Rosemary Grissini Crackers & Farmin' Friday

Ah, the everlasting quest to use up that almond pulp! I'm always throwing together an experiment that may or may not be awesome. This recipe is one I make every other month or so. I always seem to forget exactly how I did it the time before.

Gluten and wheat free, this cracker is basically- almond pulp. It is amazing! Doesn't taste like almonds, insanely crunchy, and they last forever. Anytime I bring these to a potluck, no one can believe I made them, and then, no one can believe they are raw and healthy. hahaha! I love tricking SAD (Standard American Diet) people! Showing people that eating healthy can be deliciousness, easy and not break the bank gives me great satisfaction.  I'm actually coaching my cousin right now through a detox and cleanse. She is kicking her own butt with exercise and completely re-designing her diet. I'm thrilled to be helping her along.

I used to love rosemary grissini. Crispy, salty, crunchy, with that touch of oil and rosemary.. ah! Total Italian heaven! Oh wait, that is Caprese...  This cracker reminds me so much of those, I had to give it props. I think you could roll these out into grissini shapes and dehydrate forever and get a similar result. I've been meaning to try that.

Okay, crackers! haha.. I mean, here are the crackers:

Rosemary Grissini Crackers
1 C Almond Pulp (I don't usually add sweetener or vanilla to my milk.. make sure you don't for this)
2 Tbs Flax Meal
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Rosemary (crushed in hand.. coarse)
1 tsp Thyme (ground/powdered)
1/2 tsp salt
*extra oil and salt for the tops

Mix very, very well in a bowl (I'm trying to go a whole week without my food processor!-um still using the blender though).
Spread thickly, evenly onto dehydrator sheets. Score now (or forever hold your peace!).
It's better to dehydrate for 1 hour or so before scoring.. but sometimes I forget and then I have to break pieces off.
Dehydrate at 104F.
After 2 hours or so, you can carefully move the crackers to a screen for faster drying.. but it isn't neccessary.
Continue drying overnight or until as crispy as you like!
In the morning, I'll brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt and let dry another 30 minutes or so.

Probably a bake-able recipe. I'd say start with 300F for 10 minutes.. watch closely for browning edges.

One other way I love to make crackers is with seeds! You can really use just about anything. Sometimes I add in lots of different seeds and spices to make an extra flavorful cracker. You could also go sweet with cinnamon and honey or cocoa/carob for a graham cracker.. just score large.

Here is an easy variation:

Honey Sesame Crunch
Same recipe as above- omit: herbs
Add 1/2 C Sesame (I like it chock full)
1/4 C honey
1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional-I've tried it both ways)

Follow the same instructions! Enjoy!

Farmin' Friday!
It was one busy week on the farm! A lot of mending, planting, picking, weeding, etc. There may have been a few hammock naps in there too. I've barely used the internet. Just the way I like it.

Well, the garden is near full bloom! It's much better than last year. We are definitely getting the hang o Alaska gardening. Down south we felt like pros! There is always more to learn about gardening. Always buying more books, trying to techniques. It's a lifelong adventure. Right now we are picking many various greens, lettuces, chards, cucumbers, broccoli rabe, young beets and turnips. That is all that is ready as the gardening season here is late and slow. One thing I'm particularly excited about is my purple Kohlrabi and my red onions, brandywine tomatoes.. and my dragon carrots. I'm excited about all of it.. but I especially love the funky colored stuff. Interesting fact; moose are color blind.. for example, they will eat red cabbage and walk right over green cabbage! haha

Speaking of moose! I was weeding, so I'm on the ground, low, quiet, and this moose and TWIN calves walk right by me (on the other side of the fence). It was magical. Gosh, what a moment. According to the local biologists, the twin rate is very high this year.

I'll let pictures say the rest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner, the injured chicken, is doing much better! She is hobble-walking and cackling. She wants to hang with her friends so bad, but because she limps, they picked on her. I chaperoned until it go out of control and brought her back into the garden with me. She is still sleeping inside. Here she is chilling in the raspberries (which, luckily aren't ready or she would annihilate them!).

Blossom Salad & Farmin' Friday

Did you know you can eat many flower blossoms?? So many beautiful blossoms are ready for picking, and I definitely have all I need for salad this time of year. Summer time salads are so much more fun that the same ol winter green salads. I love bright colors, and this salad just makes me smile. You can take this as an example and create your own! I just used what I picked that day. And, I measured by hand.

Jo's Blossom Salad
Greens:
1 C Spinach
1/2 C Arugula
1/2 C Chard
1/2 C Mixed lettuces
1/4 C Kohlrabi leaves (young thinnings)

Toppings:
Handful of Arugula Blossoms
Handful of Chive Blossoms
2 Strawberries Chopped
1/4 Pear Chopped
Sprinkle of Pumpkin Seeds
Sprinkle of Coconut
Sprinkle of Alfalfa sprouts

Dressing: I just drizzled on Raspberry Vinegar and Grapeseed oil.. anything goes.. simple is best for this so you can experience all the tangy/spicy and sweet flavors. Enjoy!

