In Memory of Maeve

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

As crazy as it seems to me, my daughter would be turning 16 today.. 16 years old, and my son Nat would have been ten, the years are flying by.

I am blessed with a husband who’s love and kindness humbles me daily.. and I have many things I am grateful for..

Normally I post a photo of a angel or picture that moves me, and I have tried over the years to have them mature and grow with her, sometimes she is angel and sometimes she is a fairy.

This year though I am changing it up.. I am going to post photo’s of her and a few of us together..  she was so tiny and such a tough little girl, she held on as long as she could.

So today, lift a glass – it would have been your- Sweet Sixteen Maeve Arlene Sharp

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No Buy Feb 2016- Start Post

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

Well, today is the first day of the No buy feb, I like to share what we have in the house to help explain things.

Fresh Food from store currently in the house

  •  5 pound bag of onions
  • 3 pounds of carrots
  • 1 bunch of Banana
  • * Green Pepper its fresh but its for Puddin.. not for our use, but I do have frozen from the farm for our own use.

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From on the farm- still fresh in cellar and pantry storage

  • Winter Squashes
  • Cabbage
  • Sweet potato
  • Potato
  • Winter Melon

Dairy..  I have 1 an half blocks of off-farm cheese, and I do not yet have a freshened sheep or goat on the farm, so other then canned or powdered milk and frozen butter, I am very much lacking all dairy.. It will be interesting on the cooking and baking.. but that is the point of a challenge.

The rest of everything that will be eaten and used in the next month will be from the pantry, so what do you think dear readers.. that’s not a lot of fresh food.. not really.. its going into the challenge pretty lean. What do you think you would find the hardest if you had the same things?

I will be sprouting for fresh greens, I have trays of micro-greens, otherwise, it will come from the farm, the pantry, cellar or freezer.

Thankfully, the hens are all laying strongly so we have lots of eggs coming into the house and I have a few fowl and rabbits that are ready for butchering, so we will have some fresh meat in the house as well.

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Farmgal is ready for the challenge ahead. Today is the half way point between winter and spring.. and I can feel it, the solar heating from the sun in my living room is to the point that I am able to turn off the main floor heater for about eight to ten years using the solar heat instead.

So I have to tell a funny story, its a true story.. so Dear Hubby might have been moving slower then normal as its Monday or it could be that his alarm clock is five min slow. Regardless he missed getting out in time for the first bus, which means he could relax and hang around for a bit before leaving to make the second bus, so I said.. just drive in.

So off he drove into the big bus stop on the nearest big town, he still needed to use his bus pass to get from the park and ride to his work but it takes a lot less time..  fast forward a few hours and the phone rings, its Farmer T, she is at home today.. her truck need a repair and the part is in the same town that hubby parked in..

Fate it seemed was lining up today.. hubby could have parked in a few spots and he picked the one like a two min from the store that has the part LOL

Awesome, so he will be picking it up.. I get the store, we get the order figured out and its all good.. till hubby says in a low voice..

WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Me.. we do????

Yup.. pause..  NO BUY FEB!

I start to laugh, and said, it does not count if you are buying it for someone else that you are getting the funds back on..

LOL..

Posted in Life moves on daily | 6 Comments

Duck Breast- Prosciutto

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

 I have been making this lovely salt cured meat now for a number of years and I have to admit that I am starting to crave the idea of having this in the house, I instead to do a light apple wood smoke on it.

cured duck breast

I only use my big meat duck breast for this, I let them rest and dry cure them with salt and spices per weight, While you could do it without pink Salt and you could do a wet cure if you wanted..  I have tried them all three ways and for this, I really like a dry salt cure, I have had the unsmoked (and they are good) and I have had them smoked (outstanding)

I went into the fall with a clutch of ducklings to grow out and I currently have some big fat extra drakes that are in need of processing. I will look forward to having some fresh meat in the house for some dishes but I am planning on making at least four to six breast into my Duck Prosciutto.

 

By then, I should have fresh sheep milk, and I am drooling at the idea of it thinly sliced with fresh farmers Sheep cheese on Dill Bread, with homemade mustard..

hmmm.. what are you dreaming of making and having in your menu plans soon?

