Tag Archives: Kentucky

My Favorite Top Ten Herbs (Chocolate Mint part 3)

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, drying herbs, farm living, flood water in kentucky, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope your week has been filled with blessings and sunshine. Life’s been busy in our neck of the woods! We finally have all our garden planted. The squash and zucchini are blooming and beginning to produce. We harvested our first two this week. The cucumber vines are running and blooming! We have our fence up and have a lot of small cucumbers on the vines. Now comes all the tilling and hoeing! But great rewards will follow!

Zucchini blooms
First cucumber of the season almost ready to pick!

This is the third part of my ten favorite herbs. I want to share my love and experience with chocolate mint, which is my third favorite herb post. Remember, I’m not posting in any particular order.

My chocolate mint bed.

I discovered chocolate mint about ten years ago when a friend gave me a small section she had propagated. I maintained it in a large pot in hopes it would come back the next spring. I was disappointed when it didn’t return. I could not find it at the local nurseries, so I ordered a small plant from Amazon and chose to plant it in one of my herb beds. It has thrived since then. Chocolate mint is in the peppermint family. The leaves of this wonderful mint is a deeper green than peppermint and the underside of the plant and stem is a purplish color. It is hardy in zones 3-9. The aroma is amazing!

Chocolate mint can quickly become invasive. The more it’s pruned, the thicker and bushier the plants become. If left unpruned the plants become leggy. I have had mint spring up outside the bed, in nearby pots, and even random places in the yard. If you are pruning but not harvesting, be careful with the clippings. They will sometimes take root where you discard them.

Chocolate mint makes a refreshing cold tea, by simply washing the leaves and adding them to glass of cold water. You can infuse them with an infuser or as whole leaves. It also makes excellent hot tea, especially in the winter months. Feel free to mix mints for a more bold flavor, add cinnamon for a festive tea, or just enjoy the flavor alone. It’s very refreshing.

I dry my mint by clipping the plants and pruning any damaged leaves. I then wash the mint and gently pat it dry with a clean towel or unbleached paper towel. I like to hang herbs in bundles to dry. Once the mint is dry to the point of crumbling, I give it a rough grind with the mortal pestle, and add to a glass jar and place it in the cabinet away from the light. I add the dried tea leaves to a tea ball or infuser for hot and cold tea.

Chocolate mint drying in the kitchen.

The dried mint can also be ground in a spice grinder for a powdery type spice to use when making brownies, cakes, and as a fun additive to a cup of hot chocolate. The uses for this tasty mint are endless.

I just chocolate mint tea to help sooth an upset stomach, help digestion, and ease indigestion. It is also beneficial in soothing oral mouth pain, and to add antioxidants in my body. It and versatile herb that has been used for centuries. Chocolate mint has a multitude of benefits with great taste whether you enjoy it as a hot or cold tea, or as a spice.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Feel free to ask a question, or leave a comment. You may follow my blog for more recipes, posts about mountain living, herbs, and gardening tips. Homesteading is a wonderful way of life that helps us to be independent, sustainable, and a way of life. God bless from the mountains of Kentucky.

Living Holistically in the Mountains

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean eating, drying herbs, essential oils, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, Spiritual life and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good afternoon, from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope your week is going well. It’s been a busy one this week in our neck of the woods. Spring is usually busy with planting, foraging, preserving, harvesting and drying. We’ve managed between long bouts of rain to plant our squash and zucchini, tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, and peppers. The garden is taking shape. Yet, there’s a lot more to plant. A lot of work with great rewards.

We’ve planted and foraged mullein to dry for tea. We’ve found mullein tea good for our respiratory problems, common colds, flu, and bronchitis. It’s a staple in our household. The tea can be made a few different ways. The leaves can be cleaned and dried for steeping hot tea, or the leaves can be cleaned and added to filtered water and placed in a covered glass container in the fridge for cold tea. A little honey in either and we’ve found it to be a tasty bit of nature that has wonderful results. (More to come about the use of mullein.)

Harvesting the bottom mullein leaves.
Iris blooms are my favorite!

