Recipe: Hamburger/Sandwich Buns

Nothing says summer like BBQs with juicy, tender burgers. 

We love these buns in our house because we can control the ingredients and there is nothing better than a freshly baked bun. Super quick and easy, you can have these done within 2 hours. These buns are also great for sandwiches!

We usually use all purpose flour for these, but you can trade in some whole wheat flour to make them chewier and more hearty. Just make sure your total flours add up to 4 1/2 cups. Also, replacing all of the sugar with 1 Tbs honey makes a nice change too!

Soft Hamburger & Sandwich Buns

2 Cups warm water
2 Tbs yeast
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs oil or butter
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 Cups all purpose flour (or mix of AP and whole wheat)

In a stand mixer or large bowl, proof yeast in warm water with sugar until bubbly. Mix in oil, salt and half of the flour until well incorporated. Add remaining flour and knead until smooth. Dough will be sticky. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.

Turn down out onto a floured surface and divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place onto a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle tops with flour, then press each ball into a large, flat disc about 1/2 inch thick. Let rise for one hour.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12- 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and cool on a rack.

~Meg

How To Tea Stain Fabric

Sometimes things go a little... unplanned.

I was about to start the pattern we are using for our Pretty Pioneer Apron (which you can find here) when I realized that I had not acquired enough trim. Great.

This is what I get for buying fabric before I found a pattern. 

However, thanks to my pack-rat tendencies, I had enough of a different lace trim in my sewing stash. Only problem was, it was a stark white and what I needed was a nice cream color.

A quick cry for help to my fellow Pretty Pioneers and Heather told me "you could tea stain it!". Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? This is why I love our group.

So here is how I went about tea staining the white lace to create a beautifully antique-looking trim. This will work for just about any cotton fabric, and maybe a few blends.

First, make your tea.

 I used 8 tea bags in about 2 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat and add the tea bags. Let steep for about 5 minutes, until you have a nice dark tea.

Pre-wet your fabric in a bowl of water. 

This step is important as it will help your fabric to evenly soak up the tea. Wring out the fabric and then slowly lower it into the tea, making sure to evenly distribute the fabric so it doesn't clump up. Push down with a spoon to fully submerge it.

Set a timer for 5 minutes.

After five minutes, check on your fabric. You can rinse a small corner of it in running water to check the strength of the stain. Mine wasn't quite right, so I left it for another 5 minutes, 10 minutes total. You can go longer if you'd like a deeper stain. Since I was going for cream, 10 minutes was perfect.

Remove from the tea and squeeze out the excess. 

Then pop it in the dryer to set the stain.

Once dry, rinse in running water to remove any excess tea, and then dry again.

You now have a beautifully tea stained piece of fabric, perfect for all of your pioneer sewing projects!

- Meg

Get Started Homesteading: In the Kitchen

This is the place where most of the magic will happen. You want to make sure this space is efficient and well rounded, or you'll certainly risk being overwhelmed and burned out.

Shop your stores

Take a look at your stores. What do you have canned? Frozen? Dried? etc.

• Take an inventory and make note of any gaps to fill.

This will help us build an efficient and very personal system for our family's likes and needs. We've allowed the supermarket dictators to provide our family with the food we used to provide for ourselves. Do you really want THEM being responsible for the essentials of human survival in regards to your family and loved ones? I don't.
In having your own garden, and preparing your own foods within your kitchen, there will be quite a bit more work involved, but there's also a beautiful simplifying that takes place when you're preparing your own foods. No more clipping coupons for foods you really shouldn't be eating anyway. And no more being overwhelmed with the mass of Pinterest recipes you'll never make

• Get to cooking what you have at home.

Open your fridge

Take a look inside and lets do what we did for our pantry. How many bottles of condiments and sauces have you managed to cram in the door? Get rid of them. You don't need exotic sauces for the meal you cooked once months ago with no intention of cooking again. That's a waste of money and space. You'll find that the flavor of your own staples far surpasses that of any store bought brand. It feels so much better eating something that you made. You know every last ingredient. You don't need to worry about how it was processed or the undercover chemicals that may hide behind innocent looking names. Relish in it!
We want to focus on streamlining our systems and doing more with less. Take a general stock of the food throughout your fridge, even the food that you've left to rot in the back.What about the freezer? How have you been using the foods you have on hand? Before you gear up for more food preservation, you need to commit to using the food you already have. Freezers and fridges aren't created to hold your food indefinitely.

• Invest in containers

There's no need to go overboard now. Pooling resources together with some friends and like minded people and buy in bulk as possible. This will cut costs significantly. These will be canning jars and food grade buckets for holding dry food stores in bulk, such as flours and beans. Half gallon, one gallon and 5 gallon buckets are the most practical. You can use these to store things like:
Flour *Keep in mind some flours go rancid more quickly than others, so don't buy these in large quantities if you aren't prepared to use them. Wheat berries, nuts* buckwheat groats, brown rice and beans! *Some nuts such as walnuts can go rancid quickly. It's best to use within 2-3 months for freshest flavor. Store in the fridge or freezer to extend flavor.

A place for everything

Do you have a good amount of space set aside for all your canned goodies? Don't worry about the exact amount of space just yet. This is just something we want to consider. We'll have a better idea of the size of space we'll need after delving into the preservation planning in march.

Now, write down all the bullet points and let's get crackin'!
Your home system will be a reflection of you, and those you love; uniquely.

