Kitchen Garden 2021 (Jan)

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

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On the first day of Jan 2021, it started to snow.. and this morning on the 2nd we woke up finally to a good winter snow cover.. I am crossing my fingers that the snow is here to stay, these crazy warm days have not been good at all for the plants and I know that it will be very hard on my 1st and 2nd year transplants.

We are coming into the 3rd year for the front yard rebuild and the 3rd year for the kitchen garden build.. thankfully there is very little to do in the coming year.

We need to finish off the path between the last row of the kitchen garden and the rain garden, and put in the logs on the big slope, as its clearly not going to hold without me putting it into steps.

Put a new layer down on the cedar paths and do a small amount of pruning for shaping and putting in the annuals.. we got the soils topped up, compost added in, a sprinkle of organic kelp added.

So the last big push to finish it off is the last three round gardens on the pond side of the stumps.. once those three are built and planted. its done..

It produced like a house of fire in 2020.. it was the most productive garden on the farm, herbs, small fruit, root veggies, climbing veggies, so many peppers, eggplants, tomato’s and more

We have planted a whole 22 foot row by 3 into hard neck garlic that went in this fall for harvest next season.

We also needed to split out one of the big chive clumps to give more space, I transplanted out 30 smaller clumps under the hawthorn tree in a multi ring, mmost of them made well into the fall so I am hopeful they will come up and start growing solidly in the spring, they are there as a early blooming flower for the native bees which adore them, as well as a edible ground cover.

We also put in 80 more strawberry plants on the one slope to ideally create a stable plant held space, they appear to be doing well so we will see if we have any issues in the spring, they are everberrying and they did produce this past fall in a small amount.

Its nice to be heading into the garden season with 90 plus of this garden built, planted, seeded and ready to head into a productive garden season for 2021.

Do you have hard neck garlic planted in your garden this year for harvest next year? did you bed it down with straw? I am glad we did, it was most needed to help with this freeze/thaw, rain/snow/thaw and so on.

New Years Eve 2020

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

The end of the year.. Man what a year 2020 has been.. we all know it and so I am not going to recap it.. Really we lived it.. that is enough right?

So today is the day we are to be looking forward too..

Forward to 2021 and all that it will bring.. and on a normal year, we should be looking for bright shiny things and goals that are set to high in the hopes that if we get even some of them done, we will still be happy

Normally I would be looking at how and what and where I would be spending my budget for my continuing education.. but that’s not going to happen this year, at least not in person.. it will be books or online courses.

I mean lets face it, the norms do not work this year..

Can you really plan for that awesome trip

That amazing concert

That wow camping trip with your best girl friends

Heck we are not even sure if we can do more basic’s like have game night, suppers in, or sitting around the camp fire or fishing in the boat.

No, its 2021 and if you are smart, you are hunkered down and you have that grit in your eye that says..

Lets do this! One foot in front of the other..

So that my plans for the year in life and here on the blog.. Real life 2021, Day to Day life, its going to so be all about the small things folks. We have a number of projects on the go and I will share how they are going.

The farm and all the things that make my world go round..

So what do you think our first thing is going to be?? Hmmm..

For Hubby, he is currently working on his Second Novel, so lots of writing going on right now, he is also still writing short story’s.

well, anyone that has been around for a while knows I love a good challenge.. Short Challenges, Wierd Challenges, Basic Challenges.. I just find them fun..

The 12 Week Winter Horse Challenge (from England) at the most basic bronze level!

This means 3 hours of working with horse’s weekly, thankfully I can do up to a hour of grooming work per week but I still need to do ground work, take mini challenges ( I have a massive list to choose from) and I will be sharing along the way..

Typically they do less and less at this time of the year, so it will be a good thing for eveyone to do a bit more, however when its really cold, you can expect that I might be doing trick training in the barn lol

The weather so far has been a mix of rain (so much rain), sleet, ice and snow.. so it will limit me to a point on what I can do with the horse’s both for safety for myself and them in regards to working as we have no indoor riding area.. but I have a creative mind and we will work on a number of things none the less.

