8141_GRITGuideFrugalCountryLivingWinter2016

4

Earn a Living on the Farm

8

An Urban Homestead in Los Angeles

4 COVER PHOTOGRAPH:

MATTHEW T. STALLBAUMER

14

30

Growing vegetables and raising animals for market on a small acreage is doable ‌ and profitable.

One-tenth of an acre in this metropolis may not sound like enough space for any type of homestead, but vertical garden design and intensive planting make for surprising yields.

12

8 Ways to Reduce Farm Costs

14

Creating a Food Business on the Homestead

20

Cut Your Heating Bill

24

Keep the Home Fires Burning

25

You Can Save Money With Heating Stoves

30

Don’t Toss It: Mend It!

34

Farmhouse Kitchen Renovation

39

Salvaging Our Past

44

Saving Seeds

34

After two years on her homestead, Alli has a few ways to help you save money as you renovate the property.

Take your kitchen skills, add a wonderful recipe and fresh ingredients, and combine for a great way to make yourself an income opportunity.

Ten ways to decrease your energy costs this winter.

Reminiscing about his search for a home to heat with wood, Editorial Director Hank Will tells of at last finding a house in which he could place a wood-burning stove.

Everything you need to know when considering a biomass system to heat your home or shop.

Give new life to old clothes the old-fashioned way.

For about $1,000, you can give your kitchen area an inspired and refreshing face-lift.

Reuse and repurpose items from the junk pile or antique shop for unique and low-budget farmstead furnishings.

A few extra steps, and simple ones at that, will keep your garden growing next year.

WWW.GRIT.COM

1-3 TOC.indd 1

1

9/22/16 8:41 AM

78 82 88

102

48 51

Helpful Hoop Houses

55

Greenhouse Alternatives for Crop Protection

59

Build a Passive Solar Greenhouse

64

New Work for Old Chickens

69

Raising Chickens for Meat

74

DIY Broiler Coop on a Shoestring Budget

2 GRIT’S GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING

1-3 TOC.indd 2-3

Learn the techniques to cook wild game meat for the best results, and try one of these five recipes for big and small game and wild fowl.

Homemade pies are the ultimate dessert.

Pursuit of food independence is a paying proposition.

98

25 Kitchen Remedies That Really Work Learn how to create inexpensive remedies out of the common herbs and spices found in your cupboards.

102

Make Your Own Soap

108

The Very Best Homemade Cleaning Recipes

Follow these simple instructions, and you’ll be making soap in no time.

Avoid harmful chemicals and save money with effective cleaners using this collection of simple recipes.

110

Natural Products for Cleaning Your Home Simple combinations of lemon, salt, baking soda, and vinegar have hundreds of uses around your home, contain no harsh chemicals, and you’ll be stunned at the amount of space you save when these become your primary cleaners.

113

GRIT YOUTUBE CHANNEL Making Buttermilk Biscuits GRIT Managing Editor Kellsey Trimble walks the viewer through the simple steps of creating a delicious batch of Fresh Buttermilk Drop Biscuits. The recipe can be found below the video, which you can view here: http://bit. ly/2dbfzVZ.

How to Cook Wild Game Meat

Save Money With Home-Canned Foods

From pasture to freezer, home processing offers rewards far beyond the dinner table.

At about $50 to build, this movable chicken tractor is durable and about as cheap and simple as they come – and doubles as a cold frame!

Versatile, durable and easy to use, the original nonstick cookware is still a kitchen essential.

93

Grow vegetables anywhere in any season in these climate-optimized, zero-energy-input greenhouses.

Using the flock to turn over soil is only one idea from the book, Plowing With Pigs and Other Creative, Low-Budget Homesteading Solutions.

Long Live Cast Iron

Any Way You Slice It

Extend your growing season by months with an inexpensive do-it-yourself hoop house.

When it comes to extending the growing season, sometimes a greenhouse just isn’t the right choice.

Learn about alternative crop protections with this handy guide.

