Danelions.....why I LOVE them!

Growing up in the city it was normal to watch everyone scrambling each spring to kill off the dandelions. I personally always liked them. As a young child I remember picking them for my Mom and teachers each spring with such pride as I presented my beautiful Dandelion bouquet to them. What's not to love about these sweet little yellow gems as they stand brightly against our green lawns as if to say ""SPRING IS HERE""! As I got older I never gave it much thought again until my own kids stared giving me these wonderful spring bouquets. One day I thought to my self, what purpose could these or do these have? I have heard of folks making wine out of them and dandelion green salads. But is that it?? So I began my quest to find out what can these little gems do for me. As a homesteader you are always looking to find a way to use everything the earth on your farm has to offer..even better that it's FREE!!

Well was I surprised to find out that you can not only make wine and eat them BUT they can make amazing soap and salves! You can make Tea. Use the roots to make a coffee like drink. The medicinal traits were so surprising to me. Medicinal Uses of Dandelion: (1): Digestion problems, sluggish liver and/or gallbladder function: *As a bitter herb, dandelion root stimulates gastrointestinal functions. An infusion of roasted root is an alternative to coffee and, if taken before or heavy meal, can pleasantly stimulate digestion and handle issues with the liver and/or gallbladder Instructions: *Infuse 1/2 tsp- 2tsp. dried or roasted dandelion root in each 1 cup boiling water. Steep for 20 minutes and strain. Drink 3 cups per day. If using roasted root, add milk to taste but avoid sweeteners because they diminish the herb’s effectiveness. The list just goes on and on as far as it's uses.

(2): As a Detox and Diuretic: *Feeling sluggish or run-down? It might be time to detox. Dandelion leaves have powerful diuretic activity. They promote the production and excretion of urine and also stimulate the liver and gallbladder. The leaf is also a wonderful source of potassium, so if you need this nutrient, try this tea: Instructions: *Infuse 1-2 tsp. dried dandelion leaves in each 1 cup of boiling water. Steep for 20 minutes and strain. Drink 3 cups per day. Then I looked into uses of Dandelions is soaps and salves...also more than I expected high in many Vitamins and minerals, says can even help with Acne, severely dry skin issues. Being rich in antioxidants, dandelions provide anti-ageing benefits, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines, age spots and wrinkles around the eyes and lips. Besides nourishing your skin, this herb helps tone and firm up sagging and unbalanced skin. Dandelion juice regulates the secretion of hormones and widens the pores, thus facilitating the removal of toxins through sweating and urination. Dandelion sap can be applied topically on acne to inhibit microbial infection. Vitamin C in it speeds up the healing process, thus reducing the visibility of scars and red inflammation that often accompanies acne. Dandelion tea can also be consumed to prevent acne. All you need to do is steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of dandelion root or leaves in a cup of water. This will rid your body of toxins that cause acne. The research is out there. I could go on forever.

This is by no means a diagnosis for anything always consult your Doctor. And when you do pick Dandelions always make sure they are in an area free from pesticide sprays and not used as a doggy bathroom!! Lucky for me we are a 'NO chemical' farm. So next time your gonna spray those little beauties try picking a basket full and make something really great from them......My bounty is gonna make some fabulous Goats Milk soap, some Sore muscle salve, and some Tea! I will decide from there what other projects I want to do while they are so abundant. ENJOY your Spring and do not be afraid to go outside the box! There's always a great surprise waiting for you. Sometimes the best choices are right out in the yard in front of you.

I am one very lucky lady!