Not going to sugar coat it, my horses have been lean pasture puffs, (normally pasture puff horses are fat, but that at least I made sure they did not get fat, its really bad for them to do that) and while they get their daily love on, they have not been worked much other then the basic’s that come with daily living.

They are both far to well broke to say they need retraining would be unfair to their awesomeness.. but they do need a refresh on a few things and they both need to be slowly brought out of Pasture Puff shape into Riding Shape for the spring.

So tell me one thing you are working on over the next couple winter months? It can be anything really..

Posted in draft horse | Tagged Draft horses, horses on the farm, keeping it real on the farm, New years eve, New years eve 2020, riding horses, training horses, winter horse challenge | 6 Comments

Bottle Neck.. find them now!

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

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This Afternoon my phone beeped at me.. its my old butcher shop, the one that I have used for years.. it burned down and was rebuilt, I called in with 4 months like normal to book my lambs in the fall of 2020 for butcher and was told no.. they were taking bookings for Late Jan and Feb 2020 then.

So the phone beeped at me, and I look at it.. they were called to ask me if I wanted to book my “UNBORN” lambs in for my regular butcher spots in sept and what week and number did I want.. Its still DEC 2020 peaple and I am to be picking my butcher dates today?

9 months.. 9 months in advance.. before they are born and I know how many are twins, did I get a single, did I get set of 3.. do want to send out a hoggot or keep back the pick ewe lamb as a replacement to grow out?

Do you have any idea what can all go wrong in 9 months, as a livestock producer, i do and I think its udderly stupid to be booking right now..

And I am guess I am one of the “LUCKY” ones as I am on the regular list that is getting the calls now.. heaven help those folks that pick up some lambs to grow out or start a new flock that think they can call and get in.. As I found out the hard way when I called around this year, None of them are taking new clients.. they are just trying to meet the needs of their current clients.

When my beef order arrived they told me that while they were picking up their order, they had to book the butcher dates at that time for their beef for 2021.

Is your area bottlenecking in regards to locally being able to get your livestock in to be butchered for farm gate sales or even personal use? Just give general info, country, province or state and what is happeing in your area?

In my case, ottawa valley area, ontario, Canada.. I booked the spots.. and hope I can fill them..

Posted in At the kitchen table | 18 Comments

Just keep Moving Forward..

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

Only a few more days for 2020 to be done, and its going out strong, came in with fires burning and its going out on the rising crest of horse pucks and then some..

Normally at this time of the year I would be breathing out a sigh, as this is my two month break time. the gardens are done and I am not starting new plants yet.. the livestock raising is done, the butcher is done, the freezers and jars are full, the extra that overwhelmed at a early point in the harvest has all been processed.

The ewe’s are getting fatter and maybe I might have one or two new lambs come early but most will not arrive till March.. so I even get a break on milking..

O yes on any normal year I would be saying hunker down, get ready for the winter rest.. Everyone certainly should and needs that rest..

Take the rests in small naps this winter.. that lovely winter walk.. enjoy each one of your bright spots, hold those small and maybe bigger joys tight and get every moment you can from them..

However keep in the back of the mind that 2021 is coming at us like a run away freight train, so I will say it..

Just keep moving..

Order your seeds NOW
Order your wood for any build projects NOW
Need a new freezer? or parts? Order them NOW
Need to repair a tool, a mower or anything else, get it in the shop, get the part now while you are seeing it start to wear.
Get your summer boots NOW
Got kiddo’s growing leeps and bounds.. GET THE NEXT sizes Now
Need to get a dog fixed- Book it
Need spring chicks- talk to your feed store, call the hatchery, find out the first order date and make it happen
Need a butcher date.. locally they are requiring peaple to book a YEAR IN ADVANCE
Need jars or lids : order them in now in bulk..
Need another pressure canner? Put your self on te wait lists..

