Easy as Pie

If you have ever heard the expression Easy as Pie and have ever tried actually making a pie then you know it isn't easy. 

It isn't easy if you want it to look good. 

It isn't easy if you want it to taste good. 

Certainly isn't easy if you want it to be healthy. 

And it ain't easy if you want to do it on a budget (read free).

So in honor of National Pie Day on Monday, here is the saga of my free pie ... 

Farm fresh eggs from Genesee County was a barter trade, powdered buttermilk (swagbucks reward).

Organic canned pumpkin, an Amazon find which worked out to $1.50 per can @ the time (posted on my fb page). I really could smack myself for not ordering two cases because now it's not a buck & half per can. Another Swagbucks reward (read free).

After I opened the can of pumpkin puree I realized I was out of both canned & powdered milk so I went with using a container of the Almond and Cashew cream I had bought to use in my coffee. Very smooth texture with a faint nutty undertone. I also split the difference with what the recipe called for in sugar instead using locally harvested Maple Syrup.

Poor UPS guy deserves a pie.

Still hanging on to my New Year's Resolution #2 - It pays to get lost in the warehouse on Amazon.

I got the last bag marked down to $21.70 I added in an under $5 order on some survival prepps which 

made the entire order free shipping all 25 pounds of grain. 

Subscribe & save has almost as good a deal for $26.35 + free shipping. 

Great River Organic Milling, Organic Whole Grains Soft White Winter Wheat, 25-Pound Package
Grown in America, certified organic, milled in the great state of Wisconsin.

Soft White Winter Wheat is for cakes, pastries, & pie crusts. 

Gotta justify these pies.

Soft Winter Wheat ready for grinding. 

Here's the my basic pie crust recipe a tried & true favorite that can be made ahead of time and frozen. The added ingredients of baking powder, egg, and vinegar make the dough very pliable and forgiving.
Always make sure all equipment has been chilled as well as the flour and shortening.  

• 5 cups flour 
• 2 1/2 cups shortening (I use 2 cups of lard) 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 egg
• ice water 

Sift flour, salt, & baking powder together in to a large bowl. Add shortening/lard working in until the mixture resembles an even meal. Shortening should be in small pea sized nuggets through out the flour.
In a cold glass measuring cup whisk egg well add vinegar. Fill cup with ice water to measure 1 cup.
Add liquid to dry ingredients mix thoroughly.

Divide into equally sized balls about the size of a small grapefruit.
Place in individual freezer bags to freeze.

Makes 3 double crust pies or 6 single crusts.

Variations -
Add cinnamon or nutmeg to taste in flour mixture along with 1/4 cup sugar for Apple or Pumpkin pie.
Almond extract whisked in with the liquid along with 1/4 cup sugar for Peach pie.
Substituent one cup of butter instead of shortening or use butter flavored shortening.
Savory herbs such as Sage and Rosemary (sparingly) finely ground mixed into the flour mixture - quiche or meat pies.



~~ pelenaka ~~
 

RTRP by Proxy

Dehydrating old school

* reaches for phone in apron pocket,"hey what up".
"I'm @ Aldis thought I give you a ring confirm that were on for Friday", barter buddy gf in a relaxed tone. She must be shopping with out children.
"Yeah I'm good with Friday I've been gathering up stuffs to bring".
"Hey there's cranberries on sale ... discounted to 25¢ a bag ... I'm thinking chutney".
"What brand ... look alright ... I'm thinking orange cranberry sauce and dehydrating" My mind wanders to a biscotti recipe that was in Sunday's paper a few weeks back. Called for dehydrated cranberries of which I was all out. Make a few substitution whole wheat for white flour add extra vanilla. My coffee wouldn't be lonely.
"Ocean Spray ... no they look good but there gonna expires in a few days ... how many you want" ?
"How many's there ... wait I can't give you cash right away but I have TP coming in a few days ... wanna barter" ?
"Sounds good I won't pick up any then what brand ... how many ply ... " ?
"It's the good stuff quilted soft real soft 2 ply baby ... ".

