Sam waiting his turn to come to the cross ties..
First time with Samwell for the Ferrier and he is a dream to work with.. such a good boy!! (wow does he ever make Miss Brandy look even more of the Queen B, that she can be). I really really enjoy working with sam, he is just such a easy horse to be around, to work with and to train.. always willing to try for you!
the little knitted flowers have been added to our travel knit hats, yup only a matter of time before I head out on my first holiday in ages, I am getting to see new country and drive new roads but the trip will also be filled with family of all kinds.
Dh had his family trip this summer and I did my best to hold the fort, and this time dh will do the same for me, he will be working from home for a bit, taking some extra days off work per week while I am gone so that everything on the farm that needs to get done will be, and I can’t thank him enough for being willing to do so, otherwise I would not be able to have my trip, also if needed, he can call on the farm helpers, who are on standby.
Now you dear readers, well, there might be a update or three from DH on the farm, you are in fact coming on holiday with me! we will be heading out west, traveling northern alberta and into northern b.c.- lots of fun and adventure await us!
I love this, for full recipes please read this page on making mock pinnapple..
Otherwise, enjoy the photo of the process! so so good, the extra juice was made into a amazing jelly!
Peeling, chopping, cooking and then getting to have the last bit as a amazing treat! Love, Love this recipe that use’s up those nice big Zucchini and turns it into amazing canned winter fruit of the highest quality!
I have been watching news story after news story in the papers, that local food movement is effecting this company or that company’s bottom line.. there was the fact that men are growing beards that is costing the razor companies millions (go men!), there was Coke coming out with ad after ad, trying to make folks start buying and drinking their diet pops, because there has been a huge shake up and rightly so, that many of the “no calorie” are in fact having major health issues.. That is not even touching on the GMP debates that this week, B.C. is looking at becoming Canada’s first NON-GMO province based on a grass-based movement that is working to ban it from the bottom up, the counties and the muncipalties are on board, and now they are moving it up the line..
And now today.. look what is in the news!
A&W Canada is Canada’s first national burger restaurant to serve Better Beef raised without added steroids or hormones
VANCOUVER, Sept. 23, 2013 /CNW/ – A&W today announced that all of its burgers are now made with beef that has been raised without any added steroids or hormones and contains no added preservatives or additives. A&W is proud to be the first national burger restaurant to serve this better beef.
“At A&W, we know that a great burger starts with the best beef,” said Paul Hollands, President and CEO, A&W Food Services of Canada. “More and more Canadians are looking for beef that’s been raised without added hormones or steroids and we’re proud to serve this better beef to burger lovers across the country. When you eat one of the burgers from the A&W Burger Family® you can be assured that not only is it going to taste fresh and delicious, but also that we have sourced the beef from select ranches that are at the leading edge of sustainable practices. Our guests have told us that making a burger with this better beef is simply the right thing to do.”
Canadian consumers have demonstrated a growing interest in where their beef comes from and how it is raised. A&W engaged QRI International, an independent research firm, to explore the idea of better beef with burger lovers in multiple studies across the country.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with 89% of burger eaters reporting they are impressed and interested that A&W is serving beef raised without added hormones or steroids. They see better beef as more natural and they feel good about how the beef has been raised,” said QRI researcher Andrew Spicer.
Each of the ranches in Canada, Australia and the U.S. that are part of A&W’s better beef program have rigorous verification systems to track the cattle, their feed and their care to ensure the beef meets A&W’s strict specifications.
“We know exactly where our beef comes from, how it’s been raised and of course, how great it tastes,” Hollands said. “This is something our guests care about and we’re really excited to offer better beef in A&W restaurants all across Canada.”
Kirstin Kotelko, a fourth generation rancher at Spring Creek in Vegreville, Alberta commented on the beef they supply to A&W: “All of our cattle are custom raised without added hormones or steroids. They spend most of their days on the prairie and grass. We do everything with integrity, we’re proud to do what we do, and we hope Canadians enjoy the results.”
A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. is the nation’s second largest hamburger restaurant company with 790 locations coast-to-coast. A&W Food Services of Canada is 100 per cent Canadian owned and is one of the strongest brand names in the Canadian foodservice industry. A&W Restaurants feature famous trade-marked menu items such as The Burger Family®, Chubby Chicken®, and A&W Root Beer®. For more information, please visit awbetterbeef.ca.
PMRA Call for Comments on bees and neonicotinoids, this is from the current newsletter from the Ontario beekeepers, (OBA)
PMRA has recently released a consultation document putting forward a plan to protect bees from exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. The report says, in part:
“PMRA has determined that current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are affecting the environment due to their impacts on bees and other pollinators….
