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6 Powerful Herbs that Reduce Stress

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Stress—you can’t live with it, and you can’t live without it! Just say the word stress, and many people begin to hyperventilate with anxiety. But most of us would accomplish very little without some stress in our lives. Lot of us wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning without the stress of that annoying alarm telling us to move. For me, it’s knowing that dozens of farm animals, hungry children, and endless phone calls are waiting for me. So some stress is a good thing. Here are a few reasons why we need some stress:

  • It causes us to be more productive—it lights a fire under us. When I know I have to get a few things done by a certain time, I am inspired to work like Superwoman to get it done.
  • It creates a higher level of commitment that would otherwise be non-existent. When I see others being more successful in our business, it drives me to work my butt off to do as well—or better—than they.
  • It triggers a fight-or-flight mode in us that can be a life saver. For example, when someone cuts you off in traffic, the stress response moves you to change your course and so, in most cases, you avoid an accident.

Stress is unavoidable. It can be a valuable tool to getting things done. But when it begins to overwhelm our lives with high-pressure workdays, raising kids, not enough sleep or exercise, or trying to make ends meet, then it can damage our health and make it difficult to control our emotions.

It’s done that to me! My husband and I went gung-ho into our dream life of homesteading, maintaining a blog presence online, raising heritage animals, building a successful essential oil business, and raising our children. For a while all went well. But then the daily demands of our life brought on crushing, immobilizing stress. Unforeseen external stress slammed into us—the anxiety of too much debt, the death of close family members, several moves, health problems, negative family issues, the demands of building a business, and, worst of all, the recognition that we simply could not do it all!

I hit the wall! When I should be up and running, I simply shut down! I couldn’t get out of bed. Couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t mother. Couldn’t give of myself to others. Total…painful…crushing…shut down! I needed a solution, and I needed it fast!

Recognizing stress is the first step toward managing it. Take a close look at your own life. What are the stressors that are bogging you down? If you’re not sure if stress is starting you overwhelm you, try taking a stress test to identify the stress triggers at work in your life. (You can find one stress test here.) 

Once you have figured out what the stress triggers are in your life, you can start thinking of ways to manage your stress. Just remember this: There is no one miracle pill you can take to remove overwhelming stress from your life. There will be several steps you need to take. For me it was nearly a total how I handle life makeover.

We can’t cover all the solutions in this one blog post, so I want to concentrate on a group of wonderful, healthy stress-fighting super herbs that you can use to eliminate the negative impact of too much stress. These super herbs are called ADAPTOGENS, and are a unique group of herbal ingredients used to improve the health of your adrenal system, the system that’s in charge of managing your body’s hormonal response to stress.  They are called adaptogens because of their unique ability to adapt their function according to your body’s specific needs.  

These super herbs have been around for years, and have been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries. They work like a thermostat—and can calm you down while boosting your energy without overstimulating you. You can use these super herbs to help our body bounce back from the challenges and stressors of modern life.

We’ll take a closer look at several of these powerful herbs that reduce stress.

6 Powerful Herbs that Reduce Stress 

1. Asian Ginseng

Asian Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) has been one of the most valued medicinal plants in the world for thousands of years. It is the most well-known adaptogen, and the most potent. It has proven to be useful for improving mental performance (which is vastly lessened by too much stress), and for its ability to help you withstand stress. Ginseng delays the onset of your body’s fight or flight response to stress, giving you time to recognize the rising negative impact of the stressor you are facing, and take proactive steps to reduce those factors from your life.

Dose: 100-200 mg per day, usually found in gelatin capsules.

2. Ashwagandha

The word ahwagandha means “the smell of the horse,” so don’t be surprised by the pungent odor of this super herb! But despite its smell, it has a long list of health benefits, and is particularly useful for reducing anxiety and stress-induced depression. It reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. It is elevated cortisol that causes many of the stress-related health problems, suchas: increased weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease, as well as interfering with learning and memory, and lowering your immune function and bone density.

Dose: 3,200 mg per say, divided into two doses in gelatin capsules.

3. Rhodiola Rosea

Another super herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, Rhodiola Rosea, is effective in reducing fatigue and exhaustion due to prolonged stressful situations. It also acts like hormone thermostat, and helps to balance the cortisol levels in your body. It has a positive effect on brain function and heart health. It is a favorite among integrative medicine experts for treatment of “21st century stress.”

Dose: start with 100 mg daily for a week in gelatin capsules, and then increase
the dosage by 100 mg every week, up to 400 mg a day, if needed.

4. Holy Basil

Holy Basil has been called the elixir of anti-aging in Asian medicine. It is related to sweet basil, and has been valued for centuries for its benefits for the mind, body and spirit. It possessed great potential in the areas of stress relief and relaxation. It helps to decrease stress hormone levels, particularly of cortisol.

Dose: 500 mg of the leaf extract taken twice daily in gelatin capsules.

