Rural Wisdom and Know How #3

News from the Carter Homestead:

This past week has been insane. I have been barely able to keep up with the schedule I have tried to set for my self on blogging and the things I want to do here. I work in retail in my day job so you know that is crazy trying to get ready for Black Friday. Crazy workers trying to prepare for crazy shoppers.

The Rural Economist is very proud to be able to be a part of a really nice giveaway.
My wife has relented on not letting me take a major role in the cooking of the Thanksgiving dinner. I know it is hard for her. She has been cooking Thanksgiving dinner since she was about 12. She knows I am a good cook and I am glad that she will entrust me with this, her most important meal of the year.

I know that nearly everyone is trying to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. We have fixed a couple of thing already and have them in the freezer. I will be doing a lot of the cooking this year because my wife will have to work the night before and she will need to sleep. If you are looking for some really cool ideas for this years Thanksgiving dinner check out the Homestead Bloggers Network's 7 Days of Thanksgiving. Lots of great recipe ideas. I am sure there will be some great ideas posted here by all of our wonderful bloggers.

Giveaways:

We have two great giveaways going right now. Click the link to enter the one you want or both. Any shares on social media are also greatly appreciated.

http://theruraleconomist.blogspot.com/2013/11/puritans-pride-holiday-survival-kit.html

http://theruraleconomist.blogspot.com/2013/11/wise-decor-giveaway.html

Questions for the Week:

(1) Do you have a winter garden?

(2) How would you describe your homestead; rural, semi rural, semi suburban, suburban, or urban?

(3) Do you have any special traditions on Thanksgiving?

(4) What projects are you planning for either this winter or next spring?

My Answers:

(1) I had planned on having one, but I just did not get it put in.

(2) We are semi rural and live on 1/2 acre.

(3)  We really don't. I am wanting to start one. This year we are going to go around the table and everyone has to list one thing they are thankful for.

(4) I have a HUGE yellow jackets nest in an old storage room. Soon on a Really cold day, I am going to take them out. Next spring I plan on putting in a meat bird run.

You can subscribe to The Rural Economist by email, simply fill out the form to the top right of this page. You can also follow The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking HERE

Keep It Rural

I cannot wait to read all of the wonderful posts from great writers all across the country. But first here are the featured posts from last week.

http://taylormaderanch.com/blog/replanting-onions-again/

http://wilkerdos.blogspot.com/2013/11/diy-tool-caddy.html

http://www.greeneggsandgoats.com/2013/11/easy-diy-feather-ornaments.html

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Wise Decor Giveaway

I have always loved homes that have the beautiful words of encouragement or statements of faith proudly displayed in their homes. Wise Decor is a place where you can get something custom made or a saying that has been around for ages, but still captures the spirit of your family. These decals are beautiful and easy to apply.

The best part is you can create any slogan or statement you want. Grand and elegant or cold and crude. This can be an addition to any home. My wife has told me several times since we moved into our new house that she wanted something like this. You can use this in your home or it would be a really nice gift, and it would be ready before Christmas.

The Rural Economist is proud to announce that we along with several other homestead bloggers are going to be a part of a giveaway for a $50.00 gift certificate. The Not So Modern Housewife has ask us to help get the word out for this giveaway. Just imagine $50.00 to help give your home the character that you have always wanted to capture with your lives.

The wall art that is offered at http://www.wisedecor.com/ is something that your family can and I am sure will enjoy for decades if not generations. If this is something you are interested in, please feel free to enter.

$50 WiseDecor Wall Decal Giveaway

Sponsored by WiseDecor

Hosted by The Not So Modern Housewife

Giveaway is open to residents of the US, ages 18+.  Enter the giveaway using the Giveaway Tools widget below.  Entries close December 6 at 11:00 pm.  The winner has 48 hour to reply to their confirmation email before a new winner will be selected.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The Rural Economist was not compensated for this giveaway, nor am I responsible for shipment of prize.  The prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.  This event is in no way associated with Facebook or any other social media platform. Social media platforms are in no way responsible for shipment of prize. If you have any questions, or are interested in running a giveaway campaign please feel free to contact Bonnie from The Not So Modern Housewife at notsomodern@gmail.com.

