Should you Switch to Cast Iron Cookware Lodge Consumer Review

Isnt cast iron hard to clean? Wont it rust? Doesnt everything stick to the pans when you cook? Why should I spend more money on cast iron when I can get these awesome non-stick pans for so cheap? These are some of the questions that rolled around in my head when I first started thinking about cast iron. I hope to shed some light on these questions as well as share my experience with the Lodge brand of cast iron in this discussion.

My wife and I like to take a day or two a month and have some TV learning time. Outside of researching things online, in eBooks, and in print sitting down with a cup of coffee and a good documentary is our favorite source of inspiration. If you are going to sit in front of a TV why not learn something, right? The more and more we watching the most recent documentaries about plastic the more we knew we needed to make a household change. The SSLFamilyMom has already done a couple of articles on plastic so I wont be a broken record but the bottom line is that we purged our home of all the plastic we could find. This purge presented several challenges with one being what do we cook with? Having almost all plastic utensils as to not scrap or damage our gentle non-stick pots and pans we needed to think about a better option. Welcome to the Cast Iron world....

We started researching cast iron months before the plastic purge and had some ideas of what we needed in mind. After some careful reviews and research we decided to go with a package to start from a company called Lodge. This set came with one griddle, two different sized frying pans, and a Dutch oven. I also ordered a separate bread loaf pan later on. These five items have suited our needs thus far as we start on our non-stick free, plastic free, and kitchen junkware free life.

The pans we have came pre-seasoned (process of allowing the iron to soak in oils) from the factory so not much was needed to get started. They are beautiful deep black and just looking at them makes you want to fry up some bacon and eggs for a farm style breakfast. The Dutch oven is perfect for soup, stew, broth, whole chickens, or breads and will also serve as a great camping items as well. The griddle is excellent for making homemade tortillas, frying eggs, pancakes, etc. The two sized frying pans are our go to for most of our cooking from eggs, bacon, ground beef, whole meals, and anything else you can fit in a frying pan.

The surface is not perfectly non-stick like the cheap Teflon coated pans however it is not hard to cook on at all and with the aid of a real stainless steel spatula you will have no trouble cooking with ease. The longer and better you season the iron the better the finish becomes. They will not rust if properly cared for and even if you let them sit out in the rain you can clean them up with steel wool and re-season them back to new. These pans are indestructible, run them over, leave them out, drop them, scrap them, burn them, bash them, and do whatever you want and they will not break. These are the things that will last a lifetime and provide years and years of cooking for you, your children, and probably your grandchildren. So why buy plastic, Teflon, and non-stick garbage?

Below are some of the items that we have and have found to be of high quality and American made

The fiver piece set - http://amzn.to/1N7mEvY
Dutch Oven - http://amzn.to/1CKD0cN
Griddle - http://amzn.to/1CKD10C
Lodge scrub brush - http://amzn.to/1IldX0m
10" frying pan - http://amzn.to/1Ile24a
5" Frying pan - http://amzn.to/1LP1U0E








All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store



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Why You Should and Can Start an Orchard Today!

Want to produce some of your own fruit? Landscaping projects coming up? Check out this video to see how we have been able to get the absolute best prices on fruit and other trees for our small homestead.

One of the most satisfying things that we do around our little piece of the world is planting trees, gardens, and just about anything that grows. But, as most of you already know, this can get to be an expensive habit! Trees take time to grow and so do garden vegetables so many times it is tempting to run out and get bigger trees and plants that already have a growing head start. While there is nothing wrong with this approach it can take a bit more of an initial investment which means it take you longer to recoup your money from your home grown food. So what is the answer?

When we first moved into this home we discovered that spring and fall time sales are one of the best places to get discounted trees. Normally at the far end of the growing season and at the very early beginning. Our local big box stores generally start 20% off sales in early April and late October. If you keep checking and time it just right you can get what they have left for 50% or more off. While this leaves less of a selection if you just get a couple each year you can grow your orchards bit by bit over time and end up with all of the varieties that you need.

One of the more recent discoveries we made for cheap trees was our local conservation offices. Here in Michigan each county has a local conservation district office which is responsible for conservation activities in a local area. One of the programs that they have is an outreach to encourage planting trees which also serves as a fund raiser for the program. Each year in January-March you can go online and fill out a form to purchase all kinds of different trees, bushes, flowers, and other types of horticultural surprises. Each district will have different prices and different products so check around your local communities for what you need and the best price. The fruit trees we purchased were about 4-5 tall and cost $19 each. We also purchased 5 Norway spruce for $5 each. These were about 18" tall and all trees came bare root and ready to plant. Comparable to regular prices at the big box stores this was about 50% off.

Another fun and free way we have tried to get our orchards started was simply by planting seeds. We have saved some apple seed from locally grown apples and planted them indoors during Winter. By the time spring comes around you have a 12" or larger tree ready to plant. While this does take longer to get your orchard started this way it doesnt cost you a thing. Think back 5 years, what if you started the? You would already be harvesting fruit each year and the longer they are in your backyard the better it gets, year over year!

Growing your own food, especially fruiting trees, is one of the most satisfying things we have found. We love to plant and tend to the trees together as a family and love the delicious fruit we get each year. I hope this has given you some ideas or inspiration to get out and start planting some trees! The best time to plant a tree might have been last year but the next best time is right now!

Michigan Conservation offices - http://macd.org/local-districts.html

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Music - "Water in the Creek" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/WaterintheCreek

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