How to Clean Your FoodSaver & a Few Tips

I have always shared everything, including my bloopers.
In all honesty, I didn't realize you should clean your FoodSaver until mine stopped one day, telling me the tray was full. I know, gross. Sometimes the obvious escapes me. The simplest way to learn how to clean your FoodSaver is to open the machine. Seriously, it has the instructions listed inside. But, keep reading. I am showing you here with pictures. The front flips down & then there are two release button on each side. Push those in and the FoodSaver with fold completely open.
Then just read the instructions, remove the two trays, clean them well. The trays are dishwasher safe. Then let the trays dry completely.

 

 

 

 

 

After the parts are dry you reassemble the pieces, close the doors and you are ready to start vacuum sealing again.

TIP: 1) It is critical that the trays are completely dry. 2) The sensor that I am pointing at here on the left, will sometimes have unnoticeable residue that needs to carefully be cleaned or it will not allow you to reset the machine. This sensor triggers when then trays are full and need to be cleaned. The first time I cleaned the trays, I evidently didn't get the sensor completely cleaned of all residue. Causing it to still read full & not letting me continue to use the machine. It looked clean. Once I used the cotton swab with the rubbing alcohol & let it dry the machine reset itself and let me continue to vacuum seal.

What a difference a year makes (before & after)...

I realized several years ago that I wanted to have a more sustainable lifestyle, that is part of why we decoded to move and start our farmette. So I started to learn about gardening. I worked with a combination of "Back to Eden" and "Square Foot Gardening".
"Back to Eden" is a film that I go back and watch over and over, It is an hour and 45 minutes long, but I derive a sense of peace each time I watch the film. This is how I prepared the ground for our garden. 
Living in Northern Virginia our soil is heavy with red clay. This is a picture of what our soil normally looks like & a picture of soil from my garden today after one year of preparing the soil by the Back to Eden method.                    

                                                                                                            
 Pretty amazing, right? Note the worm...I have worms all over my garden..The earthworms help increase the fertility of your soil. They burrow through the soil ingesting and digesting the unbroken down organic material that is in the soil.Their waste (worm poo) provide vital nutrients for the soil. As they move through the earth it creates an aeration effect, which helps surface water penetrate further into the soil. 
This is so simple to do & more importantly very easy to maintain. I simply use a rake occasionally to uproot whatever weeds may pop up.

The "Square Foot Gardening" method, helps maximize the spacing of your planting as opposed to traditional rows. 

I got my garden started this year in early May & am so excited to see my plants starting to poke their little heads up out of the ground. For the seeds, I have chosen to use only non-hybrid and non-GMO seeds. While there are several great companies out there, I have chosen to use Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which was recommended to me.

Now the why? I feel it is really important to practice your skills before you have to use them. I hadn't really gardened before, so I am learning as I go. I have also learned how to can the food from my garden. This way I will have hands on knowledge BEFORE I really need to depend on gardening. Gardening gives you power of knowing what you eat and where it comes from and everything tastes so much better. Plus, I have learned I really enjoy this as a past time.
I encourage you to start your garden if you haven't tried it yet. Now, take the time to watch the "Back to Eden" film. it is well worth your time. 

What I do here is simply share our journey. We would love it if your joined our Perky Gramma Teaches community on Facebook. Items I am using this week and books I am reading...

 

I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

Chicken Coop:Phase 2

Thursday we were adding Phase 2 to our chicken coop. Mr. Perky got up early and took down the entire entrance wall, framed up that side, added a door, then put up the chicken wire. This took several hours and the chicken run was completely open the entire time. Dudley-Did-Right and the girls had the opportunity to cross the open threshold and run free for the day. But, they weren't ready for that step yet. What were they thinking? What did they perceive was beyond that imaginary barrier? What stopped them from journeying into freedom?

Inside the run we added angled flashing, for some shade. Also it now will serve as a cover for the feed, feeder & water fount. Since the coop looks like a little house, I also added a lamp post in the yard.
Still more to do & more to share...

What I do here is simply share our journey. We would love it if your joined our Perky Gramma Teaches community on Facebook. 

