They say do not count your chicks before they hatch but!

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

So those of you that have followed the blog for years now that I had goats at one time, really loved Mimi.

Mimi

she was a cross between a saanen and a Nubian and I loved her and her milk, tried other kinds of breeds of goats and we did not like that milk much or in some cases at all. Given they lived together and eat the same feed, it was not taint, it was the goat.

Milkmaid and her cow

So we started milking the sheep and got a calf that we raised up for a milk cow.. which in some ways was good, we liked the milk and in other ways very bad, we had way to much milk and the birthing stressed a unknown problem with Girls heart that is the reason we believe she had such a personality change after her calf. It was both a shock and kind of a relief to find out about it from the butcher.

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I got a new really milky sheep for the flock called Polar Ice, aka Ice

But the big news is that I am on a waiting list for a new milking doe, she will be half saanen, one fourth boar and one fourth Nubian.. I very much like her mother and what will be two half sisters from the same mother but all three having different fathers.

I will not need to carry a buck, my girlfriend and I have reach a understanding in terms of giving a hand with breeding my girl when the time comes.

Only time will tell me if this was the right choice or not.. but that is the news! My chosen momma is huge and due any day, so I will keep you posted on if there is a doe in there for me this year.

Regardless of the outcome, we will only have sheep. milk on the farm for the year of 2015

I for one am greatly looking forward to it!

Posted in raw milk | Tagged | 4 Comments

Strawberries

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

strawberries

 I love my strawberries but I also find them to be little trouble makers, they love to put out babies instead of making nice big fat berries, they are weak in the sense that they require babying, they need to be weeded more then other things do, they need bedding down, they need more fuss in regards to watering to get a great crop and the slugs..  O the slug, some times, I think they put up a big old sign that says…  slug party here in neon lights LOL

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But despite that, we are always in flux in terms of how many plants we have and we eat them fresh and then put them up in a number of different ways..

 

 

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Yup, we are heading into 2015 with long row ready to strongly produce this year, one smaller row of babies from 2014 that are transplanted and we will have one more row that will be babies that overwintered in place but will be moved in early spring as soon as possible to a new strawberry growing spot.

Having said that, we are planning on buying and adding in a new kind of strawberry plant, some of our plants are june bearing but a good number are ever berry..

We are gong to be bringing in a lot of a new to us june bearer, the plan is simple, june bearing is a better choice for us.. its after the big planting push but its still very early in the harvest season, that means that we have time to get a big crop of them picked and processed.

This is another one of the garden group buys, by buying in bulk we are able to get one year old bareroot strawberry plants for a hundred per 12 dollars plus your share of shipping.

I am thinking of getting a goodly amount for the farm and also a extra hundred to donate to a local food producing group that supports low income families grow their own food.   I also plan to talk to our big local food forest group and see if they want 50 to 100 for their own planting as well.

 

 

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Homestead Books – Jan Reading.

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

Someone sent me a comment on facebook it made me chuckle, I had made a comment on a friends post that was doing the read a hundred books challenge for the year of 2015, I am a somewhat but honest remark that I average 250 to 300 books per year per my kindle shows and my homestead soft and hard cover collection.

So I was asked to share what I am currently reading and give a little review.. so be it..

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http://www.amazon.ca/Hatching-Brooding-Your-Own-Chicks/dp/1612120148

I am just getting into this book, I have read some chapters and not others but its gail and I own a number of her books, she rocks and I have no doubt that I will continue to work my way though it.. good idea, and some will find their way to the blog in hand one workings

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http://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Photo-Guide-Felting/dp/158923698X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421001394&sr=1-1&keywords=felting+books

This book is going to be very handy indeed, so far I have been just felting soaps, but I want to expand this into other areas.

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http://www.amazon.ca/Garden-Dye-Plants-Natural-Fabrics/dp/0985562285/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421001694&sr=1-3-fkmr2&keywords=plants+for+coloring+fibers

This is a small book and I have already read it front to back and I am so pleased to see many crossover information to other books I have but also to see it expanded at the same time.. lots of new info to try out from this book.

