Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Bits From the Homestead

You haven't seen bunny pictures in awhile. So here's a picture of Edward Screwy-ears. One ear droops the other does not. How cute is that? The first couple of days it flopped he walked with a tilt.

 On my way out to the car the other morning I noticed a squawking mama bird and a rustling in the weeds (I'd say grass, but I must be honest, Creeping Charlie is not considered grass). A nestling was hopping it's way to the safety of the bushes.

My folks have a burbling fountain that apparently has another purpose, as a bird bath.

& poses with her first potato harvest. More coming in a week or two.

Our compost pile contained many squash guts and pumpkin seeds. Something took root and took over a 6 x 8 garden section. I don't know that you can see the really, really high squash/pumpkin hanging 6 feet up in the yew bushes. This should be an interesting process as it unfolds.

A closer view of another "fruit" of the vine that is a bit closer to the ground. Only four feet up in the bushes. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Lost Day

I woke up with an earache on Tuesday, which then progressed to a major sore throat. And by the time 11:00 rolled around I was freezing as clearly a fever took over. I'm pretty sure our 100 degree weather was climbing to reach that mark by the time I entered the oven of the outdoors, and it felt wonderful to my virus racked body. 26 hours later I felt human again. Not good, mind you, but human. 

I don't get sick very often, once a year, once every other year or so. But this one came on so fast and was so intense that I literally lost 26 hours of my life. I slept from noon to 7 am getting out of bed just to stagger to the bathroom, then I slept all morning finally waking and feeling like I could stay awake for awhile around 12:45. 

I cried because I couldn't go to the farm and one of the ladies sent some carrot apple juice for me, Three fruity popsicles, a bowl of fruit and that juice was all I ate/drank. And they tasted so good.

Here are some pictures I snapped in my delirium. This morning the tree outside my bedroom window was a beautiful thing. Leaves blowing against the bright blue sky, lit from behind by the golden sun. The bowl of fruit. Delicious. (We loaded up on fruit a week ago, & had seen on Pinterest that you can spray or dip fruit in a water vinegar mixture (10 parts water to one part vinegar) to make it last longer. Something about the vinegar slows the decay process. So she tried it and I'm pretty sure it made a huge difference because our fruit looks pretty good, the stuff we haven't eaten anyways.) I tried to take pictures of the dogs who were my special companions throughout my sleeping and stumbling about, but their blackness against the dark couch they are not supposed to be on didn't turn out.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Lemon Ginger Snappy Bars

 Lemon Ginger Snappy Bars

I love Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Sparkled Ginger Cookies.
But I can't leave a good recipe alone. What is wrong with me? But even though I changed almost every ingredient in the recipe, I've got to give her a shout out. These suckers are not for the weak. The ginger and lemon flavors mingle, marry and pop in a freakishly delicious taste sensation. Ginger fans, sour/sweet/tongue party fans might want to give these a shot.

1 and 2/3 Cup flour
1/3 Cup garbanzo bean flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 Cup coconut oil
1/4 molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup chopped candied/crystallized ginger
1-2 TBSP sugar to sprinkle on batter.

Mix coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup and molasses together. Add vanilla and mix and stir. Add all spices and dry ingredients until throughly incorporated. Add half the chopped crystallized ginger. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it out. Sprinkle sugar over the batter and toss the remaining bits of ginger over that.

9 x 13 cake pan. Greased. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

Remove the bars from the oven. Poke holes in top of bars every inch or so.

Lemon Glaze

1 can beans (white) or 1 2/3 cup cooked homemade beans
1 cup water. Drain and rinse beans then simmer them and the 1 cup water til a mushy mess or at least until all the water is absorbed. (see fridge scrapings magical bean mush for the magical properties -- my non-scientific thoughts are that the extra cooking breaks down the bean casings so what you get is smooth, baby, smooth).

1 Cup sugar
1 Cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup lemon juice
Zest of 1 to 2 lemons

Process all ingredients in a food processor until fully incorporated. The more zest you use the stronger the bite.

When the bars are cooled, pour lemon glaze over the bars. You won't use all the glaze. Serve it with the bars for lemon lovers. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Suggested serving pairings would be non-dairy vanilla ice cream, non-dairy cinnamon ice cream or coconut cream whipped topping.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Snickerdoodles

One of the most popular treats from our Goodies for the Girls party. 

