paint them. With all these ideas I hope he has a bunch.
Author: Luann White
Little Valley Homestead
www.littlevalleyhomstead.weebly.com
[email protected]
Gardening season is upon us. I love the gardening season when I get to see old plants come back up and I get to add new plants in. The only down fall is the cost. Though gardening is very relaxing, shopping for the garden can raise your blood pressure. I find that yard sale and auctions help. I watch for great bargains with pots, statues, knick knacks, ect.. Many of the pieces I buy are originally made for inside the house, but that is okay with me. As long as the price is right! Now I realize many of these items that I purchase will not last in the weather. I may get only one or two seasons out of them, but thats fine too. If you think about it, most gardeners change some of their garden plants and decorations yearly anyway. Maybe each year there is a theme and they decorate for the theme. Maybe next year they choose a certain color and they decorate for the color. If you are changing decorations in the garden anyway why not buy what you like at a yard sale even if it will only last one year or two.
I was cleaning the basement this afternoon trying to get rid of things I do not want anymore. I found some old sections of plastic fence I had purchased a few years ago at a yard sale. The color had not worked then, so I had stashed them away. Well, the color still does not work, but while at the hardware store I noticed they now have paint for plastic. If the color is not right paint it. Paint is a inexpensive way to spruce something up. Paint not only comes for plastic and wood, but metal. porcelain, ceramic, and any other surface you can think of. Make sure you clean the item to remove any dirt or residue, primer if needed and paint as directed on the label. Those old plastic fences will be beautiful when they get painted to look all fresh and new.
A friend was throwing out some old bricks he no longer needed and wanted to know if he could help fill a ditch with them at my house. No, but they will make great steps in the new garden area I am planning for the hill in front of my house. Lucky for me he has more he wants to get rid of, now all I have to do is get him to haul them over here too. There are so many things you can do with old bricks. Just off the top of my head, I could make a wishing well planter, border a area in the garden or the whole garden if I had enough. I could lay them down, stand them up or pivot them at a angle. You can leave them as is or paint them. With all these ideas I hope he has a bunch.
Author: Luann White
Little Valley Homestead
www.littlevalleyhomstead.weebly.com
[email protected]
May 22, 09
This week end I made a new pizza. I had made a similar one a few years ago, but felt i could do better. With a little more thought and planning we all can do better. Preheat oven at 400. I have a large cast iron skillet that I cook in often. I oiled the skillet with olive oil on the bottom and up the sides. Using a packet of crust mix bought at a discount grocery store for 49 cents I added the water and mixed it with a fork. after I got all the flour mixed with the water I scooped it in my hands and squished it together ( a technical term) and knead it on the counter on a lite dusting of flour. Let it sit in a bowl to rise for a few minutes, I usually put the bowl on the stove since it is warm and preheating already. Add a lite dusting to the counter and lay out your ball of dough on it. You can shape in a round circle with your hands dusted with flour or a rolling pin dusted with flour. I use the pin. Roll it out so it will fill the bottom of the skillet and go up 3/4 the sides too. Carefully lift dough and place in skillet pressing in the edges and patting onto the sides. If the dough is to high for the sides, just cut off the extra. Fill the bottom with any sauce you like. homemade of bought. Sprinkle in cheese, I prefer the grated mozzerella. add your ingredients such as pepperoni, hambuger, sausage, mushroom, ect... top with more cheese, never have enough cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minustes checking after 15 minustes. The cheese will be melted, the side golden brown. You can lift up the sides with a spatula to check for doneness if you like. Let it sit out of oven for 10 to 15 minutes tro set up. With spatula lift out pizza and be carefull it is full and thick. Cut and enjoy. We liked it because the bottom was golden and crispy from the olive oil and the inside was juicy and oohy with cheese. Try some tonight!
