Happy New Year!

I am very thankful to family. My cousin William lets me park my trailer at his house just outside of town. He helped me Saturday with a busted water line. I guess that day my tanks froze it busted a line near the pump because Friday when I turned my electricity on for the first time since the freeze, water started spewing out.  We got that taken care of and I am ready to go out for the new year starting January 2.  This is my schedule:

Monday: Cup From Above parking lot
Wednesday: 16th street in front of The Hair Salon and Spa of Sedalia
Thursday: Waterloo Road
Friday: Parking lot at 7th and Ohio

Please visit the businesses that let me park near them on Facebook or in person. Wednesday is Waxy Wednesday at the Hair Salon and Spa. I visit them every other Wednesday to get my eyebrows waxed for just $5.  

I hope to serve you at one of these great locations.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Well it's been a while since I've parked in downtown. Many things have happened: dead truck battery, frozen water tanks, freezing rain. It is almost the new year and there are a few things that will be happening. I've added more locations to the route. I plan to be weekly at the same spot and now have 4 spots by partnering with other local businesses.

I have changed the name of the food trailer to strEATs Mobile Deli. A new logo and website are in the works. Then I will have the design changed on the trailer.  Please visit and like the new Facebook page.  The farm will still be there to offer you home grown beef that is raised on pasture while eating a little corn.  The reason for the change is because I made a change in my meat selection. I now get quality meats from a restaurant supplier instead of a local butcher.  I will still use local produce when seasonally available and use local beef in my chili.

I bought a professional coffee maker. I love the tea at two local restaurants and so I asked who their supplier and brand was. It was the same for both so I contacted this supplier to get my own tea, coffee, and hot chocolate.  These drinks will be $2 a glass. You can upgrade the can of soda or bottle of water in your meal to one of these drinks for $.75.  I might add hot tea flavors, I'm taste testing a few brands. Hot cups are 16 ounces and cold cups are 24 ounces.  

Here at the beginning of the year some fairs and festivals have been posted online so I am signing up. If you know of an event I should attend please don't hesitate to contact me, I might not know about that one.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!      

Opening Day Went Well

Well opening day was Friday and it went well.  I served 11 meals while in downtown Sedalia.  I plan to be there each Friday.  I plan to see about going to manufacturing places during the rest of the week.  I had a line at one point and lost a customer because of it. I think that to go to the manufacturers I will have to hire help to run register and take orders while I prepare sandwiches.

I am very grateful to all who came out on opening day.  Thank you.

Snail Creek Farm Mobile Deli Will Be Opening Soon

Wow, it has been two months.  I am not a good blogger.  Many things have happened in these two months in regards to opening my own restaurant.

After the building fell through in Leeton I looked at buildings in Sedalia.  There was one really nice one in downtown with space to make apartments upstairs.  It didn't have a kitchen and would have to be remodeled a little to add that.  The price just got too high when calculating the building, renovation, kitchen equipment, and employees I would need to open a restaurant in the middle of downtown. So I started looking to other options and that's when Jeremy and I thought food truck! 

I actually decided to go with a trailer so if my engine breaks it's not attached to my kitchen.  We found a great trailer on Craigslist that was only 1 year old.  Dad and I drove 4 hours to southern Missouri to get it.

We will be opening November 8 from 11-3 in the parking lot at 7th and Ohio in Sedalia.  We've been issued our city license and the county health inspector comes tomorrow.

Our bread is being made by a Mennonite family in Centerview that has a professional kitchen.  The meat and cheese are coming from Alewel's in Warrensburg.  I will get the lettuce, tomato, onion, and green pepper from local farmers when in season.

I will be selling my sandwiches as a meal.  They will come with a bag of kettle chips and a drink.  I still have to find the supplier of the kettle chips so tomorrow I'm going to Restaurant Depot to check there.  I've also contacted Frito Lay since I now own a business (oh my goodness, I own a business!), I can find who my distributor would be.  The drink will be a canned soda or bottled water.  Maybe later I will have tea and lemonade.  My counter space is very limited so two big containers would take up a lot of space.  

