See you in the wind

2010-05-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

Please send your

spirited and lovely wings

over here...

Upon last weeks history crunch I learned even more about the Dust Bowl of 1931 that took place in the Southern Plains {wheat country} it was the time of record breaking crop, toiled and grown in the untamed prairie. You see, Washington wanted wheat to supply our soldiers for WW1 and this was the place to find it... the soil was so rich it reminded people of chocolate... so the grain was grown... and then the rain stopped... and the wind started to blow. It was the beginning of a battle between man an nature that would last nearly a decade.... that year the drought and wind took 800 tons of topsoil, was plain blown away {what took a 1000 years to "become", was dusted completely off in mere minutes to create a 100 acre wasteland} that is what became of the heartland... the Dakota's, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Black dust from Kansas, Grey from Colorado and New Mexico, red from Texas. Bone dry. Breathing dust day in and day out, families dying of Dirt Pneumonia, 1/3 of them Kansas' children. Eventually there was a mass exodus of 1/4 plains population...

1932: 14 dust storms....

1933: thirty eight...

1934: Livestock feed depleted, and the government began to purchase and destroy the cattle...

1935: starving jackrabbits by the hundreds devoured anything left in sight resembling meager sustenance... crows made nest of barbed wire... The day of Black Sunday... the world already crumbling around these people.... 1000 birds fled all at once proceeding the darkest blackest cloud of dust... 12 million tons of dust blew to Chicago {41 lbs. each person}... and then our Eastern states tasted, breathed, smelled as the wind and dark dirt traveled to Washington...

{Images}

In a land of high winds and sun, a country without rivers and very little rain... the government was worried about penniless refugees... but never the less the people were strong and their integrity mighty, worn and beaten by the wind they still stood, starved and broke... Hugh Bennett founder of the 'last man standing' brought in some hope, in what seemed a hopeless situation... government supplemented "practices" where the workers toiled bare soil dawn to dusk to prevent barren fields... they kept driving the soil with gas and instinct. Then in 1938, there was a 65% reduction in blowing soil, yet still drought... People were now only surviving on government work projects earning $1.35 a day, families and children surviving on beans and cornbread at best... Sundays, one worker fiddled in a band his hands so dried, worked, and cracked they bled... the thin thread of faith snapped for many... people just packed what little they had and left for California not even bothering to close the door behind them...

Finally... Spring 1939, the sky's finally opened, nearly a decade later, and released the rain...

...the dirt and dust was finally coming to an end.

And for those who still love the wind, as I always will, in remembrance of these hearty people and weathering days.

Making Yogurt

2010-05-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

My ma came home a few days prior with this instructional book on how to start your own Home Creamery, we had already been purchasing our milk from Black Hills Milk for a good year by now, and Mary had been making yogurt for our family for years. We made our first batch of butter from Black Hills Milk cream almost a year ago and I've become a snob for it since... The desire to make our own cheese has been germinating for some time as well, the catalyst which prompted us to take action on making our own cheese was this book.

And since the my family has such a strong foundation in do-it-yourself living and thriving on sustainable principles {very Foxfire indeed} we too believe we should share our knowledge, after all one cannot keep what they do not give...

and so, thus begins our No. 1

Homemade on the Homestead Tutorial

Yogurt

Equipment:

Two to Three qt. Saucepan to hold one quart of milk (4 cups)

Food thermometer, reading range = (0 to 225 oF)

Mixing bowls

Some type of incubator, for this I used a Kelner Yogurt maker

yet we also have the Professional Yogurt Maker which Mary likes to use.

these may be found at your local hardware/kitchen store in price ranges from $17 to $70. I used the 6oz containers that holds at least 7 of these cups (one may use glass, crockery, food-grade plastic or stainless steel) or use individual custard cups or jelly jars — then the yogurt can be eaten directly from the container in which it was made.

Ingredients:

4 cups milk

Fresh Milk, you may use regular, low fat or non-fat milk. It is not necessary to heat the milk {if it is not RAW}. The yogurt made with cold milk will have the consistency of soft custard. If you prefer a firmer yogurt, slowly bring the milk to a boiling point, then let it cool to a luke warm (90-120 f)

Raw Milk, milk which has not been pasteurized should be boiled for two to three minutes, then cooled to luke warm (90-120 F)

Powdered Milk, reconstitute powdered milk to make one qt.

4 tablespoons Natural Commercial Yogurt or Homemade yogurt or Yogurt culture starter

I heat 4 cups {raw} milk, from Black Hills Milk, to 180 F.

testing temperature with the thermometer until it reaches its heating point.

While heating the milk, I prepare a cold bath to help it cool down faster.

Temperature should range from (110 to 120) when you add it to the 4 tablespoons of yogurt.

Next I add 4 tablespoons of our last weeks yogurt to a bowl, then slowly add the heated milk to the bowl while stirring to create a smooth consistency,

I'm trying to avoid a gritty texture. I then combine all the milk.

Then I fill my jars close to the top.

Once filled, careful to avoid too much agitation, I place the lids on the jars and incubate them for 9 to 12 hours. The longer they warm the tarter the taste and firmer the texture.

Mornings when I know the yogurt is in the fridge, my first allegiance is to my tummy, then I start my day... that's how much I enjoy this stuff. The kids gobble it up too.

You are in for a real treat especially if you've never tasted homemade yogurt.

Enjoy.

A muse... Riding pony in the wind and dust.

2010-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Dust Bowl of 1931 that took place in the Southern Plains {wheat country} was a time of record breaking crop, toiled and grown in the untamed prairie. You see, Washington wanted wheat to supply our soldiers for WW1 and this was the place to find it... the soil was so rich it reminded people of chocolate... so the grain was grown... and then the rain stopped... and the wind started to blow. It was the beginning of a battle between man an nature that would last nearly a decade.... that year the drought and wind took 800 tons of topsoil, was plain blown away {what took a 1000 years to "become", was dusted completely off in mere minutes to create a 100 acre wasteland} that is what became of the heartland... the Dakota's, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Black dust from Kansas, Grey from Colorado and New Mexico, red from Texas. Bone dry. Breathing dust day in and day out, families dying of Dirt Pneumonia, 1/3 of them Kansas' children. Eventually there was a mass exodus of 1/4 plains population...

1932: 14 dust storms....

1933: thirty eight...

1934: Livestock feed depleted, and the government began to purchase and destroy the cattle...

{Images}

Finally... Spring 1939, the sky's finally opened, nearly a decade later, and released the rain...

...the dirt and dust was finally coming to an end.

And for those who still love the wind, as I always will, in remembrance of these hearty people and weathering days.