Becker Farms

Website & New Blog

2010-01-09T23:28:00.002-05:00

If you're looking for the Becker Farms website you can find it at www.BeckerFarmsMI.com.

If you're looking for the new blog you can find it at www.marriedtothefarm.wordpress.com.

My Blog Is Moving...

2009-10-05T21:50:00.004-04:00

I've been working on a new look for my blog. Since Blogger wasn't really letting me do some of the things I wanted to (like have pages for certain topics) I decided to switch to Wordpress.

From now on I'll be posting over at http://marriedtothefarm.wordpress.com/. This page will stay up for awhile as a jumping off point but please change your links for updated posts. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but I think it will be worth it.

I posted some new pictures of what's going on around the farm so head on over and check it out! I hope this is a step in the right direction...

Funny Vegetables

2009-09-27T16:54:00.004-04:00

Check out this monster tomato!! It was the highlight of my morning. I've been canning for 12 hours now! Luckily, I'm done with the hard part. Now I can sit back and relax and just switch out the canner every so often. Yahoo!

These are my pitiful little onions...I'm still not sure exactly why they flowered instead of growing. They are so cute that I almost don't mind except that they're already gone! Don't they look almost like little purple light bulbs?

The Bottomless Bucket of Tomatoes (sigh)

2009-09-26T21:13:00.003-04:00

It may never end! Okay, maybe it will, but I'm afraid it won't be this weekend. A batch of spaghetti sauce with meat calls for 30# of tomatoes. I already used approximately 30# from our garden and got 12 pints out of it instead of the 9 that the book says. I have enough left from our garden to do 1 more batch. The neighbors, Brian's aunt and uncle, offered him what was left in their garden. He brought home one basket full that turns out to be just shy of one batch worth - and there is probably one or two more batches left down there. So add that all up and I have a minimum of 3 batches left to do, assuming I get to them before they rot.

The hard part is not the actually canning it is prepping the tomatoes. There are so many different ways to do this but here's what I've been doing:

Put a few tomatoes in boiling water for 30 second to a minute.

Scoop them out and in to a pot of cold water with ice in it.

Pick them out one at time and peel off the skins with my fingers. They slip off quite easily.

I take a knife and cut of the top or scoop out the top and the bit of green inside (it depends, some of the smaller ones don't have much to scoop out).

Then I tear them in half (like an orange) and use my finger to scrape out the seeds. If it is a very small tomato I just squeeze it in my fist to squish out the seeds and liquid.

All the good parts go in a big pot. I feed the rest to the chickens!

Fall Festival: My Favorite Fall Recipe

2009-09-24T13:26:00.003-04:00

Share your favorite fall recipe at LifeasMOM. All participants will be entered for a chance to win The Autumn Book by Susan Branch.

This is somewhat of a repost but I can't help it, the following truly is my favorite fall recipe. It is great because you eat it at all three meals and dessert.

This recipe came on the back of my electric bill and gives credit to Bernice Hass:

Apple Bread

1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 c chopped apples
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp sour milk (or buttermilk, I use a little milk and vinegar)
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Topping: 2 Tbsp butter, 4 Tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs & beat. Stir in sour milk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, & salt. Add chopped apples and nuts. Put in greased bread pan. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. MMmmm!

Fall Festival: Gone to the Dogs

2009-09-22T08:28:00.004-04:00

Now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear all about how you and your family amuse yourselves as the seasons change. Do you have special activities that you do with your kids? Are there certain movies that you watch during the fall? Do you have fall crafts, games, books or field trips that you enjoy? Share your favorite autumn vacation spots at Daily Dwelling.

Today's theme is all about fun. For me, the fun part of fall is feathering my nest by doing the things I shared yesterday. I also enjoy decorating my porch. I set out pumpkins and tie cornstalks to the porch posts. Dressing up is fun too, although I don't always do that now that I'm a little older. Last year I went up to the bar dressed as a hippie. It was great because I love to people watch and I could do a lot of it with those big glasses on!

For us, for now, our dogs are like our kids. So, one of the best parts about fall is watching them play and have fun. Good luck trying to rake with them around!

Fall Festival: Feathering your Nest

2009-09-20T22:35:00.004-04:00

How will you be feathering your nest for Fall? What do you to get ready? Decorations? Winterizing? Stocking Up? Preserving Fall Produce? Harvesting Said Fall Produce? Cleaning? Organizing? Overhauling your Calendar? Whatever you do to ready your Home and Hearth for the new season, we want to know about it at Hoosier Homemade where Liz is offering up a fun giveaway of sewn fabric pumpkins to fall-ify your home.

Fall is one of the busiest seasons around our farm, tied only with Spring. This year I'm welcoming Fall with open arms and have been enjoying the tasks that come with the season. Here are a few things we do to prepare for the colder months:

At the top of the list, canning is in full swing. I'm putting up corn, tomatoes, and apples all within the next few weeks.

As the garden offers up the last of the vegetables it is time to clear away the dead plants and prepare for spring. I've been weeding one last time, then I'll spread some compost and mulch the whole thing with straw. The garlic goes in and dormant plants (strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb) can be transplanted.

Last week I dug out the flannel sheets and installed the electric blanket on our bed. Nothing says fall better than that!

We're reducing our outdoor chores as much as possible. The turkeys have moved to the freezer, the ewes are off being bred, several steers are ready to go to market, and we culled all the young roosters in order to save on feed. We'll be busy preparing winter quarters for the animals that have been on pasture all summer.

Brian and our neighbors are preparing to harvest the fields. They took a part off the combine tonight to have it repaired. Our neighbors hauled in the first of their sugar beets last week and soybeans will probably come off in about 2 weeks.

On our to-do list all of the outdoor projects have gone to the top of the list. I stripping and refinishing a cabinet now while I can still open the windows for fresh air and the landscaping needs to be finished.

I'd love to hear what you're up to now that fall is knocking at the door.

Fall Blogging Festival

2009-09-20T22:28:00.003-04:00

Where did the summer go? Autumn begins next week. Well, Fall is one of the best times of year, anyway. So, let's make the most of it!

Why not celebrate, plan ahead, exchange great ideas, traditions, and recipes? Join us for a great week of autumn-themed festivities. Five blogs, five days, five great ways to welcome the change of seasons.

It sounds like anyone with a blog is welcome to join in the fun. If you miss Monday there is still plenty of time to participate! Just post a bit about the festival and link to each hosting blog. I'm enjoying the thought of fall this year and am glad to share in the fun!

Monday - Feathering Your Nest
How will you be feathering your nest for Fall? What do you to get ready? Decorations? Winterizing? Stocking Up? Preserving Fall Produce? Harvesting Said Fall Produce? Cleaning? Organizing? Overhauling your Calendar? Whatever you do to ready your Home and Hearth for the new season, we want to know about it at Hoosier Homemade where Liz is offering up a fun giveaway of sewn fabric pumpkins to fall-ify your home.

Tuesday - Falling For Fun
How do you and your family amuse yourselves as the seasons change? Special activities with the kids, movies you watch, crafts, games, field trips, great vacation spots, books to read? Tell us some great ways to kick up our heels at Daily Dwelling.

Wednesday - Fall Traditions
What does your family do every year? A fall vacation? Apple picking? Watching the leaves turn? A visit to the Pumpkin Patch? Special foods? Special events that you always observe? Share your family's fall traditions at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free where participants will have a chance to win a set of 3 Wilton Baking Racks.

Thursday - A Special Fall-Themed Ultimate Recipe Swap
Share your favorite fall recipe at LifeasMOM. All participants will be entered for a chance to win The Autumn Book by Susan Branch.

Friday - Finer Things of Fall
What are the good things you enjoy about Fall? Tells at Amy's Finer Things. Participants will be entered to win a set of fall-themed scrapbook stickers and journaling boxes.

The Ewes Have A Date...

2009-09-19T22:30:00.003-04:00

Today we took our flock of 7 ewes and ewe lambs to meet their new boyfriends. We split them up over 3 different rams based on who would best compliment each one's physical features. The stocky, big ewes went in with stylish, finer boned rams and vice versa. It made for a long day since the handsome bachelors live almost 2 hours away.
We made a lot of stops on the way back too. We ordered a new back door for the house so that when the builder comes back to install the new front door he can do them both at once. That will be soooo nice. It is hard to juggle paying off our debt with cash flowing the farm and fixing up the house all at the same time. I'm glad we can still fit in some improvements here and there.
We had a gift card for Cracker Barrel so we had dinner there - we even got my Mom and sister to come with us so that was nice. I'm tired, off to bed. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

5 Roosters = Soup

2009-09-17T20:32:00.004-04:00

Last night we took our 2 remaining turkeys and 5 roosters to the processor. The roosters were all Barred Hollands from the batch of heritage breed chickens I ordered in the spring. I had high hopes for the heritage breeds but the Barred Holland is not a winner in my book. The roos are very aggressive, much like the Barred Rock rooster that we gave away to our neighbor last year because he was beating up all the other birds. I watched them for quite awhile during feeding and the Holland roosters would grab feathers out of the other birds for no reason at all. The Buckeye hens were taking a real beating because they are so docile. I'm very happy with the Buckeyes and the Buff Chanteclers so far, more on that some other time.

I googled how to cut up a chicken and studied several of the results. Last time I attempted to cut up some hens it didn't go well. This time I removed both legs and both wings, then I cut the birds through the ribcage on each side. I discarded the back and neck and kept all of the other pieces to make canned chicken soup with. The five young roosters yielded 5 quart Ziploc bags of pieces. I removed all of the skin except that on the wings so it will be easy to pick the meat off later.

BTW, the computer is fixed (at least for now) so we're now back to regular programming. I've been a little unplugged from technology this week and strangely enough, I'm enjoying it. I've been trying some new organizational techniques to help me stay on track around here. So far, so good. Staying on top of things is so much easier than constantly trying to catch up but it still takes a lot of time.
Have you ever canned soup? Cut up chickens? If not, what are you canning or preserving right now?

If I'm Not Here...

2009-09-14T13:55:00.002-04:00

If I'm missing it will be because our computer got a virus last night. Hopefully it will be fixed tonight and back to me tomorrow but if I'm gone for awhile, that's why. So long for now!

Onion Confusion

2009-09-13T16:15:00.003-04:00

I planted onions in the spring...

So apparently I've been having a blond moment for the last several weeks now. I've been excited to collect seed from whatever garden plants I can. My onions sent up nice big flowers that now have thousands of seeds in them. I thought great, yippee, I get to save some onion seed. Ummm, no. Well, yes, I get some onion seeds. But no freakin' onions!! I pulled them up today and the aren't much bigger than the sets I planted.
Duh, I guess I should have thought about that. Apparently onions are not supposed to flower in their first year and if they do the bulbs will be very small. The bulbs also won't store well since they have been pierced where the flower stalk pushed up. The only explanation I can find for this is extreme temperature fluctuations during the growing seasons. Yep, we've got that going on here in Michigan.
So what do you think? Has this happened to you? Am I missing something? Is this more likely to happen when you grow from onion sets? I'm so bummed.

Well, We're Back

2009-09-09T22:21:00.006-04:00

Very long, but covers the last 2 days...

So we did have a good vacation, it was just shorter than we wanted. We visited Shipshewana on Tuesday. It was nice but the flea market was mostly junk. I heard it is a lot better earlier in the season. The little shops were neat to visit. I thought it would take 2 days but we were ready to leave well before lunch time. We stopped by McGrew Tractor Parts. Brian walked around and looked at tractors and equipment for quite awhile. I was happy as a clam knitting in the truck. I even found the Dave Ramsey Show on the radio.

We drove over to Michigan City and somehow drove right past all the hotels, well within a block of them, without realizing it. We ended up downtown and then we drove along the coast for a long time. We were having fun but it was like something out of a movie. There was nothing for miles. Then we found a sign for the town of "Dune Acres". It was more like Green Acres. There was a nice little town clerk in a sheriff type uniform and you couldn't even get to the actual town because the roads were private. Yet it was in the woods/dunes so not very fancy.

Anyway that guy gave us a map and we found our way back to the hotels in Michigan City. We went out for a nice dinner and stopped at a little ice cream shop for dessert. Today is my birthday so that was a nice way to celebrate. Brian wanted to get me something but I talked him out of it since there are 3 different knitting classes I plan on taking this fall and those are expensive. That'll be a nice present. :)

So then things took a turn for the worst. We got a call about 8 AM this morning from our neighbor. He said one of our ram lambs wouldn't eat and was just laying around. We talked about it and considered our options and finally decided we should go home. We got back around 2:45. The ram was flat on his side and breathing heavily. Unfortunately it was the ram we planned to put in with our ewes for breeding this weekend. After calling our normal vet (out of town) and a backup (out of the office) we hauled the ram to a third vet.

The vet gave him a poor prognosis. We opted for blood work which showed that our ram's kidneys were failing. At that point he was suffering and so we had the vet euthanize him. It was very weird for me to be on the other side of that. Usually I'm the one reassuring the owners while they say goodbye, not the one petting the animal and feeling so bad!

At first the vet thought he was afflicted with clostridium toxicity. We vaccinated him against the disease but I don't think we ever boostered the vaccine so he may not have been protected. However, after doing bloodwork the vet said it was much more likely that the ram ingested a toxic substance from a plant or his feed. Clostridium would have affected the liver and not just the kidneys.

We're at a loss as to what kind of toxic he may have ingested. He is fed hay that we personally cut, baled, and stacked. All of the animals get hay from the same field and are fed the same corn. All of the sheep get the same pelleted supplement and his came from a fresh, dry bag with no mold. Both of our ram lambs have been in a box stall so they were not even out on pasture where they could have chewed on a poisonous weed.

Also, one of our 3 turkeys died while we gone. No obvious reason. I've always heard turkeys were hard to keep alive but these ones were pretty much full grown and have been fine.

To top it all off, when we arrived home after disposing of the ram his new marking harness and halter had arrived and were waiting on the back step. I guess I'll put it away for another year. We'll be taking our flock to another farm for breeding this year.

I'm sorry to be such a downer. Tonight I told Brian I think I'm ready for a vacation - ha ha! On the bright side, our neighbors did take good care of everything while we were gone. Someone even mowed our lawn! That was a great welcome home gift. :)

I took a walk around the farm to remind myself how good we have it. That's were the pics came from.

Vacation: Days 2 and 3

2009-09-07T23:54:00.003-04:00

After the tractor pull on Friday night we followed my cousin and her husband in to Indiana. We had enjoyed the pull with them and had made plans to visit some friends together for the weekend. Our friends in Indiana moved there a couple years ago to join their family business, McCoy Dairy Farm. Brian and my cousin's husband had fun talking to the guys, touring the farm, and helping out where they could. Since my cousin is due to deliver her first baby in October and our friend recently had her 4th child us girls had plenty to talk about too. It was really refreshing to see a dedicated Mom in action who manages to balance work on the farm with parenting. She's my new role model! :)

I was really interested in the farm too. That barn in the picture is new - can you believe how wide it is!? Here's the very best part...those of you who have read about my desire for a milk cow will understand. They. have. a. miniature. jersey. cow. Her name is Elaine and I'm in love. First I got to pet her - and then I got to milk her!!! I wish I had taken pictures but I didn't want manure and iodine all over my camera. I spent awhile (maybe an hour?) in the milking parlor helping out. I've always been interested in milking cows so it was fun to try it. It seems like the type of job a person could get very efficient at with practice which is what I like. I told Brian I know where we're going to move if we ever have to rely on my income over his. I'd love to work for a vet down there!

That is all hay behind Brian. The picture doesn't do it justice - it was like a wall of hay in all directions.

I think Brian could have stayed all week and I was really enjoying visiting and, I admit, holding the baby. As the weekend progressed Brian and I found more and more things we had in common with our friends there so it was great to talk with them. However, the whole goal of taking a vacation was to spend time together just the two of us with no farming to get in the way. We headed out late Monday afternoon...

More to come soon!

Vacation: Rough Start

2009-09-07T22:55:00.012-04:00

We worked and worked and stayed up late on Thursday so we could get out of here Friday morning. We planned to leave by "10 or 11" and pulled out of the driveway at 11:05. Typical! We left separately, me with the horse trailer and a ewe we were going to drop off at the breeder's and Brian with the pickup we were dropping off to be worked on while we were gone. I went to the bank, he made a few stops, and we met up at his uncle's (he is our mechanic).
I parked on the road and got out to check the ewe. I opened the side door on the trailer and was surprised that the ewe didn't startle and jump up. It took me a few seconds to realize why. She must have put her front feet up on the manger (4ft tall) and got her left front foot stuck in a big gap where the manger had rusted out. To make it worse, she tried to get down and ended up in an almost sitting position, essentially hanging from her foot with it way above her head and her toe pointing at the ground, thus make a hard angle at the last joint. I jumped in a straddled her, trying to pick her up so she could free her self. I started yelling for Brian to help and when he got in he was able to pull her foot out.
She would not stand and was shaking, obviously traumatized. I petted her for a few minutes and tried to calm her down. We were only 2 miles away from our next stop so we continued on. At Brian's stepsister's house we stopped. I was supposed to trim her pony's feet. Turns out the pony didn't want to be caught so we didn't get it done. We opened up the trailer and got the ewe to stand but she would barely put weight on her injured leg. She was in no condition to go see the ram so we headed back home. We parked the trailer in the shade, left out some bute (pain medicine) for our neighbors to give her, and put food and water in with her. I hated to leave her but we were running way behind and like Brian said, there really wasn't much I could do at that point. I will say that a newer trailer just moved up on our list.

