Homesteading and Homekeeping at Whisper Wind Farm

Fencing goats

2012-02-13T07:01:00.002-06:00

I am sure somewhere in the archives of this blog there are posts about our fencing situation with our goats. When we got our first two goats, Coffee and Tea, we had put up brand spanking new field fence attached to T posts. It worked quite well for them and only took a minor beating. So we thought we had done a good job of creating a contained space for the goats even though the cost was not cheap. Then our next 3 goats entered the scene and again the fence held well as the goats really didn't beat on it too much. About a year after the aquisition of Coffee and Tea we purchased Dolly, Izzy and Strawberry. We found out real quick that Dolly was a fence climber and climb she did. Dolly could climb field fence better than a cat can climb a tree and probably faster too! That poor fence really began to take a beating under her climbing tactics. The T-posts offered no resistance to the fence as it slid to the ground and crumpled more and more. We tried inserting wood posts with staples to give the fence more support and strength, but that didn't help much. The fence looked like one of those expensive swag curtains in between each post. So after spending all that money and all that time here we were off to the store to buy electric fencing materials and spend some more time. We wound up having to take the fence down, straighten it out, put it back up and then run 3 strands of electric wire around the inside. Now, the fence is safe from the goats. They don't touch it at all and it even cured Dolly the climbing queen. So from now on every fence that we redo around here will be hot wire. We just replaced the pallet fence at the bottom of the garden with 6 strand electric fence and I anticipate it working well. The goats now have a healthy respect for electric fencing. I think field fencing is great for goats until you get a climber and then all your money and all your hard work goes down the drain. It is bad enough that they will stand on the fence to reach the tree branches along the fenceline, but when they start climbing all the way over it doesn't last long before it is a 2 foot crumpled line of wire around what once was your goat pasture. I don't know about you, but I don't have the time to re-fence the same areas over and over each and every year. So my recommendation for goats is electric fence. Get a charger that is stronger than you think you will need because goats have a tough hide and small chargers don't work with them. Run 6 strands of wire and set your fence up like it is supposed to be set up. Then with the exception of general maintenance and checking to make sure there are no shorts you should be fencing worry free for the most part. Blessings, Kat

Death and Funerals

2012-02-12T07:12:00.002-06:00

My death is something that I don't often think about. Let's face it...it isn't the most pleasant subject. However, on occasion when death comes into a conversation then my own becomes a focus of mine for a bit of time. Both my mother in law and my father knew what they wanted done with their remains. My Dad wanted to be buried in the same cemetary with several generations of his family. We honored those wishes. My mother in law had already planned and paid for her's. She wanted to be cremated and her ashes spread at sea. Those wishes were honored as well. I can't decide. I have read many things that give relatively good evidence that a Christian should not be cremated. However, I don't want to be buried in any cemetary that I can think of. I have family scattered in different cemetaries in different states and cities and there is none of those where I want to be interred. I really think that I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered over the farm that I love. My heart and soul has been tied to the land for so long. It's like that bond was there before my birth. However, I don't want my last thing on this earth to be something displeasing to God. But the thought of being placed in a cemetary that I don't know and have no emotional ties to really bothers me. I know in the end it won't really matter as I don't plan on hanging around to find out where they stick my body, but for some reason right now it does matter. Hopefully the Lord will see fit to lead me to a concrete decision before I kick the bucket. So what do you think or do you even think about it? It isn't the most pleasant of subjects and I certainly wouldn't blame anyone for not thinking about it. Anyone, just some morbid musings on my part to start the day! LOL! Blessings, Kat

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

2012-02-12T06:21:00.003-06:00

According to the Natural News article here, the state of Florida is set to release thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes. Apparently, these mosquitoes have an extra gene and without treatment with tetracyline will die. Supposedly, these mosquitoes will mate with wild populations and transfer the gene so that wild populations will die without tetracycline treatment as well. Am I the only one who sees this as a bad idea? The biologist in me is absolutely going nuts as this has the potential for destroying a balanced ecosystem. Bats, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish all depend on mosquitoes and mosquito larvae for food. Are we going to see large reductions in the numbers of these populations, some of which are barely hanging on by a thread anyway because of this. Has anyone thought about the long term repercussions of this action? I don't think they have, just like they didn't think about the effects of spraying DDT back in the 60s and 70s and how that would eventually wind up damaging the raptor populations and song bird populations. Then what about the effect if one of these SM mosquitoes bites a human. We already know that mosquitoes transfer other viruses (which are genetic material) to humans, so what happens if they transfer this particular genetic material? Admittedly most of the mosquitoes will be male which don't bite but they will be releasing some female mosquitoes and then once they breed with the wild population that genetic code will be in both male and female populations. I hate mosquitoes as much as the next person, but I also believe that we need to understand and work within an ecosystem without potentially sending it into a tailspin. God put mosquitoes here for a reason, so obviously they belong and are necessary or He wouldn't have done so. We experience issues with out of balance ecosystems all the time. I don't know, but I think this is a very very bad idea. I think man needs to quit playing God because we are so going to pay for it in the end. Blessings, Kat

Must See Documentary- Pink Ribbons, Inc.

2012-02-10T01:59:00.002-06:00

Have you ever wondered why all of a sudden there are pink ribbons absolutely everywhere and on absolutely ever product. And have you ever wondered if so many companies and so many people are donating money to find a cure for a horrible disease, why one hasn't been found? And have you ever wondered where the pink ribbon came from to begin with? And have you ever wondered how a product loaded with carcinogens can market itself with a pink ribbon?! Pink Ribbons, Inc. is the must see documentary of the year exposing the lies and marketing scam behind that pink ribbon. The movie just opened in Canadian theaters this month and I am looking for it coming to American theaters. I will keep you posted. Meanwhile, here is the trailer. Blessings, Kat

Dumped Livestock

2012-02-01T06:24:00.002-06:00

I had been hearing about folks around the country waking up to find new horses in their pastures that weren't there the night before. I hadn't heard of it happening here though, until the other day. A couple pulled up in my driveway in a van and asked if I had lost a horse and a donkey. I told them no that I hadn't and they then told me that they had a horse and donkey show up in their pasture and they couldn't find who they belonged to. I told them they might have been dumped as I had seen them on the side of the road a few miles from me and had made some phone calls to find the owner. They were gone when I went back by so I figured the owner fixed the fence and secured their animals. I guess not as this gentleman in the van was telling me that they were quite content in his pasture. I told him about the horses being dumped around the country because they aren't worth anything and so many can't afford to feed them anymore. This really ticks me off. Not only are they sentencing the horses to a potentially horrible death and miserable existence, but they are a serious danger to people driving down the road. If someone hits one of those animals then there is a very very good chance that they will not walk away from that crash. Hitting a 1200 lb. horse is not like hitting a 300 lb. deer and we all know the damage that can be caused by hitting a deer. Just imagine the havoc wreaked by hitting something much much larger. A semi or mac truck is about the only thing that has hope of surviving. So whoever dumped those animals on the side of the road felt that it was ok to endanger everyone driving down that road. This follows right along with the post I made not too long ago about the horse slaughter issue. If the slaughter houses were open this would not have happened, there would have been somewhere for the owners to send their stock. Or here is another thought......get rid of the stigma of eating horse meat and maybe the family that is on hard times could have filled their freezer for the year! I know, I know don't flame me or send me ugly emails for that comment. Really though think about it, no difference between a horse or a cow. However, instead of endangering other folks' lives they could have helped out their own situation. It's much more responsible of an action than dumping them. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Yummy Venison Loin

2012-02-01T04:09:00.002-06:00

We just love venison loin and yesterday it was amazing. I marinated the loin in brown sugar mixed with teriyaki sauce for about 4 hours. Then I wrapped it in bacon and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I served it with oven roasted potatoes, english peas and asparagus. It was super yummy and tender. I think this is one of my favorite ways of cooking venison loin now. I can't wait to try this with goat loin as well. Blessings, Kat

Tips on Cooking a Roast

2012-01-30T07:21:00.002-06:00

A roast typically tends to be a piece of meat that has very little fat or marbling. This is especially true of chevon (goat) or venison, but can be true of beef as well. Marbling is typically what keeps a piece of meat moist and juicy while it is cooking. So since these cuts that are used as roasts don't have much of that they can be dry and chewy. Nobody I know likes dry and chewy. So here are my roast cooking tips for meat that is moist and literally fall off the bone or falls apart.

1. Cook the meat at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. I typically cook my roasts at 250 degrees for about 4-5 hours depending on size of the roast.

2. Keep the roast moist by placing it in a pan with a little bit of broth or water in the pan. Then cover the roast to seal in the moisture. Keep the roast covered until the last 30-45 minutes of cooking. Just enough to brown the outside of the roast.

3. You can use a crockpot to cook a roast, but keep the temperature on low and cook for about 8 hours.

4. Don't try to cook a roast like other meat as it will be dry and tough. Cooking a roast takes planning on your part don't try to rush to process.

That is it. Simply season the meat like you wish and cook it low and slow with moisture and you will have fall off the bone tender delicious roast. Blessings, Kat

How To Make a Rich Homemade Broth

2012-01-29T19:17:00.002-06:00

I have been making a good bit of broth lately since I drink so much of it. So since I have been making it I thought it would be good to share with my readers on how to make a really rich bone broth. Bone broth is great for adding lots of micronutrients to your diet. It is also a great pick me up on a cold day or even after a hard days work. For me it is a great start to my day. For loads of information on the health benefits of bone broths you can check out the Weston Price Foundation website. Here is how I make my broths.

Take a large stock pot and fill it 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with cold water. Then add your bones. If I am doing a beef or venison broth then I roast the bones for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Just to brown them a bit. This gives a nice rich color and flavor to the broth. After adding the bones I add about a cup and a half of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar will pull calcium from the bones into your broth. I let that sit for a couple of hours then I place on the stove and slowly bring it to a simmer. You don't really want a rolling boil, just a very slow simmer will do nicely. After it has been simmering for about 2-3 hours, I add a couple of carrots chopped up, a stalk of celery chopped up and an onion along with salt and pepper. These things deepen the flavor of the broth. Then it simmers some more. For beef, venison and pork I let the broth simmer for about 8 hours after adding the veggies. For turkey, chicken or rabbit I let the broth simmer for about 4-6 hours after adding the vegetables. The next step is to remove all the veggies bits, bone bits and meat bits from the broth. Let it cool then place it in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will congeal at the top after this and can easily be scooped off. This is a personal preference, I like my broth to be clear. You can leave it and jar it up right away if you don't mind the fat. After getting rid of the fat then heat the broth back up on the stove, jar it up and can at 10 lbs. of pressure for 20 minutes for quarts and 15 minutes for pints. That is all there is to it and you can drink it by itself, use it in soups and casseroles or even cook your rice and pasta in it. Broth is such a wonderful addition to the pantry and your diet. Blessings, Kat

Rabbit Colony 4

2012-01-27T18:05:00.002-06:00

Well another day's work on the rabbit colony. I am so excited that we are so close to being done. Looks like the rabbits will be able to move into their new digs within the week.

Here is the half wall that separates the actual colony from the feed area.

Here is the half wall from the inside of the colony itself.

Here is the outside door that opens into the feed area. This is from inside the colony.

I had another picture of the outside of the door that opens into the feed area. We still need to put up the gate into the colony itself and trim some of the conveyor belt and put up a few new pieces. So a little more work and we will be done. Again I am so excited to get these rabbits out of their cages. Blessings, Kat

The Legacy

2012-01-26T04:05:00.002-06:00

I got to thinking the other day about all the things that I recall on a daily basis that I have gleaned from family elders over the years. Thinking about that got me to thinking about what I am leaving behind for my children and grandchildren. In other words what legacy am I giving them. I am not talking about material things for those things are temporary and life has a way of taking them away. The legacy I am talking about is what am I giving them that can never go away for as long as they choose to hold on to it. So here are the things that I pray that I am leaving my children with as their legacy.

Faith- I pray everyday that I am teaching and showing my children that God and His abundance is glorious and everlasting. I pray that they understand that His graciousness and courage can get them through any of the trials and tribulations that life brings. I hope that they learn from me that true peace only comes from the love of Jesus Christ.

Love- I pray that I am leaving teaching my children that they are loved and how to love unconditionally. There is such joy in loving someone else, just as there is such joy in being loved. Saying I love you is a big deal in our house and is done on a regular basis. I pray that my girls never forget how much and how deeply I love them.

Tenacity- I pray that my girls learn how to be tenacious. To go after their dreams and not to ever let anyone else tell them they can't do something.

Wisdom- I know much of this comes with age, but the more I think about it..it is age that gives us the clarity to understand the wisdom that came from those before us. I pray that my children gain this clarity to see and understand the wisdom that they are being given.

Skills- I pray that my children always know how to take care of their basic needs. That if time gets tough they can grow a garden and raise some rabbits for meat. I pray that they learn the skills of cooking good wholesome foods and making ends meet. I pray that they learn how to survive and thrive no matter what life throws at them.

Education- I pray that my children never stop in their desire to learn and that they develop a love for knowledge. No matter how old you are or how many years they have been away from formal "education" there is always something to learn. I pray that they understand that sometimes it is fun to learn something just to see if you can.

This is the legacy that I want my children to treasure and hold on to. Material things pass away if they were ever there to begin with. I know in my own family history wealth and land have been had and lost time and again. Many times my ancestors started over with very very little. However, the legacy can't be lost and can't be taken away. It is something that will stay with them as long as they choose to hold it dear. I pray that they do and I pray that I pass it on to them. Have you ever thought about what legacy you are leaving behind? Blessings, Kat

Weston Price and Fibro/Chronic Fatigue

2012-01-24T07:26:00.003-06:00

Ever since my mom was in the hospital in September life has been pretty hectic for me with no slow down much at all. I am now needed by her more than I have been in the past along with Petunia's active social and school life, and this takes me away from my duties here at the farm more than it used to. That typically means that I am always trying to play catch-up when I am home. For someone with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia that can be pretty tough. So, I really needed to sit down and take a hard look at things. One thing that got me to thinking was the time years ago that I was on the Atkins diet. I felt really good while I was on that diet. I lost weight and seemed to have a good amount of energy. I felt as close to normal as I am ever going to feel. So I really sat down and took some time to read through the health articles at the Weston Price foundation. I realized that even though we eat pretty well and pretty healthy there were still many things going on with me and my diet personally that certainly were not helping with my pain levels and my fatigue. The first thing I noticed was my breakfast usually consisted of muffins or toast with some fruit. First not many calories and the majority of those calories were carbs. For someone with fibro carbs are inflammatory, in other words they cause pain and inflammation. Second, for someone with chronic fatigue the last thing that we need is the down swing in blood sugar that comes from eating lots of carbs. Also, the calories really weren't enough for the amount of work that I needed to do which is pretty physically exerting. So by the time dinner (lunch) came around I was already pretty done for. Then since I usually serve some type of bread with dinner sometimes dinner would leave me with the carb up and down syndrome again and by 1:00 I could hardly keep my eyes open much less be productive. One of the things with my chronic fatigue also is that I am rarely hungry and so when I do sit down and eat I don't eat a lot because frankly it is just too much effort and I am too tired. So again, a physically exertive day with not enough productive calories. Then by supper time I just want something easy. Many times that something easy is fruit and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or heated up leftovers from dinner. So reading through the Weston Price material really gave me a lot to think about. I first realized that I was not getting enough calories in the form of fat and protein to give me any lasting energy. Second, the carbs were killing me in the form of pain and the downswing after eating a lot of carbs really did not help my afternoon fatigue. So I have made some changes. I forgo the fruit and heavy carbs in the morning and opt for loads of protein and healthy fats. Typically for breakfast I will have a good sized glass of milk (raw full fat milk), two tablespoons of coconut milk, meat left over from the day before and two eggs and a cup of homemade broth. For dinner, I eat what I cook for the whole family but I leave off any bread that we may have. For supper I allow myself to have more carbs and some fruit since I will be going to bed and just sitting around. Last night I had a blackened flounder sandwich on whole wheat bread, some peaches and some roasted pecans. I have only been working on this nutrition thing for a couple of weeks, but I have noticed a difference. My crashes are less, I have a little more energy and when I don't follow my regime I feel lousy. I still have pain and I still get a little tired during the day, but it isn't the bone weary can't put one foot in front of the other tired. The pain is bearable, not the bring tears to my eyes kind of pain. I am hoping that as long as I stick to what my body needs and doesn't need nutritionally that I will see even more improvement. I am going to try baking sourdough bread and sprouted grain bread to see if that helps also. Supposedly it is the phytic acids in the grain that causes issues and sprouting and fermenting are supposed to de-activate those phytic acids. We will see. All I can say is that nutrition really plays a huge role in our health and how we feel. So sometimes instead of just living with whatever is ailing us then we simply need to take a real hard look at how and what we are eating. I am doing that now and I am beginning to feel more human. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Tightwad Tips- Saving a Little at a Time

2012-01-21T20:31:00.002-06:00

Many years ago I learned a neat little trick for saving money and it really required so little effort and I never missed the money. I started saving my change instead of spending it. For instance, if I bought something that was say 50 cents and paid for it with a dollar bill, the 50 cents change went into my savings jar. Over time that built up quite a lot. We paid off some credit card bills doing this very thing and never missed the money in our budget. Another twist to this trick is to write down a whole dollar amount in your checkbook when you write a check. For instance, if you write a check for 10.15 then round up and write down 11.00. You have then saved 85 cents without really even missing it. Doing this does take some getting used to when it comes to balancing your checkbook, but eventually you learn to ignore the extra in your account. To give a really good example of how much the change in the jar can add up, I will tell you about some friends of ours. For a couple of years they had been putting all their change in jars. Then they decided that they wanted to take the family on vacation so they pulled out all the change jars. After it was all added up they had enough cash to completely pay for the vacation. Folks, they had saved close to a couple thousand dollars in change! They had a nice vacation and didn't have to worry about it putting a strain on their budget. A little really can go a long way when you are diligent. Blessings, Kat

Rabbit Colony 3

2012-01-12T18:07:00.004-06:00

Well, we had a really productive day in working on the rabbit colony. Our friend Cherelle came over and gave us a hand. Many, many thanks for all her hard work! Here are the pallets that are being used as the base for the bottom wall that are nailed up and in place.