Newbie Farmin Chronicles:
SO much has happened on our little farm lately, I almost need a blog dedicated to it. To keep this post as short as possible, here is a short sentence recap of the past week:

Recap: Plymouth Rock Chicken "Dinner" disappears/Black Bear on property-firearm gets carried around/Mysterious dead vole every morning (the cat)/Crazy Ptarmigan drives the dogs to lunacy/Sparky the duck fights a chicken/goshawk returns and there is a stick vs predator match/"Dinner" is found/Buff Orp Hen "Betty" is limping/Hens are hiding eggs in the fireweed and shed/Juicy Fathead the rooster is a bad ass

Ah, so, pictures may explain more briefly.... I didn't get a photo of the bear because I ran for the rifle and had the cat in my arm, and I could get a picture of the fresh vole this morning.. but no. (Just to clarify, I don't shoot to kill anything.. unless it threatens me. The sound alone scares them off).

Crazy Ptarmigan

Background: We are amateur chicken keepers. This is our second year (well, mine-not my hubs). We added to our flock this year to prepare for selling eggs in town. Duck eggs, chicken eggs, and next spring-3 different breed hatching eggs. Our adults are free range. Once they left the brooder box, we kept them penned in from age 4 wks-7wks because they were still small (and vunerable). Now, we only keep them penned in at night (they go in the coop on their own) for their safety. In the winter I have to shovel snow so they can walk out. Our young flock is currently penned (still small and it's hawk 'season' here). We'll keep them in a bit longer to grow large enough that they can protect themselves when integrated with our older flock. After giving a few away as gifts, and 5 dying (hawk/weak chicks) over the last year, we have 55 birds total.

No Yoga: Once the birds are old enough, chickens are relatively moderate maintenance. Well, at least in comparison to having one adult flock, a younger flock, a flock of ducks, a barn under construction, a special needs chicken and an injured chicken. I love having so much going on. It really keeps me busy (and outside!) however, it has disturbed my yoga routine (usually early morning before I work online) and I'm feeling stiff and maaybe a little cranky.. nah.. cranky before bed though.

Hmm.. lets start with the most exciting. Yesterday I was picking greens in the garden, on the other side of the fence my adult flock was hanging out eating the thinnings/scraps I stuck through the fencing.

stayed like this forever

  
The roo and the hawk and the woman with the stick: So, my adult rooster is a bad ass. He fought a hawk twice last year, losing many feathers. He looks for his hens when they are missing. When he hears one cackle in distress, you've never seen a fat feathered butt run so fast! He's also gentle with the hens and eats crackers out of my hand. Very cool guy.

Hii-yah!

They were eating and making happy chicken sounds.. and he makes this sound that gives me a bad feeling and I though "why is he warning them/is he mad at me?" and I look over (he is 5 inches away from me) and all the chickens look up, so I look up and holy shiz there is a hawk, head bent, low, eyeing the young chicks near the barn. I yelled "hawk!" haha! to who? The rooster? He's like "duh!" And I ran, handful of spinach (that I found later on the ground), jumped out of the garden, grabbed a stick and waited. I normally have the .22 out for bears. And we had a bear hanging out this past week. What was I thinking? Well, 2nd option is a shovel/rake.. I must have actually put those away, and had to grab a long stick (waiting to be used as a roost bar).

2010-Juicy Himself!

So, I jump into the young chicks pen area and wait. Here it comes.. I hear the rooster-who has already herded the hens into their penned area (which is safe and netted-the young pen area is incomplete). I'm standing there inbetween hot pink and orange incomplete netting, ready to swing. The young chicks see the hawk and run and hide.. the hawk hovers right over the barn, and I see how dang big it is now. She swoops down and guess who turns into Babe Ruth (oh wait-was he a pitcher?).. she is thwarted and flies into a tree across the yard. I wait. For 15 minutes. I knew she was coming back because all of a sudden a chicken cries and herds the ducks (that was funny) and they all run. So she comes even closer this time! And I just kept swinging and after a minute of this showdown (she's like WHAT is that??) flew towards the neighbors. So I ran in and called them to warn. We have wildlife phone chains here. That was pretty exciting. I felt really triumphant.

Found the Lost One: Last bit of excitement was later that night. We found "Dinner" alive and under a tarp (that was covering some lumber). A weeks worth of chicken poo dried to her butt and she had laid an egg under there. After a minute, we got her to drink some water. And after about 20 she bit at a strawberry and chowed on some wet cornmeal. But, she didn't get up. And, after 13 hours, she still has not gotten up. I carried her inside after the first hour though and put her up in a brooder box with everything she needs. She holds her wing out for balance. One wing is missing quite a few primary feathers, all except 2. Her leg might be stiff, as she holds it in one direction-back. I checked her out and see no wounds, feel no broken bones. We'll see what happens.

Crooked Beak: Lastly.. little crooked beak. She is also a Plymouth Rock and has a birth deformity that has worsened. She needs special attention with feed. She does not get picked on, which is great. Very ambitious, she escapes the pen (the only one that knows how) and follows me around the yard for food. She likes to hang out on my arm too-while I'm working. Too funny. What a character. Isn't she cute/pitiful?

Update:  Little Crooked Beak passed away over winter. :(