CALLENS HONEY FARM

~Happy Thanksgiving!~

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

I can’t believe it’s been so long that I have made a post. It gets busier it seems even as our kids grow older. I’m blessed to be able to see them so often. Especially since I know what it is like to be so far away from my family. I have so much to be thankful for. Above are our nine blessings. Two shall become one, or in this case 11. See below how the 11 then turned into 16 all because two people fell in love:)

Below are the two that started all this fun! And yes, it has been fun. I thank God for my wonderful husband, Fred. I am also so thankful for the life we have had on our small farm. What a blessing to be able to grow most of what we consume. Not to mention the freedom our kids have enjoyed and continue to do so. We never did strike our fortune but what we have is paid for! If anyone is thinking of moving to the country……..grab what is yours and run….do it while you can.

What have we been up to? Well, mostly butchering poultry, wintering the farm, hunting and a wedding trip down to Kansas City. In between all of this there is school to keep us busy. I’ve been making a gallon of yogurt every couple of days and plenty of mozzarella cheese and some cheddar. Preparing food from scratch takes so much time but it’s well worth it. Our hunting party ended up with 5 deer and we put two of them in our freezer and an extra one from our neighbor. The other 3 went to our friends. I think we processed around 30 roosters as well and they have been used for some great meals. So you can imagine the freezers are full for now.

Farm fresh turkey, a flavor that would surprise those who eat a store-bought bird. Fred injected this bird with organic butter. The home-grown food was fabulous this year and our tables were crowded with people and wholesome treats. After we processed 16 turkey’s, Fred smoked two on the grill. Then the kids put into the freezer, through much effort, in the cold butcher shop, 49 ducks. This pleased me since I don’t like the ducks on the farm. Now we are down to 10. There are 46 turkey’s left for breeding stock.

The honey production was very good this year and so have our sales. Thank you to all who support small farmers and enjoy the health benefits of locally grown, farm fresh goods. The bees are all tucked away in their boxes covered neatly with black tar paper. May they live through a Minnesota winter that doesn’t go on too long as it did last year!

Some of us attended the wedding of my nephew down in Kansas City. It was good to see my mom, brother and his family. Now, since WordPress is acting up on me and making this post difficult, I better quit while I am ahead. God bless everyone!

Posted in EVERY DAY FARM LIFE | Tagged Callens Thanksgiving | 6 Comments

~Sunday Fun~

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

We fired up the pizza oven today. Caleb lit it at 8:00 a.m. and after 10:30 mass it was ready to go.

It was a good thing Peter had some experience with this type of stove because he showed us how to run it! He and Frenchy made Garlic Knots too and they were out of this world delicious!!

Fred and Mario entertained the grandchildren with pony rides on Star!

Peter and four of our six girls taking a break from the cooking!

Our five grandchildren and Mario who is our youngest at eight years old!

Our daughter Jessica with her daughter Anya. Luke was somewhere off target shooting I think!

Marisa waiting to go for a canoe ride!

Late afternoon canoe ride in lovely Minnesota! All in all it was a good day…..Hope yours was good as well.

~Time Flies By~

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

It’s been a long time since I wrote on this blog. The time literally has flown by! This visit will be short for now. Our three older girls took a nice trip out to Wyoming with Jess and Luke and boy did I ever find out how hard they work! Fred and Caleb took over the milking which turned out great. Silvana was afraid they would “untrain” her cow but that didn’t happen. Anyhow, they had a great time and I was happy they had such an opportunity to travel. It was fun cooking for a small family of five and spending time alone with my youngest three.

Below is a photo of the girls out in Yellowstone which Jess sent home via her phone. Also, a photo of the girls with Luke and the grandchildren near Clark, Wyoming.

Most of the canning is finished. We still are getting tomatoes so I think more will be put up. The squash is on the porch with the onions. Tonight is the first night Fred lit the outdoor wood stove to take the chill out of the house. Since we have not yet had a frost, things are pretty much alive. The honey is harvested and school now takes up most of the day.

The other day I watched a video on YouTube of an outdoor pizza oven that was made without mortar or real fire bricks. It was a portable oven. So entertaining was it, that I asked the boys to build me one. One of our neighbors had helped us acquire a whole pickup load of real fire brick the day before! I couldn’t believe how fast they assembled the new pizza oven. It took two half days to complete. We tried it out last night and we were very pleased with the pizza. Almost sadly I have to admit I like it better than my old redneck pizza oven! It’s a whole different ballgame learning to cook with a “real” pizza oven but the results were delicious. The guys told me that it was no big deal if I don’t like it they will knock it over and start again……….so we will see how long I like it. I took the photo of the oven above, in the dark, the next morning while the mortar was still wet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1QToDg3Ow0 Click on the link if you would like to build something like this. Even if you don’t want to build an oven, this man was funny. We took his idea and changed things to fit our plans.