Our flowers and herb garden is flourishing this year. I’ve harvested chocolate mint, peppermint, and strawberry mint twice already. We keep fresh mint for cooking, be stings, and for baking. Dried mint is used for steeping delicious teas. Peppermint tea has great medicinal qualities for digestion issues. It’s a great addition to green tea as well, and is tasty in a cool glass of water from our Berkey. Yesterday, was a day for clipping basil, more mint, and chive blooms for seeds. I also harvested tarragon and bit of lemon basil. Our herbs are doing exceptionally well this year. I am a believer that when nature produces an abundance of something, it will be needed in weeks or even months ahead. We enjoy sharing our harvest with the elderly who can no longer garden and those who do not have land for gardens. We are believers of tithing our blessings with others. It seems the more we give, the more our gardens grow and produce.

The basil is thriving!
Fresh strawberry jam!

Yesterday was spent preserving strawberry jam. It’s easy to make and delicious to eat! I will post this recipe soon. I couldn’t wait for weeks to eat the jam! So, I opened a jar this morning and had it on fresh-baked bread for breakfast.

Freshly toasted baked bread and homemade jam!
Home baked seeded yeast bread.

Our kitchen today is an aroma of drying herbs, yeast bread cooking, and banana bread baking. Oh, and lemon essential oil diffusing in the diffuser. Lemon essential oil is great for focus, clarity, and helps deter ants, while making the air smell clean and fresh. Essential oils are part of our daily life. We use them for medicinal purposes, to make cleaning products, to add to recipes, and to help us relax at night. We are firm believers that God created nature for mankind to enjoy and along with the enjoyment, to use for the physical, medical, and even for spiritual needs.

Chocolate mint hanging to dry.

For now, God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky. Happy foraging, planting, and preserving! Feel free to follow and or leave comments or questions. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Our roses are beautiful this year!

March Porch Book Review: Before We Were Yours

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, book reviews, coffee time, faith over fear, holistic living, ky author, my special days, porch reviews, tea time, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
My porch, one of my favorite places to read!

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky. It’s a beautiful sunny morning in the mountains. I am loving these spring temperatures and all the colorful blooms on the trees. The mountains are beautiful this time of year. I am also loving the warm temperatures for porch reading! I am a firm believer that daily reading is a simple task that is all to often shelved as a pass time or a hobby. Reading is healthy. Reading is healthy for our brain and keeps us alert. It is also a time for relaxation, and a time of escape from daily worries and overscheduled days. Excuses is on the of the biggest factors in why people are not reading. I hear it often. The excuse of, I don’t have time. If you make time for television, browsing your phone, and playing games, you have time to read. So, when do I read? I love to read in the early morning, late afternoons, while I eat lunch, and before I retire for the night. The truth is that I love to read anytime of the day. I’ll say it again, reading is a vital part of our overall health. Plus… it’s enjoyable.

Another question I am often asked is about what I read. I like to read almost anything. I read the book of choice with our university’s book club each month. We read various books, from murder mysteries to fantasy science fiction. I read books suggested by friends and students. I read a novel per bi-term with my students. I read the bible daily and love to study the word for a closer spiritual walk and daily guidance. I love to read spiritual books about characters from the bible, past spiritual leaders, and books about hope for tomorrow. I love to read fiction books that are based on historical events, which leads me to March’s review of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. I have read several of her books that are worthy of mentioning before I review the most recent. I stumbled on one of her books at a local Good Will store while thrifting with my daughter. The title, The Prayer Box, leapt off the cover at me and I quickly tucked it in my cart with other valued treasures that I had found. This book is amazing and lead me on a path for two more books that are actually in a trilogy. The funny thing is… I read the three books backward with The Prayer Box actually being the third book in the trilogy, which I read first, then I read the first and second book, The Sea Keepers’ Daughters, and the Sea Glass Sisters. Once I finished the last book, which was the first book of the series, the suggested book Before We Were Yours intrigued me. I recalled seeing the book Good Reads, on Amazon, a d as a suggested read from a friend. I immediately ordered it. This was a purchase I found well worth paying full price.

Cover of the book!

