Growing Jane | Raising Jane

Raising a healthy Jane (or just being a healthy grown-up Jane) comes from good food and proper nutrition. Grab your aprons, I’m on kitchen duty with food to spare and recipes to share! When time allows, here’s where you’ll find one of my how-to-convert-to-an-organic-diet recipes.

Playing in the Snow!

Posted on February 12, 2014 by stellajane

We’ve been getting a lot of snow, and from the sounds of it, we aren’t the only ones. But my sister and I have been making the most of this winter weather!

We were out the door before the sun rose in the morning. A good time to get some sledding in before we were off to school.

Photo Jan 31, 6 30 56 AM

We can’t bring our sleds to school, but the slide will do just fine.

Photo Jan 29, 4 41 27 PM

And after school, perfect for a sledding playdate …

Photo Feb 05, 4 11 50 PM

Over the weekend, we enjoyed some daylight sledding with our baby dolls.

Photo Feb 01, 9 26 29 AM

And we even ventured to the ice-skating rink for the first time.

Photo Feb 01, 1 28 48 PM

It’s been an awesome week of winter. Hope you are enjoying yours.

Winnie Nielsen says:

February 12, 2014 at 4:33 am

Looks like fun, girls! Enjoy learning to ice skate too. I love those red cages to help you so you won’t fall while getting the hang of the skates!

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Megan says:

February 18, 2014 at 7:00 pm

Winnie, I think Daddy liked those little red cages too! It was his first time skating too. They are such a big help. 🙂

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A Girl’s Best Friend

Posted on February 4, 2014 by megan

I heard Mia call our pup into the living room, so I dried off my hands and peeked around the corner.

Photo Jan 16, 11 40 34 AM It puts a smile on my face to hear her “reading” nursery rhymes to her buddy. She knows most of them by heart and picture, and if not, her own version will do just fine for the pup.

Winnie Nielsen says:

February 4, 2014 at 4:46 am

This photo is just so sweet! Family pups are such loving friends to our children and always love to be summoned for special attention. Mia is adorable in her red and blue elf outfit for “reading time”!

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CJ Armstrong says:

February 4, 2014 at 12:11 pm

I love it! I’m a senior citizen and I read to my doggie, Bramble, and our kitty, Silky. They are just members of the family!
Sweet!
CJ

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What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

Posted on January 30, 2014 by stellajane

My kindergarten class spent an afternoon coloring our plans for the future. From firefighter, THE cashier, to football player… My classmates and I chose what we’d like to be when we grow up.

Photo Jan 28, 10 25 43 AM

And my mom and a classmate’s grandmother made our artwork into this beautiful quilt!

Photo Jan 22, 3 09 41 PM

Each class does an art project that gets auctioned off at our annual school fund-raising auction. The art projects are usually some of our highest bids and this one went for $1,600.00!

Winnie Nielsen says:

January 30, 2014 at 5:54 am

Stella Jane, your class quilt is fantastic. All of the pictures are so well done and colorful. NO wonder it sold at auction for $1600!! Congratulations on the success of your class project!

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Karlyne says:

January 30, 2014 at 10:29 am

Wowza!

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Terry Steinmetz says:

January 30, 2014 at 11:41 am

I love your class quilt, Stella! 🙂 You & your classmates must have been very excited about helping your school with the money.

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cheri says:

February 7, 2014 at 7:53 am

I adore this quilt! Both of my boys draw constantly this is the perfect way to showcase some of my favorite pieces from them through the years

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Cynthia says:

February 2, 2018 at 5:39 am

Fabulous quilt! Stella, I hope you grow up to be the quintessential YOU!

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Mustache Monday?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by megan

I pick up my Mia from pre-kindergarten just before lunch. This works out well, as we often sneak down to our local Moscow Food Co-op to pick up a little lunch and grab a few dinner groceries. Guess what happens sometimes on Mondays?

Photo Jan 14, 11 31 36 AM

It’s Mustache Monday! Their yummy little deli/bakery gets a little wild with the breadsticks on Mondays. Perfect for dipping into some of their scrumptious homemade soup.

Terry Steinmetz says:

January 27, 2014 at 4:52 am

So precious!

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Winnie Nielsen says:

January 27, 2014 at 5:07 am

How perfect is that for a soup dipper? Or, slice open the back of it and stuff with cheese and warm till melted for a sort of calzone?

