So I got this great idea!
"Let's make an event at our farm for Small Business Saturday!" I said.
So we decided that we would clear out the living room and set up my displays of skirts and dresses, bibs and aprons. We'd make up some Vanilla Bean Infused Maple Syrup and some Cinnamon Infused Maple Syrup and let people taste it while checking out our new evaporator and sugar shack. We also would let people visit with the goats too.
And then.
Hannah.
She suggested she could display her handmade jewelry. I thought, "Hey! Why don't we invite other people we know who are 'small business' and see if they want to come too?"
So we did.
And our little event is now a good sized event.
Nathalie will be serving goat milk cheeses from Oak Leaf Dairy, as well as other tasty treats she will be making. One of the potential names she liked for her future bakery was "Nat's Nook". So that's what we are using.
Hannah will have her jewelry. Some really cool stuff she has created with hardware store finds!
Oak Valley Farm will be coming with their honey and hand crafted lamps.
A local artist will have her work displayed. You'll be able to purchase notecards and other items of Bopha Smith's artwork.
Another friend will be bringing her goat milk soap and knitted items for sale.
Quilts and quilted items from Beth Larson.
Lip Balms and herbal salves, as well as candles from Scarlet Begonias
We'll be setting up the grain dispenser so guests can feed the goats.
Of course, I'll be setting up my handmade items for sale as well. https://www.etsy.com/shop/CedarsofLebanonFarm
So on November 29th from 9AM- 4PM stop by and check out our little farm and our amazing friends who make some pretty awesome things!
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Brunch Invitation
We've begun preparing for our annual Christmas Eve Brunch.
It's our gift to all of you!
Seriously.
ALL of you!
Last year we had 120 of our closest friends and family join us in our home for lots of food and lots of laughter. Abby would like to celebrate with 150 people this year. Nathalie will be home from Bob Jones University, where she has been learning all kinds of culinary treats that she is anxious to share with everyone. Hannah has been helping with the decorations, so you know they will be perfect. Rachel and Samantha are decorating the basement just for the kids, who will have their own buffet table this year. You won't want to miss it!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Annual Campfire!!
The Campfire Party is almost here. This is a party we have been throwing for about 7 or 8 years (we skipped last year). This year it has an added twist as Nathalie will be leaving for Bob Jones University in South Carolina about ten days later.
Nathalie is going all out with the menu as her "Last Hurrah":
A sweet s'mores buffet AND a savory s'mores buffet (this looks amazing: roast a ball of mozzarella over the fire, slide it onto a garlic flavored cracker, top with a slice of tomato and add another cracker! She has other varieties dreamed up too!)
campfire cupcakes
4 types of salads
pulled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs (of course!)
ham and Swiss cheese dip (a favorite of the North Stonington fair goat show kids)
and a huge variety of appetizers.
So I thought I would post some pictures of Campfires from years past. By the way, you are all invited to come Saturday from 5PM- 10PM. Just RSVP by Thursday so we have enough food.
Nathalie is going all out with the menu as her "Last Hurrah":
A sweet s'mores buffet AND a savory s'mores buffet (this looks amazing: roast a ball of mozzarella over the fire, slide it onto a garlic flavored cracker, top with a slice of tomato and add another cracker! She has other varieties dreamed up too!)
campfire cupcakes
4 types of salads
pulled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs (of course!)
ham and Swiss cheese dip (a favorite of the North Stonington fair goat show kids)
and a huge variety of appetizers.
So I thought I would post some pictures of Campfires from years past. By the way, you are all invited to come Saturday from 5PM- 10PM. Just RSVP by Thursday so we have enough food.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Groceries
I was inspired to write this post by a friend who was asking friends what their grocery budget looked like. People are often surprised at how little our large-ish family spends on groceries. So here is how we do it:
Our weekly budget is between $60-100 per week. I only food shop once per week. If we run out of it, then we live without it. We had a rough few weeks after I initiated this rule, but my "list-makers" have gotten better about double checking the list. And I will add that some things, toilet paper and coffee, are exceptions to the rule!! (Can you imagine? I shudder at the thought!)
I mainly shop at Aldi's for our weekly shopping, although as we are slowly switching to more locally grown products, that may change. Aldi's has a couple of benefits, besides their low prices. Yes, with coupons and sales I could probably get better prices at supermarkets, but that is time consuming. And my time is worth a lot! Aldi's prices are always low and I don't have to wait for a sale.
At Aldi's there is one brand; if you want ketchup, there is just one option. This makes it easy if I send in Sam or the older girls to do the shopping. At supermarkets, if I sent in Sam, I would get 2-3 phone calls about which product to chose. Another benefit: both Aldi's near me are also not far from a Tractor Supply. I can get house groceries and barn groceries in one trip!
Nathalie makes our weekly menu plan. The majority of our meals are vegetarian. Not because we are vegetarians, but because we raise our own meat and what is in the freezer has to last a whole year. We average two meals with meat per week. A few months ago she found a new recipe software program and has been trying lots of new recipes. She likes to experiment with new foods and has added one day a week which features a dish made with fish. I don't know what we'll do when she leaves for college in August!
