we came from here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1223293/
AT 0530 when I let the MacTavish out the sky was soooooo beautiful I had to just stop and stare for a bit. It had not a cloud in it and the stars were brighter than diamonds on a black velvet doily. It was the very definition of "Majesty".
Getting frosty on the November Homestead
Thanks for the hug Darius. This business with the plumbing sure takes it out of you. Finally got our water back on late yesterday. It still needs more work, but hopefully nothing that can't wait till Spring.
And thanks Nik and Porkpal, for the chicken information. Much appreciated.
Loved the owl story Nik. lol I know I would have been traumatized!
Finally got my garlic, and quite a few other bulbs, planted late yesterday and today. Hopefully I will finish with the bulbs tomorrow. If not, I may give the rest of them to my daughter or daughter-in-law. Wish I was working in raised beds planting these! lol This old back is not what it once was.
just a quick check in
after hanging around with darius and you all for so many yrs , you'd think i would know the answer to this ? LOL
but i over analyze everything so bare with me
neighbor offered me his old sheep straw bedding. its been sitting since august and i was thinking of putting it on my garden area as a mulch and or a top dressing this fall . since it will have sheep manure and sheep pee in it . then i will just rake it back n the spring when i plant my garden.
sounds like a good idea ?
neat story on the owl .
TXbabybloomer glady ou got your garlic in . i got mine it yesterday and layed the straw today.
i feel like i m all set for winter ? LOL
Sue, I got a load of sheep manure/straw bedding once, at my mother's place... but I don't remember if it was aged, nor how long it should age so it won't burn anything. But if you are just covering bare ground rather than plants, I don't see any harm. Sheep urine is only about 4% urea anyway.
good to know
i usually don't add manure for around 120 days or just add it in early spring before planting or in fall in a pile . Then i take the tractor and turn it all winter to keep it warm and jumping with good stuff
got lots done today
finshed chicken coop , putting plastic on it for winter
layed black plastic on veg garden for weed barrier.
moved 100 or so plants for winter protection
made some list and inventory of plants
made phone calls
made a new path wit some gravel and stones in back porch area, so dog won't tread mud in .
tomorrow is house and GH cleaning. LOL
That winter squash looks a bit like the Jarrahdale (Australian Blue Group), but doesn't really have the green tint. It could be in the group (Cheese pumpkin Group) that includes Long Island Cheese and Musquée de Provence. Those are all so very similar! It shold be quite tasty no matter which one it is.
Interesting apple cider processing equipment, Sue. Thanks for posting the pics.
I finally got part of my shallots and garlic planted, but didn't finish it all. Man, there were LOTS of vole tunnels in that pile of dirt! I got 2 rows of shallots (about 50) and 3 rows of garlic, maybe 75, planted. Should finish tomorrow after I make the Bacon Jam and some wine jelly.
when i got it . there was more green on it and its slowly turning orange .
I saw a pic of the Musquee de Provence and it sure looks like . I imagine i will need a ax to get it open to dig out the inner'd stuff.
i stocked up on pumpkins for winter and other squash. My chickens love my squash soup i make with ginger.
glad you got the garlic planted darius
get pics of the bacon jam sounds so yummy.
Sue, I bought a Musquée de Provence last Fall; it was very tasty. Maybe I'll look for another one tomorrow at the Market!
you all have been so quiet . i thought i got lost
how is everyone doing ?
things are good here
still trying to get a barn up .
got the estimates today and was surprised at his prices..... a bit more then we expected . He didn't price the first two at the size we wanted ?
went to eye dr , need stronger glasses.
got some more mulching done
removed some of darius daisys and got them in full sun out in the feild with some NOID daylillys .
other then that ? not much to exciting.
Sue, I need to get stronger glasses too. I can barely see to pick up a sewing needle, much less thread one!! lol
Too bad they don't do barn raising like they use too, huh? Then, all you needed was the materials to build one, and all your friends, neighbors and relatives came to help build. Aaa the good old days..........
