Just checking in to let everyone know we're still alive and kicking here. We bought a new truck to replace the Explorer that bit the dust in Colorado. I'm still working off and on, on my regular fall/winter reorganization projects, and slowly cleaning up the large flower beds surrounding our little home. We have the chicken coop winterized and Al fixed up a new feeder. So far so good with letting them out to free-range a bit. They all return late morning to lay eggs, then all go in late afternoon with no problems.
Have had decent daytime temps for awhile, except for 3 totally cloud covered days. Almost 2" of rain the first of the 3 days.
Hope everyone else is doing well....
November Homestead
Got our load of hay today. Same guy we got it from last time. We have 5 mouldy bales last time. He made those good and gave us 5 more for good measure so we got 30 bales and paid for 20. So good to do business with an honest person.
I am only getting 3 eggs a day. I know it has to be the weather. Mostly cloudy the last few days. Took the blankets off the horses today.
Made up food boxes for the needy today at church. Good to know some families will have a better holiday.
I just can't believe Thanksgiving looms! This month has gone by fast at our house.
Windy as a politician today, had to re-organize my plans. Full moon was sure beautiful last night, coming up through pink cotton candy clouds. Mmm-mm, love living where I do.
Only two donks showed up for breakfast in the herd's corral this morning. Looking around, realized the boys somehow managed to lock their mom in a stall last night; only real question in my mind is, 'Was it deliberate?' One of those donks is definitely smart enough. And greedy enough... more for me, bwah-hah-hah!
Brat children.
Cajun was saying she thought turkey was tasteless w/the texture of a sponge. Now I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing she's been subjected to supermarket turkey, which is definitely a disappointment (to put it mildly). I suggested to Cajun that next year she raise a Bourbon Red for the table... if she doesn't like turkey after that, then OK, she doesn't like turkey. But she'll at least have had a real one to base her decision on.
Then this morning I came across this great article by Darius... if you haven't seen her blog, check it out.
Here's the lowdown on Heritage Turkeys, including the Bourbon Red...
http://2footalligator.blogspot.com/2010/11/bourbon-red-heritage-turkey.html
I raised my own for a couple of years & MMMM-mmm, I ain't ever eatin' another supermarket turkey. They're tasteless w/the texture of a sponge.... LOL
Thanks for the 'plug' for my blog, J!!
My Bourbon Red turkey is now ready to drop in the brine, just as soon as I finish my coffee and get the brine assembled. Cooking the rest of my Thanksgiving Dinner is problematic, though. My half-sister (who is an alcoholic) killed the oven in the house kitchen about 3 weeks ago. I seldom use the house kitchen anymore except when I absolutely have to, like for canning or baking. It helps keep the Peace if I can avoid her.
I have made space for a rudimentary cooking spot in my part of the house... 2 burner hotplate, coffee pot and crockpot. "Homesteading" at it's best, LOL.
Now I'm trying to make-do with a cheap countertop convection oven. Despite tailoring the oven instructions, I've already burned cornbread and pumpkin cupcakes twice even though the interiors were still gooey... and don't have a clue if I can actually bake a pumpkin pie. I'll cook the turkey on the smoker-grill, God Willing.
I had read on the net about baking under a foil wrapped cardboard box using a grill and a small number of charcoal briquets. I was interested in it for camping. Never got around to trying it though but I found the concept very interesting.
I also found instructions for making a "slow cooker" from a wooden box stuffed with hay.
I did cook some veggies in a black loaf pan wrapped in a clear plastic baking bag and placed in a cone made from a foil screen like you put in the windshield to keep the car cooler in the summer. Turned out great.
Coleman makes an oven you set on a camp stove. It even has a temp guage on it. I know you can bake biscuits in it. It's made of sheet metal and folds up.
I'll have to look into those turkeys. How long does it take them to get big enough to eat?