Items Used this Week:

I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

Chicken Runs and God Stuff

Thursday we were adding Phase 2 to our chicken coop. Mr. Perky got up early and took down the entire entrance wall, framed up that side, added a door, then put up the chicken wire. This took several hours and the chicken run was completely open the entire time. Dudley-Did-Right and the girls had the opportunity to cross the open threshold and run free for the day. But, they weren't ready for that step yet. What were they thinking? What did they perceive was beyond that imaginary barrier? What stopped them from journeying into freedom?

Honestly I believe that people allow fear of the unknown stop them in their path; a path they know in their heart they need to take.

Some people simply become overwhelmed by what they see. Mired in fears.

Others step out on faith.

For the last couple of weeks I have been drawn to read Numbers & Joshua in the Bible. When the Israelites reached Canaan the promised land, they wouldn't see what the Lord had promised them any more. They were complacent, sitting on their laurels with a defeated attitude. They were challenged and made the choice to remain lukewarm. 

Fast forward 40 years when Joshua encountered the man with a drawn sword, the commander of the Lord's army just before Jericho. What did he do? He asked what message did the Lord have for him and then he complied.

The Israelites wandered aimlessly because of their attitude. When their passion was ignited again to actually listen to what God commanded them to do...things changed and they were able to take the territory that God promised all along.

Just a thought...

Canaan or Jericho:

which choice, which answer?

  

How to Make Classic Simple Syrup

Have you ever added sugar to a drink and not have all the sugar dissolve? I know it's not the end of the world, but it is annoying. Considering I occasionally like to sweeten cold beverages (think iced lattes, iced tea) I thought I would share just how easy it is to make classic simple syrup with raw sugar.
It is so simple to make:
Classic Simple Syrup (with raw sugar)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup raw sugar (you may use refined sugar)
Stir until the raw sugar is completely dissolved.
I store my classic simple syrup in a swing top glass bottle in the fridge.That's it.

What I do here is simply share our journey. We would love it if your joined our Perky Gramma Teaches community on Facebook. 

Items I used today: 

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I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

Chicken Rule #21: You don't need a rooster to have eggs...

Don't feel bad if you didn't know this simple fact. 
Think of it like this an egg is a potential chick. Almost every day the chicken produces an egg, but it just that an egg (ovum). 

1. Ovum: a mature female reproductive cell, especially of a human or other animal, that can divide to give rise to an embryo usually only after fertilization by a male cell.
2. 
   

If you have a rooster who ummm...fertilizes the egg before it is laid then it is possible to have baby chickens. 
In fact, I hadn't planned on even getting a rooster at first. But, Dudley-Did-Right needed a new home and roosters are handy. Ever vigilant he spends a lot of time watching the surroundings and the skies. He basically is the protector, he maintains order in the flock. A watchman who sounds the alarms and would lay down his life for the flock.
As a society we have gotten away from knowing much about our food sources. i want to help connect the dots again.

Nobody Likes Ticks

Part of our morning routine is getting the dogs really for hanging out in the yard. One of my concerns when we moved to the farm was ticks. Obviously nobody likes ticks, so I did some research.
In my reading I found that the following essential oils were recommended as helpful as a tick repellent: lavender, lemongrass, citronella, eucalyptus, rose geranium and cedar wood. 
Or you could try Insect Shield which contains the Pure Essential Oils of: Citronella, Eucalyptus, Cedarwood, Lemongrass, Lavender, Litsea, Tea Tree, Patchouli & Catnip.

Pretty basic, I filled my bottle with the fractionated coconut carrier oil & cedarwood. Because they have sensitive noses added enough drops of oil that I could just smell it. I always add a carrier oil to extend the oils efficacy.  I got some inexpensive paint brushes to apply it to the napes of their necks and bums. I also apply it to the hems of my pants. Twice a day.

 

All I will attest to is that I was using it for weeks and then got out of the habit. When I was using it, they didn't get any ticks. When I stopped, they got a tick. Now we will use it until the first hard frost.


  

I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.