Chick in a hat

I just couldn't help but try out the minature hat and scarf that I made on one of our new chicks! She wasn't too impressed. When the power went out last month I seriously thought I might have to be knitting 40 of these to keep them warm! Thanks to the generator we didn't lose any of the babies. Whew! Good idea to raise the girls through the winter IF we don't have a cold winter. We look forward to the yummy eggs these girls will give us in the spring.

Christmas at The Barn Store

Wow! I knew it had been a while since I posted anything on my blog but I didn't realize it had been since October. I promise to do better in the new year.
I've got lots of things for Christmas gifts in the store.....granola, trail mix, jam, honey and of course, lots of knit things. Who wouldn't love to have an alligator scarf? I've got some lovely holly to add to your home or wreaths. I'm going to collect a few huge spruce cones from a friend. Think of something fun to do with those. I'd love to tell you that we have eggs but the chickens are taking a bit of a break through the winter. They just don't like these short days. We're open every day, as usual, so stop by and browse.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Now, this is the time of the year to be eating all those root vegies that you grew (or buy at the store). Probably my favorite way to eat those is to roast them. I peel beets, sweet potatoes or yams (I know, I know....we don't grow those here), scrub carrots and potatoes and cut them into about 1/2" to 1" pieces. You can add peeled garlic cloves or just about any other vegetables but I like the root vegies the best. Lay them on a baking sheet with sides. Generously pour olive oil over the top....and I mean generously. I bet I use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil. Using your fingers toss the vegies around until you're sure they are all coated in oil. Salt generously. Bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes or till vegies are getting quite brown. The bottom starts to carmelize just a bit. These are soooo good! The kids love them! I just warmed up last nights leftover roasted vegies under the broiler for lunch.

Donut Day at The Barn Store

This is just the remnants of Donut Day! I didn't do a final count on donuts and maple bars but we must've fried at least 200 of them. Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed. And to those that didn't hear or couldn't attend yesterday, maybe we'll have to do another one this fall. That's not a promise, just a thought. I think this time, though, I'll have Ron do the frying and I'll socialize at the Barn. He had all the fun!

Kindergarten Pumpkin Day

The eight kindergarten kids from Orcas Christian School came to pick out pumpkins from our garden last Friday. Oh, what fun it was! They got to ride down the road on the trailer being pulled by the tractor. We even sang a couple of songs on the way. Lunch was next with some hot chocolate and warm pumpkin bread that Steffanee Roach made. Next (finally) came the Great Pumpkin Pick! Those pumpkins were hiding everywhere but 5 and 6 year olds don't have trouble hunting them out. Everyone ended up with the pumpkin of their choice. Mrs. May has plans for them at school next week! A story, an art project and then it was time to go. Two hours fly by when you're outside having fun. Away they went on the tractor/trailer and back to school. We hope to do that again next year!

Fall Donut Day

We've had a tradition going on here for the last couple of years and it's going to happen again this coming Saturday. It's "Donut Day"! Come one, come all and enjoy the fresh donuts! This is a recipe that was passed down from my mom and is soooo good. I expect John to be here to get the first donut like my dad used to do. We'll supply the coffee and donuts and maybe we'll even make a few maple bars for Ronna. They're best when they're warm so we'll plan on having these out of the oil and glazed by 11:00. This is a "thank you" to all our friends plus the new ones we've met this summer through the Barn Store. Thank you all!

Pies at the Barn

The pies are cooling and will be ready in The Barn Store tomorrow (Sat.) by 10:00am. Local apple and mixed berries are your choice to have for lunch or dinner. These little pies go quickly so come early. They're perfect to share with someone you love......although, Ron will sit down with a fork and devour one all by himself!

The Fading Garden

It makes me sad to think that the garden is just about done for the season. I know, I know, everything has a cycle and the earth has to rest. Now I can hardly wait till next year. If you look closely there's a hen in the garden and the rest of the girls are just dying to get in there with her. I'll let them in soon. They'll eat the bugs and give us some good fertilizer for next years crop of vegetables.

Amaranth, Love Lies Bleeding

This has been the most incredible year for Amaranth! I've had five huge plants that just keep growing bigger and better flowers. They make me think of someone's dreds in their hair! I've never been sure of why they call this plant "Love Lies Bleeding" but I guess you could let your imagination run wild. Come by and check these out. I'm sure I could spare a few to go home with you.

Viili, Cultured Milk

Viili is a cultured dairy milk product of Finland. It's similar to yogurt and contains active lactic acid bacteria so very good for your tummy. I make a smoothie every morning for breakfast containing this and some fruit. It's where I put my fish oil and coconut oil. I'll try to have a couple of pints in the refrigerator at the Barn Store most of the time. Please let me know if you're interested in having this in quarts or pints.

Trail Mix

O.k., Gene, this is a quick post about my "Honey Sweet Trail Mix" that I have in the Barn Store. I have a friend who is not only gluten free but grain free. She asked me one day if I could make granola without the oats. Hmmmmmmm........without oats? Isn't that just nuts and seeds? Well, after a little trial and error "Honey Sweet" was developed. It contains four kinds of nuts that have been soaked and dried, seeds, raisins and fruit juice sweetened cramberries. The honey and coconut oil combination sticks it together and gives it that sweet taste. And it's gluten free! Mmmmm good! It's a great snack while watching a movie....just ask Gene!

