Are you familiar with Southwest Missouri? This particular review is exceptional because I am good friends with the Henslees. Steve and Holli Henslee live in the same area as I do. They own a small farm which is an excellent example for those who might want to begin homesteading.
According to Primal Survivor Missouri is number nine among the best states to have a homestead. As a Missouri native, I want to think that Missouri would be number one on the list. You will have to read their article to find out if you live in the number one state they shared.
While Holli does work a full-time professional position outside the home, she is very busy working with Steve in their garden. They live on a good amount of land for their little farm and the livestock they own is a small group of chickens. The chickens keep them supplied with plenty of fresh eggs. They love sharing their eggs with family and friends.
Holli does a lot of canning and preserving the produce her garden yields. I recently paid a visit to their little homestead and they blessed me with a box of goodies, canned goods Holli made, and some farm fresh eggs.
It was really good to get to spend some time with them visiting. The great thing about good friends is that no matter how long you are away when you get together, it feels like old times.
It is hard to miss the processed cookies in the photo of my haul from the Henslees. I am sure you will agree those cookies are pretty good but the most exciting part of this haul is that everything else is handmade. Steve has a wood lathe and made a small wooden baseball bat with it. He is a very talented guy and the main handyman there on the farm. Well, maybe I should say he is the only handyman. Steve mentioned that he would like to get a wood burner and burn some words on the little baseball bat to make it look more authentic.
The Henslees gave us two dozen chicken eggs. They were fresh from the chicken coop and the eggs were not washed. I prefer them that way myself. You may have heard of a thing called “bloom” when it comes to chicken eggs. Bloom is a protective coating on fresh farm eggs that helps to keep bacteria from getting through the shell to the inside of the egg. Fresh farm eggs can last for several weeks on the kitchen counter and do not need to be refrigerated. The funny thing is eggs don’t last that long in my house. I love them so much.
I also got twelve jars of canned goods from Steve and Holli. The biggest jar is a pie filling Holli called Zapple. It had a great cinnamon flavor and the most interesting thing about the filling is that it was made not with apples but with zucchini. If you have never tried zucchini pie filling, you will never think the same way again about the zucchini you might raise from your garden.
A Quick Tip About Raising Zucchini
When growing zucchini in your garden it is good to give them sun all day or at least most of the day. Zucchini loves the sun. Zucchini should also have plenty of water. They are thirsty vegetables and the soil should stay very moist. Now, speaking of the soil, it is best if the soil you are using is high in good compost. Zucchini will thrive when fed the right food.
The other canned items include jelly, syrup, and even salsa. Here is the whole list…
- Zapple Pie Filling
- Watermelon Rind Pickles
- Peach Butter (similar to apple butter)
- Red Bud Jelly
- Blueberry Jalapeno Jelly
- Candy Apply Jelly
- Apple Syrup
- Dandelion Jelly
- Green Tomato Relish
- Cowboy Candy (hot pepper relish)
- Squash Relish
- Hot Salsa