Homesteading, Amish and Off the Grid....OH MY!!

I've successfully been searching for others out there who are writing about what Jordan and I want to do. It's taken a while, but I've found several new blogs and I've added them to my blog list. A few are listed below. Go check them out!

A Homesteading Neophyte
down---to---earth
FarmHouse Style
Living off grid at Eclectic Culture Farm
Seeking Simplicity
TYLERFARM HOMESTEAD

SO there are others out there who are doing what we want to do and it gives me so much hope!

Tonight I read about a family who gave up the rat race lifestyle and bought 40 acres on an "off the grid," Amish farm. I found 2 other families that have done the same thing...purchased land outside of Amish communities and they are living the simple life. Once a week they get to a computer to write about their lives on a blog. Others I found, are not completely off the grid, but have chosen to homestead, making their living from gardening, sheep, soaps, eggs...you name it!

On these blogs I found....

-A few different recipes for homemade dish soap.

-More info about CSA's (Community Sustaining Agriculture)

-Beautiful pictures of HUGE, successful gardens.

-A 15 year old's journal entry on her lifestyle which DIDN'T include IPOD's and T.V., but actually sunsets, kneading bread and taking the time to enjoy her life.

I'm so excited I'll have to wind down to go to bed.

It's amazing that Jordan and I have come so far in the past 2 years. For as long as I can remember, the idea of "living off the land," intrigued me. In high school, I had anxiety knowing that soon I would be graduating and that my life would be this rat race to work for money. I felt anxiety in that I couldn't escape it. I felt trapped, like a bunch of worker ants or a herd of cattle who had no choice. Until recently, I really believed that "living off of the land" wasn't something REAL or doable. In the past 2 years I've spent lots of time doing research. It's encouraging for me to find links to lifestyles I long to live. It's also encouraging that more and more people are choosing to go back to this lifestyle.

AND NO we don't want to become Amish. Homesteading is more up our ally.

Bread

I made 4 loaves of bread yesterday! This makes me extremely happy because, not only did I make the loaves of bread, but they turned out!

I guess I was worried because I had some pre-notion that bread was fussy and hard to deal with, but I had no problems.

Making bread is one more process on my list of things to learn to become more self sufficient. With bread at almost 3-4 dollars a loaf for the whole grain type my family likes, it makes sense to make the bread and freeze it.

Yesterday I was proud to be in my kitchen, kneading bread. I felt somehow connected to all the woman who have looked out their window while kneading bread. For generations and generations, many woman have looked out their kitchen windows while using their hands to create something edible and delicious. Don't get me wrong, men bake too. I know there are plenty of men out there who bake wonderful bread. I just happen to feel more connected to the woman. =)

I don't know why more people don't make their own bread. I believe that some may think that bread making is very time consuming, but the 4 loaves I made where easy and quick. I sliced 2 of the loaves and put them in the freezer for later dates. My family now has lunch bread for 2 weeks. Easy!

I made a variety because I wanted to see what my family liked the most. Thankfully they liked all 3 recipes that I tried.

Oatmeal Bread/Rolls

Mix together and cool:

2 cups boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

3 TBS salad oil (I used an Italian type)

Add:

2 tsp salt

2/3 cup brown sugar, honey, or agave syrup

5 cups flour (I combined bread flour with whole wheat flour)

Add:

1 pkg yeast (2 1/2 tsp) dissolved in 1/3 cup warm (100-115 degrees) water.

Beat in to make a soft dough. Let rise double; punch down; let rise again. Knead lightly and form into two loaves or pinch off small pieces into muffin pan. Let it rise again.

Bake the loaves at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Beer Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used unbleached bread flour)

1 TBS granulated sugar or agave syrup

1 tsp salt

1 TBS baking powder

14 ounces beer (or 12 ounces beer and 2 ounces water)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowel. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan and bake until golden brown and a tooth pick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in the pan, on a rack for 10 minutes. Removed from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Faster Than a Speeding Bread Machine

Ingredients:

5-6 cups flour (I mixed whole wheat flour with bread flour)

2 TBS dry yeast

2 TBS sugar or agave

1 TBS salt

2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)

1 TBS sesame, poppy seed or flax seed. (I used a combo)

Directions:

Mix 4 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes or 3 minutes with a mixer. Stir in remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead 8 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel.

Let rise 15 minutes. Punch down. Divide into two pieces. Shape into two round loaves and place on a baking sheet. Cut an X half an inch deep on top with a sharp knife. Brush with water and sprinkle with seeds.

Place on the middle rack of a COLD oven. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest rack. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 30-50 minutes until deep golden brown.

The Tightwad Gazette

I recently received The Complete Tightwad Gazette by: Amy Dacyczyn, as a gift from my step-mom. I LOVE it! It's a book that teaches you how to live a lifestyle that is thrifty and frugal. It's a huge book and it's given me more ideas than I know what to do with.
For example:

6 ways to reuse old blue jeans:
1. Workshop/Gardening Apron
2. Tote Bag
3. Neck-Roll pillow
4. Wall Organizer
5. Jeans Vest (although I think it's past the jean's vest era)
6. Purse

Or

We all know that irritation when we get to the end of a ketchup or condiment bottle and there is still quite a bit of product in there, but it won't come out and you can't reach it. Instead of rinsing the bottle out and recycling it, like normal, fill the bottle with hot water and pour it in a pan to add to soup or spaghetti. Yes that's frugal, but really, when did we reach a point where we can afford to waste as much food as we do? With the economy the way it is, I think it's a great idea to be thrifty as often as we can.

This book has 8 different ways you can reuse a plastic milk jug. From compost buckets & pooper scoopers to creating a Trombe wall which functions as an inexpensive solar collector for a greenhouse.

There are so many little brilliant ideas in this book.
I highly recommend this book for others who want to reduce,reuse and recycle!

Check out the book here.

Hells Canyon

Life had been pretty quiet here. I've been working a lot and the internet has been a bit sluggish, so I haven't been on the computer as much.

Last weekend we took a trip to Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington to get out of town and to get some supplies at Cost-co. Lewiston and Clarkston would probably be the same town if it wasn't for the Snake River that separates the two. The drive, is a 2 hour roller coaster of a drive that takes you down into the very northern part of Hells Canyon and it's a doozy. I've driven along HWY 1, in California, many times and on some other sketchy, windy roads, but HWY 3 tops my list of scary roads. The road doubles back on itself all the way into the canyon and all the way back up. If you are someone who gets car sick, this road is not for you. It was a beautiful drive though.

We weren't a big fan of Lewiston or Clarkston and we were really happy to come over the hill on the way home, and see our beautiful view of the Wallowa mountains. I still can't get over how incredibly beautiful they are!

Hells Canyon, from what I've heard, is spectacular. It's an outdoor person's paradise along with being the deepest gorge in the US. I CANNOT wait for spring and summer when I can hike and horseback ride in the canyon. It is also a huge draw for river rafters, backpackers, fishers, mountain bikers and campers.

"Hells Canyon, North America's deepest river gorge, encompasses a vast and remote region with dramatic changes in elevation, terrain, climate and vegetation. Carved by the great Snake River, Hells Canyon plunges more than a mile below Oregon's west rim, and 8,000 feet below snow capped He Devil Peak of Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains. There are no roads across Hells Canyon's 10-mile wide expanse, and only three roads that lead to the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington boundary."-U.S. Forest Service

You can check out more about Hells Canyon here.

Pic on top by Just Peachy on Flickr