Before We Were Yours, is a multi-plot story that takes the reader from the time of the great depression in the thirties to the 1990’s. You will travel down the Mississippi River on a shanty boat filled with love and laughter that quickly turns to desperation, deceit, and lives that will never be the same. You learn about a twelve-year old character named Rill, and her four siblings who fall victims to the fate of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, an Orphanage in Memphis Tennessee, that was ran by Georgia Tann. Through this time travel back and forth from the time of the depression the reader is also introduced to the character of, Avery, who is is from the 90’s. Avery, accidentally stumbles onto a deep dark family secret that leads her on a mysterious journey filled with trails of adventures, love, loss, joy, and sorrow all the while uncovering mysteries that were thought to have been locked away forever. The reader also meets two elderly ladies, May and Judy, who are living in total opposite types of care facilities. Their characters will forever linger in the heart of the reader. Will the mysteries change Avery’s life? What are the connections between Rill and Avery? Where does May and Judy fit into the mystery? Read the book to discover the answers to these questions and more. The reader will meet diverse rich characters that you will come to love, mourn, and characters that you love to hate. This is was one book I could not wait to make time to read each day, as I too, was as interested in how the mystery’s were going to unfold. I couldn’t wait to travel with Avery along on the trail to solve the mystery’s that others wanted to leave buried in the past. This is one book that I will be suggesting for my students and friends to read.

As you know, our daughter, and I love to thrift for antiques, and unusual items. On our last thrifting excursion, she actually found a hard copy of Before We Were Yours, at a local Good Will for 99 cents! What a steal! Don’t forsake browsing the shelves of the books in thrift stores, your next great read might just be shelved within the numerous books that are often overlooked.

Now for my rating of this wonderful book. I rated it on Good Reads and Amazon as a five-star book. It kept me engaged, there was no foul language, it contained rich characters, developing plot(s), and also I learned a little about a part of history that occurred only one state away from me that I never knew about. It was entertaining, well-written, educational, and held my attention throughout. I recommend this book for someone who is searching for a summer read, beach read, or a book to pickup and read periodically throughout the week as being the one that you will enjoy.

For now, God bless from the Mountains of Kentucky. Enjoy this beautiful Easter weekend and reflect on what our Savior sacrificed so that we could be born again in Him and live! He is risen!

Delicious Organic Granola

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean desserts, clean eating, clean recipes, farm living, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, my special days, organic food, plant-based, Spiritual life, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s a rainy day in the mountains, which always puts me in the cooking and cleaning mood! So, today I decided to begin cleaning the pantry out and realized that I had an abundance of oats and nuts that I needed to do something with. I went down a rabbit hole and started planning granola! The pantry didn’t get cleaned completely, but I did make some delicious granola! I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Ingredients:

  • Three cups of organic old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup organic chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup organic chopped almonds
  • 1/2 cup organic chopped pecans
  • 3 tbs organic raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tbs organic sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbs organic chia seeds
  • 2 tbs organic ground flax seeds
  • 3 tbs gogi berries or raisins
  • 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 cup of organic pure maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 cup smooth organic peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup organic olive oil
  • Agave or honey for drizzling not mixing.

Mix all the dry ingredients and preheat the oven to 320 for convection. Mix the remaining ingredients over low heat until it comes together smoothly. Pour the wet ingredient into the bowl of dry and gently stir with a rubber spatula. When mixed spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread evenly and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and mix the granola with a metal spatula. Return to the oven and bake 20 more minutes. Take out of the oven and drizzle your choice of honey or agave and put under the broiler for just enough time for the granola to brown up lightly. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

Mixing the ingredients.
Spreading the granola in a baking sheet.

Using the spatial mix the granola gently once it’s cool. Store the granola in a glass jar. Keeps for a couple of weeks if it is in an air tight container.

This is a two gallon jar! I’ve got another batch of granola to add to it.

I hope your family enjoys this tasty granola. I think it’s great alone as a snack and wonderful in a parfait. I also like it in a bowl with almond milk as a cereal.

Dinner

Just for fun! A picture of dinner this evening. Fresh beans, corn, potatoes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes with sautéed portobello mushrooms with peppers and onions and a slice of cornbread. Nothing better than veggies from our garden!