5. Astragalus

Astragalus is a perennial plant native to China, Mongolia and Korea. The root is the medicinal part of the plant. It boosts immunity and buffers the effects of stress. It increases the amount of anti-stress compounds our bodies use to repair stress-related damage. It protects the body from stress and disease.

Dose: While there is no uniform dosage suggested, many
people enjoy its benefits in a Herbal Immune System Soup,
and you can find the recipe here or purchase it in capsules here. 

6. Cordycep Mushrooms

Cordycep mushrooms include: reishi, shiitake and maitake mushrooms. These nutrition-rich mushrooms have all the benefits of antioxidant foods. While they may not be adaptogens in the classic sense, they all have adaptogenic, anti-tumor, and immune-enhancing properties. Many athletes benefit from their ability to allow the body to handle larger amounts of stress during training programs.

Dose: 40-50 mg of shiitake, 50-60 mg of maitake,
50-60 mg or reishi, and 100 mg of cordyceps mushrooms daily.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of getting my dosage of stress-fighting mushrooms in a delicious homemade mushroom soup sounds so inviting. I recommend that you use this recipe,  using the four types of stress-fighting mushrooms in your soup.

Don’t Let Stress Take Your Health

We all need stress in our lives. But becoming overwhelmed with debilitating stress will compromise your ability to cope adequately with everyday life—and can cause serious, even fatal damage to your health. There isn’t one easy solution to overwhelming stress. You will need to take time to re-evaluate your life, eliminating as much stress as possible, and learning healthy ways to deal successfully with the stress that stays in your life.

These 6 powerful herbs that reduce stress are one way you can tackle the problem of stress naturally. They have powerful, positive effects to get you moving away from the paralysis of too much stress.  

And remember:

A diamond is just a piece of black charcoal that
handles stress exceptionally well!

Learn to be a diamond.

6 powerful herbs that reduce stress

Sources

  1. https://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/03/4-reasons-why-you-need-stress/
  2. https://www.drfranklipman.com/adaptogens-natures-miracle-anti-stress-and-fatigue-fighters/
  3. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-adaptogen-superherbs-fight-stress-improve-occhipinti-m-s-
  4. https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/7-adaptogen-superherbs-to-fight-stress-improve-performance
  5. https://draxe.com/7-adaptogen-herbs-to-lower-cortisol/

How to Declutter Your Life

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A year ago I read the New York Times Best Seller by Marie Kondo, titled The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Its principles really grabbed me, and I determined to clean out the clutter of my life. I started with my closet, and didn’t stop until I’d cleaned out clutter from every nook of my house. Then I worked on clearing out the clutter of my mind. It was such a valuable experience for me as I learned how to declutter my life and my mind. 

Many of you are recognizing the dissatisfaction found in the excess of things, and are beginning to do some major cleaning. You are simplifying your lives, and as you do you are finding great freedom in owning less. All over the world, people are embracing simplicity as a way of life. There is even a growing trend to tiny house living, which is living in less than about 300 square feet.

One of the top trending topics in the Health and Wellness world right now is just that—learning to live with less. Part of the trend is due to Marie Kondo’s book, but there are so many other contributors to this trend. Some of them are:

  • The discovery that accumulating more stuff just doesn’t lead to more satisfaction in life.
  • The rising costs of Living Big, and the parallel rising consumer debt.
  • The ache in people’s hearts to get back to a simpler lifestyle, like we did. 
  • The clutter of stuff in our homes that just keeps us busier taking care of it all.
  • The ability to consolidate the kitchen tools needed with one power tool (such as the Instant Pot popularity).
  • The lack of storage for stuff, such as closet space, kitchen space, storage space in the garage, and rooms too-full of furniture for ease of entertaining.
  • Seeing your family closeness disintegrate as each member focuses on individual goals for getting more stuff, more technology, the latest iPhone
  • Growing old and recognizing that you have more stuff than you do friends.

So I want you to take a look at the possibility of living with less—and the benefits it brings you when you do. We’ll concentrate of three steps of how to declutter your life:

  1. Learn why and how to get rid of your stuff.
  2. Find ways to store the things you keep.
  3. Now that you are living with less, focus on things that make you love your new life.

Learn Why and How to Get Rid of Your Stuff

It is important to start with the Whys of decluttering your life. That’s where I had to start. I had to ask questions like:

  • Why did I buy all these clothes?
  • Why do I spend time looking through catalogs and online stores even though I have so much already?
  • Why do I envy the things I see others able to accumulate?

To be successful at decluttering your life, you must begin by decluttering your mind. Maybe you buy all the latest styles in clothing because as a child your mother could only afford to give you hand-me-downs from garage sales and used clothing stores. Maybe you envied the got-everything girl in your high school class, and determined that when you were leading your own life, you’d find a way to get everything you wanted. Maybe you missed out on real family closeness as a child, and as you grew you learned to satisfy the longings in your heart with stuff instead of relationships.