Snickerdoodles

3 TBSP ground flax

3/4 Cup applesauce

2 TBSP coconut oil

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 Cup sugar

2 tsp almond extract

2/3 Cup garbanzo bean flour

1 1/3 Cup flour

Mix flax and applesauce together and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Add the coconut oil, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon and sugar, mix well. Add almond extract, stir. Finally, stir in garbanzo bean flour until well mixed. Add the rest of the flour. Chill for 10 to 20 minutes. Then in a small bowl mix approx 1 TBSP sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together. Roll dough into balls into about an inch in diameter and roll through sugar/cinnamon mix. Place on greased cookie tray, press a bit, bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Successfully Pinked Post-1,000 Cooks for the Cure Report

Our 1,000 Cooks for the Cure dessert party went pinkingly well last night. 

I don't have a total number on donations yet, but 12 ladies (and two men and one child) attended. Two other ladies gave donations prior. 

I'll share recipes later, and totals, too. However, I want to share a few pictures and some of the activities and ideas we enjoyed. 

All our desserts were Vegan with minimally processed or organic ingredients. Because we think that is an important part of avoiding cancer. Not a silver bullet, but what we eat affects us systemically. 

Stress and chemicals and ingredients we slather on our body are other areas we can help control. & helped everyone who wanted to make a scrub with sunflower oil, sugar or salt and essential oils. Scrub and relax with safe ingredients. She also found an Erma Bombeck quote for a bookmark. 

"Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart."

We played a few games, too. 

Pin the accessories on Accessa-Annie.  And the following song titles "I Will Survive" "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Beat It." became a word find game. One of the girls found 27 words in two minutes. & didn't allow any proper nouns or any of the words in the songs titles, either. Tough game. 

Finally, we snacked on Peas and Thank You's Black Bean Brownies and frosting, Alicia Silverstone's Cupcakes, my creations Pirate Booty Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Lemon Bars, Orange Cookie Cups filled with Chocolate Ganache, Mint Chocolate Filled Dark Chocolate Shells, Lemon Glazed Ginger Poke Bars, and a fruit salad. 

More details to follow.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Cake Walk errr Duck Walk eerrr Goose Walk...

 An unusual sighting, even in the Midwest. 


At dusk, in Omaha, across a major 4 lane intersection...wait, there may be six lanes... This flock of Canada Geese (Actually, I want to call them Canadian Geese, but someone told me that they are Canada Geese, unless, of course, they are actually from Canada, then they could be Canadian Geese.) anyhoo, I digress, these little cute feathery guys crossed said busy street. 


They crossed, a wee bit jaywalky across one side, then stayed smack in the middle of the crosswalk on the busier section of the road. They started crossing on the green, and finished more in the orangey-red tones, and for the most part, traffic was respectful.

One tooter sped the process up a bit. And another impatient traveler squealed out once his path was clear. 

 So, yay, Omaha drivers, you get an A- in patience. 

It was so dang cute. I mean, you can see flocks on the water, in fields, flying overhead. But I have never seen an entire flock hoofing it over the pavement.


This would be a major reason I like living in the Midwest.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Is a CSA For You????

Is a CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture or Community Supported Agriculture) for you?

Good question. Most of the ones in our area are halfway through and you may be hearing all about how awesome the hauls are and are feeling jealous that you didn't get on board.

Before you leap into one these are a few questions you need to ask yourself.

What is your goal/motivation? 

It might be to support local farmers. Maybe you want to force yourself to eat more vegetables or try new ones. Possibly you think local is better nutrition or less poisonous. You could be looking for a way to save money over farmer's markets or just can't get to farmer's markets. Or friends or co-workers are going on and on about their CSA hauls every week and you are tired of drooling on your keyboard.

What are your expectations?

Every single CSA is going to be unique. And not all of them are organic or completely local. What? Yep. The definition of local can be a little wishy-washy. You can hook-up with a cooperative, or a single farmer, or a CSA that is a single grower with an occasional collaboration. Some CSA's contain fruits and other products, some contain only vegetables. The organization you are going with should have a website or pamphlet, or can verbally tell you what they grow, how long the season typically is, and what you should expect in your weekly box. If you are thinking about joining one, get your facts, do your homework before signing on the bottom line.

