Lard Rendering Day

Quite often as I walk do the aisle in the grocery store, my mind will go back many years ago, Momma did not buy vegetable or corn oil, nor did she purchase shortening.  I remember where our baking grease came from and it was a timely process.  First the hogs were slaughtered, all of the meat processed and the final task was making the lard.  Of course, when the lard is made you get a reward, the cracklings.  It did not matter how many hogs we processed all of fat was made into lard.  This was a woman's chore and even as a very small child I remember cutting the fat into cubes to be cooked for a very long time.  You would find me snacking on the cracklings as soon as some were strained from the liquid.  Momma would store the lard in tins and placing them in a room which was cool, but you must remember most of our home was cool or just cold during the winter because there was not any central heat.  The lard would keep  for a long time and Momma made everything with her homemade lard, fried chicken, biscuits, pies and cakes.  Those of you who were lucky enough to have a meal at Momma's table will remember her rolls, yes, they were made with her lard.   I can see her putting a spoonful of lard into the pot of green beans aka snaps as she felt she did not have enough meat in them to flavor the beans the way she wanted them to taste.  

I have often thought how I would like to make/render lard.  Having accepted the fact that this would be almost impossible I just do not talk about making lard.  Well, when you get out of bed in the mornings, here on Triple Creek Farm, you may think you know how your day is going to end.  Quite often, things change so quickly, I really can't seem to grasp what is happening so I just go with flow.  Mr. Bootsie and I were down in the pasture lot and we heard voices,  the Farmer and her girls.  We headed back to the kitchen and made some tea and coffee  while everyone is catching up, I saw on Facebook, animals were processed the previous day.  We talked about the processing, knowing the farmer is quite a good butcher, it makes me so happy to see her teaching her daughter the proper way to process meat.  As they were leaving I asked if they processed a hog with a bit of fat, I would really like to make lard.  Well, come on out to the truck, too much fat on this hog and I was not sure what I was going to do with it.  In just a few minutes, I was back in the kitchen with of bowl of pork fat.  I was pass excited to have this treasure and could not wait to start the process.

I cut the fat into cubes, and as I was setting on my stool, my mind drifted to days gone by.  I was a child setting in Momma's kitchen. " You be careful with the knife, cut into even sized cubes, stay away from the stove and do not grab any of the pots on the stove".  How many times I had heard these things said as the lard was processed.  But there was a flash in my mind, standing in front of the wood cook stove was Momma, wearing her apron and opening the stove to add more wood.  "We need to keep the fire going all day to cook down this fat."  "I need someone to go the wood shed and bring in more wood."  This was the one day when I knew there was work to be done and we must work together to get this chore complete.  My sister was off for more wood and I happily continued to cube the fat.  

Time for me to realize, this is today, the kitchen is my kitchen and I am rendering lard.  Things are just so much better today, I have a crock pot filled with pork fat and it is rendering, I can see the clear lard coming up in the pot.  I will strain the lard and store in jars, to keep it cool I shall store in the fridge.  I will be making pies, bread and using my lard in many ways, just hope somewhere in this journey I get a hint of the wonderful memories  which were cooked in Momma's kitchen.

 Bootsie, can you bring me the lard can?  There are some cracklings over by the bread box, bring them because if you do eat all of the cracklings there is going to be crackling corn bread for supper tonight.  

Sorry, I went down memory lane again, the bowl of pork fat which was shared with me, was memories, it was a gift which I will cherish.  So many wonderful things happened in Momma's kitchen and I have forgotten so much, but a bowl of pork fat bought back something so special and wonderful to me.  It is not how much a gift costs or how shiny the gift is...It is a gift that warms the heart, my friends, The Farmer and her daughter just had no idea how special and how many wonderful childhood memories were inside the bowl of pork fat, now lard and soon to be home made biscuits.

How can I ever say "Thank You" for giving me a look back into Momma's kitchen on lard rendering day?  

Link to the directions I followed to make the lard.

The Chicken Days of August

August arrived, the heat did not leave with the change on the month.  The heat has began to take its toll on more than me, the garden is slowing down because of the heat.  Cucumber plants are giving up, so there were seeds put in the ground, it is always a gamble this late in the season but for a few cucumbers I will try and if there is success we shall munch the reward of late fruits.

I have been watching the pullets and I am starting to see the color come into their combs.  Bright combs means eggs are not far behind.  August 2, Annabel was not to be found when it was time to come in from free-ranging.  Mr. Bootsie went to check on the goats and there was Annabel under the equipment trailer, he began to coach her to come with him and into the coop she went, dropping her very first egg right inside the coop.  Mr. Bootsie found me, sharing the news of another green egg layer.  Now 6 more to lay their first eggs, I hope we can be as fortunate identifying the others.

In a few days there were new eggs in the laying boxes, we have no idea who is laying but there is a second green egg layer, Mrs. Thing, and the number of tan to light brown eggs has increased.  We should have 11 pullets to carry us through the winter.  The heat has brought all of the older hens into molt and the coop run has quite a large number of feathers laying around in it.  I have been cleaning lots of feathers from the coop as they seem to land in the corners and collect there.  One of the ducks has gone into molt, however, their molt is quite quick.  We should be set for eggs this winter, collecting 2 ducks eggs daily and 5 to 8 hens eggs will give us plenty with some to share.

I started milking the goats and it was time to make cheese.  I do not have a lot of storage room for cheese so the is a quick process for me.  I was making cheese every other night and I knew it was time to make some changes in the goat barn.  I made arrangements to move out Lacie, the farmer who has helped us learn so much was interested in adding alpines to her flock and I knew our Lacie would give her lots of milk.  The alpine milk is rich and there was about three inches of cream on top of a half gallon of milk.  This made some delicious cheese.  Scoot was a smaller alpine and this was her first fresh, I was in question about milking her.  The first morning she was a little afraid of getting on the milking stand, as the older does had never allowed her to mount the stand, we have windows in the barn and they can see out of the barn when standing on the milk stand.  So Scoot was prepared to be pushed from the stand.  Only to realize she was in the milking parlor with me and there were no other goats.  She began to hop on the stand and was ready to be milked.  This little girl was feeding her little boy and giving me quite a bit of milk.  I could honestly advertise her  as a milk goat, quickly found her a new home and she was able to take her little one.  Lacie was able to take her twins to her new home.  Our decision had been to keep Belle and her twins so in less than 2 weeks the goat barn was settled for the winter.  I was in question about our late breeding and arrival of summer babies, but things seemed to work out and I may take this road again if I should breed my girls later.  I have stopped milking as there is no need to keep pushing Belle, she is taking care of her twins and they are getting less and less milk daily.

The garden has been an experience this year.  I have gathered hardly no tomatoes, I have had a few to enjoy but the terrapins, raccoons, and squirrels seemed to think I was growing them for them.  With the long periods of hot weather the blooms did not set and there are now hardly any tomatoes on the vines.  There are blooms if we should have a reduction in the temperature there may hope for very late tomatoes.  The heat just cooked the late cucumbers and there will not be any in the garden, The corn did good, I was able to go the garden and harvest corn for a number of meals.  The pride, the corn gave me, when I came into the kitchen with an arm filled with ears was my personal win for this summer's growing season.  Peppers are starting to come in.  The butter beans have been productive.  Winter onions are coming up and it is time to prepare the tunnel for the winter garden.