All my meals will cost the same.  I'm not going to make a distinction between sandwich type.  I'm definitely doing a Reuben and everyone wants a Philly Cheese Steak.  I don't think they realize how difficult it is going to be to eat that thing with my bread type.  I don't have deli rolls but nice, soft, Mennonite sandwich bread.  Maybe if I make the meat onions and peppers on my grill then squish the sandwich together in my panini press like a Reuben.  I'll use provolone cheese and we'll call it a "sort-of like a Philly Cheese Steak"

The meats I ordered are smoked ham, smoked turkey, corned beef, and bacon.  I was trying to keep it simple but so many people want a Philly Cheese Steak that I think I need to order regular roast beef and green peppers too.  I bought a deli slicer so I can slice my own meat and cheese. I think it's nicer that way.

I did to make my own sauces such as Thousand Island.  I had a lead on homemade mustard but she doesn't use an inspected kitchen so I can't use her product (which tastes delicious).  I am also too scared of food poisoning or death to make my own mayonnaise so maybe I'll forgo the homemade sauces.      

Another thing I'm going to look into this week is how much it will cost to remove the vinyl that is on the trailer and put my own logo up.  I'm debating and thinking I won't remove the words from the top of the trailer because all those things could be done.

My trailer came with a lot of stuff.  I have all the equipment and syrups to make snow cones in 24 flavors.  I have both open and sealed boxes of cups, boxes for sandwiches, sandwich paper, forks, etc.

One thing I found out is that I will not be able to work out of downtown Warrensburg.  It is against the zoning regulations to have a food truck on a street.  There are some talks before City Council to hopefully loosen these regulations in the future.  I hope it passes, that would be nice.  

Well that was a really long post.  I hope you didn't get tired and stop reading.  I have been accused of saying too much and writing emails too long but that was when I had a job: Now I own my job.

          

The Door Closed

Well the roofing quote came in and it would double the price of the building.  I just don't think it's worth it so I called my realtor and said I didn't want the building.  I'm going to study building at the farm which was my original idea anyway.  At least I know my banker stands behind my project.

Update About The Diner Building

I had the inspection done yesterday. We moved the date up a little bit because we thought we were running out of time to get the inspection done. I actually have 15 not 10 days but I'm glad we did it early. There is some minor stuff with the roof. I have a roof expert coming out tomorrow to see how much it would cost to put the flashing in correctly.

We found fire damage above the ceiling tiles in the kitchen. New supports were added but they were tied to some damaged wood.  The inspector suggested I get a professional engineer out to see if the fix was done correctly.  I took him up on that idea and have an engineer coming out on Friday to check into that.  If it is OK I will take the building. If it is not, well we will have to see if they're going to fix it because I'm not taking the building if it's damaged structurally.

Other than that it is a very sound old building.  We'll see what happens Friday and so we wait. I hate waiting.
Meanwhile I have been studying equipment needs and food vendors.  During Phase 1 I will open the shop as a deli where I will cater boxed lunches, salads, and homemade desserts.  I won't be open for public hours in Phase 1 but will deliver to Johnson and Pettis County.  I have a lead already lined up who wants my sandwiches for his coffee shop so I'm very excited about that possibility.  

Phase 2 may come about 4-6 weeks later depending upon how busy I am with classes.  During Phase 2 I will open to the public on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from lunch through an early dinner.

Phase 3 may happen but I'm thinking that I like the deli concept and may stick with that.  Phase 3 was the farm to table suppers on Friday and Saturday nights.  We'll see.  I'm not rushing into Phase 3 because I would need more equipment and more staff.  Jeremy has also warned me to not rush past Phase 1 because he knows my personality.  When I get overwhelmed I shut down.  He totally backs me doing Phase 1 and starting this adventure and that feels wonderful.

In my deli I plan to use local meats.  Well as local as I can get them.  I think I'll use the local butcher but some of the meat he brings in comes from as far away as Arkansas.  Local is relative I guess.  The first piece of equipment I need is a meat slicer so I can freshly cut all my meats.  I don't know that I can keep up yet by baking my own bread so I plan to talk with a vendor at the farmer's market to see about buying their bread.  I'll make all the desserts myself.