Remember you can subscribe to The Rural Economist by email. Simply fill out the form at the top right of this page. You can also follow The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking HERE. Right now on Facebook we are taking a poll of possible slogans for The Rural Economist. We have found out that Keep It Rural is trademarked so we will have to change you can access that poll by clicking HERE.

Keep It Rural

Carter's Homestead Sweet Potato Casserole

http://homesteadbloggersnetwork.com/7-days-thanksgiving/ 

Before I get started, I want everyone to repeat after me. Butter is your friend. Ready? Okay everyone "Butter is your friend". Now that we have that out of the way.

Ingredients:
3 Large Sweet Potatoes
1 Cup Butter
1 Package of Graham Crackers (you can also use 2 cups Graham Cracker Curmbs)
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar Packed
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Pecans

Bake 3 Large sweet potatoes about 2 hours or until you can puncture with a fork.
Note: This can be done ahead of time and potatoes can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
Let cool at least enough to handle then peel potatoes. The skins will come right off and these skins are great for the compost pile.

Place peeled sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup butter melted. Mix well.

If you are using Graham Crackers crush them to a medium course consistency. If using Graham Cracker crumbs pour 2 cups in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup melted butter mix well. After mixed press into bottom of casserole bowl.

Spoon sweet potato mixture into casserole bowl, on top of Graham Cracker crust. Once all mixture is spooned in, smooth the mixture.

Take pecans and layer the top with them as pictured below.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

That is it. To add some variety you can put marshmallows on top before you bake so the marshmallows will be a little crisp. Mini marshmallows work best. If you want a crunchy topping you can add 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal mixed with another 1/2 cup melted butter under the pecans. 

I hope you enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Keep It Rural.

If you would like weekly updates from The Rural Economist you can subscribe by email by filling out the form at the top right of this page. You can also like The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking HERE

Puritan's Pride Holiday Survival Kit Giveaway

The Holiday season can be challenging and draining of your energy. You all know that I really believe in herbal remedies. This is one reason why The Rural Economist is very pleased to be able to be a part of this giveaway. The Not So Modern Housewife has ask us to help promote this giveaway.

The items in the giveaway were selected for their benefits during the busy Holiday season. Vitamin B-12 will give you an energy boost. Lavender Essential Oil has a calming effect. Chamomile Tea will help you wind down at the end of a long day. Melatonin with St. John's Wort can help you relax and fall asleep. And lastly Valerian Root can help you calm the stresses of the day.

As I said before I am thrilled that The Rural Economist has been asked to be a part of this giveaway. If this is something that sounds interesting to you, please enter and Good Luck.

Hosted by The Not So Modern Housewife, giveaway is for a "Holiday Survival Kit" from Puritan's Pride, including Vitamin B-12, Lavender Essential Oil, Chamomile Tea, Melatonin w/ St. John's Wort, and Valerian Root.


Keep It Rural

Puritan's Pride Holiday Survival Kit Giveaway

Sponsored by Puritan's Pride

Hosted by The Not So Modern Housewife

Puritan's Pride is offering their "Holiday Survival Kit" to one lucky reader.  The kit includes:

• Vitamin B-12 1000mcg Timed Release 
• Aromappeal- Lavender 100% Pure Essential Oil 
• Cozy Chamomile Herb Tea 
• Melatonin with St. John’s Wort 3mg/900mg 
• Valerian Root 450 mg 

Giveaway is open to residents of the US, ages 18+.  Enter the giveaway using the Giveaway Tools widget below.  Entries close November 27 at 11:00 pm.  The winner has 48 hour to reply to their confirmation email before a new winner will be selected.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The Rural Economist was not compensated for this giveaway, nor am I responsible for shipment of prize.  The prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.  This event is in no way associated with Facebook or any other social media platform. Social media platforms are in no way responsible for shipment of prize. If you have any questions, or are interested in running a giveaway campaign please feel free to contact Bonnie from The Not So Modern Housewife at notsomodern@gmail.com.

Rural Wisdom and Know How #2

News from the Carter Homestead

We had our first killing frost this week. That means I will be digging my fall potatoes this next week. We will see how they did. I will be honest, I am not very optimistic.

My wife’s birthday is this next week and I would like to take this opportunity to tell her in front of the world how much I love and appreciate her. We have grown together in ways that I did not think possible. Baby you are incredible.