Depends on how large you want your bird. The man who raised mine hatched out the chicks in mid-May this year, but most were small at slaughter, about 10-11 lbs. Last year he bought chicks earlier but lost a few to bad weather. If they are fully free-range, until they are feathered out, they can catch cold from rain and die. Caged until fully feathered isn't much of a problem but what they are fed makes a difference in the taste and nutrient density.
Ah, the holidays w/drunks. Why I stopped joining my family in my 20's... it's just really hard to be thankful when you'd like to kill them for yelling fights at the dinner table.
I thought I got mine (a tom) to 22# in a year (nearly didn't fit in the oven!), but I may be mis-remembering, it may have been its second fall. Mine were pretty much free range once they got fully feathered & big enough not to get taken out by a skunk. Maybe a steady diet of grasshoppers makes a difference?
They're marvelous to have around the 'stead. Friendly birds, w/out the hostility of a goose. And they'll putt & spread their tail for just about any reason. Beautiful!
When I get poultry again, I may forgo chickens & just have turkeys... the Royal Palms are gorgeous. But according to Slow Foods, the Bourbon Red is the very best tasting of all the Heritage Breeds, which are all much better than those pathetic double breasted whites.
Had a friend down in NC who fixed to best turkey I ever had and he did it on a charcoal picnic grill, He enclosed the turkey in a couple of layers of aluminum foil and got the grill going, it was a large grill, placed the foil wrapped turkey in it and cooked it for a long time. It was tender and juicy.
Dyson, I'd feel better about using the grill if it was wide enough to have the bird centered and coals under either side of it. The one I have is a tall canister type.
The good news is that I finally made cornbread in my little oven that's fit to eat! I had some with dinner, and the half-recipe made enough to add some to my turkey dressing tomorrow, too.
Adventurous cooking ~ who doesn't like a challenge!?!! Many different folks around here are cooking their turkeys over a campfire on a rotisserie of sorts. They call it a Cajun bird ~ any truth to this Cajun? They inject seasonings and insert garlic in slits under the skin. Cooked long and slowly, I am told it stays moist and very tasty.
A customer of ours uses a small propane range and uses a propane bottle with the line piped into the house. He keeps a spare bottle and carries the empty to the local propane company for refills. He is an interesting sort. He built his house for less than $1,000. having torn down an old poultry barn for the materials. He lives totally off the grid, no electricity, his cell is charged in his truck, he is now setting up rain barrels for water harvesting and uses firewood for heat. I am fascinated as that is a lifestyle you find few people willing to venture into. I admire it.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.... even a bad year in the garden will not make me lose sight of all I am thankful for. Enjoy the day!
May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
That's the way my Mom cooks her pork roasts. Delish!!!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Have a great day!
Love the poem, Robin. =0)
Thanks for the invite, Sarge.
Podster, I'd love to visit someone living like your customer. As much as we talk about it and read, it's difficult to really put it (that lifestyle) into prespective.
Darius, way to go on the cornbread and learning how to use the oven. I feel bad that you have to live under those circumstances.
Only the two of us here, but we cooked a traditional Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings, minus the candied yams. Just made much smaller side dishes.
I forgot to mention...I don't know the author of that poem. It came in an email in a mix of other Thanksgiving related stuff. I just thought it was cute and wanted to share.
After several days of beautiful 60*-70* temps, had about 4" of rain here yesterday, then woke up to 3/4-1" of snow this morning and 24*.
Pretty! We could sure use some of that moisture here... 14º this morning & dry as a bone. Has been for weeks. We might get a little something Monday... keeping the fingers crossed.
We're having turkey dinner today... SO wanted a full day off yesterday, & the turkey wasn't thawed so we just bummed around. Nice.
Put the breast in the crock pot w/some onion soup mix & celery, making stock out of back & wings, which will become green chile stew, & the legs will get slow cooked w/red chile to become tamales. This 18 pound turkey is going to provide a lot of meals! Probably even can up some of the breast for future recipes. =0)
Looks like it's going to be another beautiful day, not much wind. Get more work done outside.