I swear the older I get the more forgetful I am. I accidentally left the bonemeal outside AGAIN. On the front deck this time. (when I finally finished up planting bulbs) And I'll be darned if the raccoons didn't get into it again. But, we had a lot more excitement last night .A bunch of wild hogs got in the vegetable garden, and the whole back acre of our property!! It looks like some drunk farmer got loose back there with a tractor!! Guess I got lucky they mostly just made a big mess. But they did a lot of rooting where I had just planted seeds. Thankfully I have plenty more lettuce and carrot seed. I just need to go smooth it all out again. They came right up to within an inch of where we planted the blueberries. I swear, if they had messed with my blueberries, I would have been out with a rifle looking for them in the woods today! lol
Speaking of heirloom seeds, my first ever heirloom tomato (chocolate cherry) is starting to color up. I am so looking forward to some in a salad. AND saving seed to grow it again in the Spring!! I have NEVER saved seeds before, just ordered new ones each year. Hopefully most of the things I am (and will be) growing are heirlooms, and I will be able to figure out how to save seeds from each kind.
I've just been busy, and being in a snit to boot. Managed to slide my truck off a gravel road into a deep ditch and had to be towed out. No damage but to my pride.
Today will be the last warmish day this week, and I need to get some chicken wire to lay flat over the garlic bed. Something keeps digging in there (I think it's my sister's dog) and every morning I find newly planted cloves strewn all about and have to replant them. The chicken wire should stop the digging.
darius glad your all right ! .I hate when i get stuck in the mud :P i always sit there thinking " stupid idiot for getting stuck in the mud. " Then people come over to ask " hey you stuck in the mud ? " ..... ummmm duh !!! LOL
Sure hope you get the garlic under control. Not fun when that happens.
well got some more grocery to stock up on things for winter
saw that they reduced meat section had deli meat .... yep deli meat in the raw meat section..... i told the meat person about it ...... she didn't seem worried. SoOOOO i won't be getting meat from them anymore to say . Sure am going to get some meat critters to take to butcher. so i have some control on my eatin's
i just can't beleive that cross contamination is not a concern to that woman.
Which store is that? I shop Urbana on occaision. No often, but Deb and I go to Frisch's on Sunday sometimes and we do some shopping while we're there.
Sold all the auracaunas and Blue Orpingons Saturday at the livestock auction in DeGraff, Ohio. Then came home and ran power to the minibarn. I made the door, yesterday. Today I'm going to install it and place the buff orps in their new home. Then all the birds will be in their new winter quarters. Next month I an going to sell off the welsh harlequin ducks.
The village of Belle Center has brought me 3 loads of leaves for the garden, and will bring me 3 more before the weekend. Things are going apace for this time of year.
My sister's hound dog was carrying around a dead young chicken yesterday; it would have stood about 8" tall I guess. I have no clue if the dog found and killed it, or just found it dead and was playing with it. I am not aware of any neighbors raising chickens either.
It's as warm outside as it will be for a couple of days... 43º, windy and damp. Doesn't make me want to work outside at all. I need a Carhart Onesie!
well i have a hook up on a breeding pair of silkie 's they are a blue splash in color.
then we will be also getting another bunny A Lions Head ? its a new breed for us sooooo. Son is excited.
So this sat we are heading over to Columbus to a poultry show .
hope i can dig up some extra carry cages. i have two but i need one more small one so i don't have to drag the big carrier
very cold today has some flurrys brrrrr.
i m thinking i may need more acorns too. gonna be collecting them tomorrow
also going to scout around for some hickory nuts too.
A pair of breeding silkies sound like fun, Sue!
Well, after lots of agonizing on my part, and then yesterday a Committee from the County Health Department, the Environmental Services Dept., copies of the 26 year old septic permit, old satellite photos of our place, a couple of neighbors and a septic tank pumper, we finally located the septic tank. It's under an addition to the house and front porch! (Actually it's mostly under my living room.)