Many people have asked me for my fried green beans recipe and I thought it would be great to put it on here. Now I know green beans are suppose to be healthy, not when I get done with them. Chop up 1/2 lb. bacon and fry in skillet. Pour in 3 drained can ofcut up green beans. Fry them until they begin to break down and wilt some. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and stir to coat all of the green beans. Cook to melt the brown sugar, this with carmelize them. Serve hot. This is great for the family or for a picnic. They keep great in a crockpot. A hint: Do not use french style green beans they are cut up to thin.
Author: Luann White
Little Valley Homestead
www.littlevalleyhomstead.weebly.com
[email protected]
This week end I made a new pizza. I had made a similar one a few years ago, but felt i could do better. With a little more thought and planning we all can do better. Preheat oven at 400. I have a large cast iron skillet that I cook in often. I oiled the skillet with olive oil on the bottom and up the sides. Using a packet of crust mix bought at a discount grocery store for 49 cents I added the water and mixed it with a fork. after I got all the flour mixed with the water I scooped it in my hands and squished it together ( a technical term) and knead it on the counter on a lite dusting of flour. Let it sit in a bowl to rise for a few minutes, I usually put the bowl on the stove since it is warm and preheating already. Add a lite dusting to the counter and lay out your ball of dough on it. You can shape in a round circle with your hands dusted with flour or a rolling pin dusted with flour. I use the pin. Roll it out so it will fill the bottom of the skillet and go up 3/4 the sides too. Carefully lift dough and place in skillet pressing in the edges and patting onto the sides. If the dough is to high for the sides, just cut off the extra. Fill the bottom with any sauce you like. homemade of bought. Sprinkle in cheese, I prefer the grated mozzerella. add your ingredients such as pepperoni, hambuger, sausage, mushroom, ect... top with more cheese, never have enough cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minustes checking after 15 minustes. The cheese will be melted, the side golden brown. You can lift up the sides with a spatula to check for doneness if you like. Let it sit out of oven for 10 to 15 minutes tro set up. With spatula lift out pizza and be carefull it is full and thick. Cut and enjoy. We liked it because the bottom was golden and crispy from the olive oil and the inside was juicy and oohy with cheese. Try some tonight!
Many people have asked me for my fried green beans recipe and I thought it would be great to put it on here. Now I know green beans are suppose to be healthy, not when I get done with them. Chop up 1/2 lb. bacon and fry in skillet. Pour in 3 drained can ofcut up green beans. Fry them until they begin to break down and wilt some. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and stir to coat all of the green beans. Cook to melt the brown sugar, this with carmelize them. Serve hot. This is great for the family or for a picnic. They keep great in a crockpot. A hint: Do not use french style green beans they are cut up to thin.
Author: Luann White
Little Valley Homestead
www.littlevalleyhomstead.weebly.com
[email protected]
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May 19,2009
As a homesteader I live in the country. Going into town to pick up this or that is a real inconvenience and very costly. When shopping I try to get everything in one trip. Like everyone else in the country I am on a tight budget and have to save where ever I can. One of those ways is by making my own laundry soap. A few years ago I had read an article on how cost effective it was to make your own laundry soap. The article had stated, “Making your own laundry soap would only cost you .37 cents a gallon. I had been buy generic laundry soap for way above that price already. I immediately got on the Internet and started looking for recipes. There were so many it was hard to choose from. Finally narrowing it down to a few I was off and running. I was amazed at how easy it was to make 5 gallons of laundry soap in less than 60 minutes. For my first try I did not want to spend to much so I used a bar of soap I had around the house and since I could not find washing soda I used the baking soda I had around the house. I followed all of the direction in and was very happy. Shortly after my first batch of generic laundry soap I decided the start up cost was worth it. I live close to a small town with few stores, so it took me a few to find the exact products I was looking for. I purchased the recommended bar of FEL-NAPTHA for around $2.50, the box of ARM & HAMMER WASHING SODA for around $3.00, the box of BORAX for around $3.00. Now you can add OXY CLEAN if you like for the really dirty clothes and pour in a little Frebreze if the clothes are extra stinky. The only other thing you need is a five gallon bucket and a long stir stick, I am sure you have them at home. The only draw back I have found is the soap does not bubble up, but my cloth smell great and get clean. If you cannot find the NEFS-NAPTHA or ARM & HAMMER WASHING SODA locally you can order them online. Before you get start you can go to YOUTUBE and in the search engine type in “making laundry detergent”. There are some amazing videos on the subject. I am including my recipe, but remember there are more recipes on the Internet.