 

Posted in Life moves on daily | 8 Comments

When seed saving goes wrong

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

Two days ago on a one of my local seed saving groups one of our great members posted photos of her saved beans for seed that has lots of tiny holes in them..

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Sadly she has a case of bean weevils in her pantry.. Photo from the net.. Thankfully it had only gotten to a small portion of her beans.. but it was a loss felt as it was a old Canadian heritage seed.

A couple years ago, I was processing my sunflower seeds and I had a odd plant that has much more black seed them my regular big ones did, and so I thought, neat o, I will see what the next generation looks like, I processed some for eating and some for seed..  and I should have checked those black seeds better, they had a good weight and they had flesh in them when I checked them, but they had a off taste to them.. I know better now, if the seed you are growing is to look a certain type, nothing wrong with checking to see if the new “different is good” but do not assume it.. often the one that breaks from the parent form is not going to be better then the mother genes.. Its rare for the daughters to out do proven parents.. it happens but its not common.

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Needless to say, those that were saved for seed where of no use to me the next year other then for bird or rabbit food..

Today I was putting together some little packages of seeds of ten or more for the local seed gifting and swap tables and I reached for a bag that should have around 400 plus seeds and I knew just from the weight of the bag, we had a issue.

I opened the bag and felt the seeds, far to thin.. I signed and thought, ok, I will need to do a seed germ test to see what percent cured out as mature enough and how many did not.. ( I will do a post soon about running germination seed tests on old or saved seeds) and then I snapped them open and sighed..

Nothing.. they were not mature enough when harvested and so while they seem borderline when I did them.. time gave the truth.. which was NOPE..

Gratefully, I have some saved from 2014 and I can order more seeds from my favorite heritage seed houses.. but its a very good point.. much like the very reason that I recommend that when you have a good year a glut year on things in the gardens that produce your staples that you should put up a two year supply in the pantry..

I have to admit that for seeds I would recommend the same..  If you have certain crops that you count on, that are planted every year, its a good idea to always keep back extra seeds that are proven in your seed box’s.

Prime examples of why

  1. Bad saving year, In 2015, the rains would not let up and other then maybe 200 saved pea’s, I had mold issues.. if I did not have saved seed from 2014, I would have to buy pea seed for 2015
  2. Bugs, mold and critter loss.. you never know what can take out your seeds, one time I had a bag that I guess was to close to the catnip bag.. as it got taken out, ripped into and the tiny seeds scattered, if I had not had a second older seed saving of it could have been a real issue
  3. cross-breeding, sometimes you think you have saved pure seed but when you grow out, you find out that its been crossed, and if you did not save back a few things a year back or even two years back, you might have lost that seed..

Its worth noting just because you found it online or in a catalog one year, does not mean that you will be able to find it the next time you look for it.. if you have a favorite that you have got for years from a seed house, its a very good idea to learn how to save that type of seed so that if they suddenly do not carry it, you will still have it growing in your own garden.

 

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Chunky Tomato Soup Recipe

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

This recipe is dead simple, easy and fast, but its yummy and great on a snowy winter day where a bright bit of summer put away can be a good thing.

Farmgal’s Chunky Tomato soup recipe – using winter Storage

  • 1 quart basic tomato sauce
  • 1 pint salsa
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 heaping tsps. of orzo or any other small soup pasta
  • fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • grated mozza cheese as topping

 

Chunky tomato Soup Recipe Store Version

  • 1 large can spiced or four cheese pasta sauce
  • 1 jar of med salsa
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 heaping tsp of orzo
  • Cracked black pepper to taste
  • grated mozza cheese as topping

Directions, in a pot, put your water and bring to simmer, add your pasta and cook per directions on the package till just done, add your pasta sauce, salsa and fresh pepper, stir though to mix heat till hot though at a lower heat.. serve in bowl, top with your cheese

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An there you have it, a filling, rich hot bowl of fast storage dinner, we had it with two slices with garlic butter on them. one big bowl filled me up, but hubby had two bowls and packed his lunch and it still left me one cup leftover, I will make some rice today and serve it over the rice with some fresh micro greens for my own lunch. Given that info, I would say it was a nice 4 portion soup at dinner size servings

 

 

 

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Bringing in the Pro’s

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

I like to do most things myself, I give my all allowed legal vaccines, I treat for worms and I help birth, I can tube feed if needed and give sub-q shots and fluids, I can trim feet on sheep, goats and even pigs when needed. I treat minor cuts and am the care giver on a few wounds that needed vet help but the rest was all done by me.

