Even if you have grid power here are some helpful ideas!
   Wow, it's hot! Temperatures  here in middle Tennessee are soaring into the upper 90's and 100's with humidity almost matching. Thought we'd share a few tips about staying cool!
  Try not to cook inside your home. Grill outdoors, make a camp fire, set up a "summer kitchen"- we have a small wood cookstove on our porch and we start the fire real early in the morning and get any cookin' done before the heat of the day. 
  Eat sandwhiches, salads and fresh raw veggies from the garden.
  Make fresh vegetable and fruit juices- these will keep you cool and give you energy!
Something we learned from our Amish neighbors years ago- in the evenings when the air has cooled off a bit, open all your windows and doors for the night through. Then in the morning before it gets hot again close them up and "trap" the cool air in for the day. It really works! Our house can generally stay 8-10 degrees cooler that way.
  Take cold showers!
  Go to the creek, river, pond, or garden hose! We have found that the best way to cool down is water. The colder the better!
  Eat lots of watermelon. It has electroclytes in it and can help replace any you lose from sweating.  Here are a few drink recipes we really enjoy during the summer:
"Live" Water
To 1 quart fresh cold water add:
1 slice of lime
2 or 3 slices of cucumber
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh mint. Keep cool in fridge and drink as needed.

 Vicki's Lemonade
In a quart jar add:
1 fresh squeezed lemon
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. maple syrup {or more for your liking}
Fill with fresh, cold spring water, screw on lid and shake real good. Enjoy!

Have A Happy Heat Wave Y'all!

   

Our Dexter/Jersey cow, Maybelline, had her calf - a beautiful heifer!

Look at that adorable little face! Another future milk cow, yee-haw!

Cow bonding.

Both mama and baby are doing fine, despite the humid, sticky, summer heat.

Meanwhile on the homestead, the flowers are blooming...

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow...
Matthew 6:28

Nasturtiums radiant and wonderfully edible.

Here is a delicious recipe we have been enjoying this summer and thought we'd share with y'all. 
Summer Green Beans
3 TBS.  Olive oil
1 LB. fresh green beans, snapped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 purple onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. salt
2 handfuls fresh basil
Layer ingredients in order given in a heavy bottom pot. Cook over medium high heat till green beans are tender. You don't have to stir this, or add water- tomatoes and green beans make their own juice as they cook. Cecilia created this simple but tasty recipe last summer and its now our favorite way to eat green beans!

One of our blue heelers, Sackett, ever ready to do a job. Good Dog.

Stay cool y'all and remember our new book "Bella the Blue Cowdog" is coming soon!

My adventure with cooking on a wood stove started years ago when the children were still very young.  We had just bought a wood stove at an auction to save money on our heating bills (that was before we were totally off the grid like we are now) and that little stove put off great amounts of heat.  I remember being so proud about being able to start my own fires!  Well, that stove top was so hot that we put kettles of water on to humidify the air and use for tea water. Then I thought that maybe I could heat up some beans on the stove top, too! Now that was a big hit - heat my house and heat my beans at the same time! Talk about two birds with one stone. Wow, what a stove! So heating beans led to cooking beans, soups, stews and more all on that little wood heater bought at an auction for little or nothing. I loved it and I was hooked on cooking on a wood stove. 

A few years passed and we were able to get a real wood cookstove-a Kitchen Queen.  It is huge, takes about 6 or 8 men to move it, but it is the homesteaders dream of cooking and heating efficiently and frugally.  We love it!  I have been cooking on it for 15 years now and not a season goes by that we haven't used it to its full extent. That stove has been the heart of our home and has done more than heat our house. It has provided warm meals on the stove top, hot bread from the oven, boiled our water for washing dishes and taking our baths, dried our herbs, simmered the tea, raised the bread, heated irons for wrinkled clothes, baked our beans, baked our pies, melted bees wax for our candle making, dried our clothes, warmed new born puppies, chicks and more! Most of our recipes have been tested and tried on our cookstove, but they have been written in a format easily used for any type of stove you may have, although, if you have never tasted food cooked with wood the old fashioned way - boy, are y’all missing out.   There is definitely a delicious difference in the taste.

Find this, and other stories, in our Homestead Blessings Cookbook!
Also watch Homestead Holiday Pies to see us using our wood heat oven.

Y'all stay warm!
 Vicki for Homestead Blessings

This is a very good mayonnaise and is thicker than store bought mayo.

1 large egg (fresh is always best!)
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp honey 
1 cup good vegetable oil (you can use part olive oil)

Break the egg into a blender. Cover and blend on high for 30 seconds. Add the dry mustard, salt, lemon juice, and honey and blend again on high speed for 15-20 seconds. While the blender is still running, add the oil in a very slow, steady stream. As the mayonnaise thickens you may have to stop the blender and stir some of the oil in then turn the blender back on an continue blending on high. With a spatula or spoon, scrape the mayo toward the blades. Continue to blend until well mixed and thick. I usually let this sit in the fridge over night until using/eating it so the lemon will "cook" the egg. This makes about 1 1/2 cups of good thick mayonnaise.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water


Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or dust with all-purpose flour. Put all the ingredients except the water into a food processor and pulse until combined. If you don't own a food processor, mix the ingredients by hand in a bowl until little balls form. Add the water and keep running the machine (or mixing in a bowl) until the mixture forms a ball (add a teaspoon of water at a time until you have a dough ball). Dust your counter with flour and roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to the baking sheet, add any additional spices, and cut into 24 pieces. ( I sprinkled sea salt on top of my crackers before baking today.)  A pizza cutter works great for cutting the dough. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Store in a container at room temperature for a few days.

May your holiday be filled with good food, rich fellowship, & an abundance of thankfulness!

You can find some of these recipes in our cook book, also you can see how to make frugal holiday pies in our YouTube video here.

Happy Thanksgiving!
The West ladies