Creamy Chicken Soup

Once again, this soup evolved from trying to make a creamier chicken soup but one that had chunks of meat for husband Ron. No just broth soup for him. You might have to play around with the vegetables a bit until you find the right blend for you personally. Thanks to my friend Sherry who encouraged me to post this one.

Creamy Chicken Soup

Boil one whole chicken or just a chicken carcass. Cook until tender. Remove meat from bones and set aside. Chop up vegetables:one onion, at least 5 cloves garlic, carrots, celery, about 4 or 5 potatoes (depending on the size, more if small)and any other vegetables you'd like to add. I found strong ones, like broccoli, can overtake the flavor so be careful how much of those you add. The potatoes are what make this soup a little thicker when blended so don't leave those out. Cook until all veggies are tender. Put most or all of them in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. When blending take the middle plastic part of the lid off and put a towel over the hole. Be very careful of the hot liquid. Pour back into pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp. each thyme and sage. Bring to simmer and add chopped chicken. When serving add a Tbsp. or so of cream to each bowl and serve. The cream just brings all the flavors together. Yummm!

Roasted Tomatoes

I wanted to wait and post this recipe when we had an abundance of tomatoes but I don't know if that's ever going to happen this year. We need sunshine and a little heat to get these guys to ripen. Maybe it's tomatoes hanging in the house this year!

This is one of our favorites. I even make some toast and spread a couple of halves on it. Very good cut up and put on pasta with other vegies.

Roasted Tomatoes

12 Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
1/4 c olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. honey or sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped or 1 tsp. dried basil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay a length of foil on sheet pan and oil. Put tomatoes on pan cut side up. Mix rest of ingredients together and spoon onto each half. Roast for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to caramelize. Sometimes it takes over a hour. Cool and store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Frogs in the Zinnias

As I was picking flowers a couple of days ago I noticed a cute little green frog in the zinnia that I was ready to pick. I decided to leave him/her alone and pick the next one. Low and behold, there was another one in the next flower! Soooo cute!

Stuffed Zucchini

Since we've had so many zucchini this summer I had to start using them some way besides the usual sauted. Somehow some of those zucchini hide and when you find them they are BIG. This is a great way to use those guys.

Stuffed Zucchini

Cut 1 large zucchini in half the long way. Scoop out the seedy, pithy part and discard. Using a spoon scoop out some of the zucchini meat and set aside to saute. Chop 1 onion and 4 to 6 cloves of garlic. Saute those with the zucchini till tender. Combine those veggies with about 2 cups of cooked brown rice, salt, pepper, 6 or 7 leaves chopped fresh basil (1 tsp. dried), 1 cup grated cheese and whatever meat you'd like. We've used chicken mostly but sausage was yummy, too. Wrap in foil and bake at 350 till tender. Probably about 1 hour. Unwrap foil and sprinkle with parmesan and broil for a few minutes till brown. I've put roasted tomatoes in it, too, but that's another recipe I'll post sometime.

My new blog! The Barn Store

Welcome to my new blog....The Barn Store. I'm hoping to update it on a regular basis as new things arrive in the store or just daily happenings. Please check back often.

This week we have lots of fruit....peaches, nectarines, pears and also some winter squash. We still have produce out of our garden and still more to come. Tomatoes are just starting but I don't think there will be many. Not a good tomato year. Of course we still have lots of zucchini and crookneck squash. We dug over 200 garlic heads and they are drying but will be in the barn soon.

There's new jam on the shelves! I think my favorite is the Blue Raspberry, raspberry with blueberries. Also, there's pear/raspberry which is quite interesting. The grandkids love it. It has a quiet pear taste with that yummy raspberry flavor. The regulars on the shelf are pear butter, strawberry and strawberry/rhubarb. I should be making blackberry soon.

This Saturday is chicken butcher day. If you'd like to put some of these delicious chickens in your freezer for the winter please stop by prior to that or give me a call/email to get on the list. I have a few left. They are soooo yummy! I think this will be our last batch of the year. We'll also have a limited number of stewing hens available.

Eggs are still quite a popular item......maybe due to the salmonella scare. If you want to be sure to get some call/email ahead of time. They go fast! We'll be getting a new batch of laying chicks within a month so they'll be ready to give us eggs in the spring. I'll keep you posted as to when they arrive. They are so cute as babies.

Come check out the regulars in the store. My knitting buddies have put a few things in along with my stuff. The granola and trail mix go out of here like crazy. I have to admit that they are both so good. The handbutter I make is so soothing for those gardeners or winter chapped hands. And, of course, there's always Saturday mini pie day. This Saturday will be mixed berry and peach. You gotta try one (or maybe more) of these little delicacies!

We're open most every day except Tuesday and Friday morning. I try to have my sign at the end of our road up by 10:00 and down by 6:00. The Barn is a great place to pull up a chair and sit for a spell. Hope to see you soon!