Very fortunately, the corner of the tank that has the lid is just outside the footers / concrete block foundation to the addition, so all I had to do for pumping access was tear off the front steps. And, the tank and leach field are in good working order! The Distribution box is 3' under the hosta bed, and most of the leach field is in the front yard and partially under a flower bed. However, the far end of the leach field trenches does run about 15 feet into the area I just sheet-mulched for a new garden bed, but the whole flatish area above it (where we thought the leach field was) is now available for more garden extension and a couple of shade trees next year.
The foot of mulch/chips I put over the end of the leach field will need to be removed, and one huge overgrown shrub in the front yard will have to go. But all in all, it's not nearly as bad as it could have been. What could have been $6,000-$9,000 for a whole new system will end up costing under $500 to fix what's here, and maybe another $500 for some heavy equipment to dig out a series of shallow bog ponds for greywater filtering.
I went to Lowe's last night for materials to build new front steps ($75), but might not work on them until tomorrow when it's supposed to be warmer and sunny.
wow darius glad it will not be the original price tag for you. That is one accomplishment off your hands . Good news indeed.
I guess you will be moving your garden again ? and will the other area be bigger or about the same. ?
cute dog. :)
tomorrow we head off to the fair grounds about an 1.5 hr drive.
LOL Sue... I was so focused on the septic guy in the photo that I didn't even notice my sister's legs and her dog in the photo!
Yes, the garden will be larger, but it may take a year or two to be worth anything. I hope not to have to move half (which is nearly 500 square feet) of that sheet compost until next spring, but I may have to...
Gads, it goes from Bad to Worse! I'm in the kitchen today, making the Bacon Jam and some wine jelly for a party... and NO hot water!
We knew the water heater was old and inefficient (like 25 years old, and just 30 gallons with a single heating element which I replaced 4 years ago) and needed replacing. But I wasn't planning it it being this week. Alas, the plumber will get $550 of our money tomorrow... PLUS he found a leak in a water inlet pipe under the house. No wonder our water usage has been high.
Sue, here's the link to the recipe. I will definitely make this again!!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8867808
Oh my goodness Darius. It sounds like you are the one that might need a hugs now. I can certainly understand and sympathize with those water/sewer/septic problems! I think we may have ours under control for the time being.
Right now our AC/Heater unit is taken apart. Sure hope that is fixed this weekend! Finished up the last of the firewood again today. The temps have only dipped down into the upper 40's here so far. But the house is so well insulated it's always at least 10 degrees cooler inside. lol Husband picked up a new chainsaw yesterday. I imagine we will be busy this weekend cutting down a couple of dead trees and chopping firewood. It really does seem like when it rains it pours, huh?
That's great that the city will give, and even deliver, leaves to you Nik. Nice score!
Those silkies sound awesome Sue!! And a new bunny to boot. Lucky you!!
Before I went to work in the hatchery and was just a retired man of leisure (I am speaking facetiously, of course) I had coffee almost daily with the Village guys. So I am pretty good friends with them. Getting leaves and such is just a matter of asking and having a dry place for the truck to set while it dumps.
This Morning was a bit exciting; the MacTavish started barking and going nutsoid about 0400. I got out of bed and grabbed the shotgun and went to the door. As I was about to open it I heard a cow mooing and freaking out. When I looked out I saw the neighbor's jersey heifer (I Hope the last one to calf this year) kicking at a pair of coyotes That were going for the calf she had dropped just minutes before. I shot into the air and they took off. Mac kept the jersey off of me as I wrapped her calf up in a towel and got it warmed. I carried it down to Marion's barn and the jersey followed along. I put them into a stall then went and rang the pole bell. They're Amish and don't have a doorbell, but they have a big bell on a pole outside the door. They all woke up and I told them what was the scoop. so marion and Clifford, and Christopher all came out to the barn. the calf was nursing and seemed to be alright. Fannie made coffee for everyone and was putting together the makings for donuts. I had some coffee but then I went home. I was still just dressed in my sweatpants and a t-shirt and crocs. Christopher brought me some donuts about 0600, and said the calf was mine if I wanted it. It's a bull. I may take it and band it. It'll be ready to butcher this time next year.
