Just another Day on the Farm

Winter Rabbit Update

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Towards the end of the month, I will start the does back up on the rabbit breeding program, everyone is in good shape, they are all nicely weighted but are not fat either, which is perfect, I have enjoyed the break, and I know its good for the does as well..

I will aim to have litters in the nest box’s for the end of march, I am going to be tracking them a bit, I have three does, and I plan to do three different feeding programs on each litter and then compare the results and share them with you. More on that to follow on a later post..

All the does produce different size kits, but I have sizes from last year and will compare their average growth rates to their littermates and consider mother size up to a point.

They are being breed by two different bucks, two are going to Dusty and one is going to Big Blue, as I don’t want to bred mother to son, so Dusty can’t go to Tippee Toes, but he is a Big Blue son, I want to see if I can get more that that color to pop in the litters, as I would ideally like three or more hides with that matched shading for rabbit pelts.

I am aiming for three litters per doe for 2014. Do you have rabbits, how is your rabbit breeding program doing, do you breed in winter? do you rest for the two hard months? Are you looking forward to spring breeding, are you going to breed in feb for litters in march?

Posted in rabbits | 5 Comments

Sausage an white bean casserole receipe

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

This recipe is one that I just winged, does that surprise you at all.. not if you have been reading for awhile 🙂

I wanted to can up a batch of white beans in tomato sauce for the pantry use, so this is a large batch, as I can most of it, and baked off just enough to try out the new bean pot.

One bag of white beans, soaked overnight, drained, rinced and put to a slow simmer in a large pot, I drained them once, rinced and refilled with pre-boiling water and simmered again, till tender to the bite.

At that point, I drained them, and in the pot, I put a bit of good lard, two finely diced onions, six cloves of garlic and cooked till clear, then I added in one quart of tomato sauce, and one quart of diced spiced tomato’s, 1/4 cups of fancy molassies, one tbsp. of salt, one full tbsp. of montreal steak spice. This was brought to a simmer to allow the flavours to meld.

Then I canned up eight pints (adding extra water to top of the jars (and they were still really full), then I took the rest of the beans, added in a extra cup of water and baked at 350 for around an hour and half, I diced up some of my homemade sausage , add it in and baked for another half hour..

The result is seen in the above photo, rich, thick, very hearty Sausage and Bean Casserole..

Feb Canning Report 2014

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Well, Feb has come, and its time to get some more things canned up, I need to do meat but I also need to do some of the storage things and in some cases its just a matter of re-doing up stocks. As always if I have a empty spot in the canner, I can up jars of water, this keeps the canners full but it also means that I have pure safe canned water for power outages etc, and if I need the jar, its easy to pop the top, and use the water. I will add as I can for the month.

Beans in Tomato sauce -8 Pints (should have made these into a extra pint or two and more sauce.. o well, as they are to go in soups or stews they will be fine.. Pressure Canned
Butternut squash- 8 pints (remember that when canning squash or pumpkin, you want to can it in cubes, not in a paste as they say that it gets to thick to can properly 🙂 -Pressure Canned
6 and Half Pints of Tallow -Home rendered.

18 pints of stew pork
6 pints strawberry rhubarb fruit
3 pints of grape juice
3 pints off ground cherry jam
4 pints of raspberry jam
3 pints of blueberry fruit

3 pints of lard -Home raised, home rendered (tallow above is beef, lard is pork)
12 quarts of Elderberry juice (super strong, needs to be cut by half with water to drink)

Posted in Canning | Tagged Feb Canning Update 2014 | Leave a comment

How to make a Hard Lotion Bar

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Only one person can win the give-a-way but everyone can take the ten min and make their own 🙂

These little guys are very easy to make, the rules are simple, 1/3 of everything based on weight.. and a little goes along way..

So for a first time, try 2oz of beeswax, 2 oz of a hard at room temp oil, and 2 oz of a liquid at room temp.. My own reading seems to say that for hard oils, coconut or tallow are the best choices, for the liquid oil, I have read, almond oil, olive oil, or any other good quality oil that you have in the house, (Do keep in mind that Grapeseed oil goes rancid very quickly, so be aware of that one, make a very small batch so its used up in three months ideally)

Get out your kitchen scale and measure the parts out.. Heat over very low heat till all melted, stir together, If you are going to add scent, now is the time, add in your essential oils, lemongrass, orange, lemon, or any other natural scent you find appealing, I would say around 10 drops in a 6oz batch would be good but go lighter or heavier on your own nose.

now if you have a silicone mini cupcake/brownie mold, you have it, it you don’t, put a paper cupcake in your regular tin, Pour your oils, remember you want a easy to hold in your hands small bar (don’t go to big on these, I found that 2oz each was a nice big lotion bar). Allow to sit for three hours or so, till hard again at room temp.

