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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Just a Little Crafty and A Crafting Fail



I am not what most people would call artsy. With me function is king. When my wife told me she really wanted a bedside table I said, "We have those old potato crates that can be stacked and make a real nice bedside table". I thought it would look nice, but that was not the look she was hoping for. She still doesn't have that table, it was not that high on the priorities list.

If I were to try to define my style, I would call it Rustic Chic. Before today I didn't even know that was a term and I still believe it was only coined so folks like me could feel like we are at least a little in style with something. In fact the term is being debated as to whether it is a complement to rural/country people or an insult. Let's see, city people buying things to decorate their homes or offices to look like what they think country peoples homes used to look like. Hum, I don't care. Some people just want to be offended. I wouldn't care if they called it Rural Chic. Hey I may have coined a new term.

It is the holiday season and we are rapidly coming up on Christmas. Fresh cut Christmas trees have arrived by the thousands at local home improvement, department stores, and even vacant lots. Before these beautiful trees go to homes and are decorated for the season the bottom branches are removed and part of the lower stump is cut off and discarded. That is where the gears should start turning in our heads.

As you can see in the picture above I took some of the limbs that were trimmed and decorated the hearth. We had the artificial poinsettia blooms and the painted pine cones already. Total cost of this decoration zero dollars.

On To The Trunk


From the trunk I decided to make drink coasters. I am not sure where I got the idea, but a friend of mine and myself both decided to do the same thing. He was lucky enough to work the Christmas trees on Black Friday, so he was able to use the electric chainsaw and cut pieces to the right thickness from the very beginning. I wasn't so lucky so I took all of the larger pieces I could find. I have found that larger pieces are easier to work with and you can get more coasters out of each piece.


This would be really easy if I had a band saw, but I don't so I am using the fold-able pruning saw that I keep in the truck with me. The most challenging parts are trying to keep a consistent thickness between the pieces (or at least close enough) and keeping each piece the same thickness all the way across. Some variation is acceptable and adds character to the coaster, but I do not want the glass to look like it is leaning. I had to throw a couple away due to uneven thickness.


There you go. Just a little sanding and a coat or two of spar varnish and these coaster will last for years. Great for the home, great as gifts and if you don't varnish them they only cost you some time and sweat. By the way you cannot find coaster like this on Amazon, at least I have not been able to and on eBay a set of 4 runs from $10.00 to $20.00 a set.

The coaster pictured above is large enough to be a pot holder as well.

A word if warning if the 12 coasters I cut 9 cracked. I don't know if this is unique to Douglas Fir. I have never had wood crack this bad before.



Don't forget you can like The Rural Economist on Facebook, join our email list by filling out the form to the top right of this page, and/or join this site by clicking the button to the right.
May you have Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes.

For instructions on making a homemade wreath you can go here. You can always scale it down to fit your need.
http://learningandyearning.com/2010/12/11/evergreen-christmas-wreath/

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

An Incredible Homemade Christmas (Giveaway)

Erica Mueller's photo.


During the Holiday season we tend to focus on others. We buy or make gifts for those we care about. There is something special about a hand made item. Something that someone has taken the time to craft themselves. They have put a part of who they are into these items.

We as a culture spend way too much time at the big box stores and then many of us complain about the slow death of small business. Well here is your opportunity to win some great stuff and help promote small and cottage based businesses. With over $240 worth of prizes one lucky winner will receive several small gifts in the mail over the next couple of weeks. Just imagine never knowing if one of these great things will show up in your mail each day. I really encourage all of you to share this giveaway on any social media you might participate in. We are helping the little man and woman stake a claim in the modern economy.

Just look below and tell me this is not a huge haul of wonderful homemade items. Good luck.

I wish you all Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes.


Total Giveaway Prize Value - Over $240
  Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Goat Milk Soap from Yonderhill Farm Goat Milk Soap and House. Barn. Farm. - $6 value Yonderhill Farm carries a great selection of Goat Milk Soaps made by hand.. We use the milk of our sweet nigerian dwarf dairy goats to create beautiful, creamy, luxurious soaps for everyday use
Lip Balm
.. Peppermint Lip Balm from Green Eggs & Goats - $3 value Hand-crafted products straight from our farm to you! We sell lip balms as well as honey and jams when they are available. We are also working on some feather crafts that should be ready to list soon!

