March Food Storage Challange 2012

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

Last year Canadian Doomer and Backyard Farms joined me in this challange, I do need to give a heads up on this, all three of us found holes in our storage, and while we all managed, there was shortages in different things that meant we were required to either a ) do without b) cook around it.

So while I would love to have folks join me in this challange, and if you have food storage, it is a great way to take on a short term goal of learning how to use more in your every day cooking, find any gaps in your planning and to be reminded of the old saying.. two is one and one is none!

I took the knowledge learned last year and did my best to fill them in over the past year, this coming month of march will tell me if I got the job done or not.. You are welcome to join this challange in a baby step way, like one meal a day out of your storage, or only doing a week of it, or you just comment and provide support that way, I know last year, having folks comment and share helped keep me plodding forward on days that I really just wanted to go get something anything, that I didn’t have to prepare by hand.

Basic Rules are as follows

  • Pets and Critters are exempt
  • Pick a month and go from the 1st to the 31st

Our extra rules

  • Can still shop stores for loss leaders or sales for our food pantry but it can not be used during the month of the challange.
  • If DH is traveling out of town for work, those days are exempt from the challange for him.

Dh agreed to the challange but threw out one of his own.. he says he is happy to give a hand and follow along but that I need to make it seems like there is no challange going on when it comes to meal time..and that in and of itself is going make this just a touch more tricky..

So the month we picked was March for a couple reason

  • Just coming off $10 a Week Feb, means that we are already lean in the house in regards to fresh stuff.
  • Its a long month with a full 31 days in it.
  • Everything outside is still frozen solid-putting me at a disadvantage
  • we are well into winter and there are a number of things that are getting low in storage as we have already been eating out of our home grown pantry for five months now.
  • No Shopping extras before the start of the month,

These factors should give the challange a bit more Oomph! Make your own extra’s so that they fit your own family’s needs.

To read last years 2011 weekly round ups and also to see each day’s meals, plus a write up on different subjects, check out the link below, scroll about half way down the page to get started.

https://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/march-challange/

Want an Idea of what I have in the house, Gardening count 2011, an Canning Count 2011

Just to add a little more work and to keep myself on the level -I will do a daily meal planner, last year some day’s I love writing my post to go with the meals and other days the writing did not flow, but I was faithful and got a post out each day on it..

This year, I want to continue to do a daily post on what we are eating, but I have a different plan in mind for the daily posts that go with it,  I am planning on going with a garden theme.

Some day’s it might be just a single plant that is talked about, some days it might be compost, some day’s it might be harvesting, somedays it might be about building hugelbeets or building garden growing supports or it might be a gardening book review or how to build a cheap worm bin or using chickens in the garden.

 I want to leave it as open and flexable as possable while keeping it related to gardening in general.

I will start posting on March 1st, I hope that a few folks will take the challange or a version of the challange with me, let me know in the comments if you are planning on joining in..

This is part of the homestead prepardness challange

 

Posted in Food Storage | 6 Comments

Food Storage Friday 02/24/2012

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

This weeks fresh food buy came out to a today of 8.88, it included a small purple cabbage, a med to large green cabbage, a bunch of banana’s (6), two chinese pears, one large box of mushrooms and one english cucumber. We are heading into our coming week with 2pds of carrots, 1/2 box of mushrooms, purple and green cabbage, 8 pds of onions, plus potatos and winter squash in fresh storage.

I also harvested some greens, some green onions, and have started a number of different seeds for the coming weeks in terms of harvest and use.. I have just started a big tray of pea’s and a pumpkin plant..

Figured out what happened to the camera and its missing photos, it must have gotten bumped because it thought it was missing its card, so once I fixed that, the photos I had taken came back.. This week I have been busy making a number of different breads, we made a regular sour dough with rye, a high and tight white bread loaf, a chocolate oatmeal bread, and a no knead cast iron bread, the recipes as close as one gets anyway…

I have been really enjoying having lots of eggs in the house, it makes such a difference to the loaf’s of bread to be able to put one or two eggs into the recipes. Speaking of chickens and eggs, it has been very interesting to note that the frey’s mixed meat birds hens have started laying sooner, then the dual purpose egg layers have.. out of the seven remaining roosters, this is the only dancer, and so he is the one that I am planning on keeping as a breeding rooster..