Generally, each contract is going to look a little different, too. Some offer whole shares, a big box every week, from mid-May thru September or October, but offer half-shares as well. A half-share could be a weekly 1/2 portion of what the full share gets or a full share every two weeks. You need to understand that and know what works for you and your family. If you are getting a half share because you know you can't eat 7 tomatoes, a pound of lettuce and 8 ounces of basil in a week on top of the cabbage, kale and chard, an every other week box of that quantity will probably result in waste for you and you'd do better with less every week. If you are trying to feed a family of four on a full share, but that family is picky and only likes sweet corn and tomatoes but hates anything green and leafy, you are going to be disappointed. If you don't do your homework and find out halfway through the season that half of the produce in your box is organic but the rest is traditionally grown, you will likely not enjoy your CSA experience. If you sign up for organically grown produce and expect it to be untouched by bugs, that's unrealistic.  

Why a CSA may not be for you. Period. No matter how neat you think the concept is, here is why you should not jump in.

If you are picky. Here’s the deal. You get what you get. Two weeks of sweet corn might be all you get out of your organic CSA. If your palette hates green leafy veggies and you let those go to waste, why invest the money? And all of May and throughout early summer and then again at the end of the summer season (September/October), you are going to get lots of green leafy. Tomatoes (organically grown heirloom) are going to be 4-6 weeks in your boxes, depending on weather and bug conditions. Sweet corn, 3 to 4 weeks, and that’s if the farmer staggers the crop to extend it and the weather is cooperative to growing corn. Case in point. Last year we got 3 weeks and the last week was small chopped up portions of salvageable ears harvested after the softball sized hailstorm that rocked the farm. Expect cucumbers and zucchini, but not enough to make pickles every week for 6 weeks, or enough to supply your co-workers. If you don’t know what to do with an summer squash or swiss chard, you may not want to invest in a CSA until you do some serious homework.

If you are looking for a bargain. Honestly, speaking organically here, and with a minimally involved point of view regarding the man hours that go into growing organic, organic CSA’s are a bargain. The prices charged at farmer’s markets and grocery stores/health food stores and coops are a bargain, too. 

Conventional farming is designed to get the biggest bang for the buck and to produce quantity and the quantity that looks picture perfect. Consumers want red tomatoes without defect, shiny apples, and lettuces with no bite marks. To that end, conventional farming is scientifically and mass-productively making those items. Tricks, chemicals, tools and timing are keys. 

Organic farming is sweat and tears. In organics you can’t shoot a mist of chemicals over the field and know that you just likely wiped out the nymph cycle of a pest. Nope. You go out, look under leaves and scrape the eggs off of the back side of said leaves. And you crush every adult bug you see, unless it’s a lady bug, or a spider. And then you watch those plants for any evidence of nearly invisible hatchlings. Because within a day or two you could have overrun plants and lose your harvest. 

Weeds? You don’t spray those either, you bend over and pull them out. Gotta make sure they don’t end up choking your plants. And, after harvest, you have to make sure you don’t let either weeds or bugs go unchecked because some can over winter making your next growing season challenged before it even starts. Then, the produce, if it survives and thrives through weather, bugs and weeds, needs to be picked and prepped. No mass picking in a small 1 farmer CSA. Nope. All picked by hand. You will never, never, never fully appreciate organically grown vegetables until you’ve spent a few hours weeding, whacking bugs, and picking the produce. Back breaking, thankless work. Then. Washing, drying, looking over and bagging produce. Counting, weighing, measuring…and delivering. Oh, and any newsletter or recipe page, and the picking up of boxes from the last round. And dealing with any phone calls or emails while doing it all again the next week. Trust me. Organic, local CSAs are a bargain.

If you love one or two or three kinds of veggies but not so much the rest, or you think this is a great opportunity to be buried in produce.

Do not, do not, do not expect a plethora of the things you love. If you want 7 pounds of broccoli or enough cucumbers to put up pickles, then go to the farmer’s market or nursery or big box grocery store.