Asking yourself some hard questions about your reasons for having stuff isn’t easy. It makes us wonder about the true motivations that drive us to the actions we take in life. But until you recognize your cluttered thinking, and take steps to declutter those thoughts that drive you to accumulating more stuff, you won’t be successful at decluttering your home.

When you are ready to move on, you will probably discover that you really don’t know How to get the job done. How do you start? Where do you start? Marie Kondo says this:

Tidy in the right order. There are only two tasks involved—discarding and deciding where to keep things. Discarding must come first. Be sure to completely finish the first task before starting the next. Do not even think of putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding.[1]

So how to get rid of the stuff in your home and life is a lot like how you eat an elephant—you do it one bite at a time. You might want to download the free “Konmari” APP so that you can keep track of what you have done and what you need to do next.

Let’s take a look at how you can find the right order to begin your decluttering. There are two guiding principles you can use:

  1. Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space.[2]
  2. Take each item in your hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t dispose of it.[3]

Does this spark joy

What is the right order for you?

The right order for you is very likely to be different than the right order was for me. Maybe you start with where you have the biggest mess. Maybe it’s where you don’t have enough room? Or maybe it’s where you know in your heart that you have simply accumulated too much.

For many women the place to start is likely to be the clothes closet. Some women have clothes from every fashion trend, in every size, from every big box store’s sale of the year. So many clothes that there isn’t any room for more—and there hasn’t been room for your husband’s clothes in years. So start here, and be ruthless in your cleaning. Sort your clothes into categories: tops, bottoms, underwear, outerwear, purses and accessories. If each piece of clothing doesn’t give you joy, or it’s stained, ripped, too big or too small, or unworn for a year, decide now to either give it away or toss it.

When you have finished your ruthless assessment of your clothes closet, finish this category by finding more effective ways to store your clothes. Not everything has to hang on hangers. Fold what can be folded, and have bins in which you rotate your clothing according to the seasons. In order to stay true to your new less is more philosophy, make it a rule that every time you bring home a new piece of clothing, you discard one in the same category from out of your closet.

(Here’s a quick folding tutorial video from Marie Kondo)

 

Follow this way of ordering your decluttering for each area in your home. Probably the next biggest stuff problem is in the kitchen. The kitchen gets heavy traffic, and is often overused, overstuffed, and over dirty. You have too many dishes, too many kitchen appliances, too many pots and pans, and too many bulk items in the pantry. Start here by sorting the kitchen into categories, and then tackle each category one by one—not stopping until you are finished with this one. Get rid of items you don’t need, appliances and kitchen tool you never use, duplicate dishes and pots and pans (duplicates that are not needed), and stuff you have too much of: mugs, food containers, storage containers, pot holders, countertop clutter, and stuff stored on top of the refrigerator or on its doors (pictures, etc.). Don’t forget to clean out the fridge, freezer, and pantry. It’s likely you have items with expired dates, freezer-burned foods, and spices several years old.

Find new and better ways to store things

Then tackle the second step of organizing and finding storage solutions for what you keep. I love using mason jars for storage, and other large, glass storage containers. Because plastic containers have been proven to leach chemicals into our food and drink, I do not use plastic in our kitchen. Glass and stainless steel are much safer options.

Determine that you will continue through the categories of items in your home that need to be considered for discard. Don’t stop until you have finished with everything. Years ago my mother told me the story of the woman who was given one white rose. She sat that rose on her kitchen table, and immediately thought, “I can’t leave it there with all those dirty dishes and things,” so she proceeded to clean her kitchen table, then her stove, then her sink, and finally her entire kitchen. Then she took that one white rose in to sit on the living room side table beside her favorite chair. The same thing happened, and she proceeded to clean up her entire living room. Then she continued until her entire home had been dejunked, cleaned, and was sparkling clean. Visualize your home without any distracting clutter. What would it look like?

Now that you are living with less, focus on
things that make you love your new life.

The magic of decluttering lies in the newfound joy of discovering all the stuff you really can live without! You will find greater contentment in your life, and in the growing relationships you now have time to build upon. I believe there are at least four important principles for learning to be contented with less. They are:

  1. Live beyond the temporary—I like the verse in Matthew 6:20 (niv): “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
  2. Learn to give—Giving expands our heart and helps to keep our hands open to receive gratefully and to give cheerfully.
  3. Grow a thankful heart—Change your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have. Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.
  4. Live within your means—That is a practice that Frank and I are attempting to incorporate into every day of our life. For example:
  • Our farm pickup is years old, rusty, dirty, but perfectly suited for what we use it for.
  • I still buy the majority of my clothes from second-hand stores.
  • We try to live sustainably, using the things we raise and grow instead of shopping at the high-priced and unhealthy big box food stores.
  • We love to furnish our home with gently used or repurposed furniture, loving the look of what I call our shabby chic home.