A few years ago when I tried my friends bar of Goats Milk soap and started researching what actually was in our soap and other bath and body products little did I know at the time what turn my life would take. We are living the Homesteaders dream. We are already growing and producing the vast majority of our families food. Without the use of chemicals. Growing our Vegetables, raising Free range chicken, duck, Turkey and so on of eggs, Raw Honey from our hives, Making Cider from our Apples, canning, freezing and dehydrating all sorts of goodies. Not to mention all the Dairy stuff from our Goats Milk..all sorts of different cheese, yogurt, buttermilk for cooking...well you get the idea. I do clean without chemicals. I make my own cleaning & laundry stuff. So when I started really "reading labels" I have to admit I was reading words that I could not pronounce. That was really concerning to me. So I was snapping pics of ingredient labels of soaps and lotions and other gook we were putting all over our bodies. Once I started looking up what they were..HOLY MOLY! Had I have know..wow! Well at this point I got a bar of 'real' soap and it was a done deal. So then my next thoughts were..OK, I'm gonna learn to make my own soap..and I did. And I LOVED IT! It was a feeling I cannot hardly describe. Control of ingredients, The accomplishment of learning yet another skill, creative flow of colors, scents and design. Friends and family would come over and be like "what smells so good?" I was and am always ready to show off my newest creations. It was all about the soap. Then from there it was my gateway to creating my own goats milk lotions, Bath Bombs, Lip Balms, Sugar Scrubs, Bath Salts, Bath Melts, Herbal Salves, bubble balls, Body whip and so many other wonderful products. As I started making more and more product it was finally said "You seriously need to just start your own little home business". And so I did. I cannot walk thru a store without looking at something and thinking can I use that to make a mold for a Bath Bomb or soap! It's really quite entertaining at times. So I started doing craft shows and other gatherings to promote my little business. I feel so lucky every single day to be doing what I just simply LOVE to do and to be able to share it with everyone else. The hours alone I spend on researching different ingredients I want to use in my products surpasses any 40 hour a week job. Everything I sell has taken me months of learning, researching, testing on myself until I believe it's perfect. This job is defiantly NOT all glam. I am out there Milking my sweet girls to get that white gold. And cleaning stalls and sleeping on hay bales out in a dark, spooky barn all by myself self and it's like 10* helping them deliver their sweet little kids. It is hard work and dedication to something I love to do. Anything worth while in life is lots of hard work. And you will never, ever hear me complain. There are not many folks who can say they absolutely love their job, but I can. As I am writing this blog I have 3 batches of soap waiting for me to finish and some Jewel weed Salve too. That brings me to another great thing that has happened in my life. As many of you know I went thru a time where I wasn't feeling well at all. Dr's could not figure out what was wrong with me. All they want to do is give you pills to fix the symptoms but not the problem. Not good enough! I need to feel good without the use of medication. So I started going to a wonderful Holistic Dr...He is great! Made me feel so much better in just a couple visits. Well after a couple visits and a few great conversations he invited me onto his health Radio show. I was totally flattered by this. He is all about you feeling your best and thought we should cover all the bad stuff that is put in our Soaps and other Bath & body products. After all your skin is your largest organ and you really do need to keep it healthy. I have to admit I was super nervous but it went very well and I had a blast..and they've invited me back again for another show. How exciting my life has become! Maybe Oprah's next! You seriously need to listen to his show always a great wealth for information to make your life better..Anthony & Ron are super fun Radio hosts and extremely interesting to listen too..you can tell they really want to help you. I will be sharing a link so you can listen to the show..you won't be disappointed. Every morning when I wake up and go out to do my Farm chores then come back inside to work..I think to myself "I am one seriously lucky lady!" here's the link to the show http://247Thestream.mobapp.at/

Pasturized Eggs or pasturized Eggs?? Is there a difference?

As Christmas gets closer we get to finding ourselves rushing here and there to try and get everything finished for the big Christmas finale. And I find myself jotting down notes all over the place to remember to do this and remember to pick that up and you get the idea. And here on the farm with the demand for Goats Milk Soap and Lotion along with fresh eggs for our baking frenzies we are no exception to the chaos. I basically make almost everything..Our laundry soaps, bathing and beauty products, cleaning stuff...ect...well along with all the fresh foods I make Egg Nog. It would not be Christmas without it. Our Children and now our Grand children will tell you this. I only make it once a year and it is the best Egg Nog. Far better than any store bought stuff. Not to brag but you must try making it for yourself and you will see. So I set out on my normal mission to buy..yes, buy pasteurized Eggs. Not Pastured Eggs but heat treated. So I start making my phone calls to find them as I do every year. I do this because the egg Nog is raw eggs and for the safety of the kids and grand kids I just figure it is better. When you phone the stores they are totally clueless to what you are talking about. I went thru my very detailed explanation of Pasteurized Eggs vs Pastured Eggs. I got one response "well when their in the pasture I'm sure it's warm out there" in reference to asking for heat pasteurized eggs....really?!?! After many more answer's along that line and banging my head on the wall I decided 'WHY"??? can't I make my own pasteurized eggs? Why haven't I thought of doing this 15 yrs ago?? Seriously I just don't know..hahahahaa. I have fresh, pastured, beautiful brown and blue and white eggs..well that's another blog, so anyway I did my research and realized I can do my own! Easy as pie. I found that you only have a 1 in 20,000 chance of getting a bad egg that could give you Salmonella. So you want to make sure your Eggs are clean and room temperature, Get your thermometer ready. I like digital. get your pan of water ready and heat your water to 140* F and maintain your water at that temperature.(No more than 142*f) You want the Egg yolk to reach a minimum of 138*. If your hens lay Jumbo eggs 5 minutes, large eggs 4 minutes and regular one 3 minutes. You do not want to cook them so use your timer. After the timer goes off cool them rapidly..running under cold water then once cooled place then in the fridge. and wala you have pasteurized your own Eggs.

Cherokee Winds: LIFE....where is your life gonna bring you?

Cherokee Winds: LIFE....where is your life gonna bring you?: You think of your most normal and typical day and most times it is totally uneventful and I won't use the word boring but nothing out of...

LIFE....where is your life gonna bring you?

