EASY Weeknight Dinners We Are Loving!

[@trapped7534]

Thank you so much. As I have told you before,I am an old woman whose great grands were born in the 1880’s 1890’s. I know lots about the “old ways”, BUT,I either “missed” the medicinal aspect,or just wasn’t interested…. So,nettle and other wonderful things are new to me. I have a backyard full of nettle that I will start harvesting on Monday.😊. I need to learn lots about herbs and their uses. I bought a few books over the winter to assist me. Watching your videos is such a peaceful experience. God Bless you and yours💖

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

The most helpful book for me getting started was Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs, A Beginner's Guide. I still reference it often! Thanks so much for being here and watching!

[@beverly3397]

I still enjoy watching your son that just chows down with a smile.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Meal time is a favorite around here! ☺️

[@delnacarruthers9335]

Thank you for sharing your tip on covering your casserole with a sheet pan!!! Love that idea!❤ I try to avoid cooking everything with foil as well. Have a lovely day!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! Thanks for watching!

[@CH-zy5ot]

I freeze my pesto in ice cube trays and then pop them out and freeze in a ziplock bag. Since I'm cooking for one I can just one or two cubes for my pasta or on a sandwich. I also grate ginger and freeze in tsp/tbsp. quantities so I can grab and drop into a recipe, makes prep so much faster. Thanks for all the ideas.

[@roadtriplover.]

Freezing in ice trays is a great idea! I appreciate your tip.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

This is a great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@roadtriplover.]

I’m unable to eat nuts, but seeds are ok. I’ve found that pesto made with roasted sunflower seeds is really good with just about any green. I’m very curious about nettle, but I don’t know where to find it in my area where I’d trust it enough to ingest it. Instead, I use greens from my garden. I generally have a variety of greens, so there are different pesto varieties to make. In winter, I let my collards continue to grow and I collect baby leaves in those colder months for my pesto. I’ve started following your lead, @From Scratch Homestead, by cooking a whole chicken on weekends. This is saving me so much money, as I can get numerous meals from it. I can’t believe I never thought to do this before. And having the gelatin-laden broth has been great for soups, teas, etc.

[@ka6148]

Seeds can be found online It is veeeery prolific

[@lindasummer2343]

Also, try braising other meats for variety.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I love how versatile pesto is with just about any greens! Thanks for sharing! So glad that cooking a whole chicken has been a good addition to your routine.

[@marilynrainville]

Thank you. Will definitely be trying the spaghetti squash casserole and carrot mash!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Wonderful. I hope you enjoy them! Thanks for watching!

[@chantal3172]

Thank you so much for sharing with us. I love watching all your videos. I've missed them lately. So many good idea for meals.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! Thanks so much for being here and the sweet, encouraging words!

[@annayang1667]

Really love this food video! I'm definitely going to try the spaghetti squash casserole. I also don't like spaghetti squash but this may change my mind! Thank you for sharing your family with us ❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad you enjoyed this one and I hope you love that recipe! Thank you for watching!

[@welshrarebit1153]

Omg that little calf is the cutest

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

She's super sweet!

[@carolwhisenhunt7504]

I get so e cited when I see a new video post from you. I really enjoyed this. The little calf is so cute.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Aw! Thank you!! We love having her running around - so fun!

[@susiet2150]

I think of you guys often when I watch Escape to the Country which is a UK produced program about folks leaving big cities in search of a home in a rural setting. Many times I’ll see an AGA Cooker in the kitchen of an old farmhouse (or a stately manor house), and the escapees will ooo and ahh about it. I’m so impressed that y’all were able to score one and design your kitchen around it!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Aw! That sounds like a fun show. I'm still amazed we have ours too! Such a blessing!

[@ayakaaaaaa]

Glad to see a food video, love this style!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!!

[@laurieshatney9279]

Awesome video. You reminded me that I have to seek out my nettles because I am getting very low. Here in Vermont, things are just getting started. Love how laid back your videos are. Keep it up and God Bless.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you so much!! Enjoy nettle season! :)

[@villagesteader3552]

Pesto, provolone, chicken and fresh bread, grilled, is our sandwich of choice! I love foraging! ♥️👍

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It's my favorite type of gardening! Yummm - my favorite too! :)

[@marjoryvick1179]

#### I have found that if I put my pan on medium heat and wait until it starts smoking to add plenty of fat and then wait a minute or so until the fat gets hot, then my food ( scrambled eggs for example) will not stick. Meat I set into the oil and then moved it a little bit until it browns just a bit and then leave it, the meat won't stick either. Cleaning is also soooooo easy. Just wipe out esp after taking the scrambled eggs out. So easy.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! Great tips. Thanks for sharing!