I should mention, we were busy packaging this Longhorn steer while we were testing the oven. Caleb and I kept running over to test the stove while we were cutting and wrapping the steer. Above is our son-in-law Luke Dougherty helping us out. The steer belonged to a friend of ours and naturally we asked Luke to help since he’s done more cattle than we have. I took this photo with his mom in mind and asked Luke to smile for her. This is for you Beth. Thanks for raising up such a wonderful country man for Jessi.

That’s all for now folks.

Posted in EVERY DAY FARM LIFE | Tagged Outdoor pizza oven Callens Farm | 8 Comments

~Busy As Our Bees~

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

We’re in the full-scale food production phase of farm life now. Our days are filled with necessary work which an entire summer of gardening has brought forth. It’s also a time of year that there’s so many fun activities going on which makes it a challenge to fit both work and play in our schedules. Sometimes it means getting the day started at 5:00 in the morning. Many times it means late nights in the kitchen or butcher shop. Often we take turns reading out loud to help make a boring job more bearable. Most of the time we can split up the jobs between different sets of people making life interesting and not too monotonous.

The sauerkraut is good enough to eat fresh out of the bucket. Kallie ate an entire bowl!

We’ve put up sweet corn, sweet peppers, sweet basil, sauerkraut, onions, frozen our zucchini and green beans, harvested some of our honey, made a ton of salsa and are working on more. The apples are coming in now and apple sauce is on the agenda every day. After that, there will be pies to freeze and apple cider.

Sweet peppers, sweet baby Blase.

Fresh produce is coming in daily.

Fred’s been busy making wine and just last night he worked on a new batch of Elderberry. The grapes have been harvested and this year turned into wine instead of juice. The tomatoes are coming quickly and after the salsa is finished we will can the remaining. The rest of the produce can wait for a bit in hopes that the frost won’t come too terribly soon. One thing is for sure, no one has any trouble sleeping around here!

Wine and Honey. Life is good by golly!!

One of the best parts about having older kids is that they don’t always have to be told what needs to be done. The longer I live, the more I realize the blessings of children. If you are young still and of childbearing age, I highly encourage you to be open to life. If you are a grandparent, aunt or uncle, you can encourage the younger couples to appreciate the blessings of children. There’s a lot of truth to the saying, “the more, the merrier”. Of course, there is more food production needed and the work that goes with it:)

We harvested some of the honey and I think on Tuesday and Wednesday we will be harvesting again.

Hauling honey supers to the honey shed. These are very heavy and Fred made the home crafted carrier.

The girls are removing the caps. One with an electric knife, one with a cold knife.

The girls are removing the caps. One with an electric knife, one with a heat dipped knife.

Maggie and Caleb steady and operate the honey extractor. Wow, this honey tastes amazing!!!!!!

Cooking from scratch takes time but is well worth the efforts. Here is a sample of what we’ve been whipping up in the farm kitchen! I don’t have specific measurement but you can figure it all out on your own. By the way, this is why I hate to bake. You need to be specific and actually measure things!!

Sausage and peppers. Brown pork, add onions, tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic and sweet basil. Eat hot, cold or in a ciabatta bun with mayo. Delicious and easy.

Tomatoe salad. Simply, cut tomatoes and sweet onions. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, sweet italian basil and a ton of garlic, fresh or powder. Eat plain or with crusty dipping bread.

tomato salad. Simply, cut tomatoes and sweet onions. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, sweet italian basil and a ton of garlic, fresh or powder. Eat plain or with crusty dipping bread.

Zucchini melt. Saute zucchini and onions in butter or olive oil. When just barely cooked, add garlic, salt, peppter and top with parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Cover until melted and serve hot only.

Zucchini melt. Saute tender, young zucchini and onions in butter or olive oil. When just barely cooked, add garlic, salt, pepper and top with parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Cover until melted and serve hot only.

Our own beef for breakfast! My morning coffee is setting there to prove it. Our beef needs only salt and pepper:) Thanks to my mom!! She bought us a grill this summer and we use it all of the time!

Our own beef for breakfast! My morning coffee is setting there to prove it. Our beef needs only salt and pepper served rare:) Thanks to my mom!! She bought us a grill this summer and we use it all of the time!

Pasta and Clams. Very simply, melt butter and a bunch of slivered garlic. Add two cans of clams, salt, pepper, sweet italian basil and cream. Thicken the creamy mixture with a tab. of cornstarch. Pour over aldente pasta of your choice.

I forgot to get this posted last week……..so this is somewhat outdated. Except for the busy part!

