Just another Day on the Farm

Reworking Kitchen Garden Plot 1 and 3..

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Yesterday was one of those perfect fall day’s, sunshine, light cool but not cold breeze, falling leaves and a willing husband who wanted a full day of physical work. I on the other hand, wrapped myself in way to many layers, hauled a chair with me so I could sit and took to short walks and then leaned on things.. but at least my mouth moved and was helpful in the work process. (I also cooked and prepared meals etc)

The first order of the day was to finally finished moving the last of the natural cedar mulch, there was 18 wagon loads of it left to be moved.. because I wanted it moved to the very front paths of the kitchen garden pathways.

This is the view of Kitchen Garden Bed 1 on the left in the photo..

It meant that we needed to fix the issue with kitchen garden bed 1.. Now I put so much soil to level this bed out this spring and it produced like a house of fire.. But the soil leached on the yard side.. with no real break between the bed and the pathway.. they were already blending in a way that I knew was a issue and would continue to be a issue.

So edging is the answer.. 4 six foot older pulled posts were laid into the ground to create a bed edge.. the pathway was cleaned out, at least a dozen rooted out strawberry plant runners where taken out and that pathway was refilled with a number of cedar mulch.

Then it took 4 wagon’s of well done rabbit compost added at the rate of a 1 inch layer over the whole bed.. And then 8 wagon’s more top soil over top of the compost to finish filling up the KG Plot 1.

I am still struggling how I want to cover that new soil.. I am not keen on having it left bare for the winter.. leaves I think will be the answer.. we will see.. This plot has been worked, feed and prepped to be a root garden next year. I am hoping to work it as a two season garden.. I want two plantings out of it..

Below is Plot 3 (my widest plot of all of them and the back side is done with a wood stopper to level out the bed.. This bed is a full 6 feet across and 22 feet long.

Kitchen Garden Plot 3 had a wood chip cover on it that will need to be turned into the soil and does not make plot 3 a good choice for fine seed planting next year.. however plot 3 was a multi-growth plot.. It produced a massive amount of food and its sheltering a large number of little shrubs in the back row that will hopefully live to be moved next spring into their prepared more full time gigs.. The big row of pinks are still flowering and so I have not pulled them yet..

Still 4 wagon loads of well done rabbit compost was placed on the bed on both sides of the flower row, and once they are dead and pulled out, we will turn it in to the whole plot.

We also added rabbit compost on top of the rhubarb plant in plot 2 and on top of the strawberry bed, once it dies back a bit more.. It also needs soil top up.. The pathways around plot 1, 2, 3, circle garden and rock garden all got full re-bedding down.

The perk of Plot 2 is that its all come backs.. other then trimming some of them down, and splitting in the spring to give them extra space and to have splits to move to other parts of my garden.. its done for the year as well.

One plot at a time it will get done and next year.. I am very hopeful that we will have much more of our normal garden on the go!

So are you putting your garden’s to bed.. how much compost do you like to put on them in the fall? What improvements are you working on? Did you have a new area that you did this year? what did you like about it? what did you find needed improvement? What is your plan on getting it to work harder for you in 2020?

Posted in Gal in the Garden Series, Garden | Tagged compost, garden plots, Herbs, Homestead Medical Plants, Kitchen garden, preparing a garden area for root veggies, putting your garden plot to bed in fall, rabbit compost | 4 Comments

Eggless Butterless and Milkless Cake Recipe

Posted on October 26, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

This is a old fashioned Wartime cake.. That is a lot of sugar but most of the older recipe call for so much sugar in them.. however it helped preserve the food at that time.. Plus people were working harder physically then.

Posted in canadian wartime recipes | Tagged Butterless cake recipe, canadian wartime recipes, Eggless cake Recipe, milkless cake recipe, old cake recipes, wartime recipes | Leave a comment

Meat Chicken 2019 Overview

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I now know why people raise White Rock Chickens.. Yeild and returns!

