Growing up my parents took me to antique stores all the time. It is still one of my favorite places to shop. You can find me either digging through vintage clothes or pouring over retro pattern books. In the 1950s and 1960s the plush toy patterns were so adorable. I think that’s what has inspired the softees we love today. Last summer I created this Humpty Dumpty pattern for Coats & Clark. You can click here to view the tutorial and to download the pattern pieces. Have fun!

When I first heard of vegans I wondered what in the world they actually ate? Without meat, dairy and eggs, what’s left to cook with? When I pictured a vegan meal it was either raw carrot sticks on a plate or bland steamed veggies. Day after day of eating this fare was just too much to imagine. Little did I know that a few short years down the road I would be marrying a vegan and rethinking what I was eating.

My greatest challenge as a new wife was reinventing my favorite recipes to do without the tried and true trio of meat, dairy and eggs. At that time I’d rather crochet an afghan than cook supper, so trying to whip up a hearty vegan meal required some real imagination.

Through the years I actually started to enjoy cooking, instead of thinking of it as a chore. Especially once I became more immersed in heirlooms and the beautiful dishes which can be made with them. I soon translated my love of crafts into creating art with food.

So, with the backdrop set, this week I’ll be starting a new series entitled “Cooking Without.” Throughout the month of March we will be covering substitutes you can use in your kitchen to replace animal products thus translating your family favorites into new vegan/vegetarian recipes!

Note: As someone who grew up eating meat and animal products, please know I have no issues with those who do choose to include animal products in their diet. This information is provided as a fun alternative to your favorite recipes.

Cooking Without: Eggs
As a kid in 4-H I raised my own flock of chickens. They were strictly for pets and eggs. I couldn’t bare the thought of eating my own birds then, even though I wouldn’t bat an eye at eating a store bought chicken.

Anyways after raising my “girls” from chicks, graduation day came when I had enough eggs to make my own homemade angel food cake. It was like the sheep to shawl competition, everything had come full circle. I can still taste that awesome light cake. My efforts had paid off, sweetly. What I am about to share with you will not however be the solution to a vegan lofty angel food cake. This is one case where you have to have the real thing to succeed. However, these egg replacers will hold their own in most every other recipe.

Ener-G Egg Replacer
This product is gluten-free and can be purchased in a 16 oz package which is the equivalent of 100 eggs. It is made from a combination of potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening and a few other ingredients which you can actually read. This product was my answer as a newbie vegan. Gasp! Finally I could make chocolate cakes again! For one egg all you need is 1 1/2 teaspoons dry Egg Replacer and 2 tablespoons water. To read more about this awesome product, click here.

Flax Seed Meal
Flax seed meal has many benefits, such as being high in Omega-3 fatty acid. I recommend adding it to raw smoothies, raw granola bars, ect. However, it also works great as an egg substitute. To simulate one egg mix together 1 tablespoon flax seed meal to 3 tablespoons water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then add to your favorite recipe. (If the recipe is cooked you will loose the benefits of the Omega-3 but still have extra fiber.)

Chia Seed
Chia seeds pack a lot of punch in a tiny package. These seeds contain Omega-3 fatty acid, magnesium, zinc, niacin, iron, copper, antioxidants and more. They can also be used as a great egg substitute. To simulate 1 egg, simply mix 1 tablespoon ground chia seed to 3 tablespoons water and let rest until it forms into a gel-like substance (about 5 minutes). Then add it to your recipe.

While I love to sew, my time is usually limited to small projects. I do, however, have quite a collection of vintage clothing patterns from the early 1900s through the 1970s which I study and study and study. The lines and parade of styles fascinate me. Its from these patterns and old Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs that I started to develop an eye for what works for me

So, since I don’t sew everything I wear, where do I find it you might be wondering? I buy a lot of my clothing from thrift stores, antique stores and specialty vintage clothing shops. Most of the dresses I wear are under $30. I have a hard time justifying spending lots of cash on one dress. If you don’t have a vintage/thrift/antique shop near you that carries clothing, then I recommend searching eBay.com and Etsy.com for “vintage clothing.” 
There are some popular modern brands that also seem to be carrying off a vintage flair. This is when studying those retro patterns and catalogs comes in handy. I can refer back to all those oodles of fashion images I have memorized and do a mental check to see if this new item would compliment my closet.

So the secret is out. Maybe in the future I’ll have my own line of patterns, but for the time being, you’ll find me searching through racks of previously loved duds at a thrift store near you.

Word of Warning: When shopping for vintage clothing, if you have the luxury of trying the garment on or handling it, be sure to check the seams, zippers, ect for wear. Vintage clothing has been previously loved and let’s face it… sometimes a little too much. While the style of the dress might be dreamy, be sure to check for dry rot or other imperfections that could turn your dreamy dress into a wardrobe disaster.

10 Parsnips (peeled and sliced)
2 T garlic, minced
2 T Earth Balance Buttery Spread
2 T Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Splash of Soy Sauce

Bring a stock pot of water to boil. Then, toss in the sliced parsnips. Bring to a rolling boil and cook until fork tender. Once tender, drain off water. Now, place the butter and minced garlic in a saucepan to lightly saute.

Pour the buttery garlic into the cooked parsnip pieces. Add in nutritional yeast and soy sauce. Use a potato masher to mash the parnsips and incorporate all the ingredients together. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley flakes for a great side to any hearty meal.

You asked for it! Here is my recipe for Vegan Apple Pie Pancakes! While wintering in California I whipped these up in the Seed Bank closet of a kitchen. They passed Jere and Sasha’s approval… why not try them out on your family this weekend!

