Farmgal’s Photography Jan 31st

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

This is the new BOSS sunflower seed only with suit feeders on the end.. so far I have not had a lot of the bigger birds use it, but the black Cap Chickadee’s love it!

We got out to our local cheese factory and they have the huge cow mural on their wall, I just had to try and get a good photo of it..  No matter how I tried.. It still gives you “wild” cow eye lol.

I loved this warm glow of the sun coming though my big spruce tree.. It spoke of warmth to come. It was so lovely to have the sun come out.

No matter how cold, No matter how much snow, No matter how overcast on a grey day..  Little miss Fluffy pants had to follow us around the farm while we did chores.. She is positive she must come with us..

There were a few time’s I had to pick her up and bring her in the house to warm up as she was doing the foot dance.. but to give her credit.. most of the time she was our chore kitten.

Leeloo’s Motto in life.. ME Too.. Me Come.. Me Can Do It!

I hope you have enjoyed a months worth of weekly Farmgal’s Photography. I have enjoyed picking up the camera and I have enjoyed sharing it with you guys.

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2019 Year of the Pumpkin

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I love the Laid Back Gardener Blog and he has done a outstanding job (as he does) on talking about the fact that 2019 is the year of the pumpkin.

Enjoy his post, it will tie in nicely when I talk about my own plans soon in regards to growing squash and pumpkins for 2019.

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Canning Log Jan 2019

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I am going to see if I can make this work for 2019, we will see.. its never easy at all to do something like this, forget even a few times and it slips though the cracks.

So I need to do some side notes on these..

Things I am including in the cost per jar.

  • Cost of the food in the jar itself
  • Cost if any of what is the liquid in the jar
  • Cost if any of the spices in the jar
  • Cost of the new lid per jar
  • Cost of the energy per water bath load or per pressure canner load

Things I am not including in the cost per jar

  • My time
  • cost of the jar, its a sunk cost.. some of the jars were gotten for free, some at 10 or 25 cents at farm sales, most gotten by the case on year end sales.. I currently have around 1650 jars give or take a few.

Regardless it was done in half pints, pints quarts or half gallons.. all Jars listed are rounded up and or down into pints.

Canning done in Jan 2019

  1. 18 pints of potato’s -Cost per pint jar .62 cents
  2. 4 pints Orange Cranberry Jam  Cost per pint jar 1.76
  3. 4 pints Mixed Veggie Soup-.44 cents per jar
  4. 14 Pints of Dark Baked Beans .63 cents per jar
  5. 7 Pints of Lemon Marmalade -.88 cents per jar
  6. 2 Pints salted cured Lemons- 1.16 per jar
  7. 12 Pints lemon vinegar cleaner(scape lemon parts)- .33 per jar
  8.  5 pints of Lemon Syrup – .65 cents per jar
  9. 5 pints of lime syrup- .89 cents a jar
  10. 6 pints kiwi jam 1.45 per jar

Jan Jar count.. 77 pints

 

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Snow and Deep Freezing Cold!

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

We have all seen the weather reports, we have seen the warnings. skin will freezer in meer minutes. We have been battling it here on the farm and its nasty.

We now have record breaking amount of snow for my area for the month of jan!

There are positives to this deep cold!

Snow Positive’s 

Snow turns into water in the spring. This is a good thing for the farm overall and the area, we have been in a level 2 drought for most of 2018.. we hit some level 3 drought in 2016 leading to one of the worst crop/hay season I have seen since being here.. then we had massive flooding in spring of 2017. It would be a very good thing indeed to have the snow pack melt out and help us have a slower more steady start to our spring!

Snow is insulation.  This snow is just plan good for my plants, trees and so forth. Its outstanding insulation for their roots, it will create a protective barrier to the winds where its most needed!

While it seems odd to those that live in the city, here on the farm.. Snow can mean warmth! Once you get a good cover of snow on walls or over top prepared layers it creates a shield .. think a version of igloo. This is a very good thing when managed correctly. You can move things by shovel or by snow blower or by ditch digger with critter power.

Cold Positive’s

Deep Cold will help kill off those “warmer season” ticks that have been enjoying our last few mild winters and blooming in terms of populations.. This is an Outstandingly good thing.. I will take another four to six weeks of good old-fashioned Cold Canadian Winters in return for a massive tick die off for the coming year and ideally for a couple more years to come as it will take time for it to come back.  (now, the ticks should be heading down anyway in the coming year to a point because last year was going to be our worst year due to the mice boom and bust breeding cycles) Still this cold will have a much greater effect on the lime carrying ticks, and that is a very good thing indeed.