Then we framed in the doorway that will lead to the feed area of the rabbitry.

Next we began tacking conveyor belt (thanks to another friend, Jen, and her husband). This stuff is really heavy duty rubber and will make the walls easy to keep clean and also there is no critter that is coming through those walls now.

Here we all are tacking up more conveyor belt along the back wall. That's my short little fluffy self in the green jacket. Hubby is too tall to stand up straight in the space so he has to bend over a lot. The little one in the front was a great little helper!

Almost done with the conveyor belt.

Then we put screen up along the outside to keep flies out of the rabbitry. Wire is going to be put on the outside to keep critters from trying to get through the screen, which wouldn't be that hard.

That is about it. I think we made great progress for the day. Won't take much more and then we can start to think about moving the rabbits in! Blessings, Kat

Flying with Flylady

2012-01-10T06:05:00.002-06:00

Several years ago I discovered Flylady and her system of home management and building housekeeping habits made a huge difference in my life. I still use many of those habits and basic ideas in my homekeeping. I was talking to a friend the other day about how sometimes it is so difficult to keep up with everything that must be done and I brought up Flylady to her. I told her what a huge difference it had made for me. Later as I thought about our conversation I thought about how I have slacked in many of the habits and that I was once again beginning to feel overwhelmed also. Hmmmm....I had given up getting dressed before I came out for my coffee in the morning. I had also gotten out of the habit of leaving my kitchen shiny at night many nights. So I made the decision to follow my own advice and yesterday once again started the habits that I learned following Flylady's babysteps. I must say I felt a huge difference yesterday as I developed my morning routine and then again as I implemented my evening routine. Despite the fact that I had chores to do around the farm and had to take my mom to the dentist and town yesterday afternoon I managed to put out two hotspots and the kitchen was shiny before I went to bed. I am already dressed for the days chores today. When I got home from town yesterday afternoon I did not feel like I was walking into a nightmare. Believe it or not, just the simple act of getting dressed and brushing my hair before I came out of the bedroom for coffee meant that I was ready to tackle the day earlier. I had gotten to where it was harder and harder to get motivated to get up in the mornings and get dressed to start the day off. So if you are feeling overwhelmed I highly recommend Flylady for getting your home under control and bringing peace in your life. Even though I don't really do the home journal anymore because it became overwhelming trying to add all the farm stuff into the journals, the babysteps alone and identifying and tackling hot spots makes a huge difference. You can see my old journals here on the blog, I think they are under home organization. I know it made a difference in my life once and is already starting to make a difference in my life again. So thanks to my friend I am once again back in control. Blessings from the farm, Kat

12 Months, 12 Goals

2012-01-07T07:57:00.002-06:00

We tend to do a lot of thinking during the winter about what we can do that we haven't done and what didn't work and can be re-done to work better and just general things that we would like to accomplish around the farm. We don't always accomplish all that we would like to do each year. Some things take more time to do, some things are a little more costly and must hold off, and some things we just don't get around to. That is farm life. This year we have 12 goals...one for each month. We'll see how we do by the end of the year. So here they are:

1. Build the rabbit colony
2. Raise the garden fence to keep chickens from going over.
3. Build shelter for next year's pigs
4. Move and organize the tool shop
5. Build a smokehouse
6. Cross fence the large pasture
7. Re-fence the property fence along the back of the property
8. Re-fence one section of what was the pig pasture
9.Clean up dead trees in the front pasture
10. Re-roof the old shed and turn it into a processing area
11. Paint the studio
12. Get a new gate for the big pasture

Well, those are our goals anyway. We will just have to see what we can accomplish. What are your goals for the year? Blessings, Kat

Rabbit Colony 2

2012-01-07T07:39:00.003-06:00

Well the first step in setting up the colony was to clean the space out. We burned off as much of the trash and debris as we could, but as you can see there was a good sized pile of stuff that will have to be hauled off.

Here is the small pile of potentially usable lumber than we got. It is mostly small pieces left from other projects so we will probably use it to build stuff for the rabbits.

Here is the small pile of stuff that might still be in usable shape. I will sort through this pile in a couple days and discard anything beyond repair. We did find some heavy duty pullies, a fence stretcher and a come along. Hope they are still in working shape once they are cleaned up. Sure would be nice to have.

This is the space all cleaned out of junk and the old nasty particle board off the walls. Sure did let in some light taking that stuff down. The space is about 14 ft. wide and 16 feet long. It will be a good sized space to set-up two colonies, a feed space and a couple cages for emergency purposes. The large hutch type cages that we are using now will make nice grow out cages for the weanlings.

Next step in a few days. Blessings, Kat

Rabbit Colony

2012-01-06T08:02:00.002-06:00

Well, we have made the decision to move our rabbits into a colony or colonies type setting. We won't have an outside colony, but have decided to use the old feed room in the big horse barn. We have made this decision for several reasons. I have several rabbits that refuse to use a litter box and so their cages must be cleaned since they are wood bottomed regularly. All my cages are full and I either need to build or buy more cages which I have no where to put in the area that the rabbits currently are. The rabbits are not necessarily cooperating on cage breeding lately. So our first step was to clean out the old feed room which had been used as a storage area by the previous owner. Particle board had been put up on the walls, which was falling down and most of the stuff she had in there was rotten and destroyed by mice. We even found what we think was a possum skeleton behind a wooden box. We have spent years getting rid of the junk left on this farm by the previous owner. She never threw anything away and each of the pastures had a large mountain of scrap metal where she just dumped old tools, wire, roofing material etc. She kept saying she was coming to get stuff from the buildings so we were careful to keep it there. However, we need the space and there is so little left in that room that is useable or even recognizable. One large wooden crate had obviously been filled with stuff made of wood which had rotted into one large pile of sawdust. Of course the stuff had been in there since the 70s and there had been leaks in the roof for quite some time when we moved here, but what a mess. So we cleaned all that out yesterday and burned what we could and now have a couple loads to take to the dump and one very small pile of stuff that might be usable. Now we have a clean slate. Today I will measure the area and plan the layout for the colonies along with taking the junk to the dump. I will take some photos along the way to show our progress and how everything is set-up and built. There is so little on the net about indoor rabbit colonies that I thought a pictorial of the progress would really help others thinking about doing the same thing. The cages will be kept as grow-out cages for weaned litters and this way our colonies won't get too crowded and it will be easier to catch the rabbits for butchering. For the posts on our progression I will keep the same title just adding numbers behind it for ease of following. Blessings, Kat

New Year's Soapmaking

2012-01-05T08:02:00.002-06:00

Over the past year I have been reading a lot about soapmaking. I have discovered quite a bit and while I like my first soaps that I made in December 2010 I can do better. First I discovered SoapCalc. They have an awesome lye calculator in which you plug in your oils, how much you want it superfatted or not and it will tell you the amount of lye and water to use. It will also tell you the properties of your soap. Different oils have different properties that they bring to the soap...things like hardness, conditioning, etc. While all soap cleans some oils produce a soap that cleans better. So I have been changing and tweaking some of my recipes. Here is what I made yesterday:

Laundry Soap #1
16 oz. coconut oil
16 oz. vegetable shortening
12.16 oz. water
5.191 oz. lye

This has a 0% superfat since I am using it for laundry and dishes and need it to attract oil rather than give it. This produced a very hard bar with very high cleansing properties.

Laundry Soap #2
16. oz. coconut oil
17 oz. lard
10 oz. tallow
16.34 oz. water
6.758 oz. lye

This made a hard soap with high cleansing properties also. Properties aren't as high as the previous soap, but they are high enough. It also is 0% superfatted.

Bath Soap
10 oz. coconut oil
20 oz. lard
7 oz. olive oil
8 oz. tallow
17.1 oz. water
6.408 oz. lye

This soap was calculated to give a 5% superfat. It is a moderately hard bar with good cleansing properties as well as conditioning properties. It gives a good bubbly lather also.

Goat milk Soap
8 oz. coconut oil
1 oz. cocoa butter
18 oz.lard
10 oz. olive oil
5 oz. shortening
5 oz. tallow
15.96 oz. goat milk
5.896 oz. lye

This was also 5% superfatted. It gives more of a creamy lather than bubbly. It is a moderately hard bar with good cleansing properties and high conditioning properties. I really like this one for use on the face, but it will work well as a bath soap also.

Again I used the hot process so that my soap cures while it cooks. This means that my bars are ready to use when they are dry. The laundry soaps dry quickly, but the goat milk soap takes awhile. I have found that you need to cut your soaps while they are still slightly warm to the touch and they cut much easier than waiting until they are cool. You get better bars and fewer bars that fall apart. Save all those chips and soak them in hot water then when they gel you have a liquid soap. I highly recommend using soap calc. I really think I have much better soap because of using the lye calculator and it is fun to play around with different oils and what properties they will bring to your soap. Blessings, Kat

Rendering Lard

2012-01-04T07:48:00.004-06:00

There are many uses for lard so it is handy to know how to render it. Rendering simply means that you are separating the pure fat from the meat and gristle. So I thought I would share how I render my lard.

Step 1. Trim as much meat as possible off the fat.

Step 2. Grind the fat. This doesn't have to be a fine grind, a coarse grind works just fine. If you don't have a grinder you can chop the fat into small bits and this will work also, it will take a bit longer though.

Step 3. Place the lard in a pot or crockpot with 1/4 cup of water and simmer. If you do this on a stove use a medium low setting and if you do this in the crockpot use a low setting. Then cook and cook and cook some more. Periodically you will need to stir the lard so that the cracklins don't burn. This process will take a few hours stove top and about 8 hours in a crockpot depending on the strength of the crockpot. Mine is an el cheapo crockpot so doesn't have a whole lot of kick with temperature. If you have a really nice one it's low setting might be a higher temp. In other words keep an eye on your lard whether using the stove or crockpot.

Step 4: Your cracklins (meat and gristle bits) will sink to the bottom as the fat is separated out. Then they will start to brown a little. At this stage turn off the heat and let them cool for about 10 minutes.

Step 5. Take a strainer and line it with cheese cloth. You can either freeze your lard in chunks or pour it into jars. If you want to freeze it then take a pyrex dish that is square and pour the lard through the strainer. Place the dish in the freezer for a couple hours then cut your lard into chunks to place in a ziploc bag. If you are pouring into a jar then you can let it cool for a bit then place a lid on the jar and store in a cool place. Lard will go rancid if stored in a hot area.

Step 6. Use your lard. Biscuits and pie crusts made with lard are by far the best. Use lard to saute or fry. If your hands are really dry consider rubbing a tiny amount of lard on them. Make soap. Grease your cookie sheets and baking pans.

That is it. It is really an easy process even though it does take some time. You can use this same process for any type of animal fat. Tallow is great for making candles (they smoke alot though) or making soap (makes a nice hard bar) or making a leather preservative lotion. Lard is softer than tallow so don't be surprised if it is really soft at room temperature. Mine stays creamy even in the refrigerator. Oh, and don't throw away those cracklins! Use them for cracklin bread or you can feed them to the chickens, dogs or cats if you really don't like cracklin bread. How can anyone not like cracklin bread?! Use them, they certainly don't belong in the garbage. Blessings, Kat

Economics of Raising a Hog

2012-01-03T06:41:00.003-06:00

While we aren't necessarily concerned with raising hogs for economic reasons it sure helps to see either how well you did or how much in the red that meat put you. So here is the economic lowdown on how we did with the hogs. We will look at the cost and benefit of one hog.

First was the cost of the pig. This was a weaner pig and the cost was 40.00 plus about 10.00 in gas for the drive to pick it up. So 50.00 dollars total.

Second our fence was already in place as the pasture was designed to hold goats, so that was no special cost for us.

Third is the cost of feeding the pig. To start with we had loads of garden produce, goat milk, excess eggs, and kitchen scraps to feed with. I had a couple neighbors that garden and can and they would bring their gardening scraps and cleanings to feed the pigs. During the first several months this made up the majority of the diet of the pigs. They were also fed some oats, alfalfa pellets and black oil sunflower seeds. So from June until mid September it cost approximately 27.00 per pig to feed.

Then our eggs supply went down due to hens going into molt, the garden produce greatly slacked off and the goat milk amount went down. We had loads of pears and they would get a 5 gallon bucket of pears daily, but pears don't have protein. We started to see a slowdown in growth rate and decided that we needed to find a commercial source of protein other than the sunflower seeds as they are tremendously expensive. The pigs were getting to where they didn't eat much of the alfalfa and so increasing that would not do us any good. So about mid September we started adding commercial hog feed to their diet and they started gaining again. During the months of October, November and December their appetite greatly increased. They got pears into November and also as the acorn crop was tremendous they ate alot of those in their pasture and I processed 5-10 lbs. of acorns daily to supplement them and keep the commercial feed down. The last 2 1/2 to 3 months the cost for feed per pig was 64.00 per month.

That brings total feed cost per pig to 313.00.

Now what did we get for that money and did we come out ahead?

I will list what we got by cut or usable piece and then list what it would cost me retail for that piece or poundage. Prices were gathered from my local grocer on December 30th.

20 lbs. nitrate free bacon 5.49/pound or 109.8
5 lbs. sausage 3.50 per pound or 17.50
12 pkgs. of 6 boneless loin chops 6.35 per pkg or 76.20
2 tenderloins 14.00 a piece or 28.00
2 racks of spareribs 12.44 a rack or 24.88
2 racks of baby back ribs 16.69 a rack or 33.38
4 4lb. boston butts 12.78 each or 51.12
4 5 lb. picnics 14.00 each or 56.00
2 whole hams (country cured and smoked) 50.83 each or 101.66
4 lbs. hocks 2.19/lb. or 8.76
4 lbs. lard 3.00/lb. or 12.00
1 loin roast 2.99/pound or 8.97
18 dog bones like you would find at the pet store 4.00 each or 72.00
A week's worth of dog food (internal organs) 18.99
Things that I couldn't find prices on:
5 lbs. cracklins
4 trotters

So total cost to have purchased all this pork retail would have been 619.26 not including the cost of the trotters or cracklins. So total savings was 306.26. Now this is comparing to retail cost of typical commercially raised grocery store meat which is not really that comparable. To compare our hog with retail cost of pastured pork the savings doubles or triples. However, since ours were not completely organically fed even though pastured the entire time I stuck with typical grocery store retail prices. Pastured pork, however is typically double to triple that cost depending on where in the country you are. Still not a bad savings of just over 300.00 dollars per hog. I know what I have in my freezer is much healthier and much much more flavorful than what can be purchased in the grocery store. Must have been all those acorns and pears!

Was it worth it? Absolutely! Will we do it again? You bet! Blessings, Kat

Hog SlaughteringWARNING GRAPHIC

2012-01-02T06:05:00.009-06:00

***WARNING...This post is graphic in nature. If you don't want to see the slaughter process of a hog please skip this post. Slaughtering is a way of life to many families and has been for many generations. Negative and derogatory comments will be deleated. This is an informational post for those seeking to further their education.****

Just in case for those that are reading the warning we will start with a picture of the pig. She was a hampshire/yorkshire cross.

Now onto the process.

She was shot with a 22 rifle aiming for the center mark of her head. Mentally you draw an x..right ear to left eye and left ear to right eye. After she is down from the shot then she is bled by inserting a sharp knife just above the sternum angling down toward the heart. A sideways twist of the knife will sever the main arteries leaving the heart and she will bleed out quickly. You don't want to stick the heart because you want it to help pump the blood out. You don't have very long before her heart stops so this must be done quickly after the shot. My husband likes to pump the front leg to help bleed out the animal quickly.

Next she was moved to the scalding tub which was 150 degrees in temperature. We chose for this hog to scald and skin simply because we didn't want the skin on this one and we had discovered by accident previously that scalding makes the skin peel right off...like peeling an orange.

The next step was to place her on a ladder on her back and remove the head. This keeps any little blood left from setting up in her neck. I will explain why we laid her on the ladder vs. hanging her.