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on January 21, 2014 by maryjane

farm_romance-3380

Winnie Nielsen says:

January 21, 2014 at 4:53 am

Ice crystal petals. Now that is amazing!!

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Sweetheart and Charlie

Posted on January 20, 2014 by maryjane

Mother and child. Or rather … sweet and sweeter.

Meet Lord Charles (properly), Studmuffin Charlie (daily), and his mother Sweetheart (properly), Loverly and Sweetie Pie and Dream Girl (daily).

Don’t you love they way they posed for you? Not at all camera shy these two.

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Laurie Dimno says:

January 20, 2014 at 4:54 am

They are both just too cute!!!!!! What a great shot. Thanks for sharing and warming my day.

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Winnie Nielsen says:

January 20, 2014 at 5:00 am

They are a photogenic pair! Such beautiful coloring with those beautiful big brown eyes. The petite features of the mini Jersey’s make them so much prettier and seemingly friendlier. Would you say they are more friendly that a standard size cow? I cannot wait to dive into all of the glorious details in your next book and hear all about the fun and challenge!

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CJ Armstrong says:

January 20, 2014 at 7:15 am

Just the right pose at just the right time for the photographer! Adorable!
CJ

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Eileen Stone says:

January 20, 2014 at 7:18 am

LOVE!

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LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

January 20, 2014 at 7:29 am

Looks like little Master Charlie knows how to get all the publicity shots, eh? This photo is just too cute for words! I can’t get enough of Charlie and company. Keep ’em coming MaryJane ! I believe any cow that is handled a lot lovingly and treated to extra attention will be even friendlier than their natural curious and loving dispositions.

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Debbie says:

January 21, 2014 at 3:59 pm

Just precious MJ! Great capture!!!
hugs,
Deb

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Naomi S. says:

January 20, 2017 at 12:43 pm

So sweet! I love cows! What breed are these brown and white ones? I know the black and white ones are Holsteins and the all-over brown ones are usually Brown Swiss, but I don’t know the name for these photogenic ones of yours.a

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Today’s Recipe: Preserving Herbs in Oil

Posted on January 17, 2014 by maryjane

I recently used up the last of the “herb cubes” in my freezer. Here’s the recipe again—an oldie but a goodie!

Preserving herbs in oil is a quick and easy process that adds convenience to cooking and reduces waste. Whether you buy herbs from the market or you grow your own, it always seems like there comes a time when you have more than you need. Rather than let them sit in your fridge with the best intentions of using them before they spoil, try preserving them.

First, gather your ingredients …

herbs_butter-9777

To properly preserve whole sprigs of hardy herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme for later use, place a sprig in the bottom of a small jar and cover with olive oil, butter, or a combination of both.

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Place in the freezer and remove when ready to use.

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For convenient portions of minced herbs, mince any extra and fill ice cube trays about ¾ of the way full with herbs. For our cubes, we used parsley rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil.

herbs_butter-1537 Continue reading →

Winnie Nielsen says:

April 12, 2013 at 9:13 am

Whoop, I love these recipes! I just planted my favorite herbs last week and was thinking about trying something new to preserve them. I love the idea of the frozen cubes. Perfect!

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P.J. Robertson says:

April 13, 2013 at 7:11 am

I am SO excited to learn how to do this! Such a great idea! Thanks again Mary Jane for your endless inspiration!

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Karlyne says:

April 13, 2013 at 4:24 pm

I have a garden full of sage, but it’s usually gone by Thanksgiving and Christmas when I need it most. So last fall, I popped softened butter, a few garlic cloves and lots of sage into the food processor where I proceeded to grind it all up. I spread it on a parchment lined cookie sheet and froze it. (It’s easy to just put in a ziplock and moosh it down until it’s about 1/4″ thick, too, and then freeze) Break off frozen pieces as needed! Not only was it great for my holiday stuffing, but it’s lovely on pasta!

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- LOLA COLLINS says:
  
  January 26, 2014 at 12:37 pm
  
  That works so well to breadk off what you need. I do that with pesto. The basil from our herb garden goes crazy, and we can’t keep up with it, so last summer I made lots and put it in zip lock bags, flattened the pesto. How easy is that to add broked pieces to pasta, etc?
  