LSS this was a great example of right time (after holiday sales) right place by proxy (trusted friend who shops like I think) along with biting off more than I chew with regards to dehydrating.
There's no firing up the solar dehydrator it's been in the low teens to single digit temps.
I'm down to just one base on my old brown Roncho.  Anymore than four trays filled and I risk mold.
Can't borrow bbgf's dehydrator she'll using it.
Really regretting not making or @ least buying a non-electric air dehydrator. I've added this to my wish list -Food Pantrie Hanging Food Dehydrator


I came up with this alternative which requires frequent fiddling with the berries.
Cast Iron Skillet is the easier of the two as all that is required is a clean hand to reach in and mix. Woodsrunner's heirloom cookie sheet is more labor intensive. I use chop sticks to flip each cranberry half.  The second shelf of the stand is working well with a dish towel redirecting the heat, as soon as the leeks are dry I can replace cranberries.
Hopefully it won't be more than a day of this. Stove's running @ full throttle it's so cold.

Planned preserving method - vacuum sealing with O2 absorbers in pint mason jars. Looking for 1 to 2 years of shelf life. I expect there will be allot of Cranberry Walnut Bread in our future so I'm happy with one year.

14 bags later cranberries have been either sliced (10 bags) for dehydrating or will be made in sauce (4 bags) and canned. An appropriate tune playing while I wield a paring knife.

All my life
Is changing every day
In every possible way

In all my dreams
It's never quite as it seems

Never quite as it seems 

 ~~ pelenaka ~~

Almost a pound

Sink full - these are the tomatoes that were grown by the gf who had bartered pork for tomato seedlings last Spring.  Hodge podge of what was ready to pick that morning, including Cherokee Purple & Howard German. The third variety floating in the sink is a hybrid canning tomato she bought @ a local nursery. 

Her garden receives all day sun like no body's business.

I have garden envy. 

Proof is in on the scale a 12.8 oz. Howard German Canning Tomato.

Dry & meaty but a bit bland. I would mix this variety with a stronger tomato tasting one such as San Marzano when making pasta sauce. 

I am on one hand very proud that she has already put in her seedling order for next spring not to mention that her neighbors have all asked her where she bought her tomato plants. One, a little old Italian gentleman asked for a tomato so his friend could seed save. He apparently was a bit taken aback when he was told that the large horn shaped tomato wasn't an Italian canning tomato. 

On the other hand seeing one grown to this size makes me realize I need to come up with a better plan or quit gardening in my backyard.  

~~ pelenaka ~~

Growing Groceries

Follow up to my post on growing money.
So far no real cash flow but allot of great bartering opps of grocery items that we need from barter friends.
Most current was yesterday when my gf the coupon queen stopped by for her plants. She picked out almost a flat of Strawberries, a 6" pot of Rhubarb, 6 - 2" pots of cucumbers, and 3 each of 2" pots heirloom tomatoes the beefsteak variety so Howard German, Cherokee Purple, & Valencia.
This is a pic of what I got in return minus a can of soup, & a small bag of dark chocolate.
The shaving cream is for the girls of the homestead it is after all Summer now.

Good for coffee as I was running low. I haven't saved up enough swag bucks to make an amazon purchase but if I can get coffee by bartering then I'll of course use the "free money" for other items.

Bounty from a plant barter yesterday; coffee,pistachio, clam chowder soups,saving cream, & spam.

Locally grown & butchered pork; mild Italian ground sauage, bacon, ham steaks.

This barter haul earlier in the week was from an old coworker who has decided to plant her garden this year. Last year she choose not to because her house was on the market.

Last Fall she ordered half a pig. The butcher offered her the other half @ a discount because the original buyer's check bounced. What's missing is a small pork roast that cooked up in the crock pot the day we did the exchange.

She accepted 3 - 2" pots of each of the heirloom varieties I grew, & 6 cucumber seedlings. While I was over at her house her Mom stopped by & I got two yellow pepper seedlings & two zucchini seedlings.

Last week I also bartered tomato plants & Shasta Daises for farm fresh eggs.

Next Friday planning on carting what ever is left of the seedlings along with an assortment of potted perennials like Purple Cone Flower to a gf who is having a yard sale. I would like to recoup the cost of potting soil, organic bone meal, & if possible have a small stash for seed buying in this Fall when packets are discounted.

~~ pelenaka ~~

Growing Money

One of my schemes to generate + cash flow or bartering opps is to grow plants.