 

Deep Cold is a great thing in regards to killing off pest larva. 

The Emerald Ash Borer Larva should be deeply effected by this very cold winter! That’s just excellent news.

Winter mortality for emerald ash borer is definitely temperature dependent. The larvae can supercool to a certain point, but they die if they freeze, and there is variability in tolerance among individual insects. A recent study from the Forest Service (Venette and Abrahamson–see attached) in Minnesota showed that 5% of the insects die at 0F, 34% at -10F, 79% at -20F and 98% at -30F.

This is just one example of how the deep cold can be helpful in this regards.

Squash Beatles have been going crazy the last couple years locally. Mild winters, combined with warm/hot springs means we have been getting two cycles of squash bugs, where I used to only have to worry about one most years.

Its been bad enough that on our local gardening group, there are gardeners that had such losses over the past few years that they are talking about not growing any in their gardens in 2019. Of course looking to the solid stemmed types will help greatly, compared to planting the more hollow stem kinds.

Still the cold has already been long enough that we will see a great reduction of the amount of adult beatles that are alive in the spring and if the snow and cold sticks around enough that we do not have an extreme” spring we will not only have a massively reduced adult breeding load but we should be starting our warm planting season at a more normal timing which means that we should only have one breeding season, instead of two!

So all those folks that love gardening! 2019 will be a good year in the squash garden in regards to not having as many squash beatles..   That’s worth another couple of days of the deep freeze! O yes it is!

I hope that this post made you think a little bit about how this cold or snow or combo of both of these are in fact helping the long term outlook for the coming year of 2019!

 

 

 

Posted in At the kitchen table | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Lets talk turkey.. Turkey Raising Plans for 2019

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I have raised a lot of rare heritage breed turkeys over the years, trying this breed and that breed.. Royal palms are my personally favorites..

However they are very hard to come by, no hatchery locally carries them and their out just over priced in a crazy way at the local bird sales..

I have been over the past few years raising more rabbit meat and less turkey..  I have been able to buy local farm raised turkeys at a good price point if I want to have one or two over the year.

However 2018 was the odd year out. I did not raise any here on the farm, I didn’t like the prices of any raised locally (wow, the price went up) and I didn’t buy any from the store raised in a mass factory..

*I did buy a local Ontario turkey to have the thanksgiving dinner for Jason’s mom.. but that was a special event..

The thing is.. I missed having turkey in the house. It does have its own flavour that other meats so not.

What I do not like is the cost of raising them.. No really.. Heritage turkeys are food pigs that do not give good meat/feed rates,  heritage pullets are costly and that’s putting it nicely.

So what am I going to do?

I am meeting half way.. I am going to be buying turkey day old’s from the hatchery. I will be getting two types, both meat based.. not heritage based. Both White turkeys breeds.

One is the traditional “white breasted” that would be what is raised in the mass production houses but will be raised my way.

One will be the “mini Classic” they say? they have bred down the traditional white breasted bird to about half the size but keeping the fine flavour, the outstanding growth rates per the feed done.

They also say that these ones can still naturally breed.  If this is the case and I like them, then I will consider holding over a breeding pen of them for the winter of 2019.. we will see

The min order per unsexed is 8 per breed..

I am thinking of ordering in either 10 or 14 of each breed, that is still a touch up in the air yet.  I will be raising between 20 to 28 turkeys in 2019.

I am hoping that my single remaining turkey hen will take on some of the mothering duties, she is a very good momma and I have no doubt that she will lay and sit and will be very surprised when a clutch arrives under her in the near dark.

I will be raising them in two grow out pens, the larger ones will go to the momma hen and then mini classics will go into their own with heat lamp.

I think that because they grow so fast, that they need to be split out size wise, I will see if I am right on this or if I change it at a later point.

Have you raised the mini-classic’s?  Are you raising turkey’s this year? What is your favorite heritage turkey breed? and can you easily get access to them in your local area?

 

Posted in turkeys | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Fast and Easy Lemon Honey Pastry Puffs

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Just another day on the farm


It’s a grand idea to have a box of puff pastry sheets or phyllo Sheets in the freezer for when you need to make a fancy dessert or a quick and easy tea treat that is sure to delight!

