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 To help the honey bees survive winter, we added bee candy to their hives. The candy is made of sugar, water, and high protein pollen substitute; and it’s placed at the top of the hive in winter - ready for the bees should they exhaust their honey reserves.
We mixed 1 1/2 lbs. of water with 8 lbs. of sugar; and then heated to a slow boil while stirring. At about 220 – 230°F, candy consistency should be achieved.
After reaching candy consistency, the mixture gets taken off the heat and 1 lb. of high protein pollen substitute is added.
We chose to put the candy in the deep side of two-sided inner cover. In the [...]
Continue reading Making Bee Candy
 After extracting 83 pounds of honey from the honey bee hive the first time (see Honey Harvest), the question comes up – how can you substitute honey for sugar when baking?
It turns out that you can, but you’re adding liquid – so the recipe has to be adjusted to accommodate the liquid. You can substitute honey for up to half the granulated sugar in a recipe, but for every cup of honey that’s used; the nonsweet liquid should be reduced by 1/4 cup, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda should be added, and the oven temperature should be lowered by 25°F.
So far, this has worked for us – what other rules of thumb [...]
Continue reading Substituting Honey for Sugar in Baking
 I love recipes that I can prepare ahead and then serve a group; and this is one of those dishes. We had it over the Easter holiday and it was delicious – bread pudding for breakfast! What could be better? The recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten. I baked it ahead and then just reheated in the microwave before serving for breakfast. And since it’s served with maple syrup, we added maple bacon for a really great start to the day.
1 challah loaf (egg bread), sliced 3/4″ thick (I couldn’t find challah, so I used egg rolls instead)
8 extra-large eggs
5 cups [...]
Continue reading French Toast Bread Pudding
 We’ve got a bumper crop of sugar snap peas this year (see Growing Sugar Snap Peas), so we’re actually beginning to tire of eating them straight from the garden. This is an easy, flexible, and delicious variation that everyone seems to love.
1 lb. raw sugar snap peas*
Dark sesame oil
Black sesame seeds (white or toasted white may be substituted)
Kosher salt (optional)
Wash, remove the stem end, and “string” each pod. Then toss the snap peas in a bowl with the sesame oil (a little goes a long way), sesame seeds, and kosher salt (if desired). Serve at room temperature. Obviously, the recipe can [...]
Continue reading Sesame Sugar Snaps
 Memorial Day weekend corresponds with our wedding anniversary; so we’re usually off somewhere celebrating. In the past, we’ve traveled exotic places, seen spectacular scenery, and attended great events. But this year we decided to stay put; and since we rarely enjoy a Memorial Day weekend at home, some photographs seemed appropriate.
The cats, Sugar and Spice, are the ones I miss first when we travel, but I also worry about them least – they’re pretty self-sufficient. They’re sisters from the same litter, although you’d never know it by looking at them.
One reason for staying put this year was to get some ongoing projects done. One of these was installing an automatic chicken-coop opener. With it installed, the chicken coop hatch automatically opens when the sun [...]
Continue reading Memorial Day Weekend
 We like chipotle chili powder and we like spiced nuts – so it was almost inevitable that the two would end up in a recipe together. I first made them for the Superbowl party last weekend; and everyone loved them, so they’re a new favorite. Spicy, sweet, and salty all at once – from brown sugar, maple syrup, and chipotle chili powder. They’re very easy too.
2 lbs. deluxe whole mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, etc.), salted
vegetable oil
1/3 cup pure maple sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons ground chipotle pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat a sheet pan [...]
Continue reading Chipotle Roasted Nuts
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