Another normal July week at the farmhouse! Lots of good, lots of crazy…
I recently stumbled on the blog, A Working Pantry, and I love the idea of her weekly challenges. Food prices keep increasing around here (is it the same for you too?) so I’m going to designate a little of my grocery money to beef up my pantry and use her challenges for direction. Anyway, the challenge of the week was “black/brown” so I bought two cans of black beans and two cans of refried beans.
The broilers turned 8 weeks on Wednesday and we’re nearing the homestretch! Aiming for processing on the first two weekends in August. Our hens are laying like crazy, which is so cool. We had a few days where we debated whether our feisty and mature-looking Sylvia was actually a rooster, but good news! Turns out her breed is clearly defined by their coloring and she is definitely a lady. In other chicken farming news, when moving broilers, I stepped into a hole (covered over in grass) and did a number to my heel and arch. I’ve been hobbling around for a few days and am hoping to feel some relief soon.
I fell off of the no sugar wagon hard a few weeks ago because it’s just so darn hot! We’ve been eating our weight in Outshine popsicles and I’ll get back on my game in the fall.
The little kids asked me to make “Brick Bread,” which is just white bread completely made in the bread machine. (I much prefer to let the machine do half of the work before transferring to a bread pan for the second rise, but my kids are crazy.) But Mama aims to please, so brick bread it is! My previous links to the recipe seem to have disappeared, so I’m writing down the instructions here:
1 1/3 cups warm water, about 110 degrees
1/3 cup Olive Oil
2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons + 2 tsp. white sugar
3 tsp. yeastDirections: In a bread machine, place water, oil and salt. Add flour on top of liquids. Pour sugar into one corner of the bread machine basket. Then make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast. Set bread machine to “basic” loaf, and let it do the work for you!
(Alternatively, you can set it on the dough setting, then place in a bread pan for the second rise. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.)
I listened to a talk about the four temperaments and how they help/hinder your spiritual life. I couldn’t quite pinpoint myself from the talk’s descriptions, so I found an online quiz. Turns out I’m a Melancholic-Phlegmatic! The summary of this personality type was spot on.
Most exciting news of the week: we are moving forward with a property fence! We got some professional estimates months ago and the cost was staggering. SO expensive! Instead, we’ve decided to build it ourselves. So excited to get started.