Our next stop was Wind Racer Farm in Charlotte, Michigan. The farm's co-owner, Violet Hickey, had contacted me recently to say that she had some Blue Slate and Bourbon Red turkeys ready to go to a new home. The turkeys look great and we really enjoyed visiting the farm and talking with Violet and her family. If you're looking for local food in her area I would look her up for sure. We still have not decided if the turkeys are right for us. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to branch out in to heritage turkeys with the hope of breeding our own. On the downside we would have to feed and house them all year. I'd love your thoughts on this!

Oh and pictured here is one of Violet's Buckeye hens with chicks that she hatched herself!

On to Ohio! We rolled in to the Fulton County Fair just in time for the truck and tractor pull. Our friend Rob Foster runs Simply Red so we had fun cheering him on. Of course Brian likes it a little more than me but I finished up one sleeve on my latest baby sweater while I was watching! :)

Next stop: a dairy farm! :) Stay tuned for less talk, more pictures, and a lot more fun!!

NO Knitting Allowed :(

2009-09-02T19:54:00.003-04:00

Warning: Lots of whining ahead...

I'm sure I'm not the only one who always feel even more stressed than normal just before a vacation. We still have a list a mile long of things that NEED to be done before we go even though we've been cracking away at it all week. Okay I say we loosely, mostly Brian has been busting his butt. I did help stack a bunch of hay last night, in my defense. ;)

So I made myself this rule...absolutely no knitting and no Ravelry surfing until the house is as clean as I want it to be before vacation. That means pretty much no knitting tonight! Which would be a whole lot easier if I hadn't just picked up my special order yarn for a an upcoming wedding present to be knitted. Oh, and finding a deal today on the yarn I need to make 3 more Christmas presents didn't help either.

(Can't you hear the yarn, "Knit me!! Knnnnnittt me!")
(And yes, that is blogger in the background. I can be lame if I want :P)

I'm not only a little overwhelmed with the to-dos and don'ts but also feeling physically queasy. I've had fast food for 3 of my last 4 meals (!) and I just spent $30 at the grocery store buying all the "convenience foods" that I never buy so that we won't have to eat out for lunch on our trip. Easy Mac, granola bars (I wasn't going to kid myself and say I'd make them between now and Friday morning), Little Debbie snacks (they were 4 for $5 after all), chips, MICROWAVE popcorn (I can feel my arteries clogging), Nutri-grain bars (those are healthy right!?), oh, and applesauce. In cups with foil lids. Are you feeling like this is the blog post from hell yet?

Oh, crap, hubby is home. I'd better quit whining and feeling sorry for myself and get something done so I can spend 5 minutes with him before we both crash! TTFN, and don't worry, I'll have much more positive things to say in a couple more days! :D

We've Got Milk!

2009-08-31T19:58:00.005-04:00

And no, Brian did not buy me a cow. The lovely folks at Hampshire Farms gave us a call awhile back and announced that they had A)finally started a very small cow share program and B)had a drop off location just down the road from us! I've looked in to other cow share programs and even beg Brian regularly for a little Jersey of our own. You can read about all of that in my Real Milk? post.
This cow share is truly the best setup possible for us at this time. We got a first gallon 2 weeks ago. I poured the cream off and made butter. Has anyone else tried the trick of making butter out of heavy cream by shaking it in a jar? You know how it takes forever? Well... real, fresh cream doesn't take forever. In fact, I barely had time to pull up a blog while shaking and I heard a thump. Holy cow, my butter was already done!
I'm just going to drink this gallon since we won't have much time to make anything with it before vacation. In the future I'd like to try yogurt and even cheese.
If you're local and you'd like to join the program I can put you in touch with Hampshire Farms.
Do you have any good recipes or creative ways to use raw milk?

A Weekend's Work

2009-08-31T08:51:00.004-04:00

This is what I accomplished over Saturday and Sunday...

33 quarts of pears in all. They are chuck full of pears too since I hot packed them, the only one with much free space is that one there in the front since it was my last jar. Yesterday was my Grandma's birthday so I took 3 quarts back to her (they're from her tree!).

When pears were finally done I literally ran to my knitting...I was having withdrawals. I whipped up this little booty for my friend Maria. One more to go and I can seam them up and they'll be done.

I hope you had a great weekend. Back to work today for me. We'll be busy getting things done around here all week and then Friday morning we head out for vacation!! Wahoo!

Peaches, Pears, Beans, Oh My!

2009-08-29T11:26:00.009-04:00

My Mom came last weekend and helped with the peaches, I think we got 19 quarts in all. That was from 1 1/2 bushels of "seconds" peaches and I would guess we lost about 1/2 bushel of them to rotten spots and bruises. I picked 2 bushels of pears at my grandma's on Sunday. The blueberries in our area are done already but there happened to be a blueberry farm near my grandma's that was still open so I stopped and picked almost 5 pounds of blueberries. Then I swung by our friends' house on the way home and picked a 5 gallon pail full of green and yellow beans. They said take all I wanted but that was plenty for me!!
Today is the day to catch up on all of this. I might renew our Netflix for the season so I can watch instant movies while I sit here peeling and slicing.

Have a great Saturday. Are you canning anything this weekend?

Thoughts on Marriage after One Year

2009-08-23T12:55:00.003-04:00

Can you believe it has been a year already!? That's what Brian said to me this morning and he is right, this year just flew by. Lately, I've had a chance to take part in a lot of conversations with my friends about marriage. We all agree that we get so tired of everyone acting like things are perfect or, at the other end of the spectrum, of people getting divorced after only a few months or years. A lot of us younger couples never get to hear much about those who have struggled through things and managed to stay together. Of course, people say "marriage is so hard" but that doesn't help much. Without going in to a lot of detail, I'd like to share a few of the things Brian and I have learned in our first year of marriage.

Dealing with the hard times...
-Don't just think you'll never get divorced, you'll live happily ever after, and that's that. If you had asked me last year if divorce would ever cross my mind I would have said absolutely not unless there was cheating or abuse involved. Let me tell you, I had serious doubts this year that I never saw coming.
-Sure, some couples are "perfect". But I guarantee you, if you open up to your close friends about marriage issues you will find out that many, many couples go through more serious rough patches than you had ever guessed. Our issues paled in comparison to some of the things my friends had gone through, and I felt so much better knowing that a lot of other people have struggled too.
-Fight!! Please, please, just fight! Okay I don't mean scream and yell and definitely don't start slapping. If something is on your mind - tell your spouse. If a topic comes up in conversation and you feel uneasy - let him (or her) know. Don't just let it go and build and build. I used to think all the little spats we have were a sign of a poor relationship. Now I feel like that is all part of working things out. I've seen more than one friend keep everything bottled up and when they finally let it out it was much, much harder to deal with and recover from.
-Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice. It is hard to tell what is going on when you're so involved. Go to a pastor or an older couple and ask for their thoughts. We have avoided discussing our marriage too much with our own parents and friends who might judge just because their opinions might be too biased. ;)

Enjoying the good times...
-We started a new thing a few months ago that I really, really like. Almost every night we turn off the TV and computer, sit down the knitting or paper, and just talk to each other. It sounds silly but we really didn't give each other a lot of undivided attention until we made a point to. Even 5 minutes makes a difference. We just level with each other about how we're feeling and if things are going right or not.
-Do what the other likes. I've sat through a lot of tractor pulls (not that I don't enjoy them but they aren't my first choice for entertainment) and Brian has listened to me ramble on about my garden and my blog. Do what you both like too (for us it's relaxing on the front porch or going to the rodeo).
-Laugh together! I love it how we both try to impersonate a funny thing the cat did that the other person missed. We can't help but laugh when Brian is running around the house in his underwear and cowboy boots with a cookie sheet in hand trying to kill one of our many bat invaders.
-Ask each other's opinion. I am so in awe of Brian sometimes when I expect a smart remark and he gives me a serious, thoughtful response instead. At the same time it feels really good when he says, "What do you think we should do?" and values my feedback.

Overall...

I think we're more in love than ever. We're truly best friends, and are very well matched. Last night we went out for our anniversary. Brian confessed, "Umm... I still haven't got you anything." Oh thank God!! I had spent the last hour on Google trying to figure out what I could make/buy/do for him since I hadn't thought of anything yet either. We went out to eat and drove past the movie theater on the way home. "I had halfway thought of asking if you wanted to see a movie..." I trailed off. "...yeah, there wasn't much on when I checked earlier and..." he said. "...and I'd really much rather go home and relax" we decided. :)

We have done so much this year besides get married that I think we came through it very well. We've dealt with the barn fire, a lot of family issues that come with buying the home farm, starting a business (farming), fixing up the place, and stretching our budget to the max in order to avoid taking on any debt this year. Oh yeah, and remember I'm trying to learn how to grow and preserve most of our food while Brian runs in five different directions catching runaway cattle and fixing the semi. Maybe the best recommendation would be to live in an apartment the first year (with maybe just a cat), work 1 job each, and go to the grocery store more. ;)

I hope you got something out of this, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on marriage.

P.S. Sorry no "new" wedding pics, I'm trying to dig some up but they're all copyrighted with the photographer so I'll have to ask about that.

It Has Begun...(drumroll please)

2009-08-19T17:37:00.005-04:00

What is IT? Canning season that is. And no, that's not why I've been missing. I've been missing because my blogging addiction has given way to a Ravelry addiction which has led me to begin knitting everyone's Christmas presents now, while I'm still motivated and sort of have the time.

I promise to post more soon. My order of peaches came in tonight which will lead directly in to apple and tomato seasons which might clash slightly with the vacation to who knows where that we're taking the week of Labor Day. That will all keep me busy but it will give me lots of blog worthy material too.

I leave you with this. Anyone who can tell what it is gets an imaginary pat on the back from me. :)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-10T14:14:00.004-04:00

Okay here goes:

Monday: Cornmeal waffles with bacon and fried zucchini

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes for Brian, hot dogs for me, with chips and watermelon

Wednesday: Baked Rotini with homemade garlic bread

Thursday: Steak on the grill with seasoned buttered noodles

Friday: Going to my cousin's wedding - no cooking for me! :)

What are you eating this week?

Today's To-Do List

2009-08-10T09:21:00.003-04:00

Monday is my day off and I'm staying super busy! This is more for my purposes but in case you're interested, here's what is on my agenda:

-Can more green beans (they're on the stove now)
-Bake bread
-Call the builder
-Call the plumber
-Call on prices for an automatic cattle waterer
-Balance the checkbook/pay bills
-Find the title for a trailer we're selling
-Call the orchard to order peaches (Mmmm!)
-Scope out vacation destinations online (this is coming up fast!)
-Make the weekly menu plan
-Make granola bars if time allows
-Finish knitted baby shower gift and make progress on wedding gift

The bathroom needs to be painted and the landscape worked on but it is incredibly hot and humid/sticky so I won't be doing either of those things today. I'm hoping to bust through the rest of the list so I can just knit and work on the bread.

I'd love to hear what you're doing today! :)

Busy Day, We're tired

2009-08-08T20:54:00.003-04:00

So I may not have mentioned it yet but both Brian and I's moms are moving or planning to move. Brian's Mom has to be out of her house by the end of August. It isn't as bad as it could be since she moved out of there and in with her husband quite a few years ago. It has been really tough for her though because Brian's Dad and brother have both passed away and a lot of there stuff was in the house and had to be sorted through. We also had a lot of stuff left in the house from when we lived there before moving to the farm. If you haven't heard, Michigan's economy bites and almost no houses are selling. Someone actually came to Brian's Mom and made her a really good offer on the house - it wasn't even for sale. I think this is meant to be and I'll be so glad when it is done.

My Mom is planning to move closer to us next spring. Right now her and my little sister live about 45-60 minutes away from us. My sister will be graduating from high school next year. So far we haven't found a house for them but we're really hoping one will open up very close to us. I grew up with my Aunt right next door and loved going to visit. I keep saying I don't want to have to drive, when we have kids and they wear me out I want to say, "Go see your Grandma!!" and mean it. They're aren't many houses around us so we'll see what happens.

So all of this means that we needed to get all of our stuff out of both houses. Today was the day. My Mom and sister brought what was left at their house. They met me at Brian's Mom's house and helped me get the rest of the little stuff. Now all that is left is some furniture and a few things for Brian, plus he has to get stuff out of the shop there.

We worked at our house ALL DAY to organize the upstairs, haul everyone's old crap out, and move our stuff in. Every one in Brian's family left stuff in our attic. We tried to save some of the important things but at this point I feel like they should have come and got their things by now. Our porch is packed full of junk to go out to the trash. I hate throwing it all away but who is going to want a box of old waders, shoes, and mouse poop? We set aside anything salvageable to donate.

We did find a lot of cool pictures and old letters - I'll share more about that as soon as we have time to look through them. I'm so glad we're one step closer to make this house our home, instead of free storage for everyone else.

After that Brian and I moved 75 bales of hay in to the neighbor's mow. I almost never have to move hay anymore and it is HARD when you haven't been using those muscles. Then I took a shower and made another batch of homemade oreos. Now I'm going to check some blogs and knit until I fall asleep.

Have a great night! What cool things have you found in your house? Did you work hard today or get to relax?

Pressure Canning Green Beans

2009-08-03T09:46:00.008-04:00

I spent the day with my Mom yesterday and she taught me how to pressure can for the first time ever. I went in to this completely blind and was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was. Now I have a new skill to add to my list! Yay! Thanks Mom!

While this is in no way meant to be a guide to pressure canning I'll share a few pics and the basic process. That way if you find someone to teach you it won't be so mystifying.

The black pot has a strainer in it and boiling water. The silver one is the pressure canner with a few inches of water in the bottom. We snapped the beans in 2-3 inch pieces and removed the ends. Next, we rinsed them under cool water and put them in the black pot of boiling water. Once the water comes back to a boil they stay in for 5 minutes. At that point we pulled out the strainer, allowed the water to drain back in to the pot, and poured the beans in to the plastic strainer in the sink.

Then it is time to put the beans in the jars. I used the end of a wooden spoon to arrange them and filled them almost to the neck of the jar. The jars will get very HOT. Duh, but I'm a little slow.

You use the liquid from the black pot to fill the jars. Leave about 1 inch of headspace. Wipe the rim clean, then place the lids and rings on as usual.

Here's the fun part!! Put them in the pressure canner and secure the lid. We used the canner's owner's manual and the Ball canning book to figure out the specifics. For our canner we need moderate steam coming out of the little hole on top for 7-10 minutes. At that point we put the little weight on top of that hole. Stick with me here... each recipe calls for certain pounds of pressure. For our canner the piece with the black top equals 5 pounds and each silver ring is five additional pounds. So we put one ring on the black piece and set that over the steam hole. When the pressure reaches 10 pounds the steam comes out forcefully enough to rock the little weight back and forth. Once the weight starts rocking your processing time begins. I set the timer for 25 minutes.

When the time is up you just turn off the burner and wait. There is a little button thing on top of the canner that sticks up as long as it is holding pressure. When the button drops the pressure is gone. Then you can tip the weight sideways to check it. If no steam comes out it is safe to remove the lid. It took a very long time for the jars to cool, much longer than jam from what I remember. Therefore it also took a long time for them to seal.

By the way, 5# of grean beans from my garden = 4 full quarts. Not bad! :)

Do you pressure can? Isn't it fun!? What is your favorite food to pressure can?

County Fair Fun!

2009-08-02T19:54:00.008-04:00

These pictures aren't the greatest but I wanted to share all the fun things that happened last week at our county fair!

Our niece bracing her lamb.

Our other neice, Jill. Her sheep was being very stubborn and holding up the class but Jill handled it like a champ.

Jill setting her lamb's feet in the proper place. She ended up winning her class!
Our nephew showing in the Cloverbud class. The little ones are supervised by an older helper and no ribbons are awarded. It is a great way for them to learn.

The best part: my caramel apple!!

It is hard to tell in this picture but this steer weighs 1800 pounds!

Aren't the sheep cute in their pajamas!

We went up on Sunday night to see the animals and exhibits. Then we went back on Tuesday to watch our nieces show their sheep. They did great and I learned a lot from watching.

Do you attend your county's fair? What's your favorite thing to see or do?

More About That Sheep... Update

2009-07-29T08:19:00.004-04:00

This is a continuation of yesterday's post about a lamb we found dead. It might bore you but I thought some people might be interested in what we suspect to be the real cause of death, especially if you might raise sheep of your own someday.

We happen to have a relief vet at work this week so I shared my story of the dead lamb with her. She, of course, thought about it a little more logically than me. She pointed out that A)There is no way that all those intestines should have come out even if she had started a major coughing fit and B)Even if they did come out, that wouldn't have killed her. We hear about vaginal/uterine prolapses all the time and the cow or sheep simply lies there until the vet comes to put everything back in. The only way the prolapse itself would have killed that lamb is if there was a lot of blood loss or other trauma to those parts. I didn't see any blood or evidence of that when I found her.