The next step was to skin her. The guys started around her legs with sharp knives and once that got going then her skin just peeled off by hand. In this photo you can see the large flap of belly skin laying on the ladder right beside her. The skin is finished being peeled away once they lift her to hang her, but for right now it doesn't get in the way.

Then the tail was removed.

Then you need to tie off the bowel and the best way to start this is from the outside. Keeping your knife blade angled slightly away from the bowel you hold the outside edges, then insert knife parallel to the bowel, cutting the membranes that hold it in place so that you can pull it out enough to tie it off. This is a two person job, one to hold and cut the bowel and the other to tie it off tight. You don't want any spillage in your gut cavity.

Next is to start opening up for de-boweling. Now here is why we have the hog on the ladder. Gravity works in our favor by pulling the organs down toward her backbone and so we can easily (relatively) get her opened up without internal organs flopping in our way before we are ready to pull them out. We start at the chest cavity, cutting through the sternum and opening up the diaphragm. You can use a bone saw for the sternum or a pair of loppers, both work well.

The next step is to start cutting down into the belly to open the gut cavity. We didn't cut the final membrane until we had her hanging over the wheelbarrow. This is where you need to be careful and hold the membrane away from the intestines as much as possible to try and keep your knife from opening the intestines.

Opening up the whole cavity from tail to neck.

Removing the internal organs. We had a wheelbarrow underneath her to catch everything. Mostly, the internal organs can be coaxed out with your hands working on the membranes that hold them in place, but sometimes you might need to carefully cut some of the membranes to get them loose. There are a few spots that they can be a bit stubborn. Start at the tail and work them loose so that the buts fall out first then you can bring the chest organs out last.

The last step is to cut the hog in half to let some of the heat out of the meat quicker. Since the weather was too warm she was cut down further into primal cuts and placed in coolers on ice and the next day we processed her and got her in the freezer. To cut her in half and get a good cut on both sides, I recommend starting with a knife and go right down the center of her back all the way to her spine. Then use that as your guide for your bone saw or saws-all. This way you don't get an off center cut.

That's it folks. I do have a few recommendations. A saws-all is a wonderful tool to have if you plan on doing a good amount of butchering. Have one that is just for that....no other uses. Wood blades work well and don't scatter a whole bunch of bone. Choose weather in which it is cold and gonna be cold overnight...30 to 40 degrees for the highs. However, weather was not cooperating for us so coolers and the refrigerator had to suffice. You will have to turn your refrigerator down colder and I recommend using a thermometer to monitor your temps. Have the refrigerator set before putting the meat in there so the temperature doesn't rise too much. If you are using your refrigerator then make sure it is empty. Even with mine empty, I had to use two coolers and the little refrigerator for one of the hams. Temperature is very very important and that meat has to be cooled down quickly. One more thing, be prepared to wash your hog and wash your hog throughout the process. We crubbed and rinse her before she went into the scalding tub, while she was in the tub and then again before splitting her into halves. Hogs are dirtier than you think they are and we try to keep the process as clean as possible. Of course during processing the meat is further washed and cleaned out because hairs are everywhere. This is where scraping is a definite benefit.

We now have two hogs in the freezer which will last us til next butchering season. It is a lot of work to get all that meat put away and processed, but well worth the effort in knowing that we will eat well for the next year. Blessings, Kat

Joyful Hearts Farm Needs Help

2011-12-27T08:01:00.003-06:00

Joyful Hearts Farm is in need of help. Many times we country folk have seen that when city folk move to the country they want to turn the country into the city with all of its rules, regulations and ordinances. Despite popular belief living in the country doesn't always mean peace and quiet. Sometimes, chickens are squawking, roosters are crowing, pigs are squealing and livestock guard dogs are barking. Joyful Hearts Farm has two wonderful livestock guard dogs that protect their dairy goat herd. Joyful Hearts Farm makes a living from those dairy goats and they depend on their LGD's to help keep them safe from predators. One of the many ways that LGD's guard is to bark. They send out warning barks to let any creature in the area know that they are on duty and alert. They bark even louder when they feel there is an immediate threat. I understand how aggravating it can be to hear them bark. When we first got Dakota she started barking at 11 pm and kept it up all night. I didn't think I would survive. As she matured she realized that she didn't need to bark all night and now she is much more tolerable. I can also understand the changes in her bark and I know when it is time to head outside with the gun or roll over and go back to sleep. I cannot tell you what a valuable asset she is to our farm. I am sure Joyful Hearts feels the same way. However, they now have city neighbors that don't understand the country/farm way of life and don't want a dog barking near them. Animal control is siding with the neighbors even though California law sides with JHF. JHF is under attack, our way of life is under attack and they need help to defend their right to farm. If you are interested in reading the whole story and contributing you can go here. We small farmers must stick together and help when we can and where we can. If we don't then they will take us out one by one until there are none of us left. We will be helping JHF and sending many prayers their way. Blessings, Kat

Weather Still Not Cooperating

2011-12-21T07:43:00.002-06:00

Well here we are and December 31st is approaching and the weather is still too warm. Today will be in the 70s. Definitely not hog butchering weather. Oh well, the hogs must go. They are eating and eating and well....eating. So instead of butchering all of the hogs in one day and getting the deed done and over it will have to drag out over the course of the next week and a half until they are all in the freezer. We will start with one tomorrow and the refrigerators will have to act as a meat locker for the hog to "hang" overnight. I have been emptying out the big refrigerator of everything that can be emptied out. I must say I have never seen it so bare before. Last night we finished off two partially empty jars of pickles and we have two large containers of soup that will be finished off today. When the milk is done for today I won't take anymore out of the freezer until the first hog is wrapped and moved to the freezer on Friday. Needless to say this will be interesting and I will be sure to document the process. We were planning on skinning the hogs, but now we have plans to scald. I started thinking about how much money and time we have poured into these beasts and realized what a waste of resources to skin. The skin can be rendered for ever ounce of fat left on it and while it is rendering makes awesome cracklins for cracklin bread. While we won't need that many cracklins the rest can be fed to the chickens, dogs and cats as a high calorie supplement to their food. I really think that the only waste will be the hair by the time we are done. Bones can be saved for the dogs. Organs that we don't eat will be eaten by the chickens, cats and dogs. We rarely have much to dispose of when we butcher, but I think we will have less with the hogs. We will slaughter one tomorrow, one next Thursday and one on the 31st. I am really torn in my emotions over this. I am going to miss the girl's coming over to the fence to talk to me and ask for their daily ear scratches. But I won't miss the mess they make with everything. Having 3 hogs this size and age is like having 3 300lb. toddlers. Yep, imagine the havoc they create! I have never gotten this attached to any of our animals that have been raised around here for food, but these critters have gotten to me. Oh, well...I can't keep feeding them forever and maybe next years pigs will be easier. I at least have the knowledge that their lives have been good with lots of space to root and play. Loads of good things to eat. And many pets and scratches for those itches they couldn't get to. I will try to get an economic breakdown of raising these pigs once I have a breakdown of the different cuts of meat and whatever else we have. I have the feed costs by month and of course the cost of the pigs themselves so now all I need is what all we get. I will try to get that posted this weekend. Blessings, Kat

Horse Slaughter on It's Way Back

2011-12-07T06:52:00.002-06:00

On it's way back to the US that is. Currently there is legislation to reopen the slaughter facilities for horses in the United States that were closed about 10 or so years ago. There has been a lot of talk on the web on this subject and it is a highly heated and controversial subject. So I thought I would discuss my thoughts and views here. First let's go back in time to when this issue was first rearing its ugly head. There were several schools of thought years ago when this issue of closing the plants came up. The first school of thought was that horses should not be slaughtered...period. The second school of thought was that the conditions that horses were subjected too were horrendous and if they were to be slaughtered then regulations needed to be in place to ensure that they were treated humanely. The third school of thought didn't care. First let me make this clear, horses are not slaughtered for pet food. The meat is extraordinarily valuable. In the 80s, horse meat was bringing close to 18.00 a pound sold mostly to the European market. Those that argued that horse slaughter should be terminated in this country were typically hobby horse owners. They considered their horses as pets and family members. This is noble, but one thing they didn't see was that being able to send horses to slaughter that were unfit for anything else kept the market at an even keel and prevented many badly bred, ill fit horses out of the market. I particularly remember one horse that my trainer sent on down the road with the kill buyer. This was a beautiful animal...purebred Arabian with impeccable bloodlines. This horse was also dangerous. Upon arrival we decided to see what the horse could do so he was saddled and I put my foot in the stirrup to mount. At that moment the horse threw himself (with my foot in the stirrup)over backwards. He did this several times and I still have shoulder problems from where I was slammed into a nearby tree trying to escape the 1000 lbs. crashing over onto me. Each time my foot hit the stirrup the horse flung himself over onto his back. We put him up and the next day tried again with a different rider. He did the same to her. He was loaded onto the kill buyers trailer that afternoon. Had there been no kill buyer, he would have been shipped down the road and eventually would have killed some unsuspecting soul. Now, those types of horses have flooded the market because there is no where to send them. The horse market has all but died out. Free and super cheap horses abound in the classified ads. People wake up with horses in there pasture that weren't there the night before. Horses are being taken out in the country and the wild areas to be turned loose and starve, or owners are just letting them starve in their pastures because they don't have a way to move them. Shutting down the slaughter plants has done nothing but bring about misery and an uncertain future for a glorious animal. Horses are livestock. They are no more knowing or sentient than a cow or a pig. And in reality all that happened by banning horse slaughter here in the states is that horses now travel further since they are shipped to Canada or Mexico. So their plight was worsened by far. What needs to happen is that the slaughter houses need to be re-opened, but regulations need to be set in place that horses cannot arrive in double decker cattle trucks and that they must be in sound condition. With regulations in place then the animals will be treated humanely and they will no longer be starved or dumped to fend for themselves. Slaughter with a captive bolt gun is a quick death...starvation is a slow painful death. Eating a horse is no different than eating a cattle, but the perceptions in this country are quite screwed up. Horses are livestock, same as any livestock. Horses have been eaten for millenia by humans and they will continue to be eaten. However, the one thing that we can guarantee is that they meet a humane and quick death. With an economy that is making it difficult at best to feed one's family there are many that can no longer afford their horses. Horses are costly to keep. I know my feed bill would drop by over half if I didn't have my horses. There are so many horses on the market because of the down economy that people can't give them away. Believe me, I see free horses advertised all the time. How many of them are going to wind up starving or being eaten by predators in the national parks because their owners had no other recourse than to dump them out to fend for themselves. Horse slaughter is necessary, we've seen the results without it and it isn't a pretty sight. Blessings, Kat

Collapse of the European Union

2011-12-03T07:35:00.003-06:00

Many people have been watching the mess with the European Union closely these days. With our "new" global economy what happens there will affect us here in America. America is broke and yet we are sending bailout money to the European banks. What that spells for us is economic disaster. This very well may bring the collapse of the dollar and skyrocketing inflation. I am not an economist, but I fully understand what that means for me and my family....much higher grocery prices. Think Weimar republic where is was more prudent to burn cash for heat than try to buy anything with it. You simply couldn't carry enough to buy a loaf of bread even if you could find a store with a loaf of bread. So here is my warning....If you haven't stocked your pantry before do so now. Look at how you eat, what you eat etc. and cut or rearrange so that you can purchase more with your dollars so that you have more in your pantry. I have posted many times on how to cut grocery costs. Check out those tips if you haven't already done so. I believe it a more prudent idea to place any extra money you can scrape up into tangibles like food, seeds, and tools. Learn skills now that will serve you in saving money later. This winter I plan on doing more cooking on the fire hearth than I have ever done. I have played around with this once or twice, mostly roasting meat. This year I plan to perfect those skills and I will definitely blog about the process and the results so look forward to that. I hate to be such a doom and gloomer, but now is the time to start thinking outside the box and learn and do what you can to ensure your family's well being. Don't depend on the system because the system could care less about you. God provides all that we need to live and survive, but it doesn't necessarily mean that those provisions will come neatly wrapped in plastic packages set inside a cooler for you. If he provides you the meat, most likely it will still be on the hoof or foot or swimming. So, when he does do you know what to do with it or even how to catch or kill it? So think about these things because your skill set is the most valuable gift that He will provide you. What skills do you have that are valuable to your survival should the dollar collapse and chaos take control? Godspeed in all that you do.

Fall Pig Butchering

2011-12-03T07:19:00.002-06:00

Well, we were hoping to be putting the pigs (hogs now) in the freezer by now, but the weather certainly has not been cooperating. However, we have set the date with our friends for December 31st. Surely, it will be cold enough by then. I certainly can't wait as they are eating us out of house and home at this point. Right now they are going through approximately 100 lbs. of grain a week in addition to whatever scraps and acorns we can get to them. We have one that is at about 300 lbs and will more than likely be well over by the end of the month. I try to get them about 5-10 lbs of acorns a day, but since I have to process them beforehand somedays they get less than that. Our acorns are mostly red oak variety and so have more tannin than white acorns. The pigs will eat a few of them without being processed but not many. If I process them then they chow down and eat them all up. At 1700 calories per pound they are worth the trouble to process. I just keep thinking about all that yummy meat and lard that we will get. While the pigs have definitely been a good amount of trouble, I will definitely do this again next year. I guess I am a glutton for punishment! I will say that they have done an awesome job tilling and clearing roots from the area they are in. It is now arable plantable land and will make a great expansion to the garden. Now I just have to decide what to put in there when the time comes. When the day comes I will put up a picture tutorial on how to process hogs at home. I have decided that is one things that I need to do is to put up tutorials on all the animals that we process so look forward to those coming soon. Have a blessed day!

So God Made a Farmer

2011-11-18T07:15:00.000-06:00

This is a great video, hope you enjoy!

A Call to Anguish

2011-11-14T07:33:00.002-06:00

This is such a moving video and applies so truly to our lives right now. We are making a major step out of the world and away from worldly things. In doing so, we have suffered much grief from family and much grief within ourselves as we give up and put away things of this world. However, this is an inspiring message. May God bless you all in your journeys.

Simple Message- Get Help

2011-11-12T06:44:00.004-06:00

This is such a sad thing to post here, but I feel really compelled to help this girl get her message out. Warning, tissues are a requirement to watching. Kaitlin my prayers are with you and your family.
Full story here

Life is never so bad that there isn't light at the end of the tunnel. You may not be able to see it, but it's there. Get help, so that you can keep pushing forward. Blessings, Kat

Weekly Menu

2011-11-11T13:27:00.002-06:00

I have decided in the spirit of low cost eating that I will post a menu plan for the week in the left hand column. If I have anything that needs a recipe then you can be sure that the recipe will be posted. Blessings from the farm,Kat

Food Cost Rising

2011-11-09T07:10:00.002-06:00

Sounds like one of those serious drama espionage type movies doesn't it? Well, in a way it is, but instead of being able to walk out of the theater and it being over, you walk right into the reality of it everytime you walk into the grocery store. I know I have done many posts like this and I will try to give some fresh advice in this post. However, I did feel compelled to write again because this seems to be the topic of the day wherever I go folks are talking about rising food costs and what are they going to do? So here are some of my best tips to stretch a budget and make those food dollars count.

1. Beans are cheap and can stretch your meat. For instance, one night make chili for supper with 1/2 pound of ground beef and a whole load of beans. The next night make beef and bean burritos with the other 1/2 pound of ground beef and again a whole load of beans.

2. Serve bread at every meal. Bread can make a skimpy meal turn into a filling meal with everyone leaving the table full. Biscuits and cornbread can be made up quickly and batches of biscuits can be made ahead and frozen.

3. Meat needs to become a side item for the meal, not the main star. Loads of veggies and a little bit of meat can go a long way and still fill everyone up.

4. Spend more time in the kitchen. Convenience costs and those 30 minute meals cost. Spend the time to make your own from scratch and if you can make a whole bunch at once then dedicate a day in the kitchen to stock up your freezer on things like fruit breads, biscuits, pizza dough, rolls, tortillas, etc. than can be convenient and easily pulled from the freezer for use.

5. Real men do eat quiche...that is if they want to eat in this house. Quiche, or eggs in general, is a great way to add protein to a meal and use just a little of this and that. We add spinach or whatever other greens we have and a little meat if I have it. Serve with biscuits and some fruit (we like pan fried apples or pears) and you have a filling meal.

6. Have a veggie night or two. My husband is just as full with a plate of baked sweet potato, peas, squash and cornbread as he is with steak and baked potato.

7. Learn to use cheaper less desirable cuts of meat. London broil is cheaper than ribeye but cooked properly is just as delicious and goes further. Flank steak is cheaper than round steak, but can make cubed steak just as well. Beat on it enough and no one will know the difference.

8.Make oatmeal, granola and yogurt, grits and such breakfast staples instead of buying that stuff in a box.

9. Save leftover veggies and meat, even small tablespoon amounts in freezer bags in the freezer, and when you have enough make a couple pie crusts and bake a pot pie.