 I feel I have learned quite a bit this year.  When the summer bought the heat I seemed to loose touch with the garden.  Some of the plants were suffering and others were excited to be in the hot, humid air.  I cut way back on watering to learn I have added enough natural material to build up the earth so it does hold moisture.  There was a flourish of weeds with our having such a wet season.  I grew turnips, green beans and squash, which if there was any excess,  they went into the goat barn and were a treat for the goats.  I am pleased to
 learn how to share the garden with the pasture crew as they enjoy things from the garden as much as I do.

Yes, this has been the chicken days of  August,  I have really enjoyed the chicks this year.  They are gentle and enjoy being handle by us.  Several come to visit in the goat barn and want to be carried back to the coop.  This is a new for me, the pullets just seem to want to be with us more than our older birds.  We have handled them more and I am sure that has made a difference.   Our collection of pullets are quite interesting, so when it came to names we began to have fun.  There are 4 who are the "First Wive's Club", this year we started naming some of them after the hosts of the cooking shows and, of course there are movie stars along with some leading ladies.

Fresh peaches arrived at the local orchard and we have been busy making and enjoying peach coffee cake and peach bread.  I developed each of the  recipes, they taste wonderful to Mr. Bootsie and me.  He is always asking me to make peach coffee cake as it is so moist and yummy.  Changes for peach under comments.

Sourdough Peach Coffee Cake

As the month of August comes to an end it is time to think fall, plants to move inside, cutting from plants to be made to winter over, bedding for the barn and coops.  We are entering my favorite my time of the year.  Things are just a little more settled here on our little farm, most of winter wood is gathered, the pantry is looking like it is ready for the winter and I am ready for a little time to rest.  You will find me setting in front of the fireplace, with a smile on my face as I know we have made it through another summer and I am dreaming of what will be in the garden next summer.  How many chickens will we raise next summer? I have no idea but I am sure there will be more chickens!!!

Thanks for stopping by, Until next time!!!!

May, Wet and Busy

As the days came and went, so did the rain, not flooding just rain, making this May the wettest May in Virginia since weather data has been recorded.  The water table was on top on of the ground for a few days.  The runs were sprinkled with DE to keep the smell down.  Raised beds in the garden really paid off.  There was run off from the garden going through the pasture and going to the bottom land creek.  We will be working on repairing the damage of the water for a long time.  A wrecker came in to deliver a piece on equipment and it needed help getting back to the roadway after unloading.  This was not a problem as we had a truck which was able to assist with moving the wrecker.  I spent almost every other day going around draining water out of things, thinking I will need to do this tomorrow, why, am I doing this today.

With all the cloudy days, I lost a number of bedding plants, this year the grow lights were taken down early as the temperature was warm and things were growing well in the greenhouse, then we went into the cloudy, damp season for about 15 days and it took it's toll on my bedding plants.  We managed to find enough volunteer plants in the garden to finish planting the early garden.  I have started more plants for the late garden, and maybe the season will improve.  

The goats are all expecting and June should see the delivery of 2 of our does.  I do hope the heat holds back and they do not have deal with super hot days.  The baby chickens which arrived in January have become hens, and 1 of them has laid her first egg.  The young chicks are so active and cute.  Mr. Bootsie did build a new chicken tractor using some PVC from another project.  This has been a good place for the little chicks to stay in during the day when it is not raining.

We have had an number of eggs and I decided to try my hand at dehydrating eggs.  Link to the recipe.  There were duck eggs and hen eggs.  So I did a batch of each.  I have not used my eggs and the recipe says they will keep for up to a year, I may not experience a shortage of eggs for a while, but if I do that will be the time I will pull the dried eggs from the cabinet and see if they were a success or only the chickens will eat them.  I am thinking I can use them to add protein to some of the dishes I make.

Eggs ready to go into the dehydrator

Clover blooms were everywhere, pink and white.  now is the time to make clover jelly.  I picked only the white clover blooms as I was not sure about the pink, still researching pink clover.  We like our jelly soft so we can use it on pancakes and this turned out just the way we wanted, so next year maybe I will make more clover syrup.  White clover jelly recipe, I have been using my time when I could not be outside doing some much need research.

The garden is producing this spring, in fact, it is producing more than we can use.  I do plant somethings for the chickens, ducks and goats.  Lettuce is a winner with all of babies, spinach, chard, turnips and kale go to the pasture crew, also.  Austrian winter peas are producing, these will be pulled up and fed to the goats.  I do pick the peas from these to go into stir-fries.  This is one plant I really do enjoy seeing grow, the blooms are quite pretty in the springtime.

The squash plants are showing promise this spring, this is one plant which only time will tell.  There are several different varieties of squash planted.  I am concerned because I am seeing bush squash plants where they should be climbing plants,  this may be another season of what do we have.  I did buy all new seeds hoping to get true plants this season.

I added several new (to me) varieties of turnips to the garden this spring.  I have really enjoyed watching the
quickness of the  shogoin, which we are harvesting, the golden ball is 60 days to harvest  which will make it a later turnip.  Most of the garden is planted and now with all of the rain our crop of unwanted plants is growing in the garden.  A lot of time will be spent hoeing and weeding around the productive plants.  As for the invaders, many of them will be history.  The tomatoes are blooming and that makes this farmer happy, nothing like the first tomato sandwich.  Well, that is still a while away.  So memories of tomato sandwiches of the past and dreams of baby goats will keep us going for while.  The farm is ever changing and life on the farm is always interesting.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit, Until...

Virginia, Springtime

It is springtime in Virginia.  The garden is producing spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce and spring onions.  I am looking at the green garlic and thinking I need to enjoy some of this also.  Spinach Chowder, is enjoyed as I make a pot weekly.  There are fresh salads using the lettuce and spinach.  This is a welcomed change to the diet we were having just a few weeks ago.  I personally enjoy spring onions as they are a reminder of my life on Momma's and Daddy's farm.  I remember the glass of water on the table which was always filled with spring onions.  We were raised eating onions and my family has always had a desire for onions in the spring time.  It becomes a staple on the springtime table.

The last week of April became rainy, chilly and my spring seemed to disappear.  On Wednesday afternoon I was out in the garden and saw the wild blackberries blooming, BLACKBERRY WINTER.  Now I totally understand what is happening.   I was no longer confused about building a fire in the wood stove as we do have fire every year during blackberry winter.

The malabar spinach is coming up.  I have always enjoyed watching the volunteer plants come up.  It is sign the soil is warm.  They have been as late as June.  I was completely shocked to see the leaves coming out of the ground on April 26th.  This is the earliest I have even seen them come up.  With the spring we have experienced I am almost afraid we may have another freeze and they will be gone.  I do have most of my garden in the ground at this time.  My mind is telling me it is time to move forward but my soul is saying, "Be Careful."