Wait.. hold.. the above only works if you still have income, if you have a steady paycheck, if you can afford to put money down and then wait weeks, months to get the yield or return..

If you either don’t have a steady job and or its touch and go.. back up.. start watching those kijji and market place ads.. Put the word out.. maybe you can trade your smaller apartment size freezer to someone who is downsizing and swap out their big one for your smaller one..

Maybe you can talk to your friends, share seed packages, only need to grow 4 plants and your friend does two on her deck and someone else does a half dozen.. split it up folks..

Think outside the box.. buy a organic local tomato and save the seeds, ask online if anyone has seeds to share, ask at your local church if anyone has extra’s.

If I had to put a motto on 2021.. its the year to ask..

Ask for advice

Ask for help

Ask to trade

Ask to barter

Ask to learn

If you have money and pay.. great.. keep that money as much as possable in your local area, your county, your province or state, your country.

But if you are riding the line, going paycheck to paycheck and you are selling off things to make ends meet, taking on small part time jobs, needing the help at the food banks etc. then I can’t say it loud enough ASK..

Ask if you have skills someone else might need?

Ask if you can trade your time for something you need?

Ask if you can trade part time farm work or yard work for a cut in rent on that extra bedroom someone has.. Better to ask and downsize, then struggle to keep your one bedroom and lose everything..

Ask now with those you trust about what if I lose my job? What if I lose my car? what if I lose my health? What if I lose my home?

Figure out what you need for the coming year, make the lists, make the plans and then work on how you are going to make that happen.. then take a hard look at the bottom line.

Stay flexable, think outside the box.. make it work.. and JUST KEEP MOVING..

Posted in At the kitchen table | 15 Comments

Indoor Garden Winter 2021

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

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Its 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall.. add in 4 sets of 4 foot length led full sun lights, two boxes of heavy thick snap together flooring to help keep the cold out of the bottom in regards to the cement floor and this big guy is going into our “just” heated basement. We will see if we need to add a small oil hearter to the space or not.

I will not call this a christmas present or a boxing sale’s day.. I did get them on sale and I will be using my own already owned wooden seed starting shelves, reusing our pots and trays that we already have, our own compost and I will sigh deeply as I cook the soil and then use fish tank water and a homemade seaweed/nettle tea to refeed it

I can’t take the chance with the hatching and such in the soil itself in such a small garden, I had to order in special “patio” seeds for the pot of cherry tomato’s, cucumbers and zucchini.. I have lots and lots of “greens” seeds so I am not worried about making micro greens for salads.

In winter typically we eat ouf of the freezers, the canning pantry and the cold storage, which means lots of roots, but with our new diet for hubby, while I can eat some of the roots, some he can’t and thankfully the hounds love it, so nothing will go to waste..

We are BLOWING our food budget sky high on fresh greens and salad fixings for at least two main meals.. now we have plans for a geodome year round growing greenhouse, its being order to be made in 2021, prep work done on the farm in 2021 but it will not be put up and into full growing until 2022 and we can not wait that long to figure out how to grow for the table

Never mind that the cost just in the sense of handing over hard cash (well tap, they do not let you pay with cash that is a different grrrrr post) but add in how its grown , the distanced traveled, and the recalls, so many recalls.. no.. just no..

My little lean too side greenhouse is a three season only.. and this is by far easier and cheaper to set up then to try and heat that much much larger space.. we will see how it goes..

Posted in Life moves on daily | 13 Comments

Another Day Another lockdown Covid Christmas 2020

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

What can I say..

We are having a covid Christmas.. Its just us on the farm.. and our whole province offically goes into lock down at 12.01 boxing day for a 28 days.. well that is what they are saying right now.. Broke the daily record locally both for number infected and highest single daily death rate.

I hope you are all prepped up for a very long dark winter, stay warm, stay safe.. and if possable spend the holidays with your family and loved ones. See you in 2021

Posted in Life moves on daily | 9 Comments

Old Fashion No Bake Mudpie Cookies Recipe

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

Welcome to our Christmas Cookie Round up!