10. Eat whole nutrient dense foods. Nutrient dense foods leave you feeling full for a much longer period of time than processed foods. So the more you stay out of the center of the grocery store the better. For instance, if I eat a bowl of oatmeal with some pears in it and a slice of zuchinni bread with a glass of milk I am good to go for a long time. Many times I am not even hungry for lunch. Nutrient dense meals also mean that the children are less apt to holler for snacks every 30 minutes. I can make a whole meal and feel full as a tick off two pieces of toast with a couple fried eggs on top.

These are just a few ways to save money on groceries. I keep looking back to how my grandparents ate and it was not uncommon for grandaddy to sit down to a meal of just peas and cornbread. There was plenty of both and he always left the table satisfied even though the meal was cheap to fix. He never missed a days hard work on the farm cause he was hungry and he was a big man.

Hope this helps a little. Blessings from the farm, Kat

I feel like an Ant

2011-11-04T07:30:00.002-05:00

Well, this week has been busy busy busy. I have been working on my fall to do list and doing pretty well at accomplishing tasks. I have also been pretty busy picking up acorns for the pigs and chickens. I am not sure if I am allergic to oaks or I have caught a cold, but I am miserable. Yesterday I picked up acorns from the white oak and since they are much smaller than the red oak acorns I have been picking up it took me longer. By the time I got in the house I couldn't breathe and spent the rest of the night coughing and sneezing. I am still stopped up and sneezy this morning. But no rest for the weary the acorns still need to be picked up. I am trying to pick up as many as I can each day because I am giving the pigs about 5 lbs a day and the chickens about 1 lb. a day plus trying to put some in the freezer to make acorn meal and flour this winter. We have loads of oak trees and they each are beginning to dump their acorns. I probably look like the crazy woman to most people because I have found that the easiest and most efficient way to fill my bucket is to get down on the ground and crawl around on my hands and knees. It makes for sore knees at the end of the day, but I get them picked up more quickly than if I were stooping over. We have also almost finished our yearly raking of the yard. Between the pine trees, oak trees and pecan trees the yard is covered in leaves. I rake really well once a year and then in the spring I will rake up what I want to add in the garden. Then I simply don't worry about it. I could literally rake around here almost every single day which would wear me out and take up too much of my valuable time. We noticed the other day that we have two large pine trees near the house that are dead and need to come down. Unfortunately, we will have to hire a tree service for them since they are very close to the house. If one of them fell on the house there would simply be no more house. It will be a costly job so now there is the issue of coming up with the money to pay for it. I really hate pine trees! We already had to have two removed that were a danger to the house and it cost us a pretty penny to do so. Oh, well. I guess that is the price we pay for all the shade on the house in the summer time. I have a good start in the garden for spring, so spring garden chores should be easier than ever. Our main concentration has been doing outside chores lately. Since I have fibro/chronic fatigue tolerating extreme temperatures is difficult. So the majority of our outside hard chores are done twice a year when I can tolerate being outside longer. In the summer, I get chores that are necessary done in the morning and by 11:00 I am done. Even summer late afternoons are just too hot here to be bearable for long periods of time. In the winter I go out in the afternoon to get the main chores done. The temps are supposed to drop again at nights down into the 30s so I guess the next few days I need to really spend getting the window coverings up so that the house isn't so cold. Still haven't turned on the heat and hope to hold to that for as long as possible. We have had the wood stove going in the den though in the evenings which keeps that area nice and toasty. We all have electric blankets on our beds so that we sleep cozy. Mornings have been a little chilly though and those few nights we have already had dip into the 30s have prompted me to start the stove in the morning for a few hours. So lately, I have felt like an ant...especially when crawling around the ground picking up acorns! As the first signs of winter approach and we feel the first of the cold winds I scurry here there and everywhere battening down the hatches. It is amazing how tied to the seasons and God's creation my life has become. Blessings, Kat

What to Do with My Winter "Break"

2011-11-03T04:42:00.002-05:00

I have been really getting excited about my winter break from milking. It will cut down morning chores considerably. So I have been thinking about what I will do with my time and here is the list of things that I am excited to have more time to do:

Sewing
Maybe I will actually be able to sew some new clothes for myself this year. It is always a goal, but never really gets achieved. I will also be able (hopefully) to get the children's spring and summer clothes done well before spring and summer get here!

Writing
I have a huge list of article ideas that I simply keep adding to. I just have not been able to find the energy to sit down and write them out. Now, maybe I can find that energy and have a little extra time to spend.

Painting
Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could actually finish those paintings that have been sitting in various stages of completion! Or imagine how wonderful it would be to start new ones.

Anyway, those are the plans. Blessings, Kat

Raw Milk Freedom Riders

2011-11-01T10:23:00.003-05:00

You go ladies! Check it out...A group of moms are going to commit a crime. They intend to transport raw milk across state lines and eat milk and cookies in front the the USDA. If you aren't up to date, the USDA is waging war against raw milk producers and drinkers. This isn't about raw milk folks, this is about the freedom and right of the consumer to choose what they want to consume. They know the risks and are willing to take them, so that is their right. The government has absolutely no right to tell people what they can and cannot consume! You can listen to the live coverage today at Raw Milk Freedom Riders. There will be some great speakers. Blessings and enjoy!

Break Time

2011-11-01T06:54:00.002-05:00

I have decided that I need a break...a break from milking that is. I have been milking for 3 years straight...7 days a week...365 days a year. I have always had it so that I have somebody in milk year round so that I am not out of milk in the winter. However, this year...I am tired. So, this month I will stock up my milk in the freezer make some simple cheese to keep in the freezer and then dry the last two girls off. It will be nice to not have to head out to the barn on the cold mornings of winter to milk. I am sure the girls will appreciate the break also, even though they get more breaks than I do. It will also cut down on my feed bill for the winter and allow me to have some time to focus on other things that I would like to accomplish while the cold winds blow outside. It will be nice to just have to feed and clean the barns in the mornings now and since the goats will be on hay while they aren't producing then that will cut down on those chores. I just hope I get enough milk in the freezer to last until spring. It will probably mean that milk will be precious commodity and not used for much other than drinking. I am already up to a couple gallons frozen so we will see how it goes. I am certainly looking forward to my break! Blessings, Kat

Halloween? Really? Response to a Comment

2011-10-25T05:39:00.002-05:00

I felt my response would be too lengthy to post in the comment section under the post Halloween? Really? so I will post the comment and post here so that everyone can understand.

Here is the comment that I received:

Tracy said...

"Actually, that's not true. Halloween is falsely attributed to the Druids. It's actually an old world, pre-christianity celebration of the new year. In the 900s the catholic church completed for followers and redubbed November first as All Saints Day, making Oct 31 All Hallows Eve, Hallow meaning holy. Priests would go door to door asking for cake and prayers. Kind of a medieval mission to spread the word of God. It is said that if a house refused the occupants were threatened or curse. I am not sure if this is true. The only information I have read about the Druid involvement in Halloween is from Christain sources, not historical unbiased ones. I think many holidays and observances have changed through the centuries, even Christmas was once a winter solstace festival that slowly grew to become christmas as the popularity of Christianity grew across Europe. Don't judge others so harshly. Halloween can be a time of fun and playing dress up. If you don't want to participate fine, but please stop spreading false history lessons."

Tracy, first I would like to address that you think I am judging. I am certainly not judging anyone who has or will participate in this particular festival. What I am doing is judging the festival and the dark meaning behind it. I also wanted to make it clear in my post that stepping away from the things of this world is not an easy task. This so that others who are in the same place in their journey can understand that they are not alone. What feast and celebrations one chooses to celebrate is a personal matter that exists between them and God. However, it is nice to know sometimes that you are not alone and you are not crazy and you are not a fanatic. That was my purpose.

Now, I would like to address the history lesson behind this festival and upon whose authority I have relied upon. The druids and wicca do pre-date Christianity, so I am not sure where you find fault with that. However, it was not a celebration of the new year. That celebration was December 25th, the birthdate of Tamuz the son-husband of the goddess Ishtar, which dates back to Babylonian times. But that is a "whole nother can of worms" that I won't get into here. Yes, the church renamed and tried to "Christianize" a pagan religion. That is no surprise since they did the same with christmas (pagan winter solstice festival honoring the birth of Tamuz the son of the son god Baal) and easter (worship of the goddess Ishtar/Astarte, the goddess of fertility). Just because the church does something doesn't mean that it is ok with God.

Jeremiah 10:1,2 Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

Deut 12:29: When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30: Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31: Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
32: What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

1 Cor. 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Now as to the sources of the history. Yes, most of them are Christian and since you feel they are biased I will not even give them here. However, Pastor David J. Meyer of Last Trumpet Ministries, I consider an authority on the matter. You see he was not always a Christian, in fact he comes from a long line of witches. He himself was quite a strong witch and astrologer. This history of halloween was his history, his family's history. They lived it in our modern world. So please take the time to read his articles on halloween/samhain...here and here.

Tracy, you say that many holidays and observances have changed over the years. I agree that in man's eye they have and certainly no longer have the meaning that they once did. However, it is not man's view that I am concerned with. For my family, it is God's view and His opinion of these things remains constant. While most view halloween as just a time to have some fun and dress up, there are darker forces at work whether one participates or not. Otherwise, Anton Lavey the author of the satanic bible would not have written that halloween was satanists second most important holiday.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Romans 13:11-14 ...now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

1 Thess. 5:5-8 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Again I say that what a person chooses to do is between them and God. My only purpose is to shed Light on a dark holiday that belongs not to God. Blessings on your journey, Kat

Halloween? Really?

2011-10-24T07:16:00.002-05:00

I grew up in the Christian church and I also grew up trick or treating each Halloween until I was old enough that it was acceptable anymore. No one ever question whether or not this bit of "fun" should be something that Christians take part in. Several years ago when I started to question many things that the traditional church said was ok, I came across the true story of halloween. I was appalled and disgusted. That first year of my discovery I tried weakly to find ways out of the holiday, but my attempt was to no avail and I caved under the pressure from family and friends. Last year I stood my ground and we did not participate nor will we participate this year. Let's look at the facts of Halloween and then a short video that describes many of them.
1. Halloween was originally Samhain, the time of the year when the veil between the spirit world and this world is thin, allowing the dead to once again walk among us. It is also the time considered by witches to be the most powerful time of year.
2. Villagers would wear "costumes" on All Hallow's Eve because it confused the dead and caused them to leave them alone.
3. As evening approached, Druid priests would carry sickles and celtic crosses and drag a dead slave through the village. They approached each house saying "Trick or treat". The house must give them a girl or woman and if they refused then blood was taken from the dead slave and a hexagram drawn on the house while the druids invoked the "horned hunter of the night" to kill someone in the house. If the house relinquished the "treat" then a jack-o-lantern was placed at the door of the house.
4. The girls given to the Druid priests were later taken into a field raped and murdered and thrown onto bonefires (modern day bonfires) as a sacrifice to their god, the horned hunter of the night.
5. During later times, the villagers would put a carved jack-o-lantern at their door lit with a candle made of human tallow to keep the Druid priests from stopping at their door.
6. The Druids also played games that we are familiar with like bobbing for apples. The apple is sacred to witches and paganists because when you cut it crosswise it reveals a pentagram in the center.

Dressing up in costumes to parade through the streets, demanding treats from each house, jack-o-lanterns, skulls, devils, and pagan rituals....hasn't changed much over time has it.

And then the one thing we hear the most from the Christian community as they bring this abomination into the house of the Lord our God, Jehovah...that's not what it means to me!

However, as Christians we must look further than ourselves and our fleshly desires. We must ask...What does this mean to God?

Let's find out:
Leviticus 19:31 - "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God."

Isaiah 29:1-16 - God's judgment fell upon Jerusalem because of witchcraft.

Deut. 18:10-14, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12“For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you. 13“You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14“For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

2 Kings 21:6, "And he made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking Him to anger." (see also 2 Chron. 33:6)

Isaiah 47:12-14, “Stand fast now in your spells and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you may cause trembling. 13You are wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the astrologers, those who prophesy by the stars, those who predict by the new moons, stand up and save you from what will come upon you. 14“Behold, they have become like stubble, fire burns them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; there will be no coal to warm by, nor a fire to sit before!"

Lev. 20:6, ‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people."

So what we should be asking ourselves as Christians is not how we view what is of this world, but how God views the things of this world and would this particular bit of "fun" be seen as harmless and innocent in His eyes. How would He view us as parents, commissioned to train up a child in the way they should go, training up His children to follow in the ways of darkness instead of light? I don't think He would view it as harmless. As for me and mine, we will bake cookies and sing songs in praise of God that night. Blessings from the farm.

Fall To Do List Has Begun

2011-10-23T07:13:00.002-05:00

Well, it certainly appears that fall is finally making its appearance around here. We went from 80 degree days and 60 degree nights straight to 60 degree days and 40 degree nights. Needless to say it has been a little chilly and we even cranked up the woodstove in the evenings and early mornings to take the chill off the house. As many of you might remember this old farmhouse is VERY leaky. As many leaks as we have fixed over the years there are at least twice as many more. Anyway before I digress any further it is that time of year to get those fall chores done so that we are not out in the bitter cold and rain of winter trying to do what needs to be done. The less time I spend outside when it is 20 degrees the better. I always seem to never get everything done and wind up running around in the cold anyway at the last minute when there is a winter storm just about to blast through. I want this year to be different, let's see if I can accomplish that. So here is a rundown of the fall chore list to be done and what has already been completed.

1. Start the deep bedding in the goat barn and close off the northside of the breezeway. Done!
2. Start the deep bedding in the rabbit cages and secure them against the winter winds. Done!
3. Move pigs from the pasture to the finishing pen for their last month and a half. Done!
4. Finish splitting and stacking firewood. Working on it....
5. Fall/winter garden planted. Done!
6. Add compost and mulch to spring garden beds and put up trellises for spring peas (actually planted in late January for us).
7. Finish adding compost to pile and top it with a healthy layer of fall leaves to let sit over the winter.
8. Clean and re-bed chicken coop.
9. Cover the north and west sides of the chicken coop to keep cold winter winds from blowing through. Done!
10. Finish the stalls in the big barn so that all of the horses have shelter this winter at night.
11. Put the window coverings up in the house.
12. Put the electric blankets on the beds. Done
13.Cover the screens of the side porch.
14. Close up crawl space and basement vents. Done!
15. Wrap all exposed pipes for outside faucets.
16. Disconnect unused hoses and put away.
17. Put away, clean and oil all garden tools not in use.
18. Rake up all pine straw and leaves into beds or compost pile.
19. Burn off trash piles.
20. Clean up front and back yard.
21 Check fences for repairs.
22. Straighten up and tidy tool shed.
23. Bed the horse barn.
24. Finish getting in hay.
25. Put away summer clothes

Well, that about takes care of it. If we accomplish all of this then winter chores will run much smoother and that will mean less time out in the bitter cold winter wind and rain. I will keep you all updated on how the chore list comes along. Blessings from the farm!