For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! Don’t forget to like, comment, and or follow! We

Vegan Italian Spinach Wraps

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean eating, clean recipes, drying herbs, farm living, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, organic food, plant-based, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky! I hope your day is a blessed one. I am excited to bring to you my new spinach wrap recipe that I’ve been working with for a couple of weeks. Saturday’s wraps were the success that I’ve been working toward! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups fresh organic baby spinach
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur unbleached or wheat)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup cold filtered water (this can be modified if needed)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground basil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon organic ground garlic

Add one cup of spinach and one cup of flour to a food processor dicing it to allow room for an additional cup of each. Dice again and add the remaining spinach and flour. Add spices, and process adding oil slowly as the mixture mixes. Add water until you have a dough consistency. Sometimes the amount of water varies. Only add what you need. If the mixture is too wet, add an additional spoon of flour and mix. You can’t go wrong on this mixture if you achieve a doughy consistency. You can play with the oil as well. If you need more, add a tiny bit.

Fresh spinach is the best!!

Preheat a cast iron skillet. I use ceramic cast iron for this and it works great. Add a tiny spray of organic extra virgin olive oil to the pan to heat. While the pan is heating spoon out a large spoon of the mixture onto a floured dough sheet or parchment paper. Using flour on your hands roll the dough into a ball and then begin rolling the dough flat.

Ball of spinach dough.
Second rolling of the wrap.

A second rolling of the wrap ensures the desired thickness of the wrap. You can sprinkle flour over the wrap to prevent it from sticking. Once you have achieved the desired thickness, lay your bread in the hot pan. It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes per side. While my bread is browning, I usually roll another piece of dough. Parchment paper, coffee filters, cheese cloth, or white paper towels between the wraps will help prevent them from sticking until they’re cooled.

Preparing the wrap!
This is the thickness that I like!

Remove the bread and place on your choice of liner. Once the wraps are completely cooled, I place mine in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for fresheners. This recipe usually yields eight to nine wraps. They taste great warmed with fresh veggies, a smear of peanut butter, as a side for Italian dishes, and extremely good with no dairy cheese melted on them.

You may substitute seasonings for Mexican seasonings, plain with a little salt and pepper, or with curry seasonings. The possibilities are endless. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. I look forward to posting new wraps. I am currently working on a high fiber flax wrap. I would love to hear how you eat yours! Feel free to like, share, comment and follow. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!

Garden Time

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean eating, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, organic food, plant-based, Spiritual life, Uncategorized, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Garden Time!!!

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky! Cold air invaded the mountains last night. It was a chilling 28 degrees when I awoke this morning. I was thankful that I had covered my ferns up last night. We have several mountain winters in March and April in Kentucky. With so many of the trees and bushes blooming early this year, it’s difficult to determine which winter it is. I’m not sure if this cold snap is redbud winter or dogwood winter. Nevertheless, hope remains as these small winters only last a day or two and then it’s mild weather again.

The smell of yesteryears lingers in the air as the garden was turned this week. The smell of fresh soil always reminds me of growing up only a few miles from where we live. Papaw plowed with a mule and plow from morning till evening. He would wipe the sweat from his brow, fan with his hat, rest a bit and return to his work. The smell of the rich dirt lingered in the air just as it does here today. The chickens are enjoying the freshly plowed ground as well. They love to scratch and search for worms in the loose dirt.

As I prepare breakfast this morning, I am reminded of eating oatmeal with my Papaw. I felt an unction to prepare a hardy bowl of oats, as he called them. I like to use a half cup organic oats, filtered water, fresh honey for the sweetening, and whatever fruit I have available. This morning I added a half of an organic banana, and some organic blueberries. I include a tablespoon of organic walnuts, a teaspoon of flaxseed, hempseed, and chia seeds. White serving I drizzle with almond milk and a tiny bit of honey. I toasted a slice of my homemade seeded bread with breakfast this morning. It’s a hard breakfast that will sustain me until late in the afternoon.

Delicious plant-based breakfast for a busy day!

I’m excited about planting this year. The manure has been spread and the first turning of the garden is complete. Seeds have been sewn in miniature green houses, and in the hydroponic garden. Fresh vegetables are a joy in the summer months. Fall is a time of harvesting and preserving for the winter months ahead. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoy eating what they’ve grown from seed to nourish their bodies.