-Abbey

Come along with us on this journey by following us on Facebook or through email using the form on the right.  

Get Started Homesteading: In the Garden

You want to jump on the wagon of self-reliant and more sustainable living, but you aren't sure what that really looks like or where to start.
Getting started may not be the "fluffiest" step but it's certainly the one that holds the most impact.

Growing Food - In a Garden - Yourself

Don't bail on me just yet, we're going to walk right alongside you on this one. Step by step, broken down into manageable tasks each month.

Some of us will be sharing how we grow in apartments and some of us will be displaying full beds and beautiful gardens. So yes, this is for EVERYONE!

January is over but I'm type A; we can't move on without also completing January's assignments or the entire year, and universe will crumble into oblivion.                                            

Choosing to homestead/ home-make in the traditional manner is going to be hard work! It will definitely get harder before it gets easier. There will be days when you question your reasoning and are tempted to give up and give in to the lure of leisure, luxury and convenience.
Don't get me wrong, homesteading isn't all about asceticism either. In fact there's a lot to be said for the many rewards of "householding". There's certainly beauty and charm in it.

But nothing worthwhile comes without blood sweat and tears.

We're going to be in the trenches with you.
I'll give the assignments in bullet-point form for convenience.

• Take a Personal Inventory. I'd highly suggest you grab a dedicated "householding" journal/binder.-
• What is your level of commitment here?
• What does homemaking really mean to you?

This life isn't the place for huge egos and accolades. No one is going to praise your latest achievements with a pay raise. You don't get PTO, or promotions. This life is all about serving, learning, working and loving. Loving those around you through your labor. If you have a martyr complex, you may need to take some time to seriously reconsider what all of this means for you.

How do you feel about *really* being at home?

Not just being there because the stores are closed, not just being there to relax, not just being there just because, but REALLY being home to work and run an efficient machine. More importantly, finding the balance between that efficient machine and creating a safe haven and place of rest.

Walk your space

Again a dedicated "householder's" journal or binder would be especially helpful. Walk your space and visualize what you would like to see in your garden. Look at each specific area and take note of the location as it pertains to the hours of sunlight, any sort of run-off, shade, protection from wind if needed, etc. Take note of these things and visualize what you want to bring to fruition.

• Map a garden

A "to scale" map is absolutely recommended. Get out a large piece of paper and map your yard or garden area to scale. Start mapping out your beds' size and location.
Keep a journal for your garden. What you plant, the yield, etc.  There will be mistakes. Don't let your fear of mistakes keep you from moving. The best way to learn, is by doing! Make sure everyone is on board, at least MOSTLY.

• Grab some seed catalogs

Figure out what your garden will grow!
You could cut your seed or start order in half and still have more than you can handle.
Here is our favorite *FREE* seed catalogs -

1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - http://www.rareseeds.com/request-catalogus/
2. Seed Savers Exchange - http://www.seedsavers.org/Catalog.html
3. Bountiful Gardens - https://www.bountifulgardens.org/inforequest.asp

Now, write down all the bullet points and let's get crackin'!
Your home system will be a reflection of you, and those you love; uniquely.

-Abbey

Come along with us on this journey by following us on Facebook or through email using the form on the right. 

Don't forget to check out the other posts in our Getting Started Homesteading series.

Old Traditions New Beginnings

I've heard it said that my generation is where traditions go to die.

That's depressing but when I take a look around, it's equally accurate.
We're great at making friends online, pinning the wardrobe we'll never have, recipes we'll never make and DIY's we may or may not ever attempt.

If there was an award granted for the generation composed of the biggest consumers, there'd be no competition.
Yeah, let's get a standing ovation for the biggest consumers in history!

Wait.

If you're still long enough, you'll see this isn't really what any of us want.
There's a lot of passion to be more, and create. But we lack the wisdom.
The good ol' fashioned mentoring.  Somewhere along the family branches of this huge old tree we never learned to sew a button, grow our own strawberries and make it into a jam to share with our loved ones.
Granted, that's a general statement. There are a very select few who are well equipped with the traditional skills of self-sufficiency and sustainability.

We've grown up relying on "them" to provide for us. Everything.
The shiny white tiles, and glass-door coolers have replaced the face to face relationship, and the smell of fresh harvest.
We purchase the clearanced "Bed-in-a-bag" instead of wrapping up in a blanket made with time, and careful consideration.
Swipe a card at the window and get a sack of food instead of stepping into the yard and pulling a few more goodies from the earth in the late afternoon.

This is where the wheel stops spinning. 

The rat wheel, the Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses, the dizzying array of stores.

We put on the breaks.

We started off as friends and sisters.
The girl who makes the soap, the one who married the farmer, the neat freak, the crafty queen, the photographer. All with different talents, perspectives and backgrounds... (about us)

With a common desire

The desire to be self-sufficient. To be able to create with purpose, using our hands. To be intentional.
We want to know how to grow our own food, sew our own clothes, can, knit....and share shameless amounts of food and laughs while our kids run amok in the yard.

We're building something from the ground up. We're all going to learn by doing.
This is where we'll document our journey, and share our memories and knowledge with others who are seeking intentional living. We're going to come along side each other, ask a million questions, get our hands dirty, and DO. Though we may not be able to share tea around the kitchen table with you, we'll know you're out in the yard planting by the same seasons we are.

-Abbey

Come along with us on this journey by following us on Facebook or through email using the form on the right.