Trying to prep new ground, take control back of overgrown everything else.. we've been working hard.
So far we have 50+ tomato plants in and they seem to all be doing well. We just put in 30+ eggplant and broccoli was also in. Sage, flat leaf parsley, dill, more chives.. all planted. Mishap with a ton of basil and I have to restart a new flat. I got some ancient tomatillo seeds to sprout so those are now in the ground. I have a bunch from last year, but those tomatillos were very sweet and very pineapple flavored. Not what I was looking for! About a dozen pepper plants are in and I need to transplant out a bunch more. Pole beans are in.. hoping to get the "pole" part of that crop in today.
Today I am attacking the next section. Cucumbers, melons, squash.. I have to get them in.. they should have been planted like, last week. Next sowing of beets, kohlrabi, turnips, dill also needs to be done. Also 4 more varieties of beans have to go in. Those 4 will go through the taste test and if we like them, then I will save the seed to do large plantings of it next year.
We haven't had a moment to get to the other farm. I can only imagine how high the grass is... and the fields. I need an army just to keep the decorative landscaping in control.
Still on the list to do.. attacking the raspberry canes, rose bushes, grape vines. The "I'll get to it at some point" list involves a chainsaw and a LOT of dead/ diseased/ etc trees.
I'd love to use the laundry lines too dry clothes, but we have a lot of birds that have made nests in the little birdhouses along the fence and then every light fixture has a swallow's nest. They like to use the lines as perches. They are getting rather gutsy too. They are using our efforts to their advantage. When we till.. they hang on the fence and swoop in when we are 10 feet away if they see a bug. I toss all of the grubs into a tray and when I go to grab some water.. they move in to dispose of the grubs.
And somewhere in the midst of all of this my husband has his own additional list (I am more than happy to help if I can!).. that includes building a coop, building chicken tractors, installing 2 new toilets, painting trim on 2 of the houses, fixing and cleaning the gutters of 2 of the houses, re-fencing the dog run, building storage for the pole barn, making trellising, hanging new drywall.. to name some of it.
Still no luck finding a job yet. As well the horrid situation of our place in CO. We sent copies of the keys to the place to a friend, and they didn't work. He can't get into the house. The tenant disappeared. So far he hasn't filed a forwarding address so the utility companies can't make him pay. That also means we can't turn the utilities on there to get the place taken care of unless we pay his bills. Really hard to tackle that when you don't have the finances.
For now.. doing as much as we can with what we do have.. and hoping for some good luck. Really hoping.. lol because the japanese beetles out here are a force to be reckoned with.. also why I am grateful we were able to get guinea fowl.
Alright.. back to work I go. Almost done at this place and time to go to the other. I have developed an insatiable taste for dandelion greens. I don't know what it is about them... but the ones growing in the less desirable locations.. rocky, dry, poor soil.. are more mild flavored. I found a recipe for dandelion fritters (flowers dipped in a slightly sweetened beer batter) but have yet to try that. The greens I have been going nuts on.. but my husband and daughter like it better when mixed with swiss chard to mellow it out a bit. Me.. give me a vat of it and a pitch fork and I am good to go. Really young dandelion can go into salads.. a little older leaves you can cook. The "old" leaves are fibrous and much more bitter.. and for some reason those are the ones I am hoarding. lol. Today I will sautee up a few pounds (like all greens, they shrink down a lot when cooking).. in garlic and olive oil with crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of sugar (helps tame the bitter), salt & pepper.. and a hit of lemon juice.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
poor bug never stood a chance..
The keets (Guinea fowl babies) are wild ones. In their tiny noggin resides an even smaller mind. A few are already trying to fly (they are 2 1/2 weeks old). The shift from complete sleep - read they sprawl out like a drunken fraternity after a big bash- to I MUST FLYYYYYY! Throwing their fuzzy semi-feathered selves inches into the air.. clear across the I-Wish-I-had-a-bigger-box brooder smack into the pile of chicks.
If you get chicks.. and get the galvanized feeder.. get the lid that makes them poke their heads through to eat. Otherwise these kids will just hang in the food container.
The keets will also lay in the container and scoot themselves along like a duck in water kicking feed everywhere. They have a strong need to scratch the bedding too.. and creating a pine shaving Pompeii where the baby chicks get buried alive.
