Pippi...

At 11 days old...
mama hen left off brooding over this egg

knowing there was a chick growing inside...
and not sure what to do...
I set the egg in a basket in some old linen with a lamp over it...
but, didn't clean it so as not to disturb the protective bloom on the eggshell

after another 10 days of watching and turning the egg...
if you look closely...


you can see the little crack at the bottom of the egg


much to my surprise and delight...
a tiny chick pipped her way into the world


I made sure she was completely detached from the egg on her own...
so as not to make a mistake in injuring her

at this point, I'm pretty sure she was imprinting herself on me as I cared for her


making sure she was kept well warm and out of drafts


she slept for the next few hours as she dried...
and imprinted even more on me


on the second day...
I took her outside to warm up with the sun
she took to it with a lift of her tiny wee wing


over the next couple of days...
I took her to the garden and we hunted for tiny worms


and she loved the sun some more


she eats well and drinks plenty of water


and now, everyday in the mornings...
she goes outside with me to the gardens and pecks her way around...
learning to see what is good to eat and what is not


today, she is growing feathers and acting chicken
I keep her in a cage with food and water when I cannot give her complete attention

later, when she is old enough...
she will be integrated into the rest of the flock...
free ranging to her heart's content


her name is Pippi

of course, she could be a he

someday in the not too distant future...
we shall find out : )


May your day or night be sweet in the grace of God.

Saturday Beach Postcard...


Where wild almond trees line the sandy beach...
and we can pick almond fruit by the bag, free


May your day or night find peace in God's grace.

Lemongrass/Basil Tea...


Because we live on a tropical island where the temperature doesn't change much...
we are able to grow herbal plants year around                 

and since God put these herbs on earth for us as food and medicine...
they are far better for us than synthetic drugs that often cause problems in the long run


our gardens have plenty of lemongrass and basil growing right now...
and I love to use them for making one of my favorite teas

I find that combining them makes a palatable and healthy tea
both herbs are chock full of nutrients and medicinal properties
you can click on the links (the names) below for more useful information on them


both of these herbs are great for colds and the flu illnesses
both are anti-fungal and will help in controlling respiratory symptoms and pain


we don't hold back on the herbs here on Pilgrim's Farm
we make our teas strong, adding raw honey if needed

for an 8 cup pitcher...
8 cups of hot water, but not boiling
20 leaves of lemongrass
a big fistfull of basil leaves and flowers, if they are in bloom

crush the herbs well
this will bring out the oils in them for medicinal purposes

pour the hot water over the herbs in the pitcher
we steep our teas for a few hours
when ready to drink, the tea can be warmed up or iced if you live in warm climates

many times, I put in 6 teaspoons of black or green tea to the pitcher to make a hearty drink...
and put in enough raw honey to make the tea as sweet as we like


if you are convalescing from an illness...
make yourself a good pot of lemongrass and basil tea and enjoy this blessing from the Lord

And God said,
Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,
which is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree,
in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;
to you it shall be for meat.

And to every beast of the earth,
and to every fowl of the air,
and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
wherein there is life,
I have given every green herb for meat:
and it was so.

And God saw every thing that He had made,
and, behold,
it was very good.
Genesis 1:29-31


May your day or night find goodness in the fruit of God's grace.

Saturday Beach Postcard...


When imperfect seashells look perfectly pretty as they are


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

Considering the Quiet and Simple Life...


Here on Pilgrim's Farm...
we live as quietly and simply as the Lord gives our living

we love that our Lord God has admonished us to study to be quiet...
to work with our hands, minding our own business


to do work that will bring us lack of nothing


we don't feel the need to get involved in the worldly affairs of politics...
or protests against what we feel has wronged us...
or fretting over the chaos and noise of the world's system and wickedness


we are keepers at home on the farm and in the cottage...
doing with our hands and minds what the Lord has given us to do


quietly, peacefully, working as hard as we need to...
and being good stewards as He has blessed us with


and as we work...
the Lord God blesses as He sees fit...
with whatever He increases for our needs


our purpose on earth as God's children and the sheep of Christ...
is to honor and glorify Him by His work of sovereign, saving grace 


knowing this...
we hold to the word of God which is the true food for our souls...
giving us the spiritual nutrition of the Bread of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ


1 Thessalonians 4:11,12

and that ye study to be quiet,
and to do your own business,
and to work with your own hands,
as we have commanded you;
that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without,
and that ye may have lack of nothing.
(King James Version)

and the Greek translation saying the same thing:

and to have as your ambition to be quiet
and to practice your own things
and to work with your own hands,
just as we commanded you,
in order that you may walk becomingly toward the ones outside
 and may have need of nothing.