I pulled out a half roll 8 sheets total of the phyllo sheets and let them come to room temperature, in a small bowl I melted butter and I brushed the inside of each sheet with butter, layer after layer.

Once all together, I carefully spread a mix of very thinly sliced Lemon rinds that had been soaking in honey for a week over the top, leaving about an inch on the outside of the dough.

Rolled it up, sliced it into rounds, into a muffin tin, a drizzle more of lemon bits in honey on top each one and into the 375 degree oven for 15 min (I started checking at 12 min but went 14 min).  They came out golden brown edged and bubbling in the middle.

Get them out of the muffin tin before they cool down and onto wax paper or  non-stick mat to cool (fill the muffin tin to soak right away so it does not dry on hard).  I will admit that a few of them might have been eaten warm.. They were a drippy gooey delightful mess.

However I recommend that you consider serving as I did above, a tiny bit of sugar dusting, a bit of dark chocolate sauce to pop that honey lemon and a few fresh bites of fruit to cut the sweetness now and again..

I do hope you will try these at least once because if you do, you will make them again!

Posted in Baking | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Thick Plum Wool Knitted Winter Scarf

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

In this cold winter, knitting a couple new items just seems like a great idea, I have not picked up the needles in far to long.. it seems like so many things I love to do got pushed to the side in the past while

Its lovely that I am getting back to many of them again.. knitting is a very soothing, relaxing thing to me.

I can not get a good photo under fake lights of this amazing color.. the color above in the knitted rolled scarf flower is the true color in natural lighting 🙂

I stopped into the Canadian Wool Growers on a trip I made and picked out this great hand dyed wool made from local Canadian sheep’s wool.. Its so thick and o so soft and being fully real wool, its so warm as well!

I will need to head back that way as I need to pick up some Sheep Vaccines/Tags and a few other things in the near future. I expect I will be popping over into the wool section again.

Do you knit? Are you working on a project right now? I am not sure what my next project will be.. we will see..

 

 

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Dogwood 52 Photography 2019 – Week 4

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Week 4 was a great challenge for me, I refused to have the basic idea of a hot cup of coffee, or feet by the fire.

The goal was to “tell a story that made you feel warmth”  Considering our weather, this made things quite difficult in a number of ways!  I finally snapped this amazing photo of my boy’s loving on each other in the afternoon sunshine (it was only -16)

This was my backup..  As anyone in my local area knows that as the sun comes out and the days get longer, the Asian’s start waking up.. this was the first one I have seen so far.

 

 

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Farmgal’s All Seeing Eye 2019 – Jan

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

Do you make money?

Ya but what did it cost you to raise that chicken?

But if you had to buy it, what would it be worth?

What do you spend to have what you have?

But it does not cost that much to keep those critters?

Why does it cost you so much to raise that lamb?

Why do you spend so much on seeds?

Its got to be cheaper to just buy it in the stores.

Ok folks.. I am going to break a unspoken homesteading rule.. I am going to talk numbers! AHHHHHH.. run for the hills.. stats, data.. hard costs.. Hauling costs, Butcher costs and more.

LOL, no really, now that I am done poking fun at things, lets get to the meat of things.

Those are honestly real questions I have been asked over and over again.

So the first thing we have to do is get a full grasp on what I have on the farm at this time.

We started the new year here on the farm with..

  • 3 dogs (two farm/house dogs and one adorable house dog)
  • 6 cats (mix of outside farm cats only and indoor/outdoor farm cats)
  • 2 Geese (bonded)
  • 1 turkey hen
  • 25 Adult chickens (breeding pen of four purebred) the rest mixed breed
  • 12 adult ducks
  • 2 adult breeding rabbits
  • 10 Grow out rabbit kits
  • 3 goats – Two Does and One Buck
  • 1 pig
  • 13 sheep
  • 2 horse’s
  • Pastures
  • Gardens
  • Hard Fruit Tree’s
  • Cane Fruit Garden’s
  • Soft Fruit Bushes

Now everything listed up there has their own roles on the farm, some of them are ready for butcher and will be done over the next while.. There will be changes to the breeding programs, the meat growing programs and so forth over the year.

This is my first year that I am totally pulling back on raising extra farm gate meat for sale.. the meat raised on the farm is for our own farm use only. If this changes, I will make notes on that.  Eggs however are open for farm gate sales.

 

All milk/milk products are for on farm use only!