So... what killed her? For that I called a nearby large animal vet that just loves these kind of stories. I gave him a brief history and told him how I found her. He agreed that she didn't die of the prolapse. The most common cause of these sudden deaths that he knows of is an internal abscess that suddenly ruptures. Say when she had her cough that there was infection in her lungs. Her body may have walled that off and build up a ton of white blood cells in the area. If she got to ramming around (excuse the pun) or kicking her feet up in the air the extra movement could have ruptured the abscess. Once all that infection was released in her body it would kill her quickly.

Then, when she died and her intestines quit pushing food through, the gas in her rumen (part of the stomach) built up and created a lot of pressure. Similar to how an animal on the side of the road bloats up. Since the muscles around her rectum were already weakened from when she was starting to prolapse before, that was the path of least resistance. Thus, the innards probably came out after she was already dead. We'll never know for sure what her actually cause of death was but I feel better knowing that I was right not to be concerned with the hint of a prolapse that she had before. The vet offered to open her up and look for an abscess somewhere. I think that would have been a great learning experience but I opted to go to the fair and cheer on our niece instead.

More on the fair later, just wanted to update on this first!

Disturbing Find and Thinking Like A Farmer

2009-07-28T07:54:00.003-04:00

***This post contains unpleasant details and is not for the weak.***

I had a very unpleasant surprise this morning as I made my rounds doing chores. I found one of our lambs - dead. She was the first lamb born on the farm. The cause of death was pretty obvious. She had prolapsed rectally, which basically means quite a bit of her intestines had come out her rear end. She developed a cough when she was quite young and as a result she put a lot of strain on the muscles that hold everything in. She would show a small rim of pink flesh around the rear occasionally. After moving the lambs out to pasture a few weeks ago things seemed to be getting much better for her. I haven't seen her cough for a good 2 weeks and there was no sign of a prolapse beginning. Last night she ate very well right along with the other lambs and acted very normal.

On one hand, I totally blame myself. I should have taken quicker action and treated her with supplements or found some way to eliminate this problem. On the other hand, I had every indication that the problem had solved itself. The thing that really gets me is to think that she must have been in a great amount of pain. I did chores last night before 7 PM and didn't go out there again until this morning. I don't think there is much I could have done had I found her alive but putting her down would have been more humane.

I can see a big change in my thinking since even last year. I love animals and I want them to have the most comfortable, healthy life we can provide for however long that may be. Now I'm learning to balance that with practicality and economics. Rectal prolapse is a known problem in show lambs and it is certainly not something I would want to breed for. If I had fixed this problem and wanted to sell the lamb I would have felt dishonest and sneaky for passing her along to someone else. She probably would have been headed for the dinner table at that point, which is one of the purposes of our herd anyway.

So, while this is a really sad start to the morning, I'm not bawling or feeling like a failure, which is good enough for me!! :)

Any similar experiences to share? How do you deal with having farm animals, if you do?

Freezer Cooking: Twin Meat Loaves

2009-07-27T19:46:00.005-04:00

Way back when I was looking for new post ideas the topic of freezer cooking came up. I think there was quite a bit of interest in that and yet I've never posted about it since, until now. I'll try to post some recipes from time to time under the heading and label "Freezer Cooking: ________". I thought I had already posted this recipe as a single loaf version but couldn't find it.

This recipe comes from Farm Journal's Country Cookbook. I got my copy from my Grandma's basement and I love it. It really is appropriate for the way we are trying to live and generally avoids "add in seasoning packet" or "3 cups Bisquick".

Twin Meat Loaves

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped carrot
2 lbs. ground beef

Break two eggs in a bowl and until well broken. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. You'll have to use your hands to get this done in a reasonable amount of time, or I guess maybe a hand mixer would work. Pack into two greased 7 1/2x4x2" pans - I used my narrow bread pans that come close.
Pop the pans in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. Once frozen, tap the loaves out on a plate or cutting board. Wrap well with tin foil. You could also use the plastic out of a cereal box along with brown paper if you're trying to cut back on foil. Label with black permanent marker: BAKE @ 350 f FOR 1 HOUR.

When you go to cook these you can drop them in the pans frozen and thaw them in the fridge that way. I've cooked them straight out of the freezer and they were still done in just over an hour. I actually cooked one for 2 hours when something happened with the sheep and I forgot about it. It didn't dry out or burn even after all that time so it is pretty much foolproof. I don't eat ground meat at all but hubby says this is one of the better meat loaves he's had, he really likes it.

I usually thaw a bunch of hamburger and make 6 or 8 loaves at a time. It is a great back up for a day when I'm out of ideas. Happy freezer cooking!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-27T08:04:00.003-04:00

This week is going to be a crazy one for me I think. We have a different vet filling in at work and although she is very good and friendly she takes a looooonnnggg time with each client so I'm prepared to stay late most nights. I also have Thursday off instead of Monday so that throws a wrench in things. We're taking the last of the colored rangers to be processed Tuesday night so Wednesday after work I'll be busy bagging and weighing them. I promise a full review on the birds once they are all done.

So here's what we're eating:

Monday: Brats (for Brian) and a little steak (for me) on the grill, chips, watermelon

Tuesday: Parmesan Baked Chicken, Baked seasoned potatoes

Wednesday: Chicken sandwiches and fries

Thursday: Homemade pizza and breadsticks

Friday: Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, chips, watermelon

Lunches will be mostly leftovers, yogurt with fresh, local berries, and sandwiches. For breakfast Brian likes eggs and I have muffins or toast. For dessert...well... we'll see if I get to that this week! :)

What are you eating? What is your week going to be like?

Free TV: Getting By Without Cable

2009-07-22T17:50:00.004-04:00

We haven't had cable or satellite TV service since we moved to the farm almost 2 years ago. Brian had satellite at the old house and when we moved we called and "suspended" it. The company offered to install it at the farm for us but we moved in the midst of harvest season and knew we'd be way too busy to watch much TV. As we approach another fall we both agree that life without a TV bill is totally doable.

The Digital transition really threw a wrench in things. We used to get 5, 12, 19, 25, 28, 46, and 66. After the digital transition we get only half of those plus their "extra" channels (19 now has 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, often all with separate programming). We can still get most channels but we have to adjust the antenna constantly depending on what we want.

We've developed a few strategies that help us deal with the "welfare TV only" lifestyle.

First, we subscribe to Netflix during the winter months when we aren't busy and are stuck in the house the most. We do the 2 at a time plan for $14.83 per month. Wayyy cheaper than cable. We keep a notebook in the living room and when we see previews that we like we jot down movies. That way we keep a good list going in Netflix and see all the "new releases" when they come out to rent. I've been very happy with Netflix service. If I put a DVD in the mail on Wednesday we have a new movie on Friday so we have new movies at least every weekend. Plus they have a lot of movies available instantly over the computer. They even offer a lot of hard to find, interesting documentaries. When farm work picked up again this spring I called and canceled our account. They will save our list so we can pick up where we left off as soon as I call them back.

The other lifesaver is our computer. We have a wireless router so the computer often sits here with me while I knit or can. Here are some of my favorite websites to watch "TV" on:

-The major television network websites are the most reliable and have most of the current shows available. I have had excellent luck with ABC.com and they are very good about adding the newest episodes right away.

-Try some of the cable channel websites too. I've been playing around on TLC.com lately. I really enjoy 18 Kids and Counting and Jon & Kate Plus 8 (does anyone else follow them, BTW? I'm a big fan and am so sad that their marriage is suffering!). The shows tend to take awhile to load and pause a lot but there is good content there if you can connect. They have a lot of educational type things too not just reality TV drama.

-Here's a new favorite: Hulu.com. You can watch a ton of The Dave Ramsey Show on there. Right now I have that running in another tab since it is mostly a talk show anyway. I highly recommend it.

I'm not so much encouraging you to get high tech or spend all your time on the computer. However, if you spend as many hours as I do sitting or standing doing one continuous job it is sometimes nice to have something else going on.

Enjoy!! Just think - if you're spending $45 a month on TV you could pay a different bill with that or sock it to your debt...

Any other ideas for cutting bills or living without paid TV?

What I've Been Doing

2009-07-20T18:15:00.000-04:00

I've been a little aloof lately and I apologize. It is one of those times where I want to post about everything but never get around to posting any of it.

I spent a lot of the weekend making invitations for my cousin's baby shower. I made the cutest ones to tie in with our frog theme. They are all done and mailed out - what a relief!

I also got the long garden almost completely weeded and mulched. All the is left are two empty spots where I didn't plant anything. I need to pull all the weeds and mulch those areas so they're ready for next year. Also, the corn is very weedy again and I think I need a hoe for it this time. It isn't growing very well (maybe due to weed pressure, maybe not enough rain) and I think I planted it a little later than my neighbors. Hopefully it will still produce enough corn to can and some popcorn for the winter.

I'm about berried out. Blueberries, cherries, mulberries, oh my!

I planted 50 strawberry plants awhile ago so maybe we'll have some of our own next year. So far they're doing good, just need to be mulched.

I've been knitting up a storm. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I'm now on Ravelry as MarriedToTheFarm. If you're on there look me up! I didn't think it would be nearly as cool as it is. I've been starting new projects left and right since we've got 2 weddings coming up plus it seems like everyone we know is pregnant. Of course Christmas is coming too and like Dave Ramsey says: Christmas is a craft this year. Homemade canned goods and/or knitted stuff for everyone.

Brian has been spending all his evenings and weekends working on the semi. It apparently didn't come with wet lines which is the part that allows it to work with a dump trailer. We haven't bought a trailer yet but he made arrangements to borrow a set of doubles for the wheat harvest. Brian and our neighbor, Ken, might get in to wheat this week! Once that is done we're going to tear down our old garage (it is so ugly!) and put up the new building for cattle. Things are rolling right along around here.

I'll try to get some new pics up soon so you can see all of this activity! Hope things are going well for everyone else, I'd love to hear what you're up to.

Honeymoonin' (again, but where?)

2009-07-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

So in honor of our fast approaching 1 year anniversary Brian and I have planned for a week off work in the fall. On our honeymoon we went down around Chicago to Moline, IL. We went for the John Deere tractors of course! While we did not get to tour the factory there were some good sights to see and we took a ride on the river (umm, the Mississippi? I don't know my geography...). Then we went through the bottom of Iowa and up to Wisconsin. We stayed in the Wisconsin Dells and visited some of the many water parks there. Then we rode the car ferry back across Lake Michigan and drove home. We got a late start and weren't gone the whole week but we had a great time.

I thought I'd share some pics since no one has ever seen most of them...

It is always hard to get away when there is so much to do on the farm. I'm tempted to just throw in the towel and say let's stay home instead. However, I know how we are and we WILL NOT relax and spend our time together if we're here, we'll find a project to work on, the cell phones will ring, and everyone will stop in wanting to buy hay or something. So we have to go somewhere.

Right now my only idea is to head out west a little and visit Mount Rushmore and the parks out that way. We want to drive so we have our own wheels and don't have to pay expensive airfare. We would absolutely love to incorporate some farm tours in to our vacation.

Does anyone have any ideas? What is good to do in the midwest or nearby? It doesn't have to be big or expensive. Last time I was hoping we'd find neat little stops along the way but we really didn't. I'd love your suggestions!

Good Day For A Ride

2009-07-13T20:12:00.000-04:00

Today was a great day for a horseback ride! After not riding at all yet this summer I went for a ride yesterday and today. It always seems like there are a million other things that should be done and it is a lot of work to hook up the trailer, pack up the saddle, load the horse, etc. However, it is so worth it when I finally get to settle down on my horse. I love taking in the scenery and chit chatting my friends.

In case you've never ridden a horse, here's a taste of how things look from the saddle...

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-13T19:56:00.000-04:00

Monday: Lil' Smokies + Rice

Tuesday: Sirloin Steaks + Baked Potatoes (on the grill)

Wednesday: Buttermilk Baked Chicken + Mashed Potatoes

Thursday: Homemade Chicken Nuggets + Fried Garlic Potatoes

Friday: Breakfast for supper (homemade waffles, bacon, hashbrowns, eggs)

I've decided just to list suppers for awhile. Our breakfasts are usually something from the stash of frozen muffins and pancakes or eggs and toast for Brian. Lunches are usually leftoves, a sandwich for Brian, a PB&J or hot dogs for me.

Dessert: So far it has been storebought Oreos for me - I'm feeling weak. Brian finished the No-Bake Cheesecake today. If I whip something up I'll post it.

What are you eating this week?

Neighbors

2009-07-13T10:01:00.000-04:00

"Hello?"

"Hey Ken, it's Brian. We're up north and the person who was going to check the animals tonight can't do it now. Is there any chance you could run down? Everyone should be fine except the chickens might need more water."

"No problem, you got it."

"Thanks so much, we really appreciate it."

The above conversation is one that we had with our neighbor and good friend over the 4th of July weekend. I know we have great neighbors but I'm still amazed at how great. Ken and his family have been very supportive since we moved here. Brian helps him as much as possible during harvest and then Ken brings his equipment and harvests our fields. We would really struggle without his help.
When our barn was burning, he was one of the first people I called (after 911 of course). Looking back, it is kind of funny. Ken ran out of the restaurant where he was eating breakfast with his wife and his brother, leaving them there. He flew in to our driveway in record time. Later, his wife and I cried together, with her remembering the dreadful day when their own barn caught fire.

Speaking of the fire, there were many people who helped that day. I remember two complete strangers pulling in, with their families in the car, and running to hook up hay wagons so Brian could stay on the tractor. Even the first police officer who arrived, seeing the situation, allowed us to keep pulling things out as long as we didn't go under the burning roof. One good friend from our church slipped a fifty dollar bill in Brian's hand that day. My cousin, her husband, Ken,and his brother all stayed late that night helped us put up a big tarp to protect our hay. That's them in the above picture. You really do find out who your friends are at times like that.

We have another set of great neighbors right around the corner. They'll borrow something, we'll borrow something. He even picked up my peaches from the orchard for me since I couldn't get there during business hours. Plus, our horses just love all the treats that they get over the fence.

I can't forget the neighbors across the section who called yesterday to say that they had a big bucket of berries for me. They are soooo good too. We know those neighbors pretty well since Brian is over there at least once a week, visiting or exchanging tools (okay, I should say drinking a beer instead of visiting). We have 700 bales of hay stored in there barn, and they've been asking us to bring some sheep over to graze there pasture for about a year now.

The other neighbors are the ones who inspired this post. He pulled in our driveway this morning and announced that he has something I can pick if I'd like. I think he said some kind of onion, I couldn't hear for sure. Pick every other one, he said, there is about 200 there so help yourself. I have to confess, I was a bit taken aback by him and his wife last year. After hearing we had asparagus, they pulled in, dropped some frozen sausage in my lap, proclaimed that was "for the asparagus", and proceeded out to my garden with buckets and scissors. Not knowing what to do, I sat in the house and watched out the window as they took what they wanted.

Nowadays, I understand. That's just how things work between neighbors!! :)

Do you have a great neighbor or a story to share about one?

They're chickens, not ducks!

2009-07-11T21:18:00.000-04:00

So the chickens are drinking so much in this hot weather that we drug the hose right out there. Every few days we drag it back and fill the other animal's big tanks. Tonight I went out and watered the chickens... then I came back up and we worked on the fence for about 3 hours. We finished it and weaned the lambs by putting them out on pasture and leaving the ewes in the garage. I'm hoping their milk will dry up this week - they won't get any grain and will have only old hay this week. The babies are crying but the moms don't seem to mind much right now.

Once the hard work was all done Brian went up to grab a pail of water for the lambs. Guess what? I had left the hose water on. For. 3. hours. Brian suggested I go check and see if they needed a life raft. They didn't, since there shelter was there raft surrounded by 2 inches of water on all sides. I knew I put a floor in that thing for a reason!! Too bad the flooding wasn't Mother Nature's fault instead of mine. What a waste. The good part is that the water will absorb overnight and the chickens were enjoying running through it.

A lot of money could be made if someone would invent a buzzer that sounds after the hydrant is on for a certain amount of time. When I used to keep my horses at my Dad's he finally made me hang my truck keys on the hydrant when I turned it on so that I couldn't leave without checking it. Anyone have a similar idea for watering at home? Anyone else make this mistake or forget something else and cause waste in the process? C'mon - make me feel better, please!

Notes About Sheep

2009-07-11T07:53:00.000-04:00

This is kind of long but I want to share some of the things I've learned about raising sheep since acquiring my first two lambs about 15 months ago. I've tried to break it up by topic so you can find what you're interested in.

Right now I can sum up my feelings about sheep pretty easily: I love sheep, but sometimes I don't. Why, you ask? Sheep are a better alarm system than any dog or machine. They are still in their pen in the old garage which is way too close to the house. They have hay and fresh water in front of them at all times but twice a day we give them grain. They expect us to grain them before we do anything else in the morning. We tiptop from our bedroom to the other end of the house in the dark to avoid waking them. If you let the dogs out at 5 or 6 AM you better be very quiet and hope the dogs stay in the front yard. At the first sign of life from us, including the dogs running by their pen, it starts.

Bah.............bah. Bah?
Bahhhhhhhh. Baahhhhrrrrrhhh.
BAHHHHHHH!!!!!! BAHHHHHHHH!!!!! BAAAHHRRR!!! BAHHHHHRRRHH!!!