Tales from the Green Valley

2011-10-12T02:57:00.002-05:00

About a year ago, I watched a BBC series called Victorian Farm on youtube. It was totally awesome! 3 people went immersed themselves in Victorian Farm life. They lived on an old farm, raised period livestock, grew period crops, wore the clothes and did the chores in the manner and with the tools available at that time. Well, they also did the same thing in Tales of the Green Valley only this time they went further back in time to 1620. This series is now available on youtube as well. There is so much to learn from those time periods in farming, especially for the small family farmer like me. There are so many times around here where we have to use what we have and many times that includes basic tools and raw materials. In fact as my husband and watched the last episode of the show I told him how much I would love to do an experiment like that and totally immerse myself in a time period. He looked at me real funny and said, "Honey you already do most of that stuff, you just don't wear the clothes!" I guess he is right in many ways, things like cheesemaking haven't changed much in 400 years. My husband and I employ many of the same building practices using wattle fencing and raw wood fencing. The inside of the horse barn will be re-built with some trash trees that we need to be rid of in the pasture and the old shed needs to be rebuilt which will employ these same trash trees. I did learn a lot from the show though. One thing I learned was that I am very thankful for my washing machine. I certainly would not want to have to lug laundry down to the stream and then beat it on rocks to get it clean. With a 4 year old in the house we go through a lot of laundry! Anyway, I highly recommend the show. In fact I have seen all of them that they did...Tales from the Green Valley, Victorian Farm, and Edwardian Farm. They are great and it is very interesting to see the evolution of some farming methods and those that pretty much stay the same. It is also interesting to see how farming is different in different parts of Britain, just like here in the states it is different depending on where you live. Have fun and check them out. Blessings, Kat

Just an update

2011-10-12T02:29:00.002-05:00

Well, Mom is home and seems to be staying home this time. She is actually doing pretty good for the moment. However, I am still trucking over to her house most days to do little things for her or just check on her. My time seems very limited these days and the days just keep speeding by. It doesn't help that everything around the farm was pretty neglected for over 3 weeks. You just don't realize how that little bit of daily maintenance and attention keeps things running smoothly. First the house was a wreck, then the porch had become a bad "catch-all", the chickens had made an escape route and several were roosting on the front porch (yuk), something happened to the electric fence controller and it no longer works so the goats spent 3 weeks escaping into what once was the garden (yep all fall produce gone), the garden fence has decided that now is the time to start falling apart, etc. etc. etc. So life lately seems to be a mad rush and now I am starting things around here much earlier because if I don't they simply won't get done. There have been times the past couple of weeks that I wonder if it is all worth it. Maybe it would be easier to live like the majority of people do and just get what I need from the grocery store, live on less land with less to maintain, and hire a housekeeper. Then a neighbor comes by and we sit out in the front yard and watch our children play, the baby goats play on the woodpile that is still taking up the front yard, listen to the pigs grunting at the fence in anticipation of goodies and watch chickens scratching for bugs under the bushes. What more could a girl want? Of course reality hit, when she left and the little one had to be bathed, cheese still had to be made, the kitchen had to be cleaned (again!), the critters had to be fed and a multitude of other things had to be done. But for that moment that she was here I had that chance to look around and say "Yeah, it's all worth it". I've never tried to paint this life in anyway other than real. It can be a hard life at times. I guess like any life it has it ups and downs, joys and disappointments. This life is hard work and even though on a daily basis doesn't seem to take much extra time you learn just how much time is spent when you are away for 3 weeks and unable to give the garden that hour each day or check the fence controller. But at the end of the day...yeah, it's worth it. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Taking Care of Parents

2011-09-28T07:28:00.002-05:00

Sorry to have been gone for so long. Things have been nuts around here. Mom, is not well and has been in and out (mostly in) the hospital for the past 3 weeks. She has congestive heart failure and initially went into the hospital because she was having an episode that we thought was another heart attack. During that time her sodium levels dropped way too low and well lets just say during that time she was a candidate for the mental ward. Once all that was straightened out we went home and were home for 4 days before we went back in. This time she had an E.coli infection which the doctor suspects was from her being catheterized during the first week. So, there I was another week practically living at the hospital. Her fluid levels went up and we had a couple days of panic as she could breathe due to the fluid build up in her chest. For those who don't know about congestive heart failure it isn't that the heart doesn't pump it's that the heart doesn't pump well, which causes fluid build up in the body and especially in the chest. Fluid building up in the chest causes to person to feel like they can't breathe (pressure on the lungs) and can eventually lead a weak heart to stop pumping as the pressure builds. What complicates matters with mom is that she is a chronic pain patient and is on loads of pain meds. Unfortunately, pain meds can aggravate her condition with her heart as they cause a decrease in respiration and slow her heart rate. Without the pain meds though the stress of the pain she would then suffer would finish off her heart. She is in a catch 22 situation and she is only 69 years old. I have had several conversations with friends lately that are going through similar things with their parents who are about the same age. What happened to that generation that so many of them are in failing health so early in life? My dad died at the age of 58, yet his father died at the age of 90 and his mother at the age of 81. My grandfather was active up until the last year of his life and still growing a garden until he was about 85. What I see different is food and lifestyle. My grandparents farmed, they were physically very active and they ate what they grew and produced. My parents generation had the option of more processed easy convenience meals from the grocery store and that is what worked for them because with the women's revolution it was no longer acceptable for women to stay home and cook wholesome from scratch meals like my grandmothers did. Their lifestyle centered around social gatherings with friends after work..cocktail parties, dinner parties, etc. Liquor was abundant and smoking was THE thing. Now my parents were the older version of the boomer generation and didn't partake in some of the "recreational" activities that the younger boomers did. By the time the hippies of the late 60s came around my parents were firmly settled into careers and thinking about children. Still because they both left the physical activities of the farm behind to live a more sedentary life along with all the parties, I believe they both have suffered from it. My dad never got a chance to even see his grandchildren. He missed his youngest child's high school graduation and her naval academy graduation. Mom too has missed out on so much piano recitals, ballet recitals and classes, times at the park and many times just being able to get out of bed long enough to play or color together. It's tough for my generation because we still have little ones to raise and now we have our parents in failing health that take so much of our time. My parents didn't have that as their parents were still taking care of themselves and living full lives. How do you balance it all? I simply don't know as I am struggling right now trying to figure it out. Sometimes I have to admit that I find it unfair that the boomer generation has done this to my generation. I know...life in unfair and I am being selfish. However, I see the toll that has been paid by my husband and children as they have had to live without mom for 3 weeks. And it's not over as I am now taking more responsibility for mom's care and spending more time taking care of her. I know one thing that has come of this and it's that I am more resolved than ever that I don't want to be that way. I want to be like my grandparents, teaching my granddaughter to make jelly when I am 78 years old and taking trips through the woods to watch the grandkids play in the creek, growing a small garden in my 80s and putting up food every year. I want to teach my grandchildren those lessons about life and living that it seems only grandparents can teach. My grandfather taught me so much and my children have missed that. I want to make sure that my grandchildren don't. I am more resolved than ever to grow my own food and suffer the hardships that come with farming as I am convinced it is all worth it in the end. Blessings from the farm, Kat

I'm Struggling with Juggling-Time and Organization

2011-08-28T16:41:00.002-05:00

Normally I tend to be a very organized person. I like lists and routines. I am usually very good at both of those and following through with them. These days tho it seems as if the lists and routines are not helping and I feel as if I am running in circles. School activities have started for the girls and I think that and a wedding have absolutely worn me out and gotten me so farm behind that I just feel like I will never get caught up. Let me give you a rundown of what the past 2 weeks has been for me. My oldest had a study skills class to take and we were gone for 3 days, yes it was only a 3 day course. I also had to make sure all her paperwork was in for 2 classes she will be taking outside the home and boy let me tell you those people believe in paperwork. They also believe in asking tons of questions! So we had those three days of classes, then the afternoon of the last day we had ballet, piano, and guitar. We left the house at 8:15 and didn't get back home until almost 6:00. Three very very tired girls. On Thursdays I go over to my mom's house to help over there with whatever I can help with (laundry, yardwork, feeding the birds, etc. etc.) and to visit. I also take her eggs and milk for the week and whatever I have from the garden that she might like. Her health is not good these days and just seems to be getting worse. She used to love her garden and I planted it for her this year and kept it weeded once a week. I picked several things from it at the beginning of the season, but she just wasn't able to even get outside to water it and it eventually croaked. It is so hard watching your parents age to begin with, but watching a degenerative disease that has no cure turn your parent from an active full of life person into someone who can barely stand at the stove long enough to cook herself some pancakes is really tough. Anyway, back to the craziness that is well....driving me crazy. This week we were gone on Monday for a teacher intro for these 2 classes that Petunia is taking, Tuesday we were home, Wednesday we had ballet, piano and guitar, Thursday at mom's, Friday a party for a wedding couple, Saturday a meeting for parents in the program that Petunia is in (those folks believe in meetings), and then Saturday afternoon a wedding. This morning we would have been at church which sometimes is not as relaxing as it should be, but instead I was chasing pigs through the woods away from one of my neighbor's lakes. They had discovered the lake and were having a blast. Don't really know how long they had been out, but they are three tired pigs today and looked like they had had a good time. I did find something interesting while looking for the pigs...a small fawn tucked into a clump of grass. I am glad the dogs were not with me, but I really don't think they would have done anything. So now, my house is a wreck and I am so exhausted that I simply can't think straight. I really have to get a handle on this year's organization otherwise I will drive myself nuts. Mondays and Wednesdays we will be gone at least half the day and then Thursdays we will be gone most of the days. Sundays is church as long as the critters don't get sick, die or escape. I love how they wait until Sunday morning to do those things. I am sure God understands. At least I hope He does. So that leaves Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays that we don't have to go anywhere (at least for now). I am not sure how I am supposed to homeschool, keep house, cook, clean and run a farm with that time frame. Somehow I will work it out, but for right now I am struggling for the first time in a long time and just the struggle is exhausting. Blessings from the farm, Kat

You've Got to Be Kidding Me!

2011-08-08T18:22:00.003-05:00

I simply can't believe this, we are having a severe drought in this country. Farmers are having to sell off their entire herds, families have been burned (yes burned) off their lands and out of their homes, towns have run completely dry and there is no water for livestock, and yet......our government is sending 105 million dollars for drought relief in Africa! Really, you have got to be kidding me!! I am simply dumbfounded. I may sound cold hearted and so be it if I do, but when is our government going to start being concerned with the people of THIS country?! When are they going to decide to let other countries handle their own problems?! We have enough of our own and if they would keep their eyes at home they might see that. I for one am disgusted, since we all know that this money will never get to the people who actually need it. The dictators always take it...they always have and they always will. I feel bad for Africa, I really do. The situation there is horrible, I understand that. However, our own countrymen are in dire straights and yet we are going to flush more money down the toilet. Disgusting, just disgusting! See article here

That Time of Year Again

2011-08-08T15:42:00.002-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again when the school year is getting ready to ramp up into overdrive. While we never really stop schoolwork completely, our summer is a pretty light load with more reading than anything. Many of our extra activities get put on hold also for the summer so that we get some sort of break. However, now is the time to make a plan and since both of the girls have a pretty heavy load. So, we are spending the week getting the house in order and streamlined. Things go much more smoothly around here when I can clean the house in one day rather than doing the same things day after day. Since the girl's educational activities this year will have us away from the farm 2 days a week or so and then there is church on Sunday and church activities Sunday nights we need to be super organized and clutter free to maintain the house and farm without me going nuts! Each room of the house is getting a good going through with the trash bag and the get rid of box. It will be a busy week. During the summer we are so exhausted from the heat that clutter can get the best of us. There is also the canning to do and garden to maintain, so basic cleaning is about all that we can manage. Unfortunately, this means that things get pretty out of order and chaotic. I cannot stand out of order and chaotic, it simply drives me nuts. Although to be honest sometimes I am just too busy to notice how chaotic the house has gotten until I take a deep breath, sit down and then ....wow, what happened around here! So, now is the time because later will just not be good. My plan for the week is to get everything with the house streamlined and finish planting for fall crops and then clean up the corn field. If I get all that done I will be a happy, happy woman. So ladies and gents....is it that time of year for you too? Grab your trash bags and donation boxes...ready, set, clean!!!!Blessings from the farm, Kat

Summer Heat Doldrums

2011-08-05T18:23:00.002-05:00

It's official, I really am tired of summer (especially this summer). It has been so hot and so miserable (as many folks across the country can attest to). I do count my blessings....we have had rain, the garden has done well despite the heat, and I didn't lose any rabbits due to the heat extremes. However, here I sit at 6:25 in the evening and the heat index is 103 degrees. Who needs to go to the health club to sit in the steam room, just pull up a chair on the porch and steam away. It really is too hot for the children to get outside and spend much time. It really is so hot and humid that just a few mornings pushing past my normal come in time has me wiped out for an entire day. The other day it was cloudy and overcast with the temp hovering around 95 and not much of a heat index above that. I sat outside and commented on how nice it felt. My prayers really do go out to the folks in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and the other states are are slap burning up...literally. They are in much worse shape than we are. At least I am not having to give away my livestock because I can't feed them, or having to haul hay from other states to feed them. Most folks out there gave up on their gardens long ago and there are many that are now worried about wells drying up and not being able to water livestock. So, we do have our blessings here at Whisperwind. I am still tired of it though and don't think I will ever complain about winter again. I think we have been cooped up in the house more this summer than we ever have in the winter time. Now I know what cabin fever truly feels like to those up north. Ok, I guess I am done complaining. Time to get ready to melt and head out to feed the critters. Ya'll have a blessed night.

Working in the Heat

2011-08-01T06:06:00.003-05:00

This summer has been tough. We have dealt with temperatures ranging from hot, hotter, and blistering hot. Unfortunately, things still have to get done and the farm still has to be taken care of. So what is a girl to do. Here are some of my tips for surviving the summer heat.

1. Be willing to adjust your routine so that you are outside during the coolest part of the day. Mornings are my most productive time since the humidity is still so high in the evenings.

2. Work in the shade. Keep moving around with the shade and don't stay in the sun any longer than you have to.

3. Drink water...lots of water. Keep a cool water bottle and a frozen water bottle with you so that you can constantly be sipping water.

4. Take breaks often. Work for a bit and then sit in the shade for a bit sipping water.

5. Wear light loose clothing designed to breathe. My two favorite fabrics are cotton and linen for this very reason, they breathe.

6. Do outside stuff in the coolest part of the day and do inside stuff in the heat of the day.

7. Don't eat heavy meals....seems like they take forever to digest. Heavy meals raise your metabolism for a longer period of time which raises your internal core body temp. Not fun when you are fighting a heat index of 107 degrees.

8. Keep a bandana or light cloth that you can dip in water often and just let it run down your neck. Often I will turn on the hose and wet my head and hair. Instant cooling effect!

9. On the hottest days, do what is necessary outside and leave the rest. It really will wait until tomorrow.

10. As long as it isn't lightning or thundering work outside in the rain. This is my favorite. It is so refreshing and the 4 year old loves it too...lots of puddles to jump in!

Take it easy this summer and be safe. I have had heat exhaustion and it simply is no fun and quite scary. You are also never the same and can never extreme heat again in the same manner that you used to. It's like it permanently messes up your body's internal temperature controls. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Chickens are Driving me Nuts!

2011-07-27T04:43:00.002-05:00

Yes that is exactly what I said, they are driving me nuts. It wasn't so bad when we had a dozen chickens or so, but the chickens have taken over and I am tired of it. About a year ago our rooster and a few hens decided that they did not want to go into the coop at night...they preferred the goat barn. Ok, that wasn't so terribly bad. They roosted on the gate and their droppings were easily swept up with the other droppings each morning. They were safe so I simply didn't worry too much after several times trying to convince them to go back to the coop. Then I got more hens and now have over 30 chickens. The new hens and some of the old ones have also decided that the chicken coop is no good at night. Only 5 of my chickens go back to the coop at night now, the rest are in the goat barn. This is a problem! They are roosting everywhere and leaving their droppings everywhere and on everything. My poor goats have even woken up with chicken poo on their backs. It is simply too much. Add into the fact that the 30 something flock of chickens has decided that prime free ranging territory is my house. My front porch, my side porch, my driveway, in between the house and garden gate....anywhere and everywhere close to us and where we are. I have even had chickens looking in the sliding glass door. They have 10 acres to roam and eat bugs, yet they choose to spend their days on my porches leaving chicken poo everywhere. I am sick and tired of it. Having lived with livestock all my life I understand that there is a level of "germs" that goes along with the territory, but I DO NOT have to live with chicken poo absolutely everywhere. I DO NOT have to live with chickens walking and pooing on my table on the porch or on the chairs that I would like to be able to use. My goats should not have to suffer the indignity of being pooed on at night! I should not have 30 odd chickens running around my feed room (small by the way) pecking my feet every time I go in there. That is it...I am done! The chickens are getting their own yard where they will be confined with the exception of a couple hours a day for bug patrol. If in those couple of hours in the afternoon they still continue to be a menace then they will never leave the confines of their yard again unless it is to enter my stew pot. I am beginning to understand why my dad use to say that he hated chickens. I can't imagine growing up with over 2000 of them (yes they had that many). If they can't be trusted to free range on their own then they will just have to be confined and I will bring the free range to them with all the grass trimmings and garden trimmings. Stinking chickens are making life around here miserable and boy are they in for a surprise. Just a bunch of juvenile delinquents...that is all they are. So guess what I am doing today. Yep you guessed it...building another fence. My arm is already killing me from cutting saplings yesterday for fence posts, but it absolutely must be done because I am covered up in chickens and their droppings everywhere. Hope you all have a great day! Think about me while I am in the heat building that fence. Blessings, Kat