Well I just thought I'd let you know what was going on.  This could go well or bad. I have no idea until Friday.  
         

My New Adventure

I can't believe it's been 19 days since my last post. I'm sorry for letting you all get left behind.  Things have been very busy.  Tonight I met with a new church group that Jeremy and I have tried out.  Once a month they get together at Bandanna's restaurant for a time of study and fellowship.  Tonight's topic was new beginnings and it got me to thinking about all the things that are going on right now.

Friday I start at the farmer's market in Sedalia selling baked goods.  I'm going to make a stout cake and a carrot cake.  Come on out and buy a slice if you can.  I should have cookies too.

 I started a new semester of school yesterday.  I am on a completely different path than I originally thought I'd be in life.  I'm studying accounting and so far I love it.  I'm making a new beginning for myself because things just don't always work out the way we thought they would.

Another new beginning that I wanted to discuss is that I might open Snail Creek Farm Kitchen and Bakery.  There is the strong probability that I'm purchasing a diner.  I'm going to use it to expand my baking so that I can wholesale items instead of making them through my home.  I would be able to sell items that are not considered shelf stable, like my ice cream, and therefore don't fall under the cottage laws.  I could begin a catering business.  Maybe later I will open the diner part to the public on weekends for supper and have a farm to table style meal.

I debated whether to tell you this because it is still in the works.  The building inspection is next week and we'll see how that goes.  I have some concerns that I want relieved by the inspection before I go forward.  I am so excited and also so nervous.

What new beginnings have been happening in your life that you would like to share?  

Starbucks Green Tea Latte Ice Cream

This one is my favorite yet.  I'm going to post the recipe as I did it instead of what the book says.  I did it with a Starbucks latte because there is no matcha powder in Sedalia.

Made 4 half pint jars plus about 3 ounces that I scraped off the edges of the machine and ate.  See my previous post for pricing information about the ice cream.  This one is a few cents more expensive than Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daz at WalMart.

Ingredients:
Grande green tea latte from Starbucks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks

1.  Go to Starbucks and order a grande green tea latte with one extra scoop of matcha powder and no sweetener. Ask that they use whole milk.

2.  Warm the latte, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan.

3.  Pour cream into a large bowl. Set a mesh strainer over the top.

4.  In a separate medium bowl whisk the egg yolks.

5.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

6.  Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.

7.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir into the cream, then whisk it vigorously until the custard is frothy.

8.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

How Much Does Homemade Ice Cream Cost?

I'm mixing up more batches of ice cream for a family event on Saturday.  The batch in the machine right now is Green Tea Ice Cream.  I'm making it because a friend suggested I did. She said Baskin Robins in Japan sells it and that it was delicious. It's not available in the States.  There was a recipe in my book but the problem is that I can't get Matcha powder in Sedalia.  However, I love Starbucks Green Tea Lattes.  That is the only thing I drink from Starbucks.  So I asked the barista how much Matcha powder goes in a Grande latte (the amount of  milk I needed in the recipe). So I bought a Grande latte with whole milk, an extra scoop of Matcha, and no sweetener.  I then substituted this for the 1 cup whole milk and 4 teaspoons Matcha powder that the recipe called for.  I is smart. :-)

So how much does my ice cream cost in comparison to the competition?  I still have my list I made last year with ingredient costs per 1/2 cup of the items I used to make my cookies for farmer's market.  I added a few more items based upon my receipts from ice cream ingredients.

Here's the Aztec Chocolate break down:
heavy cream $2.12
dutch process cocoa, I don't know because I haven't taken the time to measure out how much is in the container so I'm going to say it's too small to call
sugar $.18
Ghiradelli chocolate $1.65
milk $.38
Total $4.33 for a batch that made just over 2 pints.  So lets say it only made 2 pints to account for that chocolate and it is $2.17 a pint.

Here's the breakdown of Matche Ice Cream
one Grande latte $3.95
sugar $.18
heavy cream $1.88
egg yolks $1.14
Will make just over 2 pints so if it was just 2 pints  it would be $3.58 a pint.  So because of that latte at Starbucks this one is over the price of Ben and Jerry's at WalMart. I'm going to order myself some Matche powder online.  That should lower the cost.