If you put your house in order now, you will be able to pour your time and passion into what brings you the most joy, your mission in life. Life truly begins after you have put your house in order.[4]

How to Declutter

[1] Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2014), 35.

[2] Ibid., 36.

[3] Ibid., 41

[4] Ibid., 204

Hibiscus Fruit Punch—A Healthy Alternative Summer Drink

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Hibiscus Fruit Punch

It’s summer time—the kids are home from school…it’s hot outside…everyone is thirsty…and you want to give your kids and family something healthy to drink instead of the chemical-laden Kool Aid and fruit drinks available from the supermarket. Well, guess what—you are so fortunate because the hibiscus are also in bloom, and I have fallen completely in love with Hibiscus Tea and Hibiscus Fruit Punch.

So this blog post is all about stirring up some delicious, healthy Hibiscus Fruit Punch to have ready when your kids come in all sweaty and clamoring for “something cool to drink”! I remember growing up as a kid in hot, humid Florida and playing outside until I was so thirsty I couldn’t stand it anymore. Sad to say, I often just grabbed the garden hose and took a drink—definitely not the healthiest thing to do. But I have an even better memory of going inside and opening the refrigerator door to find a big, cold pitcher of my Dad’s homemade Ice Tea. If you live in the South, you know all about Sweet Tea. My Dad had his own recipe, which was less sappy sweet than the usual sweet tea.

As an adult, I’ve loved having iced tea around to drink. I’ve gotten even more enamored with fresh peppermint tea and all its healthy benefits than with the usual black tea. But lately I’ve discovered something even better—Hibiscus Tea and/or Fruit Punch. It tastes just as delicious and wonderful as the beautiful hibiscus blooms looked growing on the bushes that grew in my backyard as a kid.

Before I tell you how I make my Hibiscus Tea/Punch, let me give you a few of the health benefits of hibiscus tea.

Hibiscus Tea Benefits

There is nothing more relaxing to me than pouring a tall glass of hibiscus tea, sitting on my front porch, and enjoying the moment of relaxation after a long hard day on the farm. I love the tart, cranberry-like flavor and like to just a bit of Stevia or raw honey to sweeten it up a bit.

Hibiscus tea is very healthy. Only the calyx is used for hibiscus tea. And although there are more than 200 varieties of hibiscus plants, not all of them are used for tea or healing. The traditional hibiscus tea plant has yellow flowers and a red center (Hibiscus sabdariffa). I’ll give you a suggestion for where to purchase your hibiscus tea below when I give you a recipe.

Hibiscus tea is loaded with antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and zinc. It is packed full of omega-3 and omega-6. It’s also a great source of protein and dietary fiber. In the chart below you will find 10 health benefits for Hibiscus Tea.

Health Benefit Information
1. Reduces high blood pressure Helps to lower systolic blood pressure
2. Helps lower cholesterol Antioxidants may lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
3. It is beneficial for diabetics It can lower both cholesterol levels and blood pressure in type 2 diabetes
4. Offers liver protection A research study found the anthocyannins in hibiscus tea can reduce inflammatory liver lesions and oxidative liver damage
5. Anti-cancer properties The protocatechuic acid in hibiscus tea has strong anti-tumor properties
6. Help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression It calms the nervous system and helps to put people in a positive mind frame.
7. Benefits weight loss It is low in calories, and is a diuretic herb that helps flush toxins and excess fluids in the body.
8. Improves digestion The diuretic properties help treat constipation and improve the strength of the gastrointestinal system.
9. Helps boost the immune system The high amount of vitamin C is a great immune booster and can help prevent colds and flu.
10. Helps improve skin conditions The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties help treat various skin problems.1

Precaution: Don’t combine hibiscus tea with Tylenol or any other drug containing acetaminophen. The diuretic effect of the beverage can speed up the release of acetaminophen from the body.

Making Delicious Hibiscus Tea

Hibiscus Tea

You can make hibiscus fruit punch by using dried organic hibiscus flowers, organic hibiscus powder, or you can purchase organic hibiscus tea bags to use. I’ll give you a basic recipe for each methods. You can purchase each of these products online, and it is important that you do your own research to be sure you are getting the pure hibiscus sabdariffa flower, and that it is certified organic. Some hibiscus flowers are grown intercropped with peanuts, and could be risky for individuals with severe peanut allergies. I recommend Starwest Botanicals Organic Hibiscus Flowers Tea Cut, found here. 

If you prefer using Hibiscus Tea Powder, you may want to try the Starwest Botanicals Organic Hibiscus Flower Powder, found here. 

There are several organic Hibiscus Tea Bags available. Some of the ones I like best include:

Recipe for Hibiscus Fruit Punch 

Ingredients:

Directions: In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the honey and dissolve. Add the hibiscus flowers and mint and then remove from heat. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the hibiscus flowers by filtering through a cheesecloth or tea filter or use a slotted spoon and scoop out the flowers. 