And on, and on, and on again. First one or two, then all 10. They all have different voices and I can tell many of them by their special call. The will not stop until you feed. They are so loud even moving to the couch in the living room doesn't let you escape. You have to wander out there in your PJs and give them what they want. Now of course I hope this entertains you but please take note - I'm not exaggerating and I will keep this behavior in mind when I plan sheep housing in the future.

Shearing
Moving on... we sheared the sheep for the first time last month. I helped a little but a couple of our friends were nice enough to bring their shearers and do the hard work. We laid each sheep on her side and sheared it before flipping her and doing the other side. Those professional shearers make it look so easy, especially the way they sit the sheep on their rumps, but unless you're way stronger than us I would say you need at least 3 or 4 people. Plus a good amount of cold beer if it happens to be a hot day. ;) The sheep were much more comfortable after having the wool removed. I also trimmed their feet and vaccinated everyone about the same time. They look a little funny now with their fancy haircuts!

Wool
My Mom dropped the wool off at Zeilinger Wool Co. in Frankenmuth for me. If you'd like an idea on how much wool processing costs it was $150 for the wool from 4 adult ewes. 2 ewes had been growing their wool for 14 months, and 2 were growing for about 7 months. That price is more the wool to go in dirty, fresh off the sheep, and come back cleaned and made in to roving. Roving is when the wool is pulled out in to a long continuous piece, like a soft rope, all ready to be spun in to yarn. My Mom has been learning that art and now she has a lot of yarn to practice on.

New Ewe
Did anyone catch that I said 10 sheep instead of 9? Remember, we had 4 moms and 5 babies. Brian's stepsister brought us another ewe last week. She is an oddball, being born in May of 2008, and the only one she had that was related to her ram. We'll just give her a lamb next year to trade. The new one has settled in very well already. Her name is Molly. She has not had her first lamb yet so we will breed her this fall.

Castrating
I wish I could say we've done this. All the books I read said to band the ram lambs as soon as their testicles descended, around 10 days old. We decided to keep one of the ram lambs intact and hope that he makes a nice ram for us. The other ram lamb I just let grow for awhile. We don't band our calves' testicles until they are a few months old so we thought we had plenty of time. I tried to band the lamb when we sheared the moms and guess what... his testicles are WAY TOO BIG to fit through the band. I can't even get one through. They are bigger than calf testicles at twice that age. HUGE. I don't mean to dwell on it, but we were all just shocked by this! This was a tough lesson to learn because we want to butcher that lamb and he might have an odd taste now (hopefully not). We could probably still castrate him by other methods but I feel that would be very stressful for him (and us) and I'd rather see how he tastes without so we'll know for sure. So lesson learned - castrate at 10 days as recommended.

Aggressive Ewe
We experienced this with Angel, one of the ewes we bought already bred from the MSU sale. She was one of the last ewes to lamb. When the first ewes delivered we separated them in to small pens, called jugs, to bond with their babies. When we tried to reintroduce them to the flock Angel was very aggressive toward the lambs. I watched her for awhile and when she slammed the baby against the gate with her head I jumped in and pulled the baby back out. Eventually we put Angel in a jug by herself so the lambs and ewes could all be together. We were very relieved that when she had her own lamb she showed great mothering ability and acted normally. We reintroduced her to the flock with high hopes. She immediately tried to go after the other lambs. We were out there disassembling the jugs so we let her go for awhile to see if she would settle down. Gwyneth, the mom that had twins, stepped up and put a stop to Angel's behavior. She pinned her ears like a mad horse, scraped her foot like a bull, and charged Angel. I watched in amazement, since they weren't really hurting each other, I wanted to see if they could work it out on their own. Angel would sniff around at the lambs. Gwynny would watch her suspiciously, following her around. Angel would start to charge a lamb. Gwynny would charge her and Angel would run away. Angel was just starting to mind her own business when we got the last jug taken apart. With the jugs gone, the size of their pen was doubled. With a combination of more space and Gwyneth's defensive behavior, Angel relaxed and hasn't bothered anyone since. At least no one has shown any injures and I haven't seen that behavior. I was very relieved since keeping her separated would be very stressful on her and the logistics would be nearly impossible. Lesson learned: give new moms plenty of space and give them a chance to work it out.

What Next?
We'll be moving them to pasture sometime (I've been wanting to do that since April...) so hopefully I won't have any real exciting stories to share about sheep fencing. The plan is to wean the babies when we move them. One group will go to a neighbor's pasture and one group will stay on our farm.

Summary
Overall, the sheep are the one animal that Brian and I both really, really like. They are super easy to keep and watching them grow is very rewarding. I highly recommend you try it if you've been on the fence. If you have any questions or want advice on a topic I didn't cover here I'll try my best to help, just ask!

Check out all my other posts about sheep.

Blueberry Pie Filling

2009-07-10T08:08:00.000-04:00

This is the way I made my filling. It was a lot less work than the Ball canning book called for. I'm not guaranteeing the shelf life since mine has only been on the shelf for a week so far but I expect it to keep as well as it would have with their method.

7 cups blueberries
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup ClearJel, cornstarch, or flour (as a thickener)
Blue & red food colorings
2 tbsp lemon juice

Combine sugar and your choice of thickeners in a large saucepan. Whisk in 2 cups of water. Add blue and red food coloring to get the purple color you like.

Note: I used flour because it was all I had and it worked just fine. It was certainly not as transparent as filling made with ClearJel or cornstarch. I would recommend the ClearJel if you have it and cornstarch if you don't, with flour being a last resort.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Stir often as it won't take long to start to thicken. When it starts to thicken and bubble stir in the lemon juice.

Add the blueberries and keep over medium-low heat until berries are heated through.

Ladle into hot jars leaving just over 1 inch of headspace. Wipe rim, place lids, and process in a water bath for 30 minutes.

Yield: About 4 pints.

The Trouble With A Menu Plan...

2009-07-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

The trouble with a menu plan is that:

A) You have to make one before it works

and

B) When you have one you really come to rely on it and when you don't it makes for a miserable week!!

I thought about it on Monday but never quite made time since I had to work this Monday (my normal day off). I thought about it yesterday but made dinner and dessert and then it was 10 o'clock! Today is the day I guess. I know you're wondering if it is even worth it now? Yes, it is. Now that I know what it is like to plan ahead I HATE coming home and trying to figure out what to cook.

Here it is:

Monday: Tacos for Brian, I never really ate dinner.

Tuesday: Spaghetti (with herbs and butter for me, meat sauce for Brian) with Quick Cheese Bread (this recipe is a winner! We've had it twice now)

Wednesday: Parmesan Crusted Walleye with Roasted Herb Potatoes

Thurday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Soup & Peas

Friday: Breakfast for Supper - French Toast, Hashbrowns, Bacon, and Eggs

Breakfasts this week consist of those blueberry waffles I made for me, I'm not sure what Brian's been eating. For dessert I made No-Bake Cheesecake. I had one jar of blueberry filling that didn't seal so I topped the cheesecake with that. It was good last night but it is even better now that is had been in the fridge for awhile. Try it, you'll like it.

Whew. Glad that's done!! :)

What's on your menu this week?

All In A Day's Work

2009-07-06T07:29:00.000-04:00

I could hardly believe my eyes when we pulled up to my sister-in-law's house the other day. Across the road, bordering a field that my father-in-law owns, there were hundreds of cherries hanging from the trees. I held back my excitement long enough to ask if anyone picks those? All I got back was a funny look. They had never noticed the cherries!! That was last week and the cherries weren't quite ripe yet.

We did go up to the beach for the weekend but we came home first thing Sunday morning. I have a bad sunburn (stupid me!) so I certainly didn't want to lay on the beach anymore and we were both ready to go home. Brian went to cut hay and I headed over to pick cherries. The whopping total: 8 # 13 oz.!! That took me a good part of the morning. Back home I pitted them all. Since our 5 tv channels suck and I canceled Netflix I set up my labtop next to me and watched the first 4 weeks of Here Come The Newlyweds while I pitted. After experimenting with different methods, I liked using a drinking straw and popping the pits out the other side of the cherry. It still took forever.

When I finally had them all pitted I decided to make cherry pie filling. I used this recipe and expanded it to work with the 14 cups of berries I had. Then I canned it, processing pints for 35 minutes as the Ball canning book suggests.

Once the cherries were done I moved on to blueberries. What kind of idiot puts 18# of berries in one Foodsaver bag I don't know but that's what I had done a few years ago. I thawed the huge bag so that I could use some blueberries for my 4th of July pie. I expected them to taste bad after so long in the freezer but they were still quite good. Blueberry season is coming up again soon so I needed to use these up!

First project: 4 batches of blueberry muffins equaling just under 4 dozen muffins total. Those went on a rack to cool and then in to freezer bags for quick breakfasts. Next: 1 batch blueberry waffles, into the fridge for breakfasts this week.

Then I made two batches of blueberry pie filling. I used the recipe from the Ball canning book but altered it to be easier. I'll post my method in the next few days.

There were just enough blueberries to top off Brian's ice cream and keep a few in the fridge for desserts the rest of the week. I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen while the last batch was processing so that by around 10 PM I was finally done. I was really tired and didn't relax much considering it was a Sunday but it feels great to have all this food put away

Total production for the day:

Just shy of 4 dozen blueberry muffins (frozen)
9 pints blueberry pie filling
5 blueberry waffles
6 pints cherry pie filling

Umm... why does it feel like this list should be WAY longer?

What are you preserving right now? Have you every canned pie fillings? What berries are in season where you live?

Sunday Stroll: A Drive Around

2009-07-05T09:26:00.001-04:00

See who else is strolling over at The Quiet Country House.

Traditional 4th of July Pie

2009-07-03T15:53:00.001-04:00

I've been making this pie almost every 4th of July now for several years. I think I missed last year so it better be extra good this year to make up for it.

Start with enough dough for a two crust pie. Roll out half of the dough and place it in a 9 inch pie pan. Roll the other half out in to a circle around 10 inches across. Cut 6 strips from that, about 3/4" wide each. You'll also need to cut out 6 stars from the dough that is left. I used a paring knife to cut my stars but you could use a small cookie cutter if you want them to be perfect.

Next, go ahead and get the filling ready. I normally use cherry and blueberry but this year I used strawberries instead of cherries. The strawberries are some that I froze last weekend, the blueberries I picked and Foodsavered a long time ago. If you're using frozen berries be sure to drain them well. Large berries should be sliced or cut in chunks.

Here's what you'll need.

Red Portion:
2 - 3 cups red berries (cherries or strawberries)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

Blue Portion:
1 - 1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Mix all ingredients for each portion in separate bowls. You can use more red berries if you like. I only had a little over 2 cups of strawberries thawed today. That will work but it should be a little more full. Pour the red mixture into about 3/4 of the pie shell. Use a spatula or large spoon to hold it in place. Pour the blue mixture in to the remaining 1/4 of the shell. Adjust the filling with your spatula to make a nice line between the two colors. Sprinkle with some small pieces of butter.

Go ahead and place the strips across the filling. Put the longest strip right over the line between red and blue. Evenly space the rest of the strips above and below the first. Then place the stars over the blue portion.

Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet with edges to catch any juice that may bubble over. Bake on the bottom rack of the over at 400 degrees F for approximately 1 hour. Check the edges and cover with a pie shield or tin foil if they are starting to brown too much. Cool for at least an hour afterward, then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

This is a great dish to take to a party or a potluck. It makes a great impression. I've taken in to some parties where I don't know many people and it has made for a nice icebreaker.

Enjoy, and have a great holiday!! If you make a special dish for the 4th I'd love to hear about it.

Fitness Friday: New Bathing Suit

2009-07-03T08:23:00.001-04:00

In other words, I hope all this working out is working! I bought myself a new bathing suit since we're heading to the beach for the weekend. Eying myself up in the mirror I want to say that I can see a difference from 3 weeks ago. My abs have a hint of an indentation on each side of my belly button now (until I sit down). I think my thighs might be a little smaller too. Now I really wish I would have taken my measurements before starting so I would know if this is wishful thinking or not.

Oh well, the important part is that I feel good and working out is good for my body any way. I held at 132.4# at my weigh-in on Tuesday. Isn't week 2 usually the toughest on biggest loser? I think that is when they typically lose the least amount of pounds.

Level 2 is getting much easier. I am amazed at how well I can handle the strength moves now after just 1 week of trying. The cardio still gets me, it is really hard and I "feel like I'm going to die" like Jillian says. My muscles are not sore after working out at all this week. My abs do burn during double crunches and my legs almost give out after every static lunge.

On the downside, my left ankle has been bothering me some. It started during week 2 and I thought it was from slipping around and doing jumping jacks on my wood floor in socks. I found some New Balance shoes on clearance so I picked them up. New Balance makes the best running/workout shoes ever, IMHO. Any way, I can't tell if they are helping but I hope they will at least keep the problem from getting worse so it can get better. My ankle doesn't hurt during the workout at all but it hurts a lot afterward if I step wrong or stretch it a certain way. I don't want to quit so I'm going to give it a few more days to get better on it's own.

I've started to think about what I want to do after week 4 is done. I'd like to stick with the 30 Day Shred until I'm comfortable at Level 3. After that I might try some of the Biggest Loser workout DVDs are other Jillian Micheal's material. I feel good about pushing myself to do this every day and I don't think I'll be ready to quit after 1 more week. Any suggestions? I really need something where they talk you thru it, if I'm just supposed to listen to music and jump around I'll turn it off for sure.

For those who haven't been following along you can check out my other Fitness Friday posts to hear more about my journey through the 30 Day Shred.

Brian's Project: A Tractor Post

2009-06-29T20:27:00.000-04:00

"So... since you're always looking for interesting pictures for your blog, you should come outside and bring your camera" says my husband when I arrived home last night.

"Is everything alright!?" I said, a little worried.

I went out to see what he was talking about. Turns out his project for the day involved tearing apart our main tractor, a JD 4010. We put a lot of money in to this tractor last year and had joked that it was not allowed to break down ever again. The only thing left to break was the hydraulic pump and it really needed to be replaced awhile ago. It died out in the hay field the other day so Brian hauled it home. He had to take off the entire front axle to get the pump out. The pump itself costs $1200 so any money we can save on labor is great. I'm so glad Brian can do stuff like this!

Here is the tractor where it sits until the pump is replaced. That red thing in the picture is The Bone Creeper. Brian asked for the creeper as a Christmas present last year and he uses it a lot.

Here is the front axle!

What kind of projects are going on at your house?

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

Breakfasts
Toast or cereal with fruit for me, eggs for Brian.

Lunch
Mostly PB&Js + pretzels and/or lettuce & peas from the garden + string cheese (same as last week unless I get creative)

Supper
Monday: Walleye Parmesan with Homemade Garlic Shells

Tuesday: Lil Smokies with Homestyle Mac & Cheese

Wednesday: Hot Dogs & Hamburgers with Baked Potatoes on the grill

Thursday: Chicken Tenders (from a bag :P) and Hashbrowns

Friday: Homemade Pizza & Breadsticks

Dessert
Sour Cream Raisin Cookies (may go in our lunches) and Easy Apple Crisp with Ice Cream

Check out what everyone else is eating over at Menu Plan Monday.

What are you eating lately? I'd love some new make ahead recipes and have some to share as well.

A Year's Worth of Strawberries

2009-06-27T17:21:00.000-04:00

Old bath towels are great for covering the countertops when canning. No worries about making a mess! This is where we were crushing the berries and that is all of the foam we scraped off after boiling.

Our filling station and some of the finished product.

This is called working double time.

I'm spending the day with my Mom and sister today. We met at our favorite berry farm just after 8 AM and started picking. 30 pounds of strawberries later we headed for home. My Mom hulled all those berries while my sister and I went to Meijer for more pectin. Of course we also stopped by the bathing suit section, etc., etc. but we finally made it back home.

That's when the fun began. We had a pretty good assembly line going. One would crush, one would stir 2 batches at a time, and the third would manage the canner and jars. We pumped out 2 batches before breaking to attend my cousin's graduation party. It was nice to see some family that I don't get to visit with very often.

Back at home the jam making continued. We also sliced some berries to freeze and left the 12# that we picked last week in the freezer for shortcake throughout the year.

All in all, here is our bounty:

25 pints jam
13 half pints jam
8 4 oz. jars jam
20 cups crushed, frozen berries
2 qts. sliced frozen
10 cups "foam" to use right away

If Brian and I used 1 pint every 2 weeks (which we won't) we would have enough for a whole year plus some for my Mom and sister (who don't use much) and plenty to give away. I'd say this was a success. :)

About half of the finished product.

Do you can your own jams or jellies? Do you do enough for a whole year? This time we went to the U-pick farm but I'm hoping to have enough of our own someday. Does anyone grow all of their own fruit for jam?

Fitness Friday

2009-06-26T19:59:00.000-04:00

Fitness Friday was started last week by Amy over at Muddy Boots. I see she hasn't done a FF post yet today so it may not be an ongoing thing. However, I've been working my butt off and I'm ready to talk about it!!

I haven't mentioned this sooner because I know how I am. I get all fired up about things and forget them the next week. I didn't want to talk about working out if I was going to quit. Well, not this time!! I started Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred Workout on Monday, June 15th. I've worked out Monday - Friday for two weeks now.

I heard about the shred from several different places right in a row, even from one of my new favorite blogs Cents to Get Debt Free.