Now I have to own up to a few things.. before I get to costs

I over grew them.. I fully admit this.. I would have had less weight if I had butchered them on time but I was hurt and could not butcher them in mass. instead. I would do four or six.. then four or six.. and repeat.. This meant that we went from the nice little 3 to 4 pound chickens to the point that I had single breasts coming in at over 2 pounds on its own.. that would over 4 pounds of breast on the biggest males butchered before you even got to the rest of them.
I did not send them out to be butchered, this is reflected in the final pound per price cost. If you have to add in the cost of hauling, the cost of butcher per bird, the price per pound would go up.. on the other hand, it would have been done in a way that you could sell a few as farm gate and recoup some costs if you wanted to do that.
I cut feed costs once they reached size by limiting their growth rate( I can not even imagine how big they would have gotten without this limiting) I used lower protein grains, garden and farm fodder and I also feed leftover cheese making whey or milk based clabber.
I cut costs because I cut them up and used either the Reuseable Tupperware freeze its or I canned them, or I made broth and canned either broth or meaty chicken bits in broth for future soups or stews.. This means I also removed “single ” use costs of freeze paper(lowest cost) or the shink wrap bags (cost a touch but still good in price but bad in single use and folks its heat melted plastic on your homegrown meat) or vaccoom sealed (most costly plastic wise and at least its cold plastic on your meat as the air is pulled out and into the freezer. I have already invested in the jars and only have lid and power costs (but they are in the canning costs for the year) and I have already invested the full output for the freeze its..

So that brings me down to the nuts and bolts.. The chicks, feed and bedding cost me a total “hard cash” output of 320.50.. I am not at all sure how to count the farm output. so I am not.. those things are extra’s and if they did not go to the birds (as we did not have a pig) then they would have gone to the compost and not given me a meat yield return as well as a manure yield return.

They gave me a crazy (overgrown yield of) 276 pounds of chicken when averaged out between the average normal butcher size, the overgrown butcher size and the last four that where like small turkey size… which breaks down to 1.16 cents per pound..

So that would have put my smallest birds at the 4 pound weight which is the standard roaster in the store at 4 to 5 dollars vs the 12 to 18 it costs in the store at the moment.

The big guys.. even if you just look at the breast cost.. the weight to the weight in the store.. one bird alone was producing two breasts that weighted as much as a 4 breast package in the store which depending on the day ranged between 20 to 28 dollars per..

Bottom line.. I expect the Meat Chickens to be the lowest end cost of meat per pound out of all the meat raising plans for 2019..

We will get meat birds again next year.. and ideally I will butcher at a better timing on them..

Posted in farm, frugal | Tagged Meat chickens | 4 Comments

46 years is in the rearview.. 47 is in front of me!

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Yesterday was my birthday.. I asked for and got the birthday present I asked for.. I asked for Jason to take the day off work and spend the day with me on the farm. I also got a big fuzzy warm blanket.. Perfect!

Supper was homemade Chinese.. fresh veggies and home grown chicken in a touch of sauce.. It was lovely! Not fancy, not rich.. just right

I am going to copy what I wrote on my personal facebook yesterday.. I can’t say it better today then I did there..

“Today I turn 47.. My 46 year was truly a bitter-sweet year.. illness, injury, unexpected joy and deepest sorrow. Jason Sharp has been with me though it all.. I raise my glass and my heart to you dear! I am so grateful to have you in my life.. Beyond words..

There has been the unexpected in making new friendships that I hope to enjoy for many years to come.. There has been a deeping of friendships for which I am grateful for from folks both near and far.. Hugs!

There have been so many amazing moments, There have been firsts, first meetings, and there have been renewals.. all of which hold a special place in my heart.
.
there is a renewed sense of closeness with family and dear friends.. this is a OUTSTANDING BLESSING!

I am happy that 46 is in past and that 47 is wide open waiting.. I don’t know what it will bring.. Each day is new again.. Each day a blank page waiting to be written, to be filled, to be felt..

To be Lived!”

Posted in Life moves on daily | 12 Comments

In memory..

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

https://www.connelly-mckinley.com/obituaries/verla-sharp/

Jason is still in Alberta and today is his mothers funeral service.. Details listed above.

Hubby headed to the walk in clinic yesterday as he has the same cough and sickness as I do, the doctor says that its viral, and he got a inhaler and other meds and was told 2 to 6 week more of coughing to clear it..

I have been so sick this week.. I also needed to get some care and I am also on inhalers and meds and have been told another 4 to 6 weeks to shake the cough fully.. At least the doctors know what it is and that is making the rounds..

The coughing, lack of sleep, fever and more just take what energy I have left after chores, I must get to town but I have just not been well enough to do so..

On one hand there is nothing I “need” in town, I can manage on the farm and the pantry for ages really..

