Rebirth

I now have in my possession some old axe heads that came from the family homestead. My goal is to give them new life , if possible. I have one selected and have now started the process. I will document the progress and share with everyone. Hopefully I can breath new life into them....   -Jeff

Garden update

Finally able to put up a picture of a few things from our small backyard garden. We have only 192 sq feet of garden space....
-Jeff

Black Skillet update

While attending my wife's family reunion this past week, I competed in the biscuit making contest. I am proud to say that I did win the title of best biscuit for 2013.....
I will say that I did use my trusty black cast iron skillet to make the award winning entry. Great example of good old fashion technology doing the job right.  
I am now on the search for a proper biscuit cutter. Not sure if I am going the route of vintage or practical, with practical being a can woth the top cut off and vent holes on the bottom.  -Jeff

The Black Skillet

If you do not own a good cast iron skillet then you don't know what you are missing. I like to cook and have always been a fan of gadgets in the kitchen. This meant all the latest greatest , ground breaking technologies in the world of cookware. Things like the MANY variations of non-stick Teflon coatings , ergonomics shapes, oven friendly and on and on and on. Guess what, all of those features existed hundreds of years ago and are still available today in the good ole cast iron skillet. Properly seasoned they are non stick. They are easy to maintain if you know how,mainly is no dishwasher. They last forever, as a matter of fact, the older the better. They are a joy to cook with as they heat evenly and hold heat a long time. Why would you not have at least one??
I know I have only discussed the skillet aspect of the cast iron wonder , but there are so many options when it comes to size and style of cast iron cookware as a whole. You have deep sided fryers, dutch ovens, camp skillets, pots and so much more. These are all items that once you buy you can pass down for many generations. That is , if you educate your family on the usage and benefits of cast iron.This may be the biggest obstacle of all in that we don't cook or share as a family like our past generations. I will not head down the path of fast food and microwaves in this post ,,,but I am warning you its coming.
My challenge to everyone is grab you children , get them in the kitchen and enjoy your cast iron cookware. Share your recipes and techniques with your family and then when the time is right pass on a wonderful piece of history in the way of a well seasoned, great cooking black skillet. -Jeff

Family

After spending a long holiday weekend with my family it made me think about how families functioned in the past.I know that family members have moved away since the beginning of time so the thought of family always living nearby may not be applicable. I do think the core principles should still apply and I will speak along those lines.
I heard a saying the other day and I wanted to pass it along , it went something like this: Being raised in the South meant that every child was taught 3 things, you always go to church, you always say yes/no - sir and mame and you always help your neighbors. How simple a statement yet how profound. If you break it down it makes perfect sense and if applied across the board today , may help this country.
Sorry for going down that rabbit trail but I felt I needed to share .
In dealing with family we can apply a similar principle and that is we should always be there for our family members no matter how close or distant in either relationship or miles. In this day and age we should at least be able to count on family in the case of need. If a family member has a need we should all be able to put aside any differences and come to their aid, no questions asked. Go above and beyond for family should be the rule not the exception. I see so many people devoting time to help strangers either through physical acts or through monetary contributions, but yet ignore the needs of their family members. I don't think the needy public would mind if you decided to help your family first.
A sub point to this is kind of key, communicate with your family. How do  you know if your family members have a need if  you don't communicate?? Today we have so many technologies in which we can communicate there should be no excuse why we wouldn't know if a family member is in need. Yes I am once again pointing the finger at myself. To make it even worse, I work for a communications company. Shame on me........
Everyone should reach out to their family members, share your wealth (knowledge and wisdom), help whenever possible and pass down family stories and heirlooms. Don't let your family heritage die with you. What a waste.      -Jeff

Stewardship

Stewardship is an ethic that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment, economics, health, property, information, theology, etc. Stewardship is linked to the principle of sustainability.



When I look around and see the waste we have in our society it truly amazes me. Once again though, I have to raise my hand and say guilty. Did our forefathers waste at the same rate we do today? I don't think they did but their motivation was probably not what we would expect. Their motivation was survival, pure and simple.

Stewardship is a principle covered several times throughout the Bible and God does hold us accountable for being good stewards over all things. People followed those biblical principles more closely because they knew it was the right thing to do and they could definitely see the impact on their way of life.

I believe that in times past people were better stewards overall. If you think about it, what would have happened to families that wasted and discarded what we do today?? They probably would have starved, frozen to death or homeless. People were not as much worried about what others thought of them as much as they were about basic survival. When the family sat down at the dinner table you were expected as children to eat what you were given. If you didn't like what was prepared, you ate it anyway...no questions asked. The whole mentality of the kids are not big eaters or being a picky eaters really didn't go over very well. The food prepared was either raised on the farm , raised or prepared by neighbors and friends or purchased with hard earned and scarce monies. I guess the best way to say it is that even food had value. Today food has no value I am afraid. Children are allowed to waste food by not finishing their plate, half drinking or eating things and then either forgetting about them or just throwing them away, putting too much on their plate and decide they are full. We as parents and adults allow this because we don't value food. How is this going to impact the next generations???

We can make the same argument for most things in our life. Things we value are maintained, conditioned, repaired and overall kept in a state that will serve its purpose for a long time. Things we don't value, even though they can be re purposed, are just discarded. I also contribute some of this to the manufacturers of our modern products. In times past when you purchased something it was made in such a way that even when it could no longer be used for its original purpose you could use it for something else. Today items are made to be discarded and not re purposed. The driving force here is additional sales, bottom line. What has happened to the days of re purposing tin cans, cloth flour sacks, glass baby jars, aluminum foil and real wire coat hangers. I know, some of those items are more modern, but the principle is the same. Things used to be made to last and be used over and over again, not anymore. More than we admit, today those who keep and re purpose items are labeled as hoarders,,,,,think about it.

I will probably talk more about this subject later as I need to look at my own household and do a better job in the area of stewardship. I know my household discards many things that could be put to good use. I also know that we buy things that are cheaper , but yet disposable when we should be spending a little more for something we can use for a longer time. I have much to learn. This topic will lead me into another discussion , one of sharing.....      -Jeff

Gardening

Fresh fruits , vegetables and herbs, who doesn't like them. Why not grow them yourself and really know what you are eating and how it made its way to your table.
I believe the purpose for growing a garden has really changed over the last few decade from a necessity to a hobby. Most people who lived in rural ares of the country had no option but to grow a garden or risk starvation. Gardens were also a means of income for some family's which helped them purchase things like sugar, flour , coffee or other staples that they could not produce themselves. Why have we departed from those ways?? I think we are now a world of time versus money, I will confess that I fall into this category. Today people will sacrifice quality for time which equates to more money spent for a lesser product. Is this good for us? I don't really think so for many reasons.
Why not grow your own....
If we were to take a poll of why people don't grow a garden I have a feeling the typical answers would be time, space and knowledge. I am now of the belief that none of the 3 are really a valid argument.
Time-  How much time does it really take to grow things?? Well the items you are growing take time but your actual input of time can be as intensive as you want it to be. Most items you grow actually require minimal time once you plan them with the least amount of time devoted to fruit trees. If you really want to minimize time , you can automate your watering and even feeding of the plants with control systems that are readily available.
Space- Again this is what you want to make of it. You don't have to be a homeowner with 40 acres of land in order to grow wonderful edibles.You can grow vegetable in small containers on a balcony or porch. You can grow herbs on a window sill in your kitchen. You can grow fruit trees by your living room window. There are lots of options to go along with lots of excuses. One of the more interesting methods I have seen lately is growing things on vertical surfaces. This really makes for space saving grow areas.
Knowledge-  All I will say is that the Internet is your friend. If you don't want to go down that path, reach out to your local extension office and they can send you all kinds of free information on growing just about anything.
With all that I have said everyone should be growing something at home they can eat. Start small and enjoy. This topic will lead into another subject I will address soon which is sharing.....    -Jeff

Thankful-

Today was a challenging day for me. My son Avery had to have emergency surgery due to an appendicitis. This is one of those times where it is good to live in a more modern time. One of the big gains in the modern age is in the field of medicine. I have no doubt that because of modern medicine Avery will be able to go home tomorrow and carry on his normal activities. I am a big proponent of the traditional ways of our past but I will say that when it comes to medicine we would be fools not to embrace the tools and techniques that have evolved to treat someone who is ailing. Just to clarify , while I think we should use the tools and technology available for treating someone, this is in no way a license to over use medications. Your body is an incredible miracle made by God and is built to withstand a lot. The problem I see more and more is one where people rely so heavily on medication that their body no longer knows how to fight disease on its own. Please be wise when it come to medicines but don't be blind either. -Jeff

The Good Knife - pt 2


Just for the fun of it , I went by the local antique mall / thrift store at lunch and picked up a vintage Old Hickory butcher knife for $10 out the door. Its one of the older models that has the thicker blade. The gentleman selling it had several Old Hickory knives to choose from and said if I would call and remind him , he has a bucket full in his shed at home. No complaints here.  -Jeff

The Good Knife

A good knife is hard to find. You look for one that will always be there for you. One that will never fail. One that feels good to hold.
I think there are such knives out there and our grandparents knew how to find them. I am not going down the path as to which brand or model is the best but I will talk about how our families chose what they used.
Back in the day , long before infommercials, people looked for knives that were a good value. They wanted a knife that worked and worked, well yet the price was reasonable. The knife had to hold a good edge , but easy to sharpen. It had to be tough and durable , yet not cumbersome. One of those type knives was the Old Hickory brand of knife. I remember my grandmothers using them and my grandfathers sharpening them. To this day my wife still uses an Old Hickory butcher knife that came from her grandmother and its her go to knife for most chores. The Old Hickory butcher knife really fit the bill for a good overall knife. It met all of the criteria for a sensible and functional all around the farm knife. You can still buy the Old Hickory butcher knife and its still very reasonably priced at around $9 , depending on where you purchase. I will say though that the new version has about a 30% thinner blade than the older vintage versions. You can still find the old ones at yard sales, flea markets and yes, antique stores.
Long story short, no need for the latest greatest $200 celebrity endorsed stainless steel wonder. Use what has been used since the 1920s, they still work just fine.  -Jeff

her·i·tage (hr-tj)

n.

1. Property that is or can be inherited; an inheritance.

2. Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

3. The status acquired by a person through birth; a birthright

The gentleman on the left in the overalls is my Great GrandPa Knox. The gentleman on the wagon is my GreatGreat GrandPa Terrell. These men knew how to live off the land. Note the wagon full of ears of corn.  -Jeff

I am starting up this blog with the intent to gather and share the ways of the past with the hope they are never lost. Too many tips and techniques used by our parents , grand-parents and further back are being lost because we are not sharing and demonstrating the knowledge with our children. My goal is to document as much as possible and promote the sharing of this information with as many people as possible. Hopefully some of it will be put to use and also passed down for many generations to come.

I will be sharing information on gardening, farming, hunting, fishing , cooking and living a simpler life.    -Jeff