The late frost in April may have taken my wisteria tree.  It was loaded with blooms and I had enjoyed it for 1 day.  That night came with low temperatures and brown blooms.  That was alright but now I do not see any vegetation on the tree.  I have a great need for this plant as I grew up where there was a wisteria tree.  This one I moved from my previous home to the farm.  It will be like loosing part of our family if it doesn't survive. 

The goats are getting fatter and the  baby roosters are starting to make some noise.  The farm is moving forward,  Spring is an exciting time on the farm, in the garden there are changes almost daily.  You do feel as if you have accomplished so much as you see the plants develop.  The weather has been a challenge this spring and of course, the winter was strange.  I question how this will effect our growing season.  Well, as all of us know, only time will tell.  

Comfort Zone

I have spent some time visiting around the web.  Reading a number of homesteading and preserving blogs, visiting with folks who ferment veggies, make kefir, have gardens and animals.  I think it is time for me to make a number of new friends.  I am exciting about the knowledge others are so willing to share.

I know I spent way too much time in the kitchen, too much time in the garden and not enough time just resting.  I climbed a major mountain this year as I began my 7th decade on this earth.  Most days I am on my feet about 12 hours a day.  On my weaker days it is less but for someone my age this is one good accomplishment.  Mr. Bootsie says the only way to get me to slow down is to take me away from our farm.  I am not sure this works for me quite like he feels it should.  As we are riding down the road my mind never stops working.  I see this or that and maybe it would work on our farm.

I am at a place I really wanted to be, I think, most of my life.  I just never knew how much it meant to me until I returned to the country.  When we came here I knew it was a time for me to do all of the things I wanted to enjoy or thought I would enjoy.  I had a garden, well, a postage stamp garden in my yard in the city.  The garden fed us and I was able to preserve veggies.  I didn't have a lot of variety or many plants, so when I was able to have a third of an acre in garden, I was pleased.  The list of what I was going to grow went on and on.  My problem was this land was covered with trees.  All of the trees were removed and raised beds were put in.  Our first mistake was going to the mound of topsoil place and buying topsoil.  Ten years later I am still working on that compacted soil with manure and  compost trying to get a balance in the soil.  After that horrible mistake, I built my beds with composting leaves, and my black gold I was making in my tumbler and manure.  These beds are very productive.

Next came the chicken coop.  It was built with lumber from our property, milled by a local farmer and built by him.  Then came the goats, a barn built and Mr. Bootsie built the goat stall.  Pasture was put in.  I really felt like this was a farm.  Now I realize I have a problem.

Is my true love the kitchen?  Is this where I want to be?  I find so much satisfaction working in the kitchen, preparing food for storage,  learning a new recipe.  I watch the cooking shows on TV when time allows and always learn something or have a memory stirred in my mind.

This last couple of weeks my mind has been working.  I was able to make one of my favorite dishes from my childhood summers.  Momma just called them tomatoes, so tomatoes they will be. Many of you would called them a fancy name but I like tomatoes.  Recipe link included

We make a number of gravies and creamed soups.  I have learned even if the recipe doesn't tell you the milk  or water should be warmed it you start with a roux, things work and come together much better if the liquid is warm.  I have been having the base for my broccoli cheddar soup (recipe link) break and the end results was a very soupy, thin soup.  My mind returned to thinking about how my momma did this, I find myself standing in her kitchen beside her stove.  There was always a tea kettle on the wood stove and this was the source of the water used when making gravies and soups.  The light went on...The water in the kettle was always warm/hot as the kettle was on the stove.  Needless to say, this week, the sausage gravy went together quickly and the base of the broccoli cheddar soup did not break, we had a nice thick soup.

I am learning, that I need to find pages to read and visit which offer information about what I am now interested in doing.  There are so many information sources and it takes time.  I want more time to spend with my animals, I want time away from the kitchen, and propping up my feet for a few minutes would be a treat.  I have a farm and I need to find the balance.

No matter how much is done, there are always many more tasks waiting to be addressed.  I have found I cannot handle the heat during the summer.   Avoiding the heat does slow down production.  This year I have just taken this in stride, not allowing myself to get concerned when tasks were left undone.   The animals have food, water and are checked on several times a day, the garden is watered and some bug control done on a daily basis along with harvesting our crops, this is about all I can manage on the super hot days.  I learned this year, the goats, ducks and chickens enjoy the harvest of the garden, it is okay for me to give them snaps, squash, tomatoes and other veggies.  I really do not have enough at one time to take to the food bank and driving there would be another hour out of my day.  I think I made my way to the top of this mountain as I hate to see food wasted after all of the work has gone into producing the crops, feeding our animals is not wasting the food, it helps with our feed bill.

I am trying to find a balance, I believe I moved in the right direction this summer.  I have full shelves in the pantry, the freezer is packed to the top, the drying rack has garlic and onions cured.  This was a good season for our garden.  In fact I had the best garden ever.  Working on the land for 11 years is paying off and I find comfort in walking outside collecting my meals from the garden.  We have enjoyed an array of fresh veggies on a daily basis.  I just enjoy the garden to table movement on our farm.  For me this is my comfort zone, the balance will come or not but this has been one delicious summer.

A Long Over-Due Update

IN THE KITCHEN

Lo-Mein (click here for the recipe link) is one of my go to meals, I use as many seasonable garden fresh veggies as I can during the summer,  frozen veggies from my garden during the winter.  I always freeze snow and sugar snap peas, I really enjoy fixing something fresh from the garden during the cold days of winter, makes me appreciate all of the work we do during the warm months.   Pizza crusts were made and frozen this week.  I use our sun-dried tomatoes and frozen peppers on these, along with homemade cheese which was frozen during the summer.  The freezer is a very important part of our meal planning.

As the snow was falling this week. I pulled a bag of frozen tomatoes and used them in chili, it was a good feeling to be peeling tomatoes from the garden as I watched the weather outside.  I freeze tomatoes when I just do not have enough to can or time to can.  I am now on a mission to get my freezer emptied before spring when it will be time to fill once again.   This is one of the most difficult  projects for me as I am always making something and adding the extra to the freezer.  

My afore mentioned project seems to be an ongoing battle.  I am using blackberries to make wine and veggies as often as possible.  The peppers I froze last summer as just about to end. 

While I was not doing my chores, I put the kefir grains on vacation.  I have returned them to the everyday working to make kefir.  Whenever I do this I think it takes a few days for the kefir to taste like it did before I stopped processing.  So after about 7 days I am enjoying my kefir once again.  I do prefer to work my kefir on a 2 day schedule as I like the punch.  I think my salad dressing have more zip with the kefir being processed for 48 hours.

THE FIRST SNOW FALL OF THE YEAR/WINTER

Boxwoods with top hats

I love how clean everything appears after the snow,  then the melt begins and the mud appears.  For me, a little dusting like this is a pleasure.  It was so cold this time it hung around for several days.  

Snow is not well received by the goats.  They seem not to care for anything which falls from the sky.  Belle has spent most of day trying to keep her front feet out of the snow, resting them on anything she could find.  The barn is open and they could go in but then, being as curious as they are, how could they know what is going on.  We went out, cut cedar and pine trees for them.  The vegetation acts as a wormer and they seem to love pulling the bark from the trees.  I love walking down to visit and the smell of cedar is in the air.  I think of how good the house smelled when I was a child at Christmastime.  