In the spring and summer of 2012, we received a significant number of pollinator mortality reports mainly from corn growing regions of Ontario and Quebec. Areas of high corn production correlated well with the locations of bee mortalities. Approximately 70% of the affected dead bee samples tested positive for residues of neonicotinoid insecticides used to treat corn seeds while neonicotinoids were only detected in unaffected bees in one sample at very low levels. We concluded that the majority of pollinator mortalities were a result of exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides, likely through exposure to contaminated dust generated during the planting of treated corn seed. The unusually warm and dry weather conditions were thought to be a contributing factor…
However, in spring 2013 with more typical weather patterns, we continued to receive a significant number of pollinator mortality reports from both corn and soybean growing regions of Ontario and Quebec, as well as Manitoba. Consequently, we have concluded that current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are not sustainable.”
The report goes on to provide their intention to implement additional measures, including labelling with enhanced warnings, safer lubricants and planting practices as well as more analysis.
While we greatly appreciate PMRA’s analysis of the issue and commitment to consultation and action, we are disappointed that removing these pesticides from use is not one of the options presented.
We intend to respond and to point out that continued use of neonicotinoid pesticides poses an unacceptable likelihood of serious, imminent harm to honey bees and native pollinators, that it could have a negative impact on agriculture by limited pollination services and that it reduces pollination of wild plants in a way that may alter ecosystems.
As well, that simply reducing the spread of dust from neonicotinoid-coated seeds during planting (which research shows amounts to less than 2% of the pesticide load), will not prevent toxic build up in the soil. Nor will it prevent the spread of these water-soluble chemicals to ponds or other sources of water that bees and other insects access during spring and summer. We will be asking that these toxic chemicals be removed from use.
We encourage you to add your voice to this discussion by responding to their report through this email address. You will need to provide your name, phone number and email address along with your comments. The deadline is December 12th. We’ll share our full submission with you when it’s ready.
Petition!
More than 45,000 people have signed the petition so far!
OBA’s petition to ban neonicotinoid pesticides has now passed 41,000 signatures on-line and more than 4,000 in hard copy thanks to the efforts of many of you who signed it or brought it to events or farm markets. This will significantly strengthen our case with the Government of Ontario. We are currently reviewing our options for delivery when we pass 50,000 and will let you know how we plan to provide the signatures to the Premier. (It’s not too late to sign or circulate to friends (www.change.org/SaveOntariosBees) if you haven’t already!)
But this level of public support is gratifying for another reason. As we make progress on our efforts to take these pesticides off the market, we get more pressure from those with neonicotinoid interests who, as part of their strategy, encourage individuals – even other beekeepers – to contradict or criticize us. Differences of opinion are one thing (of course we don’t expect everyone to agree with us) but those who want to ‘stir the pot’ by circulating inaccurate or incomplete information or questioning the integrity of the OBA, its individual board members or its partners, will not distract us from the information-based, collaborative, respectful approach we have chosen to take. As we tell our children, doing the right thing isn’t always easy.
On the other hand, the encouragement and support we get from our members, farmers and some farm groups, the general public and others far outweighs the criticism. Usually even those who may not agree will ask questions and listen to our point of view. We are often invited to present to groups who are open to information. That’s all we can ask. So if you get questions, or wish to have more information to discuss this important topic, you can go to http://www.ontariobee.com/neonics for our position, the science and other resources. Let us know if you need any more background materials and please share with us what your experience has been regardless of your point of view
Well hello folks,
Wow things have been busy, so busy that I have just not been able to find time to blog.. sorry my dear’s, I have been missing you and think of you often but finding the time and space to sit down and get the info out, that has been taken by “now” needs.
So lets see Friday was finished off making plum sauce and hitting the head to pillow, I awoke on Saturday with so much plans, and we both got to sleep in (a rare thing these days) and so I started the day smiling and we were running a touch late on the morning farm chores, so I was dealing with hounds and purrpots and fowl, it was a picture perfect moment for me, clucking chickens, honking geese, the hounds rushing back and forth playing and chasing each other, or sniffing in a amble walk along, a line up of purrpots for the three just filled feeding stations and there are horse’s, and sheep at the bale and Dh is taking bright lovely green hay off in a round to roll and haul down for the milk cow and calf and the horse’s nicker morning mom and I head over to give a morning hello and I freeze, because there in Sam’s nose is a big old thick green snot..
I freeze and look at it, in truth in disbeielf to a point, he has been so good since arriving, I just was not expecting it, then my body and mind unfroze and we snapped into action, he was put into the barn in his own big box stall, locked away from brandy and temps were taken, nose was cleaned, electrolyte’s into his fresh water, all fresh dry straw so I can track bathroom, fresh green hay hauled in etc and the watch begins.
I started his med book and was tracking everything, in a nut shell, it was nothing, he never had a temp, he was eating, drinking and going to the bathroom perfectly, he was bright and full of energy the full two days he was in the barn and he went to just a bit of lighter green on the right nose by the next morning, clear and just a touch by the next evening and by the next day, nothing, and he was allowed to come out of the barn and rejoin the main group, please note that brandy was also watched and checked and nothing.