[@DollyJohanne]

Thank you for sharing and have a good week 😊 Love and blessings from Johanne, Norway 🇳🇴

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! You as well!!

[@sergeb957]

very good nutritional meals

[@julialucas6626]

I found your channel in recent weeks. I am really enjoying your content. Thank you for all that you share 💖

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for sharing that with us and watching!

[@julialucas6626]

You’re most welcome. Have a lovely day with your family 🥰

[@e.k9358]

I am already buzzing with ideas after watching your video. Your lifestyle and attitudes are so inspiring. I am looking for a property with sufficient land in a countryside . At the moment i only have smallish veg.garden and two chickens. Your videos and ideas are such a boost to my confidence , the fact that it is realistic and achievable. To whatever level of selfsufficiency you want to aim for. I am very willing to learn and to adapt the life of our family in a similar way. Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us.🙏

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

This makes my heart so happy. Thanks for sharing. This is why we do this and get so excited learning about others going for it too!

[@batbseverino6015]

Great video. Thank you for sharing.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!

[@jvgl2024]

I love pesto with carrot tops, a lot of people throw them out but they are delicious

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes!!! Such a great way to use carrot tops. Thanks for sharing.

[@lorimcmichael5846]

Great recipes! Did not know you could freeze pesto! Added that to the to do list! Alas, would not know where to get nettles where I live, probably right outside door I know!! Just not confident enough to identify them! I started basil in my sunroom back in January and I have a great big bush of basil- pesto it is!

[@trapped7534]

lol…. I read your reply and had the smile. Nettle, amazingly, usually grows around blackberries and raspberries for some reason, and that’s why I smiled because I didn’t have a clue what nettle looked like, and I had blackberries that I had planted in my yard,there’s a huge weed that had popped up out of nowhere and I reached down and went to pull it and I thought I had grabbed fire. You’ll know if you reach down and just kind of pinch the leaves on nettle it will set you on fire is like 1000 little needles just hit your hand. if you see something that looks like it just kind of pull on one of the leaves and see what happens lol Cooking it stops its ugly stuff and I “think” the young fresh leaves are ok…

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!! That's awesome about your basil. Basil is what we make the bulk of our pesto out of - it's so good!! Nettle (aka stinging nettle) is commonly found because of the way it stings you when you touch it. But, we still love it! Thanks for watching!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Bingo!! This is how to identify it :). I don't find the stinging to be that bad but it can be surprising if you aren't expecting it!

[@susie6315]

Wish you had a cookbook 💗 Tried the mashed carrots it's delicious 😋 Don't have a homestead but got a big bag of organic carrots at Sam's Club. 💗

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yay! So glad you liked the carrots! One of my favorites. We are hoping one day we will :). Thanks for watching!

[@simoneclarke5104]

Thank you so much for the meal inspiration, it’s greatly appreciated 🥰!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! Thanks for watching!

[@donnatarasawa1715]

Pumpkin seeds are another great thing to make pesto with :)

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Good idea!!

[@letscookfamilystyle]

Hi! Your family is so sweet! So I'm in the process of getting toxic cookware out of my house. Would you be willing to do a video about what you use and what I shouldn't be using? I am learning a lot from you! Thank you for sharing your knowledge ❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you and thanks for the video suggestion! A real quick response - we got rid of all of our non-stick cookware. Now we mainly use cast iron or enamaled cast iron. All the best! :)

[@letscookfamilystyle]

Thank you! :)

[@graysgram]

For some reason, I thought I needed a recipe for pesto. Silly me. Thanks for helping me in my quest to need fewer recipes.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! Yes, pesto is definitely very flexible. Thanks for watching!

[@kcconaty5270]

All looks delicious 😊👍

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@carriecreates1207]

Wonderful video!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you! 😊

[@playcolumbus2413]

We just finished off the last of our carrots too!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That's awesome - so rewarding!

