Mountain Girls Homestead
A Holistic Approach to Homesteading
Pressing Bits of Sunshine: Art of Flower Pressing
The art of pressed flowers can be dated as far back as 16th century Japan in an arrangement called Oshibana. And even today, most will agree that there is just something so sweet and sentimental about a single dried flower or a whole arrangement. Through my own trial and error, I have found this technique to be a great way to start one’s pressed flower endeavors.
Favorite Things
Good Places to Shop
Favorite Products
This is a must have for those who have a wood stove or a cook oven. If you don't have a wood stove, Winnwerwell also sells portable wood stoves and accessories. When the power goes out, or during those cold winter months, you can make bread, biscuits and other meals with this handy oven.
I use this thermometer when I use my Winnerwell fastfold oven. It is very helpful when it comes to regulating the internal temperature of the oven when I need to bake bread.
We absolutely love this ice cream maker. It doesn't require any rock salt, it's durable, and it's super easy to use and clean. It makes ice cream within 30 minutes, (not including prep time). Also bought The Complete Cuisinart Homemade Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker Cookbook, (see below), which has fabulous recipes, that are easy, fun and so delicious!
Freezer storage containers for your homemade ice cream. These quart sized containers are so strong and durable and are perfect for the recipes found in the Cuisinart ice cream cookbook. I ended up buying another set because that's how much we make ice cream.
I must have at least 20 of these jars! I store noodles, rice, flour, dried fruits, beans, grains, jerky, oats, sugar, cornmeal, teas and herbs in these jars. A total must have for me.
And then there is the half gallon jars, that I store yeast, salt, brown sugar, teas and herbs in.
We also love homemade whipped cream. This stainless steel whipped cream maker has been a huge success in our home. We add whipped cream to pies, gingerbreads, hot cocoa, coffee, and brownies. It stores nicely in the fridge and is easy to clean. You will need a box of the professional isi chargers to go with it, (see in next window).
You will need these nitrous oxide chargers to make your whipped cream.
In my beef jerky blog, I wrote about the many reasons why I love this dehydrator. It gets used hard in my home. I dry jerky, fruit leather, fruits, vegetables and herbs. I also bought the fruit leather trays to go with it.
I use these sheets for my fruit leathers and for drying herbs and flowers.
This hand crank grain mill is used in my home for those times that the power goes out and I need to mill my grains. This is a must have product for self-sufficiency and a great back up plan if you grind your own flour. It's easy to use and clean.
Such an efficient way to utilize and circulate the heat energy from your wood stove, (using no electricity). I have two of these on my wood stove, going in different directions, to circulate and heat the air in my home.
My utmost favorite cast iron mini-muffin pan, that I use in my Winnerwell during the winter months and then my propane oven. I use it for muffins, pop-overs, mini-dutch babies, egg bakes, and more.
This is the loaf pan that I use all year long, and it also fits perfectly in my Winnerwell stove top oven. I have four of these.
This is the pie pan that I use all year long, and it fits perfectly in my Winnerwell stove top oven.
This is the dutch oven that I use to make my breads in, and it works wonderfully on my wood stove or when I am camping, to use it on an open fire.
These are the buckets that I use to store all my wheat berries, flour, sugar, beans and rice in.
I use this candle during power outages, and also during allergy season, because beeswax helps clean and purify the air.
I have a couple of different sizes of these french presses, that we take camping and they are excellent to have for those power outages, (great back up item). I use them for tea and coffee.
Theses are the envelopes that I use to save my garden and flower seeds in.
Favorite Books
This ice cream cookbook is what we use with the Cuisinart ice cream maker, which is tailored specifically for this ice cream maker. It has easy, unique and adaptable recipes.
This book has been a God sent and I highly recommend it. This book is encouraging, informative, and has helped me with my homeschool journey. Learning through her philosophy of "Living Books" is priceless.
If you bake or cook with Einkorn, this book is a must have. There is a variety of user friendly recipes, and the directions are easy to understand. I have made just about every recipe in this book, and I absolutely love it.
We aren't vegan or gluten free in our house, but the recipes in this book are out of this world. I bought it for the recipes, because living in the mountains, you lean to bake/cook without certain supplies during the winter, and eggs and milk are sometimes those items. This author explains in great detail how to substitute for eggs, dairy and different flours, that any homesteader or vegan should learn from.
This is my go to book for many sourdough recipes. It's easy to follow instructions, and common recipes won't disappoint you. A must have if you are new to sourdough or a seasoned baker.
This book has been such a blessing to me in my kefir making journey. Full of education and information, I truly admire and respect this author. Incorporating kefir milk into our diet has truly been life changing.
An excellent reference book for essential oils, carrier oils, butters, their uses, recipes, blends and remedies. The pictures are fantastic. This is a reference book full of education.
This is another favorite sourdough book of mine. The step by step instructions are easy to follow, and is full of information for any one that bakes with sourdough. I even have her Sourdough Whisperer book on pre-order.
This is my favorite cast iron cookbook. If you want to learn how to cook the old fashioned way with cast iron, you will love this cookbook.