Ice Cream at the Farmer's Market in Lee Summit: $5 for a half pint
Ben and Jerry's and Haagen Daz: $3.48 a pint at WalMart (though Haagen Daz is no longer a pint, it is 14 ounces)
Talenti Gelato in Sea Salt Caramel flavor that I saw for the first time today in the WalMart isle was $3.77 a pint.  It comes in a nice reusable container with a screw top lid.  Couldn't help it, I had to buy some. I want to make this flavor next.

So I'd say the answer is yes, it is worth it to make your own ice cream.

Homemade Ice Cream and a Recipe

I bought myself a Quisinart ice cream maker on Amazon and I love it.  You put the bowl thing in the freezer. It's filled with a liquid. When it is good and frozen you put it in the machine, pour your mixture in and the bowl thing spins.   It turns your mixture to ice cream in about 30 minutes.  Here is a link to my machine.  I also bought this book on Amazon too.  So far I've made 5 flavors.

I like how I can make ice cream with so few ingredients.  Makes me feel pretty good knowing what is in it.  It is so good that I've been enjoying it in small amounts.  I put my homemade ice cream in wide mouth pint jars and they fit great in my freezer.  I want to share a unique recipe I found in the book that everyone has loved.

Aztec Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-Process cocoa powder (I used Hershey)
3/4 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60%)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 to 3 teaspoons ground chili powder (I used 3)
2 tablespoons brandy (I didn't have any and don't need the alcohol so I left it out)

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, then whisk until it is completely melted. Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, and brandy.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The recipe made just over 1 quart of ice cream.

Here is a picture of me making peach ice cream with some peaches I picked up that day from the Farmer's Market.  It needed the blender to smooth it out.

 Here is a picture of my wide mouth pint jars full of ice cream. The only problem with this method is that the jars are so cold when you're holding them with your left hand to scoop out ice cream.  I think I'll grab a towel next time to hold around the jar.

50 Hour Power Outage Candles

There have been so many natural disasters recently that it has me thinking I should be better prepared. I need to pack a bug out bag but we've never done it.  I did make my own candles in case of a power outage.  They are supposed to burn for 50 hours though I haven't tried it.  I didn't come up with this idea on my own, I took it from Happy Money Saver a pretty nice blog I follow.  My batch made 12 candles.  Click on the ingredients to get a link to where I bought the items on Amazon

12 half pint jars (8 ounces) They are available at most stores. At Lowe's they cost $9.49
5 pounds of Natural Soy Wax $12.99 on Amazon
Wicks, they come in a bag of 50 for $8.99 on Amazon but you only need 12. If you would like to get some from me I will gladly share for 18 cents each.
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

1.  Glue a wick to the bottom of each jar.

2.  Melt the wax. You could use a double boiler but I just did it in 3 batches in my microwave using my Pyrex 8 cup measuring cup. Stir after each minute.

3. Carefully pour the wax into each jar to about 1/2 an inch from the top.  Be careful not to move the wick because the hot glue doesn't stick when the wax is fresh and hot.
4.  Let the jars cool just a bit so the wicks are stuck again.
5.  Put a piece of aluminum foil on each jar with a little hole in the center to keep the wick straight while the jars are cooling.

6.  Let the jars cool completely and then remove the aluminum foil
7.  Cut the wicks to about 1/2 and inch.  

So I made my own candles but is it worth it?

I could have bought "religious candles" at the Save A Lot store for $1.45 each. I don't know how long they burn but they are those tall skinny candles in a glass.
If I had to buy the jars my candles cost $2.62 each because I had to buy so many wicks.
If I could have had only 12 wicks for $.18 each my total would have been $2.05 each.
If I didn't need to buy jars and my wicks were $.18 each my total would have been $1.26 each.

However, it was fun to make my own candles.  Remember, if you would like wicks I have 38 more.