Ingredients: 1-Bar NELS-NAPTHA
1-Cup WASHING SODA
1-Cup Borax
Instructions: Grate 1 bar soap to very fine grain. This can be done with a hand grater or food processor used only for this purpose. In a pan melt soap with 1-quart water on the stove. Fill 5 gallon bucket with 3.5 gallons of hot water add melted soap, borax, washing soda. Stir to mix. Add oxy clean or Frebreze if you want them. Stir. Set buckeye either outside or in tub for 24 hours to ferment. Stir occasionally. Now do not be afraid it will bubble and grow. The next day stir and it will settle down. You may add additional hot water to make 5 gallons at this time. Transfer to containers. I used old laundry soap containers I got free from the recycle bin at the laundry mat.
Author: Luann White
Little Valley Homestead
www.littlevalleyhomstead.weebly.com
[email protected]
As a homesteader I live in the country. Going into town to pick up this or that is a real inconvenience and very costly. When shopping I try to get everything in one trip. Like everyone else in the country I am on a tight budget and have to save where ever I can. One of those ways is by making my own laundry soap. A few years ago I had read an article on how cost effective it was to make your own laundry soap. The article had stated, “Making your own laundry soap would only cost you .37 cents a gallon. I had been buy generic laundry soap for way above that price already. I immediately got on the Internet and started looking for recipes. There were so many it was hard to choose from. Finally narrowing it down to a few I was off and running. I was amazed at how easy it was to make 5 gallons of laundry soap in less than 60 minutes. For my first try I did not want to spend to much so I used a bar of soap I had around the house and since I could not find washing soda I used the baking soda I had around the house. I followed all of the direction in and was very happy. Shortly after my first batch of generic laundry soap I decided the start up cost was worth it. I live close to a small town with few stores, so it took me a few to find the exact products I was looking for. I purchased the recommended bar of FEL-NAPTHA for around $2.50, the box of ARM & HAMMER WASHING SODA for around $3.00, the box of BORAX for around $3.00. Now you can add OXY CLEAN if you like for the really dirty clothes and pour in a little Frebreze if the clothes are extra stinky. The only other thing you need is a five gallon bucket and a long stir stick, I am sure you have them at home. The only draw back I have found is the soap does not bubble up, but my cloth smell great and get clean. If you cannot find the NEFS-NAPTHA or ARM & HAMMER WASHING SODA locally you can order them online. Before you get start you can go to YOUTUBE and in the search engine type in “making laundry detergent”. There are some amazing videos on the subject. I am including my recipe, but remember there are more recipes on the Internet.
Ingredients: 1-Bar NELS-NAPTHA
1-Cup WASHING SODA
1-Cup Borax
Instructions: Grate 1 bar soap to very fine grain. This can be done with a hand grater or food processor used only for this purpose. In a pan melt soap with 1-quart water on the stove. Fill 5 gallon bucket with 3.5 gallons of hot water add melted soap, borax, washing soda. Stir to mix. Add oxy clean or Frebreze if you want them. Stir. Set buckeye either outside or in tub for 24 hours to ferment. Stir occasionally. Now do not be afraid it will bubble and grow. The next day stir and it will settle down. You may add additional hot water to make 5 gallons at this time. Transfer to containers. I used old laundry soap containers I got free from the recycle bin at the laundry mat.
Author: Luann White
Little Valley Homestead
www.littlevalleyhomstead.weebly.com
[email protected]