[@suzanamiljenovic8525]

You can make a homemade nettle syrup. - 60 top leaves of nettle (exactly like you picked them) - 6 lemons - 6 l of water - 6 kg brown sugar (or any other) - 50g of citric acid. Wash the nettle. Slice the lemons thinly, and put lemons and nettle in a bucket or a big bowl and add the water. Let it rest like that for 24h. After 24h, strain it, and into the water add sugar and citric acid. Mix until the sugar disolves. Pour the syrup into clean bottles and freeze solid. It tastes almost like mint. ❤

[@silviamagda]

6kg of sugar? 😮😮😮

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing! What do you use the syrup in then?

[@firstlast-js5yw]

Spag squash with eggs, genius!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Game changer!!

[@JenniferGee-t4k]

I'm sure you have answered my questions many times, but I am new to your channel as of today! What stovetop and oven do you have? The oven is brilliant so that you can have separate things cooking at different temps and only one at a time if necessary. The stove top is so cool to have a base with a universal lid that can retain heat on the burner.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It's an AGA! 😍 We found it used of fb marketplace, find of a lifetime! We do have a few other videos that are more dedicated to talking about it.

[@crystalallen4031]

I have one last spaghetti squash….making this tonight!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I hope you love it!!

[@paulawallace6688]

I wonder if the speg. squash casserole would be a good freezer meal. I have the same issue with speg squash. I want to like it. I have been meaning to use a pan over my casseroles but keep forgetting.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You could freeze it but I don't think it freezes as well as some other casseroles. It changes the texture a bit in my opinion. Thanks for watching!!

[@janellewillett6684]

These dishes look great! Also, that's a cute dress in the spaghetti squash casserole part of the video. Where did you get it?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you! I got it for my birthday last year from an Etsy shop called Simply Darling Shop Co. I'd highly recommend. :)

[@debimorsette1685]

I laughed when you said “extra bacon”. We’ve never had extra bacon. What ever is thaw and cooked always gets scarfed down. 😋😋

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Ha! I have to portion it out or else it would get scarfed down too!! Thanks for watching!

[@peacemama4957]

Extra bacon? What is this strange new concept? 😂😂

[@firstlast-js5yw]

What brand is your headband? It’s so lovely❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you! They are from Natural Life: www.naturallife.com/collections/boho-bandeaus

[@Cfouc444]

Good show☺️ how do you pick those without hurting yourself? And do you leave the calf with the mom all the time? I wanted to leave the calf with the mom and have some milk . I was wondering if it's possible.

[@jenfa582]

It is possible! 🫶🏻

[@Cfouc444]

@@jenfa582 do you have a video yet on it? Thank you, I love your video

[@jenfa582]

@@Cfouc444 No sorry, I don't have a video of that. But friends of the family do it that way since many years 😊

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!! I'm not sure what it is but nettle doesn't bother me. I get stung but it never seems that bad. You could always wear gloves. For the calf...right now we are leaving the calf with Mama all the time because she's only nursing on 2 of her 4 teats. We are still getting plenty of milk by milking out the 2 that she's not getting to. As the calf gets bigger and starts nursing off of all 4 quarters, we will separate them at night and milk first thing in the morning and then put them back together all day. We let the calf self-wean when she's ready. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!

[@hilltophomestead7262]

I'm curious as to why you can handle nettles with bare hands? Our nettles are so nasty that no matter what part of the plant you touch - even with gloves (!) you get stung. We tried gathering just the tenderest new young nettles and dried them, but couldn't bring ourselves to make tea as they STILL stung, even after drying!! Are there different kinds of nettles, I wonder?

[@jenfa582]

I have the same problem! 😅

[@silviamagda]

Crush them up when making tea. Let it steep and then discard them and drink the tea.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It's a good question! We've lived in both Wisconsin and Illinois and the nettles were the same. They stung but I never found it to be that bad. I'm honestly not sure if there are different varieties that would impact the sting or maybe just different people are more sensitive? Thanks for watching!

[@Jana_PalmTree]

I can’t handle them either. 🤔 about picking with tongs and scissors, rinsing with tongs and tossing in blender. So nutritious but not worth being stung! They grow in the wild lot across the street from me.

[@silviamagda]

@@Jana_PalmTree the sting from the nettles is beneficial for the body.

[@seasidehomestead4064]

Do you have to blanch stinging nettle first before making pesto?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We just threw it in raw!