Legal plants otherwise this would be a blog about comparison shopping of bail bondsmen.

My idea isn't a new one just do a search on the tomato mortgage lifter.

My goal is to reimburse myself for all out of gardening related expenses, funds for next years gardening and provide goods from bartering.

The cost of gardening last year was $45.90 for veggie plants bought. I think Woodsrunner started a few from seed like his fav heirloom salad tomato Bloody Butcher. He's out running the streets otherwise I'd ask him. In any case half a C note was unacceptable then and more so now. 

So far I've spent just under $9 on a bag of organic bone meal & numerous 4 packs of discounted French Marigolds priced @ 33¢ each. Marigolds along with Nasturtiums are for bug control.

Fortunately Nasturtiums are popping up all over the garden from last years crop so I'm potting those volunteers for now. None of the Marigolds that I started from seed grew. 

I was bemoaning the fact that we started seeds late but with this excessively wet weather, unless the week of our last frost date is dry no one will be planting.

Thankfully all but a few of the heirloom tomatoes plants sprouted. I potted them up using the last of the black 4" nursery pots that hubby had collected through the years. Will start collecting plastic yogurt cups from f&f for next year plants. For now when it's not raining I keep them on the garden cart so I can move them from one sunny spot to the next.

All total there is about 5 maybe 5 1/2 flats of tomato seedlings that I can offer for sale or barter. So far I have an assorted 6 pack promised to the guy who lets us store my tent trailer on his land. I also have some ear marked for my gf the coupon queen. Also a neighbor down the street has fancy pepper seedlings I want to trade with.

Cherokee Purple - my fav great taste, indeterminate, 12 oz. fruits, matures late season.

Valencia - cool weather tom good flavor, orange, 10 oz fruits, indeterminate, matures mid season. 

Black Sea Man Russian -purple-black intense flavor, skin melts in mouth, determinate potato leaf, mid season.

Bloody Butcher - salad tom deep red good flavor canner, 4 oz. fruits, indeterminate, early season (55 days).

Howard German - paste tomato with good flavor, indeterminate, 5 oz. fruit, matures mid season.

Mr. Stripey - 12 oz yellow& red striped beefsteak, mild flavor, indeterminate, late season.

San Marzano an Italian paste for canning.

Yellow Pear - used to make preserves, indeterminate, 1 oz., fruits in clusters, mild sweet taste.

Burpees Long Keeper - $3.25 for a pack of 13 seeds of which 5 didn't sprout & 2 died after sprouting. This is my first attempt @ growing and I have no idea how they taste. The idea behind this non-heirloom tomato is that you harvest fruit just before last frost then store wrapped in a cool dark place for fresh eating 6 to 12 weeks later.

In addition to tomatoes we also have a flat of cucumbers, Swiss Chard Rhubarb variety, and a third of a flat each of cantaloupe & muskmelon. Had to replant wax beans.  

Tomato seedlings moved to a cold frame hubby cobbled together due becoming water logged. As soon as it stops raining I'll put them out to catch a bit of breeze. Worried 'bout tomato blight.

Pulled what was left of the salad fixings growing in this frame so I could keep our stash of seedlings safe. 

In the front are 6 Burpees Long Keepers, Marigolds, a lone surviving Stevia plant (red headed step son da cat), and San Marzano. Paper coffee cups far upper right corner holds cukes & a few melons. 

Planning on growing melons vertical.

Purple Onions collected from other beds & replanted here. As soon as this area is empty I'll plant it with San Marzano, marigolds, basil & carrots. 

Rain rain go away, come back in August. 

~~ pelenaka ~~

As American as

When my Mommie saw this photo she remarked," Usted tiene un selector de América Apple ".

No Mommie I have a good friend who happens to be an American read white, that picks apples.

This is my brother's Apple tree next to his house in a very upper middle class neighborhood far far away from where I live.

I won't dell on the fact that he has a corner lot with an ungodly amount of Sunshine on a daily basis.

My brother grows mostly lawn and a few shrubs besides this fruit tree.

This will be the last harvest from this Granny Smith (?) tree. The inner core is rotten & as of last week a good sized limb broke off. It really isn't very stable. The Americana shouldn't be up there.