Cow-Sharing and a Taco Seasoning Recipe

Yesterday I was reading a cookbook about beef.  I learned a new term called cow-sharing.  It is when multiple people get together to purchase a beef from the farmer.  This is an option for you. Just check out the post from June 11 about how to purchase a split half of a beef.  Need even less meat, share your split half with another family.

My new cookbook has a recipe for every cut.  Stick with me and I'll share some of the recipes with you.  My first share is going to be one of our family favorites: Taco Seasoning.

Growing up with the last name of Bell we always joked when we were eating tacos at home that we were having Tacos By Bell. This is how I spice my meat before I make it into lasagna as well.  It makes a delicious lasagna.

For each pound of ground beef add:
1 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cumin

Now you won't have to buy packets of seasoning.  I find this one to be much better, just the right amount of spice but not hot. It is also cheaper.
 

All Purpose Healing Salve

The other day I used essential oils for the first time.  I bought them because I wanted to make a recipe I found for an all purpose healing salve.  It takes beeswax but my beeswax smells funny I think. This recipe smells great. It has peppermint, lavender, lemon, and melaleuca.  It's best when rubbed into your feet before you put socks on to go to bed. It has been working very well.  If you would like some let me know. I put it in 4 ounce jars. You can have one for $4.  I think now I'll experiment some more with the essential oils.

Purchasing Beef as a Split Half

Sorry for the delay in writing but I wanted to get this post just right. We have four sides of beef hanging at the processor. They will hang for 21 days and then be ready to go to your freezer.  Please contact us soon if you would like to order one for your family.

Below you will find the hanging weights.  The price is $3.20 a pound hanging weight and includes processing. You can expect to get 60-65% of this weight as meat in your freezer depending on how you have the meat cut and how many of the cuts are bone-in compared to bone-out.  The following are the sizes of the split halves that are available. 

A.     169 pounds for $540.80

B.     172 pounds for $550.40

C.     183 pounds for $585.60

D.     192 pounds for $614.40

There are some choices that you have in cuts.  There are two available of each split half and both customers must select the same cuts to be paired together. 

One of your choices for cuts is to decide between T-Bones or KC Strips and Fillets.  A T-Bone can be cut without the bone and you get a package of KC Strips and a package of Fillets. 

Your second choice is between Rib Steaks with a bone or boneless Rib Eyes.

Round steaks are tenderized or they can be cube steaks instead of round steaks. 

Ground beef is put into 1 pound packages and is 80/20.  This is still a much leaner grind than you will find at the grocery store.  It cooks very clean.  You may choose to have some of your ground beef made into hamburger patties.  The most popular are third-pound patties packaged into 4 per package.  Please let us know how many patty packages you want. 

You can have stew meat or you can choose not to have it and it will be a part of your ground beef. 

Your rump roast will be boned rolled and tied.

You will get some arm and chuck roasts that average 3 pounds each.

You will get one brisket.

Liver, heart and tongue are not available with a split half but may be purchased separately.    

Fajitas

We are having a sale. Two new beef will be slaughtered Wednesday and we need to make room in the freezer. These two will be sold as split halves and will be ready after they hang for 21 days. Let us know if you are interested. We have an abundance of round steaks, arm roasts, and chuck roasts in the freezer right now. Our round steaks are tenderized and come two to a package. Each steak is quite large. These make great fajitas. Just get some onions, peppers, and a seasoning packet. Cut up the meat and vegetables and cook it all up. You can have a package of round steaks for $8. We are offering chuck and arm roasts for $11. This week I will post some recipes that use these three pieces of meat. If you would like to help us clear the freezer just let us know and we'll be glad to get you some meat.  Give us a call or text at 660-864-7130.

Tuna Gravy

I'm sorry that time has gotten away from me. I've decided that in the future I'm going to post a new post on Mondays. Today's post, as promised, is tuna gravy. Some people find this to be a strange dish but our family loves it. Give it a try sometime on the Utah Ready Quick Mix biscuits. It is delicious. 

Tuna Gravy

Melt 4 Tablespoons butter in a large saucepan.

Add 8 Tablespoons of flour and mix it up really well and fast.

Slowly stir in 4 cups milk while stirring well and constantly.

Continue stirring constantly until the gravy boils and thickens. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add two 5 ounce cans of tuna well drained.  