[@seasidehomestead4064]

How do you pick nettle with bare hands? Doesn’t it sting?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It does sting but really doesn't bother me. I'm not sure if some are more sensitive to the sting than others but I don't mind harvesting them at all. Thanks for watching!

[@Shanngella]

And she's harvesting the nettle without gloves 😵‍💫. I pulled out ONE baby nettle plant from my garden and my hand was numb for a week! No way, i'm gonna eat that stuff!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Aw! I think I must not be super sensitive to it. The sting actually has a lot of medicinal benefits as well :) Thanks for watching!

[@renanafriedman]

is there a reason to pick only the nettle tops as you show in the video or you basically can pick whatever leaves you want from it? great video as always!

[@silviamagda]

The nettle tops are the most nutritious i think. I pick those too.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

If I'm making pesto, I'll snip the stems but if I'm using for cooking like spinach or drying out, I like to just pick the leaves. Thanks for watching!

[@lauraritchie2088]

Have you canned the rhubarb bbq sauce?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I don't normally but you absolutely could!

[@dhawk766]

Once a month sourdough? I’d love to hear about that? Have you ventured into gluten-free sourdough? I looked through your recipe playlist but I couldn’t find anything about the once a month sourdough baking. Do you have a link? Thank you so much. I am liking your channel 😊

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Here's the link to our video all about our once-a-month sourdough routine! Thanks for asking. I'll include it in the description to the video as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5aaamZ5oZuZqdU We did do gluten-free sourdough for a while with brown rice flour. It worked well for flat things (flat breads, pizza crust) but I could never get it to work well for breads and things that needed more rise. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!!

[@dhawk766]

@@FromScratchFarmstead Thank you so much for your response. I’ll check out the link. We have been using sorghum and millet and teff in addition to the rice with marginal success but I miss organic white wheat and kamut and rye and barley. Oh well. Maybe someday we can get our guts all healed and have sourdough einkorn. 🙂

[@shayleeann7481]

I was literally about to type a message asking about getting things not to stick with cast iron and then you talked about it. I purchased cast iron last year but evvvvverythinnnng i make sticks and so i still avoid it. What fat do you cook in?

[@roadtriplover.]

One of the best things you can do in your cast iron is to cook bacon and/or sausage. Making sure your iron is the right temp is super important to ensure things don’t stick, and I’ve found that weather can impact what determines the right temp. Keep trying and don’t give up. I’m tellin ya, food cooked in cast iron is so much tastier than food cooked in stainless, etc. I don’t know what it is, but it’s magic!

[@shayleeann7481]

@@roadtriplover. Thank-you! This is also very interesting to me as we are a predominantly vegetarian household so it had been eggs and vege sausages (since learnt how terrible these are) sticking in there. Maybe i'll have to have some friends over and cook up some bacon! lol.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We normally cook in lard but I read your other comment about being vegetarian...so that's not going to be a good fit! You could also do coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil. Thanks for watching!

[@susie6315]

Love it!! Do you live in the U.S.?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We do!

[@susie6315]

@@FromScratchFarmstead Okay that explains it. I live in the US as well and our food has so much garbage in it. We don't have property so I'm kind of stuck with what we have. We do eat a lot of vegetables and fruits but I could only dream of having a little homestead like you plus I'm middle aged so this is where I'm at unfortunately. You are doing great! Love your videos and simple way of living, it truly is the best. What a blessing. 💕

[@punjabseth260]

👌👍

[@juststoppingby390]

Have you ever tried a little cumin in carrot mash yummmm

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

No, but that sounds delicious! We'll try it next time!

[@chiarabaroncelli4520]

Ciao,sei bravissima,io sono italiana e quelli non sono spaghetti 😂

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! Spaghetti squash is very different than spaghetti :)

[@JMK_Fam]

Is there an oven video???

[@rsplatt100]

Yes

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! This is a couple of year's old but is specifically about our AGA. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKGqkIque8yMb7M

[@ambermik2940]

I don't like how my basil turns brown in the freezer......It messes with you to eat it lol

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Ha! I hear ya! It turns so quickly too. A little bit of lemon juice will help it keep that vibrant green!

[@dawninthemountains]

We are not fans of aluminum foil, either.

[@JMK_Fam]

Is there an oven video???