Spreading natural fertilizer.

Gardens can be as large or as small as you want them to be. For us, a large feeds our families all summer and sustains in the cold months. We usually have an abundance to share with neighbors, extended family, and church family. It seems the more we give to others, the more it grows.

Organic lettuce in one of the hydroponic gardens seven days after seeing the seed.

Eating healthy is a large part of being healthy. Eating organic, plant-based, and clean is a foundation for overall health. Get up and get moving! Being active helps prevent and fight many diseases that plague people across the world. Make it a point to know the ingredients in the food that you put in your body. Know the vocabulary of hidden toxic ingredients. Do your research, and start small and make changes weekly. For example, I no longer buy bread that is deemed healthy, but is it really when you can’t pronounce fourteen of the twenty seven ingredients. I choose to bake bread for my family on Saturday mornings. My recipe has four ingredients, of which one is water, and I add various organic seeds for the crunch and fiber. The following is a link to my bread recipe. It’s easy, doesn’t require an abundance of time and tastes delicious. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Living a clean and holistic life is very gratifying. The rewards are great and exceeds the long days and time spent prepping, preparing, and growing, foods that nourish your body, not poisoning them a little at a time with toxic ingredients found in processed foods.

The first turning of the garden!

I would like close with a great book suggestion for young readers, as a read aloud, and great for the primary classroom. It is written by our daughter and it’s beautifully written and illustrated. Check the book out at the following link;

http://My Magic Boots https://a.co/d/bcIP0sC

Link is added above.

God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! May your day be filled with joy, hope, the love of Christ, and good nutritious foods that can help heal you from the inside out. Feel free to leave a comment, like, and or follow by blog for more posts on clean and holistic living.

First turning of the garden complete! Awaiting a second plowing and plants!

In Times of Uncertainty God is With Us

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, faith over fear, God’s time, in time of need, Kentucky memories, Spiritual life and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope this post finds each of you well. I wanted to share a small part of my heart with you today. I awoke early in the morning hours, just after midnight. I had a sense of uncertainty welling up within me. If you are like me, it seems today, more than ever, i find myself being stretched to the limit with time to complete tasks, some of which go untouched. Unfinished work, tasks, or plans leave me with a feeling of uncertainty, which sometimes interferes with my sleep. This morning was one of those mornings. But through the sleepless hours, I was reminded of just how Big God is.

His joy will fill us… if we are willing to be filled.

As I lay awake trying to find sleep, I pondered questions such as when I could complete the task(s) neglected yesterday due to unplanned obligations. How can I stretch time to allow me to meet all of the tasks that face me tomorrow? When will I find a little much-needed time for myself? And the big question, Lord, am I spending enough time with you? With questions swirling through my mind, sleep seemed far away. I began praying for peace, answers, and for sleep to come.

I was reminded while praying to pray the Lord’s word. I was reminded that life and death are in the power of the tongue. There is life in His word. I found comfort in the following scripture. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV). I prayed for the Lord to help me trust Him during difficult times. He reminded me that He is my Heavenly Father, and just as I, as an earthly parent, will ensure that our children are cared for and help them in any way that I can, He, too, would help me. Trust filled me and sleep soon came. It was good sleep. It was restful sleep. I awoke feeling rested and ready to face the day. I was reminded this morning of His love and mercy and His word from 1 Peter 5: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you. My heart was filled with peace and the trust that the enemy tried to take from me in the early hours of the morning. The enemy is a liar! I am an overcome.

His word don’t lie!

We must remember that we wrestle not against flesh but against the principalities of evil. Spiritual warfare is real. The enemy’s sole purpose is to discourage, take away, and destroy God’s children. We must be steadfast, hold tight to His word, trust Him with all our heart, rebuke the enemy, and plead the blood over and around us and our family during this trying time, and at the name of Jesus, the enemy will flee. Life will be filled with uncertainties; you will feel overwhelmed at one time or another, and you will see that full calendar and fear that the tasks will not be completed. But, remember that fear does not come from God, but rather from the enemy spiritually fighting against you. God is ever-present and is as near as you allow Him to be. He will be there to help you when you call upon His name. The name that is above all names. He never leaves us, nor will He forsake us. The word tells us that He will go all the way with us.