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This is a childhood cookie for me ( I started being allowed to make these around the age of 8 or 9) It was easy fast one pot cookie that everyone in our family loved!

Old Fashioned No Bake Mudpie Cookies.

1 cup sugar
1/4th cup butter
Half cup of milk
3 tbsp. of coco powder
1 tsp vanilla
1.2 tsp salt
1 cup coconut
1 and half cups of oatmeal

Place the sugar, butter, milk and coco Powder into a heavy bottomed pot and with a whisk or a spoon stir it as it melts and heats up.. bring to a boil, stirring the whole time, Boil for one min, then add the vanilla, salt, coconut and oatmeal, mix well..

Drop by small teaspoon onto wax paper.. allow to cool and harden before eating.. (but don’t worry, we all eat at least one hot, juggling it back and forth between hands)

Its like a candy treat these are very sweet chewy treats.. Enjoy!

Now on to the Christmas Cookie Round up..

Oh my goodness these Lemon Crackle Cookies look amazing.. coming from Jenlynn401 blog..

Super simple recipe and another old fashioned one that uses a cake box as a base to this recipe but with extra’s that make it pop.. great color for the cookie tray.. one to check out for sure.. head on over and see these bright and lemon flavoured cookies and the recipe for them!

Next up.. Peanut butter and Chocolate! What a combo.. we all know it and love it! Head on over to Megan’s Simply Rooted Farmhouse to find out more

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies: A Simple Heirloom Recipe.. those cute little chocolate buttons on that wonderful Peanut butter bottom.. a great cookie for the Christmas plate for sure.. this is one that we all know that kids of all ages will enjoy.

Making Delicious Chocolate Crinkles for the Holidays

15 Acres Homestead is bringing us both Chocolate and Crinkle Cookie combo! She has a great looking recipe and if you have little ones around, we all know how much they love to help mom or grandma on the rolling in the sugar or using the cup to press them down to get that o so pretty crackle top.

O my, heading over to The Farm Wife Blog will be bring another amazing old fashioned much loved cookie to the table.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Everyone loves a good spiced cookie and add in oatmeal and its a family favorite for sure!

Festive Raspberry Linzer Cookies

What a pretty cookie, red and white is just perfect for this time of year and that star.. this recipe is delightful!

Posted in Cookies | Tagged Christmas cookies round up, drop cookies, easy one pot cookies, Mudpie cookie recipe, Mudpie cookies, no bake one pot cookies, Oatmeal chocolate drop cookies | 7 Comments

Pandemic Pigs

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

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This spring trying to find a weaner piglet or two was for many peaple a huge challenge, just like the run on chicks.. meat chicks sold out hard and fast locally..

Thankfully I had my name down on a waiting list for 2 heritage piglets from a lovely pure tamworth breeding and i was able to get a very nice brother sister set of pigs.

They were healthy, good temperments and never gave a moments issue.. this past weekend, I woke up after setting my mind the night before to being in the zone.

Out I headed with my rifle/knives and it went as well as it can.. As homesteaders we all talk about one bad day or the freezer camp.. but lets get real, its death.. I was killing my pigs..

All kills are hard.. pigs are very hard, never ever let anyone tell you that pigs are not smart and very VERY MUCH there.. they know their names, they have favorite treats, they clean (having a bathroom corner) they fluff their beds just so and they learn that myself and the other humans bring food, treats, garden offering, hay, bedding and rump rubs.. I have never meet a well socialized pig that does not view us as ear scratchers or rump rubbers..

We all want it to go perfectly, picture perfect! Thankfully more often then not, someone will help you learn and once you have the basic’s you will get the job done.

However the larger the animal, the more it needs to be done just right because most homesteaders will not have the equipment that larger will. Its worth noting that the goverment federally and provinally also has rules in place and you had better know them..

