Very sophisticated solar oven

We have been experimenting a lot with solar cooking.     

(Check it out on the blog pure--essentials)

I must say I love the idea of creating a amazing meal without using any electricity. Its easy, hassle free, will not burn and of course its free.

To date we have successfully made a roast chicken, beef stew, roasted chicken pieces and honey mustard chicken.

I believe it is also wonderful for baked product like muffins and breads, although I have not tried it yet.

Here is the process ;-)

Place raw, seasoned chicken in a pot. Use a heavy cast iron pot as it keeps the heat better.

Now for the sophisticated bits ;-)

Place pot on a rack to allow air circulation under the pot.

Place pot and rack into a oven bag and seal well.

Take a car windscreen reflector and fold into a funnel shape.

I have a super complicated system which utilises a laundry peg in the front.

Leave in direct sun light for as long as you would a slow cooker.

Here is the temp after 15 minutes. Most slow cookers cook on temp between 70 - 150 C.

The chicken cooked in the sun for around 6 hours (as you would in a slow cooker).

These went down really well with the boys.



 Here is the beef stew I did a few days earlier, sorry for the rubbish photos :-( 

Slightly browned beef

Add pan drippings with a bit of water, herbs and spices

Thicken the sauce and its done, ready to serve!





Old jeans....... into WHAT???!!

 Farm life has definitely been agreeing with me. As the weight drops off I have some fat clothes to get rid of. I don't like to waste, so please meet my new herb friends LOL 

 These made us giggle the whole weekend! LOL

I'm thinking of doing a whole row of herb friends along the veggie garden fence.

Veggie garden update

I am sooo proud of my garden. It is doing really well, there are no pests, weeds or problems.

What? That does not happen.

We have had a steady supply of greens, baby spinach, rocket, a variety of lettuce. I have only used organic heirloom seeds and there is a massive taste difference. Here is 1 days harvest of Lazy housewife beans, which are not my favorite. The seed dates back to 1865 and is completely unchanged. It is such a wonderfully generous bean, i have already canned 4 jars because of the surplus.

Peas glorious peas! My boys love these, juicy, sweet and crunchy. They often wonder around the garden with pockets full of pea pods.

 They don't usually make it to the table.

and still lots more to come

  Some tomatoes are maturing but the majority still to be planted, my heirloom armish paste tomato had failed and I needed to start again. It will be a little late but thats ok. there is plenty to keep us happy in the garden.

Carrots are regularly thinned out and used, yum!

 I planted 2 varieties of cucumbers, 1 for salads (Lebanese cucumbers) they are sweet and apparently burpless, the second one is a pickling type. I'm looking forward to pickling them when the time comes.

 I must say this one really amazed me! I can honestly say that I had forgotten what cauliflower REALLY tastes like. Danny never liked it but now he asks for cauliflower. Its fantastic!
 

Johnny Appleseed

The boys were keen to do something different towards the end of the 1st week of their holiday.

I decided to do a fun study unit with them about Johnny Appleseed. Shhhhhh! They don't have to know they're learning!!! ;-)

We had a lot of fun and needless to say, both boys spend the evening walking around with pots on their heads.

We started by reading the story of Johnny Appleseed.

Johnny Appleseed, who was born as John Chapman (September 26, 1774–March 18, 1845), was an American pioneer who became known for his generous and kind ways. Legend says that Johnny wondered the American wilderness for around 50 years planting apple seeds to create apple orchards in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The only things he had with him was a bag of seeds, the Bible and a pot that he carried on his head.

The boys then proceeded to watch a cartoon about Johnny Appleseed. Which you can check out here

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xi99je_johnny-appleseed-1948_shortfilms

We then created a keepsake lap book about Johnny Appleseed and apples in general.

Here is Kaydens

We decorated and colored the lap books with interesting facts about Johnny and about apples
 

We covered things like; apple life cycles, parts of an apple, facts and things to remember.

We also read Johnny's grace, which goes like this:

"The Lord is good to me

and so I thank the Lord

for giving me 

the things I need

the sun, the rain and the apple seed

the Lord is good to me"

 

Kayden also did a cross section of a apple and labeled all the parts on the white board.

Here is a quick look a Dannys lap book

Danny's material was a little different, we talked about kindness and stewardship and ways that Johnny displayed these values to people, animals and plants.

We then spoke about apples. Did you know that there are more then 7 500 different varieties of apples in the world!!! Mummy learned something new ;-)

With so many wonderful varieties, we tried to come up with as may uses for apples - and we had PLENTY!!!

Of course we needed to try some! Taste test time

We had 3 varieties of apples, apple juice and dried apples. The boys took notes of which was sweet or sour and whether they liked the way they tasted. They liked everything LOL

The next day, babcia finished the unit in style with Apple pancakes for breakfast!!!! YUM!!! :-)

 

Lemon, ginger and honey cough syrup

My kids LOVE this cough syrup. It is one of my favorite home remedies for sore, scratchy throat, sinus problems and general congestion. Not only does it sooth the throat but also gives your body a much needed Vitamin boost.

Here are the the indigence - man this is soooo simple!

Lemon: High in vitamin C, strengthens the immune system and neutralizes the free radicals in your body. It also reduced inflammation and swelling.

Ginger: Helps sweat out the toxins from your body. Ginger is also helpful for settling upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and cold sweats.

Honey: Soothes a sore throat and is a effective natural cough suppressant. Honey has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and can fight bacteria. It improves the body’s ability to fight infection and decreases the risk of fevers. 

Combine it with the nutrients in lemon and ginger and you've got a natural, delicious way to treat cold and flu symptoms.

 

How to:

1.  Thoroughly wash the lemon and peel the ginger.

2. Dice equal amounts of lemon (including the peel) and ginger to fill a jar of your choice. ( I usually use 500ml to 1lt to get a decent amount of syrup)

3. Pack your lemon and ginger into the jar and pour over with honey, ensuring that it reaches all the way to the bottom. Use a knife to release any air bubbles trapped in between the ingrediance.

4. Secure a lid and let stand at room temp overnight.

5. Strain the ginger and lemon to get a golden delicious syrup. YUM! :-)