On the other hand, I am really thinking about keeping this fine fellow from the oven as he is the most protective rooster of the bunch, he thinks he is the black op’s of the rooster world, he is fearless, but you also have to be a bit careful around him, as he has taken a run or two at both Dh and I, if they thinks we are the least bit out of line.

Wow, I can even see the difference in the photos, the top boy looks active and interested but open and trusting and Big Boy has that look..  You looking at me!

Now remember when looking at these gents that they are still under five months in age, I expect them to get alot heavier yet. I figure if I cross them with these little ladies, I might be able to keep back a few hens that have the best traits of both to add to my flock..

Bringing this back around to food storage, and why I have been trying to get my flock out each afternoon and spend time watching them in the yard is because I want to have a really nice roasted chicken this coming week and I have butchered out the smaller roosters and are now down to the best of the best, but have to figure out who makes the cut in that group of seven..  I have plans to do a few interesting chicken recipes over the next while for the blog, including taking on the task of making the cock’s comb recipe from odd bits cookbook.

So lets see about this week in terms of cooking, its been a easy slow week, lots of lamb, some bacon, lots of eggs, pasta, potato’s, coucus, some different beans. Lots of different meals this week, a good mix of textures and flavours.

Now Daisy did her report on how her challange has been going and one of the things she touched on was how hard it is to eat from home when sick, (she gets major points for trying to do this while sick).. so while most often I will send hubby down for something from the cellar, like chili, or soup or stew etc  Our backup is always pancakes..  for my mom its beans on toast, for my dad its basted eggs and toast, what is your fall back meal??

Posted in Life moves on daily | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Baking MoJo-Is on holiday this week..

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

This is a little baby rant,  be it new stove learning curve,  a new brand of flour, trying a ton of new recipes or just plain old Baking Mojo, I have been very hit and miss this past week, some things have come out perfect, and others.. well.. let just say, thank goodness for the hounds!

I tried a new black bean recipe.. O I will not be passing it on, it was not even, see if I could fix it, it was a Fail in the cookbook, a Don’t make again and the hounds lapped it up for dinner as I had made a full crock pot of this dish.

Then there was the cake that would not hold its structure, I did my typical switch out tricks for apple sauce and it was the most gumpy cake, it tasted ok but it was like under cooked bread pudding..  the hounds loved it, it should have been called a hush puppy, because they did the rub of joy afterwards, while I snarled at losing a full pan of cake.

Then came the rhubarb crumble that was so tart (I forgot the sugar yikes) that hubby had one bite and passed it back to me.. That one I fixed and eat myself but it was certainly not up to par, I had tried a mix of my mom’s new trick of use orange juice in the crumb and then online it had said, used dried orange peel and orange juice mix, and I thought sure, that sounds yummy.. NOT.. it was was barely good enough..

Tried and True recipes are coming out, but its not a week for my typical farmgal winging it..  Its made me think about if I would be willing to take as many cooking risks as I do, if I knew that food had to be dinner, that there was nothing to replace it.. I don’t think I would, I would stick to very tried and true recipes in that case.

Posted in Life moves on daily | 5 Comments

Its a this an that day..

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

Wow, I made the best no-kneed, no recipe bread,  I did a yeast start then added in two fresh pullet eggs, some melted sheep tallow and enough flour to make a soft wet dough but not to sticky, I put a floured cover on it and then a huge towel over it, and put it in a way spot to gently raise for an hour, and when I went back for it, a purrpot was asleep in the bowl , so it had not raised that much with the warm weight on top.. thankfully with two solid layers the dough itself was clean. I preheated the heavily greased cast iron pot and matching lid to 425, then rolled the dough into it, and put it in the oven lid on for 30 min and then finished cooking it lid off for another 25 min..