Scoot playing with Auntie Bell.  

Scoot is enjoying her first snow fall.

Momma Duck with her 2 little ones.  

Baby ducks born this past spring.  They are enjoying their first snow fall, it is bath time in the fresh drinking water on a very cold morning.  They are busy girls, the little ones are laying every day while Momma Duck lays at least 3 to 4 times a week.  

All is well in the coop, the girls are slowly beginning to come out of winter molt and beginning to lay.  The pullets have kept us in eggs through the winter.  With the new pullets our eggs have gotten very colorful.  Now we have olive eggers along with our other girls, this makes the eggs earth tones, greens, tans, lights browns and of course when all them are back on line, white and blue eggs.   

IN THE GARDEN

Veggie seeds are on the table and some of them have been planted.  Maybe too early but in the dead of winter you sometimes have to do something for the soul.  Planting the seeds help me feel we are moving toward spring.  The tunnel garden harvest is good chard, kale and lettuces.  Cabbage plants are getting large, I am looking forward to some early cabbages. 

I bombed the moles/voles with castor bean seeds in all of the tunnels I could find in the tunnel garden.  Will it help? I don't know, but it was fun thinking maybe I might, just might win the one. 

IN CLOSING 

We are busy planning for the spring, trying new recipes, keeping the critters warm, watered and happy.  Spring will come. Everything will begin anew, I find this excites me.  Until then I shall continue dreaming about what the spring will bring.  

  

Springtime is just about over

A few days ago we were reminded what summer is like here in Virginia.  I heard the sound of the ac coming on for the first time this spring.  That night we did not close up the barn until 10:00 at night, the goats were loving all of the extra playtime.  Mr. Bootsie suggested leaving the barn open and I said no.  A few nights back he fixed a solar light to burn in the barn all night, when I went down to milk I had a barn full of goats who were wired just like a child on sugar.  Two nights in two weeks would have been to much excitement for me.  We closed the barn and after waiting for the temperature to cool down, everything went well.  When I opened up in the mornings the heat did come out of the door.  Another lesson learned.

Swiss chard and broccoli are on the stove,  chard will be used to make pizza topping and the broccoli will be used for soup.  We so enjoy all of the vegetables from the spring garden.  String beans aka snaps are about 4 inches long.  Garlic is turning yellow, time to gather.  I did gather some of the more advanced this week.  I finally planted black-eyed peas before the 4th of July.  Zucchini are coming in and of course, I made a pot of zucchini bisque.  Transplanted some of the climbing spinach, there were a number of baby plants this year, they came up under the arbor where the spinach was planted last year.

Trapping has been slow this last couple of weeks.  Maybe we will harvest some black berries this summer.  The only going on in the traps is a cute little cat that likes the bait.  We are letting it go and it will come back another day and there it is caught in the trap.

Lightening struck a tree, a really big one in the goat pasture.  We will have to take down the fence in order to drop this tree.  There was a group decision to wait until after all of the leaves are off of it.   The tree Mr. Bootsie felled a few weeks ago is becoming fire wood.  There is one rack filled with this wood. Most of the trunk of the tree has been cut and split into pieces we can now handle and load onto the splitter.  We should fill at least one more rack.

Everything is settled in the goat barn.  I have my two milk goats and one of the babies from this spring.  We are ready for the winter.  It was a hard decision but we are pleased with the results.  I remember the winter of 2013, and I just wanted to make things a little easier for me.  I will be using the once a day milking rather than twice.  When making cheese the other day I decided to try and  use the dehydrator to control the temperature and I am pleased to be able to say this procedure worked well, I am learning how to use as many things as I can for dual purposes.

We have both hatching of chickens growing.  The oldest little roos are now crowing, well almost sounding like Mr. Wonderful.  The first hatching was 10 and there are 6 little roos and 4 hens.  I want to keep the hens so it will time to make some changes in the coop.

The ducks are doing good, there are no drakes with us any longer.  We gave the drake to someone with a big pond.  I needed to do this because the drake was the brother of 2 of my girls and the other was his mother.  Momma duck is doing a little better with her egg.  I started feeding her meat bird grower, continued with the oyster shells and now I can see a little improvement.

All in all this has been a wonderful spring,  babies everywhere.  Things are starting to settle down as Summer arrived this week.  Plans are now being made for preserving the fruits of our farm.  There are a few jars in the pantry from last year so it is time to look back and see what was canned and how much. With each season on the farm it seems there is something to be done.  OH, I just enjoy the preserving of our garden.  I love walking into the pantry and seeing all of jars on the shelves filled with the wonderful tasting goodies we have canned or dried.

It is now time to say, "Good-bye Spring and Welcome Summer!!!"


Just a quick note, we are making kefir sour cream and using it in the zucchini bisque in place of the creamed cheese.  We are using the yellow zucchini for this and it is wonderful.  Follow the link to a few of the recipes we use during the summer.

Check out some of our recipes!!!

Triple Creek Farm, December 7, 2013

Our tummies are full of leftover turkey, lots of sides and gravy, before the week was over we needed the strength from eating all of this holiday food.  Preparing for an ice storm, now I really do not like ice storms. The first thing you think about is the power and when will it go out.  How many days will it take for them to reinstate the power.  Precooking things which will keep in the fridge, making an extra amount of bread and knowing there are many jars of soup canned which will be heated on the wood stove.  Feed for the flocks,  checked to be sure there is food and hay for about a week.  We really do not have a lot of bad weather, thank goodness, so it is important we make all the necessary preparations to take care of our animals, our farm and ourselves.

IN THE KITCHEN

I found a recipe for Crockpot Turkey, Cabbage & Rice Soup which sounded like a good wintertime soup.  Mr. Bootsie called this a very hardy soup, filling and a good use of leftover turkey.  I made my turkey salad with homemade pickles and the juice from the pickles.  Before the week was over I was in for a change of pace, broccoli slaw is something I enjoyed when we lived close to the grocery and I would pick up a package but now this is really out of the question.  We did buy a bag of fresh broccoli as the crowns were on a good sale.  I found a recipe which I used as a guideline.  I made a few changes and will work on this recipe, when I am pleased I will post my recipe.  Mr. Bootsie requested a turkey pot pie as I was making some meals we could easily reheat.  I have been working with clear-gel and I was very pleased with the filling, it stayed in place.  So many of my pies have run all over the pie plate after my cutting them.

ON THE FARM

Drainage ditches have been opened and all of the leaves cleaned out.  Fresh leaves have been added to the goat barn, the hay covered and grain barrels filled.  Some of the gutters have been cleaned out.  We will try to do everything to make our animals comfortable during the storm but we must think of our own safety.  There is fuel mixed and ready incase we need to remove trees from the roads.  You never know what will happen and we try to prepare and hope that we prepared enough.

