Uncharted Heritage

20120929

Playing Outside

Angel Buff September 29, 2012 0 Comments

Our Saturday plans were a bit skewed because of some rain, but we made the best of it. It was warm enough this morning and the rain turned to a drizzle – a perfect time to play in some puddles! We had a blast.

By the way, did you know that September 24th through September 30th (annually) is “Take a Child Outside Week”? Unfortunately, I was a little late learning about this ‘annual event,’ but wanted to share with you the organization’s website (http://www.takeachildoutside.org/). I was excited to get some new ideas on activities that are both fun and educational and targeted towards different age groups. They share some great resources.

20120924

Legend of the Persimmon Seed

Angel Buff September 24, 2012 2 Comments

Fall is definitely in the air, and off to a very cool start no less. We have already had several very chilly mornings that have required some long sleeves. This cold weather creeping in has already got me thinking about wintertime. Last winter was fairly mild here. It never really seemed to get that cold and we didn’t really get any snow. I have to admit, since our little girl is running around this year, I wouldn’t mind getting some snow – I really look forward to watching her see it for the first time and play in it.

So will we get any snow this winter? The Farmer’s Almanac suggests that we might…because apparently, according to folklore, one of the great predictors of the upcoming winter is the persimmon seed. Legend says that if you cut a persimmon seed in half, you will find an inner shape that resembles flatware. A knife shape indicates a cold, icy winter (wind cuts through you like a knife), a fork shape indicates a mild winter ahead with only possibly a dusting of snow, and if the shape inside the seed resembles a spoon, you should prepare for a snowy winter (shovel to dig out all the snow).

With our persimmons almost ripe, we decided to have a look at their seeds, and this is what we found...a spoon/shovel...every time. So, does this legend hold any true merit? I guess only time will tell.

Have you tried this? What ‘piece of flatware’ did you find?

Linking up with the "Homestead Barn Hop" and the "Morris Tribe's Homesteader Blog Carnival"

20120921

Living 'Off The Grid'

Angel Buff September 21, 2012 0 Comments

I wanted to share this documentary, made by the Stroud family. There is alot of useful information and things to think about if you are considering a move to living off the grid. I was especially thankful for the insight provided by their children. If you have kids, what are some ways that you keep them excited and involved?

20120919

The Best Fried Okra (and Peppers)

Angel Buff September 19, 2012 1 Comments

We don’t fry a lot of food in our house, but okra is just one of those things you want fried every now and again. I came up with this recipe recently, while experimenting and trying to change up the usual, and, I will have to say, this is now my favorite way to have fried okra. And even my husband, who isn’t the biggest fan of okra, really likes it.

Ingredients (sorry, “my country measurements” are listed, but these should be adjusted anyway to personal taste preferences):
*Okra (approximately 1 ½ cups chopped)
*Banana Pepper (2/medium)
*Cayenne Pepper (1/average)
*Cornmeal (approximately 1 cup)
*[A couple of pinches of] Kosher Salt
*[A dash of] Black Pepper
*[A dash of] Paprika

Cut the okra and peppers into thin slices. Rinse and blot/dry the okra. Mix together the cornmeal, salt, black pepper and paprika. Add in the okra and pepper slices and mix until fully coated.

Preheat some vegetable oil in a pan at a medium-high heat (I prefer to fry okra in a cast-iron skillet, but you can use whatever you feel more comfortable with). Slowly add in your okra mixture, be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Flip/stir occasionally, giving time for the batter to crisp. Cook until golden brown.

By the way, did you know that okra is loaded with vitamins A, B and C and also contains calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium?

Linking up with: Raising Homemakers

20120918

Morning Glories

Angel Buff September 18, 2012 2 Comments

Most morning glory flowers unravel into full bloom in the early morning with vibrant color that fades during the heat of the day. The flowers usually start to fade a few hours before the petals curl/close. Morning glories are generally considered perrennials in warmer/frost-free climates and tend to spread rather quickly. Our flowers are taking over the fencing.

Linking up with:

20120916

Summer is Soon Ending...Time for a Fall Giveaway!

Angel Buff September 16, 2012 0 Comments

Who doesn’t love a giveaway!?!