1 1/2 c organic all purpose flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c vanilla flax milk (soy, almond or coconut)
1/2 c apple sauce
1 T maple syrup or agave nectar
1 t vanilla extract
1 T Earth Balance
Combine the dry ingredients together. Create a well in the center of the dry mix and add the milk, apple sauce, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix well.

Add a tablespoon Earth Balance to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Then, once the butter has melted pour in your pancake batter. Be sure and watch these babies as they cook fast. Flip the flapjacks to brown on both sides. Serve piping hot with maple syrup. In the picture above I splurged with a bit of cream cheese, apple sauce and agave drizzled over the whole stack.

Feb/Mar Issue 2012

I grew up in the midwest and one of the most popular magazines among my mom’s farmerette friends was Country Woman. So I grew up with this magazine and have fond memories flipping through the pages and admiring country women from all over the US! I used several projects within the pages for 4-H and whipped up quite a few of the recipes over the years So, last year when Sharon Selz contacted me about being in the magazine I felt so honored. Last April they sent a photo crew to our farm in Missouri and we spent the entire morning and afternoon taking pictures. It was great fun and everyone was incredible to talk with. The above cover was shot in the greenhouse attached to my home along with seedlings that were for sale at our seed store in Missouri. The entire experience is one that I will cherish and my thanks goes to the wonderful crew at Country Woman for offering me such a sweet, full-circle experience!

If you’d like to read the article… visit our blog at Rareseeds.com by clicking here. You can pick up the Feb/Mar 2012 issue where your favorite magazines are sold.

An email I received…
Hello! l recently reread an article of yours in the Fall 2011  Heirloom Gardener on the preserving of food. While I grew up with, and have continued canning and freezing much of what I grow, I’ve only pondered drying, with a few stabs at solar power. Your article makes me yearn, once again, to try dehydration , but over the years, my research of electric driven dehydrators leaves me unable to choose one. I have tried 2 models, but was not impressed. I am overwhelmed at the choices. Your writing gives me confidence in your knowledge and experience, and I ask if you would be able to recommend to me a dryer, so I could know it to be a top operator. [barring the lemon, or build error, etc.] I really need to have someone who knows what they’re doing, say, “I’ve used this and it gets the job done right.” Thank you so much, for at least your time, and your so-enjoyable blog. Good evening. K-

Dear Kay,
Thanks for your kind note! It was wonderful hearing from you. Now to your question…

When I was a teenager my mom bought an American Harvest dehydrator by Nesco. We had a small family of three and this little workhorse did the job for us for several seasons. We picked it up at our local farm store and I must admit the price was right at only about $65.00. We made sure that the model we purchased had a thermostat, which I think, besides time, is the key to getting food dried right! Mom still has our Nesco dehydrator and is quite pleased with it.

Once Jere and I got married purchasing a dehydrator was on my list and now 5 years later I finally got my dream dehydrator! Years ago I remember getting Rural Farm Delivery advertising card packages in the mail that offered everything from composting toilets to Excalibur dehydrators. That Excalibur card always was salvaged from the stack, but since we were doing ok with our Nesco model we didn’t invest in the more costly one I was drooling over.

So, this last season after reading through review after review on every dehydrator imaginable I decided to invest in an Excalibur, complete with thermosat and timer. I knew it came highly recommended from friends and fellow homesteaders. The price point was always a set back, that is until I found Excalibur’s factory blemished auctions on Ebay. You can save some major dollars buy purchasing one of the models on their eBay page. The blemish is only on the outside housing, the mechanical workings of the dehydrator are perfect. In fact, I still can’t find the blemish on mine! I purchased mine towards the end of the season last year, so I can’t wait to get busy with it! I know it comes highly recommended and is well worth the money!

I hope this helps you! So how do you solve the dehydrator dilemma and choose the best model for your homestead? Just be sure and read through the reviews carefully on the models you are interested in. Make sure you get one with a thermostat! Then, when you’ve loaded the trays be sure and complete the suggested time for each fruit or veggie and snap them to check for moisture. You’ll be on your way to delicious homegrown dried fruit and veggies in no time!

image credits: pears by norwichnuts’ and cilantro drying by boboroshi. 

AND THE WINNER IS: GRACE WILLARD!  

Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway! It was lots of fun! I plan to do more in the future. If you have something you’d like to giveaway… please feel free to contact me!

I am sure all of you are quite swamped with holiday baking, decorating and gift wrapping and maybe a few last minute run-like-a-crazy-person trips into town to pick up a few overlooked gifts.

However, in the midst of all the crazy fun activities check out my giveaway this week! Elizabeth from SwankyPlace.net is offering up one of her absolutely adorable Sweetheart aprons to one lucky person who comments on this post! I found her Etsy shop on a random search and have been smitted ever since. Elizabeth has impecible taste for oh-so-cute fabric and her retro styling is like icing on the cake. I’ll let her tell you a bit about herself and then we’ll move on to the juicy details on how you could be our possible winner…

“My name is Elizabeth but at SwankyPlace Aprons, everyone calls me Betty Love because I love to sew… especially aprons and kitchen accessories. I grew up in the 1960’s and 70’s when aprons were a staple in every kitchen and everything was made from scratch. My aprons are a fresh take on those familiar vintage designs. This way I can enjoy all of the fun things in todays world while staying connected to my past.

I hope my aprons inspire you to tie one on. I put a lot of thought and care into each and every apron I make and use only the highest quality fabrics. That way, when you buy your apron from SwankyPlace you know it will provide you with years of loyal service.”

Also, check out Elizabeth’s website at SwankyPlace.net and connect with her via the links below.
blog: http://swankyplace.net/blog
Etsy: http://swankyplace.etsy.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swanky-Place/293516245722
Twitter: http://twitter.com/swankyplace