May the Lord give the Bread of Life, for your healing, by His saving grace.

Sorrel for Tea; Roses for Thee...


We sowed some sorrel (aka roselle hibiscus) seeds not long ago...
and the Lord grew them into wonderful edible plants for us


these hibiscus species with their high anti-oxidant properties are now being harvested as we need them
you can read a bit more about the sorrel hibiscus in this post
and the nutrient properties in this link

and our favorite way to use these gorgeous, waxy calyxes, is to steep them into tea


we love to steep cinnamon and cloves with the sorrel in good, hot water


and let the sorrel's cranberry/apple flavor sit for hours to draw out all that lovely taste and color
in the evenings at this time of year when the nights are cool...
we drink sorrel tea warm, and because it's a tart drink, we sweeten it with our raw honey


my rose bushes are blooming, and once they pass their prime...
I snip the blooms and bring them inside to enjoy before they lose all their beauty


our honeybees have been buzzing in and out of the roses...
and the chickens eat the petals that fall to the ground


the bunch I bring in, will sit in the kitchen, keeping me company as I work
and when kitchen work is completed...


the roses are placed where they can be noticed and not forgotten


and so, I share them with you for the moment, before they wither away forever


As for man, his days are as grass:
as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
Psalm 103:15

May your day or night be blooming in the fragrance of God's grace.

Chick Delight...


I'd say, we have some of the broodiest brooders on earth
they do so like to keep churning them out
one of our newest comers to the farm
so far, every black chick has turned out to be a hen
more eggs, please : )


May your day or night be soft and gentle in God's grace.

Saturday Beach Postcard...


Where we like to spend an occasional morning off the farm


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

Cocoa/Coconut/Banana Brownie Cake...

Cocoa, coconut and bananas make a great combination for the taste buds

so...I wanted to try baking a brownie cake that would finish off...
an evening of listening to a reading of the Gospel of Matthew with my husband

because I must be gluten free...
I did make this cake with gluten-free flour
but, it can be made using the same recipe with regular flour


ingredients
(this will make 6 3x3 inch size servings...double recipe for more)

1 cup of flour (any good gluten free mix of your choice)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder (omit if your mix already has it)
1/4 tsp sea salt (omit if your mix already has it)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup of pecan or walnut pieces
2 bananas, mashed
2 large eggs, beaten
6 TB butter, melted
2 TB honey

heat up the oven to 350* F
butter and flour, with a bit of the cocoa, the baking pan


combine the wet ingredients, including the bananas, and mix together well

combine the dry ingredients, mix well


stir in the nut pieces into the dry mix
this will help the nuts from sinking or collecting in lumps in the dough


fold the dry mix into the wet mix, gently combining everything well


use a spatula to pour into the pan and spread the dough evenly

put into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes
check at 25 minutes with a knife inserted into the middle
if it comes out clean, it is finished
if not, let it bake another 5 to 7 minutes


enjoy!


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

Organic and Range-Fed...


We keep our cow and her calf out on the range that overlooks the sea


lots of food for the cows in a lot of space


it's a beautiful outlook from there and I always like to stop and just...well...look


our calf is growing fast and he has been fitted with his very own training rope

until he got used to it, he took my husband on some real "rides" down the road
he may be small, yet, but he packs a wallop of power in those young muscles


we have no real technicality to the way we milk
and we don't cut style with modern equipment

Ms. Ruthie Moo Moo just gets tied down for a bit...
just in case there is some head butting or back kicking


while her calf is brought to some other grazing for a few moments

a calf vying for the milk doesn't make for a good milking experience


husband cleans the udders with disinfectant


while Ms. Moo Moo gets busy with the banana bunch put down for her

she is not trying to pull away here...


she's just busy with enjoying her green bananas she loves so


she gladly lets her milk down for a bunch of bananas anytime


my husband has gotten quite good with the milking...
he prefers to use one hand and squirt the milk into a container that's been cut out on one side...
and then poured into the milk container

less dirt and such gets a chance to find their way into the milking container...
especially if Ms. Moo Moo happens to move


and no, I have not gotten around to milking the cow, myself, as yet
I prefer to milk the goat...
she's more my size


one side gets milked, then the other


once he's finished getting our share of the milk...
it's time to let the calf untied to get his share


and while she finishes up the last of the bananas, he's finishing up the rest of her milk


and we all live happily with everyone's share of raw, creamy milk


just another sweet blessing from the Lord who created all these things

May your day or night be delightful in the grace of God.