For 11 years on the farm, I have taken training courses, and I have been beside vets in the north as their helper aid.. while I know that would not happen where I live now in the clinic, on the farm, the vets I work with know that I can act as a helper in a number of ways.

Having said that..  Know when to call in the pro’s..  by law certain shots need to be given by the vet, certain health issues need to see the vet

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However my most regular pro without a doubt is my Ferrier. while I am sure if I had no choice that I could get my file out and at least keep my horse’s feet rounded and smoothed out.. but other then that.. I would suck at it.. I just do not have the knowledge needed to help my horses when it comes to their feet.

They are kept in a bare foot trim and it changes with the season’s and with what I am doing with them..  my gent is awesome, while he does count on me to tell him if there is issues, he also has me move them and he trims them different from each other, they wear their feet differently and they have very different hoofs, Brandy is very much got a big old workhorse foot, where Caleb’s is much more paint in ways.

He has stuck with me and worked with me with all of Brandy’s issues..  she likes him unless he is touching her feet, then it is BAD. I am grateful for his kindness and help, its been a long slow road. I know others would have quit on her but he never has.

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Caleb on the other hand is a dream to do.. such a good boy!

When it comes to your livestock, what is something you call in the pro’s for? What have you learned to do yourself? I wish I could call in the sheep shearing pro, but to bring him in for three sheep is crazy, but hand shearing is not fun at all.. more on that later 🙂

 

Posted in Life moves on daily | 12 Comments

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

2 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 cups sugar
1/4 cup, generously rounded, cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup full-fat mayonnaise
1 an 3/4th cup warm water
1 teaspoons vanilla

Stir together the dry ingredient, make sure to put your cocoa though a sieve if you have it, so that you can get all clumps out. Then take your mayo and your warm water and blend together till smooth, add your vanilla. Then blend in the wet to the dry and beat well, it should be a smooth and starting to puff batter.

If you try it raw, it will have a soft chocolate taste with a lovely tang to it. This is a light an fluffy cake when served.

like with all hot water cakes, you add the wet to the dry and must beat it right after, no pausing, so do not add till you have the time to give to mixing it right away 🙂

Pour the batter into a greased baking pan. Bake the cake at 350 degrees knife comes out clean. You can also pour it into two cake pans.

To serve it.. if you make it cake pans, I recommend a red jam layer, strawberry or raspberry jam in the middle with a butter cream icing on top..

If you make it a sheet cake, it can be served with just a light dusting of icing sugar, or it can have a peanut butter icing made for it..

 

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No Buy Feb- 5 year anniversary

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

Well, its a good thing I have been doing this for a while.. it makes getting ready for it fairly easy at this point and yet it also means I know how much this will hurt as well..

Yup, I am planning yet another No Buy Feb.. This will be my 5th year doing this..

The goal..

Become more aware then ever of what we are spending our money on..

Personal goal 2016- Put the saved money towards two writers cons, one for hubby and one or myself in spring 2016

As always I will do one week updates on where it was a struggle, where it worked and detail what if any my cheats are..

So the regular two odd man outs  are in place..

Critters– Anything related to the critters is off limit, be it food, or vet care or bedding etc.. however, nothing extra above and beyond.

Example : if I want doggy treat, while it is a critter, its a treat, and therefor must be hand made for them..

1) my 20 dollar, fruit and veggie box

Its already paid and I will be spending 20 for next months box, this only can be ordered and got once a month.. and in the winter, I count of this box to provide a nice mix of fresh things for the house and kitchen

This one is tricky.. I am not sure what I want to do with it.. I might preserve it all this year an not use it.. update on that to follow

2) One movie out, I have a gift card.. ? is using a gift card, cheating.. it is buying but not with your own funds.. thinking, thinking??