If in the silicone mold, just turn them out, if you are using the cupcake papers, take out, and peel the paper off, and put into a little box to keep from getting dusty, I put mine into little bags so they can travel with me, I have one by my bed to do before bed time, an I have one in the area I do my writing so I can it.

For more info on the lotion bars themselves, please read this post 🙂

Have fun, these are very quick and easy to make, they can be made into tiny batches, and I expect you could use a larger chocolate mold and make kids their own very creative lotion bars to use themselves. I have seen some that are made to be used at different times of the year and for different reason’s, more on that later

I have noticed very quickly something interesting on these, while it does take a little time to warm up and get the bar to work, and a bit of time to soak in, it does leave a protective cover on your skin afterwards and for someone that works outside and gets wind on my skin, this has been a very good thing indeed.

Posted in Carfts an Hobbies | 18 Comments

Goose Breast Stirfry served with a bed of creamy mashed spuds

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Goose Beast Stirfry Recipe

Skinned, aged, cubed Goose Breast
one large onion- diced
One Red Pepper, half yellow pepper, half orange pepper
cup of mushrooms, whatever kind you like
one large carrot, thinly sliced
Salt, Pepper, if you had it, a half cup fresh chopped greens, garlic
Pot of creamy mashed potatoes

Take your onions and meat, with a bit of oil, heated to a med-heat, then cook your onion, and then added the meat, once started, the add the rest of the prepared veggie, cook just till tender.

Posted in Food Production and Recipes | Tagged Goose breast stirfry served one creamy mashed spuds | 5 Comments

12 Months- 12 Give-A-Ways- Lotion Bars

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Hello Folks

Let’s put a little smile into this Feb 2nd for me, I have been busy, cooking, canning, lotion making, might even do a that baby soap with photo for a post later, must talk about feeling better after just two days of sleeping on my new feather tick undermat (more on that later) On with the show as they say?!

I am giving away two homemade heart shaped (unscented) Lotion bars.

They are made out of raw but filtered beeswax, Coconut Oil and Sweet Almond Oil.

As this basic recipe uses the 1/3rd of each, I made six hearts, so each bar is right around 2 oz in size. Its a nice hand held size. (I am not sure that I think you need quite as much beeswax, but I always try and follow the rules when I start and work my way to what I like best)

What is a lotion bar?

A lotion bar is a solid moisturizer. It bears resemblance to a soap bar, but it functions as a lotion. Usually made out of natural ingredients, lotion bars stay solid as long as they are kept at room temperature or lower. They’re activated by body heat and can be used anywhere on the body.

How to use it..

Using a lotion bar is easy; those who want to moisturize their bodies simply can take the lotion bar into their hands and warm it with them. The heat emanating from their hands will melt a small portion of the bar. From there, users can rub the lotion onto the body part that needs moisturizing. Remember it is to be used on dry skin, not wet skin from the shower, it can be used for your hands or any other dry skin spot, once its warmed up and working, in the summer heat, you will find that it will need to be kept cool, but will be fine at room temp.

Anything different I should know?

Yes, it will feel a bit greasy compared to lotion, but it will sink in a min or two and then you will get a very light sealing effect from the beeswax that will help keep your skin feeling very soft indeed.

I made these uncolored, unscented in order to “hopefully” keep the gift giving to the biggest group possible.

This Gift-Giving is open to anyone, anywhere.

The rules are going to be dead simple, if you want in on the draw, comment! If you comment on the Give-A-Way post, you are entered, but! if you comment on other posts though out the month, you will get one extra ticket in the draw.

This is a way to say give a little extra thank you to my regular readers that interact with me, you make my day, sometimes a little comment or question is just the most perfect thing for me to get, so I want to give a little bit back on that.

PS, all things given will be made or grown or harvested or bought by me, all things given will be shipped at the most reasonable costs possible.

However, you only get one extra for the month, not one extra for each comment

No one can win more then three times during the year, and you can’t win more often then once every three months, so as an example, if queen wins month one, even if she comments on month two or three, she won’t be able to win until the next quarter.

Now if you enter and win, be aware you have to be willing to give me your name and mailing address to get it to you

Posted in Life moves on daily | Tagged 12 months 12 give a ways, Hard Lotion Bar | 25 Comments

Garden plans for 2014

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

I’m going lean this year.. I want to produce a lot of food, I need to restock the larder and pantry.. This is only counting thing that need to be replanted yearly in the gardens.

