Life Is Interestng

We are living in between farms right now with our animals and belongings spread out over several places. Originally, there were only a couple of weeks between leaving the farm we were on and moving onto the new one but, the date was moved back to the middle of May so here we are!  Seems like maybe the Lord scheduled a vacation for us. We certainly don't have enough sense to do that on our own. Hope things aren't quite so interesting for all of you! There will be lots to tell when we get moved in!

Why Farm?

  "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
   That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
   That our oxen may be strong to labor; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.
   Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." Psalm 144:12-15
  

Tanning Deer Hides

Over the years I've heard of tanning hides with different things but was never interested in using harsh chemicals that we would have to order and that might be toxic. We met a man several years back that mentioned that he did brain tanning. That really piqued our interest. Brain tanned deer hide makes a nice soft leather that is good for clothing. I'll give you the basic instructions that we used and then you will learn to tweak the process as you gain experience.
Peel the deer hide off the carcass being careful not to cut the hide. There will be a little meat on it. Work as fast as you safely can so the hide doesn't dry out. It also helps to work in the shade, if possible.
Starting at the neck, begin scraping the flesh off of the hide using a dull draw knife. You will see "vein tracks" and you want to scrape them off, also. You will see pinholes in the hide when you are done.
Turn the hide over and, starting at the neck, use the drawknife to scrape off the hair. Keep scraping until you have the skin off the hide.You will see vein tracks again. (You can soak the hide in water at any time to keep it until you can get to it. Change the water ever so often. Adding lime to the water will help loosen the hair.)
Tie the hide on a frame using slip knots so you can easily adjust it.

You will make small slits along the edges to tie it to the frame.
Scrape from top to bottom with the edge of an axe blade to remove moisture and stretch.When it starts to dry it will fluff up. You will need to tighten it as it dries but don't overtighten. Let the hide dry a few hours or overnight.
Start a fire that will smoke. You want smoke not flame. Tent the hide over the fire leaving a chimney at the top for the smoke to escape. Let it smoke this way for 15 minutes and then do the other side. Be checking for flareups in your fire and make sure it isn't too hot inside the tent. You don't want to cook it.
Put the brain that you have removed from the skull of the deer in warm water and squish it up. Push the hide down in the solution and work it.  Check after about 15 minutes to see if it has taken up enough moisture and it will stretch. Wring the moisture out over the container so that you don't lose it because you can use the same solution for up to 8 hides. Scrape again with the drawknife being careful not to make holes. Put back in the solution, swish it around, and leave it for a while. Take it out and wring it out thoroughly. Pull it apart to stretch the fibers and keep stretching until it seems right. (You can set it aside for a little while and keep coming back to stretch it.)
Now that you know that it isn't too difficult, I hope this will help you get started. Sorry there aren't more pictures but the weather was lousy at the time.
Genesis 3:21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

God Made a Farmer

Someone told me about a commercial that was shown during the Super Bowl last night. They were very impressed by it and suggested I find it online. I did and I have to say that, first of all, I was  pleasantly surprised (o.k., shocked would be a better description), and secondly, it made me cry. Paul Harvey narrates the commercial for Dodge Ram trucks. Check it out.

Homemade Yeast

Most of the time when I make bread I use purchased yeast. But, because bread is an essential part of our diet, I wondered years ago what I would do if I couldn't buy yeast. (Yes, I was even thinking of things like that back then. :-}) A long time ago I was looking through someone's old German cookbook and came across a recipe for homemade yeast. I was very interested and copied the recipe down even though I was disappointed to find at the end you added the mixture to yeast you already had going. I wanted to know how to start from the beginning and felt it must be very difficult and mysterious. Several years later I read an article that mentioned capturing yeast from the air. Once again, I thought it must be very complicated but definitely wanted to learn more. After taking the time to learn more, I found that it wasn't difficult or mysterious at all! It can be as simple as putting equal parts of flour and water in a bowl, loosely covering it, and feeding it each day for a week.
If you already bake bread you will have plenty of wild yeast in your kitchen to capture. If not, you can crush unsprayed and unwashed grapes in cheesecloth and add that to your flour and water mixture. Grapes have a lot of yeast on them. Or, you can use whole rye flour for your mixture because it too has a lot of the naturally occuring yeast. (If you do one of those two things go ahead and cover your mixture well because you won't have to capture any from the air and won't have the skin form on top that you do when it is covered loosely.)
You will also have friendly bacteria called lactobaccili in your starter. They break down the simple sugars in the flour and that is what the yeast feed on. (That's why you have to feed your starter at least once a day, so there is new food for them. If there is little or no food it affects them just like it would us!) When the yeast feed on the sugar they produce carbon dioxide bubbles that stretch the gluten and that raises the dough. Pretty great, huh? The lactobaccili produce acids which give it flavor. There are many strains of wild yeast and bacteria that grow around the world so flavors vary. San Francisco is known for a very sour flavor. In other areas the taste is milder.
Some sourdough starter recipes call for adding a little commercial yeast. This isn't a good idea because the commercial yeast will compete with the wild. Another factor is that almost all of the lactic acid is gone in the commercial variety so you won't get the flavor. Some things just can't be rushed. Also, some say to add a little sweetener to the mix but this also isn't a good idea. You will have an imbalance of the yeast and bacteria and it isn't necessary.
(I read that goldminers used to sleep with their starters next to their bodies to keep the starter warm. Sounds like mighty important stuff!)
You can preserve the starter by pouring a thin layer out on parchment paper and letting it dry for a few days. Then peel it off and store it in a tightly sealed container. When you want to get it going again, dissolve the pieces in water and feed it for a week.
In case you're interested, here is the recipe that I copied so long ago for homemade yeast:
Add 4 potatoes to 2 quarts water in kettle. Add a handful of hops that have been tied up in a bag. Cook until potatoes are done. Remove bag, squeeze dry, and throw away what is left in bag. Put the squeezed juice in with the potatoes. Remove potatoes, mash, and return to kettle. Cool. Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup salt, and 1 cup old yeast (leftover from previous time). Let stand several hours and use.

Treadle Threshing Machine

Check out the great video about the treadle powered threshing machine sold by The Back To The Land Store at their blogsite: www.backtothelandstore.blogspot.com

The Yeast

From my own beginning breadmaking experiences years ago to those of the people that I've helped make bread over the years, one thing stood out more than any other when it came to problems. That was the yeast. The temperature of the liquids had to be just right. Too hot and you killed the yeast. Too cool and the yeast didn't activate. Or sometimes the yeast just wasn't good to begin with. All that work and all of those wasted ingredients made for some disappointment and frustration! (And lack of bread! :-[ ) After working with that type of yeast for years I was very happy to learn of a better yeast that didn't have such a temperament. SAF yeast (and another one that the name of escapes me right now) is a professional baking yeast that is so easy to use. This yeast will rise even of you use cool liquids. Of course, it will rise faster if the liquid is warm, but you don't have to worry about it. The dough rises a lot faster, too, because there are a lot more of the yeast cells. This is an instant yeast so it doesn't need proofing. You just stir it into your flour and then add the liquid.
Years ago this yeast was only sold in a few places but now it is easily found. ( I was going to put a picture of it here but for some reason it isn't working.) It is reasonably priced and will last a while.
When a recipe calls for a package of yeast I use one tablespoon of SAF yeast.

Psalm 104:15 "........and bread which strengtheneth man's heart."