Ms. Robin, They are calling for more snow on Tue and maybe Wed also . ;(
Sarge
Beats the heck out of drought...
I agree with that.
Sarge
I'd be happy with somewhere in the middle. It is cold, wet and nasty here. I will not be happy again until late Spring. I HATE winter!!!!!!
lol I Agree Cajunin Ky.
Sarge
I hate cilantro. Mixed feelings about most of the seasons. But I have noticed that neither cilantro nor the seasons seem much impressed by my feelings.
How insensitive.
LOL
Jay, I'm impressed. You're getting a lot of milage out of that turkey. Sounds pretty tasty, too.
Winters aren't usually too bad here. Lots of days in the mid 40's to mid 50's range (and a bunch in the 60's) with lots of sunshine.
We stay wet, cold and nasty all winter.
Good time to work on that book, eh Cajun? =0)
There's 5 pints of white beans & 12 pints of turkey green chile stew in the pressure canner, waiting for it to come up to pressure. Then it looks like we'll get a few quarts of the stew, too.
By this evening the turkey legs will be finished in the slow cooker & we'll be able to shred the meat off for tamale making tomorrow. Thinking of putting some corn in w/the turkey filling...
I have a turkey in the roaster now. I'm trying a new thing to get some taste into the bland meat. I'll let you know if it works.
We've been using an injectable marinate for years (Garlic & Herb flavor), so ours is always moist and tender with great flavor. We just finished off all of the leftovers for dinner tonite, except for the rest of the turkey. I'll deboned and freeze it for future use in turkey salad for sandwiches.
Cajun, are you in a valley? We're on an open hilltop with no trees around the house and sheds, so we get lots of wind and sun that dries us out quickly.
In a valley between 2 big mountains. Sometimes we don't get sun until noon.
The turkey turned out pretty good (for turkey). I stuffed the cavity with inions and carrots, seasonall, garlic powder and lemon pepper. I didn't have any apples. Sprinkled the outside of the bird with garlic powder, lemon pepper and salt. Put onions, a can of green beans, a can of corn and a can of cajun style okra, corn and tomatoes in the roaster around the turkey. Added a bit of water and let it cook on 350 for about 2 1/2 hours. It fell off the bone. DH loved it. It was pretty good. We will have some for dinner tomorrow.
Wow! sounds scrumptious.
Just think how good it would have been w/a REAL turkey. LOL
Finally got my tulips & crocus planted yesterday... still need to figure out where to put the Jerusalem Artichokes. Supposed to be windy today, in the high 40's... brrr. Maybe snow tomorrow. We could sure use it.
Third day of cooking & I'm getting a little tired of it. =oP But not the results, so I guess I'll keep plugging along.
I'm going to have to try one of those heritage turkeys.
If there is any of the turkey left after dinner I think I will tear it up, add it to the veggies I cooked with it, thicken it all with a bit of cornstarch and have it for another meal. Would that be a bit like a chutney?
I am home from church today with an ulcer attack. Very painful.
Oh my, it was chilly this morning at 24*!
Cajun, hope you're feeling better. Yep, sounds scrumptious. I don't know about chutney, but sounds like it would be great served over rice.
I love lemon pepper and usually just use it and garlic salt to season a lot of stuff. With the deviled eggs lately, I've also added salt. They were definitely pretty salty tasting. I discovered after reading the ingredient list on the lemon pepper, the main ingredient is salt. I don't recall having this problem before, so don't know if it was just this brand or what. Just wanted to mention it, in case anyone was watching their salt intake and don't always read food labels..
Wish I could be outside gardening, but this is the time of year that I concentrate on de-cluttering and reorganizing the house, and getting our paper work in order and filed properly, and new calenders prepared. I'm bad at letting things get out of hand from the first sign of spring till late fall. In addition to the backlog of paperwork, I've been attending my Master Gardener class, so have had loads of reading to do..