So most likely it was something very small indeed but it totally flipped my day on its side.. we got all the gutters cleaned and a few other needed things done on the farm, including working in the gardens, but the issue with this was that it was pouring rain, we were soaked to the bone a couple times.
It was a long enough day that I was finally eating my supper at 9pm, and we always eat by 7 at the latest..
Sunday came on bright and lovely, and we were up early and booting it, we needed to have showers and head to a get together for the day, travel was good, and the morning was spent talking about grains, green cover crops, fodder etc, a amazing potluck and then a afternoon of a seed saving seminar which was great, it was officially done by Ottawa Garden and it was a pleasure to meet her in person and for me to get to sit back and listen an learn. Afterwards we took a nice walk in the local woods and tracked down an number of ready to harvest fall berries.
We arrived home with a new farm critter, his name is cuddles, and he is a 14 week old mixed breed young rooster, he a nice gentle tame boy that needed a home with room for another roo, Big Red is very old at this point and young wash is awesome, and a wonderful flock leader but he is not going to produce as big of offspring as a nice big mixed double purpose brown egg layer, so Cuddles just fit that bill well.
Introduction were done today and as I had hoped, he came from a flock with a strong rooster in lead and he was a calm non-fighting boy and that is just what happened, wash offered him challenge in a soft way three time, three times cuddles, said, no thank you and that was it, they both went back to free ranging! Perfect!
now I need to get back at it.. photos of cuddles coming at later point!
Needed to get the rest of the grape juice turned into canned Grape Juice and Grape Jelly today so that I have the space to start working on the plum, plus I need to do a big old heap of apple sauce soon.. Here is the process in a nut shell in pictures..
Fresh cold grape juice, its been strained for the second time, needs to be brought back up to a boil and then the sugar added.. but while doing that, you need to get your jars, lids and water bath boiling water ready..
A trick to share on this one, all my grape juice went into pint jars that were with narrow mouths, and all my grape jelly went into wide mouth jars, that way, I can tell at a glance which is which, without even labels.
This is the canners treat, just as the cook gets to have a nibble here or there.. this is the treat that a canner making jam or jelly can sit down to at the end of the session, its also a nod to my family in so so many ways.. the bread recipe is my grandmothers, the knife that cut the bread was my grandfathers, the love of canning come right down the line, and the love of foam on bread, that was my mom’s voice whispering in my ear!
A deaf hound or two? So let me get the first point out, I love them and they are worth the extra work, they have given me so much over the years, I certainly would never begrudge them this in their golden years.
But having said that over the past while having a couple older dogs that are all getting deafer and deafer over the past year while living on a farm has proven a challenge.
One that everyone is up for but we are finding ourselves changing routines in so many little ways.. things like, how you wake them up, if they are lightly sleeping a foot stomp when upstairs will do the trick, but when on the cement floor or when they are sleeping on the couch’s and can’t feel the vibes, you need a different approach, now none of them have ever snapped at me but I think its just plain mean to “startle” them out of a sound sleep by touching them awake, so instead, I put my hand in front of their nose’s an wait, sure enough, in a few seconds to ten, they will get that nose going and will crack a eye open and smile at me..
Now I always had a firm rule that they move out my way, as I am the alpha hound but as they get older and older, I find myself either going around or stepping over when they are sleeping, I just don’t see the point of waking them
Treats are more carefully picked now for older teeth, and perhaps they are given out a little more often to a point, after all, how many more months or years am I going to see their eyes light up for me.
Snuggle time is given freely and found more time for same reason, but outside, well that’s a different matter, they no longer want to go on the big walks, they don’t want the long hard runs and they are happy to hang back and let the younger hounds do the herding, the farm work, the old loves would rather slowly roam the front yard area and bask in the sun on the deck or the front step, but in the past few months it has become even more then that, they will even ask to go back into the house to get back to their comfy couches and cooler temps on the basement floor, and who am I to say no..
We no longer call them or give the come command for them, as they won’t hear it, the young hounds will put the burn on and faithfully come at top speed to the house when called but the old ones, well they are now allowed to do their walks and then make their way back to the door and woof to be let back in.. yup instead of being the one who says in or out, I have become a doorman..
I can no longer trust that they will hear my commands in the pastures and in the barn when working with the bigger farm critters and in some cases they move far to slow to safely be around them, and so today I say out loud for the first time, that they are officially retired from being a farm dog and are now retired to being a house/yard old timer, as they laid their heads in a patch of sun to nap, the young hounds leaped and jumped with joy at being out with me, time to put that extra training, that extra farm dog polish on the next gen and they are game for it!
Just another Day on the Farm 