IN THE GARDEN
I spent one rainy cold day reviewing my seed orders and placed them with the companies. I already have seeds in hand, less than a week. I am checking the calendar and thinking I will start planting about the end of January. I have been reading about the winter sown program and plan to get myself organized to plant some milk jugs with seeds to see if this method works well for me. I have had real good luck starting my seeds but we are always looking for an easier way to do things.
IN THE PANTRY
Wine is still being produced, following the directions for making wine my last batch should have been ready on Christmas Day; however, it was still bubbling and you never bottle while wine is working unless you have lots of time to clean up a real sticky mess. Since we are making blackberry wine it might color the walls if it spews out of the bottles. The wine settled down and was bottled on January 9, 2016. One day later and I have another 8 cups of blackberries and 1 gallon of water working. There are more blackberries in the freezer and I will keep this project going for a while.
IN THE KITCHEN
I try to find interesting recipes I can prepare during the summer when we are quite busy. I am starting to find some recipes which are more of a formula than a recipe. They just give you the ingredients and you proceed according to your taste. I am finding these to be interesting but I am making notes as to what we enjoy and I will develop my own recipe to keep in my file. I have found this helpful, as I am learning more about the paring of vinegar and herbs with other food items and the development of pleasurable taste. The soup pot was filled with beef vegetable soup, there will be several containers placed in the freezer, quick meals my style.
IN THE COOP
On January 10th as I was checking for eggs, there it was, a pullet egg. My little girl born in July has laid her first egg. On the 12th one of the hens came out of molt. I am thinking right now, I made it and did not have to purchase any eggs. The ducks seem to keep laying and I use their eggs in all my baking and mix with hen eggs to make scrambled eggs.
The farmer came by with baby chicks and now I have 7 little ones I am going to be raising. We had talked, a few days ago, and I think this will be a good venture for us. The farmer will be reclaiming the roosters and I will be building up my layers.
IN THE GOAT HOUSE
Reggie came over for meet and greet. We were hoping he would be able to stay but he can clear the 48 inch fence as it it was not there. I became afraid of his getting a foot hung in the fence and breaking a leg. I called the farmer and Reggie went home for the evening. He is a sweet and gentle goat, he just wants to be with you. Mr. Bootsie said there would not have been in any issues if he could have come inside and stayed with us. As soon as he is needed, he will be visiting once again. It was wonderful seeing him playing in our pasture with the ladies. They appeared pleased to have a good afternoon playing goats games.
IN CLOSING
New life on the farm brings excitement and the thought of baby goats in late May or June makes me very pleased. The farmer will get her choice as her buck is a milk goat and my girls are milk goats, we should have some good milkers.
It appears, things are going to be busy around here for a while. I picked up a new pickle cookbook and I am reading a lot of recipes. This book has a section on small batches and this is something I have been looking for. I have taken some time and have been studying the signs of the moon and when to plant. I think I am really understanding this for the first time. I shall be adding a little information as I begin my planting. Time for me to get some rest. Tomorrow morning I need to take care of the baby chicks. So Exciting!!!
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