Sami Winners

Hi Kate!

I would love to be that 20+ recipe tester!  I have had success with sourdough in the past.  I love the details and can take lots of photos.  I can get any flour/grain on the market.  I only have a regular convection oven but am willing to try some recipes in a dutch oven in my fireplace. I have a big family so have many taste testers after I am done baking! Let me know how I can get started and i will jump on board.  

Sami

I feel comfortable showing y'all what happens when kids come home to visit for the weekend but don't help clean up, since others here have been so open.  

I used baking soda on the sink and stove.  I use an o'cedar mop with reusable mop head.  I had washed jars for canning in Mrs. Meyers dish soap, and dipped the reusable pad in that dishwater for mopping.  Same for the counters.  

Rose petals infusion.

I love the French press for infusing loose herbs!  These petals were harvested off an antique rose in my yard.  

Dried rose petals, picked from my yard, dried in the dehydrator without heat.  No AC in the part of the house, so they did not need any extra heat.  

My puppy got caught chewing on my favorite quilt. She chewed holes and rips.  This tear I repaired by simply sewing a patch of fabric of similar size to the rest of the quilt, directly over top of the torn one below. I cut the new fabric about a quarter of an inch larger than the area I wanted to cover then turned it under to make a clean edge.

Then I quilted through all layers of fabric, in a similar pattern to what was there, for added durability and continuity.  

My beloved quilt was found by my sweet bored puppy, and thus, many holes ensued.  

First, I noticed the batting in my quilt was twice as thick as the all-cotton batting I have on hand. I cut a piece twice as long and folded it over.  Then I carefully stitched it to the existing batting.  

Next I took a square of all cotton fabric that was bigger than the hole I was trying to repair.  I folded it under about a quarter of an inch all the way around and stitched it in place.

Last, I quilted through all fabrics using a similar pattern as the rest of the quilt to ensure sturdiness and continuity.  

Salt brined fermented veggies.

A friend of mine reminded me of some spicy carrots we used to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  She was doing this salt ferment and I decided to try it.  

Put chopped veggies in jars.  Add the brine to cover.  Brine is 1 tablespoon non iodized salt to every 1 cup water.  I used non chlorinated water to help the fermentation process.  Poured over the veggies, cover with cloth.  Allow to do its thing.  Check for floaters every couple of days, remove any growth on top.  

Fall pear picking.  This tree is next to the road a few miles from my house.  

My crocheted hot pad.  

I have 24 chickens. There are Americaunas, Buff Orpington, Black Australorpes, one French Cocoa Maran.  Then there are the mixes of these birds.  The papa is an Americauna rooster. Half of the flock was born on my land in the last six months. The younger generation is wiley and forages well.  There are some beautiful color variations in my chicks.