For those not familiar with the workout it goes like this:
There are 3 levels, progressively harder.
Each level is a short warm-up, 18 minutes of hard work, and a short cool down totaling around 22 minutes.
You do 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs and repeat 3 times.
Each 6 minute circuit features different exercises so it is NOT BORING, which I like.

I stuck to level 1 for the first 6 days. Tuesday I moved to level 2. I confess that I didn't work very hard Tuesday morning because I was confused and slow to grasp the new moves. This could have been avoided by watching the segment first but I thought it might scare me off. Instead I watched it on fast forward afterward, pausing for the moves that stumped me. Wednesday, despite getting up @ 5 AM in hopes of working out, I was only able to squeeze in about 10 minutes total. I worked extra hard for that 10 minutes to compensate! ;) Today was the first time I really got in to level 2 from start to finish. It was challenging and I was fighting hard at the end just to finish.

I can honestly say I have never physically worked this hard before, at least not consistently. It is addicting. I can't wait to get up and get started. I feel so good afterward and think this is a big part of why I've been in a really good mood lately.

As for physical results, I am already seeing them. Day 2 I weighed 134.8#. After one week I weighed 132.4#. I won't be surprised if I gain or level off as I build muscle but I'd like to be around 120-125 like I always was until the last couple years. My clothes fit a little better already.

I haven't changed much about the way I eat although I am watching my portion sizes and avoiding mindless eating and stress eating. I'm trying to add in more fruits and veggies and have realized that I eat A LOT of bread.

What do you do to stay in shape? Have you ever taken on a regular workout? Were you happy with the results?

I really did do a Menu Plan!

2009-06-24T21:24:00.000-04:00

I really did, I just never posted it. Okay, I also never finished it. Better late than never. Here it is:

Breakfasts
Mostly frosted shredded wheat.

Lunch
Mostly PB&Js + pretzels and/or lettuce & peas from the garden + string cheese

Supper
Monday: Leftover Spaghetti and Quick Cheese Bread

Tuesday: Meatball Subs/Toasted Bread with Parmesan

Wednesday: Hot Breaded Chicken Salad (this was great to take to the hay field)

Thursday: Lil' Smokies (for me)/Hamburgers (for Brian) w/ Cheddar Potato Strips

Friday: Marinated Steak and Baked Potatoes on the grill

Dessert
Strawberry Shortcake w/ whipped cream or ice cream

What are you eating this week?

Cut Off From the World

2009-06-22T17:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, I don't consider myself to be very high tech. I haven't used my ipod in 6 months and I refuse to text message. However, today I felt so cut off from the world it was scary, and I was having major withdrawals. Our internet is only working off and on so if I'm missing for awhile that will be why. We can no longer pick up a good signal and there is nothing the company can do to fix it so we're looking for a new service provider. Every time I turned around today I couldn't continue with my plans because I couldn't get online. Here's what I mean:

I wanted to preserve my garlic scapes but I didn't remember how they said to do it on that website I looked at the other day.

Since my Mom, Brian, and I picked a bunch of strawberries on Saturday I was dying to try Abbie's Strawberry Shortcake recipe but couldn't get the page to load.

I was planning to browse recipes for this weeks' menu plan and knew I wanted to make Quick Cheese Bread with dinner tonight. Luckily this thing started working. The bread is in the oven so I'll keep you posted!

More importantly, the builder was here repairing the shed that burned and I needed to write him another check. I had to tell him not to cash it for a few days since I couldn't get online to transfer the money from our savings to our checking, or to update our check register and compare the online banking with our Quickbooks.

Maybe I really am addicted to the internet like my husband used to claim. Of course he doesn't say that now, he's too busy fighting me for the computer so he can check the weather, browse craigslist, drool over tractors on ebay, and watch the grain prices on our local elevator's website. Oh, what is this world coming to!?!

Where do you spend your time online? Do you rely on the web like we do?

Herbs and Our Front Porch

2009-06-21T20:20:00.000-04:00

I picked up some herbs from two different places lately and finally planted them today. The planter boxes are something that my Dad was getting rid of. I think he made them from old deck lumber. I painted over the brown paint so they now match our porch. There were already drain holes drilled in the bottoms. I added some hay and then a mix of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite.

From left to right we have Peppermint, Thyme, and Lavender. If the plants do well I expect the Peppermint and Lavender to fill in the box.

Here from left to right is Curly Parsley, Rosemary, Basil, and more Curly Parsley.

We were just talking about how much we enjoy our porch so I thought I'd share a few more pictures. A passerby during early evening might find us sipping iced tea in our Adirondack chairs. We found this table in the garage when we moved in so I painted it to match.

Of course the dogs are never far away. I'm really surprised that Maci hasn't chewed up or otherwise damaged those citronella pots yet. I picked them up on clearance years ago for 10 cents each and just got them out the other day.

The iced tea is cold, won't you join us for a glass!?

P.S. I've finally replied to the comments from the last 3 posts so if you had left a comment you may want to check back there. Sorry I've been slacking lately! :)

A Good Day

2009-06-18T23:11:00.000-04:00

I've really been enjoying life this week. Here are some of the highlights:

I fed the chickens in the rain and felt so proud and content standing in the rain watching them huddle together in the nice dry shelter that Brian and I built. They are getting big!

I came in the house and appreciated how each dog stopped on the landing and let me wipe their feet one by one before they went upstairs.

I've worked up a sweat more than once and feel sooo much better because of it.

Since I've been working so hard I've started out with cold showers and then turned them to hot. This is new to me and very refreshing.

The meal plan is so liberating, I want to do it every week. While dinner is cooking I arrange all the supplies for the next night's meal. Plus, I haven't been late for work because I'm scrambling to pack my lunch. Now I really enjoy getting good meals on the table every night.

I got a letter saying there was a problem with our taxes, got a big refund, got scared that it was a mistake, and almost cried with happiness to find that it was really our money. This, our second year farming, will be our first year paying all of the inputs and borrowing ZERO dollars to farm. This is a dream I'd hoped for years down the line, not something I expected for our second year.

Brian and I fell asleep in the living room at 7:30 the other night. The dogs woke us up so we moved to the bedroom. It was still light out for another 2 hours. We couldn't fall asleep so we just lounged around, watched TV, talked, played with the cat, and put pillows on each other's heads to hide the light. There was no funny business if that's what you're thinking (!) but it was great just to be together in our normally hectic life.

I harvested my first two pea pods yesterday, and boy were they delicious!! Plus I was able to pick fresh garlic scapes to go with our dinner tonight.

I could go on and on. Hopefully these happy times will last awhile, I'm really enjoying them.

What little things are you enjoying lately? Please share!

Menu Plan Monday - New for Me!

2009-06-15T21:01:00.000-04:00

Okay, here's a new thing for me. I'm going to try being a part of Menu Plan Monday, a weekly menu plan share hosted by Laura over at I'm An Organizing Junkie. The banner above is linked to her awesome site.
I'm not sure exactly what our week will be like since we've got hay to bale. Here's my plan:

Monday
- Snack
- Supper

Tuesday
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snack
- Supper

Wednesday
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snack
- Supper

Thursday
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snack
- Supper

Friday
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snack
- Supper

Poultry Update - Cattle Panel Shelter - Pics

2009-06-08T14:00:00.000-04:00

Well, the eggmobile sits empty. Part of the reason we finished it when we did was because the rooster was getting so mean I could hardly get the eggs anymore. Once the birds were out on pasture I could easily gather them at least once a day. Sadly, the hens must have learned to eat their eggs during that week when I wasn't collecting them very often. I first culled the rooster and one hen that I suspected as being the culprit. Unfortunately, the eating continued and we were forced to cull the remaining 5 hens. I am very glad that this happened with such a small flock and not the large one that I hope to have in the future. Lesson learned here: no matter what - get those eggs!!

So, now we have around 121 chickens and no eggs! I haven't decided yet if I'm going to buy a few layers to get us by or just get our eggs from a friend for now. If I bring in new layers now I'll have to mix them with the heritage breed flock when they start laying. If I don't get any now then I'll have to stop trying to build a future client base by handing out free eggs.

The heritage birds moved from our basement to a small brooder in the garage to the old laying flocks quarters in the garage. The colored rangers went directly from the basement to the laying flock quarters then to the cattle panel shelter just in time for the heritage birds to follow. We could have turned one of the two brooding lights off by now except two of the colored rangers have developed pretty nasty sores on their tails so I have them in the small brooder as sort of a hospital pen. The one with the worst sore died this morning, I'm hoping the other pulls through.

The heritage breed chicks are doing great. We had a power outage last week so I brought them in the house to keep warm. Despite my efforts they all piled up and one of the Buff Chanteclers was dead in the morning. The remaining birds are thriving in their new, spacious quarters. You can read more about the breeds I selected and why in my post about that.

I took out some dry straw for the colored rangers in the cattle panel shelter. They've been out there about a week but I only let them out of the shelter and in to the fence this weekend. The electric net has to be working well in order to contain them. Otherwise they can put their head through and push right out.

See the one sprawled out there in the middle? They sure are good at making me think something is wrong. He was just relaxing, of course.

This morning's rain showers tore part of the roof off. I secured it with more baling twine. Pretty fancy! :)

Happily lounging on the fresh, dry straw after I repaired the roof.

I need to have a better feeding and watering system in place for next time. This big feeder from the eggmobile is the only way I can keep food in front of these buggers.

Some prefer to scratch around and explore.

Napping peacefully.

He's trouble, can't you tell!

Here you can see the different colors. Most are dark red but there are some light, almost buff, and some with this neat pattern.

The turkeys are right at home in this small chicken tractor. We found two of these on craigslist and paid $15 total for them.

Aren't they cute!? They really are the sweetest birds I've had.

How are your birds doing? Have you ever tried pasture raised chicken? I am so excited to taste it, although I am really worried about preparing it and working with whole chicken since that will be new to me.

Are You A Twit?

2009-06-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

LoL, I just had to pose my question like that. If you've listened to the Dave Ramsey show lately you'll get it. Anyway, what I mean to say is "Do you Twitter?" or Tweet or whatever? I decided that I would not get in to that because Lord knows I don't need another reason to sit in front of this blasted computer. However, since I'm staying up later for summer I find myself craving communication. Blogging is great but it doesn't really supply an immediate fix like AIM used to do back when I used that. Then I think how nerdy I would sound, "Oh yeah, I heard on Twitter the other day that blah blah blah". I already mention my blog way too much in real life.

"Seriously, I found the best recipe on this woman's site that I blog with..."

or...

"Well, I don't care if you think eggmobiles are weird. Everyone that I blog with thought it was a great idea!"

or...

"Honey, look what so-and-so's husband built (showing him pics on blog). Do you think you could build one of those for me?"

or...

"Gosh, do you have your pumpkins planted yet? Okay good, neither do I. I was getting worried because all the people who have blogs that I read have theirs planted already."

Please, please tell me you guys talk like this too. Maybe we should have kids so I can at least blame it on them that I am so sheltered. It isn't that I don't have friends in real life. I just really don't like going out and sitting at the bar or pretending to have a big social life. I don't like making plans much at all, then I feel like my whole day or weekend is already gone. Hmm, great, now I sound super anti-social. Oh well!

So, back to my original question, do you use Twitter? If so, what do you think about it? Fun? No? Educational? I really don't want to just report what I'm doing all the time but if Dave Ramsey is on there then it must have some potential to be interesting. I'd love your thoughts!

Gone To The Dogs

2009-06-04T08:20:00.000-04:00

I started working on curtains for the living room last night. I left the fabric all spread out after getting sidetracked with the frost warning. This morning I found this...

Which quickly turned in to a belly up "I'm sorry Mom but I'm wagging my tail and I'm cute" pose...

I think it is safe to say that this project has officially gone to the dogs!

If you've been around here long you know this is nothing compared to the havoc our dogs can create. What do your dogs (or cats) do to push your buttons!?

If You'd Like It To Frost In June...

2009-06-03T21:37:00.000-04:00

Just plant the majority of your tomato plants. Go ahead... sorry I don't have time to help you, I'm too busy covering my garden with a thick layer of straw!! ;)

Canning Rhubarb, and more planting

2009-06-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

I'm trying a new theory. Instead of eating within the seasons, how about preserving each season so I can have it all year long. Case in point: last year I made the heck out of rhubarb muffins for a couple months. I've been craving them for about 10 months now. I like to can as much as possible to save freezer space for meat so I thought I'd try canning rhubarb. It was the easiest canning experience ever!!

I had a bag of rhubarb that must have weighed 10 pounds. I could have run it through the food processor like I sometimes do but cut it up by hand instead. It is easier to work with and looks nicer. Plus, I didn't feel good and sitting in front of the TV with the cutting board for 2 hours made me feel like I accomplished something. Anyway, I chopped it in small 1/2-1 inch pieces.

Add 2-4 cups of sugar to each 16 cups of rhubarb. I used only 2 cups because I prefer a very light syrup. Toss together in a big bowl and let sit for at least a few hours. The natural juices will seep out and create it's own syrup.

After setting for awhile it is time to get the canner going and jars ready. Then heat the rhubarb and the juice in a pan until boiling. Boil for 30-60 seconds. Transfer to jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rim and seal. Process for 15 minutes.

The Ball canning book says that each 16 cup batch will produce 8 pints. I had about 40 cups but only ended up with 13 pints, not the 20 I expected. The rhubarb must have cooked down quite a bit. There was not a lot of syrup but all the jars sealed and I expect them to store well. I already opened 1 jar to make muffins and I was very happy with the product. I'll share the rhubarb muffin recipe as soon as I find the one I used last year.

In other news, I planted out some more seedlings tonight. 35 Waltham 29 broccoli and 17 more Amish Paste tomatoes, bring the total AP tomatoes up to 25 surviving.

Tomorrow is my early day at work so off to bed I go. Enjoy! :)

Growing Challenge Check-In: Planting

2009-06-01T13:19:00.000-04:00

My garden isn't small but I didn't have any room to plant corn. Our neighbor Jeff was kind enough to come by with his tractor and rototiller and make the above long strip of garden for me. It is between the pasture fence and the road. We had to put the fence far off the road to make room for snow in the winter but can still use the space all summer.

I planted 5 different kinds of corn the first day. I still had some room so in went 2 packets of sunflowers, hopefully to use in granola bars this fall. Well, there was still a ton of room left so I just kept planting. All the peas and beans went in. Then watermelon, zucchini, and squash. There is still room so I added eggplant seeds and may stick in some eggplant seedlings to fill it up. I'm trying to plant less valuable crops there since I wouldn't put it past some idiot to drive through it or pick from it. The tomatoes and other crops will stay in the main garden. Plus, now there is room in the main garden for pumpkins!!

Here's the complete running list, new additions in bold, the rest are updated.

Seedlings still under light (they really need to get outside but the weather is poor):
Amish Paste Tomatoes
Green Zebra Tomatoes
Waltham 29 Broccoli
Ping Tung Eggplant
Long Purple Eggplant

In the main garden:
Red pioneer potatoes- 10# - growing well, need straw
Red onions - 8-10" tall
Dwarf Grey Sugar Peas (hybrid) - 1 20' row - 8" tall
Asparagus - mostly gone to seed, some still coming up
Black seeded simpson lettuce - 1 20' row - up
Black seeded simpson lettuce - 1 20' row planted 4/27 - up
Sugar Ann snap pea - 1 20' row planted 4/27 - 4" tall
Victoria Rhubarb - approx. 25 seeds planted 4/27 - didn't come up, disappeared!
Amish Paste Tomato seedlings - 10 planted out 5/25 - 2 died, others holding on

In the long garden:
Country Gentleman sweet corn - 1 packet - planted 5/25
Golden Bantam 8-Row sweet corn - 1 pkt. - planted 5/25
Carousel mini ornamental corn - 1 pkt. - planted 5/25
Strawberry popcorn - 1 pkt. - planted 5/25
Japanese White Hull-less popcorn - 1 pkt. - planted 5/25
Mammoth Grey sunflowers - 1 pkt. - planted 5/30
Buff Valentine (Contender) bush bean - 3 pkts. - planted 5/31
Sugar Ann snap peas - remainder of 1 pkt. - 5/31
Laxton's Progress 9 garden pea - 3 pkts. - 5/31
Tall Telephone garden pea - 1 pkt. - 5/31
Blacktail Mountain watermelon - 1 pkt. = 5 hills - 5/31
Butternut Roosa squash - partial pkt. = 2 hills - 5/31
Black Beauty zucchini - partial pkt. = 2 hills - 5/31
Ping Tung eggplant - partial pkt. = 2 hlls - 5/31

Around the farm:
Heritage Raspberry - 4 canes planted 4/26 - doing great
Strawberries - a few blossoms, only half dozen plants survived winter without mulch
Gooseberry and Currants - 2 of each - planted last year - huge w/ small berries forming!
2 Red Haven Peach trees - planted - all fruit trees are healthy and green
1 Harrow pear tree - planted last year - only tree with blossoms
1 Bartlett pear tree - planted
1 Montmorency Cherry tree - planted
1 Gala apple tree - planted
1 Golden Delicious apple tree - planted
4 blueberry bushes - planted last year - greening up
Mature apple trees - small apples forming!

Here's a pic I snapped from where I sat planting the endless patch.