Then a keet will find a dark pine shaving. All hell breaks loose. It's head pops up above the crowd as it scans for a safe location.. meanwhile the chicks (who could have cared less until the keet got excited) now are looking.. PARANOIA! You can not have my precious! Flee to safety!
So the keet then runs laps around the box with minions in tow. Minions.. who are just following.. but not sure why.. About the 4th lap the keet sees the packaging tape, that is reinforcing the box, sparkle. Oh Shiny! Shaving dropped and now the random box pecking begins.
Well.. a bug fell in today. The chickens looked at it.. it moved.. the chicks ran for cover. The keets moved in and pounced. Real treasure! By the 4th lap it stopped, swallowed the bug and box pecking resumed.
The keet fleet are the tall ones in the back. I seriously can't wait for them to be able to go outside and snack on some ticks. I got 10 of them on me today (thankfully none attached.. but I still have the heebie jeebies.) I wasn't even in tall grass! I was planting 30 eggplants in the garden!
Sadly.. we did have our first loss today too, a very tiny barred rock. It was much smaller than the others but wasn't quite right. So far the rest seem ok *knock on wood*.
If you get chicks.. and get the galvanized feeder.. get the lid that makes them poke their heads through to eat. Otherwise these kids will just hang in the food container.
The keets will also lay in the container and scoot themselves along like a duck in water kicking feed everywhere. They have a strong need to scratch the bedding too.. and creating a pine shaving Pompeii where the baby chicks get buried alive.
Then a keet will find a dark pine shaving. All hell breaks loose. It's head pops up above the crowd as it scans for a safe location.. meanwhile the chicks (who could have cared less until the keet got excited) now are looking.. PARANOIA! You can not have my precious! Flee to safety!
So the keet then runs laps around the box with minions in tow. Minions.. who are just following.. but not sure why.. About the 4th lap the keet sees the packaging tape, that is reinforcing the box, sparkle. Oh Shiny! Shaving dropped and now the random box pecking begins.
Well.. a bug fell in today. The chickens looked at it.. it moved.. the chicks ran for cover. The keets moved in and pounced. Real treasure! By the 4th lap it stopped, swallowed the bug and box pecking resumed.
The keet fleet are the tall ones in the back. I seriously can't wait for them to be able to go outside and snack on some ticks. I got 10 of them on me today (thankfully none attached.. but I still have the heebie jeebies.) I wasn't even in tall grass! I was planting 30 eggplants in the garden!
Sadly.. we did have our first loss today too, a very tiny barred rock. It was much smaller than the others but wasn't quite right. So far the rest seem ok *knock on wood*.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Quick peek at the peeps
It is late and they are tired.. eating and sleeping at the same time. I need to move the feeder so they spread out more. Just as soon as the batteries charge and there is some daylight, I'll post more pictures!
30 chickens and 6 guinea fowl! I almost got ducks.. seriously thought about it.. but I have to wait and get these little ones settled in first.
The red ones are Rhode Island Reds-10, the black ones with the white spot on their head are the Barred Rocks-10, the speckled/stripey ones are Ameraucanas-10... the yellow & gray & lone white ones are the guinea fowl.
30 chickens and 6 guinea fowl! I almost got ducks.. seriously thought about it.. but I have to wait and get these little ones settled in first.
picking up Chicks
Headed off to Schlecht hatchery..
bedding $8
heat lamp $15
30 day old chicks $45
... waiting for your Mom's expression when she finds out you are raising poultry in her kitchen...
priceless.
bedding $8
heat lamp $15
30 day old chicks $45
... waiting for your Mom's expression when she finds out you are raising poultry in her kitchen...
priceless.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Runaway Walking Onions
Perennial onions in the garden.. surrounded by grassy weeds. I've been on my knees all day in the roasting sun picking out the grass blades and saving the errant sets. I will drag out tha camera tomorrow and take pictures to show what I am tackling.
June bugs are out. They emerged just a few days ago. Right now they are pelting the window trying to fly to the light. It sounds like a lawn mower over pea gravel.. aimed at my window.
Boxelder bugs galore, I gave up using the broom and went right for the ancient dustbuster. All 3 houses have them, and the farmhouse on the larger property has a seemingly endless supply. That house I round up several hundred.. just in the livingroom... daily.
