Melody Goretti

Part 2, Ricotta!
(My comment was too large to include all photos, apparently. Also, I accidentally posted my mozzarella comment with the uncropped photos. I would delete and try again, but alas, I cannot delete. Please kindly pretend the photos are prettier than they actually are. Thank you very much.)

Starting with a gallon of raw cow milk from a farm local to my mom (thanks, Mom!), I’ve made mozzarella and ricotta.
Recipe for mozzarella here: https://www.inthekitchenwithmatt.com/homemade-mozzarella-cheese
Milk, vinegar, salt.
Recipe for Ricotta here: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/02/how-to-make-ricotta-two-ways.html
Milk.

Thanks, y’all. This cat is actually the sweetest cat I’ve met in years and we’re on great terms with these particular neighbors. Since the neighbors on the other side of the house are fiends, (that neighbor has already called the cops with false charges to harass us. I wish I was joking) I’m ready to make sacrifices to keep the cat owners friends. The cat is only an issue when I want to use the front yard for food. She’s not interested in our backyard, because there be dogs, but I’m running out of room there. She’s just very, very comfy in the front. I’ll try the scent deterrents before moving on to anything more drastic.
Suburban homesteading is hard. I’d really rather not be where I am, but alas acreage in my area is easily over $900,000. I don’t think we’ll ever get there.
Glad for a group like this, if only to live through vicariously. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s potatoes as the season moves on.

I’m doing in-ground potatoes for the first time this year. My plot is about 5’x7’ and I’m planning to put in about 70 russet eye chunks. I do wonder if I’m growing in the right spot. I think the soil and light is fine, but I wonder about the safety of growing a root crop where the neighbors’ cat likes to relieve herself (the fun of front yard suburban gardening). Can anyone advise on the risks of toxoplasmosis and potatoes?
I also have a question about selection and variety that I’m hoping y’all can clarify.
Is there a substantial difference between plant health and final yield between growing from a seed catalogue’s selection and growing from sprouted grocery store spuds?

This year, I have more gifts that I have ever made for Christmas before. I have made spiced nuts (with pumpkin seeds I scooped from the grocery store’s excess pumpkins after Halloween), cookies, tarragon jelly and mint tea (with herbs from my garden), hair bows, a child sized crocheted scarf, a doll (which got me a BB), a rosary, and a pin cushion. I also thrifted an antique teacup and saucer for a friend. I also packed a thick stack of seeds from my garden to give to fellow gardeners. I’d still like to get a few more gifts made before Epiphany- at least some more cookies and another batch of spiced nuts. But even if I manage only a smidge more gift making, it’s been a surprisingly successful year.
I’m making plans now for next years Christmas presents. Eventually, I’d like to have absolutely nothing bought new under the tree.

Thanks for the BB! The doll is dressed, be-wigged, packed, and sent to his final destination as a Christmas gift. I can’t resist showing off his duds though, so I took lots of photos before taking him to the post office.

I say: absolutely. For most applications for human consumption, I would take a peeler to the toughest outer layer of skin and those bits can go directly to worms or compost. But I’ve seen recipes for human food that don’t specify removing that part either.

Besides pickles, there’s also candy, stir fry, curry, and bhaji. Basically, as long as the rind is thick enough, you can consider it a vegetable.

Here’s my BB submission for sewing a doll. I modified the design from “Gingermelon’s Embroidered Animals” to make an elf as a Christmas gift for a friend. Materials are cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton embroidery thread, and wool roving.

Here’s the recipe I’m working from.