I and my youngest son spent some time with my grandfather this past Saturday running the family grist mill. In a little less than an hour we ground about 100 pounds of cornmeal. If we were to run a giveaway for some home grown, home ground cornmeal, would you be interested? Please comment to let me know.

7 Days of Thanksgiving

The Homestead Bloggers Network will be hosting & Days of Thanksgiving the 21^st through the 27^th of November. Each day will feature a different meal course i.e. drinks, salads, main dishes. There will be lots of great ideas and if I can get my act together I will have posts on at least 2 of those days. www.homesteadbloggersnetwork.com

This Week’s Question

(1)    Have you started planning your Thanksgiving menu yet?

(2)    Have you been participating in the month of thankfulness?

(3)    What is the biggest challenge you face on your homestead?

(4)    Name one thing you are thankful for.

My Answers

(1)    Our Thanksgiving will be lite this year. My wife has to work the night before. I have offered to fix the whole meal, but she would not hear of that.

(2)    I have. Each day I post something I am thankful for on The Rural Economist Facebook page. I think it is good to reflect on all of the blessing we have.

(3)    Time. If I had more time I could do more around here and maybe even post more than twice a week.

(4)    I have already said my wife above, but I will give one more. I am thankful for a whole family that is working toward being more self sustainable.

Featured Posts from Last Week

How to Make a Pallet Barn by The Free Range Life
How to Make Your Own Salves and Potions by Small Gardners
Maple Pumpkin Pie with Salted Pecan Brittle by Maple Grove Place

Now it is your turn. Please post your answers in the comments section. This way we will get to know each other better.

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A Family Tradition of Sustainability

My grandfather and my son shelling corn for corn meal.

Have you ever had the privilege to spend time with someone who lived through the Great Depression? Have you listened to their stories? Have you learned their lessons? I have been blessed to spend a lot of time with my grandfather. He still knows things that I am wanting to learn, but one thing he has taught everyone of his family that are willing to listen is being self sustainable. Today we are primarily going to talk about the family grist mill. Yep, our family owns its own grist mill. My dad and my grandfather bought the mill when I was in my teens. Our mill has been operated every fall for about 30 years. 

There is something special about eating things that have been grown and processed on your own or your families land. Not only do you know everything that has gone into your food, it tastes better too. Now I will tell you for me it is a really big bonus to know that my cornmeal was not sprayed with Roundup. It is also a big bonus for me to know that my cornmeal has not been drenched with pesticides.

                          

The first step to making corn meal is shelling the corn. Shelling is getting the dried kernels off of the cob. You can do this by hand, but having a sheller saves a lot of time. The sheller above is not the sheller that I used as a teen. The one above is a lot nicer than the one I have the most time on. The sheller I spent my youth operating was a single turn sheller, which means each crank of the handle only turned the sheller one time. The sheller I operated was the same one my grandfather used when he was a child. The one pictured above was purchased by my great uncle's father in 1934. That's right the machine pictured above is nearly 80 years old and still works great. See the video below. Warning all of the videos included in this post are really loud and are more for visual purposes only. There is no narration. 

After the corn is shelled it is dumped into the hopper. And the tractor is started. After the tractor is started the PTO power take off is engaged. The hopper feeds the corn to the stones. You can adjust how fine the meal is with a knob on the side. Warning do not operate an internal combustion engine indoors without having the exhaust vented or chimney ed to the outside. You will see the flue from the muffler of the tractor to the outside in the video below.

As was pictured in the video above and in the picture below. The ground meal comes out of a small chute and is scooped up and bagged. You cannot seal the bags at this point, because the meal is still warm and can sour if you do not let the meal cool before sealing.

In about 1 hour we produced a little over 100 pounds of cornmeal. We took home about 40 pounds. Not bad for spending time with my grandfather and my youngest son spending time with his great grandfather. He may never read this but, I am proud of my grandfather for many reasons. Teaching us to be self sustainable is only one of them. Granddad I salute you.

Now for the most important part. How do you use this cornmeal. I say homegrown, home ground cornbread is the best, but you do have to treat it differently. First and a very important step is this must be sifted to remove the bran. It is really tough eating if you skip this step. Below is the crank type sifter I like best. To me it just works better.

Here is our families cornbread recipe:

3 cups sifted corn meal

1 egg

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp salt

Add just enough milk or buttermilk (depending on your taste I like either, but like buttermilk most) to make the mixture soupy.