When the sun had finally set and we could no longer see.. We called it a day and wandered home. Dinner was whatever leftovers anyone had the energy to warm up. Simultaneously from opposite ends my husband and I let out a surprise " AHH!" He was jumping into the shower and was surprised by a boxelder bug racing up his leg. I was experiencing the same bug joys.. except it was under my shirt and ran under my bra.
Clothes were flying. Thankfully the kid already went to bed. Not sure how well the neighbor could see. He thinks we're a bit odd anyways. Me yelling and streaking through the house by now has to be par for the course. I'm too tired to be humiliated.
It happened at the farm too. There's no one around though. Wow I'm exhausted. No clue if this makes any sense.. and probably wandered into the land of TMI. Time to jump in the shower and then pass out. Hope you all had a less energetic day lol.
June bugs are out. They emerged just a few days ago. Right now they are pelting the window trying to fly to the light. It sounds like a lawn mower over pea gravel.. aimed at my window.
Boxelder bugs galore, I gave up using the broom and went right for the ancient dustbuster. All 3 houses have them, and the farmhouse on the larger property has a seemingly endless supply. That house I round up several hundred.. just in the livingroom... daily.
When the sun had finally set and we could no longer see.. We called it a day and wandered home. Dinner was whatever leftovers anyone had the energy to warm up. Simultaneously from opposite ends my husband and I let out a surprise " AHH!" He was jumping into the shower and was surprised by a boxelder bug racing up his leg. I was experiencing the same bug joys.. except it was under my shirt and ran under my bra.
Clothes were flying. Thankfully the kid already went to bed. Not sure how well the neighbor could see. He thinks we're a bit odd anyways. Me yelling and streaking through the house by now has to be par for the course. I'm too tired to be humiliated.
It happened at the farm too. There's no one around though. Wow I'm exhausted. No clue if this makes any sense.. and probably wandered into the land of TMI. Time to jump in the shower and then pass out. Hope you all had a less energetic day lol.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Can you dig it?
The rain let up and it has dried out enough to mow, till, and try to get things going. YAY!! Beautiful gift for Mother's Day!
So we planted the "free trees" from Arbor Day Foundation. Each one is a flowering tree and these were itty bitty sticks. That works for me as it means it is a 1 person job. The major thing is trying to keep in mind the size it will be when it is mature. This week the fruit trees should be arriving, so I am still deciding where to plant this orchard.
The really nice thing about Arbor Day Foundation is that they guarantee their trees, even the free ones.. and getting replacements is only $3.50 for shipping.
The bird barn is going to be put next to the pole barn on the small farm. That area can be fenced off pretty easily, has trees for shade, is close to a water source and hopefully is better able to be protected. It is also getting overgrown there and has limestone rocks hidden all over so it isn't a place that can be mowed. The birds are more than welcome to obliterate all of the vegetation they want!
While we have to till this year, I hope to use chicken tractors later to prep new sites for expanding the garden.
My husband stopped by the local feed store and checked it out. I have to admit I am partial to the one the next town over as that is where I used to get the sweet feed for my horses. (Their sweet feed smelled divine. Sticky, aromatic, sweetly scented.. I could catch any horse with that... except my gelding who was impervious to every tactic ever employed.. save his 1 weakness, a small kid. No one over 4 feet tall could catch him otherwise.) There were 6 others in there as well as the mill employees.. and all of them said Schlecht Hatchery is hands down the way to go. Each one is a devoted and repeat customer having said the birds are of very good quality and excellent health. I can't say I am too fond of hatcheries, but it has been interesting to locate local stock. This hatchery is a small family operated business and they do take pride in their birds.. but I can't shake the feeling like I am supporting a poultry version of a puppy mill.
I am tackling the old garden as there are June bearing strawberries hidden in the weeds, multiplier onions, oregano patch galore and wild grapes gone wilder. Raspberries as well have wandered near the wild rose which is thriving. Clearing the area around them is painful.. literally. I wish I had steel weeding gauntlets.. you know that legendary item that someone out there has.. and you could really use.
Garden cart. I need one. The child operated lug-this-bucket is fickle at best and is prone to breaking down. It isn't very accurate as often the delivery system misses the compost pile when acting up. I can tell when it is about to act up as it starts muttering and sputtering.. then comes the whining. (Yay.. the teenage years! I am joking though.. she is a good kid.)
