Pineapple Heirloom Tomato

Isn't this just beautiful? There's something really special about heirloom tomatoes! They're not easy to grow, don't keep well but are delicious and lovely to look at. We have a few for sale at the Barn Store (not this one, though!) along with the usuals and now some corn, winter squash and onions.

Old Fashioned Baked Custard

This is one of those old recipes that just never goes out of style and soooo good for you! This makes a wonderful breakfast....fresh eggs from our chickens, fresh milk from our friends and honey from our store. What more could you ask for?

6 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
dash of sea salt
2 cups milk, heated
1 cup cream, heated
ground nutmeg or cinnamon for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start heating a pot of water on the stove until simmering. Lightly butter six 6 ounce custard cups and set them into a large baking dish. In a large bowl, beat eggs, add honey, vanilla extract and salt and beat until dissolved. Heat milk and cream until very hot. Pour into egg mixture and beat until blended. Pour into custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. Carefully pour hot water in the baking dish around the custards until it comes at least halfway up the sides of the cups. You need this much water to protect the custard from the heat. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. Begin checking at 20 minutes for doneness. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken and that's when you can remove it from the oven. Remove from oven and immediately remove cups from the water. Cool on rack until room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Beans and Rice.....sort of

This is probably one of the favorites of my family. It's hard for me to write a recipe since I don't hardly ever follow one. This one has just evolved over time. I'll give it my best shot.

1 chopped onion
6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. grd. beef, grass fed (we use ground venison)
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups chopped tomatoes (I have my own canned)
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin (I use more because I love it!)
salsa, to taste (I make my own but fresh store bought is good)

Saute onion until tender. Add garlic and stir quickly for a few minutes. Add ground beef. Stir until cooked. Add the rest of the ingredients. Sometimes if I have enough salsa I add it to the mixture. Otherwise, add it to taste on your plate. You can also add chopped jalapenos if you want more spice.

Hope this recipe will make your family as happy as it makes mine. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

I have some new stuff in the store.....yummy Blue/Raspberry jam, mittens, hats and wonderful fingerless gloves with buttons. The gloves are perfect for this kind of weather but your fingers are still free to grab things. The usuals are still here. AND, good news, the chickens are starting to pick up their laying so I do have eggs from time to time in the frig.
We just got our first seed catalogs and have already browsed through them. I'm so ready to start plants in the greenhouse. I know, I know....way too early. If there's anything that you'd really like to be eating this spring and summer please let me know. We plan on expanding our garden so we can plant some new things this year.
Happy New Year to all!!

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.