Bake at 475 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

Now, I know there are no longer mills in every community, in fact I only know of three mills that are still in operation. Sometimes you can find a mill by going to your local farmers market and asking around. If you cannot find a mill you can get a smaller version that you can do your grinding at home. I am going to post a link to two mills. One is electric and fairly expensive but has a lot of good reviews and one is hand cranked.

My grandfather tells this story to everyone who will listen. When he was a kid he and his brothers shelled a bushel of corn and took it to the mill every Saturday. They ate cornbread and beans every day of the week and if they didn't have that they would not have eaten. We are blessed beyond measure today. 

Note: You can use field corn or even popcorn to make cornmeal. White field corn tastes a little different from yellow field corn and popcorn tastes different from both of them. You can buy all of them in bulk and save a lot of money. I believe you can find a grower of at least one of these corns close to you that do not use all of the chemicals and have a healthier food supply.

We can take back control of our own food supply, even if it is one person at a time.

If you enjoy these articles consider joining this site by clicking the join this site button to the right. You can also sign up for email updates by filling out the form at the top right and finally you can follow The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking HERE.

In everything you do...

Keep It Rural

Rural Wisdom and Know How #1

News From Around Carter Homestead:

Here in the South the weather is chaotic, one day the high will be the low 50's and two days later the mid 70's with night time lows ranging from upper 20's to low 60's. Our weather makes things interesting. For tonight at least I am sitting by the fire.

My wife is in full on "Let's get this Christmas shopping done" mode. Most of the shopping has been done on Amazon so far. She is incredible. No procrastination going on with her.

We have two birthdays this week both my wife's mother and mine. We also found out that my wife will be having to work Thanksgiving day and the weekend before, so we will be having to get creative in our celebrations this year.

I would like for this to turn into a real conversation. I would like to get to know all of you and give you a chance to get to know my family and myself. In that spirit I am going to post some questions each week and give my answers. I would like for you all to answer the questions in the comments.

(1) As we are coming up on Veterans Day, are there any veterans in your family?
(2) Do you do anything to celebrate Veterans Day?
(3) Have you started your Christmas Shopping?
(4) When do you start listening to Christmas music?

My answers (1) I am a veteran as are both of my grandfathers. Both of my grandfathers served during WWII. I have my paw paw's WWII flag that was on his casket and his father's WWI flag. (2) Sadly, I do not do anything special. I will have to work. (3) My wife is on this with a vengeance. (4) I listen to Christmas music anytime the mood strikes me February or even July is fine by me. My wife thinks it should wait till the day after Thanksgiving. Now it is your turn.

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We have a giveaway going for copies of two eBooks. The Urban Chicken and The Gardening Notebook. You can enter for this giveaway either on the posts about these books or on The Rural Economist Facebook page. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

The Worlds Easiest Fudge (Gregg's Treats #2)

My daughter is loving me writing about all of my sweets.

This is quite possibly the easiest sweet ever. Is it healthy, no, but it is very good. I have been making this fudge for over 15 years and everyone loves it.
My wife is a little upset at me for sharing my treats with all of you, but she is being supportive.
As the title indicates this is the easiest fudge in the world. So here is how it is done.
2 packages of cream drops
1 3/4 cups crunchy peanut butter

Put ingredients in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 3 minutes and mix.

That is all there is to it. Qucik, cheap, and easy.

I hope you enjoy these easy sweets. If you do comment on the post so I can prove to my wife that people actually appreciate these posts. I have at least two more to come.

Current News:

Right now The Rural Economist has a giveaway going to celebrate our first year anniversary. We are giving away copies of two eBooks. The Urban Chicken and The Gardening Notebook this giveaway ends November 11th 2013. The author of the Gardening Notebook has offered a 30% discount for our readers. If you purchase that book use the discount code "RURAL" at check out. Discount is good through November 13th 2013www.thegardeningnotebook.com

I am excited to announce that The Homestead Bloggers Network will be hosting the seven days of Thanksgiving the whole week before Thanksgiving. Each day a different course will be featured. I am proud to announce that The Rural Economist will have recipes on at least 3 of the days.

There is a contest running between homestead bloggers. If you like The Rural Economist you can vote for us here. Just find The Rural Economist and click "like" Thanks.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking here. You can join this site by clicking the button at right and you can get email updates by subscribing to the email list. Just fill out the form to the top right of this post. I really appreciate all of you.