I am mostly playing carpenter today. My minibarn needs a few things yet, the Barred Rock Box needs a door, and my pumphouse door needs to be repaired. I am using the first batch of dried soup veggies for a pot of everything stew. A huge chicken breast, a couple pounds of stew beef, a small amount of ground venison, and 2 boneless pork chops that would be bad in about 2-3 more days. The dried veggies, a little barley, some spuds and a turnip round all this out into some awesome stew. A crockpot is a homesteader's fast food.
Debbie and I have decided that if things are still going as well as they are in a year, that we're going to splice the halyard. Yep, no more batchelor life for Nik the Mighty One. Cool beans, eh?
Traynors, are you interested in Seramas? I have some for sale. Dmail me, we'll talk.
So much has been going on for you guys while I was away. Not gone anywhere, just busy. We had a ladies conference at our church last Saturday and that took much of my time and efforts but it went well. We have it every year and I enjoy it very much but it is a lot of work and I am glad it is in the books for this year.
DH has had some more problems with his foot. The original problem spot was doing great and still is. They did a skin graft on it a bit over a month ago and it has all but healed up. He had a new erruption under the same foot nearly 3 weeks ago and it was scarey but thank the Lord it turned out not to be as bad as it looked. He is on two antibiotics but they think they have it contained and it was only superficial wih no involvement of the deep soft tissue or the bone. He is feeling better.
I have a "job" now. I don't get paid actual money but I am earning stall space for 4 of my horses by doing the evening feeding, haying and watering of all the horses at the barn. There are 17 horses in the barn counting my 4 and it takes about 1 1/2 hours to get it all done at a leisurly pace. It's very relaxing and not unpleasant as they are all in 1 big barn. So I have all my horses under roof now and won't have to be climbing mountains in the snow and ice and packing water on my back. God is so good to answer my prayers. I was really dreading winter.
I sold Tug, my red and white spotted racking pony. He is being boarded at the same barn where my horses are so I still see him every day and ride him whenever I want. He has turned into such a nice pony and I would not have sold him but the family who bought him needed him much more than I did. They have 2 daughters and a mom who are just dying to learn to ride and Tug was just the horse for them. He is so very kind and willing. The older of the 2 girls is a bit heavy for a smaller pony but she was afraid of a bigger one. She has been out trail riding on Tug and it nearly brings tears to my eyes to see her getting confident and having such good times. She has an older sister who is thin and is an accomplished rider with a spirited racking horse of her own. The younger sister lived in the older sister's shadow and it was beginning to show. I felt so bad for her and wanted to help so I let my beloved Tug go. I know they will treat him well and if they ever decide to let him go he will come back to me.
I still have 2 horses for sale and I have committed to buy another when my mare sells. I am going to buy her from my "boss". I have been riding her for a while and I really like her. She puts me in mind of Shaq though she looks nothing like him. She is a Walkaloosa which is a TWH/Appy cross. She looks like an old style ranch horse but she is naturally gaited with a rolling slow rack. Such a good ride. Her name is Dixie and when I show her I will show her as "You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie".
I made a good trade with those 14 laying hens I was going to butcher. I traded them for a gallon of fresh cows milk, 1/2 gallon of fresh goats milk and 2lbs of fresh butter. I threw in Gumbo the EE roo as lagniappe. They were thrilled to get them and I was thrilled to see them go. I have now cut my chicken feed bill in half and I am getting between 3 and 7 eggs a day. That keeps us in eggs and I am still selling a few. A friend wants to give me some seramas so now I have a pen for them. I need to make up some yogurt with my goats milk and I am going to freeze some of my cows milk.