Still got a few things that have to be done outside, as far as putting stuff away out of the elements. I've got one more tunnel that needs the plastic removed and a few soaker hoses to roll up. Suppose to be in the low 50's the next few days, so maybe....
I admire you. You always accomplish so much. I am a slug.
Cajun, you do a LOT considering your parameters. I'm always impressed by how much you get done. In fact, I'm always thinking you should slow down a bit and take it easy! There's no intelligence in comparing what you get done with what a person w/a healthy body gets done. Pooh. =oP You better stop picking on my friend. So there. Harumphf. =0)
We woke to a warm morning, around 30º, so hustled out & got the raspberries mulched & watered, dug a 24' x 4" trench, lined it w/hardware cloth, & got the Jerusalem Artichokes planted & watered in. Shew. Supposed to get a little snow tomorrow (hope, hope) & then I think the ground's going to freeze up & that'll be that for planting.
Nice to be outside for a while, feeling the breeze & enjoying the sun. Just as I finished the planting & was watering, the breeze turned into wind & now we're in for the day, I 'spect. Those turkey legs await... O, besides all the pints of stew, we also got 4 quarts. Hooray!
Jay, you are too kind and I thank you for your encouragement. It means the world to me. I know I am hard on myself but I do not want to use my condition as an excuse and just quit. I have to keep going. I used to be happy with what I accomplished in a day but since DH got sick and everything has fallen to me, it seems I can only manage to get the basics done and I never get any extra projects done anymore. It feels like I am standing still. I would like to get another planting bed built for Spring. I found a pile I can use for compost. It was a pile of woodchips that Aspluhnd (sp?) dumped out. They are a tree trimming and grinding comapany. They clear right of ways for the power companies in this area.
The pile has been rotting for over a year and it would be a great base for me to use and add some manure to.
I made soup today from the leftover turkey and veggies. DH loved it. I gave the carcass to the dogs and they enjoyed it.
My egg production is down. Just 2 or 3 eggs a day now since it got cold. Wish the price of feed would drop with production. It is steadily going up here. What are you guys paying for chicken feed?
Careful with those chokes. I understand they spread. Have you ever eaten them? I have not but would like to. I have some seeds for some and I have thought i would plant them in a half wooden barrel. I had planned to do that this past Spring but I lost spring, summer and fall to DH's sickness. Have not accomplished much past getting my growing bed made. But I am thankful for that and the fact that DH is doing so much better.
It is supposed to start raining here tonight then turn cold and snow. I am dreading it. I have worried about it until I have made myself sick. I wish I was a duck and could fly south for the winter. LOL
Cajun, ditto what Jay says. Does this cold, wet weather affect how you feel? When you have physical limitations, you do what you can and don't worry about the rest. Luckily I don't have the responsibilities that you do, so I don't worry so much about what I can't or don't get done, or I can take as much time as I need to finish a job. BTW, thank you. Some days I am able to accomplish much more than other days, but I always have to take lots of breaks to get anything done. Like you, I get really frustrated with not being able to do as much as I want to, or could even do a year ago.
Part of the leftover turkey was transformed into turkey salad and the rest frozen. Guess I'll have to start cooking again. lol
My 10 hens are doing pretty good. We're getting 5-6 eggs a day. I don't remember what we pay for layer mash, but they are sure going through it. Glad we can let them out during the day to cut down on some of the feed cost.
We got a pretty good gulley washer this evening. Thankfully, it's only suppose to get down in the mid-50s. I was afraid it was going to be really slick driving home from class tonight. More rain forecast for tomorrow too. I think we got more rain in the last week than we did all summer.
Robin, Yes. I have a lot more pain in Winter. More spasms and stiffness.
And last winter was so hard here. It seemed to excelerate my condition. It is scarey how much ground I lost over the winter. May have just been coincidence but it has me dreading this winter.
