Posted in canning, early days, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, lost skills, winter stores, tagged food preservation, Australian Shepherds, canning, farm dogs, winter stores, farm life, frugal living on July 20, 2008 | 15 Comments »
I spent all day Saturday, canning, well not really all day, just my “spare” time not allotted for regular chores. This isn’t a how-to post, just my reflections about food preservation.
Kerr canning jar manufactured in 1957, the year I was born.
Food preservation is part of my life everyday, as it has been since I was born. Not [...]
Posted in agriculture, easily amused, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, personal, tagged agriculture, Australian Shepherds, easily amused, farm dogs, farm life on July 12, 2008 | 8 Comments »
This post is for dog lovers.
My baby is one today. It’s been a fun year, we had no idea who this guy was, that we brought into our lives last September. He was just #8, my husband picked him out from several pictures that the breeder emailed us.
pup # 8
A wagon load of cuties, I [...]
Posted in agriculture, cattle, electric fencing, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, rotational grazing, sustainability, zero mile foodshed, tagged agriculture, cattle, farm dogs, farm life, rotational grazing, Salatin-style farming, sustainability on July 1, 2008 | 8 Comments »
I want to leave a light effect on this land that I have had the great fortune to grow up on. To do that, I have to understand when I have to be hard and when I have to be soft. Usually, I have to do both at the same time. Finesse is required to [...]
Posted in agriculture, compost, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, lost skills, pastured poultry, sustainability, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged agriculture, butchering, farm dogs, farm life, homesteading, lost skills, pastured poultry, stocking up, winter stores on June 28, 2008 | 23 Comments »
WARNING - LOTS OF BLOOD AND BODY PARTS WILL BE SHOWN AFTER THE SERENE VIDEO and the first 5 pictures.
Last supper - really it is last lunch.
Here is what those adorable chicks I showed you 8 weeks ago, turned into. Grass and grain eating and pooping fertilizing fools. I’ve just moved them to fresh grass, [...]
Posted in agriculture, cattle, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, personal, rotational grazing, zero mile foodshed, tagged agriculture, farm dogs, farm life, personal, zero mile foodshed on June 23, 2008 | 6 Comments »
When I see my first snake doctor (dragon fly), I think summer has finally arrived. I saw one today while I was building fence. No camera. Here are some other signs.
Barn swallow on the chicken pen dolly waiting for gnats.
New knife sections for the haybine.
Installing the knife sections.
Riveting the knife sections.
Distinct grazing lines in the paddocks.
Paddocks [...]
Posted in agriculture, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, greenhouse, lost skills, pastured poultry, seed saving, sustainability, vegetable gardening, vegetables, wildlife, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged greenhouse, Australian Shepherds, pastured poultry, vegetable gardening, seed saving, zero mile foodshed, farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, self-sufficiency, locavore on June 3, 2008 | 10 Comments »
I always feel guilty if I waste food. Whether from over planting, or being over zealous in my harvesting. I try to ask myself, “Is this better on the vine, in the ground, … , OR in the refrigerator?” The refrigerator is usually the most wasteful place for me, it costs money to run, and [...]
Posted in early days, family cow, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, lost skills, milk cow, vegetable gardening, vegetables, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged family cow, farm dogs, farm life, locavore, victory garden, zero mile foodshed on June 2, 2008 | 14 Comments »
I know I can still go to the store, but I can’t buy heirloom seeds that were handed down to me, or even high quality seeds, for that matter. I try to conduct my gardening like the store may not always be there, that way I won’t be in for such a shock. Plant a [...]
Posted in agriculture, cattle, family cow, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, greenhouse, heirloom fruit, milk cow, vegetable gardening, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged Australian Shepherds, family cow, farm dogs, farm life, greenhouse, grow your own food, heirloom fruit, locavore, vegetable gardening, zero mile foodshed on May 31, 2008 | 9 Comments »
After the big letdown with Jetta’s calving, I was kind of glad that it rained most of the week. I just didn’t feel like planting any garden. We let Jetta lick and clean her calf, and eat the placenta. The amniotic fluid on the calf, contains natural pain inhibitors, and eating the placenta helps prolong colostrum [...]