Nik, congrats on your decision to jump the broom. It's so comforting to have someone to love and be loved by. To spend time with. It sounds like you 2 are of the same mind on most everything and it will make your life good. I am happy for you.
Good job on selling all your chickens you took to the market. It's harder to sell this time of year. Yours must have been nice looking birds.
Sue, I have never had silkies but I think everybody who does just loves them. They must have good personalities. Thanks for posting the pics. That cider business looks interesting and the cat looks just like ours. Well, one of ours. The one we keep inside. I named her Misty Morn because she looked like the mist that hangs over the mountains in the mornings. Doesn't make any sense now that she has shed her kitten coat and is so black she could mark charcoal. I named the goat kid Blondie and she is turning black now too. Grrr Getting back to the cat, we have been adopted by a nice looking tom cat. He turned up at the church one day and 2 days later he moved into my hay shed. Problem is, he wants to be a house cat too. We let him in once and he decided to get on the table and help himself to a hotdog so now he is a hay shed cat again.
You all are way ahead of me on the garlic. I just got a few bulbs planted in a pot but they are up about 4" tall and the onions I planted are about 6" tall. I have never gotten around to mulching them but the cold has not seemed to bother them. I want to get 3 more pots of garlic planted. I am still picking a few peppers. I covered them with floating row cover held up with sticks i cut off the hillside. It is supposed to warm back up for a few days so I will take it off and water them. I just love the mini sweets. May be all I plant next year. I cooked a turkey in my roaster and it was amazing the difference in the taste using the mini sweets instead of the bells. Did the same thing with a pork roast I cooked. Bells are all I have ever used but I think I may have used my last except for stuffing. The mini sweets are too small to stuff but I could make pepper dressing with them.
Glad you all got your water problems fixed. That's a pain in the hind end. We have some plumbing work that needs to be taken care of but you can bet I won't be doing it. Small problems would turn to big ones real quick if I had to take care of it. Good thing you two know what you are doing.
Nik, glad you saved the calf and got coffee and doughnuts to boot. Good neighbors are a gift. We have good neighbors and I am so glad for them. I'm sure your neighbors appreciate what you did for them. The coyotes are not so thick here the last 2 years and I am glad.
On a sad note, our little schnoxer dog got himself killed. I was having to tie him up a good bit because he was tearing up everything. You know how pups will chew. I had let him loose for a bit of exercise and had planned to tie him back up when I finished feeding. He rambled up to the road and got run down by a coal truck. At least it was a quick death and he did not suffer. We are going to miss the little chap. He was quite the character and he was a great ratter. RIP little Tramp.
I lost 2 goat kids too. Bobbie, my bottle baby, and Woolene. Bobbie died from bloat. I did not know what was happening at the time. These are the first kids I have raised and I am learning as I go. Bloat is not uncommon and can be easily cured with pepto and MOM. I hate I had to lose her to learn about it. Woolene died from coccidia. They are prone to it when they are stressed and she was being weaned. It is very hard to battle coccidia and I did all I could but to no avail. I am now down to 4 goats. I still need to sell the little buckling or band him and use him for a weed eater. He would make a great pet for somebody as he is gentle and loving.
I had better end this book now. I am having a devil of a time today with pain and spasms. I took my meds and they are starting to make me drowsy. I hope you all have a good day.
Cheryl, what a lovely chatty post! Glad to see you back.
Nik, to borrow the old phrase Cheryl used, glad to see you are planning to "jump the broom"!! Hooray! Plus, your early morning experience with the newbie calf and coyotes must have been very exhilarating, and very fulfilling in the end. What a great way to start a day.