Brooch
 
Charcoal Felt Dahlia Brooch Pin from ktnunna Handmade Jewelry & Accessories and Colored Egg Homestead - $9.50 value I started making jewelry when my daughter was just a baby. I began creating pretty little things for her and myself to wear. At the suggestion of my friends and family I opened ktnunna in 2009. I have been surprised and humbled at the support and encouragement I have received since beginning this little business. View the brooch here!

Fingerless Gloves with Lace
  Fingerless Gloves-Navy with White Lace from Timber Creek Farm - $25 value Homegrown wool creates Hand spun homemade yarns and accessories. The wool is from our sheep and Pygora goats and we also sell other types of wool and natural yarns. The accessories are handmade and embellished with vintage style lace and buttons to create a unique accessory. For the giveaway, we are donating a pair of fingerless gloves embellished with lace at the cuff.

bracelet

 Beautiful and functional! 2-color Paracord Bracelet from Handmade by Blair and Survival at Home - $10 value Hand sewn crafts and paracord gear made with love by the Blair family. NOTE: This will be made to order for the winner. Winner will be put in touch with Patrick to select colors and size.

wool-dryer-balls-300x300
  Natural Wool Dryer Balls from Joybillee Farm - $30 value Joybilee Farm is a fiber farm and artisan studio located in British Columbia, Canada. Each product in our lineup is handcrafted from our own sustainable harvest, and will help you live the JOYful, fearless, creative life that lets you "laugh at the time to come." Check out the drier balls!

blanket
  Toddler No-Sew Blanket from Lil' Suburban Homestead's Etsy Store - $35 value Hi I am KarenLynn at Lil' Suburban Homestead currently we are selling no-sew fleece blankets! I have a beautiful toddler no-sew fleece blanket that we will be giving away for this wonderful Homestead Bloggers Network Holiday Giveaway! NOTE: Blanket pictured and linked to is a larger size. This giveaway is for a toddler sized blanket!

Neck Pack

  Neck Pack with Eye Pack Included from Simply Herbs Country Store and Simply Living Simply - $25 value We are stocked with a distinctive selection of individually hand-crafted and organic herbal products, and a few other products specifically chosen by me that I think you may like. Our current selections include Herbal Packs, Kat's Herbal Teas, Goat Herbal Tea Soap, Organic Essential Oils and Herbal Kits! Read about the Neck Pack here!

Charlie
  Charlie the Robot Mug by MereWare and ImagineAcres - $25 value I use a pottery wheel powered by my imagination to create monsters, robots, and gnomes out of clay. Some of these creatures are functional- in the form of mugs, bowls, and jars. Others are made for the pure fun of it, and serve as loveable pieces of art. Meet Charlie.

Ornament
  "Here Comes Santa" Vintage Hallmark Keepsake Ornament from Once And Again and Spring Mountain Living - $25 value A collection of fabrics, vintage and handmade items - from the UP to you! See the ornament.
pendant

  3D Abstract Pendant - One of a Kind from Ever Growing - $25 value One of a kind 3D pendants & paintings, handcrafted with lots of care, intention and attention to detail using joint compound and acrylics. This pendant is 1 1/2 inches X 1 inch abstract yellow, green and silver teardrop shaped.

Washcloth Pattern PDF
  Easy Rectangle Crochet Dish Cloth Crochet Pattern PDF from The Mind to Homestead (on Etsy) and The Mind to Homestead blog - $4 value The Mind to Homestead carries pattern PDFs for the crochet patterns that I have written.


necklace
  Feminine, Rustic Stacked Turquoise Bead Necklace on Antique Copper Chain from Original Organics - $24 Value Original Organics features natural, earth-inspired jewelry handmade from recycled materials as much as possible. In my shop you can find mostly earrings featuring wood, turquoise, and beads of all kinds, natural stone yoga/stacker bracelets, delicate necklaces, and antique spoon jewelry. I also use 100% biodegradable shipping materials from EcoEnclose - being as eco-friendly as possible from my studio to your doorstep :)

TGN original
The Gardening Notebook cd or download from SchneiderPeeps - Value $10 The Gardening Notebook you will help you create a custom gardening notebook. With over 100 pages of gardening information and printables you can create just what you need to keep track of your garden. The winner can choose to have The Gardening Notebook on CD or instant download.