Tomato’s- 50 plants of sauce tomato’s, 5 of cherry tomato’s, and 5 of fresh eating tomato’s

Pepper Plants- 24 plants- Basic Green, that turn to red, medium size peppers

Hot Peppers- 4 plants- for making ground dried hot pepper spice

* Added in two more Hot pepper kinds and plan for another six to eight plants for Christmas presents.

Carrots – Basic regular orange carrots

Parsnip-One row

Beets- Round red beets, Golden beets, and Candy Beets, long beets (for slicing)

*Added in three more kinds of beets in seeds, so more rows of beets will be needed.

Cucumbers- 12 pickling, and four plants fresh eating.

Ground Cherries -12 plants

*plus all the extra babies that grow up and will be moved to rows or food forest etc.

Green Beans- Multiply plantings, many rows of dark green beans

Scarlet runner beans

Three rows of beans for drying and storage- Update later on them

* in total, I have 22 different beans that are going to be grown this year, some fresh, almost all of them are going to be drying beans for future use at some point, all heritage beans, some are good for canning as well. Some are going for planned xmas presents.

Broccoli- Three different plantings of six to a dozen plants each

Brussel Sprout plants- 12

Onions- Green onions and yellow winter keeping onions

Cabbage- Green Hard core- Winter keepers- One row

Turnips- One row- White with purple top and one row Rutabega (yellow flesh)

Raddish- Many sowings and crops

Greens- Extra Greens for freezing for winter use and or drying.. all kinds of the regular greens I grow.

Peanuts- One Row

Cerlic-One row

Kohlarbi-One row- Green and Purple -Mainly fresh eatin but not all.

Melon- Sweet Baby watermelon, Cantalope

Sugar pea’s -Fresh eating and freezing

Pea’s Freshing eat (never have enough to freeze)

Corn-Popcorn only -buy corn to can when ready and fresh.

Squash-

Winter- Butternut -A full row, so 48 plants worth

Summer- zucchini, green- 12 plants

Pumpkin- pie

Potatoes

Red, Yukon, pinks

* Added in six more kinds of spuds, all to give them a try and see how they do..

Sweet potato’s- 25 slips, all short season for our area..

Soft fruit, adding in another 60 early season raspberry canes

Posted in Life moves on daily | Tagged Garden Plans for 2014, Growing for the canning season, Growing to feed you for the coming year, Growing to fill the pantry | 19 Comments

In loving memory of our daughter Maeve

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

In loving memory of our daughter Maeve, if you had stayed with us, you would be 14 years old today.. A Maiden now you would be, Gone but never forgotten.

We had you with us for a five days, I loved before you were born, I loved you when you with us and I love you now..

Posted in Life moves on daily | 3 Comments

Baked Goose Breast with Fruit compote side

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Recipe- Goose Breast with Fruit Compote Side. (Part of the Great Goose Challenge)

Two large goose breasts

One large Onion- Peeled and Slice

One large apple – Sliced and Cored

1/4th cup of cranberries

1/4th cup of goose berries

Salt, Pepper, Cracked Lemon Pepper, All-Spice, Nutmeg, and a touch of cinnamon.

Baked till tender at 350, then take out the meat and slice, mash the fruit/onions together and serve with.

Posted in Food Production and Recipes | Tagged Baked Goose Breast with Fruit Compote | 2 Comments

12 Letters in 12 Months -Feb Report

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Just another day on the farm

Well, I have been super proactive on the Jan letters, I not only got my two letters off to the Nieces, I got a letter sent to my mom with photo’s and a letter sent to my dad with photos as well..

Feb’s cards, photos and sticker books had where bright and colorful..

But that was not the only mail packages that were sent, you see we have been sending two to four photos per letter to the girls and so Dh came up with this great idea of sending them each a photo album and that way, they can put their photos in it and by the end of the year, they will have a album filled with photos of what we have been up to, maybe they will even consider putting a photo or two back into their letter back.

I have not got a letter back yet but their mom says they are coming and I am greatly looking forward to it, in truth, I would be happy just with a picture or a drawing in a card 🙂

they are getting a package sent out as well, they are getting their albums, their heart soaps and a little bag of goodies..

Hopefully it will be meet with smiles all around..

Added in a side note, a dear friend of mine D has asked to get into the letter writing, so she is being added to the roll call and I will be sending her both a card, letter and a few little gifts as well in the updates.