Add the orange juice, lemonade, and banana extract to a pitcher. Then add in your hibiscus tea. Cool in the fridge for a few hours and then serve! 

Your kids will love it! 

Recipe for Hibiscus Fruit Punch from Hibiscus tea bags. – Follow the directions above and use 4 bags of hibiscus tea in place of the flowers. 

Your summer Hibiscus Fruit Punch is going to be super healthy and tasty, and it contains a high antioxidant count. It’s so simple to make, your kids will love it, and you will relish a quiet, relaxing moment with your glass of Hibiscus Fruit Punch. Try it…I guarantee you are going to love it!

Sources

  1. https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/food-and-nutrition-articles/hibiscus-tea-benefits.
  2. https://www.produceonparade.com/produce-on-parade/hibiscus-fruit-punch-an-antioxidant-powerhouse.
  3. https://www.spicejungle.com/the-jungle/hibiscus-iced-tea-recipe.
  4. https://obedientingredients.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/antioxidant-fruit-punch/.

The Heritage of Jacob Sheep

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The heritage for the Jacob Sheep Breed goes way back to ancient Syria during Bible times. After Esau tricked Jacob out of his birthright, Jacob fled to his Uncle Laban’s farm on the plain of Aram (Aram is the Hebrew name for ancient Syria). To win the hand of his love, Rachel, Laban told Jacob to tend his flocks of sheep and goats for seven years. Tricked by his uncle, he ended up working for another seven years for Rachel.

After twenty years, Jacob wanted to return to his homeland. Laban didn’t want him to leave because he was such a good herdsman, but agreed that if he stayed longer he could name his wages. Jacob asked for all the spotted and speckled sheep and goats. Jacob had a dream in which God instructed him to breed only the spotted rams, and this soon resulted in a flock of nearly all spotted offspring. This is one of the oldest documented examples of selective breeding.

Eventually Jacob took his family and large flock of spotted sheep back to Canaan. Later he moved him family and flock to Egypt. Thus the Jacob sheep came to Egypt, and eventually into most of North Africa. From there they went to Europe when the Muslims invaded and conquered Spain in the 8th century. Some of these sheep were eventually taken to England, where they survived as a distinct breed.

Why we chose to raise Jacob Sheep

Our homestead is concentrating on choosing heritage breeds (rare livestock breeds) for our homestead menagerie, and on filling our gardens with heritage and heirloom plants. We understand the importance of heritage—because we are the benefactors of our own rich heritage from our ancestors. Heritage breeds store a wealth of genetic resources that are important for tomorrow—heritage animals and plants are the seed of yesterday that will build a better tomorrow.

Jacob sheep are an ideal breed for our smaller homestead, and have many desirable features and benefits for us. They are prolific breeders, and are noted for their easy lambing attributes. The ewes are great mothers, and produce more than enough milk for their lambs without supplementary feeding. They are hardy and long-lived, and easily raised outdoors. They have very few disease problems.

The fleece of one of our Jacob Sheep
The fleece of one of our Jacob Sheep

It addition to their breeding qualities, their meat is high-quality and very flavorful. It is low in fat, high in Omega-3, tender, and mild in flavor. They also produce high quality wool, which is excellent for spinning and weaving. The unique color of the wool makes it very useful for a variety of goods, including rugs and sweaters. We were able to get 9 pounds of beautiful wool from our three Jacob sheep this year, and I plan on making wool dryer balls and felted goat milk soap with some of it. We will send the rest of it to be processed into yarn, which we can sell at our farm store and farmer’s market (unless I can bribe friends to make me things).

Breed Characteristics

Screen Shot 2016-07-01 at 7.58.37 AM

Jacob sheep are deep-bodied, and white with well-defined black patches. The head and neck are generally black with a white blaze on the face that extends down the chest. Both sexes are horned. A symmetrical blaze is preferred, with a dark nose, dark eyes, and black cheeks and ears. Jacob sheep are always horned, usually with two or four horns. Where there are four, the top pair should grow upward and have no forward growing tendencies. Black horns are preferred. The back should be straight, and level from the base of the neck to the tail, which should be broad. The neck should be strong, and the thighs well-developed. The fleece should be of medium quality, with pink skin beneath the white wool, and black skin beneath the dark wool.

Jacob sheep are the perfect breed for small farms that have good grassy pastures for them to forage on. Because they are browsers, not specifically grazers, they do well on grassy pastures but prefer a diverse diet that includes brush, shrubs, trees, and weeds; not unlike goats. They have calm, sweet personalities, and kids love them. Their light weight and small hooves are beneficial to the land. Jacobs are a smart breed of sheep and can easily be taught to follow a bucket of grain and lead with halter and rope, and they make good pals for young and old alike.