The Great Piggie Adventure

2011-07-26T06:53:00.003-05:00

Sorry about being gone for awhile, things have been kind of crazy around here. The computer crashed and it was a couple weeks before I could get it fixed, then the garden is in full swing, chickens are driving me nuts and finally the pigs were doing what pigs do...escaping their pasture. So I thought I would start back with a funny story about one of their escapes. You know they say if you want to find out how good your fence is put a pig in it, they will show you how good it isn't. Well, our three little porkers have done just that, but this particular story is called the great piggie adventure for a reason. The pigs had been escaping into the garden and coming to the garden fence looking for me. We were trying to figure out where they were getting out but simply could not find a way that they were. However, it didn't bother me too much as they didn't go anywhere except the garden gate and when they got there they would squeal for me. I would go and put them back since they would follow me absolutely anywhere. This became a several times a day habit. Then there came the day of the adventure. My husband and I were working out in the yard and happened to hear our neighbor on the far corner yelling at something. We couldn't figure out what he was yelling at for a long time. Well, we thought he might be yelling at the horse since she shot out of the woods like a rocket. Often I imagine that she reaches over the fence to nibble the grass on the other side, which happens to be his yard. You know the grass being greener and all. However, she didn't seem to settle down and we couldn't really see anything since that corner of the pasture is heavily wooded. We still went on about our business since the day was getting hotter and we wanted to finish up before heat stroke claimed either of us. In a bit the horse was getting more anxious and running around the pasture like something was definitely after her. So we stopped what we were doing and walked over to her fence looking intently across the pasture down toward the woods in the direction she was looking when she wasn't running around like a maniac. It was then that I saw them....three little piggies desperately trying to figure out where they were and where "mama" (me) was! How did they get over there! I should have caught the horse then because there was no chance to do it in the 90 seconds that followed. Not only did I see the little piggies, but she did too and in that instant she decided that they were devils that needed elimination. I called the pigs and as they came running she charged....scattering little pigs in every direction. It was a harrowing few minutes as I called pigs, tried to calm the horse as she was trying to stomp them into oblivion and they made the desperate attempt to avoid her hooves and get to me and safety. By the time they did make it through the fence they were terrified and scattered in all directions, still running for their very lives on their very short little legs. After a little while of me talking to them and calling them they came to me and stood at my feet looking up at me as if to say, "Where in the world have you been!?" So off to the other side of the house and through the garden I go to the pig pasture with three little exhausted pigs trotting along behind me...too tired to even squeal. Apparently, what had happened was this. Normally when the pigs got out they turned left and went up through the garden paths to the garden gate next to the goat barn and would squeal for me to come. They did some rooting around the gate while they waited, but nothing too damaging. They were after all quite small little pigs, not having long left their pig mama. However, this particular day for some reason they turned right and found themselves through the garden fence on the opposite side and on the neighbors property where they turned right again. At this point instead of turning around, they simply kept going figuring they would get to their destination eventually. They trotted along the outside of their fence line until they got to where it ended...the road. It was at this point that the little pigs turned again with their fence line and continued trotting alongside it and the very busy road. Unfortunately, they missed the next turn which would have brought them down the driveway and safely back home. Instead, they continued along the road because I am sure the ditch being wet was a great piggie mudhole with lots of rooting opportunities. Along the entire front fenceline and road they went until they found themselves in the opposite neighbor's yard. It was at that point that he saw them and started yelling. And from there you know the rest of their harrowing trip up the hill with a very large critter desperately trying to squash them flat with all four feet. Needless to say the next two days were spent fortifying the piggie enclosure in which we finally discovered where they were getting out...the gate. They could wiggle the gate just enough that they could slip through between the gate and the fence. Needless to say that was heavily fortified so that they gate no longer wiggled. Piggies are safe and now much larger having doubled in sized from that day. But they were three very tired little piggies having been out adventuring goodness knows how long. They flopped down in their mud in the shade of a sweet gum tree and slept the entire afternoon away. Having little piggies is like having a band of two year old toddlers...seems like they are always looking for mischief. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Rising Feed Costs

2011-06-27T05:44:00.002-05:00

Feed costs have been steadily rising for quite some time and don't really look to getting any better. The whole country has been under less than optimal growing conditions this year. So what is a farmer to do? Many farmers switch to cheaper feeds. This can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing. I know around here my feed schedule changes somewhat according to the seasons. Also, according to budget sometimes I have to re-evaluate my feeds, amounts or ingredients. At one time I could feed a cheap horse feed and my horses did fine. As my stallion has aged is requirements have become different and I have had to switch to a more expensive feed for him. The thing is that the cost works out to about the same. As his new feed is higher quality and easier for him to digest, there is less waste and he is doing better on it. So one of my feed tips is that while that one bag might cost you double the cheaper bag, it might work out to be about the same total cost in the end. With my older stallion I have found the same issue with hay. I don't grow my own hay so I have to buy it. He doesn't chew hay well and will oftentimes simply walk away out of frustration. The hay does him no good. However, I have found that if I purchase bagged hay that he can eat all of it and in the long run with one bag of hay costing 13.00 I get 5 days of hay for him and no waste. With traditional baled hay 2 bales would last 5 days and cost me 12.00, but over half of the hay would be wasted. So my tip number one is that while cost can be a consideration don't let that be your only consideration. Don't be afraid to re-evaluate the feed needs of your critters and don't be afraid to adjust with the seasons. During the summer my mare stays fat as a tick and if I fed her the same year round she would be severely overweight. Even during the winter she holds weight and condition well with little feed, but in the summer I need to back off on grain requirements for her. My second rule of thumb for us is to evaluate livestock numbers. If feeding livestock means that my feed bill is larger than my grocery bill would be then some livestock must go. Whether that be to freezer camp or sold, the numbers would have to be reduced. I try to keep my numbers down and don't add more than necessary. I simply have to stay within a budget. For us this is not a hobby and must remain practical or it is simply too expensive to continue doing. So tip number three is to look at your livestock numbers, evaluate your needs, and cull your numbers if necessary. Tip number three is to grow what you can. We grow black oil sunflower seeds because that is one of our most expensive ingredients. The advantage to growing your own is that the critters can eat the whole plant, not just the seeds. So you actually get more feed value from growing your own than buying them in the bag. I also plant extra of everything that I grow because whatever I don't use for us gets fed to the critters. Even my horses are used to eating squash, turnips and thinnings from the garden. When I shell peas the horses and goats get the hulls. When I snap beans the horses and goats get the ends. When I pulled up the broccoli stems they were chopped and fed to everyone except the chickens. Rising feed costs don't seem to be slowing down, so doing what you can will save you money in the long run. Blessings, Kat

Already thinking about winter

2011-06-25T18:55:00.003-05:00

Living this life means that you are always thinking about the next season or seasons. So that means that summer time is the time to prepare for winter, despite that fact that winter seems like a very very long time off. The past three days we have officially gotten up all the wood for this winter and probably some for next winter too. My front yard is one very large woodpile. Now comes the fun part.....splitting and stacking all that wood. A friend of ours came home from vacation to find a very large, very old oak tree had blown down. It took out the power pole, power line and blocked his driveway. So for the past 3 days we have been cutting up and hauling that tree. There are still some large limbs that need cutting, so we will get those up in the next few days and then everything will be back to normal at his house. Well, I can check one off the list of things to do before winter time sets in. Now, on to the rest of the list...like canning and preserving. I don't think my tomatoes are ever going to turn red and......I forgot which tomato patch is german greens, which stay green! Have a good summer, it sure is a hot one down here in the deep south. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Update on Farm Life

2011-06-22T06:57:00.002-05:00

Well, things have been dry here. So of course, stuff is suffering despite the water. Everything seems to be in slow motion in the garden. While it is producing it is slow about it. Even the fig tree is behind this year. Normally I am picking and putting up figs like crazy, but this year the figs are still green and hard. I emptied the rain barrel watering the fig tree and have even used some of the pond water to water the garden. I can only do so much of that though as it is time consuming and back breaking. However, the natural water seems to boost the plants better than water from the hose. As, I said in an earlier post we got hit hard by brown marmolated stink bugs especially on the squash. I have spent the past week or so picking them off and drowning them in soapy water. It seems to have helped and I might actually get some decent squash. That is if the grasshoppers don't eat me out of house and home. The ducks are falling down in their job and the grasshopper population is rising. It is so bad right now that I have been letting the chickens in the garden. I will sacrifice a few tomatoes, cucumbers and yes even squash to save my plants. A few days ago, the hoppers devoured half of a huge squash plant within just a few hours. I have put out DE carefully because of our pollinators, but it doesn't seem to do much for the hoppers. The sunflowers are ready to harvest and instead of drying and saving them this year we are simply feeding them straight from the garden allowing us to save the seeds we already have from the feed store. It doesn't take long to harvest and cut up a couple 5 gallon buckets and the benefit is that the critters are eating the whole thing, stem and all. A few days ago I had a very busy day. I drove several hours north of us to pick up some speckled sussex pullets to add to our little flock of chickens and then brought them home and went several hours south to pick up our.......pigs!!!!! I finally got pigs and just sucked up the drive and drove to get them. All the folks in our area that used to raise pigs don't anymore because they simply couldn't sell enough of them. So in order to get some pigs I had to drive about 3 hours south. It was a long day made especially long because the woman that gave me directions for the pullets was not very good at giving directions and I had to call them 3 times because I was lost. Apparently she didn't know her right from her left and everywhere she told me to turn right I should have turned left. Her husband finally got me to the house. But everyone made it home safe and sound. However, I did not realize until I got the hens home and was looking at them closely the next day that they had been de-beaked. Oh great! They probably won't be able to forage very well although they seemed to be giving it a good try yesterday. So just in case I have been putting some grain into the feeder, but that could get expensive. I may not have gotten as good a deal as I thought. Since my chickens free range the summer is a time when they cost me nothing to keep as they find all their own food. In fact if I put food in the coop they ignore it choosing to stay out and find their own until dusk. Well, we will just have to see how it goes. The piggies are in the front pasture and are loving it. They love to root around and I am loving having them to turn and soften that hard clay soil and get rid of those little sweet gum trees that keep popping up. Maybe I can actually grow something other than cherokee roses in there now. There is some grass and such but it only grows down at the bottom since the top is in such bad shape. The pasture is about 3/4 of an acre so they have loads of room to roam and root. They are getting a grain and hay mix in the morning with goat milk on top and then garden and kitchen scraps the other two feedings of the day. They either get goat milk or whey on every single feeding and they look like they have already grown. They are so terribly cute, but as the feed bill goes up I imagine they will no longer be so cute and I will look forward to butchering day. We came home with 3 as I am keeping one for a neighbor, one for my mom, and one for us. My neighbor is paying for hers and feed for hers, it is just living with mine. They are happier when together. They seem so smart and have already memorized the routine and are waiting for me at the gate when I come to feed. They are very polite also at feeding time actually waiting for me to dump the food into their bucket instead of mobbing me like the goats. We'll see how long that lasts. It has taken a couple of days of talking to my youngest about they are not pets (even though they are soooo cute). She normally has no problem with knowing that we are gonna eat goats or rabbits or chickens, but the pigs are so little I guess that she has been a bit upset. She is only 4 so it is expected. They won't stay so cute forever and eventually they will be large eating machines. We probably will butcher in December when the weather is cool enough. MMMMMMMMM......bacon, ham, pork chops oh my! Yummy yummy. Anyway right now we are enjoying their cuteness. Anyway, I am running late this morning and better get moving or the troops will get restless. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Tightwad Tip- Coffee

2011-06-22T06:51:00.002-05:00

This tightwad tip does require you to spend some money up front, but in the long run will save you loads of money. Coffee is not cheap right now and if you are like me and enjoy a good strong cup of joe then you know those drip coffee makers tend to go thru the coffee. Well, a couple months ago I ran across a percolator that I had stuck in the cabinet somewhere. Since my drip coffee maker was on its last leg and took up so much counter space, I pulled out the percolator and ditched the drip. The percolator saves me tons of money in coffee and the coffee tastes sooooooo much better. I only use about half the grounds that I used to use and with the setting just below strong, I get a rich full bodied coffee each and every morning. The percolator is a great tool to saving money on coffee. Now if I can get the family to cut down on tea I will be in good shape. Blessings, Kat

The year of the pests

2011-06-08T03:46:00.002-05:00

Well no garden year is without its problems and this year is no different. I have been so proud of my garden in how well it was doing this year. In the past I haven't seemed to have too many problems with bugs. Last year my ducks were able to take care of the grasshoppers that showed up in droves and I suffered little damage. Normally, diatomaceous earth and neem oil keep my seedlings safe and once the plants mature I have few problems provided they are healthy. This year though the mature plants are falling prey to grasshoppers and a new predator....stink bugs. These aren't your typical stink bug. These are brown marmalated (sp?) stink bugs, a relatively new pest to the United States that is beginning to wreak its havoc from sea to shining sea. Apparently it has had the department of agriculture befuddled as to how to get rid of it. These bugs don't necessarily kill the plant at first, instead they target the fruit of the plant causing it to rot and drop off before maturing. Eventually the plant is affected and dies. This is because they often affect the flowers of the plant also interfering in pollination. Apparently, though many people call these little critters squash bugs because they are very similar to the stink bugs/squash bugs that we have had in the past, this variety has no preference to type of plant. Reports are coming in that they are decimating fruit trees, beans, peas, melons and others right along with squash. I planted 10 squash plants which should be producing enough to feed the whole county. I have lost countless fruit and two whole plants have succumbed to the attack. I can verify that neither neem oil nor diatomaceous earth phase them. I learned yesterday that trapping them helps. So yesterday I destroyed hundreds and hundreds of eggs that had been laid on my plants and set about trying to trap the adults and nymphs. So I will head out to the garden with my flashlight in just a bit to look under the boards that I placed near my squash plants to see if I can kill the little buggers. Each adult female is capable of laying over 50 eggs a day. I am hoping I can save my garden. I have lost my cantaloupe and a couple of squash. One of my cucumber plants is kicking the bucket so I will pull it today. Each year it is something and sometimes it can get downright depressing, but for some strange reason I keep on trying and keep on plugging away. Truly, I must be crazy! Blessings from the farm, Kat

Crazy Hot Weather

2011-06-06T06:03:00.002-05:00

It is crazy hot around here. We are about 10 degrees above our average for this time of year and the humidity is like being in a steamroom. Needless to say just stepping outside the door starts the sweat pouring. Everything is miserable around here with the exception of the sunflowers and corn, which seem to be enjoying themselves quite nicely. Just this past month we had an unusual cold spell in which we were looking for sweaters and now we can't get cool enough. All the critters are miserable, milk production is down due to the heat. The rabbits are really miserable and my last litter growing out from the spring litters seems to be stalled in their growth. Too hot to eat much I suppose. I suffered heat exhaustion one year and so I don't tolerate this weather well at all. In fact, I can get sick really quickly. So I have some tips for others who are suffering under these weather conditions also.

1. Stay hydrated. Drink often and all day long. Don't wait until you are thirsty because by then you are dehydrated.

2. Eat small meals and lots of fruit. Eating a large meal really jacks up your metabolism which increases your core body temp, causing you to suffer heat exhaustion sooner. Eating small meals or snacks through the day keeps your metabolic rate lower and therefore doesn't change your body temperature that much.

3. Wear breathable clothing and a hat to keep the sun off your head.

4. Go out early and late. Stay inside in the middle of the day if possible.

5. When outside tying a wet bandana around your neck will help keep you cooler. In addition to this work in the shade. I typically follow the shade around my garden as all of it gets some shade even if only for a tiny little bit.

If you feel yourself getting too hot seek the shade or indoors, then place an ice cube on the inside of your wrist. Take things easy and drink plenty of fluids. Replace your electrolytes with one of the sports drinks, I prefer the ones without artificial dyes. My grandad's old fashioned remedy for replacing electrolytes was to put salt in a can of beer and he drank one of those everyday in the summer. Learn to recognize the signs of heat exhaustion so they don't turn into heat stroke. If you are feeling a headache, dizziness, general body weakness you probably have had enough of the heat and should seek shelter indoors. There is a reason the old timers took a long siesta in the middle of the day before the days of AC. It was too bloody hot to do anything else. Stay safe and healthy folks. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Dear Neighbor Clarification

2011-06-05T06:44:00.002-05:00

I realized how cold and harsh my last post sounded, so I thought I would clarify a few things. We do not have animal control nor a shelter in our county. The nearest shelter is completely full as they have taken in dogs from the tornado damaged area shelters. The sheriff will not deal with loose animals unless it is livestock. I have made phone call after phone call trying to find where these dogs belong. I know these dogs belong to someone and that someone has put a lot of time and money into these dogs. The local vet know they are here, many of my neighbors even further away from me know they are here, and the local feed farm (where everyone around here buys their feed) knows they are here. These dogs have already engaged my dogs, the pyrenees and the rhodesian ridgeback in a fight when the labs would not back off. Both of my dogs are injured because of this with the rhodesian ridgeback getting the worst of the injuries. He is now out of commission while he heals. So I am down to one dog who is still a growing puppy trying to do the job alone against two full grown and determined male labs. Not great odds. These dogs have raided my chicken coop for eggs, have made several attempts to gain access to the goat pasture and barn (where I have kids)and made a run at my chickens and several runs at my ducks. There is one possibility that was pointed out to me when I was making my numerous phone calls to try and find the owners of these dogs. I live in front of a hunting club, where people come from all over the place to hunt and fish. It is possible that these dogs were lost there at the club by someone who doesn't even live in this area and could not be found before the owner had to leave. And so the dogs were simply left behind. Believe me the absolute last thing that I want to do is destroy these dogs, but I have done everything I know to do to find our where they belong. They show absolutely no signs of leaving and absolutely every sign of becoming more desperate to find food. My poor chickens are locked up tight now in the chicken coop where they are hot and miserable in over 100 degree temps. My goats are locked up tight where they are miserable and it is costing me more money because of the lack of browse, so I have to hay them. I have one dog out of commission and one left to face off with two. I personally am exhausted from constantly running outside day and night. So I am terribly sorry if I sound cold and cruel, but what is happening here is cold and cruel on the part of the owner to make no attempt at finding these dogs. Folks in the area would know, since I have alerted at least a dozen folks if not more. No one has come in my direction looking for them or they would have found them. No one has contacted the vet or the feed guys to find out if anyone has seen them. I just don't know what else to do and my responsibility lies with the animals that I keep here. Hope this clarifies my position a little more. Blessings, Kat

