TenOaks Homestead Ways

[~MG~]

I've re-created TenOaks in my mind. It's full of gardens, and livestock, and orchards.... and fields of wheat and rye and corn...

Beginning today, everything that I cook, bake or eat, and every method that I use - with the exception of the electric stove and refrigerator - will be done by hand: big bowl, wooden spoon, sharp knife. Now I've done this before , and that's usually my way anyway , but here's what's changed ~~~> The food.

Simply put, if it comes in a can, a jar, a box, or a bottle - it ain't happening. No commercially processed food.

Exceptions: herbs and butter. In time that may change, I just know the energy level required to process butter by hand, and I may yet plant a small herb garden.

So. If, and only if, it can be grown or processed here on the TenOaks homestead, even if just in my mind, it will make it onto our plates.

~~~~~~
I'll keep you posted! Right now I've got dinner rolls in the oven and I'm getting ready to make a batch of cream cheese. Yum!

[T-Man 1066]

I love spaghetti any way I can get it. I like mine with Italian meatballs, cut up chunks of sauteed Hot Italian sausage links, fresh onions, garlic, and mushrooms. I buy the cans of the diced fire roasted tomatoes and garlic along with a bottle of Prego, a dash of red wine, Italian seasonings to taste. let simmer all day in a large pot or the crock pot. Give me a big plate of steaming hot Spaghetti with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and a chunk of garlic bread and then stand back.

The meatballs are frozen, the Italian sausage, Garlic, and shrooms are fresh but the rest is all cans. I make enough for an army so I have leftovers and then I freeze some. I do cheat some unlike my Grandmother who made it from scratch, even the pasta. That's way to much work for me.

That said, MG and T-Man can cook me spaghetti any time. I am a fan.

+1 on the leftovers. I always make extra of everything, that way I can take some to work for lunch instead of cold sandwiches every day.

Sometimes when I make scratch made lasagna, I will bake it, let it cool for about and hour or 2, then throw it in the fridge. Cook something else for that night.

Lasagna then becomes the next day dinner, warm it back up in the oven (Microwave is a blasphemy!!) then make the garlic bread.

Most any Italian food is better second day.

This goes for chili as well.

[Slippy]

Good on you MG! Keep us posted. Our gardens are thriving so far this year. Some from seeds, most from plants. (Yeah, we are still a bit lazy and Home Centers do come in handy with seedlings etc!)

PS Herbs are some of the easiest to grow!

[~MG~]

I might grow some herbs, for sure!
I'd love to have some fresh dill.

It took me long enough to realize it , but I finally figured out that the lazier I am the older I become.

[~MG~]

[~MG~]

Aw..that picture is wonky. They were all pretty even on the top for doneness and they must have tasted okay because as soon as PO smelled them he came in and took one right out of the pan, lol

[Hawg]

I've re-created TenOaks in my mind. It's full of gardens, and livestock, and orchards.... and fields of wheat and rye and corn...

Beginning today, everything that I cook, bake or eat, and every method that I use - with the exception of the electric stove and refrigerator - will be done by hand: big bowl, wooden spoon, sharp knife. Now I've done this before , and that's usually my way anyway , but here's what's changed ~~~> The food.

Simply put, if it comes in a can, a jar, a box, or a bottle - it ain't happening. No commercially processed food.

Exceptions: herbs and butter. In time that may change, I just know the energy level required to process butter by hand, and I may yet plant a small herb garden.

So. If, and only if, it can be grown or processed here on the TenOaks homestead, even if just in my mind, it will make it onto our plates.

~~~~~~
I'll keep you posted! Right now I've got dinner rolls in the oven and I'm getting ready to make a batch of cream cheese. Yum!

Git your bow back out and git you some venison.

[~MG~]

I'll leave the hunting to PO, :D

Hey? When you get a chance? Would you mind making a thread about how to grow garlic?
I really miss all your instructions from the old site.
If you don't wanna that's okay, I can search on YT..I'd just rather learn from the master.

[T-Man 1066]

That is awesome MG! Please update the post with your wins.

I would like to migrate to that, but unfortunately T-Woman is a connoisseur of "easy cookin", and I am stretched too thin with 2 properties and the business to manage. I like cooking more from scratch, she likes box food.

[Texas PO]

I am never going to complain about home made soup, breads, pasta, and such. The woman can cook. That and a half dead cow dragged across the coals every now and again, along with a Pizza, hotdogs, sausage, canned goods, ice cream, etc., will be just fine.

[~MG~]

Don't mind me, I'm just gonna make a list...

milk, cream,
butter (for now)
cheese (block, imported)
eggs, bacon, lard
meats, whole & ground
fresh whole veggies & fruits
flour, sugar, oatmeal, pure maple syrup
S&P, spices, herbs, yeast, baking powder/soda
....and even though it won't grow here - coffee.