Lunch break is over.. time to head back. Armed with tweezers to fend off thorny intruders I hope to get clearing around the prickly plants completed today!
Happy Mother's Day! Woot!
So we planted the "free trees" from Arbor Day Foundation. Each one is a flowering tree and these were itty bitty sticks. That works for me as it means it is a 1 person job. The major thing is trying to keep in mind the size it will be when it is mature. This week the fruit trees should be arriving, so I am still deciding where to plant this orchard.
The really nice thing about Arbor Day Foundation is that they guarantee their trees, even the free ones.. and getting replacements is only $3.50 for shipping.
The bird barn is going to be put next to the pole barn on the small farm. That area can be fenced off pretty easily, has trees for shade, is close to a water source and hopefully is better able to be protected. It is also getting overgrown there and has limestone rocks hidden all over so it isn't a place that can be mowed. The birds are more than welcome to obliterate all of the vegetation they want!
While we have to till this year, I hope to use chicken tractors later to prep new sites for expanding the garden.
My husband stopped by the local feed store and checked it out. I have to admit I am partial to the one the next town over as that is where I used to get the sweet feed for my horses. (Their sweet feed smelled divine. Sticky, aromatic, sweetly scented.. I could catch any horse with that... except my gelding who was impervious to every tactic ever employed.. save his 1 weakness, a small kid. No one over 4 feet tall could catch him otherwise.) There were 6 others in there as well as the mill employees.. and all of them said Schlecht Hatchery is hands down the way to go. Each one is a devoted and repeat customer having said the birds are of very good quality and excellent health. I can't say I am too fond of hatcheries, but it has been interesting to locate local stock. This hatchery is a small family operated business and they do take pride in their birds.. but I can't shake the feeling like I am supporting a poultry version of a puppy mill.
I am tackling the old garden as there are June bearing strawberries hidden in the weeds, multiplier onions, oregano patch galore and wild grapes gone wilder. Raspberries as well have wandered near the wild rose which is thriving. Clearing the area around them is painful.. literally. I wish I had steel weeding gauntlets.. you know that legendary item that someone out there has.. and you could really use.
Garden cart. I need one. The child operated lug-this-bucket is fickle at best and is prone to breaking down. It isn't very accurate as often the delivery system misses the compost pile when acting up. I can tell when it is about to act up as it starts muttering and sputtering.. then comes the whining. (Yay.. the teenage years! I am joking though.. she is a good kid.)
Lunch break is over.. time to head back. Armed with tweezers to fend off thorny intruders I hope to get clearing around the prickly plants completed today!
Happy Mother's Day! Woot!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Busy Busy
We are scrambling, and trying to make the best of the situation. That seems to be par for the course.
If you ever decide to rent your property, you take a risk. We took one, a huge one, and it didn't pan out. I've kinda given in to throwing my hands up in the air and just trying to focus on what is in front of me. Hindsight is always 20/20. So we are going to lose our house due to this tenant.
Took a gamble, thought we had our bases covered, thought it was a win-win for the whole arrangement. It happens. It left us financially devastated. I hadn't budgeted to cover a scenario such as this one... and it is a whopper.
Day to day is how we are handling things. Trying to get all 3 properties + my sister's place taken care of is hard when you can't do anything for your own place. Thankfully my Mom is eating better and is (knock on wood) doing better. My sister with cancer is trying to get into a NJ clinical testing trials. My oldest sister's fiancee HAD pancreatic cancer.. had.. he is a survivor thanks to this very program. He was also late stage. The juicing is keeping her energetic, and keeping the fat content in her blood very very low.. so she qualifies for the trials. They stated it is highly unlikely she will have the same results and she knows this. She also is of the opinion that at least they can learn from this.. and she is going to find some good out of it all.
So we did find fiddleheads when we walked the farm. We carefully picked only about 2 cups worth and tossed them in a stir fry. I find this hilarious because that took us several hours.. and then we discovered the grove of trees behind the house in town has TONS. So we picked a bit more making sure not to take more than 1 fiddlehead per plant.
Still waiting on the morels, but did notice the plethora of gooseberry shrubs were getting ready to send out flowers. I ripped out tons of garlic mustard and barely made a dent. Shagbark hickory and Black Walnuts must have had a bumper crop last year as the nuts are all over the place. Many of them are eaten, and crafty critters have decided to snack on them in all sorts of locations.. like the barn loft, under the old Jeep in the garage, in the tipped over water trough.
Several big storms have knocked a bit more of the old barn down. The plan is to get the coop built on the small farm's property for the chickens and guinea hens. Now.. just to settle on the coop design... As I have spotted a lot of slugs already, ducks and probably geese are also slated to join themenu zoo. Rabbits are yet another, but no large livestock yet. We have more than enough room, but hunters, shroom hunters, tree thieves, etc. have obliterated much of the fencing. Cleaning up the farm is a lot of work.
Ironic that in this area they are fighting hard to keep a CAFO (contained animal feeding operation) from operation.. because it will cause so much pollution. Irony is that many people around here commonly dump their own trash in the gullies, streams, ravines, etc. Beyond bottles and cans.. we are talking TV sets, old dishwashers, an old furnace, even a burned out car. Yet when you drive through this area it looks like a beautiful farming area.
Our larger farm has been treated in such a way by others. It is just something we'll clean up to make it safe before adding livestock.
Baby steps... the transplants need to be set out. Just hoping for that break in the weather to till. I think I have made a few dozen notations to remind myself later that the rhubarb has to be divided.
Myopic outlook on just day to day things bring a little relief. What do I need to do today? What can I do today? How much can I get done today? Get what you can do, done today. Kinda funny when everything I need to do today is in preparation for tomorrow, but today... today everyone is feeling ok. I am grateful for that.
If you ever decide to rent your property, you take a risk. We took one, a huge one, and it didn't pan out. I've kinda given in to throwing my hands up in the air and just trying to focus on what is in front of me. Hindsight is always 20/20. So we are going to lose our house due to this tenant.
Took a gamble, thought we had our bases covered, thought it was a win-win for the whole arrangement. It happens. It left us financially devastated. I hadn't budgeted to cover a scenario such as this one... and it is a whopper.
Day to day is how we are handling things. Trying to get all 3 properties + my sister's place taken care of is hard when you can't do anything for your own place. Thankfully my Mom is eating better and is (knock on wood) doing better. My sister with cancer is trying to get into a NJ clinical testing trials. My oldest sister's fiancee HAD pancreatic cancer.. had.. he is a survivor thanks to this very program. He was also late stage. The juicing is keeping her energetic, and keeping the fat content in her blood very very low.. so she qualifies for the trials. They stated it is highly unlikely she will have the same results and she knows this. She also is of the opinion that at least they can learn from this.. and she is going to find some good out of it all.
So we did find fiddleheads when we walked the farm. We carefully picked only about 2 cups worth and tossed them in a stir fry. I find this hilarious because that took us several hours.. and then we discovered the grove of trees behind the house in town has TONS. So we picked a bit more making sure not to take more than 1 fiddlehead per plant.
Still waiting on the morels, but did notice the plethora of gooseberry shrubs were getting ready to send out flowers. I ripped out tons of garlic mustard and barely made a dent. Shagbark hickory and Black Walnuts must have had a bumper crop last year as the nuts are all over the place. Many of them are eaten, and crafty critters have decided to snack on them in all sorts of locations.. like the barn loft, under the old Jeep in the garage, in the tipped over water trough.
Several big storms have knocked a bit more of the old barn down. The plan is to get the coop built on the small farm's property for the chickens and guinea hens. Now.. just to settle on the coop design... As I have spotted a lot of slugs already, ducks and probably geese are also slated to join the
Ironic that in this area they are fighting hard to keep a CAFO (contained animal feeding operation) from operation.. because it will cause so much pollution. Irony is that many people around here commonly dump their own trash in the gullies, streams, ravines, etc. Beyond bottles and cans.. we are talking TV sets, old dishwashers, an old furnace, even a burned out car. Yet when you drive through this area it looks like a beautiful farming area.
Our larger farm has been treated in such a way by others. It is just something we'll clean up to make it safe before adding livestock.
Baby steps... the transplants need to be set out. Just hoping for that break in the weather to till. I think I have made a few dozen notations to remind myself later that the rhubarb has to be divided.
Myopic outlook on just day to day things bring a little relief. What do I need to do today? What can I do today? How much can I get done today? Get what you can do, done today. Kinda funny when everything I need to do today is in preparation for tomorrow, but today... today everyone is feeling ok. I am grateful for that.
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