Dear Neighbor

2011-06-04T06:54:00.003-05:00

Dear Neighbor, I don't know if you know it or not but your dogs are at my house. I don't know which home is theirs, but they are some nice labs. Obviously not drop offs. My livestock guard dog has been keeping them away from my livestock so far, but frankly she is getting tired. And after 3 days your dogs are getting hungry. I understand that sometimes dogs get loose. My immediate neighbor has a beautiful german shorthaired pointer that loves to come tell us when she has done a jailbreak. And I understand that even well trained dogs sometimes don't understand boundaries and property lines. Yours have far left their property lines though or I would know where they belong. Your dogs are now stealing eggs and chasing livestock, mainly chickens and ducks. However, I also have baby goats and they have tried on several occasion to find a way into the goat fence. So my goats are in jail to keep them from becoming lunch to your hungry dogs. These are some really nice dogs and I can tell you have put some time into them. Unfortunately though their days are numbered. You see as a farmer it is my duty to protect my livestock. When I brought livestock here I took on the responsibility to do my best to keep them safe. They are no longer safe.I don't really understand why you haven't made any attempt at looking for the dogs, since you would have easily found them. They have been right here and at my neighbor's house. For 3 days we have played chase the dogs off. He chases them out of his yard and I chase them out of mine. They go from my yard to his. I am sure they are eyeing his chickens as well as mine. So, it has become obvious that you don't really care that your dogs are loose. I am sorry about that, I wish that you did because it is looking like I am going to have to kill them. Their hunger has driven them to be a threat to my livestock. Already this morning they have gone after the chickens and the ducks. Dakota has done her job, but she is wearing thin. Yesterday I caught one trying to get in my goat barn. The gun is loaded and I will do my best to eliminate the threat that they pose. I hope you have time in your busy schedule to come and collect them before my bullet finds them. Sincerely, your neighborhood farmer

If I could write a letter to the offending neighbor this would already have been dropped at his doorstop. Unfortunately, I have suffered more livestock losses due to neighbors dogs that run loose to wreak havoc than I have all the wild predators in the area. I have lost 3 chicken flocks to domestic dogs, hence the reason that I chose to add a livestock guard dog. She has worked hard with little sleep for 3 days now. I wish folks would understand that there are other farmers around me who are not as forgiving and shoot all dogs that cross their fenceline, no second chances. I hate to be put in this position, but I can't suffer anymore livestock losses. They can't either. We know what domestic dogs can do "for fun". Blessings, Kat

Sticker Shock

2011-06-03T05:56:00.002-05:00

Over the past several months, I have been increasingly aware of rising food costs. This is especially since I don't make regular trips to the grocery store. I usually go once a month and sometimes once every other month. Yesterday, I went because I was out of a couple things (I really don't like to be out of anything) and I needed something for a recipe that I wanted to try. So I was in town anyway and decided that would be a good time to swing by the store. A couple things were on sale so I picked those up while I was there. Here is what I purchased:

2 quarts of active culture buttermilk on sale
4 large jars of peanut butter
1 bag of cherries on sale
bananas
2 boxes of lemon jello
2 boxes of cream cheese
16 cans of tuna fish on sale
2 pounds of lunch meat on sale
1 bag of chicken wings

That is it, that's all I got and my bill was 102.00 dollars! Now folks, look at that list. There is not enough food there for a weeks worth of groceries to feed a family. That was simply a few odds and ends, so I simply can't imagine what families are paying for a week's worth of groceries. Of course, we have all been warned that this was coming and I have been passing those warnings on here. But to see this type of food inflation is astounding. What is more astounding is the fact that this is just the beginning, it is going to get worse. So thank you Lord for my garden and my goats. That you Lord for my bunnies and my chickens. Without them I am not sure how we would eat much of anything. I know I have done grocery tips before, but I decided that now is a good time to re-iterate my top tips to save money on food. I think more and more people need it.

1. Shop at discount grocery stores, often called bent and dent stores. Many things are marked down and there is nothing wrong with any of it. Most things are much cheaper than a regular grocery chain and some things are about the same price.

2. By produce from the farmer's market. I have always noticed that prices at the farmer's market were way below grocery store prices. The only thing is they only have what is in season in your area.

3. Keep a well stocked pantry so that you only purchase what is on sale and never really need anything. Hence the reason for me buying so much tuna fish yesterday.

4. Grow your own. Even if you have a small backyard assess what you might use the most and grow it, lots of it. I once knew a family that used lots of tomato products; canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup etc. There back deck of their very small backyard every summer was a jungle of tomatoes grown in containers. She used those tomatoes for every tomato product that they used and put up all those products so that she never had to buy any from the store. She saved a bunch with just tomato plants. She also worked full time.

5. Take advantage of pick your own farms. Make a family outing to a farm and pick your own produce and put up enough to last at least a few months if not until the next harvest. Last year we went peach picking. We spend 70 dollars and got enough peaches to last through the year, a basket of plums, a basket of nectarines, a couple of cantaloupe and a couple other little things. We had a trunk load of food coming back home. I know prices have gone up, but pick your own farms are going to rise at a much slower rate than grocery stores. So I would imagine 8 dollars would get the same trunk load. We had fresh peaches until we were sick of them and I put up enough to last through the year. All for that little bit of money.

I have tons more tips but those are the biggest ways I have found to save money and still eat well. I am still getting over yesterday's sticker shock. I think I will go hug my juvenile delinquent goats now and talk nice to my tomato plants. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Goats....Ugghh!!!!

2011-06-01T06:31:00.002-05:00

Sometimes goats are and pain in the neck and yesterday half my herd almost got themselves killed.....by me! It is a really good thing that I didn't have the gun with me when I heard my 4 year old yell out, "Goats in the garden! Mommy, goats in the garden!" I ran to the garden wondering how they got in there. The gate was still closed and latched. 3 of them were still happily in the yard munching on grass. I got into the garden and immediately started to see red. They were not only in my garden but were in my oat patch and had trampled all the chicken wire that kept the ducks out not to mention the oats were no longer standing up....trampled. I ran them out only to discover that most of the oat crop is gone. I had just admired it this morning thinking that in a couple weeks I should be harvesting oats. I might find enough seed that got trampled before it got eaten to start over next spring, but there will not be oats for flour or oatmeal this year. I was mad....really really mad. Then I saw my pole beans and got even angrier and then I saw my broccoli and got livid. I came very close to killing goats. I was so angry I could have done it barehanded. Then the task of finding out how they got in the garden. I started looking and searching and finally concluded by the wooden fence being pushed over at the top in one particular spot that they climbed onto an old wooden deck that was left by the previous owner and jumped the 3 foot span between the deck and the garden fence....right into the oat patch. Stinking goats. Sometimes they are smarter than is good for them or me. Sometimes I just don't know which is more aggravating...smart goats that can analyze a situation and come up to a solution or a dumb cow that will just bulldoze its way through anything!I hope my pole beans come back and I have some broccoli plants that were spared although all heads are gone. Today I will pull the one that were completely stripped only to leave the stems. I will plant some more pole beans just in case the plants die since they were completely stripped halfway down (everything the goat could reach). They also ate one of my cantaloupe plants and two of the melon plants so I guess I will have to replace those. Just one year I would like to not have critter issues in the garden. How much more of a fortress do I have to build? Oh, well...off to milk the juvenile delinquents and I am not in the mood for any milk stand shenanigans so they had best be on their best behavior. They just might find themselves grounded to their pasture lined with hot wire!!!! Blessings from the farm, Kat

Eat What Your Garden Grows

2011-05-31T15:18:00.002-05:00

We are fortunate here in the deep south to have almost a 4 season growing season. We truly only have a couple months out of the year where nothing will stay alive without protection or lots of water. However, we do have limited time in which to grow certain crops. Lettuce varieties only do well for a couple months out of the year in the spring and then again in the fall. They can't tolerate our heat and they don't tolerate frost very well. There are some varieties that last longer than others, but typically May is the last month for any lettuce to taste decent at least and even then it is iffy. So what am I trying to get around to? We love salad and eat it several times a week. While we have done well in the past with eating what was in season we truly missed our fresh green salad. Last year I used cabbage leaves instead of lettuce and over the winter I started thinking.....hmmmmmm. If I could use cabbage leaves and still get my salad fix could I use other things as well. So this year I have really put this thought to the test since our lettuce has been pretty much done for the past month. Broccoli plants actually last a good while in the heat, especially if grown where they get some shade. They don't make heads very well, but they do have loads of greens. And those greens make a great salad. Kohlrabi greens are also great in salad. When the spinach is done turn to swiss chard for a spinachy taste. Kale is a nice green to add to that salad mix also. And guess what collards last throughout most of the hot summer down here and are a great salad green. Now mind you if you are an iceberg lettuce eater you probably won't like these salads as they are full of robust flavor. These greens do have a mind of their own and they certainly don't mind telling you in flavor who they are. The bonus of this is that they are absolutely loaded with vitamins and minerals. Tomorrow's lunch menu....a rabbits chef salad made with broccoli and kohlrabi greens. One last thought on salads is that there are many herbs growing in the heat of summer that are fabulous to add in smaller amounts to your salads...lemon balm, basil, oregano, mint, parsley, cilantro, dill and others. Adding herbs to your salads not only beefs up the "green" part of the salad but packs a whollop of delightful flavors. So don't be afraid to experiment with your plants and substitute something that is growing for something that isn't growing. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Cheap Jelly

2011-05-31T06:41:00.003-05:00

Fruit is expensive, but there are some cheaper ways to make delicious jelly and those ways are probably all around your yard. Typically we like them for their beauty or look at them as weeds, but edible flowers abound and cut out part of the jelly making cost. Yes you can make rose petal jelly, clover jelly, honeysuckle and dandelion jelly. In the fall you can harvest rose hips and make rose hip jelly which is full of vitamin C, even more than an orange. Domestic flowers like pansies are edible also and make a beautiful jelly. Make sure your flowers are edible and then pick them. The smellier they are the better the jelly. Then you boil the flower petals in about 4 to 5 cups of water. Then let it sit and cool overnight. After it sits, strain out the petals and bring the water back up to a boil adding about 4 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Then add your box of pectin and bring to a rolling boil keeping it there until you get to the gel stage. Then jar up your jelly and process in a water bath for 20 minutes. Yummy and beautiful too. Can't get any cheaper than that for jelly and it really stretches your fruit jelly and jam supplies, therefore stretching the budget. Blessings, Kat

Hay baling by Hand

2011-05-31T06:19:00.003-05:00

I said in one of my last posts that I would talk about baling small acreage by hand. By small acreage I mean less than an acre. I have a neighbor/friend that doesn't have livestock anymore so she let me know that her former pastures were getting pretty tall and did I want the grass for hay. I told her absolutely yes. So she called when she bush-hogged and then the haying by hand got started. The first thing that needs to be done after the grass has been cut is to let it cure in the sun for 24 hours. After that the hay needs to be raked and turned into windrows. A windrow is simply a long row of hay that has been raked together. Two things to keep in mind when you are raking; 1) don't let the windrows get too thick with hay or they won't dry, and 2) make sure you are turning the grass or the bottom will not dry enough. Once the hay has been raked into windrows then it needs to cure in the sun another 24 hours. Mind you when I say 24 hours that is good strong hot sunshine. Depending on where you live and if the days are cloudy you might need a longer curing time. You just really have to play it by ear and sample your hay to make sure it is dry but not overly dried. Since we had several good days of strong hot sunshine 24 hours was great for us and cured the hay well without over curing it. Once the hay is cured the rake it into piles and find a square box the size you want. We used the bottom of one of those plastic doghouses. Lay your baling twine (doesn't everyone save their's?) longways in the box and start packing in your hay. Stand on it to pack it down good an tight. Now remember it won't be nearly as tight or well packed as a baling machine would get it. Once the box is filled with well packed hay, then you pull your twine as tight as you can and tie them. Now you have a square bale of hay that will stack relatively easily in the barn. If you are doing this on your own farm you can even skip the baling step and just stack the loose hay in the barn. That is what many of the old farms did. Some of them even stacked in the field and had such a tight stacking system that the hay would shed water when it rained. However, stacking wasn't an option for us since we had to transport the hay home. That is it. It is a simple process, but make no mistake it was hot work. I was exhausted after those three days of working that hard. It is a good thing to know how to do though because even a suburban backyard can be hayed this way to feed rabbits if things get tight. And believe me when I say things are getting tight. We got about 25 bales in the barn. So that is that much hay that we don't have to buy. We will probably get at least another crop before the end of summer so we will hay again. Blessings, Kat

Missouri Tornadoes

2011-05-23T07:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, tornadoes ripped through Joplin Missouri. I am not sure yet as to the extent of the damage or if there will be relief efforts. Please pray for the people of Missouri. Blessings, Kat

What's Going on Around Here

2011-05-19T06:44:00.002-05:00

Wow things have really been a little crazy around here. Three days ago, Sugar kidded with twin doelings. All went well and it was an uneventful birth other than being a bit on the chilly side. Go figure! Our weather has been nuts. We had about 2 days in the 90s, then the temperature dropped and the past several days have been in the 70s with lows in the 40s. Folks, we are in the deep south in mid May. This is late February weather for us. Not complaining mind you as I am not thrilled to see 90s and 100 degree weather anytime soon. We cut hay a few days ago and yesterday I raked it into windrows. I raked it by hand and today I am a little sore. Today we will bale it, again by hand. I will be doing a post either later today or tomorrow about baling hay by hand. It is hard work and not something that I particularly look forward too. However, when you are only cutting and baling about an acre then the equipment is simply not worth the cost. It took me two hours with a rake to rake up the windrows yesterday. By the time I hooked up the equipment and raked then I still would not have saved much time, although I would have saved some wear and tear on my muscles. Who needs to go to a gym when you live the life we do?! The garden is going crazy and as soon as I get this hay baled today then I have to start putting up vegetables. The pole beans are loaded, sunflowers still need to be thinned, the cabbage needs to be harvested and put in the freezer and I have radishes that are probably too big now to be enjoyable. The carrots are ready to harvest and the seed pods are filled out on the turnips and collards ready to be dried and put up for fall planting. Then I can pull those final plants and plant something else. The tomatoes are growing well and will probably be producing in a few weeks. The broccoli is about finished but there are some small heads to be harvested and then the broccoli greens also to put up. The pepper plants have doubled in size and are flowering now. I did get herbs dried and put up the other day, now to harvest some more herbs and put that in the freezer. The squash plants are huge, flowering and have tiny fruit on them. The garden looks like a jungle but is going like gangbusters. The next few days are going to be nuts getting all of this stuff put up. We also have rabbits that need butchering and a goat that needs butchering. Unfortunately there are just not enough hours in the day. Well, I had better get moving as this hay won't bale itself and it is supposed to rain tomorrow and Saturday. Blessings from the farm, Kat

The Feed Situation-Livestock

2011-05-14T08:58:00.002-05:00

Last week I was low on feed wheat so I went to my local feed farm (I buy my feed right off the farm). They don't grow all the feed that they sell, but what they don't grow they buy from local in state farmer's that do. Well, I got bags of feed wheat came home and opened the first bag and found......mold!!! I opened another bag hoping the first was just an anomaly and found mold again. It was very obvious that this wheat had been stored for a long time and was the scrapings of the silo. I took all the wheat back and told "Dan" about the mold. He apologized and explained that he was having a hard time getting feed wheat and didn't know when they would be bringing any fresh wheat. So I got oats as there is not much of a difference in nutrition. However, this brought to the forefront something that I have been studying for quite some time....alternative livestock feeds. Not only is the price of feed rising at a tremendous rate (50% increase in the past 6 months, some more than that), but what happens if there is no feed products to be had. The rabbits are pretty easy since most of the year I can pick weeds and such to keep them fed and going along with veggies from the garden. In fact that is mostly what they eat anyway and only get a significant amount of grain during the production months. The chickens too are easy since I don't feed them anything but kitchen and garden scraps now. But then there are my goats and the horses. The horses especially. During much of the year the goats have plenty of browse and the only ones getting any extra in the form of purchased feed are the milkers and those in the latter stages of pregnancy. Anyway, in the olden days of farming turnips and mangel beets were livestock crops. During the winter Victorian farmers typically would feed the wheat chaff and grind the wheat stalks. Not much nutrition in that but it kept their stock alive through the winter. In the south it was common to grow corn for winter stock feed and I can remember my grandfather talking about when he was a boy the mules got corn and then they would grind the cob and they would eat that. So I have been experimenting and starting to train my stock to eat something other than store bought grain. I had a bumper crop of turnips and collards this year. I have one horse that loves both, one horse that will eat them a little bit and one that looks at them like they are a pile of manure and walks away. The goats will nibble at them but are not real interested. Now I have a bumper crop of broccoli, but it got too hot and so no heads on the broccoli. I have harvested all the leaves and stems and put up as much as I wanted. Now, we are experimenting on chopping the stems and the large leaves to see who will eat that and who won't. We have doubled our sunflower production. Sunflowers provide a double benefit. They usually must be thinned and so the thinnings can either be dried for winter feed or fed green for feed now. They grow quickly and are hardy. They produce seeds high in protein and essential fatty acids. The seed heads can be dried and stored for winter feed, don't forget to save some for planting next year. I don't have a critter around here that will turn up there nose at sunflowers, seeds or plant. Everyone will eat them. So I just planted another patch and when the first is ready to harvest then I will plant right behind for a fall harvest. Sweet potatoes and squash are two other crops that make great livestock feed. Sweet potatoes tolerate even the poorest soil, in fact it seems they prefer that. The vines are highly nutritious providing both protein and calcium. The potatoes themselves are loaded with vitamins and minerals and they store very well. We will be increasing production of these as well. Beet greens are loaded with all sorts of vitamins and minerals while the roots are a good source of phosphorus. We will be planting more this fall. We won't be increasing our corn though since we only feed corn in the winter to the horses. Ruminants simply shouldn't be fed corn since it is like feeding them sugar and changes the acidity of the rumen. But horses can definitely use the extra calories simply to keep warm. Corn doesn't have a lot to offer except in the way of energy. We don't feed it in the summer and only use that for winter. Things might change though if the feed situation gets desperate. So my point of this whole post is to take a look as see what you can do to feed your livestock and what you can train them to eat. And yes, you will need to train them to eat alternative or old timey feed crops if they are used to nothing but grains or commercially prepared feeds. Hopefully, these ideas might get you started on your way to producing your own alternative feeds.It might be time for us to think about fencing off that acre for wheat production. It looks like it might come in handy. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Not the Way to Start the Day