For pictures today I only have one of our cat. It fits because she loves to drink the water that is drained from the cans of tuna. She now thinks that every time the can opener turns we are having tuna and she has to come and check it out.  

Ready Quick Mix (like Bisquick)

We use a lot of Bisquick in our house. I have a canister that is just for Bisquick along with my flour and sugar canisters. I found a great copy-cat recipe that I've been using recently and we enjoy it. With this recipe our pancakes don't need milk as an ingredient. It is published by the Utah State University Cooperative Extension and a book can be found here: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/fnp_102.pdf

I mixed up the larger batch. Here is a picture of the ingredients.

First you mix all your dry ingredients   Next you add your Crisco into your flour mixture. I used my favorite big spoon with the holes. Eventually you just need to get your hands in there and mix it up until it is tiny little pieces of Crisco.

After it is all mixed up I added it to my Bisquick container. I guess I need to change the label. Oh well.  There was a little more than would fit in my container so we made a batch of drop biscuits with the extra and had tuna gravy the night I made the batch.  I'll post a recipe for tuna gravy in a few days. It is a family favorite.

This stuff turns out to be cheaper than Bisquick from Wal-Mart but I can't give you exact prices because there were no prices on the shelves at the store the day I went to snap this picture.  I haven't bought Bisquick for a while now.  

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Pot Roast

The other night we had something I've had many times before but we did it a little different and it was yummy. Mom always said when cooking a roast in the crockpot to add plenty of water. Well I cooked one the other night based on an online recipe with only a stick of butter. I think it had more flavor than one cooked in lots of water.

I took a thawed chuck roast that was about three pounds. I put it in the crockpot with a packet of brown gravy and a packet of Ranch dip on top. Then I put the stick  of butter right on top of that. I cooked my roast for 4 and a half hours on high. It turned out great.

If you would like a chuck or an arm roast we have three pound roasts available just like the one I used for $15 plus $.48 tax. Just let me know if you want one and we can deliver in Johnson County or any county that touches Johnson for free.  Text or call 660-864-7130.

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

I love foaming hand soap. It lasts longer and doesn't leave little globs of soap in the sink. Did you know that the foaming soap is actually all about the bottle and that it is really cheap to make? Just take an empty bottle and add about a Tablespoon of dish soap or liquid hand soap. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and gently shake. Now you have foaming soap. Remember though that you have to use a bottle that was originally made for foaming soap.  

Now if I could figure out how to keep the little globs of toothpaste out of the sink.

Free Eye Glasses Cleaner

This is going to be short.

Did you know that you can get free eye glasses cleaner at the Wal-Mart? I'd heard rumors about this so I went and asked my local Wal-Mart optical center for the details.  If you buy their smaller bottle that is 2 ounces of spray for $1.97 then they will refill your empty bottle for free.

I have also heard rumors that Costco does the same thing but I haven't verified that because I go to Costco about twice a year.

What free tips do you know about?

This Old House

Have you ever watched This Old House on PBS? There are times when their projects seem really cool and you learn things. There are also times when I wonder why they bother. Wouldn't it be much cheaper to start from scratch and build a home with all the amenities of a new home and the charm of an old home?

I think of this because this month in our water bill we got a page about the Sedalia Public Library. The beautiful Carnegie building was built in 1901. It was the first Carnegie library in the state of Missouri.  The building was closed recently because engineers said it was in immanent danger of collapse because of the drought we suffered this past summer.  Several buildings in downtown did collapse.  A proposed property tax increase is going to be on the ballot in April to save the building.  The 1.5 million needed will cost the tax payer $0.07 per $100 assessed valuation. The flyer discusses how it will be much cheaper to repair the Carnegie building than it would be to build a new building that would replicate the size of our current library.  I think it sounds like a good idea that will only raise my tax bill by about $10 a year.

Saving buildings has me thinking about the old one-room schoolhouse that sits on our farm.  My sisters and I would like to save the building but we have no idea how.  We are not carpenters and we cannot rely on dad to help us with this one.  It has me thinking of those This Old House programs and wondering if the work would be worth it.  I remember standing on the platform in the old building when I was a child and playing school.  I would stand there teaching my imaginary students.  My favorite thing to do was write them grade cards.  The building holds memories for many people but I don't know what to do about it.    