Keep It Rural

The Urban Chicken a Review and a Giveaway

Hello everyone. I am really excited because on November 11th The Rural Economist will be celebrating its one year anniversary. We posted a few things before that time, but that is when I really got serious about sharing my projects, thoughts, successes, and failures. I am also excited because we will be offering our first giveaway. Heather at thehomesteadinghippy.com did an excellent job of putting together a very good book for someone who is thinking about getting chickens for the first time. 

Heather covers different laying breeds and the most popular meat chicken breed. She covers both chicken coops and chicken tractors with the pros and cons of each. She shows pictures of a chicken run that she made out of pvc (which makes me proud that I was not the only person who made their chicken housing out of that stuff).

Heather includes a recipe for homemade chicken feed and talks about the benefits of giving the chickens a chance to free range at least part of the day to help reduce feed costs. I really like being able to move my chickens around, though I will admit it has been a while since I have done so.

The chapter that impressed me the most was the chapter on How to Cut Up Your Chicken. Heather has included a step by step with very good quality photos. If you will follow Heather's instructions you will be cutting up your frying chickens like a pro in no time. (Do not get frustrated if the first couple of times does not turn out so well, that is normal.) 

Heather covers preserving your meat birds as well. She goes over the basics of freezing and canning the meat. She also includes several recipes.  Heather did an excellent job. This ebook is worth several times more than the $3.99 that she charges.

Now for the best part. Heather has given me permission to give away three copies of this eBook for The Rural Economist anniversary. There are three ways to have the opportunity to win this eBook. (1) Follow this blog by clicking the Join This Site button and leave a comment on this post. (2) Follow The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking HERE. Then find the post about this eBook being given away and post my tagline. It is easy to figure out here is a hint it will be in italics. This eBook is a great recourse to help you....

Keep It Rural

Remember these ebooks will be given away by random draw on November 11th. I will announce the winners both on Facebook and here.

There is a contest running between homestead bloggers. If you like The Rural Economist you can vote for us here. Just find The Rural Economist and click "like" Thanks.

The Gardening Notebook a Review and Giveaway

Angi Schneider of www.schneiderpeeps.com, www.thegardeningnotebook.com, and www.thebusymomsguide.com is offering this wonderful ebook giveaway to help celebrate The Rural Economist's one year anniversary. As you can tell by the list above Angi is a very busy lady so I am honored that she thought enough of The Rural Economist to do this for all of you and for us as well.

This book is a real workhorse if you are planning to have a garden or just want to make your garden better each year. What Angi has done is make a easy and logical way to track your successes and failures. 

Angi has included several suggestions on how you can start working your way toward being more organic, how to keep weeds down in the garden, composting, saving money, and even what plants you should not plant close to each other, as well as what plants benefit each other by planting close.

For each plant Angi included in the book she has included tips as to what helps that plant grow best and covers the common pests and how to deal with these pests. The Gardening Notebook is designed as a tool with printable pages that should be kept in either a folder or three ring binder. This means the longer you use it the more valuable it becomes. 

Now for the best part; not only has Angi allowed me to give away two copies of The Gardening Notebook to celebrate our anniversary, she has also extended a 30% discount to all of The Rural Economist's readers. If you decide to buy The Gardening Notebook please realize that the 30% discount will expire on November 13th. Please follow the link below to purchase your copy and use the discount code RURAL at checkout to receive your 30% discount.Click here to visit Angi Schneider. This book normally retails for $9.95 but until November 13th you can get this eBook for only $6.97.What a deal!

If you would prefer to try to win a copy of this eBook first there are two ways to enter. (1) Follow The Rural Economist by clicking the Join This Site button and leave a comment on this post. (2) Follow The Rural Economist on Facebook by clicking HERE. Comment on the post about this giveaway with the tagline which I include on every blog post I make. Here is a hint- it will be the only thing in italics.

This book will help you keep a better garden which will enable you to....

Keep It Rural

Remember the giveaway will be November 11th. I will post the winners on here as well as on Facebook. The discount code is now active and will expire on November 13th.

There is a contest running between homestead bloggers. If you like The Rural Economist you can vote for us here. Just find The Rural Economist and click "like" Thanks.