Laura Lawrence- Northern Michigan Homesteader
"Learning Old Fashioned Skills in a Modern Way"
Welcome to the Blog - I'm glad your here!
Come discover what a Homesteader's life is like in Northern Michigan.
Can We EVER Just Sit Down!?!?
(spotted in november brings me a smile!)
The answer is….no. No we cannot. And yes sometimes it gets to be too much. Tonight while finishing up cleaning dinner there’s curds to be pressed into the cheese press, there’s dry beans needing to be shelled, the Berkey needs to be filled up, oil is being infused, soap is curing….and yeah you get the point.
And I want to be here with you! I miss getting to share with you what’s going on, it’s been a few weeks since my last blog post, scratch that it’s been a month! Shame on me! So with the above mentioned that’s what has been going on.
We nearly escaped a dry bean fiasco.
What’s that you ask? Well for the last several years we’ve been growing dry beans, first we started with Black Turtle Beans , then added in Kidney Beans, and this year I added in Pinto Beans (We LOVE Refried Beans and this Recipe!), along with Calypso beans and decided to save some Dragon Tongue beans that are both dry and fresh. I was quite impressed with myself on getting them out of the garden sooner than I usually do to help with mold in the fall, I came up with a great way to dry them out …well several ways because they were hanging everywhere, and I do mean everywhere! The lean to, out in the open, the barn. Then October decided to rain…and rain…and it felt like it rained again. So before they got to wet and wouldn’t get a chance to dry out (and mold), we had to move them into totes and then into the wood shed where our wood boiler is so we could utilize that to dry them out pronto and save the beans!
Well the hubby (Justin) would prefer the space to dry wood out before going into the boiler to be more efficient…I get it..so we have been working diligently and I’ve been annoying the kids every other night to grab a tote and start shelling. We’ve done about half so far, but there’s still plenty to go. The beans will be saved and we will eat soups, refried beans, and chili throughout the winter a plenty. But it doesn’t go without hard work and paying attention and making sure you stay a step ahead of the food supply. It ain’t easy and there are certainly times where that ball got dropped. Dropped far to. What about you, can you relate?
The Garlic is Finally Planted!
With all the rain and the cold weather it was never ideal to get our garlic in the ground, but we tackled it last week and I feel very good about it. It’s all in the front garden this year instead of the prior year where we put half in the Herb garden and the other half up front. The strawberries have taken the area over in the Herb garden, which is a good thing. If you would like to still plant Garlic, you can! Get it done soon though if you’re in the Northern regions like I am in zone 4b. You can watch my step by step video HERE where you can see how I get it gone.
My Favorite Kitchen Items....
will be a new video & blog post coming soon! I’m really excited to show you what’s in my kitchen and not just the fad gadgets, but the things I use and use a lot. So get ready for that and maybe do some Christmas shopping for any foodie in your life. 
Check out the delicious Pulled Pork Nachos we had for dinner tonight. My favorite way to bake nachos is to pile the chips, meat, cheese and some toppings right on those pans and broil for 6 minutes. Then everyone can scoop off what they want. Easy peasy!
Oh and last thing, today I roasted some pie pumpkins at 350 F for one hour, I scooped out the seeds prior to roasting to save to either roast separately or plant for next year. (Super
frugal seed saving!!) I then scooped 2 cups into each baggie and froze it to make the most delicious Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins with Maple Syrup Glaze!! And the crowd goes wild!! Your Welcome. I hope to share with you very soon some more Homesteady Things!
Much Food Love
Laura
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October 5th 2023
What's a Pig Princess, Cabbage &
Cookies Have in Common?
October 5th
Pig Princess,Cabbage & Cookies
Topic #3 - Real Foods for Real Health
September 26, 2023
It's Fall Y'all!
Fermenting Veggies
Topic #2
HFCS High Fructose Corn Syrup
Let's Get To It!
We're In It Now
I'm NO Super Hero
I feel a change in the air,
something’s happening right now.
Life in Abundance
Keepin' on - Keepin on'
Imagine This
How a simple table changes everything
Homesteading aint’ pretty ya’ll
Is it rain? No, unfortunatley it is not.
Tomato Planting & Cheesy Orzo
Short & Sweet (Dandelions too)
Fries- Nuggets & Beans
May 2nd 2023
(herb garden) - Saying No - Tinctures
Starting New
Maple Syrup- Rub’s- Taco Seasoning
Starting Your Seeds Indoors – Building a Trellis in the Garden – What to do with Lard
March 13th 2023
All About the Chickens
March 4th 2023
Back from Vacation – Cookies – Creamy Pasta
February 24th 2023
Carnita's - Gardening Worksheets -Bagels & More
Honey Oat Bread - Pasta Carbonara - Marbling Fats
February 5th 2023
Weather – 15 Minute Dinner – French Toast – My Happy Place
January 30th 2023
Seeds- Kitchen Sink Casserole, say what? - Tostadas
January 21st 2023
Seed Starting - Muffins w Glaze - Cheesy Potatoes
January 18th 2023
Greek Yogurt - Sprouts - Lotion Bars - A Challenge
January 7th 2023
New Recipes- Semi Famous Pizza Sauce- Healing a Wound
Launch of my Sourdough Series!
December 16th 2022
Gateway Cheese - Canning Carrots - Preserving Lemons
December 11th 2022
Rice– Artisan Fancy Loaf – Coffee
December 8th 2022
Spaghetti Sauce – Dryer Balls – Apothecary
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