They will tell you where you need to shot, the degree of power you need and what choices you have to do it per stock.. what is needed for lamb is NOT the same as what is required for a 18 month old steer..

So when I say, that it went well, I mean it.. Training is key.. teach your animals a routine and do it well before you need it.. My pigs had been raised in the croft as littles and big barn but I needed them up close for the butcher.

We created a small pen to train them in for the D-Day..

in my case I would call them to the front and I had set it up that they had a space to put their head partly into which gave me the right view and ability to get the right angle.

the male was the leader of the two and he went first.. its was so perfect, he went back two steps and dropped (didn’t even get a kick) the female took about 20 to 30 second to line up and she was done..

From the time of saying good morning to both being down.. under a minutes.. eye checks done then washed feet, slide out of the pen to clean ground, washed necks and then cuts from side to side to where done

They both came in around 250 to 275 live weight and thank goodness for hunting gear, in went the hooks, onto the pulley and up they went for washing skinning, cleaning and quartering and then break down for hams, bacon, chops, stew and ground.. fat to be rendered down

It was a long work day but it was so worth it..

Did you raise pigs this year? Did you send it out to be done? or did you home butcher? Did you also cure your meat into hams, bacon and making sausages?

Posted in 100 mile diet, Pigs | Tagged canadian Homestead, homestead, homestead pigs, homesteading butchering, livestock duing covid 19, Pandemic pigs, Raising Weaner Piglets | 1 Comment

Dollar Store Challenge Day 3

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

I woke up today knowing that it was the last day of the challenge, that my basket had lots of food in it still and that if I was to ever do this again, that I would shop for it very carefully and differently. If hip roof barn decides to do it again.. I have thoughts on it that’s for sure.

Well, that upset tummy meant that I was up for a while in the night if you know what I mean folks.. So lesson number one learned.. while you can go from eating a low sugar, low carb, high fiber, fresh organic home raised fruits and veggies, grass fed farm raised meat, fresh eggs and raw milk to store crap.. but you will pay for it..

Not just in tasting the chemical’s in the food, not just in tasting the difference between sugar and corn syrup in the food vs the non-gmo sugar or local honey i normally use. or my local maple syrup..

Really if you have to go from eating whole foods to some of the lower cost foods, this is not the way to do it! H and hip roof and even silver did so much better because they were able to find rice, grains, dried beans and oatmeal at their dollar stores.. This is where I would start if I could do it again.. at the most basic of whole foods you can get and I would go with as much dried food as possable

I saw that Hip Roof made a soup on day 2 with one of my favorite soup blends and she didn’t much care for it.. now this is a blend I keep in the house always, I throw a handful in soups, stews, even chili at times, I use it in my canning jars, a heaping tbsp added in dry with 1 cup of mixed veggies with 3/4th cup of ground meat, and broth over and pressure can and go.. its a staple here.. but I stopped and thought about it, as it was cooked in a broth, it was done in a way as a side dish, ok, a bit of a soupish side dish.. and no on its own, I can see why she got it down and went nope.. I can’t see myself wanting to eat as a solid full only it in broth meal either.. totally understand..

Hubby is sitting across from me enjoying bacon and eggs with homemade cheese.. fresh yogurt and blueberries.. sigh.. I am still holding off because other then meat and kippers I do not want anything in there..

This honestly could be a water/coffee breakfast type day..

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Ok so my official breakfast was the tin of salmon and the rest of the canned pea’s.. I fried them up in the coconut oil with salt and pepper.. It was one of the better meals I have had so far.. but kippers are still the favorite!

Snack- Apple cup

Lunch -One can of the mushest aspagus spears Blended with almond milk, a tsp of coconut oil and 2 heaping tsps of cheese whiz with lots of black pepper and salt to taste.

All blended together and simmered till hot? Not bad.. not bad at all.. it was tasty .. I give a solid 5.5 out of 10.. so far we are doing better today for meals..

supper -Mixed the rice pudding with the tapioca pudding and the last two fruit cups and added a little salt and pepper and eat it cold!