I had a perfect photo of this loaf on a pretty wood cutting board, but it ghosted in the camera, so I had to take another one today of the last 1/3 of  the loaf left.. still don’t understand how that photo just went poof! This bread turned out perfect, a rich chewy crusty with a super soft light with air pockets inner.. lightly sour dough in flavour.

Finally got back on the scale this morning, honestly had no idea what I would find, its not that i have not been watching what I eat or that I have not been doing my different things I just have been having a “no scale” report, I was pleased to see I was down another 3 pds over my last weigh in, that is pretty much a pd a week..

We lost a hen this week, and it made no sense at the time, the hens were fine the day before, everyone was healthy an clucking around, I had been outside with them for a good while when I had them free ranging in the yard, the next morning, one of my big lovely hens just dead the next morning.. was very odd, so we composted her, and into the none garden compost pile..

Think I figured out what caused it, which was that the truck was leaking anti-freeze, and I figure that the hen must have peeked the spot that had it, or at least that is my best guess, I cleaned up the spot and have been keeping a very close eye on the outside cats, so far so good, I hope and pray that no one got into it before I was able to figure it out and clean it up.

Speaking of outside farm cats, have not seen the short coated orange tabby since the day I saw it, so figure it has moved one, tuesday however a Huge! orange and white spotted long coated tom staked his way down my driveway, he took off at a dead run as soon as I went out the door and looked at him, have not seen him again.

Spent a bit of time yesterday on the phones and have got all the legal things taken off the truck and have called and got price qoutes from all the local dealers that will haul it away, put one more call out to Farmer T, as she has contacts, and I want to see if she know’s anyone that might give me a little bit more in terms of value.

The lambs are getting huge, only have a few more momma sheep due but not for another while yet as they were late breeding and will have true spring lambs, Angelo is growing and filling out as is Marty, and Girl is in sweet cow mode, boy can you tell when that girl goes into heat, she is so sweet the rest of the time an so festy when she is in the mood.. No missing it, I hope it settles a bit with age..

It truly feels like spring around here right now, sap has run a bit this week, not much, better last week for a couple days. all the snow and ice packs are melting around the edges, but the muck is driving me a little nuts, I swear you can wash the floors a dozen times a day and there will still be little footprints on it..

I put together my pile of books I want to review for the blog and I have 26 of them, I need to start doing that more regular, I going to try and do one every second tuesday.

Got my winter power bill and have done the math, I have been able to reduce our power use by 25% over last winter, still paying WAY to much for power but 25% is still a good reduction really, and they gave a notice that the deliver fees are going to have a slight reduction, that would be fine with me, I often pay as much or more for the deliver fee’s then I do for power itself.

Need to go transplant some seedlings into bigger pots and get some more seeds planted back into the heated starter bed, and a rich hot coffee is calling my name.. Everyone have a great! day..

 

 

 

Posted in Food Production and Recipes | 8 Comments

Feels like we are losing a old friend- Rest in Peace Truck

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

Truck in better days, learning how to be a farm helper, being loaded with cut and dried hay to be drove down to the barn LOL

I know that it seems like a odd thing to be writing a post about, but Dh bought this truck brand new when he finished his post secondary, and it was all bright and new when I meet him, it took us on our first road trip together, it carried us when we went to meet our parents the first time.. We truck camping and drove many of the roads in NWT, it came with us on our move across the artic, to Iqaluit, it is filled with memories from up there, as it drove us slow and steady down the very bumpy road to no where each spring and summer to the camping site to the sand pits and was the lead off of so many walks, hikes and camping trips..

It was flown down with us when we moved to ontario, and it has been our faithful farm truck for the past years, it has hauled home thousands of pds of feed, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens, calfs and most recently pigs.. It has been used as a hay wagon, it has been filled with wild picked fruit, it has taken us down narrow twisted dirt lanes to amazing spots on the local rivers and woods.

