Patti Johnson-Long - The FarmMade Essential Skills Book: Handmade Projects from Americas Farmers

Copyright 2022 by Patti Johnson-Long

Photography 2022 by Patti Johnson-Long unless otherwise stated

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by David Ter-Avanesyan

Cover photos by Jessica Watson, Kayla Bradley, Kept Studios, Lauren Slingluff, Mark and Shallon Payne, Heather Baker, Black Face Media Company, and Ashley Gunson

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-6999-1

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-7000-3

Printed in China

In dedication to my late Mother and her twin sister, Aunt Marie, who joyfully laughed their way through sisterhood and crafted love with innate skill wherever they went. Growing up on a farm, your special bond was lit by fireflies at night and dancing butterflies by day. You have inspired my every move. Thank you for loving me.

Contents

Who Is FarmMade?

Everyone is FarmMade! We all come from the farm; from the food that we eat, to the clothes that we wear, to the family traditions that we call our own. Each one of us is nourished by its bounty, and in many ways, live by its seasonal rhythms.

Although the farm comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes these days, from sprawling cattle ranches in Montana, to urban rooftop farms in New York City, and small rural homesteads, it evokes the same nostalgia that unites everyone to its plight. One that is essential to our human survival.

We are nostalgic for the farm like never before. Weve heard our parents and grandparents reminisce about growing up on a farm and wonder what it would be like to milk a cow, collect eggs from a henhouse, or grow a beautiful garden for our families. Not too long ago, we were an agrarian society. We prided ourselves on turning milk into farm butter and cheese, farm-fresh eggs into baked custards, fresh picked cucumbers and cabbage into pickles and kraut, and sheared wool into cozy hats and throws for winter. Handwork skills, such as sewing a quilt, crocheting a washcloth, or embroidering a pillowcase were handed down. Candle making, wine making, beer crafting, soap making, blacksmithing, basket weaving, and repurposing were all learned, time-honored traditional skills that contributed to a small farms micro-economy and long-term success.

Ask a farmer where they learned how to grow, raise, bake, brew, or make something and they will most likely answer another farmer. Farm knowledge is cultural and regionally specific and takes place in farm fields, barns, and kitchens around the world. Food, skill, and craft traditions have been passed down from one generation to the next in hopes of preserving the farm. The farmer learns to create many things, typically from raw materials the farm provides them, or from buying, bartering, or trading with other farmers. Value-added goods are brought to market every day via farmers' markets, farm stands, and even the Internet.

These traditions are still alive and thriving, placing the farm as the beating heart of every culture around the world. Through their strong covenant with the land and each other, farmers are able to preserve family traditions that connect us to their ancient way of life. Their independent nature breeds care and pride. These principles are infused into everything a farmer does; in this vein, superior products are made.

FarmMade aims to preserve and celebrate these skills and family farm traditions through sharing cultural recipes, farm stories, and handmade crafts that date back hundreds if not thousands of years. Everything we do at FarmMade is with deep reverence and love for farmers and all things farm. We invite you to join us on our journey of purposeful living, by farm hopping from region to region, farmer to farmer, in search of a wholesomeness that can only be found on a farm.

This book is about all farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders, all families, and the ever-important job of preserving our agrarian heritage and traditions, so let us collect eggs together, put up the harvest, and gather to celebrate all things farm.

Northwest Region

Photo Credit: Salina Long

Fresh Egg Preservation (Water Glassing)

Blessed with a decent-sized flock of heritage chickens, we at FarmMade delight daily in the diverse color of farm eggs. Collecting more eggs than our family could eat on most days had us brainstorming how we could best preserve this gift from our flock. Why go through the winter months, the most magical baking season of all, without the special addition of farm fresh eggs? Both freezing and dehydrating are effective methods for egg preservation, but nothing compares to the taste and texture retained through water glassing. Submerging fresh eggs in a solution of pickling lime and water extends their shelf-life for up to a yearsometimes two! This is achieved through pickling limes ability to seal the eggs shell, protecting the egg from bacteria that causes spoilage. Since the early 1800s, homesteaders have used this traditional method of egg preservation to keep eggs on the table and feed their families. Water glassing eggs takes us back to a time of slower living and seasonal preparation. Follow us on Instagram @farmmadeusa and visit www.farmmade.com for all things farm!

Yield: 4880 eggs

Ingredients

4880 unwashed farm fresh eggs

3 ounces pickling lime

3 quarts distilled water

Equipment

3-gallon container with lid such as a glass jar, food-grade bucket, or ceramic crock

Scale

Large mixing bowl

Whisk

Instructions

Sterilize your container, mixing bowl, and whisk.

Carefully place enough eggs, one at a time, to create a base layer in the bottom of your container. After enough eggs have been added you should be able to reposition each egg pointy side down. Arranging the eggs in this way allows for the air pocket to remain at the top, preventing spoilage. This base layer will provide support for balancing additional layers.

Using a scale, weigh the pickling lime and add it to the distilled water in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix the pickling lime and distilled water until both are dissolved into a milky solution.