[~MG~]

That is awesome MG! Please update the post with your wins.

I would like to migrate to that, but unfortunately T-Woman is a connoisseur of "easy cookin", and I am stretched too thin with 2 properties and the business to manage. I like cooking more from scratch, she likes box food.

If you ever do wander into the kitchen here's a quick delicious spaghetti sauce -

1/2 onion, chopped, browned; 1 lb gr chuck, browned, s&p; 2 cans tomato sauce; lots of sweet basil, oregano, parsley, two cloves garlic-fine chopped. You know what to do.

I'll be making that soon for PO, he loves spaghetti, but instead of the canned tomato sauce I'll add 6 or 7 Roma tomatoes chopped & smashed up. Yummy!

[T-Man 1066]

I normally do meatballs with spaghetti. 1# ground beef, 1/2# ground pork, usually medium spicy. 1 small yellow onion finely diced, garlic (I cheat and buy the jars of roasted minced garlic), dale's steak sauce, and S&P. Hot cast iron skillet to brown them, then saute fresh mushrooms, and throw that all into the sauce. I usually cheat there as well and use bottled sauce. Prego, garden herb. Add a good amount of fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Slice up some italian bread, more garlic, and that's how I unleash my inner dego-wop!

[~MG~]

That's how PO does it, too! Deeeelicious.!! 🤗

[Slippy]

I normally do meatballs with spaghetti. 1# ground beef, 1/2# ground pork, usually medium spicy. 1 small yellow onion finely diced, garlic (I cheat and buy the jars of roasted minced garlic), dale's steak sauce, and S&P. Hot cast iron skillet to brown them, then saute fresh mushrooms, and throw that all into the sauce. I usually cheat there as well and use bottled sauce. Prego, garden herb. Add a good amount of fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Slice up some italian bread, more garlic, and that's how I unleash my inner dego-wop!

My Man!

[Texas PO]

I love spaghetti any way I can get it. I like mine with Italian meatballs, cut up chunks of sauteed Hot Italian sausage links, fresh onions, garlic, and mushrooms. I buy the cans of the diced fire roasted tomatoes and garlic along with a bottle of Prego, a dash of red wine, Italian seasonings to taste. let simmer all day in a large pot or the crock pot. Give me a big plate of steaming hot Spaghetti with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and a chunk of garlic bread and then stand back.

The meatballs are frozen, the Italian sausage, Garlic, and shrooms are fresh but the rest is all cans. I make enough for an army so I have leftovers and then I freeze some. I do cheat some unlike my Grandmother who made it from scratch, even the pasta. That's way to much work for me.

That said, MG and T-Man can cook me spaghetti any time. I am a fan.

[Hawg]

Vermicelli pasta is a must for me.

[T-Man 1066]

I love spaghetti any way I can get it. I like mine with Italian meatballs, cut up chunks of sauteed Hot Italian sausage links, fresh onions, garlic, and mushrooms. I buy the cans of the diced fire roasted tomatoes and garlic along with a bottle of Prego, a dash of red wine, Italian seasonings to taste. let simmer all day in a large pot or the crock pot. Give me a big plate of steaming hot Spaghetti with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and a chunk of garlic bread and then stand back.

The meatballs are frozen, the Italian sausage, Garlic, and shrooms are fresh but the rest is all cans. I make enough for an army so I have leftovers and then I freeze some. I do cheat some unlike my Grandmother who made it from scratch, even the pasta. That's way to much work for me.

That said, MG and T-Man can cook me spaghetti any time. I am a fan.

+1 on the leftovers. I always make extra of everything, that way I can take some to work for lunch instead of cold sandwiches every day.

Sometimes when I make scratch made lasagna, I will bake it, let it cool for about and hour or 2, then throw it in the fridge. Cook something else for that night.

Lasagna then becomes the next day dinner, warm it back up in the oven (Microwave is a blasphemy!!) then make the garlic bread.

Most any Italian food is better second day.

This goes for chili as well.

[~MG~]

We just got back from town, got me muh produce, some meat and eggs and a few treats for PO! Found in the dairy case milk, chocolate milk and heavy cream all from a local dairy... in glass bottles!!! Yessss.

[Hawg]

We just got back from town, got me muh produce, some meat and eggs and a few treats for PO! Found in the dairy case milk, chocolate milk and heavy cream all from a local dairy... in glass bottles!!! Yessss.

Nice haul!

So garlic... yeah git u sum German purple hardneck garlic cloves from a good source. Heirloom preferably then plant the cloves in the fall. Plant 3 to 4 inches deep 6 inches to 1 ft apart in rows. Garlic is easy and low maintenance it doesn't like to be to wet but you may have to water sum. We plant here in October and harvest here in mid to end of July. Probably different in Texas. Its so darn easy even I can do it.