Caring for Jacob Sheep

Our Jacob sheep are pretty easy to take care of. They love to forage on our pastures with lots of grass, and higher elevations of brush, trees, and weeds. They don’t really need any supplemental feeding of grain, unless they are a lactating ewe. We spoil ours a little with alfalfa pellets at night to encourage them to come down from the mountain and into our nighttime secure paddock. We give our sheep plenty of fresh, clean drinking water. We also provide them with a mineral block that is labeled for “sheep”. 

Our sheep will be grazing year-round, unless we have uncharacteristic very cold times in the winter. They will have access to shelter in our barn or outbuildings if necessary, with straw bedding to keep them warm.

Harvesting Jacob Sheep Meat

Jacob sheep meat is sought after by many top chefs and restaurants. The finished lamb is tender and lean with an excellent flavor with a good meat to bone ratio. It does not develop a “gamey” taste, and is considered one of the best tasting lamb around. Because they are a smaller breed, a sheep harvested at approximately 1- ½ years will give 60-65 pounds of meat, cut and wrapped. They can be harvested whenever you want their meat, from just a few months old to older ewes and rams.

There are many wonderful ways to prepare the meat for eating. We are just starting our journey in raising Jacob sheep, but here are some great-sounding recipes from experienced shepherds.

Lamb Chops with Red Wine Reduction

Fat Toaster Farm’s Jacob sheep lamb chops sounds delicious.  It has hints of middle eastern spices, and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients
  • 6-8 small lamb chops (cut 3/4″ – 1″ thick)
  • 1 cup of your favorite red wine
  • 1 Tbs butter
  • 2 Tbs canola oil
  • 2 Tbs garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • pinch of fresh ground pepper

CLICK HERE to go to the full recipe! Wonderful when served with creamy au gratin potatoes or your favorite vegetable.

Roast Baby Lamb

Traditionally served during Lent, this recipe from Lidia Bastianich and Jay Jacobs in their book, La Cucina Di Lidia, also sounds worth trying.

Ingredients

  • 5-pound baby lamb shoulder with bone, cut into 2″ cubes
  • 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 small sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups beef stock

CLICK HERE to see the full recipe!

Gyros Burgers

This is a Greek/American lamb and beef mixture version of the traditional Greek pork or lamb Gyros.   It is served on warm pita bread with tzatziki sauce, and thinly sliced onion, tomato, and lettuce.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound lean ground lamb
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 slice bread, toasted and crumbled
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried savory
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 dash ground cumin

CLICK HERE to see the full recipe!

Preserving the Breed

We love being a part of the small group of people in the United States who are interested in preserving this ancient breed of sheep. Jacob sheep in the United States are descendents of this breed that dates back centuries. They still have many of the instinctive traits that have been lost on newer breeds. One breeder even says, “Jacob sheep can think.” It’s with a great deal of personal satisfaction and pleasure that I look out on my pasture early in the morning and see my Jacob’s sheep grazing in the beautiful, hilly pasture at the foothills of the mountains just beyond.

Sources

  1. https://www.hobbyfarms.com/spot-on-jacob-sheep-a-unique-sheep-breed-2/.
  2. https://www.jacobsheepsociety.co.uk/why_choose_jacobs.htm.
  3. https://www.jacobsheepsociety.co.uk/breed_standard.htm.
  4. https://www.barkingrock.com/sheep101.htm

Three Steps to Starting Your First Veggie Garden

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When we began dreaming of moving out of our suburban lifestyle to a piece of God’s great country “out there” where we could plant our roots and start living a self-sustaining lifestyle, we had a lot of wants and wishes, but very little know-how! We knew we wanted to be homesteaders, but what does that really mean? Through our rose-colored glasses we could see beautiful rows of growing organic vegetables and fruits, and pastures filled with grass-fed, free-range poultry and animals. But if you had asked us then, “What is the first thing you need to do to make homesteading a reality?”, we would not have been able to answer that question.

So I understand all too well the paralyzing doubts and fears of really being able to make that happen. If you are dreaming of having a garden filled with organic, nutritious fresh vegetables, but don’t know how or where to start, I want to give you three steps to starting your your first veggie garden  to build your confidence that you can do it. All you need is a little piece of land (or some containers sitting on your patio) and a bit of helpful start-up information. It’s really not that difficult to get started. Let’s look at the basic steps you need to take to go from dreaming to doing.

  1. Determine how much land—either actual land or soil in pots—you have available for your garden, and prepare it appropriately for your plants.
  2. Start small—choose three to five veggies or fruits you most want to grow yourself—and get them ready to plant in your garden.
  3. Be consistent in caring for your plants—which includes watering, weeding, feeding, and keeping out the garden pests.

Those are three pretty simple steps to take, but you need a little bit of know-how before you will be successful with any of those steps. So let’s look a little closer at each step.

