Blueberries

Just look at all these  beautiful blueberries!  I think I mentioned we planted 3 blueberriy bushes this year.  Well, this is one of them.  They all have lots of blueberries on them but I think this one has the most.  They seem to be doing very well so far. 

Monday, we worked around the house.  The girls and I made a batch of cherry jam.  It is very tasty!  Yesterday, we worked in both gardens, hoeing and weeding.    We then took down the greenhouse and put it away for next year, cleaned the fish tank, and did several odd chores that have been needed to get done for a while.  The girls worked on history and science while I ran into little town to get chick feed.  Supper last night was hamburgers, corn on the cob, and pineapple all fixed on the grill.  I love cooking on the grill.  Not near as much clean up involved and the kitchen doesn’t get heated up. 

Well, today we will be cleaning out the chicken house and working on the nests.  Definitely not my favorite job, but it is a little cooler this morning  so hopefully that will make it a little easier.  This morning I am making kefir and buttermilk.  I have shared before how I make my buttermilk but maybe someone is reading this that hasn’t read it before, so I thought I would share it again.   It tastes a lot like kefir.  Here’s what I do.  First add 1/4 cup of whole milk buttermilk  purchased from the store to a quart jar. I suppose you could use lowfat or fat free for this, we just prefer whole buttermilk.   Finish filling up the jar with milk.  I use raw milk but any milk will do.  I leave the cream on but you can take it off.    I then shake it up and sit it out on the counter for about 20 hrs. There is no set time for how long to leave it out.  It all depends on the temperature of your house. This same rule applies to kefir. The warmer the temperature the quicker it will set. It is ready when you turn the jar over and it all leaves the side of the jar in one clump. Shake the jar for about 5 min and put in the fridge to chill.    Now to making kefir,  I use kefir grains when making my kefir.  Jess bought the grains for me a little while back.  Before that I used the powdered starter.   The grains will continue to produce indefinitely.  I store them in the fridge in a jar covered with milk.  When I want to make kefir, which is usually every other day, I take them out, finish filling  the jar 2/3 full with raw milk and leave it out on the counter for about 24 hrs.  This time is also dependent upon the temperature in your home.  Kefir is very good for us.  You can read about the benefits of kefir online.  It is full of good stuff.  It tastes very good in smoothies.    I think it is good to drink plain with just a little sweetener. 

Well, I guess we better get busy with our day.  God bless.