You think of your most normal and typical day and most times it is totally uneventful and I won't use the word boring but nothing out of the ordinary.  My life did used to be just that.  I lived in a small rural town population of like 400,  we had a house with our manicured lawn and flower gardens,  raising our kids with the family dog.  Living life pretty routine except for my dark side..........My MASSIVE vegetable garden hidden behind all the awesome smelling lilacs that lined our corner double lot.  Along with my secret flock of Ducks and chickens and rabbits and WHATEVER animal I could fit inside or outside...hahahahaa.   My secret desire to live in the country and homestead was really not such a secret to my neighbors.  Guess I wasn't  fooling anybody.  It had ALWAYS been a lifelong dream.  From as far back as I have memory for.  My mother is always producing my strategically drawn out farm plans from 2-3yrs old.  My Grandpa Barrett and I were very close and shared the same dream together.  He always told me when he won the lotto him and I were going to buy a farm and live the way we wanted.  Sadly he passed before "our"  dream happened.  I believe to this day he would have lived here us.     So one day I am driving along quite early in the morning going to fill our tank for our gas grill...cruising along sun is shining and just coming up, windows down.     I happen to glance at an old farm house.  One that was in need of a lot of work.  Grass is as tall as me.  Some of the windows boarded up..actually kinda spooky really.     As I get directly beside it the sun hits it and a huge ray of sunshine shines thru out the entire house like a beacon saying..."you need to come here"!  I am totally serious too!  So I get my tank filled up and ask the clerk about the house and she gives me a name and jots it down on a little piece of paper for me.  Heading home now I glance again and turn onto the gravel road in which it sits.   I park on the road slightly intimidated by it's huge and stately manor.  I eventually am overcome by curiosity and slowly make my way up the overgrown driveway.  I wade thru the tall grass and make it to the Carriage entrance and look inside.  My heart just tingled with sadness and joy...oohhhh the possibilities  this beautiful house had.  The memories inside these once luxurious walls.  I felt a draw to the house like it was waiting for ME!   So I call my husband Joe and am telling him about this Farm house and he is like you want to move????  I am like you have to see this place so after work I bring him out there and he pulls up and say "Are you nuts"???  yep that is what he said.   But then I tell him look inside and his voice changed and he looks at me and says..it is a cool looking house..looks savable. So to condense the story a bit..we called and got to get inside and fell in love with the house and barn and property.   So August of 2000 Cherokee Winds was born.  My lifelong dream had become real!  I have learned and done so much more than I could have ever dreamed  during the past 15 years.  Don't get me wrong I have always been active and done alot and did crafty and DIY projects but this sent me in so many more directions.  My food preservation skills far exceeded my expectations.   Canning,  freezing,  dehydrating.  Who needs a grocery store?  Not us.  Fresh Eggs from our lovable  flocks of chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, guineas  and gotta have Peacocks.  Our Dairy goats that provide our milk,  cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and my Soaps and Lotions thus creating Lulu fays Country Suds.  Our Llamas that not only protect of herds but we shear every spring and use their fleece for spinning yarn and making rugs. Raw honey from our own beehives.  Our Donkeys and Horses are a fun addition.  And our array of dogs and cats.  We have 2 Great Pyrenees that guard our farm,  our 2 Aussies that herd our stock and our little dogs that think they do what the big dogs do..We have learned to make our own laundry soap and cleaning supplies,  We can our apples from the orchard and make ciders and some delicious hard cider too!  We have even made apple cider beer.  Our lifestyle can be hard and tiring and stressful at times.  Sleeping in the barn waiting for kids to be born or nursing a sick animal or chasing an escaped one also can be hard at times.  But the stories I have to tell would take a lifetime.  I can say I wish I had made this lifestyle change a long time before I did but I did do it and have NEVER had an regrets.  My crafty and homemaking skills have brought me so many ways that that is a whole other blog post..haha.  Now were looking into another farm in Florida..where I can continue my farm life but without snow.  Not sure what is going to come of it but it is a big  possibility.  I am guessing it it is meant to be it will happen and if not we will remain here.  I think the point of my story today is Life is so short and if you have dreams don't delay.  Nobody is promised tomorrow.  You have to make changes sometimes to be truly happy and fulfilled.  Those changes can be scary.  Don't let it keep you from being who you want to be.  Enjoy life to the fullest no regrets.

Still Winter....

Well it's still cold and icy out there....still must be winter.  I am reminded every morning as I trug outside to do chores.  Carrying buckets of water because the troughs keep freezing up and lugging 50lb bales of hay because the Tractor doesn't want to start....uuhhgggg....Our newest LGD Livestock Guardian Dog Ruby  is 7 months old now and quite large...just adopted another sweet girl a Great Pyrenees have not named her yet.  Hopefully once grown they will keep the coyotes at bay.  They are getting very bold lately.  kinda scarey!  Started feeding the chickens,  ducks,  Peacocks,   Guineans,  and the Turkeys spent grains from brewing beer.  They seem to be enjoying it.  Saving tons on feeding costs...and we get great tasting beer...always a great thing.  Started looking thru the Heirloom seed catalogs anxious to get in the garden.  Also any day our CallieJo will be delivering 4-5 Hava-Malts. They are going to be adorable puppies.

That's my quick update for Cherokee Winds.  So happy soaping or cooking or crafting what ever keeps you happy during the winter months.