Hubby chopped up onions, peppers, mushrooms and more beef and used up the last can of chili with extra spices added.. lol

For sure a costly day of eating..

Breakfast Salmon 1.50 Peas 1.00

lunch – Aspurgus 1.25, .75 worth of almond milk .50 worth of cheese whiz

Supper -Rice 1.25, Tapico 1.50, fruit cups X 2 83 cents

Apple cup .35 cents

Coffee 1.00

Total cost for the day 9.45 cents.

Calories 2480 for the day..

I still have a number of things left in my basket! It was a learning curve for sure and I can’t say that I am glad to have eaten like this for the 3 days but it was eye opening thats for sure..

The biggest thing I learned is that if I was to do this again, I would pick totally different food items.. there was box’s of a “oatmeal bar with fake strawberry jam in the middle: and I would get two boxes of them for a total of 8 bars, eating two or even three if needed for my breakfast with coffee and sugar.. lunches and suppers would be dried veggie based knorr soups, and I would have gone and bought 6 or 8 of the little seseme seed snaps.. Maybe it would not have been as “balanced as I tried for” but it would have been easier to get, healthier in the long run and had much less chemicals..

I can all the time, I do not understand why the canned food was so poorly! but its done!

Do not forgot to head over to Hip Roof Barn or Silver to see their updates for day two and day three..

Posted in 30 day challanges | Tagged Dollar Store Challenge, Dollar Store challenge day 3 | 1 Comment

Dollar store Challenge Day 2

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Just another day on the farm

Breakfast : 2 fruit cups and one tin of kippers black Coffee with sugar.

I had slept well but woke woggy and fog headed, my body is not happy with something I eat yesterday as my fingers are swollen, I can tell that my whole body feels heavy and cranky.. I do reaction this way to MSG so I am guess there is some in the beans and franks.

The fruit in the cups is delightful but again so sweet, its in what we canners would call heavy for the syrup.. I poured it into a glass, added water and drank my fruit sugar water. The kippers are as always good.. and I am so glad I bought 4 tin.. I remember thinking 4 might be to many and now I can see, should have got more.

I have already figured out that I have made a mistake, I should have gotten more of the knorr brand dry soup mixes and less of the tinned food.. while I did not have milk for some of the choices, there were a number of the soups blends that work with water..

I remember thinking.. I can have a bit of freedom with the tins, not needing to cook.. boy was that a mistake.. BIG mistake!

Silver over at Silveryew has posted her day one.. Go check it out! loved her use of jam on oatmeal!

Hip Roof has her and H’s Day on up as well. I liked that she baked and that bread and butter.. H’s meals look great!

I spent the morning breaking down the back half of a pig into what will be ham’s, roasts, pork chops, stew meat, sausage grind and fat to be rendered as well as split pea ham bones for canning up soup.

Lunch

I enjoyed my bitter black sweet coffee but looked at my basket and passed on snacks.. However by 1 for lunch I was hungry.. I took out can of my mild chili and opened and stuck my spoon in and tasted it.. hmmm.. not bad.. 4 out of 10.. into the pot it goes.. and my head goes hmmm.. its got flavour.. got back to my basket.. grab a can of the beans and weaners, add it to the chili.. then grab the can of mushrooms, open, turns out its whole mushrooms, diced them into bits using half the can.. add a little pepper to the whole brown mess of beans, simmer it slow till fully heated up.

And its not bad! Its my lunch and I enjoyed two small bowls of it..

Supper

I am going to take the leftovers and add half a can of pea’s to it, reheat and call it supper, wishing once again that I had rice or instant potato’s or bread to go with my stew.. Its tasty and its hot and I force myself to eat it.. my tummy is upset with me.. its rolling but good!

Big old coffee so good!

So the girls really broke down their costs and calories.. so today I will go a little more detailed and I will update the Day 1 post as well

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