IN THE COOP

I feed an all grain pellet mix to my girls but I was not pleased with my eggs.  The city folks thought they were beautiful but I knew from the past there was not enough strength in the yolks.  I caught this one day when I was mixing duck eggs with hen eggs.  During the winter I feed a treat of sunflower seeds in the evenings.  My girls love this treat and will beat me to the coop when they see me coming with their bowls.  If Mr. Roo sees me heading to the feed buckets he announces treats are on the way, before I can finish there are girls all around my feet. ready to help me find my way.   Needless to say, they really like the sunflower seeds.   Here are some of my eggs and you can see there is a strong yellow color to the yolk.  This is what I have been working for.  I am so pleased to have learned how easy it is to adjust the diet of the girls.

IN THE GARDEN

I am just hoping I will have a garden tunnel on Monday, We know we can remove the snow from the tunnel and keep it safe, sleet and freezing rain are different.  As I have watched the weather all week trying to make the right decisions, I have thought about the tunnel and what it would be able to stand.  Temperatures at my last weather check are going to hoover around 31 to 32 degrees and this gives me hope.  There were a few nice days this week, I pulled the covers back from the row tunnels and watered those beds.

IN CLOSING

The weather does not change our farm adventure.  There should be, at least,  one goat who is now 1 month along the way to becoming a mommie.  I am hoping there are 2 because things do look promising.  In a couple of weeks I will have a better idea about my other 2 ladies.  As we think about  the last hatching of our baby chicks starting to lay eggs it is time to start planning for our spring adventure.  I wonder what I did for so many years when I was away from the amazement of the farm.

To all of our friends and neighbors, North and South of the Equator, all around this world, please be careful and take good care of yourselves.  This week has reminded me of no matter where you are there is always something to prepare for, I appreciate the kindness of others checking with us as they have heard the progression of this storm across the United States.  As one friend said, "This type of winter weather is norm for us but I know it is an event for you."  This makes me feel a little better about prepping for this storm.  I am hoping it will be close to a non-event and we passed the test but only time will tell.  I will update you next week!!!

Triple Creek Farm, October 5, 2013

I love the fall/autumn season, I love to see the earth prepare for the winter.  Walking down to the pasture lot kicking my way through the fallen leaves reminds me of being a child playing in the leaves. I know we will be dropping trees, because without the leaves, they are much easier for us to handle.  The goats will be missing the leaves as they get saplings every day.  In the winter, they will be fed holly and pine.  This helps us with the clean up of the forest floor.  I am watching the girls very close to see if they are thinking of coming into season.  With the two I wish to breed, this will be their first time and I hope I do not miss the opportunity this year.  I have told everyone in the coop there will be no more baby chicks as winter is coming.  They have to wait until spring for any more little peeps.


IN THE KITCHEN

I have had a recipe to make a condensed cream soup mix but I wanted to use my supply of creamed soups before making this mix.  I was planning to make the green bean casserole with the french onions for supper Monday night.  Walking into the pantry, there it was, no more cream of mushroom soup.  Off to gather the ingredients I had stockpiled to make this mix.  I was so excited because it will save money, save pantry space and I think I will find many ways to use this mixture.  Here is the link to the recipe.  I am very excited to have this mix on my pantry shelf.  I have other homemade mixes, they are a staple in my pantry. I am going to make this soup and when I heat it I will add in some dried mushrooms which I will chop.  This worked very good, the green bean casserole was very tasty.  I enjoyed the flavor of the herbs in the soup mix as this bought a new level of flavor to the casserole.  I am very pleased to have made this soup mix.

ON THE FARM

We have woods behind our house, they are across a creek.  I have been wanting to go through these woods and collect all of the dead trees from the forest floor.  The first load of dead trees were bought in this week to be made in our own mulch.  There are some huge oaks trees on the floor which a storm laid down for us.  Lots of good firewood, this is our first step at making a road to get down to where these trees are located.

IN THE COOP

Sunday morning, when approaching the coop we heard a strange noise, we just went on our way as we were not sure what this was.  Monday morning, there was another noise and we could tell there was a welsummer rooster trying to find his voice.  As the week progressed I can now say it sounds kinda like a crow but there is plenty of practice needed.  With the welsummer starting to crow this answered the question of Heathcliff being a rooster because this bird has never tried to crow.  Mr. Bootsie found Heathcliff on the nest Monday, and I know I am collecting 2 pullet eggs.  There were 2 little peeps in the first hatching and both of them hens,  Our second hatch 5 little peeps with 4 hens and 1 rooster.  We had a good year hatching.  I have, once again, started the blending of the coop.  So far, so good.



IN THE GARDEN

The night time temperature has been quite moderate, so I am starting to play the I have a few more days game with Mother Nature.  We seem to have new pests in the garden.  I walked through and there a 4 traps set.  Snow peas have been nibbled off, the lettuce, kale and Holland greens have been eaten.  So far, they do not care for turnip greens.  Garlic, red, white and yellow onions are coming up.  I am going through the harvested onions looking for the multiplying sets, I know there were a few harvested and I tried to save all of them.  I planted rhubarb seeds, but I saved half of them just in case they do not come up, to replant in the spring.  I am going to do several things this way.  My momma would plant a number of things in the fall saying the plants would be much stronger if they overwintered.  So, I am going to give this a try.

IN CLOSING

I know the end is close for the summer garden.  There are a number of cucuzzi hanging in the tunnel but they are much to large to harvest for food.  I just let them go because the wee folk (grandchildren) enjoy seeing how big they get.  I have a large number of small ones and with promised rain on Monday and Tuesday I think I may be able to harvest a few more to make more cucuzzi bread.  I can store this bread in the fridge for 6 weeks,  this would give me fresh bread for Thanksgiving.  I know I can freeze it but I would rather not.

Thanks for all of you who visit our little farm, time for all of us to get the onions sliced and placed around the living areas in our homes.  They will collect all sorts of germs.  I have put a few in the keeping room, when I start hearing flu shoot time, I do the onions to help protect the house from germs. Have a wonderful week and stay safe.

Triple Creek Farm, August 31, 2013

The garden is starting to look tired, the season has been very wet.  I saw this week our area has had 8.3 inches over the average rainfall.   We had rain 3 more days after this report.  Because of our raised beds the moisture has not been a problem.   I  have not watered as I have in the past years.  The critters have helped making the garden look sad.  I lost most of the blackberries with the vines being torn down.  All I can think about is next year, maybe things will be better.  The traps are staying set and we do see action around them.

IN THE KITCHEN

I have heard about tomato jam for many years, I remember some of the old-timers eating tomato jam.  I never had any desire to store this away until we starting making some interesting jellies a few years ago.  I have made basil jelly which is wonderful, this year we have made some unusual jellies,  I will try tomato. (Recipe Link)  As soon as the first batch came off the stove the decision was made to do another.  There are 12 one half pint jars in the pantry.  I did have a little bit I put in another jar for us to sample, I know a jar will be opened real soon.  I have been making a lot of bread.  I guess when I made the decision to start baking all of our bread I had no idea how much bread we would be eating.