Finally, let us never forget that as long as we have been born again, we are blessed and will be overcomers. Stay the course, press forward, pray on, stay steadfast, and trust Him for all our needs and we will finish this race as an overcomer. He is our Alpha and Omega, beginning and ending, and everything in between. I learned a valuable lesson in the early morning hours talking to Him. Maybe my awakening aimed to teach me and help you when you have that sleepless night.

God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky. I love to read comments. Feel free to like, share, subscribe, leave comments, or prayer requests. Enjoy this beautiful day that the Lord has blessed us with.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Homemade Crusty Vegan Bread

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Seeded artisan bread

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky. It’s official! We are 22 days away from spring 2024. I am eager to say that I am very happy about that! When the butter cups are blooming, daylight lasts a little longer, and the birds are singing early in the morning, I begin to have spring fever. I am ready to sow seeds, plant crops, and enjoy the sunshine on my face. I am eager to share a new bread recipe with you that is clean, easy, and tastes delicious. But first, I would like to ask if you have ever looked at the list of ingredients on bread you buy from the grocery store? The ingredients are numerous and many that I can’t pronounce or have to search the internet to determine what they are. This is scary to say the least. Even most of the breads that are labeled as organic contains a long list of ingredients. The recipe that I am sharing today has basically five organic ingredients, of which one is water. Are you ready to take control of what you put inside your body? Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups of organic, unbleached all-purpose flour (I like King Arthur’s)
  • 1 1/2 cups of warm filtered water 75 degrees
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of aluminum-free sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
  • 2 teaspoons of organic non-caking yeast
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup of organic seeds of choice. I used pumpkin, flax, and hemp seeds. (This is optional)

In a large glass mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients and add warm water slowly stirring as you add the water. I like to add the yeast to the warm water to help activate it and then add the water to the mix. I also like to mix by hand, but a stand mixer with a dough hook can be used. Gently fold in the seeds of choice. Once the dough is mixed set the bowl aside in a warm place and cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth. Let rise for two hours.

Freshly folded dough awaiting the oven to heat.

After two hours, turn your dough out onto a floured parchment paper or floured wood cutting board. Fold the dough each way into itself. Shape it into the shape the desired shape that you prefer your bread. Lightly dust a stone pizza stone and place it on the oven rack that you will bake your bread on. Preheat the oven and the pizza stone to 450 degrees. Add about two inches of water to a shallow glass cooking dish and place on the rack beneath the rack you’re going to bake the bread on. This will help your bread have a crispy exterior on top and a soft bottom. Allow your bread to continue to rise while the oven and stone are preheating. When the oven is preheated, score the top of the bread three to four times with a serrated knife. Remove the hot stone and carefully remove the dough and place it on the the hot stone. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, depending on how crusty you like your bread.

Fresh bread just out of the screaming hot oven still on the baking stone.

This bread can be made from wheat flour if desired or oat flour. The seeds are optional and can be exchanged for other seeds, or left out of the recipe. You may bake this bread in a preheated covered cast iron Dutch oven that is lined with parchment paper before adding the dough, or you may divide the dough into two small loaf pans.

Once the bread has baked transfer to a cooling rack and allow to completely cook before cutting. Sharp serrated bread knifes are great to cut the bread. This bread makes great sandwich bread, toast, French toast, as a side to supper dishes, toasted as crusty bread, or buttered as is. The inside is soft and airy and delicious. I love the texture of the baked pumpkin seeds within the bread. The possibilities are vast!

Cooling on the wire rack.

I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe. Every time I bake, I am reminded of one of my favorite components of the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. (KJV)

The top is crusty, the bottom soft, and inside is airy. It’s delicious!

We should focus on this day, not days that have past, nor days that haven’t yet arrived. If we keep our focus on, this day, we do not get caught up in the what ifs, from yesterdays, or the what wills, of tomorrows. Keeping our focus on the Lord for this day encourages us to rely on Him more completely.

God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky. I welcome Feel feedback and or questions.

When Fall Comes to the Mountains

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, canning, clean eating, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, my special days, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
The leaves are beginning to turn in the mountains!

