Drinking Roses...

Roses are first cousins to the apple
and while the rose hip, the fruit that comes after the blossoming...
is what is usually used to make teas and such...


I do like to use the petals for making rose tea

the deeper the color of the rose...
the more flavorful the tea


when the rose has reached it's peak...
I snip off the flower and pull the petals apart


the deeper the color, the more vitamin C the rose contains

to make my black tea fragrant, a handful of petals is thrown into a jar with the black tea


clean water added...
and the jar set out in the sun to steep till sunset


at the end of the day, I've got rosy colored fragrant tea
easy to heat up or drink iced and sweetened with raw honey


please do, have a cup with me


Truly, the children of God can say with joy...

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them;
and the desert shall rejoice,
and blossom as the rose.

It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice even with joy and singing:
the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it,
the excellency of Carmel and Sharon,
they shall see the glory of the Lord,
and the excellency of our God.
Isaiah 35:1,2

May your day or night blossom as the rose in God's grace.

Chicken Stories...

Pilgrim's Farm has 7 laying hens...
but, right now, we get 3 eggs a day

because, you see...
one hen is sitting/brooding...
and 3 are in the process of bringing up chickies

Dottie, here, has one new baby
(and she looks rather proud of it, too)


and as a first time mama...
she wants everyone to stay away from her little puffball...
including all other chickens 



Roja, our mixed Rhode Island Red and Wyandotte Bantam...
is also a first time mama but...
she is a little more relaxed about the whole process



Puffball to mama: "Mama, what is that lady doing with the thing in her hand?"



Mama: "Oh, she's just taking our pictures."



"Just ignore her. This is what she does all the time. You'll get used to it."



Puffball: "Really?"



Puffball: "Hey, you wanna take my picture? Do I look cute?"



Mama to Puffball: "Come on, little one. No need to show off."



and then, we have Kittie...
a second time mama who's done a good job so far
I believe she is bringing up a hen for me
more eggs, please



Puffball to mama: "Mama, what is she talking about?"



Mama: "Well, it's like this...God in His great wisdom of creation..."



Puffball: "Oh."



Mama: "Come on, little Puffball, you have a long ways to go before those egg-laying days."



Puffball: "I still don't understand."



Mama: "You will, little Puffball, you will."


I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1

May your day or night be blessed in God's grace.

Saturday Island Postcard...


A scenic view from the main traveled road

click for larger photo

May your day or night be blessed by God's grace.

Moving Ms. Ruthie Moo Moo...

Early morning and time to change out the cow

language for "leading the cow to fresher pasture"
come along with us, if you please


it's a job that does not require office dress
we like that


well, good morning! Ms. Ruthie Moo Moo and baby



the little tyke is going strong and getting big



and he sure does love to romp and jump



"c'mone, mama! you're too slow!"



patiently waiting for Ms. Ruthie to get her fill of fresh, green grass



and here, it looks like a good place to graze for the day



the chickens went out to the cocoa orchard to scratch for their morning protein



and little boy bull took a liking to chasing them around the grounds...
which ruffled a few feathers


we will start milking Ms. Moo Moo this week
I can't wait for fresh cow milk and making some butter

these sweet little doves hope...


that your day or night rest in the grace of God

Pumpkin Flowers...

Our pumpkin patch has been blooming so many male flowers


so, while the female flowers have been growing pumpkin fruit...


I've been picking the males after they close and leaving the opened ones to continue...
pollinating so that we will have more pumpkins


by the time the males have done their pollinating and closed up,
and the bees and ants have taken their share of the flowers...
the nectar and pollen


I get to have the rest

pumpkin flowers do have their nutrient value and...
I would assume it is mostly in their raw state


they are good eaten as part of a salad or stuffed

often, we eat them fried, dredged in a gluten-free flour of...

1/2 cup of brown rice flour
1/4 cup of fine corn meal
1/4 tsp baking powder
(you do not have to use baking powder but, I like the way it gives body to the flower)
1/4 tsp of unrefined sea salt
black pepper to taste
1 beaten egg
coconut milk 
(if you need to be egg free, just use the coconut milk)


mix rice flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt and pepper together
add the egg and enough of the milk to make a crepe-like batter...
a little thinner than pancake batter

cut off the stem ends and make sure each flower is clean...
taking out the stamens and discarding those
I prefer to open the flower out (as in the photo below) as it fries nicer that way
just carefully tear the flower from the bottom up
also, make sure the flowers are dry as possible after cleaning to keep down the splattering

heat up some oil (I use coconut oil) until quite hot
dredge the flower in the batter and let the excess drip off
carefully lay it in the oil and fry on each side till light golden brown and crisp...
but, do not let burn

lay the fried flowers on some paper towels to soak up any oil

I like to also dry the pumpkin flowers right after picking and preparing

I do this by putting the prepared flowers on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels...
 and putting them in the car on the dashboard...
with the windows up during a hot and sunny day
in no time, those flowers dry and crisp up and are good to go...
for crumbling on salads

I've only done this in a car and so do not know how well the pumpkin flowers do...
in an oven or dehydrator


May your day or night bloom in the grace of the Lord

Morning Breakfast...

Before breakfast...
I took a turn around the gardens


the white ginger lilly plants are growing alongside the water tank...
and blooming very prettily with a heavenly scent the breeze carries through the yard
if only you could smell them!

eventually...
the ginger lily will give some covering to the tank...
making it a little more obscure


the "volunteer" cucumber plant in my tomato patch is creeping along the fence


my husband put up a trellis above the garden for the vine to climb...
and eventually, the vine will hang from the top rather than along the ground

it will help keep the cucumbers off the dirt and we'll pick them nice and clean


here's hoping for lots of cukes to eat


my husband made breakfast...
he is good at making salt fish cakes and salt fish souse...
and we had boiled green bananas and sweet avocado with them

we don't care for the riches of the world...
the Lord has given us food and raiment and a little home to live in

and even better, He blessed us with life eternal beyond this earthly life...
what more do we need? 


Two things have I required of thee:
deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies:
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say,
Who is the Lord?
 or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain.
Proverbs 30:7-9

May your day or night be fed with the food of God's grace.

Saturday Island Postcard...


Where we love to stop and stare

click for larger picture

May your day or night be blessed in God's grace.

A Wee Widdle Newbie...


Let me introduce you to our newest, weeist, widdlest Pilgrim's Farm puffball


this teeny baby hatched from one of our tiny eggs from one of our small bantam hens

I have to admit to wondering if such a small egg could hatch a chicken
it did and this puffball is so small, I think she would fit quite nicely in a finch's nest

can you see her tiny comb?
just two teeny points above her nostrils
I donned the gloves because this baby's mama usually does not like her chickies picked up
and she is good at giving a wallop of a peck

for now, we call this puffball a "she" until we know better...
always hoping for more hens
in about two or three weeks, I can usually tell if it's a hen or rooster
so far, hen chicks have been outnumbering rooster chicks...
and that is quite nice, we say
this wee one will be a hen...
her colors tell me so
I'll let you know in a few weeks if I'm right

more eggs, please


mama Kitty likes to bring her baby under the cottage


and I must say...


I'm proud of my dogs for leaving my chickens alone...


all of them...
even the tiny chicks


mamas feel safe bringing their chicks around them


sleep in safety, wee puffball

isn't it marvelous how God creates?!



Wherefore, Thou art great, O Lord God:
for there is none like Thee,
neither is there any God beside Thee,
according to all that we have heard with our ears.
2 Samuel 7:22

May your day or night be blessed in God's grace.