Road to Self-Sufficiency........

Honey and I have worked hard to become more self-sufficient all the time. It may not be "cool". It may not be "hip". And Lord knows, my mother refuses to "get it". After all, why preserve home-grown produce when there is a grocery store down the road???? Let's not even talk about "growing" the produce!

But that's not who I am, so I will continue on my little quest of being able to take care of myself.

Honey is good with a hammer and a screwdriver. He can fix almost anything built before the time of the micro-chip. After that, it gets pretty tough .............. Fortunately, we don't have lot of things with "micro-chips". And if my washer goes out again -- there is always the Voss wringer and the clothesline!

Me -- I am very domestic person. I sew. I knit. I spin. I can and freeze and make jelly. I love my girls that lay the pretty eggs and I marvel in the absolute beauty of heirloom tomatoes. I drool over seed catalogs like a buyer for Macy's drools over the spring fashion show in Paris. Just too much to buy!!!!

After Honey's heart episode (he calls it a little "episode". His cardiologist doesn't agree with that!) I started baking all of our bread. I can lower the sodium content since I am not adding preservatives so it can live in the bread box for a week. Of course, fresh homemade bread doesn't have a chance in this house. Its lucky to see nightfall!!!!

But my real step to self-sufficiency has got to be cheese-making. I need to conquer cheese-making. Some people want to lose 40 pounds, save money, get fit, remember important dates. My New Year's resolution --- homemade mozzarella --- made in my kitchen -- by me.

I have attempted to make mozzarella before. The result was a paste-y, grayish ball resembling a large ball of Elmer's glue. And it tasted about as good. Hmmmmm?

So I live in envy of you that blog about your cheese-making experiences. I google for tips and recipes. I lust over cultures and beautiful silky curds. And I hope ---- one day ---- the Cheese Gods will look down on me with pity and send me the perfect recipe, thermometer and technique.

When they do -- I hope its for gorgonzola!