But I do need to get to the bank, the post office and such.. I have people wanting for things and I am aware of it.. I hope to be strong enough to get to town today.. We will see.. I have had a few very bad coughing fits but the chores are done. I hope to have a rest and then see if I can go into town this afternoon.

The critter are all good, the pasture critters are fully on hay at this time.. We got rain for the last day and half and the land really needed it.. I am not sure that working in the rain was helpful to me at all while being sick but I got it done.

Its been a week of sickness, a week of working behind the scenes getting everything ready for today for the hubby, a week of being mentally drained..

I hope your week has been good.. Despite everything going on..

I have stopped and enjoyed the fall colors outside my window, the reds, the yellows.. I adore fall, Always have.. Always will..

I have stopped and enjoyed watching my chickens in the yard.. such happy colorful birds.. the little chick that snuck though to be hatched and raise by its chicken mom and turkey grandmother lol is a girl.. so she will have a home here for life..

I have been grateful for phones that allow us to keep touch with loved ones, facetime is wonderful to see each other.. quick little texts to keep in touch and make sure I am back n the house safe and that the next thing on hubbies never ending lists have the next thing done.

I have been so grateful for dogs that cuddle in and press themselves close and seem to shove healing thoughts and love towards me.. for purring cats, there is something so soothing about the purr..

I am so grateful for Dezbot who has been outstanding as working dog this week.. she has stepped up.. I have not needed to do more then stand and give her commands.. its like she knows I am not well and she looks to me for directions but does just what I have asked..

I am grateful for well trained sheep that let my little sheepdog boss them around lol

I am grateful for a warm house, a clean bed, steamers, EO’s and air cleaners..

I am beyond grateful for hot running water, washing machines and heat on demand ( I have never forgotten being sick by myself in my cabin way back in the woods with my wood stove and hauling in water.. I often think if not for my dogs on each side of me on that little bed that I am might have just froze.. I learned that lesson well.. living alone while living rough can be scary as it gets when it comes to being sick)

I am so blessed with the pantry I have put up and built.. the ability to just pull things and heat soup or stew, eat fruit and more.. I have not “cooked” in days.. and yet I have been eating healthy.

I am grateful for the friend’s that the few times I have reached out, are right there for me..

I am grateful for the friends that understand that I need to cancel and they will be there for when things calm down without resentment.. bless you!

I am grateful to be here and now..

Posted in Life moves on daily | 12 Comments

Crossing over

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

i have always enjoyed these photos.. Jason’s mom passed away last night.. I am glad that huby was able to fly back and have that time with her.

Posted in Life moves on daily | 8 Comments

Orange Cranberry Jam

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Looking to spruce up your cranberry side this thanksgiving or want to grab a couple extra bags of cranberries to put up this awesome jam for winter

Just another Day on the Farm

Cranberries are such an awesome treat for Christmas but watch for those sales that “should” come after boxing day on them. It’s a perfect time to pick up extra bags and make up some awesome Cranberry jam.

This is a very simple recipe to make and can up using a water bath method.

4 cups of cranberries (or two small bags)
1 can of frozen orange juice (I used no pulp)
2 cans of water in the orange juice tube
1 tsp of salt
5 to 7 cups of sugar (I went with five because I didn’t want to it to sweet, please do not reduce it below 5 cups if you want to can it.. you can reduce it below 5 cups if you want to freeze it. If you want it sweeter, can use up to seven cups of white sugar)

Take your cranberries/juice/water/salt and add it all…

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Posted in Life moves on daily | 1 Comment

Allergies Suck!

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Man, I knew I would struggle to do the chores, but I thought it would be my body (back) that would give me trouble.. For regular chores the body is able and willing as long as I break things down and plan well.. we got this!

Allergies however are in full Bleeping force.. I did expect this to a point.. I mean I am allergic to pretty much everything I love.. from my dogs/cat to hay to birds and so forth..

I normally react to a point and then I get built up so that I do not trigger and away I go.. I figured if I wore my mask I would be ok, and I did hay once without it, it was foolish, I know, I just thought, hey I will grab that and toss it over the fence to the sheep, you see I had dropped a piece and I did not want to leave it lying there till the next feeding,

Wrong, so wrong.. those little flying bits came right at me, wind to me instead of away from me and I knew it when it happened.. but I thought.. ok, up the antihistamines as I normally take none or the very lowest dose I can only when I truly need it.