In a way it feels like something is ending with its passing, but I know that its not the truck itself that makes it feel that way, its all the good times with my hubby, hounds, friends and family that has happened that makes my heart feel a tug..

Rest in Peace Truck 1997-2012- You never let us down!

 

 

Posted in Life moves on daily | 2 Comments

The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Thompson

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

I love my chickens for many reasons, getting a few layers was one of the very first things we did when we moved to the farm. Is there anything better then fresh eggs?  The chickens do so much more than produce eggs, they are bug patrol, they are light tillers, and they help make wonderful compost for the garden. 

Spring and Summer is the time of year that you get an egg flood, and between my older flock of coming two year old, as well as my new up and coming just starting pullet flock of laying hens, I will soon have one to two dozen eggs coming in daily, so just how perfect is it that The Fresh Egg Cookbook arrived at the farm 🙂

This book lightly touches on the current movement of having a few laying hens in cities and towns, and provides interesting tidbits of information on basic chicken care, along with some lovely chicken or egg related photos.  All very nicely done, this little book would make a great gift for fellow backyard flock lovers but all said and done, it is a cookbook.

The recipes are excellent, some of them are versions of old standbys that I have cooked for years, it ranges from traditional sauces like Mayonnaise and Hollandaise but also more modern takes on things like Creamy Italian Dressing.

The book breaks down into breakfast, lunchs, suppers and desserts. I would say that at least half the recipes are flavours and combos that most folks would know but that the other half of the recipes will appeal to the foodie crowd, I can’t wait for the right summer time to try Baked Eggs in Tomato’s.. 

There is one other area that I would like to brag on, I really like deviled eggs,  I mean REALLY like them, and this book had a number of different ideas and flavour mixes that I had never heard about before, all family traditions in her neck of the woods, totally new to me.

The first recipe I made was Verna’s Stuffed Eggs, I had to raid my winter greens for the fresh greens, I love that they are cooked with just the water left on them from cleaning them, the quality of the parmesan cheese would certianly affect the end taste in this deviled egg. I just have to warn, I made a half batch and they were gone! Do consider making extra as these will quickly disappear.

So for everyone who has been waiting for those fresh amazing rich spring eggs that are sure to show up at farmer markets, farm gate sales or fresh from your backyard, add this book to your collection and get crack’n…

 

 

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Garden Monday-Indepence Day’s

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

I decided to combine the wonderful Independence Day Challange with the once a month garden update for my monday’s main posts. Going to also add links to blog I read that are doing this challange, if anyone else who read’s me is going to join, please let me know in the comments and I will link you in as well!

Plant something: Beans, Radishes and spinach

Harvest something: Everything counts – Sprouts, Eggs, Milk, Maple Water

Preserve something: Canned Lamb, Rabbit, Duck, Dried apples, Dried Precooked Rice and Barley and made “instant” spiced pint jars for suppers when I am in a hurry.

Waste not: Composting from the house, barns. One of my big water jugs broke, so I cut the top off, and now it will fit in the bottom half and I will  have another mini green starter green house, filled it with dirt and winter sowned it and set it up on the south side of the little barn, and it will do its thing!

Want Not: Great Week on this, only 5 spending days out of 20 this month so far, however speaking of coming wants -DH’s birthday is coming up and he came home with a b-day gift idea, he has decided that he wants a bow for his birthday, he is unsure yet what kind, and he didn’t even finch when I say.. Me too right? So we can do it together, just yup, we will have to get a large round bale placed over there for target practise..

Eat the Food: See Food Storage Fridays Reports

Build community food systems: Posted a seedy saturday link on my Twitter Account is as close as it gets.

Skill up: Regular Skills being worked this past week, lots of farm related, canning, drying food, Picked up the book, the river cottage meat book by hugh fearnley-whittingstall

Posted in Food Storage, frugal | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Driveway visiting..

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

The power has been out for most of the day today, and that meant that Farmer T popped over to see if mine was out, same as her’s, it was and I had reported it..