Seeds/plants and plant productions are open to a point for use in farm gate sales

Photo sales directly related to the farm or farm critters will count towards farm income, however photography sessions and or sales not related to the farm or the farm critters does not count towards it.

The first thing to go will be the yearling sheep now that they are getting nice and big, they are ready to be done.. as I was growing them for my own use I prefer them to be larger/older then the “average” lamb. I very much like hoggart (over one year in age, but not older then two years of age)

The pig is ready for butcher as well.. its on the list but the weather must get better.

The intend is to grow less meat overall, but a wider kind of types and increase the amount of fruit/veggies/herbs we are growing.   I can raise livestock at a rate on the farm out pace’s our own needs very easily.   This is something that I need to pull back on!

So the out costs this month are in (I am early but I will not need to be buying anything more so I can round this one up ahead of time and get it out)

There are some things that were gotten before the start of the new year but I am not going backwards on this only forward, I will include it in the costs only if I buy it after 2019. Example, we are using straw as bedding, but its not being included in the costs until it comes in new bale for the new year.

I will do a different on the single critter cost out.. here is a beef example from years past.

Ok so here is our numbers for Jan

  • Hay Costs – $300
  • Feed Costs – $243
  • Vet Costs- $122
  • Ferrier Costs- $100

Returns

  • 21 dozen Eggs (at 5 dollars a dozen, which is the average cost for farm gate eggs Mix of chicken/duck eggs) – $105

So we finish the month of Jan in the hole LOL

In the Red by $660

What a great start to the year!

Honestly I am not worried, I know that the farm “saves” us money and that we get a yield back on our investment in a big way, plus we know how the animals are raised, the food grown and the processed.

I have tried to do a hard track year but things keep getting in the way.. the last time I did a full hard track year and was successful at doing so ALL year long was a while go.. I need to do so this year and get a firm grasp on where we were, and where we are.

However having said that, in many ways we are starting a lot of the yard/gardens over again because of what happened last year.  This will means many things will be up in the air in regards to what can and will get done.

Throw in the fact that we are in for a wild weather ride and we will see..

 

 

 

Posted in At the kitchen table | 19 Comments

Easy Heart Shaped Lotion Bars for Valentine’s Day Gift Giving

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

Homemade Heart Shaped Lotion Bars are easy to make and are adorable gifts to give. These pretty little white hearts are just 2 oz each which makes them fit nicely in your hand.

2013-01-01 1285 (600x450)

Lotion Bar Recipe (vegan)

  • 2 oz of Coconut oil
  • 2 oz almond oil
  • 2 oz of Coconut Wax pellets

I am leaving this a unscented bar but it will have a light coconut scent to it.

  • if you want it scented, you can add 4 to 6 drops of your favorite E0 at the end and mix in before putting into your mold.

Lotion Bar Recipe (Homestead)

  • 2 oz tallow or leaf lard (only leaf lard if using lard)
  • 2 oz almond oil
  • 2 oz beeswax

Get out your kitchen scale and measure the parts out.. Heat over very low heat till all melted, stir together, If you are going to add scent, now is the time, add in your essential oils, lemongrass, orange, lemon, or any other natural scent you find appealing.

I use a small pot but you could easily do this in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a simmering pot of water if you prefer.

Pour into your molds and allow to fully cool till firm, approx. 3 hours.

They sell silicone molds at a lot of stores now, you will find them at the dollar stores (they can be weaker/thinner there) or you can get better quality at Canadian tire or any good quality kitchen wear store.

They also sell a set with tiny hearts or shells, if you wanted to make lots of little ones, then give in a jar and just take a small one out to do you legs after a shower and shave for extra protection

Because this is all natural, you can wash your mold and use for food afterwards with no worries. If you think your gentleman would prefer just rounds, regular silicone muffin tins will give you lovely rounds.

Store these in paper bag, or glass jar or in a tin.  It does take a little time to warm up and get the bar to work as it needs to warm to you skin temp to melt a touch to be spread the thin layer on your skin and a bit of time to soak in.

The nice thing is it does leave a protective cover on your skin afterwards and for someone that works outside and gets wind on my skin, this has been a very good thing indeed.

Looking for other Valentine Gift Giving Idea’s?

Check out this great post on how to make a sugar scrub!

 

 

 

Posted in Carfts an Hobbies, Gift ideas | Tagged , , | 6 Comments