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky. Can you feel fall in the air? Fall is one of my favorite seasons. When fall comes to the mountains, something magical happens. A carpet of beautiful foliage slowly emerges throughout the mountains. The colors are brilliant yellows, crisp oranges, and fiery reds, all mixed with hints of green lingering for a few more weeks. The foliage reminds me of my sister’s handmade quilts. My sister is a brilliant artist who creates gorgeous quilts from scrap materials of diverse colors. She is legally blind but still creates unique quilts by hand with tiny stitches. Not only is she legally blind, she is also totally colorblind. My children used to ask me if she saw things in color, just like a child to wonder. Yes, I would answer she sees in colors; she just can’t distinguish which color is which. So, her quilts come together in a stunning color scheme… just like the foliage in our mountains does in the fall.

A postage stamp quilt gifted to me by my sister. Each block is the size of an actual postage stamp!

When fall comes to the mountains, preserving and canning is usually near completion. Autumn, or fall, as we call it, is the time to go to the apple orchard to pick apples for tasty recipes, preserving, drying, and munching. We enjoyed the orchard this year as the temperature was comfortable; the crowd wasn’t as big as previous visits, and the fried apple pies were delicious. The grandkids had fun playing on the playground and games, while the adults enjoyed the atmosphere and sights. We used the apples we brought home for various dishes. Some of our favorite apple dishes during the fall include frying apples with breakfast or supper. We also peeled and dried many apples, resulting in three large containers of dehydrated apples for healthy snacks, frying, cakes, or pies. Nothing went to waste. We used all the apples, even down to the peels and cores, which the chickens enjoyed as a fall treat.

Picking apples
Grandkids having fun at the orchard.

Seed saving is a common tradition within the mountains. Fall is the perfect time to save vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower seeds. The late-bearing acorn squash and peppers are the only vegetables left to be picked. We have a remnant of beans hanging on the fences drying to be used for seed next year. When collecting seeds, it is essential to use sources from plants that are healthy and produce the best vegetation or fruit. We collected seeds from the remaining vegetables and placed them on cheesecloth or white paper towels to dry. Once the seeds are dry, we put them in envelopes for storage. We recognize some sources in recycled brown jars/bottles containing organic vitamins. This is a brilliant method of recycling as well. Also, be sure to label your seeds to identify them when you’re ready to plant.

My seed box.

When fall comes to the mountains, so do pumpkins! Children and adults alike enjoy trips to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, enjoy pumpkin treats, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Pumpkin spices and flavors are prominent in restaurants, store shelves, coffee shops, and more. Pumpkin spice is a favorite in the mountains. Many mountain families love pumpkin-flavored treats like coffee, pie, bread, butter, and cookies.

A trip to the pumpkin patch is always fun!

When fall comes to the mountains, it’s a time for family gatherings, cookouts, dinners, and a time to socialize and relax away from the world’s cares. Mountain cookouts usually have hot dogs, hamburgers, vegan burgers, marshmallows, chips, and some sides.. This is also a perfect time to include pumpkin cookies or pumpkin bread. Cookouts in the mountains are about the food and the socialization! Sitting by the campfire with loved ones, roasting marshmallows and sharing stories is the best way to enjoy fall in the Appalachian Mountains.

And finally, when fall comes to the mountains, it’s time to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving in the mountains is a time for family to come together for the day. Each person typically brings a side-dish to menu and everyone gathers at one house, which is typically my house. I love when all our family gathers together to relax with appetizers that consist of; my traditional cheese ball, peanut butter and chocolate buckeye candy, dips with chips, and of course banana and or pumpkin bread. We load Thanksgiving dinner with good food. Dinner usually includes the traditional dishes of turkey, usually prepared two ways. We roast one turkey in the oven and we smoke a second turkey outside in the smoker. A ham is prepared and complete with brown sugar and pineapples. The side dishes usually include mashed potatoes, green beans, fried corn, homemade cornbread stuffing/dressing, brown gravy, sweet potato casserole, and more. It’s a smorgasbord! A literal feast. Family members can be found eating around the dining room table and in the kitchen. We add tables for kids in the family room. After the dinner, dessert is available for those who have room, and those who do not! Dessert typically consists of peach cobbler, Butterfinger delight, carrot cake, cherry cheesecake, and other delicious recipes that family brings with them. Football can be found on the television and often-times, one of our favorite Christmas movies… The Christmas Story is on 24/7 on Thanksgiving and on one of the televisions. It’s also a time that most of the females are bargain shopping as the black Friday sales have begun! But, the best part of the day is the heartfelt prayer that is prayed before the meal begins, and the socializing during dinner and after. It’s a wonderful to catch up on what has been going on in the lives of our family.