Also, this is the broken hoe that I've repurposed to help me plant. It makes a great little tool to cut rows in the soil. Then I just drop the seeds in and pat over them with my hand.

I've enjoy reading many of your garden updates and how everyone's plant are flourishing. What's your favorite garden tool? How do you plant your seeds?

Sewing with Mom

2009-06-01T09:14:00.000-04:00

My Mom was nice enough to drive out for a visit on Sunday. We spent the day sewing a new scrub top for me. I bought the pattern and the fabric a while ago but wasn't sure how to cut out the pieces. I have made curtains and even pajamas but this top was by far the hardest thing yet. My Mom is an excellent seamstress. She even made my bridesmaids' dresses for the wedding so I knew this top would be a breeze for her. It turned out pretty good. Thanks Mom!

Today is the start of my new work schedule. I only have to work Tuesday - Friday this summer. Yay! That means more free time for all the projects around here. I wanted to spend this first day off out in the garden finishing the planting (expect an update soon). However, Mother Nature decided rain/storms sounded good today. I actually planned ahead and went to Jo-Ann Fabrics yesterday to stock up on supplies for today. On the agenda: cut out a second scrub top and work on curtains for the living room. Those who follow the Git 'Er Done posts will appreciate that once curtains are done the living room will be finished besides rewiring!

I have a couple other things up my sleeve for today as well so if I get that far I'll let you know. I've had a sore throat since about 10:30 PM last night so I'm going to take it easy and see how things go. I've taken some vitamins and will fight my urge to garden in the rain. How are you spending your day? Is it raining? Do you sew much? Any sewing projects you recommend?

What Do You Want To Know?

2009-05-28T19:25:00.001-04:00

I have quite a few future posts forming in my head, half of which I'll probably forget before they are ever typed out. However, I feel like I'm posting about a lot of the same topics lately, especially now that spring is here and I have so many updates about the garden and the animals.

Is there a post I promised to write that I've forgotten? Is there a question you'd like to ask? Something I do or write about that you want to know more about? Are you sick of hearing about any certain topic? Please don't hesitate. I'd really love to hear your thoughts. I know there are at least a few lurkers out there as well. Now's your time!

I'm going to call it a night because I just misspelled hear here and there their. Have a good one!

Cattle Panel Chicken Shelter: Part 1

2009-05-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

This have been a bit crazy around here lately and I plan to update y'all soon. In the meantime I want to share how we're building another great (hopefully) chicken shelter.

I used treated 2"x4" lumber for the base. The two side boards are 10' long and the three in the middle are 12' long. Place the 10' boards on the outside on the 12' boards as shown.

You'll need 3 sheets of 4'x8' treated plywood to make the floor. There are plenty of good designs out there for shelters without floors. I have too much money and time invested in our broilers to risk losing them to predators or flooding, thus I want a floor.
With the 2"x4"s set up the way I have them the plywood will not fit perfectly. I did this on purpose to provide as much floor space as possible. Position the plywood in from the edges the width of the 2"x4". There may still be a small gap but the sides angle in enough that I don't think it will cause any problems. Or, if you'd prefer, you can frame it to fit exactly.

Here you can see the cattle panels on and the three braces. Put the panels on first. You'll need 2 standard cattle panels 16' long and you'll need to overlap them a few inches. You may want the front panel to stick out a few inches in front of the floor to provide an overhang. Hammer in fence staples to hold it on the 2"x4". Have someone help you pull up the other side or use a rope to hold the curve, then secure the other side. Repeat with the second panel. It helps to wire the two panels together in a couple places before securing both ends.
We added the braces later after measuring exactly how tall the panel was in the place we wanted. The two braces in front will provide a door way so make the gap as wide as you need. We screwed the two braces in from the side so they sit on top of the floor. The back single brace is attached to the back of the 2"x4" for extra support.

Next, attach chicken wire around the sides and the back. I used some that I had, about 2' tall I think. You can see the fence staples holding the cattle panel in place, along with the regular staples holding the chicken wire to the lumber.

Here you can see how I held up the top of the wire. Simply use more wire to pull it taught against the panel. I'll have to get a better picture showing the wire from far away. As I said, I'm only putting a short piece around the 3 sides. The tarp covering should contain the birds from there.

Stay tuned for the next steps, especially if you can't quite picture the final result. This project is more of an experiment than the eggmobile but I'll share how it works for us and any changes we make. I did get a lot more accomplished on it today so expect an update soon.

I Wish I Was A Cow...Or A Cat!

2009-05-22T19:25:00.000-04:00

Can you see them?

What about now?

This is how our two calves spend their days. They aren't real interested in eating their corn or picking at the hay. They don't even go wild for the lush green grass like I expected. They mostly lounge around the pasture and sleep in the sun. It is a beautiful sight, and I'm jealous.

We don't have any set plans for the weekend yet. We may head up to the beach tomorrow and get Brian's Mom's camper settled in to her lot for the summer. I can hardly wait to get back to the farmer's market in Port Austin. It is the best one around by far, especially on holiday weekends. Then we have a lot of work to do around home, as usual.

What are your plans for this weekend? Is the weather supposed to be nice? I'd love to hear about it.

P.S. This just in...he's trying to help me type with his back feet I guess.

Planting the Big Fields

2009-05-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

Brian planted 40 acres of corn at the end of last week. Sunday we planted 25 or 30 acres of soybeans. Brian helps our neighbor farm in exchange for use of some his equipment.

The planter he's using in these pictures is a "no-till drill". It actually cuts a path and sticks the seeds in the ground without the field being plowed up every year. Last year we had corn in this field, this year we drilled the soybeans right in. The conservation district in our county even owns a drill that can be rented out. No-till farming is easier on the environment. The fields are not as susceptible to erosion. Plus, the practice saves quite a bit of fuel and time, thus reducing our expenses.

Planting can be a one man job most of the time. The picture above shows the bins that hold the seed. Ideally we would have just enough seed to plant the field without too much extra to clean out at the ends. As we near the end of planting I stay on the planter and watch the seed level. One person, or even two, can stay pretty busy shuffling seed from one bin to another.

I didn't have to work too hard. We had quite a bit of seed left. There wasn't much planting to do this year since our other fields are already growing wheat and hay. It'll be nice to see these fields turning green again as well.

Pistachio Fluff Minus the Cool Whip

2009-05-18T17:25:00.000-04:00

I love the taste a pistachio fluff. Cool Whip, not so much. It isn't the taste that I mind so much as the ingredients. The first four are: water, corn syrup, vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, followed by a bunch of gum and unpronounceable things. My version calls for real cream instead. If you wanted to take things a step further you could make your own marshmallows as well. Homemade marshmallows still contain corn syrup but not as much. Plus, you can then select a brand of syrup that you prefer. I've included a couple of links at the bottom for those interested in the marshmallows.

Anyway, back to the fluff. I use the following ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
10oz. crushed pineapple (do not drain the juice)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 1oz. package instant pistachio pudding

First, whip the cream with a mixer until it forms stiff peaks or doesn't fall from a spoon turned upside down. I stopped mixing when mine was a little lumpy rather than smooth and that's fine.

In a separate bowl, combine the pudding mix and crushed pineapple. Be sure to include the pineapple juice. Next, stir in the marshmallows. Now is the time to add in any other extras you may prefer. I've seen versions with maraschino cherries or mandarin oranges. If it sounds good it probably will be.

Fold the whipped cream in to the pudding mixture. Do not mix more than necessary, you just want to make a uniform green color throughout.

You're done! Keep chilled in the fridge and enjoy. This is a great, light dessert to serve after a barbecue.

The most thorough tutorial I have found on making marshmallows is at The Hungry Mouse.
If you prefer a recipe with less corn syrup you may like Crunchy Chicken's version although it calls for covering them in caramel so I'm not sure if they would be the proper consistency for making fluff.

Any alternatives for your favorite dessert?

Oh my goodness...

2009-05-17T16:16:00.000-04:00

I can't help it, I have to share my favorite new song with you. Jason Aldean has managed to make a song about tractors the sexiest, steamiest thing I've heard in a while. It is amazing and I can't stop listening to it!

What's your favorite new song?

The Lambs are Confused...

2009-05-17T15:58:00.001-04:00

Apparently the lambs misunderstood how their feeder works. It is supposed to be a walk-thru feeder for people to walk-thru and dispense feed, not a walk-in feeder for little lambs to play in. They must have missed the memo about that.

Garage Sale Finds

2009-05-14T21:33:00.000-04:00

Last weekend there was a neighborhood garage sale nearby. It was raining that Saturday but I went out anyway. It had been so long since I've been to a good sale!

I had a few good finds. Several name brand tops for $0.50 - $3 a piece. Aero, Arizona Jean Company, American Eagle, etc. A few cute long sleeved henley style shirts. A turtleneck sweater. One nice hooded sweater and one mini sweater (the kind that just hugs your shoulders). Also, I picked up 2 pair of jeans for a few dollars each. After trying them on at home I can tell they don't fit well enough to be good going out jeans. However, they'll be ready for scooping poop and gardening, if nothing else.

Another great find was a riding helmet. I really needed one since I've been riding on my own more this year and can't always borrow one from a friend. It is not a good idea to buy a used helmet in case it has been damaged. I feel okay about it in this situation because I'm pretty sure the girl just lost interest in riding. It was only $5. I'll have to try it for a whole ride to see if it's comfortable. If not, for $5, I can donate it to 4-H.

What kind of deals have you been getting?

Eggs and Cell Phone... Bad Mix

2009-05-12T22:26:00.001-04:00

They say you don't know what you got til it's gone. I'm feeling that today, big time.

Sunday I collected one egg from the eggmobile and put it in my coat pocket. Monday I put my cell phone in my coat pocket on my way to do chores. I must have hit something and kerrr-plat, eggs all over my pocket. I didn't know it had happened until I reached in to grab my phone. It came out covered in egg yolk. Yumm.

I took it in the house and wiped it down with a washcloth. It still worked, luckily.

After I fell asleep waiting for Brian to come home from farming he was nice enough to set the alarm on my phone for me. The alarm went off at 6:30 AM this morning. Fine, except when I reached over to hit snooze, none of the buttons would work. Even the power button would not stop the horrendous screeching. It took me a good 5 minutes to get the battery out. Apparently egg is a lot like glue when it dries, who knew?

Once I took it all apart and wiped it down again the phone was working fine. Then I forgot my purse and my phone when I left for work. That made for a fun day since I had no money, no drivers' license, and no key for work. I finally found my phone at home only to realize that it now doesn't work at all. Not one bit. Actually, the buttons seem to work but the screen is blank.

Now stopping at the cell phone store has been added to my long list of errands for tomorrow. Lesson learned: Do NOT put EGGS in your POCKETS!!

Is the spring season craziness catching up with you too? Or is it just me? I'm exhausted, and wondering what's next.

#09 is Trouble!

2009-05-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

Things are all under control now, but we had a not so fun experience with this calf last weekend. It was time get them out of their little pen inside and out on the green pasture. We worked on the fence for 2 days to get things fixed up for them. We had calves in that fence last year and they did fine with it. All we did was add a hot wire around the top and tighten up the rolled fencing. Three sides of the pasture are rolled cattle fence and one side is the horse fence (4 strands of high tensile hot wire).

We put the calves in the trailer and let them out in to the pasture. They ran around a bit and all was fine. We parked the trailer. Calf #09 promptly climbed between the strands of hot wire and went to visit the horses. I tried to corner him in the horse pasture so he went between the strands again and took a nice run around the yard. At this point we realized that neither of us had plugged the fence charger back in after our last minute repairs. Great.

Anyhow, we got darn lucky the first time. We were able to corner the calf in the yard - right next to the trailer! Here is where Brian impressed me... neither of us had a rope to catch him with so Brian got as close as he could and then tackled the calf. The calf is small but not that small. Brian just gave it a big bear hug around the neck and held on for dear life. I opened the trailer door and Brian drug him in! I was amazing, and we were pretty lucky that it worked.

So we plugged the fence in and let the calf out again. Bad idea. Again, straight through the fence and in with the horses. At this point we were both pretty ticked off as you can imagine. We had a lot of plans in mind for the day and calf roping was not a part of them. That time the calf stayed in with the horses. Brian grabbed a lasso and we started trying to corner him. We would almost get him cornered and then he would run off. We have a great cow horse, Rocky, so I saddled him up. The only problem was I couldn't ride him in the pasture because the other horses kept chasing us and I didn't want to get kicked (Rocky is not very dominant in the herd).

So picture me, Brian, and Rocky herding this cow around the pasture on foot. For an hour or more. Rocky was a big help really, I think he was much more intimidating them the two of us alone. When we finally got the calf cornered I pushed Rocky around so he was standing sideways, blocking about a 6' spot. Then Brian could rope the calf while I covered the other gaps.

Once the calf was caught, I'll be damned if we were going to let him go again. We compromised by putting a halter on him and securing him to a fence post on about 30' of rope, inside the pasture. That way he could still approach the fence and figure out that it was hot. About midweek I untied him from the post but left the rope on in case we had to catch him again. Last night I took it off completely. It seems to have worked (knock on wood) because he's still in today.

Oh the joys of farm life!!

Almost Local Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza

2009-05-11T20:02:00.000-04:00

This is a quick and relatively easy dinner option for us. I personally don't like pizza so I make a separate pan of breadsticks for myself. I like the following recipe which can be found at http://www.wheatfoods.org/Quick-Whole-Wheat-Pizza-Crust.217.1.htm

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 package active dry yeast/instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot tap water (120 - 125°F)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar

I mix the ingredients together in a bowl and then dump it out on to a floured countertop. I add parsley, oregano, and a little garlic salt to the dough to taste. Knead for a couple minutes adding extra flour as needed. Then roll out with a rolling pin into a circle big enough for your pizza pan. You can make 2 thin crust pizzas or 1 regular crust with this recipe. Carefully transfer the dough to a greased pizza pan.

Last time I bought cheese sticks Kraft brand was on sale so I bought that kind. We think they are gross: plastic like with no flavor. I thought I'd use them up by making this pizza with a stuffed crust. Just push some extra dough up over the lip of the pan. Place strips of the cheese around the edge and push them in to the dough slightly. Then roll the lip down and over the cheese while pushing the whole edge back against the lip of the pan.

Time to add the toppings. I used home canned tomato sauce and shredded 4 more cheese sticks to put on top of the sauce. I add venison pepper sticks from Brian's deer, sliced thinly with a knife, in place of store bought pepperoni. On goes 1 small can of mushrooms.

As a special touch I melt some butter, mix in a little garlic salt and herbs, and spread that over the crust. It makes it a little more moist which is part of what Brian missed from take out pizza. He approved this recipe and doesn't dislike it like he has some of the others I've tried.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or try a little longer if it isn't crisp.

For our pizza the ingredients are as follows:
Veggie oil, sugar, flour, tomato sauce, pepper stick - all very local
Sea salt - purchased at Lansing Market
Yeast, mushrooms, cheese - purchased at local grocery

Theoretically one could grow their own mushrooms and purchase local cheese for a totally local experience! What is your favorite almost local dish? Or easy dinner idea?

My Mom

2009-05-10T22:02:00.000-04:00

My Mom is the best. She is why I am the way I am, or at least a big part of why.

She is why I knit.

She is why I can sew (a little bit).

She is why I make homemade laundry soap.

She let me raise chickens for FFA in her basement even though I never built a coop like I was going to...that was a really smelly summer (you'd think I would learn, now I have turkeys in my own basement!).

She taught me how to grow a garden.

She is why I put up trim in my house and paint without waiting for Brian to do it all.

She is why I recycle.

She does not laugh at my hair brained ideas and she doesn't think I'm a hippie for doing the things I do (or at least she doesn't voice those thoughts ;) )

She pets my cat and comes to visit us even though she can't stand dog drool or cat hair.

She even let my puppy sleep on the couch with me at her house.

I can always call her even if it is late or we've been fighting, and she will listen and forgive me even when I don't apologize.

She is why I keep trying to make bread. I think she should come over and help, it used to rise perfectly when I baked it with her.

She is why I love going to the farmers' markets.

She is why I mute all the commercials even though it drives Brian crazy.

She is why I always keep our toilet lid closed (although you left it up last time you were here, what the heck Mom!?).

She is why I am so independent.

My Mom is the best... I hope you're all lucky enough to have someone in your life like her! :)

Sunday Stroll: Garden Update

2009-05-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

I have been taking a stroll around my yard every morning and evening lately. There is a lot of activity to keep up with! All of these pictures are from the garden today. I thought I would combine the garden update and Sunday Stroll this week to keep things simple. Plus, I have a lot of other things to post about this coming week.

Potatoes are finally up! Yay!!

I have picked and picked, eaten and shared, and yet till - the asparagus is going to seed.

The first row of peas is really growing. The second row is up and about 1-2" tall.

My little bitty lettuce. This was one of the first things I planted. It is growing very slowly but I'm just glad it lived.

The onions have doing great all along.

The garlic is huge!

I saved the best for last. Check out the blossoms on our new pear tree! This is the one that I just planted a few weeks ago. The pear tree that I planted last year has a lot more leaves but no blossoms yet. I can see this little blossoming tree from my window.

See who else is strolling on Sunday over at Quiet Country House.