So what are we giving away? A handcrafted/blacksmith-made bottle opener.

Want to get in on the giveaway?

There are several ways to enter, each increasing your chances of being selected and each helps get the word out about Uncharted Heritage. Use any or all.

Here is a list of what you can do for entry credits:
*Follow our Blog via Google Friend Connect (found in our right sidebar) = 1 entry
*Follow/”Like” us on Facebook = 1 entry
*Follow us on Twitter = 1 entry

*Share/Announce and link to this post/giveaway on your own Blog (be sure to leave us a link to your Blog in the comment section) = 5 entries
*Share/Announce and link to this post/giveaway on your Facebook = 1 entry per day per person
*Share/Announce and link to this post/giveaway on your Twitter = 1 entry per day per person

*Bonus 3 Entries: Leave a comment here [at our blog] or post a comment on our Facebook page telling us what you love most about the Autumn/Fall Season.

Please note: If you are already a follower, thanks, we will be happy to enter you into this giveaway if you will simply leave a comment or send us a message telling us that you do want to be included (you will be given credit as described above for the places that you follow us and for any shares).

Contest closes at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on October 14th and the winner will be selected randomly and announced on our blog (the winner may also be contacted by Twitter Direct Message or Facebook Message, depending on where the winning entry came from) on October 15th. The winner will be given three (3) days to contact us via email/messaging. If the winner does not contact us by the deadline a new winner will be selected.

Also note: If your tweets are protected, I won't see them unless I follow you on Twitter. I will make a return follow request to as many new followers as I can, but there may be a delay. Anonymous entries will not/cannot be entered in the contest.

20120915

Hiking #2

Angel Buff September 15, 2012 0 Comments

Today we went back to the nature park. We are working to increase our endurance by traveling new, more difficult trails and longer distances. Since the new trails were much more quiet and not traveled as much, there were more signs of wildlife, which of course was exciting. Today we hiked 4.6 miles with our lunch break at the “Hidden Lake” again, under ‘our shade tree.’ The day was absolutely beautiful and peaceful.

Here is our day in pictures…

20120910

Playing in the Dirt

Angel Buff September 10, 2012 2 Comments

Anyone who has ever taken care of a small child will know that most projects take a little extra time, effort, and planning. But it is so worth it, when you see that child growing and learning and excited. We have been working in the yard, planning and preparing [mostly for next season]. However, we have set a small section aside to experiment with this fall (for now just some spinach and lettuce). So while John and I worked to get the ground prepared and the seeds sown, our daughter was given the opportunity to explore, play in the dirt, and even helped out a little (she was given the task of “throwing rocks out of the garden”).

"Play is the highest form of research." ~Albert Einstein

Linking up with: Mommy Teaches Friday Blog Hop at "A Little R&R" and Homemaking Link-Up at "Raising Homemakers" and Homestead Barn Hop at "Homestead Revival"

20120905

Simple Solution (The Blue Bucket)

Angel Buff September 05, 2012 2 Comments

Since it is not convenient to run out to the compost pile several times a day to throw out kitchen scraps and since the kitchen is small and there really isn’t a good way to keep the scraps inside until the end of the day, I needed to find a practical solution. I tried simply setting a bucket outside the backdoor, but this really wasn’t the best idea with children and pets and other critters around. So after discussing the problem with my husband [who just so happens to be a blacksmith], John designed a couple of extended S-hooks for me to hang my 'blue compost bucket' on - close to the backdoor, perfect height, out of the rain, and these hooks also come down easily if I need to remove the entire set-up.

Our simple solution…

20120903

Labor Day Weekend

Angel Buff September 03, 2012 0 Comments

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Labor-Day weekend! We celebrated my husband’s birthday over the weekend, and we also went out of town Sunday to my [paternal grandmother’s] annual family reunion.

Following are some highlights from our trip...

My great-uncle's home, where we had the reunion.

The muscadine vineyard.

My Dad and Daughter hunting/picking muscadines.

Some of the delicious muscadines.

Hibiscus.

The little pear tree.

Foxglove.

We also experienced some pretty bad storms Sunday afternoon throughout the ride home, and unfortunately when we arrived back home we found that our pecan tree had lost a rather large limb. :(