When fall comes to the mountains of Kentucky… it’s more than the beautiful scenery. Fall is a time of hard work as we can preserve and clean up the garden. It’s a time of gathering seeds for the following year. Fall is a time of fellowship with friends, our church family, and our family. Fall is a time for campfires, holiday meals, and winter transition.

Late fall last year in the mountains!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and a little time in our small corner of the world. Feel free to follow and or comment. Get ready! I have an outstanding sweet potato recipe that I will post in a few days. You can prepare this cake vegan or non-vegan. It’s delicious. Well, let me give you a sneak peek at the cake!

Sweet potato pound cake… recipe coming soon!

For now, God bless, and happy fall from the mountains of Kentucky!

Canning Crispy Dill Pickles

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in canning, clean eating, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky. It’s been a bit stormy here today. Days like today make me want to curl up with a good book and read all day. In reality, that isn’t always possible, especially with the academic year about to begin. Our first day back on campus is only a couple of weeks away. Where did summer go?

With the abundance of cucumbers that it seems everyone has been blessed with this summer, I thought I should share my dill pickle recipe. Who doesn’t like a crispy dill pickle on their sandwich or on the side? Dills are great in potato salad, salads, on burgers, and I especially like them on a vegan chicken sandwich.

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds of pickling cucumbers
8 teaspoons of dill seeds
4 teaspoons of mustard seeds
5 cloves of whole garlic
8 teaspoons of whole peppercorns
4 cups of water
3 cups of white vinegar (5% acidity)
4 tablespoons of pickling salt or kosher salt
4 tablespoons of white sugar
8 teaspoons of pickle crisp
8 sprigs of fresh dill

Tools:

Water bath canner
Jar lifter
funnel
Measuring cup
Pint jars, rings, and flats
A large stock pot

Process:

1. Boil jars, flats, and rings to sterilize them and also to safeguard your pickles from bacteria. Next, prepare your cucumbers by washing them. I like to scrub them to remove the sticky little ends of the skins. This also makes the skin of the cucumber smoother. Trim the ends of the cucumbers. Make sure to remove the flowering end. This end of the cucumber contains an enzyme that can soften the cucumber over time.

2. Prepare the brine by adding sugar, salt, and vinegar to the stockpot and bring to a slow boil. While you wait for the brine to boil, combine the pickling spices and add them in equal parts to the jars. Do not add the pickle crip to the spices. Add a sprig of fresh dill to each jar then add your cucumbers. You can slice them in either direction or slice them into spears. They’re also good as whole pickles, especially if the cucumbers are small ones.

3. Keep an eye on your brine. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved, place the funnel in the jars and pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, leaving at least a half inch from the rim. Add a teaspoon of pickle crip to each jar. Wipe the rims to ensure the rims with a dry cloth or paper towel. Add the flat and ring, but not too tight.

4. Add the jars to the canner and add warm water until the water is at least an inch or two above the jar lids. Slowly bring the water in the canner to a boil. Boil for ten minutes. Turn the stove off and leave the jars until the water settles down and then remove the jars with the jar lifter. Place the jars on a dry folded towel on a flat surface and wait for the sounds of the pinging jars to seal. Once the jars have cooled, add the date to the lids.

This recipe typically makes eight pints of pickles x. You can double the ingredients for quarts or for more pints. The projected shelf life of the pickle is typically one to two years. However, I have opened a jar beyond this timeframe and the pickles were still great. One of the keys to a longer shelf life is to ensure the vinegar is at least 5% acidity.

This is a pictures of sliced dill pickles in quart jars.

I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as we do. As always, feel free to follow or comment. For now, God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky.