Falling Back Into the Habit of Reading

Cool air and cloudy skies have us all kinds of happy over here. When you are in the business of depending on nature's life cycles, weeks without moisture will ruin even the best-made plan. So, although we are slightly delayed in harvesting our fall crops, we'll gladly take the alternative.

 

While we love being outdoors (even in inclement weather), sometimes it's nice to use the change of season to make being indoors a more enjoyable experience. One of the habits we stumbled upon prior to farming was selecting a few books to dive into once the weather turned. While thinking about what I'd like to read in the coming weeks, I figured it might be nice to share some favorites with you. If you are anything like us, you'll have these in your Amazon cart and arriving on your doorstep in a matter of days.

 

1. HALF BROKE HORSES

by Jeannette Walls

If you've read The Glass Castle you are no stranger to Jeannette Walls. I wasn't particularly crazy about the well-known memoir, but it adds an interesting layer that allows one to fully appreciate this book, given what the future holds for these individuals.

Half Broke Horses tells the story of Jeannette's grandmother, Lily Case Smith, an extraordinary woman who weathered several troubling familial situations. Lily is able to make a way when there is none in a place and time that has yet to see much development by way of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

This is by far the best book I've read in years. I'll be honest, before noticing the author, the first line of the book sold me. It reads, "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did."  

We recommend this book far and find it's been a favorite no matter who the audience is. If I had one pick, no doubt this would be it.

 

2. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

by Harper Lee

I don't know how anyone (cough, my husband, cough) made it through elementary school without reading this book, but something about it shakes me to my core each and every time I read it. Given the epic ham costume, how could it be excluded from a fall reading list? 

There are so many profound lessons buried within the fabric of this story. I often return to the scene where Scout finds herself outside the jailhouse the night a mob decides to lynch Tom Robinson. These lessons are perhaps more applicable than ever. Mob mentality has by no means diminished; it simply evolves into a contemporary facade.

 

3. A BEND IN THE ROAD

by... See Below

I'm going to preface this next one by saying I have a background and a degree in literature, so please don't think I'm the People magazine type. That said, some might gawk at this recommendation because it's authored by Nicholas Sparks. Just quickly move past that fact... This is a leisure reading list, after all.

What is fall without the tender feeling of deep regard for another human being? This tells the story of high-school sweethearts. The wife, Missy, is tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident that goes unresolved.  Her husband, Miles Ryan, happens to be the deputy sheriff and does everything in his power to sift out details of the crime. He eventually starts to move beyond it and begins dating his son's second-grade teacher. I've lost most of you by now, I'm sure of it. I'll wrap this up by saying if you are remotely into love stories, this is my favorite of them all.

 

4. AGRICULTURE

by Rudolf Steiner

I'd only recommend this if you are into either agriculture or philosophy. It can be a heavy read, which is why dark quiet hours make for a good time to ruminate on the concepts presented here. Nevertheless, mindfulness regarding food production and farming practices are priceless these days, and this is a good place to dive in.

 

5. WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS

by Wilson Rawls

Ben recently started reading this with our daughter, which I adore. He chose it as their first book, because he wants her to have the memory of them reading it together. What more can one say than that...

-Meghan

 

 

 

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Summertime Pizza

This week's recipe comes from our kitchen! In the summer after being outside most of the afternoon we are typically looking for something lite and quick for dinner. Our version of cheese-less pizza fits the bill and makes it easy to get the little ones involved. 

Gluten Free Cheese-less Pizza

Ingredients:

  • (1) Package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust
  • (1) Package yeast (Included in pizza mix)
  • 1 1/2 Cups warm water
  • (2) Large eggs
  • 2 TBSP Olive Oil
  • (1) Medium yellow zucchini
  • (1) Medium green zucchini
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes (We used Golden Nuggets)
  • (1) Medium red onion
  • (1) Jar of your favorite pizza sauce

*We also added red potatoes that we had harvested. Just add whatever vegetables you like and have available!

Directions: 

  1. Preheat over to 425
  2. In large bowl combine water and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. 
  3. Stir in eggs and oil
  4. Add pizza dough mix
  5. Leaving dough in bowl, cover and let rise for 20 minutes
  6. Press out dough on desired pan
  7. Place in oven for 7 minutes
  8. Add sauce and toppings
  9. Place back in oven for 15-20 minutes or till crust is golden brown. 

*Along the way we added some seasoning to crust. Experiment and enjoy! 

-Benjamin

Wild Blackberry Muffins

We had a suggestion from one of our friends to do a recipe share and we loved the idea. So each week during the growing season we'll post a recipe or two straight from the kitchens of those who are receiving our produce. 

Part of the boxes this week were wild blackberries. Our friends invited us to pick a few of their patches that are located on one of their farm's properties. We had more blackberries than we knew what to do with. Meg made many pints of wild blackberry jam and then we were able to have enough left over to include with this week's boxes!

We dropped boxes at 3pm and by 8pm we had pictures and a recipe for blackberry muffins from Chrissie and Steyn, and boy to they look great. 

Wild Blackberry Muffins

"This has always been my go-to for berry muffins. Simple...not to0 sweet recipe that produces an almost scone like texture. You can always up the sugar if you prefer them sweeter!"

Ingredients:

  • 2  1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sifted then measure)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I used a 4oz Noosa brand cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup blackberries

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt
  3. Beat eggs, blend in oil, vanilla, and yogurt
  4. Add liquid to the dry ingredients. Stir quickly until just moistened
  5. Fold in blackberries
  6. Spoon into well grease muffin pan or paper lined muffin cups
  7. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until golden brown
  8. Remove to wire rack. Serve warm

 

Thanks to Chrissie and Steyn for the recipe and sharing with all of us! Happy baking!

-Benjamin