Posted in agriculture, cattle, easily amused, family cow, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, greenhouse, milk cow, sustainability, vegetable gardening, vegetables, wildlife, zero mile foodshed, tagged Australian Shepherds, family cow, farm dogs, farm life, greenhouse, pastured poultry, vegetable gardening, wildlife, zero mile foodshed on May 23, 2008 | 6 Comments »
She has to - she can’t deal with her owner anymore! I broke down and called the vet yesterday, and he gave me several reasons that I shouldn’t worry about the calf.
• The first baby can come at anytime.
• The bull, (whom we only know as Willy) may throw late calves.
• The owner can’t [...]
Posted in cattle, easily amused, family cow, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, milk cow, tagged family cow, farm dogs, cattle, farm life on May 20, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Jetta is keeping her hocks together still, but her bag is starting to look like it can’t get any bigger. But it will - this is mostly congestion, but her udder looks nice.
Realizing I’m low on groceries, it’s raining, and library books are due today, we are going to town. Our co-op that we buy [...]
Posted in compost, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, greenhouse, sustainability, vegetable gardening, vegetables, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged Australian Shepherds, compost, composted animal manure, farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, greenhouse, self-sufficiency, sustainability, vegetable gardening, winter stores, zero mile foodshed on May 19, 2008 | 5 Comments »
It’s not the actual planting, it’s all the work beforehand and after, that takes so much time. Making compost, seeding, tending, irrigation planning, and soil preparation. This list could go on in more detail, but, it’s a long time and a lot of work from the idea of growing your own food, to get that food to the table. [...]
Posted in canning, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, heirloom fruit, recipes, scratch cooking, sustainability, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged canning, farm dogs, farm living, food preservation, frugal living, healthy food, heirloom fruit, lost skills, preserving, recipes, self-sufficiency, winter stores, zero mile foodshed on May 13, 2008 | 8 Comments »
One of my favorite things is to lie in bed at night and listen for the “Kerr-plink” of my canning jars sealing. The rhubarb is starting to bolt, so it was fish or cut bait. A quick inventory told me that I still had rhubarb in the freezer from last year and canned rhubarb sauce [...]
Posted in cattle, easily amused, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, greenhouse, seed saving, sustainability, vegetables, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged Australian Shepherds, farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, greenhouse, seed saving, sustainability, vegetables, zero mile foodshed on May 12, 2008 | 4 Comments »
It’s that time of year when the greenhouse morphs from a safe haven for cool colors and foods to the hot vibrant colors and flavors of heat loving crops. The biggest challenge to planting for the summer, is getting the soil saturated beforehand. In my lottery dreams - I would rebuild my greenhouses and make them [...]
Posted in compost, farm as desired, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, sustainability, vegetables, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged farm dogs, farm life, frugal living, sustainability, vegetable gardening, zero mile foodshed on May 11, 2008 | 7 Comments »
Jetta: I’m still thinking Tuesday - but she is in Solitary (close to the barn in her own paddock).
I used to stick to all my self-imposed garden rules. This led me to many disappointments. Sometimes the weather just isn’t on the same page as the calendar!
I wanted to get my peas in this week, if [...]
Posted in canning, cattle, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, pastured poultry, recipes, sustainability, winter stores, zero mile foodshed, tagged Australian Shepherds, beef cattle, cattle, chickens, farm dogs, farm life, food preservation, frugal living, pastured poultry, scratch cooking, self-sufficiency on May 9, 2008 | 7 Comments »
Jetta update: Nothing! Next Tuesday???
First calf of the season.
I was glad to see this guy, he the first. This cow had twins last year, she did as good a job as possible, but they were considerably smaller than the singletons. When fall came I sold them at auction since they were smaller, and always hungry. Since [...]
Cinnabar moth larvae eating Tansy Ragwort