Freezer Jam

This morning I had toast smothered in butter and some blackberry jam I made last summer. It was delicious.
I love that I am able to taste fresh summer berries during the cold of a winter storm, and that I can share this experience with others. I gain a small sense of accomplishment, knowing that I can produce something that allows me to preserve last year's harvest and contribute to the food that friends and family eat throughout the year. I get this feeling anytime I bake bread or cook a big pot of soup. True, freezer jam is fairly easy to make and not nearly as time consuming as baking bread or making soup, but I think of it as a small step towards living a more self-sustainable lifestyle.
It's been snowing outside since yesterday afternoon and the houses, trees and lawns are all covered in white. They are expecting the temperature tonight to get down to 21 degrees. The house is extremely cold right now and I'm bundled up, drinking coffee to keep warm. The twins are at their father's house until Saturday, which gives me time to work on my spring line of cards and paper goods. I also just received an order for 67 bags of confetti that I have to hand punch and ship this next week. Each bag contains 250 confetti, so I have to punch out a grand total of 16,750 pieces. I also have to make an apron for a swap I'm involved in and ship it out by Tuesday, and write an essay for one of my classes that is due on Thursday.

I have started to read a book called Made from Scratch by Jenna Woginrich, which is a memoir about her beginnings as a homesteader. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I read her blog about her continued adventures on her farm, and if her book is anything like her blog, I know I'll love it. Below is a link to her blog.

Cold Antler Farm

As far as my "adventures in homesteading", I have started by doing research on various farming topics. I have a large stack of library books on farm animals and housing, organic living, etc. I am also planning on planting some vegetables in pots, although I am still deciding which seeds to plant, that will grow in pots, besides lettuce. It will be nice when I finally am able to plant a garden and own livestock, but for now I will just have to wait. I do plan on starting with a small flock of chickens though, and I can't wait to have some Polish Crested chickens again, but that won't be for a while....

Homesteader at Heart

When I was a little girl, my mom used to read the Little House on the Prairie books to me, and I was fascinated with the way that Laura's family lived. I loved hearing about Pa's adventures in the Big Woods and the process in which Ma would make things like cheese and pork sausage. I wanted to play house with Laura and Mary out in the woods, and help them churn butter. I even would ask for a butter churn for my birthday every year when I was younger, and my mom would tell me that I was born in the wrong century. (Who knows, I could have traveled the Oregon Trail in a past life.)
Through the years, I have continued to be interested in the whole idea of homesteading and self-sufficient living, and someday (hopefully sooner than later) I would like to try my hand at farming and homesteading.
Currently though, I live in a rental, in town, which restricts my ability to garden and own livestock. Most of my time I spend raising my 18 month-old twins, building a crafting business, taking care of house and taking classes at Portland State, so it might take a little while to work towards my goals, but I'm not giving up any time soon. Any free time I have will be spent learning as much as I can about homesteading and livestock, as well as cooking and crafting.
So join me in my various mothering, cooking, crafting and homesteading adventures, as I work towards my ultimate goal of owning property and living a self-sufficient lifestyle.