Thistle Dew Farmstead

Author: Karl

  • Basil Pesto with Walnuts

    This is our go to pesto recipe.

    Prep Time: 30 mins
    Cook Time: 3 mins
    Servings: 6-8

    Ingredients

    • 1 Cup basil leaves packed*
    • 4 Cloves of garlic
    • 1/2 Cup toasted walnuts
    • 1/3 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 oz grated Parmesan Cheese**
    • 1/4 Tsp of salt

    Instructions

    1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor
    2. Process until nearly smooth. Additional oil can be slowly added to thin if needed for desired consistency.
    3. Transfer to a storage container and cover.
    4. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

    Farm Notes & Variations

    This can be placed into small containers and frozen. I recommend using portion sized containers. Can also be placed in an ice cube tray and frozen.

    Notes:

    * For freshly picked basil pack the leaves. If the basil has begun to wilt less packing is needed.

    ** 2 oz of grated Parmesan cheese is approximately 1 cup.

    Adapted from: [Original Source Name / Link]

  • Toasted Walnuts

    This is how to toast walnuts

    Prep Time: 2 mins
    Cook Time: 7 to 10 mins
    Servings: ?

    Ingredients

    • Walnuts

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 F
    2. Spread walnuts evenly on a baking sheet.
    3. Toast for 7 to 10 minutes. Done when golden brown and they smell good.
    4. Remove and cool before using.

    Farm Notes & Variations

    No story needed. Use this recipe if you need toasted walnuts. We do this when making pesto.

    Adapted from: no specific reference.

  • Thistle Dew Beef Roast

    Beef Roast in crock pot prior to starting

    This recipe is ever changing based on what we have on hand when we make it. This is the latest version.

    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 8+ hours
    Servings: 4-6

    Ingredients

    • 3 lb Boneless Chuck Roast
    • 1 Cup Chicken Bone Broth
    • 2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1 Pack Ranch Dressing mix
    • 1/2 Stick Butter
    • 8 Pepperoncinis
    • Garlic Powder
    • Onion Powder
    • Black Pepper

    Instructions

    1. Place Roast in crockpot
    2. Add other ingredients on top
    3. Slow cook for 8 hours
    4. Should be fall apart tender when done

    Farm Notes & Variations

    I just sprinkle the Garlic and Onion powder on top for a good dusting. The black pepper is fresh ground.

    Adapted from: This has been changed so often I no longer have a reference for this recipe

  • Spicy Corn on the Cob

    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Servings: 3-6

    Ingredients

    • 8 TBS Salted Butter
    • 2 TBS Honey
    • 1 Cup Milk
    • 3 Jalapenos, Sliced
    • 6 Ears of Corn

    Instructions

    1. Choose a large pot.
    2. Add Water to the pot. Add butter, milk, jalapenos and honey.
    3. Boil water on high heat.
    4. When water boils add corn. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let sit for about 2 minutes.
    5. Remove corn and serve.

    Thistle Dew Notes:

    Please give us feed back on this recipe.

    Adapted from: https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/jalapeno-honey-butter-corn/#wprm-recipe-container-46199

  • My first recipe

    Print Recipe

    Boiled Water

    If you are like me you need to start with the easy stuff
    Prep Time2 minutes
    Cook Time10 minutes
    Course: Soup
    Keyword: Super Easy
    Author: Karl

    Equipment

    • Pot

    Ingredients

    • 4 Cups Water

    Instructions

    • Add water to pot
    • Place pot on stove
    • Turn on stove
      ***note – only turn on the burner that pot is on.
    • Wait

    Notes

    This is really easy for beginners.  The flavor is lacking though.

  • Field to Forest 2017-12-03

    Field to Forest 20171203I took this picture of the field to forest experiment today.  It has been 18 months since the last post.  The picture doesn’t look like much but the area of “high grass” has not been touched in the last 2 years.  Some small treas are growing but nothing significant yet.  Some other areas of the property are converting faster however this is the only area that I plan to not touch.

    I have taken a few pictures of this area since the experiment however I have not been posting because nothing significant has been happening.

  • Field to Forest Experiment

    Zone 5 - From Tree in Yard

    It is said that a field is a forest waiting to happen.  Yesterday I cut the grass in what was the field and I left a a section at the far end of the property uncut.  This will be my Permaculture Zone 5 which is unmanaged land.  My plan is to not do anything with this section of land and see what happens.  I assume the edge of the tree line will creep into the field over time.

    My plan is to take a picture at the beginning of each month to document the progress of the forest.  The picture at the top of the post is from the yard.  The next two pictures are different angles.

    Zone 5 - From End of Tree Line Zone 5 - From Corner of Food Forest

  • Seed Video

    I was working in the yard yesterday while Evelyn was collecting seeds from her favorite flowers.  She was collecting dandelion seeds in a sandwich bag.

    Dandelion Farm
    Dandelion Farm

    She was moving from seed ball to seed ball and filling filling her bag.  I asked if I could video her and ask a few questions.  She said “OK but I may be a little shy”.  with that I made the Seed Video that is now on the Thistle Dew Farmstead YouTube Channel.

    I am still learning WordPress so for now I am pressing forward with posts and putting content out here I as I have time.  I am trying to document my adventures with Evelyn and make posts about the what is happen on the Farmstead.

    Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions or thoughts you may have.

  • Physics Lesson

    I had a teaching moment with Evelyn today.  I wanted to see if I could move an old claw foot tub.  The tub was not moved very far but some good lessons were learned.  The tub probably weights between 250 and 350 pounds and we moved it a short distance with T-Post, piece of log and part of an old telephone pole.

    I don’t know how much Evelyn will retain but she does know a T-Post can be used as a lever and a piece of log can be used as a fulcrum.  A lever is one of the six simple machines  identified by Renaissance scientists.  I don’t remember what grade I was in but I know it was high school physics when Mr. Underkoffler taught me about the six simple machines.  I don’t expect Evelyn to understand the math behind a lever and fulcrum but she does know that she can use a lever to lift something that too heavy to lift without a “machine”.

    Tomorrow I will have her looking for levers in the world around her.

    I will also have a Facebook post and YouTube video to go with this post.  I am still working on making better links to the blog.  I also just realized that I have no photos from tonight just video.  So this post will have no photos.

  • Happy New Year

    For the first day of 2016 we spent the day on the Farmstead and enjoyed a day off.  It was a great day.  We slept in then put a pork roast and sauerkraut in the crock pot for dinner.  We worked around the house to the aroma of slow cooking pork and kraut.Surveying

    I spent about an hour outside measuring and setting landscape flags for the future chicken area and food forest.  I will be putting the measurements into Google SketchUp and working the plans up on the computer over the next few months so hopefully I will have a plan for chickens and planting in the spring.

    After I was done measuring and placing flags Tandy and I walked around the land.  I think she was chasing field mice in the tall grass.  I saw at least 7 blue birds in the tree line along the road.

    It was a good day.