Carla Burke

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since Oct 29, 2013
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Biography
A Christian & devoted Patriot, wife, soap maker, herbalist, formerly a homeschooler, baker, truck driver, and more. I was born in the South, but actually grew up around the Great Lakes. Both of my childhood families had big, lush gardens,& preserved everything they could for the winter. I carried that into my own life. But, change happens and for over a decade, it just wasn't an option. Now, retired in the Ozarks, on 29 heavily wooded acres of mostly ravines, our best crops are nearly inaccessible wild blackberries, rocks, wild herbs, and ticks. We're utilizing our burgeoning small-livestock collection, straw bales, raised beds, and containers to build soil, and a better, healthier life for ourselves and our beloved critters, who provide us with eggs, meat, milk, fiber, honey, beeswax, fertilizer, tick control, brush control, 'lawn' mowing, loads of entertainment, and even help turn the compost.
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Recent posts by Carla Burke

Oh, NOOO! I'm sorry for both the loss of your beautiful oven, and all that work that you have to do...
23 hours ago
Today is PANCAKE DAY!!! (aka Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras - so it was jambalaya, for supper, too.) So we had pancakes for breakfast - sourdough, and I found the recipe we had both been craving. John said they were, "SPOT ON!!". W0000t!! We also both got texts from the youngest daughter, who also made sourdough pancakes for breakfast, today. She made the fluffy, light ones, and I made the tangy, slightly thicker than a crepe ones, with the crispy edges, that are also rolly-uppy, if you want. That flexibility is one of the reasons I love them,  because they make for great packable breakfasts. One pancake, filled with eggs, cheese, and sausage or bacon, folded in half or rolled up, and you have a portable meal that will stick with you, and keep you going for hours, without weighing you down.
2 days ago

Anna Hutchins wrote:Oh yeah, I forgot about black pepper.  That's the real one I use the most.  It's just so unassuming that I forget about it....

Also why do people like star anise?  Ick!  (I'll tolerate it in pho.)



Used well, it adds just a slight hint of licorice flavor, but mostly a light sweetness. I'm not a fan of black licorice, but I use licorice root in a couple of soups and for herbal remedies. Black licorice, to my tastebuds, is a sickeningly over-strong version of licorice root, which is the one like the anise flavor. But, star anise is less expensive, and easier to find. I'm not sure about anise, as a remedy, but since I have a good supply, maybe I'll check that out.
2 days ago
Mmmmm, cinnamon... cumin... black pepper... cayenne... chipotle... nutmeg... star anise... cardamom... ginger... turmeric... sassafras... thyme, sage, rosemary...


I'm sorry, Christopher. I just can't choose only one. I. Just. Can. Not. Duit.

Edited to add 3 more I wouldn't be without!
2 days ago

Christopher Weeks wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:The thing about cumin is that is not a spice.  It is a thickening agent.


This strikes me as a pretty exceptional stance. Can you tell me more about what you mean?



I also find this interesting, as I've only ever used it for it's amazing flavor. John and I both love the stuff, but I can't help thinking if we used enough in any one dish, to thicken it, it would become overpowering and we probably wouldn't like it at all.
2 days ago
We get about 45"/ year, and fairly humid (not New Orleans humid, but fairly). BUT, we heat with a woodstove in winter, which dries the air, and in the summer, John doesn't do well, with the heat and humidity, so we keep the a/c on much more than I'd like, and he runs a dehumidifier. Those could the the biggest differences.
2 days ago
Mine don't mold there, because they're only there for the night. I take them off and go to bed. In the morning they're back on my feet. Come to think of it, we use that space to store several things, and even though they get dust, they don't mold. Something regional that I'd never thought about, I guess.
2 days ago

Anne Miller wrote:For lunch today, I made cornbread dressing to go with some turkey that I took out of the freezer.

Then I thought, I bet not many Europeans have had cornbread salad:

https://permies.com/t/192645/good-Cornbread-Salad-recipe



Cornbread salad is a favorite of mine, too. In fact, I made it as one of the sides, for our wedding - and was sad, when there were no leftovers.
2 days ago
Yup. I also have hooks on the wall for easy to throw on clothes, my bathrobe and a few other items.
2 days ago
I use tallow in cooking, soaps, lotion bars, salves, & ointments. If it goes rancid("oh, look - I found a 3yr old jar of tallow that got lost in the back of the pantry"), I'll use it to make for starters, for both the summer fire pit and the woodstove. The rancid stuff is rare, but the used stuff even gets made into fire starters - soak dehydrated corn cobs in the used/old melted tallow, and you'll have fantastic fire starters.

Straight tallow is excellent for the skin, but I like it even better, with calendula, rose petals, and plantain. Infuse it with rosemary(or just add a few drops of rosemary essential oil), and it works great as a hot oil treatment for hair, too. A little goes alooooong way. Use citrus or peppermint (or a combination that appeals to you) and rub it into your cracked heels, hands, & rough elbows.

2 days ago