Sea Salt...

The difference in unrefined sea salt from refined table salt...
is what happens when refined salt is cleaned, bleached and treated

while sea salt is hand-harvested


the refined salt process takes away the nutrients that is needed to keep salt healthy
and has a saltier taste than sea salt

there is nothing good about refined table salt except to use it as a scrubbing cleaner

on the other hand...
unrefined sea salt is good for a body

it does not cause high blood pressure...
it's chock full of nutrients the body needs...
prevents gout, muscle cramps, good for diabetics

the 100 nutrients found in sea salt cannot be duplicated in a laboratory...
due to their complexity...
just another awe inspiring thought on God

God knew what He was doing when creating sea salt...
and try as he might, man is unable to copy


No wonder Christ used salt to describe His people as the seasoning on the earth

Ye are the salt of the earth:
but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out,
and to be trodden under foot of men.
Matthew 5:13
This verse is best read for context in the whole chapter

so...
use the table salt to clean and scrub with...
and eat sea salt to your health...
remembering to thank the Lord for giving us a wonderful seasoning

May your day, or night be abundantly salted with God's grace.

Pilgrim's Cottage Virgin Mint Julep...

As many times as I've heard of the old american southern standby drink
"mint julep"...
I had no idea bourbon was an ingredient in it
truth told...
I thought it was a lemonade drink
no wonder it was a popular refreshment on old southern porches


Lt. Gen. S.B. Buckner Jr., said in 1937,

"A mint julep is not a product of a formula.
It is a ceremony and must be performed by a gentleman possessing a true sense of the artistic,
a deep reverence for the ingredients
and a proper appreciation of the occasion."
( quote found here )

well...
not meaning to burst his bubble...
I'm of the feminine gender...
with no real artistic abilities to speak of
certainly, no deep reverence for the alcohol ingredient...
and as far as the occasion goes...
 I don't drink
not because I find alcohol in itself a sinful thing...
but, simply because it tastes like...
well, it tastes like alcohol

while having a glass of wine or a bit of bourbon in a drink...
is no sin...

it's the over indulgence of alcohol that takes away one's cognitive abilities to behave as a human being 
in fact, Proverbs 31:6 admonishes...

Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

Then, there is Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging:
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

So, because I don't care for the alcohol taste,
neither am I perishing nor of heavy heart...
and hopefully, no fool...
I've made my own version of mint julep


the ingredients for a large pitcher

instead of alcohol use...

the juice of 10 - 12 limes 
(or lemons if you prefer)
just please! don't use the bottled stuff...
you'll regret it

a fistful of fresh picked mint, crushed
(grows easily in containers)

a half teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
it adds a little "kick"
(works better than powder or you can leave out)

as much raw honey as needed for your sweet tastebuds
if you can get fresh squeezed cane juice...the best for this recipe
(or you can use any sweetener you prefer)

if you really want to go wild ...
put in a splash of grenadine syrup
(it gives the drink a nice flavor and pretty, pink color)

Put it all in the pitcher and fill it with preferably filtered water
(makes it tastes better than chorinated tap)

let the crushed mint leaves steep in the juice for a couple of hours..
then strain the juice and you will have yourself the prettiest looking drink even the kids can enjoy

so...
while it's not authentic southern mint julep...
in fact, really, technically...
 it's mint limeade with a twist

here's to you


I know...
it's not pink
I put lots of ginger in mine and held back my "wild" side : )

May your day, or night go well for you.

A Different Tune...

Hens...
they stride to a different tune...
than roosters

I've been watching our new hens...
so has Big Red, the rooster
Yep...
we got ourselves a couple of hens
hens...love that sound
those chickens I posted on in an earlier post ...
well...they aren't hens
not at all

we finally figured it all out

yeah...the ones below
they will never get around to laying eggs...
just eating and giving Big Red troubles for leader position

and for goodness sake...
all 3 crowing at 5 in the morning

they now have a new home...
but, I miss their pretty looks and...
 running to me like they were in a marathon...
to see what treats I brought them

(our former roosters)

now...
we have two beautiful hens...
not quite fully grown


Big Red is taking good care of them...
watching out for perceived dangers...
giving them food he's found...
leading them back to the coop at dusk

but, he isn't treating them yet, as full grown hens...
if you know what I mean


the hens look like a variety of or maybe mixed bantan...
perhaps, the golden lace bantam
I'm all ears if you know

 the Lord created some pretty nifty birds

chickens are beautiful
so funny to watch


we're waiting on you, little hens
keep marching to that egg laying drum

May your day, or night be filled with God's sweet grace.

A Blessing From God...

The Lord gave me this man for my husband...
and He knew just what I needed


This man of mine is slow to anger

very patient


very giving


hard working


and he's so much more...
but the best part about my husband is...
he loves the Lord

and he loves me like no other could have
I'm a hard person to love...
but, somehow, this man sent to me by God's grace...
loves me

This is just one of the many ways God has shown me His own everlasting love
I love my man!

May you know the love of God

Yellow Burst...

Catching sunshine along the day


May your day be filled with bursts of sunshine.


Garden Friend...

A sweet little praying mantis...
sent from God to our garden


We like what this insect does...
he keeps the bad bugs from chewing up our garden delights

May you find delight in God's grace.

Curly, the He-Goat...

