Hi there! Is it cold and snowy where you live? We think everyone in the world is getting lots of snow except us, but really that’s fine. It has been remarkably chilly, though, so most of our activities and projects are indoors these days.
Nom nom nom.
We are loving our fall CSA share; each week we receive delicious vegetables that we’d never find in our grocery store. Those sweet, colorful carrots were devoured raw; the delicata squash was roasted and served over the arugula, and the tatsoi went into a spicy stir-fry with local pork. We highly recommend joining a CSA in your community if you have the option.
Like a Roomba, only better.
Our new pet looks like a Star Wars extra, but when you have this much painting to do, a sprayer makes things a whole lot easier. There is a learning curve with a paint sprayer, but once you’ve mastered set-up and clean-up it saves hours. Pro tip: do not skip the cleaning and storage instructions. If you store the sprayer without cleaning it properly, you will regret it. Trust us on this.
We did this ourselves!
Our biggest accomplishment this past week was completing the floors in our sunroom and we are so thrilled with the results. We still need to finish the transitions, but for a first-time effort we’re very pleased with it. Soon my much-loved vintage sewing machine can come out of storage!
Yes, we do use that much butter and salt. Don’t judge.
Once we’ve got our house renovations a bit more under control, I plan to concentrate on baking lots of bread. I’m looking to revamp my standard focaccia recipe with potatoes for a light, fluffy texture, and I want to experiment with bagels and naan, too. For the moment, however, this no-knead bread is our daily standard: it’s half white and half whole wheat flour, with lots of textural seeds, like sunflower, flax and sesame, for added nutrition and flavor. Thick smears of salted butter elevate this even more.
Bottles ready for secondary fermentation and the SCOBY (or starter culture) in its SCOBY hotel.
I’m brewing kombucha again for something interesting to drink between “coffee time” and “IPA time.” My kombucha is exceptionally slow right now because our ambient temperatures inside are so cool, but it’s fun to see how the flavors evolve and develop. Homemade kombucha is super-easy, but as with most fermentation projects, takes some experimentation. If you like kombucha and you regularly spend $4 on the individual bottles at the store, try brewing your own. Here’s a decent introduction, or check out a fermentation book from your local library.
And finally, this article is well worth your time, especially if you live in Colorado. This issue will only get more contentious in the coming years, and we’re doing our very best to stay educated.
P.S. Some of you may be aware that a rather significant holiday occurs this week in the U.S. Although we wholeheartedly believe in expressing gratitude for our bounty and sharing good food with friends and family, we cannot support the excesses of the modern American Thanksgiving: voluntarily eating oneself into a food coma to be swiftly followed by a shopping/debt coma. We opt not to celebrate a holiday where more than six million animals go to waste. More on that here.
Finding Quiet Farm 
Your sunroom looks AMAZING!! I’m jealous of all that natural light for your sewing space.
LikeLike
Thanks, Noell! I’m very much looking forward to getting all of my sewing materials out. I think I’ll need a space heater in there during the winter months, but the light is lovely.
LikeLike
The CSA vegetables are beautiful! Your sunroom looks amazing. Great job.
LikeLike
Thanks, Sara! I do think fresh vegetables make gorgeous photo subjects. It was very satisfying to complete the sunroom ourselves and actually have it look professional! It gives us confidence for future projects.
LikeLike
Nothing feeds confidence like a job well done. It just gets better from here, one job at a time.
LikeLike
Thanks, Jim! We’re definitely feeling a lot more confident about tackling the bigger rooms with the fancier flooring. Wish us luck!
LikeLike
WOW! The sunroom is so beautiful – you both did an extraordinary job! On another note, I re-read your blog last year ‘Enough’. It is as true last year as it is now. Thank you for the reminder of how much we have and if you need a ‘holiday’ activity, find someone who you can give a bit of splendor to their lives……just sayin. Karen
LikeLike
Thanks, Karen. This is a tough time of year – I find both the overabundance and the constant requests for donations to be diametrically opposed. It’s tough to reconcile the fact that we throw away 40% of our food, yet more than 1 in 8 Americans go hungry every day. I’d like to find some balance in those numbers.
LikeLike
Re: Colorado water. It never ceases to amaze me when those “representing” us do things we don’t hear about until after whatever is over and done! I knew there were guidelines to how much H2O needs to get to other states but if conditions are bad enough why are we waiting until 2026??? Maybe a third or more of the Front Range population will leave and the water will be put to good use.
LikeLike
Susan, I know. It’s an eye-opening article. And yes, we too often find out about what’s happened after it’s happened. There are not many good answers in this situation.
LikeLike
It has not snowed here (on the Valley floor) since 1976. It just doesn’t snow here. It has just been very smoky! We are expecting our first rain since last spring on Wednesday morning! It is a big deal for us.
As a Christian, I find the excessive decadence and . . . . ridiculousness (!) of the so called holidays to be very offensive. Although holidays such as Christmas and Easter and even All Saints’ Day are very important to me, I do not partake in the inane modern traditions. However, I make exception for the holiday later this week. Since it is a pagan holiday, I am not offended by the traditions (although some put way too much effort into making them offensive). We do not waste much of anything, and the remains from this upcoming holiday happen to be the only turkey I get all year! it gets made into soup, and what does not go into soup goes into stock. It is the only supply of turkey soup and stock that must last all year. I sometimes get a second carcass for stock from a neighbor. (I suppose I could get more turkey through the year, but I happen to dislike it, so one or two is plenty for me.) Anyway, the celebration of friends and family is too important for me to pass up. I totally understand about how offensive the decadence and waste are though.
LikeLike
Thank you, Tony. We wish you abundant rains.
LikeLike
The first storm since spring should arrive early Wednesday morning!
LikeLike
Pingback: Farm update: December 3 | Finding Quiet Farm
Oh my gosh Elizabeth, your sunroom turned out beautiful! I am so glad that you have such a lovely room to look at everyday. And yes to butter. I would never judge, and I don’t think Julia Child would either. Enjoy.
LikeLike
Thanks, Heather! Good salted butter is one of life’s simple pleasures, especially on homemade bread.
LikeLike
Pingback: Floor plan | Finding Quiet Farm