About once per year we shop at the local wholesale club. This is when we stock up on canned goods, paper goods, and staples like flour and sugar. We spend about $500 in this trip. It often doesn't last us a whole year, but it takes the pressure off the weekly shopping budget. It also allows us to take a week or two (or six!) during the year to proclaim "living out of the pantry week". This is a week when, for whatever reason, the budget is REALLY tight. We do not food shop at all (see the disclaimer above regarding coffee and TP!) and only use what we have on hand in the pantry. We get some pretty creative meals that week!
Our livestock feed bill is a little weird to calculate. Abby pays for all the feed (hay, grain, minerals, etc.) for her herd of goats. We pay for Samantha's goats and our own. The milk from the goats goes into the calves, with what little is left over (if any) used by the family. One to one and a half of the calves get put in to our freezer, while the rest get sold to other families. The products from Abby's animals that are used by us are considered to be Abby's room and board, barn rental, pasture rental, etc. The feed bill for the animals not paid for by Abby, is about $30 per week. We usually make a good amount of that back in livestock sales and other farm income (breeding, boarding, fairs...).
Every once in a while we butcher some of our chickens or buy a half a pig from a local producer, to round out our freezer. We are starting a new batch of chickens this year, and if we can keep enough of them alive (it's been a rough few weeks for the chicks), we'll have bantam eggs for our use again.
With summer around the corner, we'll be shopping for produce at the local farmer's markets and getting some from our own garden. While this raises our grocery bill a bit, the benefit of supporting the local small farmer and getting stuff that is fresh, is worth it. Plus, strolling through markets makes for a great date with Sam!
So that's how we do it. I plan on $100 per week for groceries. Some weeks I spend more, some weeks less. I would estimate that with livestock feed included, we are averaging about $135 per week.
Our weekly budget is between $60-100 per week. I only food shop once per week. If we run out of it, then we live without it. We had a rough few weeks after I initiated this rule, but my "list-makers" have gotten better about double checking the list. And I will add that some things, toilet paper and coffee, are exceptions to the rule!! (Can you imagine? I shudder at the thought!)
I mainly shop at Aldi's for our weekly shopping, although as we are slowly switching to more locally grown products, that may change. Aldi's has a couple of benefits, besides their low prices. Yes, with coupons and sales I could probably get better prices at supermarkets, but that is time consuming. And my time is worth a lot! Aldi's prices are always low and I don't have to wait for a sale.
At Aldi's there is one brand; if you want ketchup, there is just one option. This makes it easy if I send in Sam or the older girls to do the shopping. At supermarkets, if I sent in Sam, I would get 2-3 phone calls about which product to chose. Another benefit: both Aldi's near me are also not far from a Tractor Supply. I can get house groceries and barn groceries in one trip!
Nathalie makes our weekly menu plan. The majority of our meals are vegetarian. Not because we are vegetarians, but because we raise our own meat and what is in the freezer has to last a whole year. We average two meals with meat per week. A few months ago she found a new recipe software program and has been trying lots of new recipes. She likes to experiment with new foods and has added one day a week which features a dish made with fish. I don't know what we'll do when she leaves for college in August!
About once per year we shop at the local wholesale club. This is when we stock up on canned goods, paper goods, and staples like flour and sugar. We spend about $500 in this trip. It often doesn't last us a whole year, but it takes the pressure off the weekly shopping budget. It also allows us to take a week or two (or six!) during the year to proclaim "living out of the pantry week". This is a week when, for whatever reason, the budget is REALLY tight. We do not food shop at all (see the disclaimer above regarding coffee and TP!) and only use what we have on hand in the pantry. We get some pretty creative meals that week!
Our livestock feed bill is a little weird to calculate. Abby pays for all the feed (hay, grain, minerals, etc.) for her herd of goats. We pay for Samantha's goats and our own. The milk from the goats goes into the calves, with what little is left over (if any) used by the family. One to one and a half of the calves get put in to our freezer, while the rest get sold to other families. The products from Abby's animals that are used by us are considered to be Abby's room and board, barn rental, pasture rental, etc. The feed bill for the animals not paid for by Abby, is about $30 per week. We usually make a good amount of that back in livestock sales and other farm income (breeding, boarding, fairs...).
Every once in a while we butcher some of our chickens or buy a half a pig from a local producer, to round out our freezer. We are starting a new batch of chickens this year, and if we can keep enough of them alive (it's been a rough few weeks for the chicks), we'll have bantam eggs for our use again.
With summer around the corner, we'll be shopping for produce at the local farmer's markets and getting some from our own garden. While this raises our grocery bill a bit, the benefit of supporting the local small farmer and getting stuff that is fresh, is worth it. Plus, strolling through markets makes for a great date with Sam!
So that's how we do it. I plan on $100 per week for groceries. Some weeks I spend more, some weeks less. I would estimate that with livestock feed included, we are averaging about $135 per week.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
PHEW!
We had so much fun yesterday at our brunch! About 48 people came and ate tons of food with us. We had some awesome conversations which included such topics as: baseball steroid use, agnostic versus atheist, public school issues, homeschool issues, child behavior issues, calving stories, kidding (goat) stories, knitting patterns were exchanged, impromptu piano lessons were given, and beekeeping advice. I am sure there were other topics covered but those were the ones I heard.
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!
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