Cajun, there's excuses & there's reasons, & there's a mountain of difference between the two... summed up in your word 'quit'. You haven't quit, & I don't see you ever going into passivity like that. You've got a lot on your plate, & you're trying to eat it all in one bite. Mind & body will both be better served if you just trust your own innate drive-to-do & then calmly do the next thing, whether it's feed the chickens, cook dinner, or rest a bit. Rest is as much a nutrient for our bodies as food, so please don't neglect it, or run yourself down because your body demands it.
Some ideas....
To help save w/the horses feed bills... I feed straw along w/hay. Donkeys are more efficient, but my guys get 1 flake of hay per meal, & 1-2 flakes of straw. It gives them something to munch on (so less cribbing), fills their bellies, & helps them stay warm through the cold nights. I've done it w/both horses & donks for years, & had no trouble. The important thing is to make sure they are getting enough water. But using straw rather than grain or hay to keep them warm may help with the money.
Also, for the chickens you might see if you can get the bad produce from a local grocery store, or food scraps from someone's cafe... chickens are omnivores, they'll eat anything & do well enough. Maybe even just have all your friends save their kitchen scraps each week. Especially while egg laying is down over the winter, you don't need to feed those high dollar feed mixes. Raking up at the feed store can get you quite a bit of loose alfalfa for them, too.
I'm so glad to hear DH is doing better... stay warm, stay sane, stay strong & be gentle with my friend. =0)
Jay, Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement. I am feeling good today. I had almost all my work done by noon. I couldn't believe it. I thought the clock had stopped. LOL I got started really early but I had no idea I was getting things done so quickly. It felt good. I had to wait until later to feed the dogs because i needed to get feed. So I had to put the rain gear on to feed them. It has been raining here pretty hard for several hours now. I am sure there will be flooding but we are safe where we are. The creek is raging in the front of the house but it would have to raise 15 feet to come over the bank.
I laughed when you mentioned feeding straw. When I first got Shaq I had him bedded in straw. Every night he would eat his grain, his hay and his bed. LOL Straw here costs more than hay. Maybe because it's not a local product.
There is a little store here with a deli. I will ask them about their scraps. I had not thought of that. Thanks. There is a little drive in too and I will ask them. I am going to switch them over to plain cracked corn for the winter.
I cooked a venison shoulder roast today. 4 hours at 250. Turned out great.
Ah, yeah, expensive straw kinda shoots that one down... it's only $4 a bale out here, alfalfa running $6-$8, grass much more.
If you know someone w/too much milk, you can soak oats/barley in it for the chickens. You want to make sure they're getting protein, not just starches/greens, so if there's meat from that deli, give it to 'em. Let 'em pick all your bones, too. Just collect the bones when the chickens are done so the bones don't draw critters. Remember, bugs are high protein... I don't know how your dog food compares to your chicken feed price wise, but you can give them some kibble, too; just break it up into crumbles (run it over w/the car) or soak it. Heaven knows there's plenty of chickens stealing Ol' Roy out of dog dishes around the country... LOL
Glad to hear you had a good day... I love those when things go smoothly & lots gets done. Hard not to think that's the way it should always be, but it's not, so don't get hung up on it. Just rejoice & let it go. That's the only thing that works for me, anyway. Some days I get a ton of things done, & the next day doo-de-pah.
Do you get the yearly flu shot?
WhooHoo! Cajun had a GREAT day!
I know a positive attitude and a "to-do" list broke down to very small jobs (5-15 minutes) goes a long way to keeping me somewhat focused and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Something very satisfying about crossing each item off the list no matter how small the job.
Although you have to accept your physical limitations, maybe there are things that can be done to make the work easier on you. Having things close to where you need to use them. Doing several things/chores in one area, before moving on to another location...after a break, of course. :) If you need ideas, just ask. We're here to help.