O, Curly!
wherefore art thou?
Oh..there you are


whatcha doin' over there?
come on over and see us


come on...
you're too far away
come let everyone see how purty, er...handsome, you are


that's better


stand tall, now, so we can get a good look at you
yes, indeed...
you are a good looking he-goat


aw...yeah...
we can see how cute you are, too


uh...those aren't worms in his belly...
and he can't be pregnant
he loves to eat a lot...a lot

May your day, or night be sweet.

Bird's Eye View - 2...

We are going up that mountain...
it sits on the other side of the river

(you can click photos for larger views)

a closer look at it's mild peak...
you can see right in the middle of the photo a small grove of coconut trees


once up on that peak...
we stand among the coconut trees we saw from the cottage compound

from this site we can see a mountain range in the distance...
it sits beyond our farm


looking down  and to the right from the above site...
in the photo below...
is Pilgrim's Cottage and Farm


Pilgrim's is situated about 2 miles from the sea...
it's a walkable distance

we often see boys walking past our cottage...
down the road to the sea fishing rods in hand

moving around the ridge left and right...
we get some pretty nice views overlooking Pilgrim's


it's a beautiful island...
way down south with the caribbean sea on the west side...
 the Atlantic ocean on the east side

one can see both from a higher ridge


this island is still in the slow lane...
very slow lane

peaceful...undeveloped for the most part

one can still live here with very little


but...
I've got to tell you...
my real home is heaven-ward
and I long for that eternity with the Lord
just a pilgrim here...

there is nothing on this contaminated world...
that compares with the glories of heaven and the new earth

Hebrews 11 speaks of those who lived by faith in the Old Testament...

"these all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned.
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:
for He hath prepared for them a city."

looking for a heavenly home as brother Abraham did...

"for he looked for a city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God"
Hebrews 11:10

May your city be in heaven with the Lord.

Vine Allure...

Come on in for a little garden treat...


You can have the diamonds...
I'll have the flowers, please


the flower vine I planted by my potager gate...
is bursting with gorgeous "lilac pink" 
(that sounds prettier than "purple")
trumpet flowers of some kind
pretty terrible, isn't it? when I can't even name flowers in my own garden
they are probably just what they are...purple trumpets
enlighten me if you know


they add so much vibrancy around the green foliage and brown wood


they do have an interesting way of opening up...
kind of like they want to stay asleep a little while longer


never really coming out of their dreamy state


looking a little shy...
to come out fully and play with the world around them


it seems to be part of the nature of this pretty vine flower...


and I love it
this one below dropped right back to sleep for more dreams


and while the flowers were lazily looking pretty...
this sweet creature was captured with his wings coming up


the honey bees were busy...
and I managed to catch this one in the act


yep...
go right ahead and take that nectar back to the hive, tiny bee...
you'll be sharing that honey on Pilgrim's Farm soon


okay, one more shot of that lilac pink trumpet, please
ah yes...
they are raising their pretty little heads towards the garden to see what they can see


all of this is the glorious handi-work of God!
yes indeed...
you can have the diamonds...
I'll have the flowers

May your day, or night be filled with God's glorious grace.

Side Benefit of Homesteading Farming...

Who would have thought 3 years ago...
we'd be homesteading farming


Who would have thought...
homesteading farming has it's wonderful benefits

May your day, or night be filled with the benefits of God's wonderful grace.

Pilgrim's Cottage Bird's Eye View...

Pilgrim's Farm and Cottage is surrounded by a rain forest...
with the sea in the far background...
tiny villages dot the island


It's going to be a busy day here...
but, I'll post more on this later this week

Please do have a great day, or night.

How About some Hot Pepper Sauce...?

Just as I was getting ready to try that green tomato relish...
my husband harvests 15 pounds of cachucha seasoning peppers
these little peppers have just a hint of heat
This is our pepper patch's 5th round of harvest...
it went to market
but, I had enough to need finding something to do with our share


My husband loves hot pepper sauce on his food...
we usually buy it and it hit me over the head...
why don't I make it myself?!
Pepper sauce is not hard to make
there are so many different things you can use
my sauce will be more of a caribbean flavor, only not quite as hot
you can add 1 or 2 hot peppers if you like your sauce hot
this recipe makes about 3 cups thereabouts
the ingredients in my recipe are:

20 cachucha, aka sweet variety of the scotch bonnet seasoning peppers
1 to 2 hot habanero peppers
1/2 cup diced green papaya or mango
1 whole ripe lime, chopped & seeded
1/4 cup cherries (optional)
1/2 cup green tomatoes (green works best)
1 heaping TBsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp powder)
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp fresh minced tumeric (or 1/4 tsp powder)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black or white pepper
1 & 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1 TB raw honey

put them all in the blender...


pulse a few times...
then, blend away till smooth


once it's smooth as you like...
taste and add anything you feel is missing


bottle it in a very clean or sterile container
because it has vinegar in it...
you can store in your pantry or on the counter...
but, feel free to refrigerate if you'd like
we slathered our grilled chicken with this

the verdict?
in my husband's words...
"this pepper sauce is good!
it's better than the store bought"
From now on...
our hot sauce is homemade...
from our own farm ingredients


May your day, or night be seasoned with God's grace.

Green Tomatoes...

This morning...
I picked all the green tomatoes from 12 tired tomato plants that gave a good harvest


and pulled up the empty plants to make room for lettuce

What to do with a big bowl of green tomatoes?


Wanting a recipe that didn't need for me to use a preserving process...
checked around on the internet for a good recipe


Looking forward to trying it out

May your day, or night be a bowl of wonderful green tomatoes.