I had to chuckle a little at what someone who was a fly on the wall would think of our visit. The topics included but not limited to..

1) Breeding pigs, she has also got a young male for her own female pig Pickles, and you think my boy’s name is funny, her’s is called Little Larry BamBam.

2) Fall hunting, what was got, and what was done with it

3) Sheep, Lambing, and every other critter in eye sight that got the look over 🙂

4) Trail Riding and new horse added to her herd, and when am I going to come over and go for a ride?

5) Wood stoves and splitting wood

6)Can you give a hand with this project that is planned for this year? She wants a little help with one thing in mind, I would like help with a project on the farm, that would take me weeks of work or an hour of her backhoe to do the same thing.

7) What you got planned for in regards to the gardens?

8) Building a ice cart for the local winter fair, want to come cheer the kids on tomorrow?

9) Sap will be running soon, how many much are you planning on doing this year?

It was as always a quick visit, filled with info and the odd laugh or two, a catch up of the top news stories and then back to our own lives and farms. 

 

 

Posted in Life moves on daily | 6 Comments

Raising Critters for Freezer Camp..

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

I read a few blogs but not many, and I love my “girls” who comment, who I should point out are also a few guys in there, and I have rarely had to not approve comments, typically they are not posted as they are spam, only a few have been dealt with privately that were because they were anti-farming or anti-meat eating.

I like blogging and there are times that family, or friends have privately commented that I am just a little to open about the things I do, Personally I try and find a reasonable balance, I talk about growing my animals for meat but I try to not overwhelm in regards to photos or to much detail, while still sharing some of the feels and or work that goes into it.

So when I decided to pop over to a blog that one of my “girls” have on her site, I started reading the posts and the comments, and then I started reading backwards, and I felt like I had been transported from a farming blog to a Dr. Phil moment, the back and forth and the tone, I felt shocked to a point at the comments being made, and so I went further and read more, and read more.. and little red flags went up, and up and up, and things I had read that made little to no sense at the begin started coming more into focus.

Now, I am not going to comment on some of those red flags that as a older, longer term farmer, others have expressed -in far more negative terms, then I would ever do online or in person, out of sheer respect for another person.

I will say this, when you are first starting out and for the rest of your life, there is a learning curve, there will be bumps in the road, there are up’s and downs and not all animals born or bought will thrive, not all older critters will pass peacefully in their sleep, that we as the human care takers of those animals on farms, we make the calls and the culls..

It sucks, it really does, and there is part of us that want to try just one more med, one more test by the vet or one more feed or one more thing in a book or a website that might give them a better quality of life and the newer you are to farming, the more you want to do this..

The longer you have farmed, the less you will do this to a point. That point is a different line in the sand for every farmer but the line gets drawn a little tighter, a little harder as the years go buy. 

You learn when a lamb is not thriving, that its better to to end their life and butcher useable meat for your dogs or yourself, then to treat, and treat and worry and spend sleepless nights in the barn, only to either have them pass or be put down and then have to pay to have them taken off the farm because either a) they were sick so you can’t eat them, or b) they are on meds that have withdrawl time, so can’t eat them.

Its total waste, a waste of life, a waste of time, a waste of money, a waste of energy, because you can’t help but give it to them, you can’t help but spend time with them, you can’t help but spend hours trying to read and research anything or anyway to help get better or do better..

And as mean this is going to sound, that time is needed for the rest of the farm.

There I said it, it reads just as hard sounding as it did in my head when I thought it.. and it comes with a sense of shame and angry..

Shame that I had to admit that I can’t always make every single part of my farm that picture perfect version that folks think of in a small family farm.

Anger that I can’t keep every single animal bought or born on my farm in perfect health from the moment of birth to the moment of death, I wish I could, I really do, I wish that there was never a weak chick born in a clutch, I wish that you never saw a stiillborn lamb in the barn, that a cow can never step on a nail and take two month of treatment to heal, I wish I never had a turkey pullet come with a crooked neck but they have..