Right now, I have moved over to the full dose allowed per day.. and I am using my lung EO’s in the steamer as well.. The good thing is that once I use my mask, I do see the difference with the hay..

However the mask only goes so far in the building.. the fowl are really triggering me, so I am moving food and water to outside pen feeding as much as possible.. which helps in this but means I must do chores more often in smaller amounts because I can not use the big 3 to 4 day feeders outside in case it rains and I would lose to much feed if it got wet etc.

It’s the one corner pen that is giving me the most trouble, there is just NO air movement in there and its solid walls, so everything just stays to much.. but where there is a will there is a way right! I pulled a smaller fan yesterday and set it up to move the air around and opened up more things.. I figure if that is bothering me, it could be bothering the turkeys.. (ok, it does not seem to be bothering them) but it can’t hurt them.. they do have a fresh air window with screen and I did open it more..

In fact that is one of my current idea’s when I feed the pasture critters, run extra water and top up the pasture water sheep tub and horse trough, and the ducks and the big fowl pen, I open the doors, the windows to the croft and let it have the extra air movement for a bit before I go in for the next round of chores.. Of course I close things up tightly for the night as we can have raiders, and I do not need coons or a fisher or such saying, lovely open doors and windows.

yesterday I had to do a repair job, and of course it took longer then expected.. I did try and work smart, I loaded thing in my little car Cherry and drove them to where I needed it on the back end of the pasture instead of walking back and forth and carrying things that extra distance, I figured out how to fix it.. still in the end it was a 2 hour and 2 min job and I was a hurting mess..

I came in and took painkillers (the first since I stopped taking them when I was expecting) and hit the ice pack.. and rested.. then did my physio when I got up and was very PLEASED at how well I recovered from it..

This morning, I was so happy, when I got up and did my stretches and such and the lower back is holding up well.. yes it lets me know its being used and yes I have to watch it but its healing and I can really see that this week!

Now if I could just get the lungs to start to ease up, I would be a very happy women indeed!

We have had fine fall weather for a couple days which has been lovely.. I can enjoy the morning and the evening and I have been.

However the mid day is a swirling biting mess of Asian Beetles aka Asian ladybugs and those suckers bite and get in everything, they land in my hair, cloths and I have to de-bug when I come in.

They love soybean plants, I mean love them.. of course they do.. they are from the same area and know this plant.. every 3rd to 4 year the fields around me are planting into soybeans and it was cut this week.. so all those thousands of Asian Ladybugs homes are gone and they are moving into mine.

I had heard and seen that they had a spray that I could put around my windows and doors to help keep them out.. but when we read the bottle.. it had warnings it kills bees/wasps/frogs/worms and do not let it anywhere near food or pets etc..

Poison, straight up poison is what it is.. how can that be safe to use.. its not.. so I use the stuff I can in the house that is still bad and I use duck tape turned sticky side out and collect them and then kill them and put into the garbage, you do not want to put them in the good house vac as they have a strong smell to them.. but I can use the shop vac on them in some area’s..

I spray the porch and the foyer and then close the doors and each day dozens and dozens of them are dead in the morning for me to clean up as they tend to come in at the doors most.

Jason is holding up well from what I can tell on the phone and text visits, he is getting sleep, needs to start eating a bit better.. to much fast food.. but he has promised me that he will get to a store and get more fresh food. He is sleeping well so that is good and the first couple days there has been lots of relief help as his aunt and cousin plus brother have all been there.

Today the aunt and cousin fly back home to Ontario, so it will be more on his own in that way but of course still has his brother there who is the normal lead on this.. I am hoping his brother is finding it a breather to have the help there..

As for his mom, she had a good bit with company and such seemed to have a rebound and it brightened her spirits but she also tried to push herself both in a small in hospital outing Thursday in her wheel chair and she tried for a outing yesterday but it was called off as she ended up having a multiple seizures.

They left her weak and tired and she was close her eyes and fall asleep.. If all went as planned late night, they were able to move her from the hospital proper down to the pallative care area of the hospital..

Hubby seems to really like her doctor and care team, says they are excellent.. when hubby says doctor is on the ball, excellent.. then that is just what they are..

Just to add a little extra stress, hubby left is cell phone in the wheel chair van but Thankfully! they found it and as they have a pick up this morning at the hospital, they are meeting up and he will get it back this morning..