The one extra cost item in regards to garden, farm and critters this month is the Eco Day event that is happening this month, I am already booked to attend, so I am not paying this month but I will be attending, however I will not cheat, if its not provided at the event, I will bring everything else with me in my bag.. NO buying 🙂

Now on the rest.. No buy Feb, is just that.. NO buying! No shopping, no eating out, no coffee while you do your this or that.. no, oh, that is on sale etc. No E books other then free ones, whimper.. No ordering movies that come out.. double whimper!

When I did this the first year on the blog dozens of other bloggers did as well, but as often happens, it fell to the side as its not easy to do.. and once they had done it.. no one really wanted to do it again.. but I will ask, anyone want to join me in a no buy feb month? if so I will be happy to link your posts and promote on the blog, facebook an so forth.

Read all about last year

https://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/no-buy-feb-start-info/

https://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/no-buy-feb-week-one-overview/

https://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/no-buy-feb-2015-week-two-overview/

https://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/no-buy-feb-2015-week-3-overview/

https://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/no-buy-feb-2015-week-4-overview/

 

 

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Indoor Quail Breeding Box

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

Now I have my little quail in for the winter, I had raised them in their rabbit hutch and they did great right up until it was truly winter, and the snow came, the cold came, their pen was wrapped and stuffed with bedding and we had our first loss, a lovely little hen, I do not know that it was the cold that got her, did she not burrow in the foot by foot stuffed full of bedding in the enclosed bed area. or was it something else.

Regardless, hubby took one look and declared it the cold and voila, I got house quail..

I must tell you.. I love it!  They are the best little house pets, they sing, they purr, they are clean, they are easy to care for and some of them are moving right into tame to the point of silliness.

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Meet Quinten, one of my male quails, he not only likes to cuddle, he likes to shoulder serf and watch the world go by while I work on the computer.. Sorry for the bad Selfie, but its all about him.. never mind me 🙂

We had hit only one snag, and that is while there was lots of room for my four hens and two boys in my big 16 square foot plus height, the pen they are in house is smaller and I found that with the loss of the one hen it took us to two males, three hens and what happened was the stronger male Brutus keeps the females on the bottom floor and keeps the other male up on the second floor level..

That will not due

1) because I will not allow my critters to live in a set up that encourages in-fighting.

2) this lowers and limits my breeding program, right now, all my hens are being breed to only one male..

So a second quail habitat needed to be made for in house use.. it needs to be draft free, it needs to let the light in as I want those hens laying eggs, it needs to have good air flow and it needs to be sturdy and safe from the purr-pots and hounds.

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So we took a tote, trimmed out the top plastic, replaced it with wire top for air flow and for safety in case a purr-pot sits on it, we put it on the top, if you did not have to worry about that, it would look prettier under.

Then we drilled two holes, ran wire and twisted it into place, small zip ties would also work if you wanted to do so. We drilled holes to hang the feed dishes, put our straw in and voila! a perfect little two bird honeymoon suit.

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It can also very easily be used for other things at later date. Total cost.. 6.99 for tote (it was a after Christmas sale), recycled the top wire from a old item, the wire was a gift and 20 min or so of our time..

The wee breeding pair are very pleased, it fits well in a nook by the plant lights on the other side from where the other pen is.  Let me tell you, this male was so happy to be given his own pen an female, he was strutting an getting busy lol  I am in the process of collecting quail eggs for my first test hatch of the year.

 

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Beeswax -Grades and cleaning

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

What a great gift I got yesterday, I brought home some lovely local honey but I was also able to bring home a big box filled with uncleaned beeswax.. The bee keeper had already graded the wax, I assume for his own purpose when planning to clean it at a later date.

I had hoped to bring home fresh wax for use in my salves for the year but I came away with much more then that..  I will get to play a bit for sure on what I do with it..

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This is a quite big box and it has what appears to be average color mix to it.

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this box is filled with very light and very clean comb. I expect that this will be my best wax for my salve making but time will tell me if I am right

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This is the smallest amount and its very dark comb indeed.. Below is a half filled white kitchen garbage bag filled with already partly prepared for melting wax.

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Have you worked with raw wax? I will keep you up to date on my process and how it goes. What would you make with it?

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