Homestead Christmas Candy

Some parts of living the homestead life require sacrifice, like store-bought candy at Christmas.  At least, that's what I thought.  As our candy-making skills have improved, my sense of loss has subsided.

Caramel is easy.  We've fine-tuned the recipe as we've figured out how to make it perfect every time.  Here is our recipe.

My ten-year old made some for her girl scout party.  As the girls were gobbling it up, she told them that it's made with cream that came out of a cow.  Americans really have internalized the idea that unless food comes from a factory there is something unsafe about it.  The girls hesitated, but then went right back to the caramel. 

We found a recipe for buttermints in my mother-in-law's 1950's cookbook.  They are much easier than we expected.  Mix one egg white, 2 teaspoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon mint oil, and 2 cups powdered sugar.  Shape into little balls, and set them out to dry.  My daughter made another batch that she rolled out on wax paper and then cut into tiny rectangles.  She liked those better.

Today we made our first batch of fudge.  Fudge has to be done right and I've had more failures than successes.  My friend showed me how last year and I wrote it down.  After cooking it, there is a stirring stage that can last a while and is *really* hard on your arms.  My husband and I took turns, waiting for it to turn from glossy to velvety.  One of us stirred and the other watched.  Finally, he called it and we poured.  It turned out absolutely perfect. The flavor is rich and the texture is smooth. 

Our next attempt will be almond rocca, but right now we're having trouble getting past the amazing candy we've already made.  Yeah, this is no sacrifice.

Winter Harvest

This is our first year we planted for a winter harvest and so far so good.  We grew a variety pack of carrots last summer and then covered them in leaves when the weather turned cold.  The other day, I moved the leaves aside and dug out a good bunch of them.  Since they were old, I expected them to be a little woody, but they are sweet and crisp.

While I was out there, I dug some parsips and kale.   The mornings have been in the low teens but the kale is still doing great.  It's not strong flavored, but I do prefer it mixed with lettuce.  However, I'm just so happy for some fresh green right now.

These parsnips are over a foot long.  They'll be great in soup or roasted.  Today we put one of our chickens in the crock pot.  I'll bet these would be great thrown in to cook with it.

With Christmas coming, the caramel season is upon us.  My ten-year-old daughter made a batch of caramel and then arranged it on her favorite pretty plate.  They are were a round success at her girl scout party.  This is all we have left.

Food Promises

A friend came and over and taught us how to make REAL fudge.  Not having been taught by my grandmother, I've not had much success.  My friend grew up in a remote area of northern Alberta where if you wanted candy, you made it.  And she wanted candy. So she made it.  And she learned to do it well.

We got everything boiling until a bit dropped in cold water rolled up into a soft, pliable ball.  We whipped it over to a sink of cold water to cool.  After the pan was just warm, we started beating.  It was smooth and syrupy at first.

We kept beating and stirring and slowly the string off the spoon got thicker.  The surface stayed glossy, but as it got thicker and more difficult to stir, the surface developed a velvety look.  She told us to watch closely, because we needed to catch it just before it was ready to go solid.  We kept stirring, looking at the string off the spoon until it was good and thick.  One last beat and we poured it out on a buttered counter.

As it poured out, she lamented that we had poured too early; it was spreading out too much.  I thought it looked pretty dang good.  After fifteen minutes of cooling, we cut it into squares and tried it.

Oohhhhh... Wow! This is not only the best fudge I've ever made, it's possibly the best fudge I've ever had.  Of course, it has Christina butter and cream.  It is smooth, rich, and the flavor runs deep.  The kids think it's a little dark, which makes my husband and I like it better.  But they still finished it in one sitting.

My friend said she'd come back and teach us to make taffy.  We can't wait!

Those seeds I planted last week have germinated.  Praise God!  They look so good.  In fact, some of the lettuce germinated at a higher rate than I expected and are too full.  Step 1, germination.  Check.  On to step 2, get them past the tiny stage without getting all leggy. 

My friend said that her mother had greens growing under a bank of lights all winter long.  It would be -40º outside and they'd be eating greens.  I think her mother had the right idea.  This flat is a promise of salad at the end of February.  In the meantime, we go without.