Posted in FARM KITCHEN | Tagged Callens honey farm, cooking from scratch | 1 Comment

~Why Do We Farm?~

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

Me and our youngest grandchild, Blase, on my 52nd birthday! I sure don't feel that old:)

This is me, Sandra, with Blase, our 5th and youngest grandchild on my, birthday 8/9/13.

Why do we farm? Simply put, it’s a good life for our family! The farm is a place that creates an atmosphere for learning. It’s a great training ground for so many skills, with much opportunity for decision-making. Fred and I feel it is so important to grow as much of our own food as possible and we’re bound and determined that the kids know how to do this when they leave, no matter where they go. When you raise most of your own food it allows us to feel secure, especially in knowing where our food comes from.

Living on this farm is in a sense like living in a monastery. It’s not that we are perfectly organized, far from it. There is definitely a daily schedule with plenty of projects and chores that have to be accomplished. Everyone has his or her position on this farm and is heavily relied upon to complete certain given tasks. When one person is missing or ill, the others find out quickly how much that individual accomplished during any given day. Everyone has to pull his or her weight.

Meaningful purpose is needed by all people and it’s easily found here on a small farm. Work ethic, knowledge that things need to be done in a timely manner and that the seasons govern our work schedules keeps us all in an industrial behavioral mode most of the time. There are so many blessings that flow from this kind of life, a life of work, prayer and play.

http://newcatholiclandmovement.org/ If you are interested at all in farming/homesteading I suggest you click on this link, The New Catholic Land Movement. There is some encouraging information there, especially for those who are yearning for the country lifestyle. Of course, you don’t have to be Catholic to check it out. The philosophy is the same for all Christians. Be encouraged by some good writing there and make your dream happen. Here is one example of an article on the web site titled, Calvary and the Farm by Kevin Ford, http://newcatholiclandmovement.org/calvary-and-the-farm/ Kevin dreamed of farming for years and he made it happen with a lot of hard work.

God bless everyone and have a wonderful life!

Posted in EVERY DAY FARM LIFE | Tagged Kevin Ford Catholic Land Movement, Why we farm | 5 Comments

~What’s Cooking On The Farm~

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

Raw Pesto Pizza!

Fresh Pesto Pizza. This is one of the best pizza's I have ever made. Blend fresh basil, olive oil, a ton of fresh garlic, s and p. Rub on the pizza dough, top with fresh tomatoes, parmesan, mozzarella and bake. The delicious aroma will drive everyone crazy!

Fresh Pesto Pizza. This is one of the best pizza’s I have ever made. Blend on high, fresh basil, olive oil, a ton of fresh garlic, s and p. Rub on the pizza dough, top with fresh tomatoes, parmesan, mozzarella and bake. The delicious aroma will drive everyone crazy!

We’ve been enjoying a whole bunch of good home cooking. Growing what we eat and eating what we grow! Here are photos of some of the food we have been consuming. No measurements are necessary. Cook to smell and taste and you can’t go wrong.

We are also eating our own homegrown lettuce, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, beef, pork, chicken, ducks, basil, cherries, apricots, onions, raw milk, butter and plenty of our own honey! That’s where the “land of milk and honey” comes in!

We made 201.5 pounds of Sauer Kraut. 75 #'s is Frenchy's. The recipe for good Kraut is in the Joy of Cooking cook book. Easy and delicious! This will be served mostly with our own Niman Ranch Pork.

We made 201.5 pounds of Sauer Kraut. The recipe for good Kraut is in the Joy of Cooking cook book. Easy and delicious! This will be served mostly with our own Niman Ranch Pork.

Strawberry "Shakes". Fresh, cold, raw milk, a tiny bit of sugar and a bunch of frozen stiff strawberries. Blend utill frothy. Wow, this is wonderful for afternoon snacks.

Strawberry “Shakes”. Fresh, cold, raw milk, a tiny bit of sugar and a bunch of frozen stiff strawberries. Blend until frothy. This photo is taken before the extra strawberries were blended. Wow, this is wonderful for afternoon snacks.

Fried Zucchini flowers. Take the male ends of the flower (they have a stem on the end of the flower as opposed to the fruit). Dust with flowr and dip in beaten eggs, s and p, garlic powder and parmesan. Insert a piece of mozzarella cheese in the flower and twist the top. Fry in a small amt. of oil. I used to bring these down to my dads shop back in East Stroudsburg for lunch, good memories.

Fried Zucchini flowers. Take the male ends of the flower (they have a stem on the end of the flower as opposed to the fruit). Dust with flower and dip in beaten eggs, s and p, garlic powder and parmesan. Insert a piece of mozzarella cheese in the flower and twist the top before you dip for a cheese treat. Fry in a small amt. of oil.

