Confession: I started a fire in the kitchen.
Something you may not know about me…
When Tommy and I were first married, I didn’t have a lot of homemaking expertise. Actually to be honest, I had basically none. I started a fire in the kitchen of our first apartment while cooking…
…wait for it…
Chips and cheese.
Yup.
And I’m not talking a mini-flame up. I’m talking a break-the-glass-for-the-fire- extinguisher-and-smoke-out-the-whole-kitchen kind of situation. Whoops. (I don’t think I’ve used the broiler feature on an oven since…)
So imagine my overwhelm a few years later when we decided - “Hey, we should grow our own food!”
GROW all my own food? That’s laughable. I didn’t even know how to cook my own food, much less grow it, process it, and preserve it. How on earth was I ever going to learn everything I needed to know about gardening, raising animals, managing pastures, canning, butchering, etc.?
I remember feeling SO EAGER to take control of and be connected with as much of our food as possible. But I was also paralyzed about everything there was to learn.
I was a young mom, I didn’t have a ton of time (or extra cash) to take in person classes or buy lots of books.
Thankfully, my hunger to learn trumped my overwhelm and little by little I’ve gotten to the point where growing AND cooking my own food is near second nature for me.
I’m telling you all this in hopes of encouraging you - if you are at the beginning of learning something new, or even if you’ve been doing it awhile and just want to take it to the next level… Keep working at it. Embrace the failed attempts as learning opportunities. Continue educating yourself. Your goal might seem impossible or laughable right now - but I promise, from my own experience, you can do it!
The recipe you’ve all been wanting!
This week’s free Homestead Handout is inspired by my love for LARD!
If you’re looking at shifting your kitchen to rely more on cooking and baking with healthy, pasture raised animal fats you can produce yourself vs. expensive imported options - put lard at the top of your list.
To help you get started, I’ve written out one of our family’s favorite farm fresh breakfasts recipes - lard biscuits and sausage gravy!
The member’s bonus hand out includes a full summary of what exactly lard is (and the different types), how to render it, store it, and start using it. (If you aren’t a member already - you can join here)
I hope both handouts inspire you to start exploring and using alternative fats it in your kitchen!
My ebook - The Simple Guide to Easier Weed Management… is finally going to be available Wednesday, March 22nd!!
In it I explore deep mulching, cover crops, landscape fabric, and help you figure out which one is the best for you!
I wrote this book specifically as a contribution to a collaboration with dozens of other homestead & natural living educators online. The package includes over 70 ebooks (including mine), 50 online courses/workshops, and several other bonus items for one low price. It’s an incredible way to access a LOT of resources without spending tons of time or money.
It will only be available for 10 days - but I’ll give you more details when it’s finally launched next week so you don’t miss it!
I think that’s all for this week, friends!
Blessings from our little homestead,