Later this fall hubby will stop by with his chainsaw and our daughters. I have a few years to convince my suburbanite brother to go in on a pig with me. Then we can smoke us some hams.

Between the two of us we picked about 7 bushels of organic Apples.

I keept about 4, bbgf got the rest since it was her ride that we used to go pick.

Thank you to the person who planted this tree in the early 1970's. I have enjoyed the last 4 harvests.

You have provided me with Mint Apple jelly, Apple Butter, Applesauce, Pie Filling, and have been a contributor to our homemade cider. I unlike my brother will miss you.

Prepping on my electric stove @ 0148 raining pitchforks & paino stools

It took myself & two daughters along with a hand cranked apple peeler to work up a bushel of apples into pie filling. 100% organic never been cared for apples have allot of blemishes that need to be cut out. I believe a bushel should give me over 15 quarts of pie filling. I'll know tomorrow after service when I plan to can this batch up. Used tapioca instead of clear gel or cornstarch.

Look like cocktail franks huh?

Nothing goes to waste. Apple cores are being dehydrated for rabbit treats later this Winter.

I plan on bartering my fresh baked Apple pies made with organic apples this Winter.

~~ pelenaka ~~ 

 

We were in the area so as a free & fun family activity we attended an Ecofest at GCC today. One daughter got her face painted an another walked around calling her friends on our cell telling them how lame it was, how I made her come, and could they meet her @ the library later. Which is were I'm posting from. Multi tasking - left brain posting right brain convert opp on children.
Hubby wandered around ended up meeting an old high school friend who is involved with green energy. I got some up close & personal demo's of solar hot water heaters and solar panels. Besides numerous "green" vendors (some were clearly in the gray area of green) there were both electronic & sneaker recycling.
We recycled two old computer towers, saving us the cost of a trash ticket. $10 city fee for disposal. In our hood if you buy a ticket for an item always place a few layers of clear tape over the bright orange ticket/sticker. The tickets get snatched off your item. Kinda like registration stickers on license plates.
We declined the offers of reusable cloth shopping bags since we have more than enough made from old blue jeans.
One of our long range goals is to be solar powdered for all things electrical. Some great state & federal incentives out now. Hopefully all those programs will still be there in the next few years. While we can't hang a solar panel until the roof is replaced we can lower our overall consumption.

Daughters are done picking out DVDs movies to check out, (did you know that many libraries offer movies & music besides books ?) & I have bread to bake. Need whole wheat sandwich bread for lunches this week, also owe a barter debt of one Pumpernickel loaf, and Greek bread for 5 lbs. of feta cheese acquired last week end. Good day to bake it's been cold with feeble attempts at snowing.

Can you believe it's been 40 years since the first Earth Day ?
What are your plans to celebrate ?


~~ pelenaka ~~

filling the void

I have a barter buddy who does the CVS thing to the max. She & her hubby also love my pies & home baked bread. I have empty bathroom shelves. DO the math.

8 tubes of toothpaste, 2 spools of dental floss, box of tissues for quests = 2 pies. We use tp or old fashioned hankies.

Also scored 6 packages of sanitary pads for 2 loaves of Rye bread.

She has plans to move out of my city so I am working on filling my shelves with enough toiletries for at least a year. Got toothpaste covered .

What have you bartered for lately?

~~ pelenaka ~~

Bartering Opportunties Sought

Since we are spacial challenged a fair amount of our produce is either bartered or gleaned for. Our most successful method to establish local contacts is that old stand by a hand written index card.
Quick and to the point our card states what we need & what we have to offer. Repair of antiques, yard work, house cleaning, for gleaning rights. Fair trades in potted plants. Instruction in old time skills such as spinning. Apple pressing in exchange for a share of apples.
Handing out our cards have often given us an opportunity to start a dialogue with someone about the concepts of simple living in an urban setting. Chance to make a new friend.
I originally got this idea from my Mom who would always hand a notebook sized piece of paper to the person holding a tag sale. The paper had columns of items listed that Mom was interested in buying such as boys size 6 pants or yellow patterned drapes 78" long. Often that spurred the person to send a family member into the house to retrieve the items which of course had never been considered before. She also use to leave her contact info in case they ever came across those drapes.


~~ pelenaka ~~