Recipe: whole wheat pancakes featuring farm-fresh ingredients!

These pancakes are a great way to feature really farm-fresh, high-quality ingredients. In this recipe, I'm using our fresh eggs, lard, and sometimes fresh raw milk from a nearby organic dairy farm. My 3 sons sure love these!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

-1 egg
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-3/4 cup milk
-2 tablespoons fat, original recipe calls for oil (I use the excellent, more natural lard from our pigs, and when using lard I cut the amount in half, it goes further than oil does).
-1 tablespoon sugar
-3 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt

The secret to fluffy pancakes is to add the flour last, and once the flour is in... barely stir it. Just enough to mix it, lumps are fine.

Make sure to add the eggs first, and beat them well. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients, followed by the baking powder, and the flour last.

I always double this recipe, and leftovers heat well.

Enjoy!

Cream of Mushroom soup with farm ingedients: Self-sufficiency cooking challenge!

How fun is this? Talk about self-sufficiency & old-fashioned homesteading skills!

I made a huge batch of cream of mushroom soup today, and all the ingredients came from my farm (with the exception of the milk, which came from an organic dairy 10 miles down the road).

The mushrooms, a large shelf-type, were verified by friends of mine as being edible. I harvested those and combined them with our farm-grown onions & garlic (pulled from our root cellar).

I sauteed the chopped onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Then I added several cups of chicken broth (from a chicken we raised & butchered right here on the farm). I let it all simmer for awhile before blending it all with my hand-held stick blender. I then added milk and seasoned with sea salt & pepper.

Fun with experimental cooking here at Wishful Acres Farm on this rainy day.

www.WishfulAcresFarm.com

Wishful Acres Farm rainbow

Greenhouse rainbow of purple & green.

Homemade Natural Mosquito Repellent

I've been using an all-natural, homemade mosquito repellent for a couple of years now. It really does work!

You just need some essential oil and witch hazel (or water).

I use about 1 teaspoon essential oil to one cup water. (I've used lavender and eucalyptus essential oils, but below is a list of all the recommended oils.)

Place in a spray bottle and apply as needed.

A nice alternative to the chemical-laden commercial bug sprays.

Spray on skin and clothes, but take care to avoid the eyes and mouth.

A list of recommended essential oils:

• Citronella oil
• Lavender oil
• Catnip oil
• Eucalyptus oil
• Pennyroyal oil
• Tansy oil
  
• Basil oil
• Thyme oil
• Cedar oil
• Tea Tree oil
• Peppermint oil
• Lemongrass oil