1. Preparing your land

There are some important things to consider about the land you have. It’s important to know that almost all vegetables need about six hours of full sun each day. Be sure the land where you want to plant your garden receives as much sun as that. You also need to know what type of soil you have. You can take a sample of your soil to your county extension office, and they will tell you what your soil lacks and how to amend it. Or you can test your own soil with a Mason Jar Soil test. You can find complete directions for this self-soil-test here. You can also grab a Rapitest Soil Tester from your local garden store or purchase it online here. 

If you do not have the perfect combination of clay, silt, and sand—which is pretty rare—you will need to amend your soil with some organic materials. These materials may include yard trimmings, compost, crop residues, and manures. This handy guide you can download will be helpful to you. 

One of the easiest and most helpful tools you can have for successful gardening is your own organic compost material. Compost is the single most important supplement you can give your garden soil. There are many guides available online to help you get started with your own compost bin, including this one. Your first year of gardening, you will need to purchase compost through your garden store or online. 

This year we decided to try out raised row gardening. It’s super easy and requires some straw, soil amendments, and compost. It requires you planting your seeds or transplants in straw rows. Old World Garden has a great blog post series on raised row gardening that you can read here. 

You will want to add 2-3 inches of soil amendments to your soil. In most cases this will involve loosening the dirt and mixing the organic soil amendments into the dirt. Be sure you are working with moist soil. If your soil is either too wet or too dry you will not get the best mixture of soil for growing your plants.

You will also want to plan your garden. You will want to make the best use of the land you have available. For example, you should place plants with similar water, fertilizer, and sun exposure requirements together. You will also want to be sure you are leaving enough room between your rows (approximately 2 feet) to allow you to walk between, to lay your hose for watering, and to push a small wheelbarrow for weeding waste. You can find a lot of great tips online, including a free “Vegetable Garden Planner” software program here. 

2. Choosing your garden plants

Choosing your garden plants doesn’t have to mean growing the same vegetables your grandmother…or your neighbor…or the gardener with the perfect garden…grows. Plan the design with the types of food your family likes to eat! My family loves tomatoes, so this year we planted 21 tomato plants! Remember that gardening is a matter of trial and error, so choose the plants that are easiest to grow when you are just beginning. Some of the easiest vegetables to grow are lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Some plants, like lettuce and sunflowers, are easy to grow from seeds, but an easier method for the beginner gardener is buying young plants, or transplants, and plant them in your prepared soil. Transplants are available in your garden store!

You may decide to grow the vegetables you need for a simple salad. Lettuces grow quickly, and are easy to harvest. They take up very little space. Tomatoes are probably the most popular vegetable for beginners, and can be supported with a stake or cage as they grow. Try the smaller varieties of tomatoes, such as cherry and grape tomatoes. Plant some basil next to your tomato plants to naturally repel tomato pests. Cucumbers grow almost like weeds, and also are easily staked for support. Just remember to purchase tomato, pepper and cucumber stakes early and insert them into the ground to support your plants BEFORE the roots get too big. You don’t want to stake them too late or you risk damaging the roots. 

You may also want to try some root vegetables, like carrots, turnips, and radishes. You can plant them early in the spring and leave them until the fall. Green beans and zucchini are also easy to grow. Maybe you have some room to add some bell peppers or jalapenos to flavor your home-grown salad.

3. Give consistent care to your garden.

To have a successful harvest in your garden, you need to add four chores to your gardening schedule: watering, weeding, feeding, and keeping out the garden pests. Let’s consider each of these chores.

You want to be sure your plants—and their roots—stay moist. In order to keep your garden well watered, follow these tips:

  • Focus on the root zone. Wetting the foliage is a waste of water and can promote the spread of disease. This is why I prefer a soaker hose for my garden. You can even add a timer to your soaker hose and forget about it!
  • Water only when needed. Too much water is just as damaging as too little.
  • Water deeply and thoroughly. Your soil should be moist to a depth of 6-12 inches.
  • Water in the morning. It’s much more difficult for plant diseases to get a foothold when the foliage is dry.
  • Use the right tool. Use a soaker hose or create a drip irrigation system instead of a sprinkler.1

Weeding can seem like the chore that never ends. But there are some simple strategies to maintain a well-groomed garden. If you decide to do the raised row gardening, you will find that you have much less weeds! 

  • Let sleeping weeds lie. Only the weed seeds in the top 2 inches of your soil will germinate and grow. Dig only when you need to, and cover the freshly dug soil with mulch after you dig.
  • Mulch, mulch, mulch. Mulch keeps the soil cool and moist and deprives weeds of light. I wait till my plants are about 6-10 inches tall and then spread straw on the top of the soil and use it as mulch. You don’t need to spend lots of money on expensive mulch. Straw works great!
  • Weed when the weeding is good. “Pull when wet, hoe when dry” is wise advice. After a drenching rain, put on your garden gloves and get started. Try using an old fork to twist out weed roots, or an old steak knife to cut the weeds popping up through the mulch. Be sure to chop off weed heads before they go to seed.
  • Mind the gaps between plants. Close plant spacing will choke out emerging weeds with shade, but while the plants are growing, be sure to weed between them.
  • Water the plants, not the weeds. Keep your soaker hoses close to the plants, and let the nearby weeds go thirsty.