Last but by no means least on my new Homestead type books, I got this gem for Herbs..

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http://www.amazon.ca/Jekkas-Herb-Cookbook-Jekka-McVicar/dp/1770850058

I have started reading it and decided that its a very heavy book to read, I find I get though two or three at a time before I am ready to put it down, it says cookbook but each herb is given a history, all kinds of info on it, and then it comes down into a X amount of very interesting recipes for each one. I have

and the rest, the none homestead book, well most are romance with the odd anything goes thrown in there

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Warm Knitted Cowls are So IN

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

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 This cowl is supersized, extra thick.. its to be used on the coldest of winter days, it will be worn while out riding, it is so thick it acts as a blinder, I can only see what is in front of me

 

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Sweet Potato plans for 2015

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

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In 2014 we grew Georgia jets, we got good results for our first year given the learning curve..

Once again my local garden group is doing a bulk order in of Sweet Potato slips, the company that we worked with last year is offering a number of new slips this year.

So keeping with the tried and got a basic understanding I ordered in twenty five of the Georgia Jets, they are the highest recommended for my area and they have a wonderful deep orange flesh.

Then I decided to play a little bit and ordered in ten of the Cuban Red Slips..

This is a red on the outside and white flesh on the inside, but with a sweet potato taste. They can be a touch trickier to grow, and if we end up with a milder summer, I might not really get much of a crop but like all gardeners, its a gamble

Somehow I am now also getting 25 purple slips now.

A combo of hard work, and luck 🙂

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New Seed Company to me

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

www.annapolisseeds.com

From their about page (Seeds for the People!

Our generation has collectively inherited an enormous wealth of diversity in our seeds. Nearly 1,000 generations of farmers before us saved seed from their best plants, making constant selections and breeding countless varieties adapted to their particular places and purposes. Truly co-evolution. Whether going by the names of heirloom, heritage or open-pollinated; these are the people’s seeds. They’re powerful and must remain in the people’s hands!

As agriculture became more centralized and homogenized in the 20th century, people moved away from the land, and our diversity of seeds began to be replaced by an agribusiness industry all about uniformity and control. Where once farmers and communities held full control of their seed, we’re now in an era of patented seeds and even criminalized seed saving.

But so many of our seeds are still here! We have in our hands all the abundance we need to thrive. So lets save seeds for our communities, lets collaborate with friends and neighbours. Lets re-localize, both our seeds and our lives. Lets learn to partner with our plant allies, and realize the near limitless beauty and bounty in our gardens and in nature. Lets reclaim our agrarian inheritance and lets save the seeds! )

This site has some truly different seeds to offer, all I can say is do not buy them out of some of the really rare ones.. save a package for me.. LOL

Ps, for my readers on the east coast.. this site is even a touch more exciting as a number of these plants have been either found suited or pre-landraced for your climate..

 

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Sunset.. just a touch more sunlight each day..

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

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Posted in Life moves on daily | 7 Comments

Mikes Worcestershire Sauce Recipe.

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

I saw a mention of this recipe on his blog and asked very nicely if he would share it.. he was kind enough to do so.. Full credit and blog link to Mike 🙂 I do not often do a straight up blog post about a fellow blogger but I do so enjoy reading

http://lightningtreefarm.blogspot.ca

Mikes Worcestershire Sauce

  • 2 cups vinegar
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp Ginger
  • 1 tsp Mustard powder
  • 1 tsp Onion powder
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • ½ tsp Cinammon
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp Allspice (or 1/8 tsp each of nutmeg and cinammon mixed)
Put all the ingredients into a pan and heat until it starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Cool, bottle and voila! A decent replacement for Worcestershire sauce. And, with no animal products used it’s considered to be vegan friendly.
Posted in food | Tagged | 1 Comment

Turkey Veggie Soup Recipe

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

Got some leftover Turkey then this is a great soup to use it up, I had cooked off a whole turkey and then we pulled it apart and bagged it up for the freezer, a lot less room once its deboned. This soup is good as a soup but as you will see in what has been added its also excellent health wise on a cold winter day!

