Grit Wrap-up

So I have to admit, there's a bit of long-haired hippie in me. For those of you who know me this is a surprise...I'm all about smart, sustainable, conventional farming! However, there is a side of me that is engrossed in backyard chickens, low energy dependence, and growing and preserving as much food of my own as possible!

I indulge in my hippie-ness by reading MaryJane magazine, Mother Earth News and Grit. This post is inspired by the newest Grit volume that arrived in my mailbox yesterday. After a quick skim, I set it down to veg out yesterday, but today I picked it up and started reading.

I found a semi-automatic goat milker. An enterprising former FFA instructor from Palmer, Alaska came up with a way to create a hand pumped goat milker. A teat cup, some rubber tubing and a hand pump with a pressure gauge. My nerdiness is showing through but that is super cool. A way for people with hand troubles and those who can't get the hang of hand milking now have a super easy, super cheap alternative.

There were also some amazing looking recipes. "Oats for All Seasons" has everything from oatmeal-fruit parfait, to bread machine oatmeal bread, all the way to moist mini meatloaves. Out of all these I think I'm going to try the moist mini meatloaves because I can make them and freeze the leftovers to take to work for lunch. the recipe is below:

Moist Mini Meatloaves
1.5 lbs lean ground beef
3/4 c. quick or old-fashioned oats
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 chopped onion
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 t. prepared mustard

Heat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in large bow, mixing thoroughly with fork or hands. Shape into 6 individual loaves. Place in shallow baking pan. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until juices run clear. Meatloaves may be topped with ketchup, spaghetti sauce or cheese for last 10 minutes of baking.

Sounds yummy to me and I will let you know how this turns out. There are some dessert recipes that I might try if I get bored this weekend.

Grit is doing several give aways and I am registering as much as possible, so I'm posting them on here so you can try and win something for yourself too. I'm after the Belted Galloway heifer. :)

Belted Galloway Heifer
Grit Gear Spring Garden Giveaway
Solar Hot Water System
Ultimate Garden Giveaway