The key to a good garden is a good soil. Just like we need nourishment, so do plants. Understanding just a little bit about feeding your plants can help them grow big and strong and healthy. Organic and natural fertilizers add essential nutrients to the soil where they become available to the plants over time. There are three essential micronutrients your plants need: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

You can make your own organic fertilizer with some of the common items found in your kitchen or around your house. There is much good information online about how to do this, including this great resource, which provides four easy homemade fertilizer recipes.  Here is a list of some of these common ingredients:

  • Aquarium water
  • Banana
  • Blackstrap molasses
  • Coffee grounds
  • Cooking water
  • Egg shells
  • Epsom salts
  • Fireplace or fire pit ash
  • Gelatin
  • Green Tea
  • Hair
  • Matches

If you lack the confidence for making your own organic fertilizer, be sure that you purchase your organic fertilizers from a company that produces awesome, trustworthy organic fertilizers. Follow the recommendation of an experienced gardener, or a well-researched list of reputable organic fertilizer producers. You can find one good resource here. 

Be prepared to do a little warfare against those garden pests that want to take over your veggies and prevent you from ever getting your first good harvest. Be sure to read my earlier post about Natural Remedies for Garden Pests.  There are twelve bothersome garden pests to be aware of, and I give you helpful information for dealing with each. These 12 garden pests are:

  • Slugs
  • Squash bugs
  • Aphids
  • Imported cabbageworms
  • Squash vine borers
  • Japanese beetles
  • Tomato hornworms
  • Cutworms
  • Grasshoppers
  • Cucumber beetles
  • Corn earworms
  • Whiteflies

If you are eager to have a healthy, organic garden, you will want to limit your plants’ exposure to unhealthy chemicals. There are ways to deal naturally with garden pests, and you will want to incorporate these methods into your gardening efforts. In addition to the information I share in my earlier blog post, there are good suggestions online, including here. 

Once you are prepared with this information, all that’s left for you to do it simply BEGIN! By harvest time you will be surprised by the generous supply of fresh, organic, homegrown vegetables you have produced yourself. You’ve just taken one giant leap into your dream of becoming a modern homesteader, and  your family will be able to enjoy the healthy bounty from your garden.

Sources

  1. https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/when-to-water/8108.html 
  2. https://www.keeperofthehomestead.com/blog/5-ways-to-start-homesteading-today
  3. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/ten-steps-to-beginning-a-garden/#page=1
  4. https://preparednessmama.com/starting-a-garden/
  5. https://www.vegetable-gardening-online.com/planning-a-vegetable-garden.html
  6. https://lifehacker.com/the-seven-easiest-vegetables-to-grow-for-beginner-garde-1562176780

How To Peel Farm Fresh Eggs

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Y’all. I gave up on eggs about a year ago. My 25 free-range chickens do an amazing job at giving us the BEST and most delicious farm fresh eggs. I mean BEE YOU TIFUL. However, have you ever tried to peel eggs that come straight from a farm? Eggs that were laid that very morning and collected by eager hands in the afternoon? 

It’s impossible. 

I have tried EVERYTHING. Every, single method was a big fat fail. 

Yes, I tried baking soda. Yes, I tried cold water bath. Yes, I tried boiling and then removing from the stove for 15 minutes with a lid on and then tossed in a ice water. I tried vinegar. I tried it all. 

Then a miracle happened. 

It’s called a Instant Pot. It’s called a gift from heaven above. It’s called redemption!

So, if you haven’t purchased an Instant Pot then you are missing out on SOOOOO much. 

An Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, yogurt maker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer…..it’s a gift from God, my friends. And, no, it’s not your mama’s pressure cooker. An Instant Pot is smaller than most slow cookers. 

I thought it was too good to be true, but after a few months of using it to boil my farm fresh eggs, I have a 100% success rate. AND, all my eggs come out perfectly peeled when before they looked like something out of a horror movie. 

How to Peel Farm Fresh Eggs (and cook them): 

Step #1: Buy an Instant Pot. There’s no way around this…just buy it! I use mine 7x a week now! 

Step #2: Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot. Leave the trivet in the pot. 

Step #3: Place 10-12 room temperature eggs on top of the trivet. 

Step #4: Secure the lid. Push the “steam” button and adjust time to 5 minutes. 

Step #5: When the Instant Pot beeps at the end of 5 minutes, use the quick release technique and allow all the steam to release through the valve. 

Step #6: Place eggs in a cold water bath with some ice for a few minutes. 

Step #7: Peel in peace without butchering your beautiful eggs! 

How to peel farm fresh eggs