I took out half of a turkey breast, and diced it up..

In my big soup pot, I diced one large onion or you could do two med, added in two finely diced garlic, and a half inch of fresh ginger grated, I cooked this till the onion was just coming clear, and then I added in six sliced big stalks of Celery, two cups of leftover mashed carrots, or about what would equal 4 good size carrots if peeled and diced. and at least two quarts of chicken broth. Add your diced turkey at this point.

I wanted this baby to hum on the flavour, to that I added in 1 tsp of basil, 1 tsp of  dried nettles, 1 tsp of dried dill, 1 tsp of salt and half a tsp of pepper, half a tsp of mustard powder and a pinch of all spice.

Bring to a simmer and cook for at least a hour, I simmered mine for at least three hours, twenty min before serving, I added in two cups of this little cut round pasta but you can use any kind you want.

Once it was allowed to cook it helps thicken the soup up..  and you might need to add more broth when reheating, we did..

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Current Seed list for 2015

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Just another day on the farm

BeNot in order, just how I am typing them in at the moment.

  • Squash- Golden Hubbard
  • Watermelon Sugar Baby
  • Waternmelon Early Canada
  • Brussel Sprouts- Long Island Improved
  • Kale- Dwarf Curled Scotch
  • Peas Alaska
  • Peas Lincoln Homesteader
  • Broccoli Munchkin
  • Aspragus seed viking
  • Pumpkin-Jack o lantern
  • Cantaloupe Delicious
  • Cucumber- Straight eight
  • Green onion Annual Bunching
  • Squash- Early crookneck
  • Tomato-Roma
  • Tomato Rainbow Blend
  • Beets -Early Wonder
  • Tomatillos
  • Lettuce – Red speckled
  • Lettuce Salad Bowl
  • ¨Popcorn- tom thumb
  • Popcorn-mais soufflé
  • Dill Seed
  • Cabbage- Early Golden acre x2
  • Lettuce- Iceburg
  • Basil- cinnamon
  • Chicoree-
  • Pea Sugar Snap
  • Pea Lincoln Homesteader 100 gram-
  • Beets-Golden Detroit
  • Peas Green Arrow
  • Corn- Rainbow indian
  • Garden Sorrel
  • Cucumber- Straight Eight
  • Carrot- Scarlet nanates
  • Raddish- Cherry Belle
  • Pumkin Zucca
  • Squash- Golden Health
  • Zucchini – Dark Green
  • Pepper- Mini Bell Mixed
  • Pepper- Early Cal Wonder
  • Pepper Jalepeno
  • Amaranth Red Garnet
  • Tromboncino Rampicante
  • Broccolo larose
  • Cavolfiore
  • Caulflower- Snowball
  • Bean- Orca
  • Bean-Hopi Black
  • Bean-Provider
  • Bean- Wild Goose
  • Bean- Cherokee Trail of Tears
  • Bean-Bird Egg
  • bean-Canadian wonder
  • Bean- Romano
  • Bean- Jacobs Cattle
  • Bean Black Turtle
  • Bean Saskatchawan Dry
  • Bean- Ireland Creek Annie
  • Bean Black Valentine
  • Bean- Little Fields Special
  • Bean Fall Speckled
  • Okra Clemson Spineless
  • Okra- Burgandy
  • A number of self-seeding plants in the garden, plus seed potatos that will carry over for winter, as well as landrace farmgal squash seeds and tomato seeds. did not include flowers, herbs or fodder seeds in this list.

O yes, there is many gaps in there and that means lots of seeds to order and or pick up at the seedy Saturdays!! Some things are already planned, some ordered some are coming from friends but it still leaves lots of room for buying as well

Posted in gardens | 7 Comments