ON THE FARM

Mr. Bootsie has been busy working our wood yard.  He has been having more help than he wants when the goats are out helping him.  You can now hear their cry when they hear the tractor and wagon start to move.  Some of the trees he has felled are being used in the garden making new and repairing raised beds.  There are some trees we will not burn so this is an excellent use for them.  The goats clean up the tops eating all of the leaves so this another win, win project.  He brings in a wagon load of wood which needs to be split and racked every few days.  The chimney sweep came and our chimney is clean and ready for this season.  The stove has been cleaned and the hearths scrubbed.  With all of this complete I think fall cleaning is going to be on the to do list.

IN THE COOP

I am finding myself setting outside of the coop several afternoons watching the 5 week old peeps play.  They are really growing.  The war of the coop has just settled from bringing in the spring peeps.  They are holding their own most of the time.  If they could just learn to go up on the roosting poles.  Help has been needed every night this week.  Patience is starting to wear thin, but they must be up at night time.  Some nights we play with them and those tired nights they are picked up and placed on the poles.  When the storm came in Saturday, the girls put themselves to bed, all of the girls put themselves to bed, even the spring peeps for the first time.

IN THE GARDEN

We are still picking enough vegetables for our table and put a few away for the winter.  I have started to harden off some of the winter squash, I plant a variety you can use as a summer veggie or storage squash.  The dehydrator has been drying squash and I think I may have enough.  The varieties I am drying I use for pies and breads.  Some of our beds are being pulled out and being prepared for onions and garlic.  Fall planting time is almost upon us.  Turnips are up and some of the other greens.  We are 6 weeks from the first possible frost date.

IN CLOSING

Saturday evening before putting everyone up for the night.  A storm rolled through.  After all the work of cleaning and clearing, a tree came down by the garden.  It all starts over again, this tree is close to the wood piles so it will lessen then task.  There will be more firewood because this one is a hickory.  This is the one thing about life on the farm, there is always something to do.  One nice thing we mange to do almost everyday is stop for a few minutes and plan our upcoming projects.  Of course, any plan can and will be changed in a moment's notice because we have learned to roll with whatever comes our way.
Here's wishing you a wonderful week, Until next time.

Triple Creek Farm, July 6, 2013

We are so far out in the country there is not many ways I can use the internet.  Weather conditions control if I can get on line and what speed I will have.  Someone sent me an e-mail the other day and I spend over 3 hours trying to respond.  I have not been able to get on line to do the blog, but I keep trying.  As old as I am getting slow sounds good to me.  If my mind could accept what my body is saying, things would work out.  But my mind will say if you try one more time it will work and here I sit for another hour or so and I really do not accomplish anything.  I  am so pleased to have so many of you visit with me on the farm,  I welcome you comments and I will always try to answer them.  May not be quite as quick as you would like but I will try.  Thank you friends and neighbors, for all of you have become my friends and neighbors.  I am going to fix a nice glass of tea as it is really warm today, go sit on the porch and tell you about my week.

IN THE KITCHEN

Green Beans, Green Beans, Green Beans, when you start picking they seem to just keep coming in.  We have been picking every other day sharing some, cooking some, eating them fresh from the garden,  pickling and canning.  This week I made Cajun-style pickled green beans and carrots.  I canned string beans with potatoes and onions, this is one of my fast foods, add some ham or bake some pork chops and you have a wonderful meal.

Another vegetable which will overwhelm you is zucchini, I am always trying to find a new way to use them.  One of our facebook friends came up with a recipe for zucchini crisp which is delicious.  This crisp tastes like an apple crisp.  I made half of the recipe and baked it in a smaller dish but Mr. Bootsie is eating it loaded with ice cream and saying I would not have believed this was squash if I had not seen you make this.  If the zucchini is filling the veggie drawer of the fridge, pull some out and give this great recipe a try.  Be sure to tell our friends over at Crocked Acres Farmstead Bootisie is still raving about this recipe.   I love finding a new recipe which is tried and tested by others.  Please remember I am always looking for something new and delicious to make in my kitchen!!!

ON THE FARM

The ladies have eaten just about everything in sight.  There is new grass coming up in the pasture but it is not what they are wanting to eat.  I think it is far to tender.  Mr. Bootsie is busy cutting down trees and moving them to the goat lot.  There is quite a lot of clean up to be completed around here and he is busy every morning working away.  Progress is starting to show.  I am starting to prune the dogwoods we wish to keep hoping they will bloom.  Blackberry lilies are blooming everywhere.  They are a wildflower, I planted them when we moved here and there are clumps of them everywhere.  I have seen Mr. B cutting around them, said he is starting to love them as much as the ferns.  We have wild ferns and he is trying to save all he can as he clears out the undergrowth.

IN THE COOP

Aurora has settled in on the eggs and I am sure there will be little peeps.  Much to my amazement Smokey Lonesome has decided I want to be in one of the brooder boxes.  So Sunday morning we gave her 2 eggs which she truly did not like, then Mr. Bootsie took one from the nest she had been setting on and we put that egg in the brooder, she pulled it in and is now down for the count of 21 days for baby peeps.  So I have 2 of my girls setting, I have really been surprised and now I just hope from all of the eggs we are setting this year we can hatch a gentle rooster.  That way we will have our own eggs we could hatch.

Our first hatching is growing, Saturday morning as I was working around the coop, I heard a new voice, not the peep, peep peeps but someone trying to sound like a big chick.  This is so exciting, I would like to have the little peeps out of the brooder before the new hatching is ready to go in.  We already have 1 week down for Aurora and 2 more to go.

IN THE GARDEN

The garden is pleasing me, I dehydrated cabbage this week which I will be adding to soups during the winter.  Fall cabbages and broccoli seeds have broken through the soil Saturday morning.  Corn is starting to tassel, climbing beans are starting to make the journey up the fences and poles.  Bush butter beans are blooming and I can see the tiny little bean pods.  Now, if I can keep them watered enough we may get some butter beans, that would be a first for here.  Found my first pickling cucumber Saturday morning.  Find of the day on Saturday was baby squash bugs, I took care of them quickly.  Most of the onions have been harvested.  The walking onions are still in the ground, I should start removing them next week.  All of the elephant garlic is pulled and cleaned.  Starting to see some redding of the blackberries.

Friday morning harvest from the garden

IN CLOSING

I think we have had another wonderful week here on the farm.  We have been gathering plenty of veggies from the garden.  The Girls have been laying lots of eggs. Everything seems to be as it should be.  We are slowly moving forward, little baby steps.  Except for the green beans they seem to want to be picked everyday and fill up our baskets, this is my count on veggie, I always plan for lots of green beans, I really am not complaining, I am pleased one more time they did exactly what I wanted them to do.  Have a wonderful week!!! 

Triple Creek Farm, June 8, 2013

This week the weather has been interesting.  We had a lot of rain, some from the cold front coming across and the tropical storm,  Andrea, bought rain our way.  I find myself wanting to build a fire as the cold front was a chilly one.  The signal on the computer has been a challenge this week.  I have not been able to receive messages or post hardly anything.  I guess it is a time to reflect and remember when we did have not have all of the gadgets to connect one with the world.  Oh, yes the messages, will be there waiting for me, when the signal returns to the strength I need.  Every once in a while we do need to realize our connection with the outside world is totally dependable on others and there is not a thing we can do about it when it does not function properly.