What are your thoughts about saving old buildings?  What buildings have you seen in disrepair that you wished you could save?  

     Not so bad looking from this side.

This side could use a lot more work.  The front that is about to fall off isn't original to the building anyway.

A Year's Worth of Laundry Soap for Under $20

A while back a Facebook friend posted a picture of her homemade powdered laundry soap. I was a user of liquid Tide Cold Water and had never considered making my own soap because I didn't like the idea of cooking up (literally) a batch and having to shake the liquid every time I wanted to use it. I thought her powdered version looked great so I gave it a try. I have revised the recipes that I found online to come up with my own special blend that I would like to share with you. First of all I use Zote Soap instead of Fels-Naptha. Fels-Naptha is easier to find because Wal-Mart sells it but I don't like its smell.  I love the fragrance of Zote.

This stuff is going to last a very long time. I put what I'm currently using in a wide mouthed, quart sized, mason jar. The rest is put in a 5 gallon bucket with a snap top lid. This recipe fills the bucket half full. You only use 2 Tablespoons (or 1/8th a cup) per load. That's right- you use so little!  I use a regular washer but I've read of many people who use a recipe similar in their front loading or high efficiency washers. I wash everything in cold water and have not had a problem. I start the water, throw in my soap and then throw in my clothing.

So here we go- homemade laundry soap

Ingredients:
5 bars of Zote Soap (I get mine at the Wood's in Sedalia, Isle 12, it comes in white and pink. It is $1.35 a bar for a total of $6.75)
1 box of Borax (priced at $3.38 at my local Wal-Mart)
1 box of Washing Soda ($3.24 at Wal-Mart)
1- 4 pound box of Baking Soda (A box this big is found in the soap isle not the cooking isle of Wal-Mart for $2.16)
3 containers of knock-off OxyClean from the Dollar Tree ($3)

Total Price: $18.53!!!

So yes, I have to go to three different stores to get my supplies but it is worth it to not have to buy soap for about a year.

Save the little scoops from the OxyClean because they are 1/8th a cup which is how much soap you put in each load. (Handy huh)

Directions:
1.  Grate the Zote in your food processor with the shred blade.
2.  Grate the shredded Zote in your food processor with the chop blade.  This time I used pink Zote. Here is a picture:

3.  Mix all the ingredients together. It is easiest to do this by adding a little of each ingredient into your bucket and then stirring as you go.
4.  Stir, stir stir until it is all mixed up.

And there you go. Now you have an amazing amount of laundry soap.

If you think this is too much soap to make before you try it let me know. I'll gladly give you some for the price of the jar and ring.

Here is a picture of my pretty soap in a mason jar and a scoop I bought at Dollar Tree before realizing that the OxyClean scoops are the same size.

Welcome To The New Blog

Welcome to the Snail Creek Farm Blog. This is Laurel. I plan to use this blog to bring you updates about the farm and let you see some of the everyday happenings. I plan to post at least weekly to bring you something including frugal life tips that I have picked up since starting to farm. Maybe some of our family's favorite beef recipes will show up here. Who knows?

Life has a strange way of bringing things around. I never thought I'd be this involved in farming; that it would be my primary source of income. Dad has been farming all his life, so has his father and grandfather before him. However, he didn't raise his children to be farmers. It is something we came back to as adults. My sisters and I decided that we would help take dad's beef and crop commodities market directly to the consumer and started selling beef about a year ago. Eleven months ago I lost my day job and when the new year began I decided that I was going to make my living farming.  I currently have 11 calves that dad is teaching me to raise (he has many more of his own). This will be a fun and interesting transition over the next few years as I work to learn the operation and dad slowly transitions toward retirement. I hope you enjoy the blog as we go along.

This week I promise to bring you my favorite frugal tip that I love to share. I'll let you know how to make a year's worth of powdered laundry soap for under $20. Yes, it does work in a front loading or HE washing machine.