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Vicki says:

January 17, 2014 at 9:00 am

Does this work for cilantro?

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- MaryJane says:
  
  January 17, 2014 at 12:14 pm
  
  Haven’t tried cilantro because it goes to seed so fast–we always eat all of it fresh. Let us know how it turns out.
  
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Sylvia Jacobus says:

January 17, 2014 at 9:02 am

I love these ideas. I grow a lot of herbs and have not been able to preserve them. This is great! Thanks.

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CAROL MAYO says:

January 17, 2014 at 11:24 am

i rec’d this from a friend and can’t wait to try it. i’d like to get your recipes regularly. thank you

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Roseanne says:

January 17, 2014 at 11:39 am

What great advice. No more wasted herbs in my fridge!

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Sharon says:

January 17, 2014 at 12:11 pm

I dried my abundant crop of parsley from last years garden. I keep it in mason jars on the kitchen counter to sprinkle on my salads and in meals I cook, plus it looks lovely in the jar. I love this herb! It has such a fresh flavor, even dried. I also recently learned how nutritious it is. I will try this frozen recipe this year, bet it is good in the butter. I let some of the parsley go to seed in the garden, sprinkle it on the soil in the fall and it makes new plants the next spring! How easy is that?

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Kathy says:

January 18, 2014 at 5:32 am

I really love this idea. Thanks so much passing it along again for those of us who somehow have missed it!

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Susan Laquintano says:

January 19, 2014 at 1:23 pm

Can’t wait to try these wonderful ways to save herbs. I have been dreaming about this and I am finally going to do it. Thank you all.

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Sandi O says:

January 20, 2014 at 2:21 pm

OMG, I love this idea! I have a little ice cube tray and have several fresh herbs I’ve been tying to winter over! I’ve almost killed my basil several times, now I don’t have to worry about it! Thanks MJ! xoxoxo

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on January 13, 2014 by maryjane

farm_romance-2601

Winnie Nielsen says:

January 13, 2014 at 4:36 am

I am guessing a feed mill?

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- MaryJane says:
  
  January 13, 2014 at 5:10 am
  
  Actually, grain (wheat) storage probably not for animals but human consumption. Quite a few farmers in our area construct these so they can hold onto their wheat while they watch the markets for a good time to sell it. The assemble pictured in today’s photo is a central hub where farmers take their wheat to sell it. From there it’s loaded onto trucks and eventually barges.
  
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Mary Jane Knight says:

January 13, 2014 at 6:08 am

We actually call it a “silo” here in Michigan. I grew up going to my Uncle Eddie’s farm and he had quite a few of them. He filled them full of field corn for his dairy cows. Love the picture. MJ

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Karlyne says:

January 13, 2014 at 6:46 am

Oh, that blue sky!

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on January 11, 2014 by maryjane

farm_romance-2552

LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

January 11, 2014 at 3:49 am

OOOOOOOH, I have greenhouse envy! This is the year I hope to put up a small hoop house/greenhouse for vegetable garden starts for my small organic seed business. It is a project that had to take a back burner when first moving to this farmette two years ago, but I hope to build it this season. The local Amish and Mennonite farms have taken to building ” hoop houses” in a big way to jump start the season and grow hot house veggies and especially berries.

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Winnie Nielsen says:

January 11, 2014 at 4:59 am

Is this the home of your morning salad with tea when you write to us?

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- MaryJane says:
  
  January 11, 2014 at 7:02 am
  
  It is!
  
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photo-of-the-day

Posted on January 7, 2014 by maryjane

farm_romance-2436

Winnie Nielsen says:

January 7, 2014 at 4:40 am

I am guessing here that this whisk was best for making whipped cream and fluffy egg whites? It seems a bit ingenious with those internal smaller loops for infusing more air if that is in fact what they are there for. Possibly from the Edwardian Era?

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- Mim Stewart says:
  
  January 7, 2014 at 10:36 am
  
  I thought it was a rug beater. My Mamaw had something similar. She would hang out all the braided rugs in the Spring and beat the Winter dust out of them.
  
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Barbara Gross says:

January 7, 2014 at 7:17 am

I recently began taking MJF and love the old pictures. I’ve got a few items that I’ve picked up over the last 68 years and would love to share my photos. Please let me know if this is the correct place.

I have an awesome picture of my chicken coop that I would love to share with you.

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