At Home Canning DVD
  At Home Canning DVD from New Life on a Homestead - $19.95 value In At Home Canning For Beginners & Beyond, you’ll get almost 2 full hours of step-by-step instructions on how to can fruits, veggies, meats, and meals-in-a-jar.

HBN Holiday Recipes2 300x300  BONUS! Every item here was donated by a member of the Homestead Bloggers Network and most of these great bloggers have come together to bring you a brand new holiday cookbook, Homemade Holiday Recipes and we're including a copy as part of this giveaway. Please note that this is a digital product and will be sent to you via email.

Enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. Giveaway runs from Dec 9th through Dec 16th at 12:00am CST. Winner will be notified via email and given 24 hours to respond. Gift items will be shipped directly from the small businesses that donated them, so prizes will arrive in individual packages over a period of several days.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Rural Wisdom and Know How #4

Thanksgiving has past. Black Friday and Cyber Monday has come and gone. People are spending money like there is no tomorrow. All to buy the latest gadget that will keep them entertained for a little while. I work in retail and had to work on Black Friday. I will say I am more than a little concerned with the trends that I am seeing. We truly are in a consumer based society.

Don't get me wrong gift giving has been a part if the Christmas season for as long as there has been a Christmas. Originally, though the gifts were more personal and most were homemade. Some of the best gifts I have ever received have had the emphasis on thought. These are truly the best gifts. I have included a link below about the birthday gift my wife gave me this year. It was incredible and I used items from that gift weekly till this day. Read The Best Birthday Gift

Part Time Homesteader

I have come to the truly horrifying realization that I do not have enough time or energy to do all of the things I want to do on my homestead. Both my wife and I work full time jobs on different shifts. My job if fairly physically demanding, some weeks are worse that others. This has put a major strain on my body. As a result I am not accomplishing near what I had hoped. I see others doing so much more than I am and I feel as if somehow I am failing on my goals. That is until I take a closer look. Those that are accomplishing more than I am have one or more of the following advantages when it comes to the homestead: (1) They make more money that we do and can thus hire out some of the labor of building an outbuilding for example (2) One or the other of the couple do not have a traditional job, some are contractors and consultants so they only work in spurts or (3) One of the couple works at home.

Rather than throwing my hands up in defeat and becoming just another spoke in the wheel of the system, I have decided that I need to extend my planning period. All of the things that I wanted to accomplish next year, may take two or three years to complete. That is not a bad thing as long as I continue to work toward my goal.

The thing I want you to take away from this is just because you are not getting as much done as you would like does not mean that you are not moving forward. So times we have to re evaluate our situation and change our timeline.

We are pleased to announce that The Rural Economist has a new affiliate. Trayer Wilderness Inc. Please click the link to the right to see what they have to offer the outdoors person on your Christmas list.

Questions for The Week

(1) Have you started planning for next year on your homestead?
(2) What is your favorite Christmas carol?
(3) I ask this on The Rural Economist Facebook page, but if you could have one thing for Christmas and not worry about price, what would it be?
(4) I know this one sounds strange but, what time of year are power outages most likely where you live?

My Answers
(1) I have started planning. We are going to put in a lot more tomato, jalapeno, and bell pepper plants than we did this year.
(2) My favorite is I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day (lots of people have never even heard of it)
(3) I would like to have the land right across the road from our house.
(4) Winter is our most likely time for an outage. Normally caused by ice storms. We haven't had one in a couple of years. I think we are due.


The Rural Economist

Friday, November 22, 2013

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.




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
The Rural Economist

Wise Decor Giveaway

Bless This House With Love

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.


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

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Carter's Homestead Sweet Potato Casserole


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


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

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.

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.

Friday, November 15, 2013

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 21st through the 27th 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.



The Rural Economist

The Rural Economist

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

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...

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