Cheryl i really enjoyed reading your post. IT was like reading a good book ! One of them Frontier Woman LIfe on the Prairie . books. :) thank you for the share and i m sorry to hear of your goats and your little pup. :(
Nik congrats on the " jump the broom " i will steal that line also since its a great one . Never heard of i , but enjoy saying it. We may need to talk chickens :) Good neighbors are a true blessing. Coffee and donuts cures a many days in cold and coyotes.
My neighbor goes to Degraff also and sold some of his birds. He just can't keep up with the grain cost . Geez he has a ton of birds . ! i was looking at his Dark Brahmas .
Poultry show went well, left house around 5 am. The Silkies look good so i m hoping the woman was telling the truth. My friend who we went with helped me out too . Bunny is so cute. I do have pics but am to tired to post at moment.
Glad you got your Silkies Sue! Look forward to pics...
Plumber (with his helper) was here almost 6 hours, but the water heater is in, and 2 leaks in the water lines under the house are fixed. I have him a little bit of the bacon jam (which turned out fantastic), and he gave me a QUART of maple syrup!
Sue, looking forward the pics of your new critters. I have only seen pics of both silkies and lion head rabbits.
Darius, great score on the syrup though I much prefer cane syrup. Though I imagine maple syrup is more versatile for cooking. I read the bacon jam recipe and I am going to try it. It sounds great.
Cheryl, I haven't had real cane syrup in years; I grew up in FL where cane syrup was what we could get easily.
I thought the maple syrup was a lovely gift. The maple syrup I used in the bacon jam was grade B, from a food co-op and it was $7.80 for 8 oz., which would make this quart over $30. The plumber didn't make it, someone at his church makes it as a fund-raiser. There's a man at the farmer's market who taps several kinds of trees besides maple to make syrup, and sorghum syrup used to be made here too.
Thanks for all the congrats.
There is a man here who makes hickory-maple syrup and it is to die for. Another one I like and make myself is mountain man blueberry. Just dump clean blueberries into a well seasoned skillet with about 1 cup of sugar per quart of berries. STir together over a low fire for about an hour. I pour it into quart jars still hot and screw the lids down tight. I tried it with peaches this past summer and they turned out pretty good too. But they had to be diced up. I'm gonna try it with apples this week sometime. I have 35 pie crusts in the freezer, so that ought to keep me busy for a while. add a few spices bake for a bit......pie!!
Taking welsh harlequin ducks to the next auction at DeGraff. They are a rare breed and I hatched almost 50 of them. ducks eat ALOT.
Wind is atrocious today and yesterday, and I think tomorrow, too. My biggest complaint about winter. One of the contractors got in touch with me about the estimate for the deck. He wants to sit down monday and go over the figures with me. I think he is about the most expensive of the 3 I asked for estimates, but that'll put me in the ballpark as far as how much it's gonna cost. I'm having a 10x20 deck built onto my mobile home. 200 square Feet is the max you ban build in Logan county without having to worry about taxes. When we get the cabin built and get rid of the mobile, we can close in the deck and use it for a chicken house or summer kitchen or something.
Nik, I have thought about raising a few ducks along with some chickens... didn't know they ate A LOT!
Actually I only want a few ducks to eat and to make duck confit; what duck I can buy in the stores I don't really want, and there are almost none (butchered) for sale around here.
I have 3-4 blueberry plants still in pots for 3 years now. I hope I can get them in the ground next spring and maybe grow more than half a cup of blueberries. I might try your recipe if I can get enough berries!
Nik i think you may be a bad influence on me LOL i would buy them in a heart beat ! if i could.
just ain't got the room right now .The deck idea sounds like you will have lots of fun .
i love to eat duck. to bad its such a under rated meat. People think expensive ? i guess at the local fancy markets but to raise and cull your own ?
saw so many at the poultry show . people complained about the rise of feed ect.... i wondered why they don't just eat them ? but i guess its just me ? as i don't know if i could eat a pet per say .
A friend will be teaching me how to cull birds. its a skinning method . he has had great success with it . so this early spring i may do a road trip over yonder .