Building An Eggmobile: Part 2

2009-05-09T09:11:00.000-04:00

This is a follow up post to Building An Eggmobile: Part 1.

I apologize for not taking pictures of each step this time. We were both wore out and just wanted the thing done!

Tall side: We went with a chicken wire front here for ventilation with intentions of a roll down tarp to cover the front if needed. The door is split with a small door at the bottom. This was easier than making separate little doors for the chickens.

One end: You can see the black soot from the fire. We salvaged all the siding from the shed that burned.

The front end with the hitch. We'll use the four wheeler to move it around and prop it up so it will sit level.

The rear aspect: This is our favorite part!! No more squatting down to reach for eggs while Mr. Rooster plans his attack on your hind end.

The egg door opens downward so you don't have to hold it up while gathering eggs. I put a little straw in the boxes for now but would like to switch to washable mats.

Umm...a little privacy please!?

Here's what is left to do:
Secure a board across the top of the nest box. The hens have already knocked out 2 of the top dividers.
Hang curtains in front of the boxes.
Install roosts. Along with the curtains this should deter roosting on the nest boxes
Paint the outside.
Build a ramp for the chickens.

The most important part to do yet is install a new fence charger and set up the poultry netting. I'll share more about that when we get to it.

The total cost in $$$ for us was about $45. $40 for the trailer and $5 for screws. We salvaged all the boards, plywood, and siding material from the burned shed. The chicken wire and nails have been around for awhile. The caulk was free after rebate at Menard's a long time ago. I did use some staples to secure the chicken wire to the front. Even if you purchased all new materials I think you could build this thing for around $500, based on prices in our area. I didn't do that math, that is just a rough estimate.

Total time involved was probably around 10 hours. Things would have gone a lot faster with new lumber. There was a lot of cutting and measuring to make our boards fit were we wanted. Plus, we were tearing things off the old shed and pulling a lot of nails out of the boards as we went. If anyone would like more details or measurements just ask.

Any questions or comments? I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions or help with ideas for your own eggmobile.

The Chickens Have Moved In!

2009-05-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

The hens seem to love their new nest boxes!! As soon as I put straw in them they were all about it. There were 3 1/2 hens in one box at one point. Overall, we're both thrilled with how it turned out, at least so far.

I'm not going to post many details tonight because I'm exhausted! Brian and I haven't been in the house before 10 o'clock since Tuesday night, thus the lack of posts since then. We worked on the eggmobile Wednesday and Thursday nights. Tonight he worked ground while I mulched the garden and cleaned out the old coop. I'll let it air out tonight and move the new chicks out there in the morning.

Have a good one! :)

My "Fast Food" Dinner

2009-05-05T20:42:00.000-04:00

Brian picked himself up some fast food for dinner. I was working late. When I talked to him he told me he already ate so maybe I should get myself something in town too. I drove that way home but nothing sounded good and I didn't stop anywhere.

I got home and tried to make some butter in the food processor with the raw milk. It didn't really work but I probably wasn't patient enough. The milk did get really foamy like when you start to whip real cream. I didn't want to pour it back in the jug so instead... I added one envelope of chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast to it. I had the stuff in the cupboard and have pretty much quit drinking it so this was a good way to use it up. Oh my goodness - it was great! Like a cross between a milkshake and chocolate mousse. I drank that and ate a half dozen raw pieces of asparagus that I picked on my nightly walk through the garden. Maybe someday I'll have fresh home grown berries to have with whipped milk.

Mine was maybe not the most complete meal, but I did get a lot of vitamins out of it. I'm pretty full now. This was all way better, and more satisfying, than any meal from McDonald's or Wendy's!

What's your favorite healthy, local snack? Any good substitutes for fast food?

Sunday Stroll

2009-05-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

This pear tree came through the winter just fine!

Four new Heritage Raspberry canes. You can't see it in the picture but they are getting little leaves.

I think this is a flowering cherry tree. It is in the island between the driveways and gets these gorgeous blossoms every year. I have never found one speck of fruit there.

The wheat is growing tall!

It won't be long before we'll see blossoms!

Here's a view of the back pastures from where I was working on the fence yesterday. Off to the right is the wheat field.

See who else took a stroll today over at Quiet Country House. Have a great Monday everyone! :)

Chick City and a Rough Night

2009-05-03T07:46:00.000-04:00

Well, Becker Farms is now the proud home of 99 Colored Range chicks! They arrived Friday and I was able to get them home from the post office and settled before going to work. I took the above video that morning. Aren't they fun to watch! I'm thrilled with how vigorous they are. I didn't have to show them how to eat or drink, they just jumped right in. They do need a bigger space so I'm going to work on the eggmobile today. Right now the chicks are in our basement. Once the big chickens are out the old coop is going to be our brooding space. We did have one fatality yesterday, it was very weird and I still don't know why it happened. The chick had a bum leg and a sore on it's belly. Honestly, it looked like a little piece of intestine had come out and wrapped around the leg. It was horrible and I hope it doesn't happen again! On the plus side, the rest are doing great!

Apparently I was super worried about the chicks last night. The night went something like this:

9 PM - Hubby takes a shower, I start to fall asleep on the couch.

9:10 PM - Uh oh, what is that sound! Sounds like a chick in distress. Oh, that's just the puppy snoring on the old couch.

9:30 or 10 PM - Hubby wakes me up, I move to the bedroom and go back to sleep.

10:23 PM - Wake up, dreaming chicks were all gone. Fall back asleep. Toss & turn a lot.

12:43 AM - Wake up to another weird noise. What is that!? After listening I determine it is the puppy barking in her sleep, so she's having a rough night too. But where is she!? I get up and find the bedroom door open (unusual) and the puppy on her couch. Fine, she should be okay there. Then I tiptoe downstairs and watch the chicks. All still alive!

1:05 AM - Back to bed.

3 ish AM - Wake up dreaming of a new idea for a Criminal Minds episode. Eventually fall back asleep.

6:43 AM - Sam (our medium size lab) decides I've slept long enough and should wake up and let him outside. I do so after making a mental note that human children are a very bad idea and could be the end of any kind of sanity for me...

Enjoy your Sunday, check back later for my Sunday Stroll!

Real Milk?

2009-05-02T19:49:00.000-04:00

Remember all the times I've mentioned that we mostly just buy dairy products from the store now? Well that might change. I looked in to a cow share program a while back. I gave it some thought and then put it out of my mind. Then out of the blue the program coordinator e-mailed me again just to make sure that she had indeed responded to my first e-mail (she did). That same week a new intern started at my workplace. We got to talking and it came up that she is part of the same cow share program. Her family loves the milk and doesn't plan on switching back.

I am still a little leery about the whole thing, to be honest. The milk comes straight out of the bulk tank on the farm. It is from Certified Organic cows. It is not pasteurized. I know there is a huge debate over whether or not pasteurizing is important. I think it is safe to say that if the cows are healthy there is no life-threatening risk involved. Still, there are recommendations that pregnant women not drink unpasteurized milk. God willing, that will apply to me one day (far away). So I have to think there is some risk, however slight. I'm the type to forgo recommendations about raw eggs to indulge in cookie dough. More than once I've had horse poop on my hands and eaten at a drive thru without washing them. Asparagus and peas taste best when you're still standing in the garden. But raw milk? I don't know.

Anyway, thanks to our intern, I'm drinking a glass of the stuff right now. I just wanted to try it. Really, it doesn't taste much different. The best way I can describe it is like this: it tastes a little more like warm milk, even when it's cold. Do you know what I mean? Like it has more flavor or something. I haven't seen any obvious separation in the carton, just some tiny specks sticking to the edges. I've been told that the butterfat content isn't very high but they're trying to improve that. I'm going to try making butter to see how it goes.

BTW, I'm thinking home pasteurization would be a perfect compromise, especially if we do get our own cow. I'm not sure that is very practical though. Plus, I think the home pasteurizers I saw were very expensive.

Does anyone have any experience with a cow share program? What are you thoughts on the whole thing? And please, don't jump my ass with any anti or pro raw milk campaigns. I'm not interested in the debate so much as how this type of thing has worked out for other people and their families. I have a strong desire for dairy products that are healthy and local.

Meet Bear

2009-04-28T21:45:00.001-04:00

I'm still in a little bit of an unmotivated mood like I was on Sunday. So here's my post.

Meet Bear, our 125 pound baby. You've seen enough pictures of his little blond sister. We call him Eeyore because that is exactly who he acts like.

Brian already had Bear when we met. Bear and I had some issues to work through back then. Brian went away for the weekend and Bear wouldn't get off the couch. I mean really, he refused. I pulled on him, he curled his lip. Then I got smart and pulled the cushion out from under him. Still, he wouldn't move. I finally put the cushion on the floor next to the couch and coaxed him on to it. Then, I slid the cushion across the wood floor to the doorway. Picture the big lug on an iceberg, that's what it looked like.

In fact, he still will hardly touch the floor. He's scared to death of it. Too slippery I guess. He actually walks on his tiptoes to get to the couch. As I type, he sleeps next to me, curled up on his couch cushion. Since we got the new (used) furniture awhile back, we got rid of the old couch. I thought the cushion would make him a nice bed so I saved it. I think it made his life way, way better. He loves his cushion.

Can't you see it in his eyes?

P.S. He stills grumbles at me occasionally, but we've worked it out with some leash training. I have a slip leash in every trouble spot and if I even think about putting it on him he moves as quick as a big dog can.

Growing Challenge Check In

2009-04-28T09:01:00.000-04:00

Here's what I'm growing so far:

Seedlings under light:
Amish Paste Tomatoes
Green Zebra Tomatoes
Waltham 29 Broccoli
Ping Tung Eggplant
Long Purple Eggplant

In the garden:
Red pioneer potatoes- 10# - planted
Red onions - 2-3" tall
Dwarf GreySugar Peas (hybrid) - 1 20' row - just up
Asparagus - up and growing
Black seeded simpson lettuce - 1 20' row - some up
Black seeded simpson lettuce - 1 20' row planted 4/27
Sugar Ann snap pea - 1 20' row planted 4/27
Victoria Rhubarb - approx. 25 seeds planted 4/27

Around the farm:
Heritage Raspberry - 4 canes planted 4/26
Strawberry - nice and green
Gooseberry and Currants - 2 of each - planted last year - doing great!
2 Red Haven Peach trees - planted
1 Harrow pear tree - planted
1 Bartlett pear tree - planted
1 Montmorency Cherry tree - planted
1 Gala apple tree - planted
1 Golden Delicious apple tree - planted
4 blueberry bushes - planted last year - still alive

Sunday Stroll... Sort of

2009-04-26T20:16:00.000-04:00

I just really didn't feel like doing much today. Yesterday Brian cut up our old rabbit cage so I could have 2 pieces of plywood for our new farm sign. I painted them this morning. Then we went to breakfast with Brian's Grandpa. I'm pretty sure he turned 93 this year! After breakfast I put on a second coat of paint. We watched King Corn. I was really disappointed! I guess it might make a bigger impact on people who don't farm but it really didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I was hoping the film would help Brian to see why corn in everything is a bad thing, but it wasn't too convincing.

After the movie Brian worked out in the shop for awhile. It was pretty rainy and cold today so I didn't go out. I've been working on our website like crazy and it is almost done!! Get ready, I'm going to want everyone's opinions of it once it is done! :) Then I worked on tracing our logo on to the farm sign. I've got one piece almost done, then I can paint it. Anyway, since I'd really like to get back in to Sunday Strolls, I have some garden pictures to share from this week, plus one that shows where I've spent most of my day!

The garlic is getting so tall!

The onions are coming up!

I have been so tempted to snap off a piece of asparagus to taste...

The peas are coming up. I really thought they wouldn't make it since I planted them so early. I'm glad they did!

This is where the cat and I have been, and I think I'm heading back there...

Head over to Quiet Country House to see who else is strolling today.

This is WAR!

2009-04-22T19:29:00.000-04:00

I am so sick of dog tracks in my freshly planted garden...

of dog poop all over the garden (I thought I'd spare you a picture) when I'm trying to dig in it... and now... now I'm really, REALLY mad. This...

is damage to my garlic. My precious, vigorous, first-time-for-me garlic. The same garlic that is the only thing actually growing in the garden so far. Except asparagus. Anyway... THIS...

is the solution to all my doggie garden problems, or at least I hope so. The garden just happens to be next to the electric pasture fence and I just happen to have some push in posts and extra wire. I love animals, but I'll be watching tomorrow morning as they bound out to the garden for their morning business. And I'll be doing a victory dance as they get they get the shock of their lives. After all, this is war, and I'm hoping to win!

Asparagus The Movie

2009-04-21T21:49:00.000-04:00

This one really hits home for me and I hope you will feel the same. The movie focuses on the asparagus industry of Western Michigan and how it may be negatively affected by U.S. foreign policy. You can watch a trailer for it here and find out more about the movie here. The best part is that it supposed to be broadcast free on PBS on April 29th at 8 PM. I couldn't find that listing on tvguide.com or the movie's website but it was advertised in the latest Michigan Farm News so I'm hoping it is true.

Also check out The Beginning Farmer's latest post for a couple more good movie ideas. I'm really excited about the Food Inc. movie and it looks like it will be available through Netflix eventually.

Enjoy!

Building An Eggmobile: Part 1

2009-04-20T17:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend we began building our eggmobile. The intention is to use it for our laying flock during the warmer months, in conjunction with an electric poultry net. I told Brian to pretend it was a fun project. He was not convinced! ;)

I bought the trailer from my Dad for $40. It is made from the bed of an old S-10 pickup. The deck measures approx. 5' x 8'. First, a little planning...

5x8= 40 sq. ft.
Approx 1 sq. ft. per bird = 40 bird maximum
1 nest box per 4 hens = 10 nest boxes minimum
I also calculated perch requirements but don't have the figures in front of me...

We wanted a single sloping roof to make construction easier. I didn't want to lose floor space so we added a 1' overhang to the floor on one of the long sides, thus making a nice spot for the nest boxes.

First we put on a base made of 2x4's. Brian drilled in to the metal frame and bolted the boards right to it. We salvaged the 2x4s from pieces that didn't burn on our shed, so they didn't cost us anything. That means I spent most of my time pulling old nails out of the boards while Brian did most of the actual construction.

Once the base was on we started to build up. The short side (with the overhang) needed to be at least 2' tall to allow for 2 nest boxes stacked on top of each other, at 1' tall each. The 8' long x 2' high area will hold 16 nest boxes total and they will each measures approx. 1'x1'x1'. Make sense?

We decided to make the other side 5' tall so that a person can enter from that side to clean or dispense feed. We want the walk in door on the side so that we can climb in, even when the trailer is not hooked to something, without worrying about it tipping over. Picture a giant seesaw if we step on the bumper.

Then we added 2 angled pieces, one at each end. I hope the shadowing hides our gaps, neither one of us remembered much from geometry. We are not builders, and this is why!! We didn't have a saw that would cut the angles we did finally figure, but things still came together fine.

Then we added the two cross pieces.

At this point we drug up some siding, also salvaged from the shed fire. I patched the old nail holes with indoor/outdoor painters' caulk.

Then we attached 2 pieces of siding to make the roof. Brian used special screws with washers to hold on the siding. The pieces were the perfect width with only a slight overhang on each side. We left some overhang in the front. We also left the back long for now, figuring it will be easier to trim now that it is attached and held solidly.

That's as far as we've gotten so far. I'm picturing the walk in door over that tire on the tall side, with a chicken access door to each side of that. Nest boxes along the back wall, perches where ever they will fit best. The birds will only be confined at night and during inclement weather so it should be comfortable for them. In the near future we will have about 32 birds (knock on wood), so that should be just right.

We're planning to close the rest in with siding and possible add foam board to insulate the roof. I'd like to leave a gap open at the top to screen for ventilation but I'm not sure how much that will let in wind and rain. Plus, I don't want the wind getting in and causing the whole thing to tip over.

Watch for part 2, whenever we get the time! :)

Fruit Trees!

2009-04-19T19:27:00.001-04:00

My order from the Conservation District came in on Friday. I took advantage of the 70 degree temps (!!!) yesterday and planted them. I put them on our sideyard near the one pear tree I planted last year. Now we have 1 pear, 1 peach, 1 cherry, and 2 apple trees there. I still need to add another pear and another peach.

I also got in touch with a neighbor who graciously came and showed me how to prune our older trees. We take care of the empty house across the road and there are a few apple trees in the yard. I picked a lot of apple from the trees last year and wanted to prune them back nicely. I didn't do a lot because it is quite late for pruning but at least now I have a better idea on how to do it.

My nice neighbor gave me a recipe for tree spray and recommended I use it repeatedly throughout the season. He insists that he tried organic methods with his and was not happy with the results. What are you thoughts on this? I hate the idea of spraying them but it did make for a lot of extra labor last year trying to cut around the buggy spots.

Thoughts?

Suggestions?

2009-04-17T08:06:00.000-04:00

Lately I'm all about keeping things simply and easy to manage. If you read here regularly then you already know that. Despite my normally crafty ways, I am at a loss when it comes to how to store spices. The pic above shows my growing collection. I never had much trouble keeping salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Now that I'm cooking more "real" food I've added all kind of things... paprika, celery salt, nutmeg, etc.