I fried the entire batch together, having poured the rest of the egg mixture on top, not wanting to waste anything. You can fry these individually. Try it! For the record, my mom’s are much better than mine for whatever reason………

Zucchini! Steam or lightly fry in olive oil until just barely cooked. Toss with garlic powder or fresh, salt, pepper and olive oil. Server very hot......top with parmesan cheese if you like.

Zucchini! Steam or lightly fry in olive oil until just barely cooked. Toss with garlic powder or fresh garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Serve very hot…that’s the trick, this is yucky cold…top with parmesan cheese if you like.

Zucchini Stew! Brown ground pork, onions, garlic, sweet basil, salt and pepper. Throw in a can of tomatoes and a bunch of cubed zucchini. Simmer for a bit until just barely cooked. Cook aldente baby pasta shells, and add two cups cooked to the stew!! Serve with Red Hot Sauce and parmesan on the side.

Swiss Chard in Marinara Sauce! Fry 3 garlic cloves and brown lightly in olive oil. Throw in crushed tomatoes, salt, papper and sweet basil. After it boils drop in a few leaves of swiss chard at a time until they shrink down in size. Simmer, add Red Hot sauce if you like and either eat as a soup or serve over any kind of pasta.

Swiss Chard in Marinara Sauce! Fry 3 garlic cloves and brown lightly in olive oil. Throw in crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and sweet basil. After it boils drop in a few leaves of swiss chard at a time until they shrink down in size. Simmer, add Red Hot sauce if you like and either eat as a soup or serve over any kind of pasta. This photo of my swiss chard was not yet totally cooked!

Posted in FARM KITCHEN | Tagged Callens Family, pesto pizza, sauer kraut, zucchini blossoms, zucchini stew | 3 Comments

A cold day at the beach, Marisa, Me and Nonna!

Eggplant Parmesan on top of Big Pocono State Park, Caleb, Nonna and Marisa.

Highlight...Thomas and Roses wedding, beautiful!

Highlight…Thomas and Rose Dougherty wedding, beautiful bride, wonderful day!

My mom and all of her great-grandchildren at once!

Country boys shed cowboy boots for a late afternoon swim.

A nice short stay with our in-laws, at the Sows Ear Farm………..nice, neat gardens and a whole lot of hospitality from the Dougherty’s!

A fun pizza party at the Sullivan home, amazing pizza and great folks!

Peter's grandfather, Fr. Ray Ryland with Blase, one of his three great-granchildren. A nice visit!

Peter’s grandfather, Fr. Ray Ryland with Blase, one of his four great-grandchildren. A beautiful contrast of the generations!

Picnics at mom's with Jessica, Marisa and Francesca.

Picnic at mom’s with Jessica, Marisa and Francesca.

These were a few of our highlights………I simply do not know how you city folks can stand all the heavy traffic and speeding vehicles! It is beyond crazy and dangerous. I love our dirt roads and leaving a trail of dust in my tail lights!

It’s great to be back in Minnesota. We all had a very good time. There were many short visits with so many different friends and family all fit into almost two weeks. When we made it home, we had a ton of green beans ready to freeze which we did that very afternoon. The girls at home had made cherry jelly already and there were zucchini, lettuce and basil to deal with.

I can hardly believe how much the gardens grew in such a short time. How grateful I am for the hard-working kids Fred and I have, not to mention a husband who understands my need to “go home” at least once a year, especially now that our kids are growing older and travel is a whole lot easier! Going back East also helps me to be more grateful for the rural lifestyle that we have out here. The contrast is amazing. We thank each of you who made our trip so special. Especially Anet and Jim who watched the small kids! Life is good by golly; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise:)

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm | 6 Comments

~June~

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Callens Honey Farm

It’s been a while since I posted. Mom, Anet and Uncle Gino came and went. The Barn Dance, came and went. The gardens are gorgeous and we have had plenty of rain. We’ve been living on the lettuce!! I’ve frozen a ton of asparagus which was a bumper crop this spring.

Caleb and I will be heading back East to Ohio, and then on home to Pennsylvania this weekend with Jessi, Luke and the grand-babies. I always enjoy showing our kids where my “roots” are and sometimes it seems unbelievable that this country girl came from the city:) Mom and I will be taking Caleb to the ocean as well; I can’t wait!!!! I miss the ocean being land locked out here on the prairie:) Going away means extra work here at home so I only have a few photos today. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

I hope to get time eventually to post the photos from the barn dance and the visit from Nonna. I’d appreciate safe travel prayers if anyone can spare the time, thanks!

Posted in EVERY DAY FARM LIFE | Tagged The Callens Family | 2 Comments

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CALLENS HONEY FARM

~Happy Thanksgiving!~

~Sunday Fun~

~Time Flies By~

~Busy As Our Bees~

~Why Do We Farm?~

~What’s Cooking On The Farm~

~June~

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