Which is good as I thought for sure I would have to cancel it and all the work that goes into replacing it an so forth.. so so grateful that was not the case!

Well, I had better start getting to more chores today!

Posted in At the kitchen table | Leave a comment

Bump in the night..

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

It never fails that on the first night sleeping with just the hounds that I do not sleep well.. yes the house was locked up tight as was the farm. Yes I had my phone and a maybe a extra thing or two placed around the house “just in case”

It does not stop the lighter sleep.. I swear I heard every bump in the night.. every movement had me twitching.. I was not the only unsettled one.. My farm girl dogs had spent the evening on edge pacing and checking the windows and kept giving me the look..

Where is Dad? He is late? REALLY LATE? Dez was the worst, she was not sure we should go to bed without at least one more check to see if we might have misplaced him somewhere..

On the other hand, it was a truly beautiful evening, no bugs, amazing stars, the moon so bright.. the horse’s and I had a lean and I enjoyed my late evening check with a trail of the dogs and farm cats

She also was listening hard to each sound outside.. twice getting up to go check it and then coming back to the bed, once the true dark hit, I spent most of the night with my one hand on her.. if the bumps made me look or twitch.. she would lift her head, listen and then relax.. I figure her ears and nose is MUCH better then mine.. if she is not worried, I figured.. I should not be worried.

The second reason I had a very poor sleep was the phone.. my gosh.. how do people take their phone’s into their bedroom! I never do, I normally plug my phone in and leave it in the kitchen.. if you text or call after I go to the living room or the bedroom, I will get back to you in the morning..

However this is not the normal.. so it came with me.. and I promised hubby that I would keep the volume up and check the phone.. what I did not think about was that it meant every time someone writes me.. the thing beeps.. I had to turn the light on, get my glasses and check the phone 9 times last night for just basic updates, messages that normally could and would have waited for morning..

It would be fair to say I did not get a good rest..

I am going super Frugal at the moment, while I can always adjust from savings to make sure things are covered, I have no idea how much things will cost over the next few weeks so I am locking down myself and the farm to a “No Spend” for the next while..

The basic’s are very simple, of course the farms needs will be meet, otherwise my goal is to spend nothing for myself or the house itself for at least the next two weeks.. Only the animals needs are off this.. if I need something for them.. then of course it will be gotten.

Its also Oct unprocessed and I have been in general following along for the first part of the month.. only three meals in the first 9 days did not meet the rules.. the rest I have been doing really well with it..

Now I am going to get more hard core on it! but the truth is.. Its more a solid.. Eat out of your Pantry then anything! Given the time of year, its just about planning, its not going to have me lacking anything.. my fridge is full, my cold cellar is full.. my pantry’s are loaded heading into winter..

Unlike my normal march timing.. things are not lean right now.. but having said that.. the garden is done at the same time.

Yesterday, Breakfast was one of the “3 off meals” but lunch was seafood based and veggie based.. No real surprise considering hubby does not like fish or seafood that I went with one of my favorite seafood blends almost like a comfort food in a way..

Supper was light, I had a sandwich, some pear butter and for a snack, I had a apple and some homemade pudding..

I had a plan for popcorn but it did not happen..

Well, on with the day.. On with the day!

Posted in Life moves on daily | 8 Comments

On my own for a bit!

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Thankfully only physically.. my beloved husband Jason has flown to alberta to be with his mom. The doctors said it was time to call folks in for their final goodbyes. At this time he will be gone for a min of two weeks but that is flexable depending on what is needed.

I am glad that he will get to spend a some time.. a few days perhaps with his mom and the family that is gathering and will be there to help his brother in regards to her passing and all the work that comes afterwards.

I will be home here taking care of the farm, the critters and working to process the things I can on my own as fall harvest is fully on us a this time. I will be working carefully as it important that I take my time, break things down into smaller parts and keep my safety in mind so that I will get everything done that needs done.

Now, I am grateful that the frost came when it did, as it means the push to get everything out and into the house is done.. now I can take smaller portions of the things in storage and process them.. (ok I would have preferred another 3 weeks of growing season.. but its still so much better then that killing frost coming while I am on my own)

I suppose for my readers here on the blog, it will be a good thing in a strange way as I will have more time to reflect and write.. when I am alone on the farm, that is when I am drawn to writing more and more..