Wool from secondhand sheep, alpacas and llamas can bring a tidy sum to the small farm, without the fuss of breeding.

90 Quick and Easy Raised Beds These reclaimed-lumber raised beds let you garden without the toil of tilling.

Yarn Farming

A Frugal Life in the Country By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.” – Agesilaus

Splitting Firewood For fun and exercise, learn to split your own firewood. GRIT Editor-in-Chief Caleb Regan demonstrates the techniques to use for a more efficient process. Don’t forget to dress for the job! Watch Caleb go to work: http://bit. ly/2cVpx8u.

•

GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING Winter 2016 PREMIUM CONTENT TEAM CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS, Editor JEAN TELLER, Senior Associate Editor BEN SAUDER, Associate Editor GRIT EDITORIAL CALEB REGAN, Editor in Chief KELLSEY TRIMBLE, Managing Editor TRACI SMITH, Senior Associate Editor ILENE REID, Editorial Assistant ART/PREPRESS AMANDA BARNWELL, Art Director MICHELLE GALINS, Art Director KAREN ROOMAN, KIRSTEN MARTINEZ, Prepress Staff WEBSITE CAITLIN WILSON, Digital Content Manager DISPLAY ADVERTISING (800) 678-5779; adinfo@ogdenpubs.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (866) 848-5416; classifieds@grit.com

Home Blacksmithing When a reader wrote in to ask, “What can be done with a home blacksmithing operation?”

MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editor-in-Chief Hank Will answered with, “What can’t you do with a home blacksmithing operation?” He goes into detail in the video: http://bit.ly/2cRIQ43.

Raising Happy and Healthy Chicks During a live webinar, now found in GRIT’s video archives, Purina poultry expert Gordon Ballam and GRIT Editor-in-Chief Caleb Regan fielded questions on the basics of raising a backyard flock of laying hens. View the webinar in its entirety: http://bit.ly/2cKQDEY.

Preparing the Garden In a segment of Make Tough Jobs Easy, MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editor-in-Chief Hank Will shows us a few simple ways of creating a large garden with a tiller, rakes and soil amendments such as compost. Learn how to prep the soil before you plant: http://bit.ly/2cp4sY7.

NEWSSTAND Bob Cucciniello, (785) 274-4401 CUSTOMER CARE • (866) 803-7096 customerservice@ogdenpubs.com

BILL UHLER, Publisher OSCAR H. WILL III, Editorial Director CHERILYN OLMSTED, Circulation & Marketing Director BOB CUCCINIELLO, Newsstand & Production Director BOB LEGAULT, Sales Director CAROLYN LANG, Group Art Director ANDREW PERKINS, Merchandise & Event Director KRISTIN DEAN, Digital Strategy Director TIM SWIETEK, Information Technology Director ROSS HAMMOND, Finance & Accounting Director GRIT Magazine (ISSN 0017-4289) is published bimonthly by Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. Periodicals Postage Paid at Topeka, KS and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265.

For subscription inquiries call: (866) 803-7096 Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-785-274-4361 Fax: (785) 274-4305

•

•

SUBSCRIBERS: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. ©2016 Ogden Publications Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.

Visit youtube.com/gritmagazine and youtube.com/motherearthnewsmag to find other great videos on raising farm animals and more. Be sure to subscribe to be updated on new additions to the channel.

WWW.GRIT.COM

3

8/3/18 10:36 AM

Earn a Living

PROFITS AND (MAINLY) LOSSES

Farm

NUTS AND BOLTS I am not independently wealthy, nor was I grandfathered into a farm.

Knowing that I was going to incur both basic and unforeseen financial expenses, I began looking for assistance early on. For me personally, this was a very difficult task; not because I struggled to find the monetary support that I needed – that came quickly – but because I had to swallow my pride to ask for it.

In the dead of winter and before the farming season was a tangible reality, I secured more than $10,000 in startup capital. Friends on Facebook, fellow small-farm activists, and CSA members in the local community who were looking for nonindustrial food cast a bright light on the dark task of financing my startup venture and chipped in. I was lucky, clever, and undoubtedly blessed to have

on the

Growing vegetables and raising animals for market on a small acreage is doable ... and profitable.

By NATHAN A. WINTERS

I

earned the trust and capital from the kind people who gave to my farm with such benevolence, giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams – growing food for local community members. Each and every week I thanked my micro-lenders and supporters as my grain bills and general operating expenses demanded more than $4,000 per month. While my farming savvy continued to grow, my bank account continued to shrink as I skated on the thin ice of survival.

It was a hot day in early August when I sat down, took a break from my farming chores and sipped from a cold beverage. I stared at my beautiful garden and admired the rapidly growing pigs as they wrestled one another. I’m not sure if it was quiet desperation or a deep admiration, but I couldn’t help but acknowledge all of my relentless hard work and

everything that I had created from ground zero.

Suddenly, reality set in: I was not going to profit in my first season.

Moments later, I returned to my afternoon chores with a smile on my face, knowing that regardless of what the numbers might indicate, my first farming season was a success. It was a success because people believed in me, and most importantly, I believed in myself, and one way or another, I was going to continue farming. I knew that a farmer’s success is not measured solely in dollars and cents, but merely his or her ability to persevere.

Year 1 certainly cost me a good chunk of change, probably close to $20,000; however, I walked away with an education I could never have acquired from an academic institution attached to a student loan.

In 1999, I left behind the city life in Los Angeles, and later started my own farm in southern Vermont. It turns out that transitioning to the simple life isn’t always that simple, and bootstrapping a farming business is not always a warm and fuzzy experience. It has been a daunting task requiring endless amounts of faith, relentless hard work, creativity, support, and, most importantly, gratitude. Hopefully others will learn a thing or three from my experience.

Animals provide so much more than eggs, meat, dairy, fiber and other marketable products. It’s truly fulfilling. After a long day of work, watching the pigs wrestle provides a comforting laugh, and the sound of a rooster crowing as you sip your morning coffee is a comforting resonance that the farmer grows to love.

But, animals also require lots of attention and resources: housing, fencing, heat in the winter, extra water on hot days, plenty of feed, additional predator deterrents, and a multitude of additional needs. Be sure you’re ready to be a responsible animal husband before taking the leap – and don’t take on too much too quickly.

My strategy when adding animals to the farm

4 GRIT’S GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING

4-7 Organic Farming.indd 4-5

was to be frugal and ensure that each species had a valuable role.

Pigs In the early spring, my main priority was readying the vegetable plot for planting. Pigs do two things very well: plow and fertilize. But I quickly learned that pigs need diligent managing. I used lightweight housing made from 2-by-4s, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, and a tarp coupled with portable electric fencing to “force” my pigs to work certain sections of the field. I did not follow any specific schedule in terms of rotating them. When the soil looked adequately rooted and the land cleared to my liking, I moved them to a new patch.

In about three weeks’ time, I was able to plow

LORAIN EBBETT-RIDEOUT

Raising animals

WWW.GRIT.COM

5

8/3/18 10:39 AM

An Urban Homestead

in Los Angeles

One-tenth of an acre in this metropolis may not sound like enough space for any type of homestead, but vertical garden design and intensive planting make for surprising yields.

S

ustainability meets inventiveness in Groundbreaking Food Gardens (Storey Publishing, 2014) by Niki Jabbour. Rich and varied garden plans from a range of professional gardeners offer ideas for everything from a whimsical children’s discovery garden to incredibly productive urban homestead plots. Some integrate gardening with chickens or bees to take advantage of the work they do for the garden as well as the foods they produce; others are designed to keep hungry wildlife like deer and moose out of the garden. With 73 different plans, there is sure to be something for everyone, whether formal or informal, yearlong or seasonal. The following excerpt is on Theresa Loe’s urban homestead.

Theresa Loe takes pride in her homestead, where she produces a bounty of homegrown food for her family of four and gathers fresh eggs from her chickens — all in the middle of busy Los Angeles on a property just one-tenth of an acre in size. How does she do it? She combines good design,

8 GRIT’S GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING

8-10 Urban Homestead in LA.indd 8-9

vertical gardening, and sustainable practices to create a productive urban homestead.

Notable features

• Grows a copious amount of veggies and fruits on just one-tenth of an acre!

• Includes chickens, worm composting, and traditional composting • Edibles are planted in drifts for ornamental appeal

The urban homestead

Loe fits the typical definition of an urban homesteader: a city or town dweller who wants to regain some control over her personal food security, as well as reduce her environmental footprint by growing a portion of her own food and keeping some type of livestock such as chickens.

Although her property may be small, she is able to grow a wide selection of edibles. Her family also has a flock of backyard chickens and a worm bin to produce vermicompost, as well as a traditional composting area for recycling kitchen and garden waste.

“This garden demonstrates how you can be more sustainable and garden

G a v u b

organically even in a tiny urban lot,” she says.

Her plan for an urban homestead is loosely based on Loe’s own property and measures 45 by 36 feet. “I laid it out as a full-sun garden with raised beds,” she says, “but it could easily be done in all pots and containers if someone had cement in the backyard.”

cise, look for bugs, do some weeding, scratch up the soil, and add a little fertilizer.” If you’re worried about them eating your plants, Theresa suggests that you let them out only when you are in the garden.

Keeping chickens in the garden

The chicken coop and run are an essential part of Loe’s homestead.

“The chickens are really wonderful family pets,” she says, but adds that one should look into local city ordinances before bringing hens home.

“Most cities only allow five or less hens, so I designed a coop and run area that would accommodate up to four hens, which will give you four eggs a day – a comfortable amount for a family of four.”

She advises allowing 3 to 4 square feet per chicken for the coop and about 8 square feet per chicken for the run. She also encourages people to let the chickens out of their pens as much as possible, so that they can “get exer-

Drifting plants

ELAYNE SEARS ILLUSTRATION

By NIKI JABBOUR

For an ornamental look, Loe generally prefers to grow her edibles in drifts, rather than typical long rows. The three 4-by-20-foot raised beds located in the center of the garden are intensively planted with popular edibles like tomatoes, carrots, spinach, peppers, and Swiss chard. Loe’s carrot bed is a great example of intensive planting and growing more in less space: The 10-foot bed is planted in three rows, so she has 30 feet of carrots in that one section.

Espaliered trees

To garner the most from her space, Loe also grows vertically. In her plan,

two espaliered apple trees have been planted along the west wall of the homestead for both their decorative and production values.

Unless you choose self-pollinating apples, she advises planting two different cultivars that bloom at the same time to ensure pollination.

On the north side, vining beans and squash climb the wall, taking up little space in the garden but still offering high yields. She avoids varieties with long runners, such as spaghetti squash and watermelons, unless they are grown vertically. Bush types are grown on the ground to save space.

To take advantage of open garden space near the chicken run, Loe has clustered together several containers

Grow vining crops with long runners, such as spaghetti squash and watermelon, vertically to make the best use of a small urban homestead. A cute chicken coop can become the focal point of the garden.

of potatoes, lemon balm, and various mint plants. She opts to grow her potatoes in pots because she finds that they thrive in large containers and she is able to avoid bug problems.

Theresa’s garden plan

Loe has chosen plants for a summer garden that is 45 feed deep and 36 feed wide.

After these have been harvested, she recommends following them with fall and winter vegetables.

Certain plants, like the kale and Swiss chard, can be left in place for the cold season.

WWW.GRIT.COM

9

8/3/18 10:41 AM

Even though fuel and electric costs continue to rise, you can minimize the hit to your pocketbook this winter. From replacing your outdated HVAC system to simple sealing solutions, here are some energy saving techniques for every budget.

Cut Your

HEATING BILL Ten ways to decrease your energy costs this winter.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

(5)/KEVEN BROWN, OKTAY ORTAKCIOGLU, ASHOK RODRIGUES, ANN TAYLOR-HUGHES, TIMOTHY BABASADE

Replacing leaky windows and doors with energy-efficient versions can save you bundles.

20 GRIT’S GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING

20-23 Cut your Heating Bill_NEEDS UPDATE.indd 20-21

Add a layer of insulation in the attic if your existing insulation is old or compressed.

RIGHT: Consider a new, more efficient heating unit.

By DEBORAH R. HUSO

1

HEATING AND COOLING USES ABOUT HALF THE ENERGY IN AN AVERAGE HOME. If your HVAC system is 10 to 15 years old, consider replacing it with a more energyefficient model. And if you have the spare cash or can roll the cost into the financing of a new home or remodel, consider a geothermal heat pump. Geothermal (also known

Free passive solar energy only requires planning ahead. as ground source) heat pumps provide a way to heat and cool the home with minimal electricity because they use the subterranean earth as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. These systems involve running fluidfilled tubes (or pipes) underground and add to the overall cost of an HVAC installation, but the added expense is quickly recovered in most cases. Geothermal systems save WWW.GRIT.COM

21

8/3/18 10:43 AM

to find the best price because we knew months in advance what we wanted.

For our project, we wanted a nice faucet for our sink. A high-necked, oil-rubbed bronze piece would take that space from “rental-unit ugly” to “farmhouse fancy.” Quality faucets can cost $150 and up, so we watched sales and online auctions to find a deal. A clearance sale gave us a lovely faucet for $130.

Our other large investment was the backsplash behind our stove, which we’ll discuss later.

You might need to upgrade the light fixtures, or, depending on the size of your kitchen, even buy flooring. Check on Craigslist or Lumber Liquidators for great bargains.

For about $1,000, you can give your kitchen area an inspired and refreshing face-lift.

Open concept

W

When we walked into this home, the keys still warm from the previous owner’s hand, the first thing we jettisoned was a small wall and set of cabinets that cut our kitchen off from the living room. The wall was not load-bearing and the cabinets were very useful in another area of our home.

In your home, consider removing a wall to open up the kitchen or add more light to your home. It’s a simple way to increase the space you already have.

Just be sure the wall is not load-bearing. Consult a contractor friend before removing it.

Another important consideration is whether or not you will encounter wiring. We did have wiring in our small wall, so we had an electrician come to cap the wires and safely hide them in our ceiling.

There may be pipes or vents in your wall, so please consider the removal carefully. Take great care in deciding if you want to go this route, as even minor miscalculations may require professional help that may affect your budget. Additionally, you’ll be repairing parts of the ceiling and floor where the wall used to be. Our wall was nearly free-floating, and a simple coat of paint covered any reminders that it used to be there.

By REBEKAH SELL

Whether you love cooking or just enjoy food, there’s no doubt the kitchen is the center of the home. The exception to that rule may be the woodstove during winter. However, having your ideal kitchen is sometimes a work in progress. When the average kitchen renovation costs $20,000, it might seem impossible to do anything with a budget of $1,000 – but we disagree.

34 GRIT’S GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING

34-38 DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel.indd 34-35

Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a second-timearound hardware store – and as an added bonus, it supports a great cause.

■ If you know a contractor or tradesman, utilize their knowledge. They may even be willing to help with the project.

■ Barter goods or services.

■

Envision your ideal kitchen

Paint covers all PERRY MASTROVITO (2)

Planning ahead is crucial. We had a specific idea for our country kitchen: New England farmhouse.

However, we didn’t know exactly how it would look.

To plan, we paged through magazines and looked online for the sort of kitchen we had in mind. We cut out pictures of things we liked. You can also do this on Pinterest by starting a board and pinning things that match your style or what you’re going for. Having something to look at made it so much easier to prioritize our needs.

As you plan, figure out your large expenses. Initially deciding on a few special purchases helped us build our budget around them. Also, we could wait

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/WEEDEZIGN;

The key is putting in hours of sweat equity and creatively finding resources. You’ll learn valuable trades along the way, and any tools you purchase will be useful for other projects.

When we moved into our small home, we were working with a base-model manufactured house.

While we were thankful to be homeowners at last, the amount of remodeling this house required seemed unending, so we decided to focus on the kitchen.

We had a budget of $1,000 to redo a full, eat-in kitchen with an attached dining area, so we needed to be thoughtful with our money.

This wouldn’t be a full-fledged kitchen remodel. What it is, is a way to bring a fresh new feel to what you already have. You won’t be changing your kitchen footprint, upgrading appliances, or replacing cabinets. While that may seem discouraging, read on for creative and thrifty solutions.

■ What tools will you need? Do you have to buy or can you borrow them?

■ Craigslist and eBay are great resources for materials and items at affordable prices.

The most inexpensive way to make a home seem new is with a fresh coat of paint. Our walls had a tiny flower pattern all over. It was incredibly dated and made the kitchen look cluttered, even when fully clean. Also, we needed to “mud” the seams between drywall panels, as this home had never had that important aesthetic done. This likely isn’t something you’ll have to do, but if you need to repair nail holes or damage to your walls, the time to do it is before you paint. A small container of plaster compound will cost about $4, plus the simple spackling tools

you’ll need. If you removed a wall, you’ll likely already have these supplies on hand. For our large project, we needed a 5-gallon bucket of plaster, which runs about $15.

After the walls were repaired and smooth, we painted them a cheery light blue. Good-quality paint will cost $25 to $40 per gallon. We only needed one gallon of all-in-one primer and paint to give our kitchen and dining area two coats. You may need more if you are covering a dark color.

While at the store for paint supplies, we saw a closeout sale on some white wainscoting. We jumped on the opportunity, and purchased enough to cover the walls of our attached dining room. This was just the boost this little area needed to differentiate it from the kitchen and give it a classic farmhouse feel.

Be creative with farmhouse lighting fixtures – you can find plans online to make very cool lights fashioned out of old mason jars.

WWW.GRIT.COM

35

8/3/18 10:45 AM

DUTCH OVEN BISCUITS

1 teaspoon salt

CAMPFIRE PEACH COBBLER

Recipe by Karen K. Will Yield: 3 dozen biscuits.

3 eggs 2 cups buttermilk 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1⁄2 teaspoons sugar 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄2 teaspoon cardamom 1 teaspoon vanilla Virgin coconut oil, unrefined Confectioner’s sugar 1 Separate egg yolks and whites into two medium

bowls. Set whites aside. Beat yolks with buttermilk; set aside.

2 In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom. Add egg yolk mixture, and stir well.

3 Add vanilla to egg whites, and beat until stiff.

Carefully fold into flour mixture, without breaking them down.

4 Place cast-iron æbleskiver pan on stovetop over medium heat. Place 1⁄2 teaspoon coconut oil in each well, and continue heating for a few minutes, until melted.

5 Spoon batter into wells, filling about threequarters full. Do not overfill. If oil is ready, batter will sizzle when it’s dropped. Turn heat to low.

6 When æbleskiver are ready to be turned, they will start to bubble and separate from sides of pan (this can take several minutes). At this point, run dull knife around edges to loosen ball, and turn each one-quarter-turn with knife. Let cook for 1 additional minute. Continue turning and cooking until a perfect ball is formed.

7 After each ball is golden-brown, remove from pan with spoon to serving plate. With sieve, dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with applesauce and preserves, or maple syrup.

86 GRIT’S GUIDE TO FRUGAL COUNTRY LIVING

82-87 All About Cast-Iron Cookware.indd 86-87

2 sticks butter (1 cup) 6 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 11⁄2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons plus 11⁄2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 ⁄2 cup warm water 1 ⁄2 cup honey 1 ⁄4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups buttermilk 5 cups all-purpose flour 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 4 teaspoons baking powder

TOPPING: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 7 tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into chunks 1 ⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided 3 ⁄4 cup half-and-half

1 In medium bowl, combine yeast and warm water; let stand for 10 minutes.

2 Stir in honey, oil and buttermilk.

3 In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add wet ingredients and stir together to form ball. Turn out onto floured surface and knead lightly for 2 minutes.

4 Roll dough to 1⁄2-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch round biscuits.

5 Place 2- or 3-inch-deep cast-iron skillet with lid, or Dutch oven with lid, in the fire separately until skillet or oven is hot and lid is very hot but not red. Grease bottom of skillet or oven with lard, butter or cooking spray, and sprinkle with a little flour. Place biscuits inside and brush tops with lard, butter or oil. Cover.

6 Rake out a thin bed of coals and set skillet or oven on coals.

Cover lid with a thick layer of coals.

7 Bake, covered, in fire for 10 to 15 minutes, checking for doneness after 7 minutes.

NOTE: Refrigerate unused dough; biscuits can alternatively be baked, uncovered, in a conventional oven at 450 F for 12 to 15 minutes.

CHEESY CORN QUICHE Recipe by Karen K. Will Yield: 6 servings.

⁄4 cup cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 11⁄4 teaspoons salt 1 ⁄2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed 1 ⁄2 cup ice water, more or less 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided 2 cups whole-kernel sweet corn, cut from cobs (about 4 ears) 1 ⁄2 cup minced onion 4 large eggs 1 cup half-and-half 3

⁄2 teaspoon sea salt ⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika or cayenne 1 to 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, to taste 1 1

KAREN K. WILL (5)

ÆBLESKIVER Recipe by Karen K. Will Yield: 3 dozen pastries.

Recipe by Karen K. Will

1 In bowl of food processor, combine cornmeal, flour and salt, and pulse to mix.

Add butter, and process for about 20 seconds, or until mixture is crumbly. With machine running, add ice water, a little at a time, stopping when mixture just sticks together and forms dough.

2 Dump dough out onto sheet of wax paper and gather up in a ball. Transfer dough to plastic wrap, and flatten slightly.

Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3 Place 10-inch cast-iron skillet in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425 F. 4 Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to fit skillet. Place crust in hot skillet and crimp edges with fork.

5 Sprinkle half the cheese over unbaked crust. Top with corn and onion.

6 In small bowl, beat eggs with halfand-half, sea salt, paprika, cilantro and remaining cheese. Pour over ingredients on crust.

7 Bake in lower third of oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F and continue baking for another 25 to 30 minutes.

8 Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Promptly transfer any leftovers to another dish that is not cast iron.

1 To make cobbler, melt butter in

cast-iron pot. Add peaches, sugars, cinnamon and cream. Bring to a boil, then move pot out of direct heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring throughout.

2 While peaches are cooking, make topping. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and work in with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1⁄2 cup sugar and blend well. Gradually mix in half-and-half until dough just comes together.

3 Spoon dough over peach mixture in pot. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top.

Cover.

4 Rake out thin layer of coals. Set pot on coals and cover lid with thick layer of coals. Let bake for about 20 minutes, checking after 10 minutes.

5 Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

RANCH BEANS

Recipe by Karen K. Will 1 pound side pork or bacon, coarsely chopped 2 pounds pinto beans, soaked overnight and rinsed 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 1⁄2 cups packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 In cast-iron Dutch oven, sauté pork.

Add beans, onion, garlic, paprika, mustard, brown sugar and salt. Cover with water by about 3 inches, and bring to vigorous boil over fire.

2 In campfire, dig hole wider and deeper than Dutch oven. Line hole with stones so oven will fit, but with some room on the sides and above it.

3 Build a hot fire in the hole and keep it roaring for an hour. Rake out most of the embers.

4 Place covered and filled Dutch oven in hole. Lay ashes on top of lid, then fill hole and top with embers. Let beans cook for 5

to 8 hours, checking every hour or so for water level (add more if drying out) and tenderness. When beans are soft, remove from fire and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

WWW.GRIT.COM

87

8/3/18 10:46 AM