Quiet Time

This time of year is usually pretty quiet on the homestead. We have the daily chores, of course, but the garden is manageable and the animals are easy keepers. It has been a very warm winter with the exception of last week's cold snap and I have to say, after the last two winters, I am fine with that! Things will begin livening up here in about 7 weeks. Kidding will begin and shortly after that, lambing. Then the garden and meat birds.....
So, for now I am content with the monotony of routine. Hopefully I will learn to operate my new Christmas toys, finish a few fiber projects and make soap with all the frozen milk in the freezer!

My best Christmas toy was a new grain mill. I had my Whisper Mill for almost 20 years. It had grown a bit tired and wasn't fond of grinding corn and dried beans anymore. Apparently, Luke, my son, had heard me begging it not to die the last time I was making Ezekiel bread and he and his dad had mercy on me. I was blessed with a Nutri Mill. Though I really like it, I do find that it feeds much slower than my other one.

Another gift was a rice cooker. Something I had wanted because we eat large amounts of whole grains and this was something that I could just dump the grains and water in, walk away and a few hours later, ta-da, we eat. It has proved to be a bit more challenging to operate. After a few false starts in which I had steel cut oats at odd times of the day (I was timer challenged!) I have successfully made wonderful rice and quinoa. Those, of course, I could do in regular pots but this machine soaks the grains which allows more nutrients to be released and I don't have to keep a constant watchful eye. The timer allows me to have grains ready for breakfast when we get up or ready for supper after a long day. I am excited about incorporating new and different recipes with the rice cooker using grains and fresh veggies from the garden. Watch for them on my "Eating" blog.