The weak chick died, the lamb was butchered and I keep the hide, and the turkey grew slow but grew and made a fine meal when the time came..

We have a urge to control nature, and it will not happen as we want it to.. its life, never ending, always renewing, always changing life! It is not in our control!

As a farmer, we can provide fresh air, sunshine, pasture, bedding, shelter, water, minerals, and quality feed, we can provide health care, be it de-wormers, vaccines, antibodics and when needed we call the vet for expert help which can include tests to pin point issues and treatment plans..

Farmers write that they control the life cycles of their animals, and to point, we do.. we can plan their birthing season, we can decide when to send them to the butcher, but its an illusion, if we think we truly control the life on our farms, they share their lifes with us, but apart at the same time.

At the factory farms, I don’t believe that the the animals have a good qaulity of life and I don’t support it. The sad fact is that most modern farms don’t keep their critters from birth to old age anymore, they move that cow as five or six years of age, they won’t keep a chicken past the age of a year.

So many small farms today are being started because of this backlash about where and how our food is raised, and thank you for everyone that raising animals that get a life before they end up in freezer camp!

So here is my final wish.. lets have many, many! more small farms, but can we find a way for the ones who have more knowledge to share it with those on very steep learning curves and do so in a way that the information can flow in a postive way!

Cuz right now, the new farmers, the ones still on a very steep learning curves are the most vocal, the more out there, the so called “expects” holding the seminars and teaching the up and coming new farmers.. and it needs to be a mix.. old and new blended for the betterment of the farms and the animals share their lives with them.

Enough said..  I’m going to collect eggs, and then wash floors again cuz its that muddy season on the farm..

 

 

 

Posted in Critters | Tagged | 21 Comments

Friday’s Food Storage 2/12/2012

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Just another day on the farm

What a week its been for food storage, I can see signs of spring on the farm, the snow has melted around the big tree’s, the chickens are busy under the rabbit hutches and in the compost piles, I watched one of the half grown baby roosters do his manly duty yesterday, he was clawing though a bit of sheepy compost and must have found a tender bit as he called the hen next to him to see, and then carefully feed it to her and then they had a little beak grooming and then she let him be a big boy if you get my drift 😉

All this longer light means that my older girls are stepping up their egg laying and that my new girls are just starting, a few weeks early to boot..

So far this month, we have had 4 spend days out of  possable of 17. On sunday I got my weekly ten dollars of fresh food for the house, and I have to own up, I was over by about 60 cents, and that was taking in the extra I had from last week and giving it to me this week.. sigh… 

I was able to get 8pds of oranges, 8pds of apples, 10pds of onions and 5pds of carrots for my ten dollars this week.

Heading into this week, for fresh stuff, I currently have about 6pds of apples left, 10pds of onions, 1/2 head of cabbage, 1/4 turnip left.

Thank goodness for storage and the few farm fresh things I am getting at this point in winter.. Given that I still have lots of potatos in the celler, I have been leaning on them up to a point.. I have had a limited amount of fresh but that does not mean that I am repeating meals or flavours to much.. but perhaps I have been a little heavy on the soups an stews.. here is a sample of what we have been having this week.

A nice spicy green soup with homegrown diced chicken breast in it.. a light fish/seafood based veggie soup

Homemade bacon, mushroom and potato soup with dumpling on top, should have added in a jar of my home canned corn in it but didn’t think of it in time..

Let’s not forget desserts, we have had oatmeal cookies, a lovely white cake with fresh fruit on top, Canned Peachs, Pears, Pumpkin,  popcorn and for a bite of fresh summer out of a jar.. I loved my sour cherry’s with almonds on fresh yogurt!

So how was your week in regards to food storage girls? How was your spending? Are you happy with some of the sales you have seen? if you are being ultra careful on your choices?

Are you finding yourself digging in and though what you have to come up with some creative meals so that you are not repeating yourself to much in meals?  Have you cracked open a jar of fruit this week and been simply delighted in the burst of color an flavours in your bowl?

Posted in Food Storage | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments