Whiteley Creek Homestead

LIFE AT THE END OF A DIRT ROAD IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA

organically grown triticale in our field
canoeing in our wetlands
raspberries growing wild on our property
our back porch fieldstone fireplace

about

  • fort and field shop

    When they were young, each of my three daughters played for hours creating handmade products that they displayed and "sold" to each other in their elaborate stores set up in our basement. My youngest daughter, Jessie, has recreated an adult version of her childhood "store". She has a real-life venue to sell her products in her fort and field etsy shop and fort and field web site. She also maintains a blog. Her sister, Lisa, who is a graphic designer, helped her create her "brand" by designing her logo and business cards and has mentored her in the art of packaging.

    Straw toppers 
    Now, her sister Heather, who is a children's book illustrator, has come on board by designing a line of toppers for Jessie's striped straws that she sells in her etsy and online shop. These photo collages show a teeny tiny sampling of what she offers.

    Halloween items jess's shop 
    Jenny, over at Hank + Hunt (abbreviated to represent her sons Henry and Hunter), recently stumbled upon Jessie's shop and in her words "me plus fort & field = kid in a candy shop." Jenny interviewed Jessie asking her questions such as why she started a shop, where she gets her inspiration, etc. It's a must read! My three daughters make their momma proud… for use of their God-given talents, their ingenuity, and perseverence… yes, but their support of each other most of all.

  • fall raspberries

    What an amazing autumn day! The morning started out crisp with temp in the 40s, but quickly warmed to the high 60s. I chose to spend a portion of the day picking raspberries at Brambling Rows Berry Farm south of Brainerd (Minnesota) on St. Mathias Road. Perfect serenity… just the bees buzzzzing.  

    Raspberries on bush 
    The owners provide pickers with an ice cream bucket to hold a quart container and a hook to attach the bucket's handle to a belt loop to free up both hands for more efficient picking. I wasn't concerned with efficiency and increased speed, though. I was there to lollygag in the warm sunshine and then enjoy the fruits of my labor upon my return home.

    Raspberries in bucket 

  • with new eyes

    Yesterday, when I was foraging for edible mushrooms on our property, I discovered many beautiful inedible varieties. They were always there… I had just never seen them.

    Mushroom1 
    Mushroom2 
    Mushroom3 
    Mushroom4 
    Mushroom5 
    Mushroom6
     

  • bolete mushrooms

    I continue to learn… and the teachers come to me. In the light drizzle and brisk wind yesterday morning, a couple who stayed at my bed and breakfast pointed out edible mushrooms called boletes (aka boletus and cepes) growing in my woods, so this afternoon I went foraging.

    Boletes cap 
    The cap was recognizable, but David and Ellen had instructed me to look for a spongy, pore-filled underside …

    Boletes spongy underside 
    as opposed to having "bladelike gills" like many other, sometimes similar-looking, mushrooms.

    Mushroom gills 
    When preparing them for cooking, the tough stems are removed and, in all but the youngest boletes, the spongy layer is peeled away. If the cap is slimy, the slime layer is peeled off because it sometimes causes diarrhea.

    Spongy layer removed 

    According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, when and where a mushroom grows is important in identification. Boletes are found in the summer and fall on the ground near or under trees, frequently under pines. Most look like a hamburger bun with a thick stalk… nice visual, the caps are usually brownish or reddish-brown, the pores (spongy, underside layer) may be whitish, yellow, orange, red, olive, or brownish, and they grow up to 10" tall with caps 1" to 10" wide. Boletes are considered safe for beginning mushroom collectors, but a few are poisonous. Don't eat any boletes that have orange or red pores (cap's spongy underside layer) as they are poisonous. I had intended to saute some boletes to add to my scrambled eggs for supper tonight. Dick was not going to partake. His cautiousness caused me to grow nervous at the last minute. Based upon what I learned from David and Ellen and the Missouri DOC site, I'm confident that I harvested the correct mushrooms, yet… 

       

  • key kozy

    Jenn, who is my inspiration to learn how to knit, unknowingly took her cabin key with her after her stay at our bed and breakfast. She could have quickly tucked the key into an envelope and sent it on its way back to me, but not Jenn. Look at how she returned the key.

    Key kozy 
    During her stay, she had shared how her boyfriend, Kevin, had surprised her with some special, difficult-to-get-your-hands-on Wollmeise Yarn. She made this key kozy from that yarn so I could see the yarn firsthand… and so creatively returned my key. 

  • first day of school

    The school buses are on the move again…

    Back to school dispatch photo
    This photo was taken by Dispatch photograper Kelly Humphrey last year at the start of the school year and appeared in the newspaper on September 9, 2009. I love how the children have a look reminiscent of the animation in the movie Polar Express.

  • harvesting grain

    One year ago today, this photo, taken by Brainerd Dispatch photograper Kelly Humphrey, appeared on the front page of our local paper. I saved it because it looks like the sky was painted with watercolors. 

    Hay baling 

    Grain in our own field, cut and raked into rows, dries in the early September sunshine. A cover crop of clover interplanted with the oats and barley will be plowed in to improve soil fertility.

    Grain freshly cut 

  • Paul Bunyanland

    The Paul Bunyan Amusement Park in Brainerd (Minnesota), that I knew as a child, was moved to "Paul Bunyanland's" new location 6 miles east on Highway 18. Despite a sadness that is rooted in nostalgia… stemming from my wanting things to remain the same as they always were, the present owners have done an amazing job of recreating their own version. We spent the day there with our daughter Lisa and her two kids visiting from New Jersey.

    Pbland airplane ridecropped

    With one in mid-air (foreground) and the other just beginning her ascent (far left), they pilot vintage-inspired airplanes. 

    Pbland griddle skaters closeup 

    With slabs of bacon attached to their feet, skaters circled round and round greasing Paul Bunyan's giant griddle. 

    Pbland clown topper 

    The garbage can lids were cute as ever… 

    Pbland strollers 

    When little legs grew weary, retro strollers lined up in a row were ready and waiting. I imagine they came from the original Paul Bunyan Amusement Park. 

  • apple pickin’ time

    My friend Connie gave me some apples from her orchard. What perfect timing! Today the daytime and evening temps felt like autumn, so I made orchard granola crisp.

    Apple tree connie

  • banana smoothie

    Flipping through two of my 93 year-old mother's recipes-to-try file boxes, I pulled out an index card with just three ingredients… milk, banana, and honey (or molasses). What a treat! This smoothie holds its own up against any favorite milkshake you've ever had!  

    Banana smoothie

    Here's my mom's handwritten recipe.

    Banana smoothie recipe 
    I used Farmers' Creamery non-homgenized, low-temperature pasteurized 2% milk from grass-fed cows not treated with hormones. I used a frozen vs fresh banana because it provides thickness and an ice cream flavor. Note: For another treat, if you have a juicer (e.g., a Champion juicer) with a "blank" insert, you can enjoy soft-serve ice cream by sending a frozen banana through the hopper. That's it… just a banana. It's so very good!