IN THE KITCHEN

The garden is starting to produce more than I can use.  I started freezing snow peas.  I enjoy having these in the winters past to add to stir fries and lo meins.

I have been thinking about trying some scone recipes.  I found one for Bacon-Blue Cheese Scones and I wanted to try this one as I had all of the ingredients except for the heavy cream.  No problem, Kefir will be my fix.  I let my kefir milk work for 1 additional day, I hunted in the jar with a spoon to find my grains and removed them.  Poured 1 cup of the heavy kefir into the measuring cup and I made these scones.  These were a hit at our house.  Dinner and the next morning they were finished at breakfast.  Most of all they were easy to make.

ON THE FARM

We had the ladies munching on more saplings, they look forward to the wagon appearing loaded with trees for them.  They, also, enjoy getting out of the pasture and free ranging in the woods. 

The ladies have spent quite a bit of time this week in the goat barn eating hay.  I really do not blame them because the rain was coming down at times.  

IN THE COOP

This has been a very sad week in the coop, none, not one of the eggs under Little Grey hatched.  She is still on the nest and pushing out a egg every once in a while.  I feel so bad for her, I have no one to blame, sometimes things like this happen and I have no reason why.  I have thought about everything I did and I think how I handled my part was right.  We have checked some of the eggs and they seem to have rotted.  I am not pushing her to get off the nest.  I am just hoping it will happen one day.  

Little peeps are doing good, they are becoming my buddies and letting me pick them up.  I really want to try and get these to be gentle birds, if one is a rooster it would help if he has knowledge of my handling him.  

The girls were kept in the coop one day during the rain and they seemed to fair well with the weather conditions.  I know they would rather be out but it was just too wet.  Little peeps are going out in the afternoons when the weather is good.

IN THE GARDEN

Garden is happy, may be a little too happy.  The bloody butcher corn is growing and the cucumber hills I put between the corn is looking as it it is going to work.  I wanted the corn to shade the cukes and give them a place to climb.  The garden is lush and green.  

Jersey Wakefield cabbages are starting to fill.  I am hoping to have a good cabbage crop this year.

Squash plants are in the blue barrels you see everywhere.  They seem to be so happy.  Tansy was planted in the corners of the garden, squash bugs were found on the tansy plants.  They were planted as catch plants for the bad bugs, I am hoping this will work.  

The snow peas have climbed unto the frame for the cold tunnel.  This is making for such an easy way to pick the peas.  The squash plants and starting to climb the tunnel and I have planted climbing spinach around the frame also.  I would like to have the tunnel covered by the heat of the summer with vegetation.

IN CLOSING

Learning is something we do everyday.  This week I purchased DE, I will be using this in the barn and coop, I also will be adding this to the feed of the flocks.  I have been told this is very good for the animals. This is a natural product and I look forward to good results.  

Now, what will be the next problem I will need to learn a fix for.  I hope it will be a simple fix but we all know in the garden, pasture and coop everyday is an adventure.  What will today bring?  Time will only tell.  Have a wonderful week!!! 

Triple Creek Farm, May 19, 2013

As I am oven canning the pineapple I dried last week,  I am thinking about the things I need to do to make the canning and freezing season easier for me. I love to make the pickles and do not feel as that is work.  I make a number of pickles which take days but I find it very interesting to watch the changes the cucumber makes and finally becomes a delicious pickle.

We made the provision run over to the valley Friday and someway I managed to visit my favorite grower in the valley.  Was chatting with one of the growers and talking about my plant history and would love to visit his grow houses and I was invited to come next spring for a day when the grow houses are just starting to bloom.  How exciting, I really do not think I have been in a grow house for about 15 years. That is one trip which will be on my calendar.  My friend has no idea how much he pleased me with opening his houses to me for a day.

IN THE KITCHEN

We have been busy sharing kefir grains, I had some picked up a week ago.  This week I mailed grains in milk to a farm in the valley.  I love sharing the grains for I am passionate about my kefir.  I really do believe it is good for you and I know when I get lazy, my body tells me you need kefir milk, I have learned not to argue with my body.

I made sourdough rolls, this new batch of starter is delicious.  The rolls turned out moist, tender and the taste was pleasant to the palette.  I am making  cauliflower soup, this is made with kefir but you may use the milk of your choice and I use cheddar cheese.  On a chilly May evening this is going to be a great treat.

I did dehydrate some of the radishes, they are quite tasty, have a hot kick to them but call you back to have more.

ON THE FARM

Mr. Bootsie is moving any pile of fallen trees which looks as if it could become a home for the foxes.  We have not seen them but I stay on the look out, I see Mr. Bootsie taking some additional walks around, I know he is looking for any animal action around the pasture and runs.  We have not let the goats out and they are missing their freedom.

IN THE COOP

The two little chicks are growing, starting to fly and eat everything in sight.  Scrambled eggs, oatmeal, grass and starter pellets.  Little Grey was set on Sunday with 5 pheasant eggs,  she refused to allow me to take away an egg she had laid.  Would not stay on the nest without it, so needless to say that egg is under her.  Tuesday, I added 13 hen eggs and yes, she still has her egg.  At this point there seems to be no others interested in hatching eggs but that could always change.

Mr. Bootsie is building another brooder box, which will be greatly needed.

We are continuing to gather a duck egg everyday, hen egg production is not as good.  Two hens setting have reduced the layers to 9 and the up and down temperatures have effected the laying .

IN THE GARDEN

I am still setting tomatoes, have a few more things to plant.  We removed half of the cover from the cold tunnel this week.  I would have taken it all of but the rain has come and I do not want to store it wet.  I will remove this after everything is dry, which will not take long when the sun comes out.

Pole butter beans are coming up.  snow peas are starting to show pods, sun gold tomatoes are starting to bloom.  I  just purchased some bush butter bean seeds in the valley, we planted but only 5 came up and I am going to replant.  String beans are up, they were fed and mulched just before the rain came in.  Bloody butcher corn is coming along,  I think I will work it as soon as the land allows.  After this rain, I will be putting in the cucumbers.

IN CLOSING

It seems we start every morning and work until sundown, doing chores which need to be accomplished.  I sometimes feel as if I am the most disorganized person in the world.  I know we have to deal with each event as it come up and planning is what you try but it may not work the way you thought it would.  I am much further ahead than I have even been in putting in the garden, taking care of the girls, but I will not say anything about spring cleaning and fixing good meals.  Time now to rotate to the summer schedule, in the garden early, come in the house or a shaded area in midday to work and late afternoon find other shady places to work.

OH, no, I am not complaining, this is my time of the year and I love it.!!!