Right now a lot of them are the inexpensive brand from the grocery. I like it that they come in glass jars (still with plastic tops). Ideally I will move away from store boughts and start to make a lot of my own seasonings. The rest I can buy in baggies at the farmer's market.

So, here's the question: where do I put them? People joke about spice racks but should I get one? What do you do with yours? In the cupboard I can't see what they are. On the shelf they still get hidden plus 3 fall off for every 1 I grab. As you can see in the pic I've got over a dozen different ones to store. I don't want to use counter space but I could mount something on the wall. Thoughts? Help, please, they're driving me crazy!!

A Few Turkeys!

2009-04-15T17:36:00.000-04:00

Last year at this time I brought home some chicks from the feed store so I could gain experience with egg layers. After having them all year I felt confident enough to order some heritage chicks that will arrive next month.

I think that someday I would like to offer turkeys to our customers, especially around the holidays. Of course I want to raise a heritage breed but they are very expense and usually have minimum order requirements. I've heard turkeys are much more fragile than chickens but have never raised them myself.

So...today I brought home 3 Bronze White turkey poults from the feed store. They'll be good to practice with and maybe we'll even have our own turkey dinner next winter! In the meantime I'm just going to enjoy how cute they are and pray that the cat does not break in and eat them since they are currently living in our basement. I'll keep you posted on how this project goes! Any turkey advice to share?

A New Forum...

2009-04-14T20:05:00.001-04:00

Just in case you haven't heard, there is a new forum in town.
Nature's Harmony Farmer's Forum has just been created and I'm already addicted. Check it out! Respond! Share!

Enjoy!

Visitors!

2009-04-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

I just love it when people come to visit our farm. I hope people take me seriously when I invite them out because having visitors is one of my favorite things about living on the farm. Especially when the visits include children. I get a kick out of their reactions and how their eyes light right up. Today we had our good friends over with a whole group of little ones.

The smaller children were a little leery of the lambs at first but I think everyone petted them eventually. Of course the mama sheep were more than happy to be bribed with all of the corn the kids fed them. Next, I brought out a hen for them to feel and passed out eggs to the older kids. That didn't last too long because of the potential for breakage but they were pretty excited to hold them for a few minutes. Then, everyone trudged out in the cold to pet the horses. Pooh Bear and Pistol stole the show but I believe they were wondering were their treats were.

I invited them all back in a month or two when we'll have baby chicks to see. How fun! Do you have a good memory of someone visiting your farm? What about a visit to a special farm that you have been to? What animals do you like to see the most? Any ideas or tips on what would make this visits even better?

You Know You're A Farm Wife When...

2009-04-13T07:29:00.001-04:00

You know you're a farm wife (or a country girl, or a redneck) when you look down in church and notice the gray heel on your black sock peeking out from your dress shoe. You realize that the only black socks in your dresser are John Deere thermal socks and are very grateful that your pants cover the tops of your shoes.

I hope you all had a happy holiday! We had a busy but enjoyable day and got to see both our families. Plus my Mom sent us home with some angel food cake for dessert, my favorite! In fact, I'm eating some for breakfast right now.

What little parts of farm life make you laugh? Do you hate getting ready to go someplace nice like I do? I have no fashion sense when it comes to dress clothes and never feel like I look right. I'm perfectly happy with my figure, it is just more comfortable in jeans and a hoodie. What's your favorite thing to wear? Any fashion faux pas to share?

Planting Onions!

2009-04-08T19:20:00.000-04:00

This should by no means be taken as a tutorial since I am planting onions this year for the very first time. I wasn't even going to post about it until I saw that little paper bag sitting next to the freshly planted row and thought what a cute picture that would make.

We don't eat many onions, just a few in casseroles and such, so I probably didn't need to plant any. Our good friend Rob shared some of his last year and is growing plenty again this year. These ones just caught my eye in line at the feed store so I picked up a couple bags. I figure it can't hurt to learn a new skill.

The paper that came with the onion sets had decent directions: plant 2-3" apart just deep enough to cover the tops in rows 12" apart. Thin later to 4" apart, then harvest in July or August when tops dry and fall over. I pretty much followed the directions except went about 4" apart right from the start. I've never been one to "thin" plants out, I just can't bring myself to pull up the little buggers just when they get going.

While out in the garden I also cut away the old asparagus stalks from last year and trimmed back some of the old strawberries too. My favorite part of last summer was spending a few hours in the garden each morning before work. It has been so nice to be out there again the last few days.

I was thrilled that today was nice enough to plant without getting hypothermia. I put in one row of lettuce and one row of sugar peas on Monday and thought my fingers were going to fall off. Only in Michigan do you have to hoe through the snow to get your seeds in at a decent time.

Have you ever grown onions? Did you start with sets or seeds? I tried seeds indoors last year but none of the seeds I started then did any good. What are you planting? Are you getting back in to a routine that includes garden "chores"?

My New Favorite Cookbook

2009-04-07T08:29:00.000-04:00

I borrowed a lot of cookbooks from the library a few weeks back. One of the best ones I tried and ended up buying is Make A Mix. I had never heard of it and stumbled upon it while browsing the freezer cooking manuals. Basically the first half contains recipes for mixes. The section includes dry baking mixes and other mixes that need to be frozen or used right away. Then you turn to the back half and find recipes for all the different meals you can make with each mix. My favorite so far is the Hot Roll Mix. I mix a large batch of the dry mix and then use it make some delicious things like Big Soft Pretzels, dinner rolls, and even Pizza Crust! I did find some good freezer cooking recipes in other books (more about that later) but Make A Mix is a great way to supplement those meals. Like I said, I found it through my library first. I liked it so much that I bought a used copy through Amazon.com pretty inexpensively.

By the way, those soft pretzels were a life saver when we decided to go to the church pot luck at the last minute. I rolled them out, Brian applied a little egg and salt, and they baked within 15 minutes. I don't want to cheat and share the recipe but it is very good! Enjoy!

What's your favorite cookbook?

Git 'Er Done Update

2009-04-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

I've been busy again...if you'd like more details on any of these projects just let me know! Hopefully this will inspire you somehow. :)

Time to update the master list. Red = done last year. Black = to be done. Blue = done in 2009.

Bedroom:
New bedding (received as wedding gift)
Paint walls & ceiling
Move closet (tear it out and rebuild in a different spot)
New TV (flatscreen - eliminated stand and gave us more floor space)
Mount lamp on wall
New trim
New curtains
Add 2nd clothes rod in closet
Cover hole for access to pipes (we cut this when changing plumbing in bathroom)
Rewire (and new switches/covers)
Decorate!
Curtain on closet
New light fixture
Headboard
Paint window frames

Bathroom sink before

Bathroom:
Paint walls & ceiling
Eliminate old rust stains
New faucets/hardware
New shower curtain & rod
New curtain over window (in shower)
Curtain around base of sink
Refinish cabinet
Get a quote for recoating the tub
New trim
New lighting
Replace mirror (or make it look better)
Decorate!
Rewire (and new switches/covers)

Bathroom sink after

Office
Find Brian a desk
Get a deal on a desk chair
Organize/rearrange
Paint walls & ceiling
Decorate!
New lighting
New curtains
Rewire

Kitchen
Removed wallpaper/patched/painted (Thanks Mom!!)
Refinished cabinets/rearranged them
New countertops
New trim (started)
New stove
New (used) dishwasher
New faucet
Paint window frames
Curtains in front of sink/trash
Finish trim
Baseboard for long cabinet
End caps on countertops
Paint baseboard on sink
Paint fridge
Hook up range hood
Rewire
New lighting

Brian tearing off old trim with 10 coats of paint on it

Back Room (entryway):
Paint walls/ceiling
New trim (almost done!!)
Paint window frames
Refinish cabinet door
Build/buy a bench/shoe rack
(Coat rack was her - now we don't need it - removing this)
Rewire
Clean off/organize stair shelf

Nice new trim in same area

Old gross couch that smells like dog

Living Room
Paint walls & ceiling
Refinish trim
Decorate!
Have floor refinished
New area rug
Furniture
New light fixture
Curtains
Rewire
Make slipcovers for couches - don't need this now because we have a new to us couch and NO DOGS are allowed on it! Yay!

Nice new clean couch!

Rabbit Room aka Guest Bedroom
Paint walls & ceiling
Furniture
Reorganize
Move rabbits out
Fix window screen (where rabbits chewed through it)
Touch up paint on trim
Decorate!
Rewire

Basement
Start cleaning/getting rid of everyone's junk
New washing machine
Buy laundry tub
Build corn storage bin
New corn stove
Finish cleaning
Install laundry tub
Install shower
New cabinets/tables/shelves (build or buy)
Dust/vacuum rafters
Clean out cistern (Baxter thinks it is his litterbox...gross)
Curtain @ base of stairs
Paint?
Rewire

Outside
Landscape around 1/2 house
Plant 2 pear trees (one died already)
Create garden
New porch roof
Tear our overgrown bushes
Repaired bad spot in shop roof
Built lean-to on back of shed (burned)
Get rid of lots of junk/scrap that is filling backyard
Install fence/plant pasture
Finish landscaping
Plant more fruit trees (they're on order!)
Paint foundation of house
New exterior doors on house
Shutters?
Farm sign/flagpole/strawberries?
Flowers by mailbox/along road
Repair shed fire damage/build new
Finish/repair fences
Tear down little red barn
Paint new OSB on shop ceiling
Paint small shop door
Tear down garage?
New stonecrete in driveway?
Better plan for black walnuts (help!?)
Plant corn & pumpkins
Improve pasture
Poultry tractors/fence

Wantin' & Havin' It All

2009-04-04T21:17:00.000-04:00

So here's what's on my mind, or I guess let's start with why it is there. Today I had a local electrician come out and give us a quote on completely rewiring our house. Remember my post about poor service? Well it is a good thing I had already written about that or I would have yesterday. I have been in touch with 5 electricians and the guy who came out is the only one who even returned my calls!! I have such a hard time believing "there are no jobs" when no one wants to work.

Anyway, this electrician is GREAT! It was Dave from Affordable Electric for readers in my area. I spoke with him yesterday and he came right out this morning, showed up early, offered us a reasonable price, and was super friendly. I had no idea what to expect and was guessing it would cost around $3-4 K to rewire our whole house. I was way off - turns out it will cost more like $7,000, and I think that is a pretty competitive rate. I would really like this done because A)I am paranoid about fires now for obvious reasons and B)we would like to have our home insulated with spray foam and that would make it almost impossible to rewire later. I think we're going to start with setting up a new fuse box, installing all new light fixtures on the main floor, new lights and a switch in the basement, and a new outlet for the washer & dryer. Then we can do the rest later on as we can afford it.

Okay - here's the real point I'm getting at. I heard something said once about all these 20-somethings trying to have everything there parents have and going in to debt to get it instead of realizing that it took there parents 30 years to get all those things. I don't want to be one of the people! I don't mean we're going in debt, we've managed to pay for everything so far except our mortgage, some of my college, Brian's truck, and a very small operating loan for the farm.

Really I feel like now IS the time to spend spend spend because we're both working full time. Hopefully someday I'll be home at least most of the time with our children and we'd love for Brian to be home too (not sure that will happen though). So it seems that if we could get the major stuff done now we could live well on a lesser income someday. Major goals for us include: rewiring, building an animal barn, adding 2 rooms and a garage on to the house, buying a loader tractor & stock trailer, and maybe buying more of the land that we currently rent. That all calls for some major spending.

I'm a saver by nature and feel a little extravagant lately spending all this money. Then I think, well, that's crossing one more thing off our list. What do you think? How has your spending changed with your age? Have you ever stopped to think that it might take you 30 years to get what your parents have? What are your theories on money? Do you think we'll ever get there or will our list just keep growing? I would love to hear what you think and how you handle this.

I hope this post doesn't make it sound like I'm addicted to stuff. What I want the most is to be at home and all this "stuff" is all that stands in the way of that.

C'mon Seedlings!

2009-04-03T22:12:00.000-04:00

They can make it... I hope. See what happened is I bought a shoplight and 2 plant bulbs way back before I planted my first seeds. I wanted to be prepared. Then I waited until the plants were sprouting and hooked up the light. Of course it didn't work! Why would it? So plan B involved me going to the hardware store (not where I bought the first light) and finding another light that was supposed to be compatible with my plant bulbs. Luckily this one works.

Now I know that my next batch of seedlings will have a good light, I'm just not sure how this first batch will do. As you can see they are awfully spindly and crooked right now from seeking out natural light. I rigged up the light in my closet and plan to plug it in with my Christmas light timer set for 14 hours of light per day.

How are your seedlings doing? Anyone care to place bets on whether or not these seedlings will be worth a darn?

Sheep Update

2009-04-02T18:45:00.001-04:00

Lambing season is over on this farm! Our last lamb was born Saturday afternoon. I had to help the mama with this one. I came home from knitting class to find her walking around with 1 foot and a nose showing. I tried to be patient and watched her push quite hard, off and on, for over 30 minutes. Then I decided it was time to step in. First, I felt for the other foot and found it just inside. I was relieved that both front feet were present but knew she still needed help so I consulted Managing Your Ewe. The book helped me figure out that the lamb's elbows were probably bent and locked. Picture yourself with your hands up by your face impersonating a rabbit. That is basically how the lamb was positioned. What we want is more like a person with there hands up above their head ready to dive into a pool. Make sense?

So I sloshed my hands in some disinfectant and felt around for those feet again. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I had to pull really hard on each leg, both of which were very slippery, and there wasn't a lot of room to work! I finally pulled one leg out, then the other. My biggest fear then was that she would lay down or turn and damage the legs. Then she pushed again and the lamb came out in my arms. One more big push let it all the way out. I was so relieved when it started breathing! Mama did very well, the only problem was that it took her a long time to stand up afterwards. She was obviously exhausted. I moved the lamb up by her head and she did a great job cleaning it off until she finally stood up. I caught him nursing later on and he's been doing great every since.

So... 4 ewes, all first time moms, produced 5 lambs for us this year. Total count is 3 girls and 2 boys. The twins and the solid black lamb are all very sturdy looking and large. The first lamb born has had some trouble, first with an infected tail band and then with limbing due to, I suspect, a joint infection stemming from the tail infection. I've treated her with penicillin injections for the last 4 days and am going to take the wait-and-see approach now. I don't condone routine antibiotic use but won't let any animal gimp around like that when I can fix it. She is a lot better, only slightly less active then the others now. This last baby is doing great he is just a little on the small side and sort of knobby kneed.

We'll see how it goes but the plan now is to send the two males and possibly the first female to the freezer and keep the other two to add to our breeding flock. I'm not good at judging sheep conformation but feel very good about the twins and the black female, they look very good to me.

Have you ever had to assist with a birth? Have you ever tried lamb or mutton? Did you like it?

Spring has sprung - here!!!

2009-04-01T18:42:00.000-04:00

I've been watching jealously as one by one my fellow bloggers have posted pictures of their first spring shoots. Now I can finally join in the fun!!

Farm mom inspired me to plant garlic for the first time last fall. I have not yet removed the thick layer of straw that covered the planted cloves all winter. Today I went out to inspect the patch and guess what - the garlic is already growing even through all that mulch! I still didn't remove it but I pulled back a good section and found several sturdy looking sprouts. How exciting!

Then I wandered over to my strawberries. I planted them last spring in a big metal pot that we found when we tore out the bushes around our house. I neglectfully forgot to mulch them over the winter so was prepared to find them dead this spring. They are more durable than I expected. I found several fresh green plants making their start already. Mmmm, I can't wait for that first batch of jam.

I planted two pear trees last spring as well. One tree didn't even live through the summer but the other is doing well. Check out the little tips already growing this spring.

I am so excited now and all fired up for spring. Last year my Mom and I went to our favorite nursery on Mother's Day. I'm hoping we can make that a tradition and find some great new plants this year. What are looking forward to this spring? How did your plants come through the winter?

NO BOOTS!

2009-03-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

Things are getting rough: in order to keep my sanity, it has come time to enforce two new rules that I've been putting off for awhile. Here's the first one:

I made this nifty little sign and taped it up on the door between our entryway and kitchen. I couldn't think of a better way to get the point across!

The second rule is no dogs on the couches. We never let them on our bed but love to cuddle with them on the couch. However, I want this to be a nice house and it isn't very nice when the couches smell and shed like dogs. I'd love to show you a picture of our two new (used), dog-free couches but they won't fit in our door so right now they sit in the shop. I'm thinking we may try to bring them in through our big bay window. Oh the joys of farmhouses with narrow doorways!

I am looking forward to not having dirty floors (or at least not as dirty). I have tried for a long time to keep shoes off of our nice wood floors but we didn't care about the linoleum until now. I just can't keep up and I'm sick of trying.

What's the shoe policy at your house? Any exceptions? How do you enforce it? I'm ready to be rued if I have to - I'm so sick of the mess!

Wide Awake!

2009-03-29T07:48:00.001-04:00

Isn't it funny how I hit snooze 5 times on workdays and can still barely get up when I have to - and then this weekend I bounded out of bed by 7:30 AM all on my own, with no alarm at all!? My husband likes to say that he can work 14 hours on the farm and not feel as tired as after 8 hours on the clock.

This promises to be a productive day and I'll be back later on to post about it. Just thought I'd stop in and wish every one a good morning! Enjoy your day! :)