Triple Creek Farm, May 4, 2013

This week has been an interesting time on the farm.  The garden is really starting to grow, the early garden has all been planted or it is just too late to add anything else as it will not produce.  The summer garden is being planted, with the temperatures turning cold again and the little seeds are staying the ground instead of having the sun pull them up to start growing.  The transplants are not showing signs of growing above the ground but I am sure the root systems are getting stronger with each passing day. The little peeps are moving around the brooder box and getting larger every day.  All was so peaceful here on the farm, we started seeing a fox early in the week.  By Friday morning, we knew we had a den of foxes within a 100 feet of the coop, even closer to the duck run and the ladies seen to be on alert all the time.  Life changed on our farm very quickly, we are now thinking about the threat of danger to our animals.

IN THE KITCHEN

I killed my sourdough starter back in the fall, well maybe I did not kill it, I may have ignored the need for it to be fed.  I was busy doing things, took it out of the fridge one day to warm up to make bread and oops, there is going to be no wonderful bread until a new starter is made.  I  work my sourdough with the kefir milk and mixed flours, Monday I took 2 cups of kefir milk from the fridge and let it come to room temperature, added 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour to the milk, covered with cheese cloth and set it in the greenhouse to start the process.  By 2 p.m. on Tuesday it was bubbling.  Oh, how I have missed having my sourdough bread, I never knew I could make the starter so easy with the kefir milk.  The Sourdough Starter has not always been this easy for me to make but I believe the kefir milk was a great asset as it is a fermented milk.

ON THE FARM

Mr. Bootsie has been busy cleaning up brush around the farm, the goats eat the wild blackberry vines and sapling trees.  He has been cutting them and taking them to the goat lot.  The moisture in the ground has made it quite easy to pull a lot of the vining plants, removing their roots at the same time.  These go into the goat lot for the Ladies to eat the vegetation and what is left after a few days are removed to the compost piles.

He went on total fox alter Friday.  They have a very large den under a pile of trees which were stacked when the drain field was put in.  There has been a ground hog living in there for a few years and with the activity we saw around the pile we assumed it was the ground hog again this season.  Friday morning, little foxes were spotted playing around the pile.  The day was spent working on removing the pile.  The thought was if we dismantle the pile and close the burroughs they were using to come and go maybe they would leave.  Saturday morning, all seemed clear, by Saturday afternoon we knew there was going to be another day of fox determent and new approach.  With promised rain, Monday- Wednesday or Thursday, I am not sure how this will be addressed but this is a priority for us.

IN THE COOP

Baby peeps are getting bigger, I never knew 2 little peeps could make a hen so proud.  They are now eating scrambled eggs, oatmeal and chick starter.  There is another broody, one of Aurora's little peeps from last year is wanting to start her own little family.  I will looking for eggs to set under her this week.  The ducks are just happy swimming in their pond and hunting food all of the time.

IN THE GARDEN

Saturday afternoon, I found an Italian pepperoncini pepper large enough to pick, there are many more little ones coming on this plant.  One of these early producers always puts a smile on your face for there is hope for a good season in the garden.  The green beans are just laying in the soil, awaiting a warm day, to bring them forth.  Radishes are large enough to start pulling.  Moles are having dinner on the spring onions, the walking onions are showing signs of scapes getting ready to develop.  Strawberries blooming, blackberries and raspberries are showing plenty of foliage.  Potatoes are looking good and the peas have started climbing.  I saw the first male bloom on a squash plant on Thursday.

IN CLOSING

I know the warm weather is on the way, I hope we have a little late spring this year, I would enjoy working in the garden without the intense heat of summer so early in the season,  I am pleased with the development of our garden and I hope things continue to be promising for a good season.  One never knows what will happen.  We never thought we would be on fox alert, one of the first things you need to learn when farming is you can change directions in a moment's notice.  There will be no afternoon walks for the girls, they enjoy getting out of the runs so much and working in our woods finding treats but this is just too dangerous at this time.  We never allow them to range without us being there but I have a fear we cannot be with all of them.  My girls mean so so much to me and I really do not want to loose one of them to a fox.  We feel the runs are safe and we are checking them on a regular basis, they are a fence and fences need to be checked for damage.

From the weather reports and looking at the wild blackberry plants, Blackberry Winter is here.  There will be fire in the wood stove, a pot of hearty stew and rain to nourish the garden and pastures.  I will be hustling trying to get a number of plants in the garden.  After Blackberry Winter, which I enjoy as much as Indian Summer, I look forward to a wonderful growing season for all.  

Triple Creek Farm, April 27, 2013

I, like you, read blogs or posts of others.  This week a post on making Violet Blossom Jelly really caught my interest.  You know, those little purple flowers, oh, I mean weeds that grow in your yard and should be dug up and killed.  Shared this recipe with Mr. Bootsie only to find him in our violet laded woods collecting blooms.  I learned a great lesson, this is good tasting, a lovely color which will brighten up any morning when you are down needing a lift, but once again we have found a use for something many others are throwing away. A little research tells me the leaves can be used as a salad green.  This being earth day this past Monday I thought it was only fitting to say we are doing are part to save the earth.

IN THE KITCHEN

Things are quiet in the kitchen as the jelly was about the only project this week.  Making the jelly reminded me, I need to organize the pantry.  So this will go on my calendar for the next rainy day.

ON THE FARM

Mr. Bootsie is clearing out brush as he takes everything to the goats to gleam the green leaves.  This is helping to open up new land as well as giving the goats the roughage they need to eat.  I took all 4 of the girls out to work in the woods the other afternoon.  They did wonderful, no leads and they stayed in a group walking with me.  All of a sudden they turned and started heading back to the barn.  When we arrived Mr. Bootsie had their evening meal ready for them.  They went into the barn without any issues.  This was the first really good day taking them all out together.  I will be doing more of this in the future.

IN THE COOP

Just like clockwork, the little peeps were born on Tuesday.  We now have 2 little ones,  they were not the little yellow chicks everyone thinks of. They were dark grey.  Our little momma hen is doing a wonderful job taking care of her babies.  Aurora, who hatched chicks last year, has been staying close to the brooder box.  Letting me know we have upscaled since last year.  I am wondering if she is going to want to hatch some chicks this year.  If you are missing the egg count just check the egg production page at the top of the blog.

IN THE GARDEN

Garden is really coming together.  Most of the early garden is installed, with a promise of rain on Monday and Tuesday.  Peas are starting to climb, radishes and beets growing.  Potatoes need to have more soil pulled up on them.  Strawberries are blooming, raspberries and blackberries are growing.  Blackberry winter will be coming shortly, that is about the last cold snap and it comes when the blackberries are blooming.  I need to start a few more seeds and up pot some things I have in starter pots.  I like a strong root so I try not to plant from the starter pots.  I think the plants have a better chance of surviving the temperature changes spring brings us each year.

IN CLOSING

Saturday, we planned to go to a Garden Festival,  the Powhatan-Goochland Master Gardeners presented the fair.  The location was the campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds, Goochland, I must say I was impressed.  There were vendors who sold plants, master gardeners had some interesting selections, and the horticultural department offered a selection of very different plants, as well as bedding plants. Everything looked very well maintained, the prices were very affordable and yes, this will be on my calendar for next spring or anytime I hear there is a sale at the campus.  We supported local groups, helped the school clean out the greenhouse and brought home some treasures.  This was a great ending for our week, now on to next week, who knows what that will bring!!!