2011-05-08T06:27:00.002-05:00

Well today was not the way to start the day. I thought things were a little odd when I entered the goat barn and everybody was outside already. It was still early and normally they are still snoozing. Not today though, everyone was outside. Then I saw why. One of my does that was not due for another few weeks had kidded in the night sometime and the baby was dead. I don't know if she was stillborn or died after birth, but she was a beautiful little chestnut doeling. The mother is a first freshener and so maybe just might have had that FF dumbness about her and not known what to do. It wasn't something that I could foresee coming and so can't beat myself up too much about not being there. I pray that this is not how my kidding season is going to go. Strawberry was a little upset much not really too bothered about the death of her baby. She has been terribly upset at the whole milking thing though and since she is terribly tight in the udder I have been milking her as much as possible several times a day to relieve the swelling. Hopefully, I will get her settled into a routine before Sugar kids. Well, I pray everyone has a great mother's day! I guess I had better get to the barn and get started so I can get cleaned up for church. I am teaching Sunday school today so I must be there for that. Blessings, Kat

The Future of Food

2011-05-06T07:26:00.002-05:00

I really don't like being the bearer of bad news, but I would be remiss if I said nothing of what has been coming along the internet waves for several weeks now. The future of our food supply is in dire straights. With Russia losing much of their wheat crop to drought and fires, China desperately trying to save their wheat crop by diverting water from towns, Australia's (3rd largest exporter)sugar industry being damaged and destroyed by the tsunami and flooding, now the middle of our country and its crops destroyed by either drought/fire or flooding. While I don't particularly care too much about industrial agriculture I do realize that much of the population relies on it for their food. So maybe it is time to warn those folks that the future of their food supply is looking quite grim. Beef producers in states like Kansas are starting to talk about slaughtering their herds because there is nothing to feed them. The tornados in Alabama have destroyed many of the commercial chicken houses and killed millions of chickens. Alabama is the largest chicken producer in the country. Now might be the time to back away from industrial agriculture and look to your own backyards, whether you grow it yourself or purchase from a small farmer near you. Not only would this be the much healthier alternative, but it might get to the point where it is your only alternative. If you haven't started learning about your food and its production, now is the time to get busy. I don't grow everything I need, but each year I vow to learn something new. This is my second year growing sugar beets to render my own sugar. Last year I planted at the wrong time for my area and got about 10 pitiful looking excuses for a sugar beet. I rendered it anyway. This year my sugar beets are looking better, but not enough to supply me through the year. Last year I could sweeten a cup of coffee or two with what I rendered, this year I might have enough to sweeten a gallon of tea. The point is even though I am not there yet and might have several more years of learning this sugar beet thing, I am getting there little by little and at least I am being proactive about the future of my family's food supply. This year my new addition to my skill set is growing hulless oats. These are oats that grow with no hull so they are easier to process than trying to get the hard hull off the oat. I have a small patch and by no means will I have enough to have oat flour for much more than a couple loaves of bread. It is a start though in my education. Another advantage to learning things, even though one family certainly cannot provide everything that they need, is that these skills can be passed on to friends and neighbors. This builds a community with a wide variety of skills and the ability to work together for the benefit of all. For instance, if I learn how to grow, harvest and process grain I can pass that knowledge on to one of my neighbors that has more land than I do. She can grow the grain and I can give her milk and eggs. But if no one knows how to grow the grain then eventually there might not be any milk or eggs. So learn what skills you can that you can share with others because folks.....the future of food is looking pretty dim unless we explore our alternatives. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Bio-intensive gardening

2011-05-04T06:54:00.005-05:00

These pics show why I will never row garden again. My garden is producing and producing, currently feeding 3 families with plenty to put up in our family and more to give away. Just cannot beat bio-intensive techniques. Take a look!

This is the early spring garden with salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs, carrots, radishes, and two types of cabbage. We have harvested and harvested from here and still going.

Turnips, collards and kale. There was spinach on the far end but that has all been harvested except for the few plants going to seed. The yellow in the middle are the turnips going to seed after we have put up tons, given away tons and sold tons. The collards are still going strong.

These are just one of our blackeyed pea patches. These will not only supply human food, but livestock food for the winter.

One side of the big garden with tomatoes, okra, peas, bush beans, cucumbers, peppers, onions, sugar beets(growing under the other produce), radishes, and mesclun.

The other side of the big garden with pole beans, sugar snap peas, sweet potatoes, squash, more squash, collards and turnips, kale and again sugar beets growing under things like the pole beans. Eggplant will be going in also along with another trellis for cantaloupe. The big corn patch is still a row garden and currently growing sunflowers (livestock feed) and pencil cob corn. I also have a patch of hulless oats for humans along the fence, a patch of wheat for livestock, and a patch of bahia for hay.

The brat pack. These are our new white pekin hens. They are awesome at bug control and Bubba and Earl are very happy to have some girls in the garden.

The view from the other end of the large garden.

Pole Beans and sugar snap peas on the end. The peas are about at the end of their time. The vines will be fed to the livestock.

The reason that you see the pathways of the garden areas left in "weeds" is that many of those weeds are harvested for rabbit food. So we leave the paths as they are which cuts down on the summer feed bill. Hope your gardens are coming along in whatever stage you are capable weather wise. Blessings, Kat

Collards, Collards, Everywhere.....Collards

2011-05-01T05:30:00.002-05:00

I didn't think I planted that many collards, but I am swimming in collards. This could be a good thing, but then maybe not. I have to be really creative in how I use collards because my family really doesn't like them cooked the traditional southern way. I love them like that, but can only eat so many collards in a year. I have dehydrated some for use in breads and soups and now I am freezing some for use in casseroles. I of course have already canned a ton of them. I have sold some and given some away. Guess what, I still have more collards. The garden is really doing well this year and for the first time ever I have gotten green peas. I harvested some yesterday and used them in a pasta salad that I made. I was so excited. I don't know how long they will last, but the plants seem to be holding out in this heat and still blooming. So maybe I will get a few more before the plants kick the bucket. The pea plants will then be dried and used as winter feed for the rabbits. The pole beans are already over six feet tall. Let me tell you folks, bio-intensive gardening beats row gardening hands down. Truly I simply can't keep up with the things that need harvesting. Right now it is turnips, collards, kale, and peas. Of course, there is also tons of lettuce. Unfortunately though it looks like my broccoli is going to bolt with itty bitty heads, so doesn't look like I will get any of that unless these cool nights hold out a little longer. Well, time to get back to the kitchen to get this batch of collards in the dehydrator before I have to go to church. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Alabama Relief

2011-04-29T08:22:00.002-05:00

Alabama has been hit hard by the storms day before yesterday. Many towns in north Alabama are just about wiped out and all of north Alabama is without power. There are over 200 dead and many still missing so that number is expected to continue rising. I don't know what this spells for many people and especially many small family farms like ours. So to help out I am taking monetary donations that I can send to the Red Cross for the relief effort of the storm. Please consider helping in any way that you can. If you can't help out financially then please help with your prayers as they are much needed right now. If you do choose to donate then please use the button in this blog post as it is marked for Alabama relief and separate from by blog donation button. This will allow me to know exactly which monies are to go to the red cross. Blessings to all, Kat

Fences and Livestock

2011-04-15T03:58:00.002-05:00

Fences and fencing. The most important and probably one of the most expensive aspects of having livestock on a farm. The fence needs to be put in, then it needs to be maintained and then it needs to be repaired....and repaired again....and then repaired again. Usually my rooster wakes me up about 4 am, but this morning I was awoken to the sounds of hoofbeats running past my bedroom window. Yep you guessed it, the horse was out again. BC is determined not to stay in the fence, doesn't matter which pasture you put him in. He is tearing down fences right and left. Last week he tore a hole in the big pasture fence and spent a few days in the yard with the driveway gate shut while we had a chance to find the hole that he made and get it fixed. On one night in the yard he opened the feed room door (yes he has been undoing gate latches since he was little) and the goat barn door. Feed room a mess the next morning and some sick goats for a few days. Fortunately most of the feed was stored in barrels which no one got into. But what little was out of the barrels was eaten. So that night we put him in the front goat pasture where he promptly kicked down a portion of the garden fence. It has been two days since we put him back in his pasture with Whisper, who by the way has not taken one step outside her fence despite the opening that BC created. Well, as I said I woke up to hoofbeats. Yep his is out again, and as I am getting up and trying to get my husband who has to work late tonight back into bed we hear him trying to tear down the gate to the garden. Hooves hitting chain link. Fortunately the chain held that holds the gate closed held up under the assault. So now, I just got back inside from going around the yard to catch the horse and secure him, for a few minutes anyway. He is in the pasture with his dad, Thunder. Thunder by the way is a stallion and not once in the 14 years we've had him has he torn down a fence, not even when there has been a mare in heat in the next field. Yet, BC is a gelding and tearing down fences seems to be his hobby. We will see if he stays in with Dad right now while we find the hole that he made and get it fixed. We already know that the outside fencing needs to be replaced around most of the farm. The goats have new fencing but the horse fencing is well aged. However, I really don't need him reminding me every couple of days or making the fencing situation worse. Friday is not the day to do this, it is my busiest day of the week and now he just made it worse. Really folks, that is not a horse! Somebody stole my horse and gave me a cow disguised as a horse!If I wanted to be out in the dark chasing down loose critters I would have a herd of cows. Needless to say this critter is driving me batty. He is worse than the goats! Well, I better get a move on. I need to get the baking that has to go to town done right now so that at daylight I can go find a hole in the fence and try to fix it. Note to self.....pick up more barbed wire while in town! Blessings from the farm, Kat

The economics of rabbits

2011-04-12T05:58:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I thought I would talk a little bit about raising rabbits for meat. I know many people can't get over the cute fluffy bunny pet thing, but for those of you who think you might be able to give this a try then this post is for you. Even if you have a hard time getting around the cute fluffy bunny, that's ok...you can read along too just in case. All rabbits can be used for meat, but some breeds tend to be better suited for such a purpose. The most common meat breeds are New Zealands and Californians. There are other breeds such as the Florida white, but they tend to be harder to find when looking for breeders to start with. The Dutch is also a good little meat rabbit even though it is a medium size rabbit. It tends to have a really nice meat to bone ratio. Usually you can pick up a trio of rabbits, one male and two females, to start with for about 30-40 dollars. Rabbits can be housed in a colony setting or in separate cages. Colony settings provide a more natural environment for the rabbits, but disease spreads easily and it is hard to keep up with litters. To me cages are easier. You can either purchase cages, cage kits or make your own with cage wire. Or you can do like I did and mix it up a bit. I have a couple wire dog kennels that work just fine as grow out cages for weaned bunnies and I have some homemade hutches that are made from wood and wire. Wood floored hutches truly are not the most desirable and need to be cleaned and disinfected quite often. However, if you are working on a budget start with what you have and replace as funds become available. For my rabbits that are in the wood hutches I have litter boxes available which helps to keep the cage cleaner and more sanitary. I started my rabbits with one buck and one doe. My doe had two litters by that buck of which I kept a doe to add to the herd. Then I had to replace the first buck because he died due to an impaction. I purchased another buck and bred him to the two does. I now currently have 5 does, 4 in production and the one buck. I have kept a replacement buck and doe from a couple of this springs litters to add to the herd. So my breeders will be 7, two are still little and with their mama. The cost of feeding these breeders is not much compared to the amount of meat. My does that are in production consistently give me 7-8 offspring in each litter. Gestation period for a rabbit is 31 days and I leave my babies with their mom's until they are 6 weeks old. At week 5 I rebreed mama so she has a new litter 3 weeks after the previous litter has moved to the grow out cage. Since I grain and natural feed my rabbits they do take a little longer to grow out than pellet raised rabbits, about 16 weeks. One rabbit provides enough meat for our family of 4. Last year my girls provided enough meat so that we had rabbit 2-3 times a month. This year with a few more breeders we can increase that amount. The rabbits breed heavily in the spring starting about February and ending with the last litters born in June. Then they get the summer off and in October I will breed each girl for one more litter of the year. I don't breed through the winter because I don't want to worry about babies getting too cold. Now what are the benefits of rabbit meat? Well, first it is a white meat that is very lean. In fact a diet of only rabbit could lead to what is called "rabbit starvation" because there simply is no fat in the meat and our bodies need some fat. But if you are looking to add a low fat meat to your diet then you can't beat rabbit. Rabbit is also very high in protein. Having a 20.8 % protein, which is easily digestible it beats out any other type of meat on the market. Being low in fat it is low in cholesterol and also low in sodium, so for folks concerned about these things that is a definite benefit. Rabbit meat has a fine texture and can be cooked just about anyway that you wish. My children love fried rabbit, just like you would fry chicken. Feeding the rabbits doesn't cost much either. I estimate that the rabbits cost me about 20 dollars a month to feed and that is with the grow out cages full. In the winter I have been having to buy hay, but this year I am hoping to eliminate or at least reduce that cost due to making my own hay for the rabbits. During the winter months I buy about 1 bale of hay per month just for the rabbits so that is usually about 6.00 a bale. Total winter cost for hay is about 30.00. Rabbits are also easy to process. I can process from kill to freezer a litter of rabbits in about an hour and a half. Chickens take me longer. Then if you are really industrious you can learn to tan the hides and make things with them. We haven't done this yet, but would like to learn and do plan to in the near future. One more advantage of rabbits is that they don't take up much room. You can raise them anywhere. Some folks even raise them in their basement. Rabbits are also something that can be raised in the city since they are typically not considered livestock. Just a few rabbits and small investment can provide a family with a great source of meat relatively cheaply. Rabbits don't require too much in the way of veterinary care as long as they are fed well and kept in a clean environment they stay pretty healthy. Sometimes there are issues and I have had my fair share of first time mothers losing their litters or rabbits dying, like my first buck. But the benefits do outweigh those things. So think about rabbits as you are planning your journey towards self sufficiency, they can definitely be a benefit to any plan. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Raising hay for the Bunnies

2011-04-11T05:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, I have done the silage experiment and well that just didn't work out real well. I don't have a lot of property that I can grow hay, but I do have patches here and there in the garden area that I can grow small amounts. So, one of my experiments this year is raising hay for the rabbits this winter. One thing that is really making this an experiment is that rabbits aren't just grass eaters, they really like their diversity. Not a problem as right now I have tons of "weeds" just waiting to be eaten. Right now they get all the fresh weeds that I can harvest for them and each morning do the happy bunny dance when they see me coming with the green bucket. So my summer experiment is to dry grasses that I grow in combination with weeds that I pick and to store the dried materials in an old trash can that I have "aerated" by drilling holes around the sides. I figure storing it loose this way would be best due to the very different sizes and such of the weeds and the grass and storing loose will better prevent mold which I will have to be diligent about watching for. So I am starting to harvest not only fresh stuff to give the bunnies, bunnies fresh stuff to be dried. I am drying in the sun on a screen frame that I made. I simply harvest my weeds, place on the screen in the sun. After 24 hours I turn them and let them dry another day in the sun. Since the weeds are different diameters and different moisture content I want to make sure that I am drying thoroughly so that I don't have a mold problem in storage. No sense going to this trouble only to have it ruin. Now here are some of the most common weeds that our rabbits love to eat:
Dandelion
shepherd's purse
purslane
creeping charlie
honeysuckle
plantain (not the banana thing)
curly dock
clover
kudzu
morning glory vine
wild blackberry leaves
chicory leaves

I also mix in extra herbs I happen to have like lemon balm, catnip, parsley. Then there are the excess veggie greens. I toss those in there also. So lots of variety being set out to be dried for winter feeding the bunnies. I know it it is time consuming to do this, but definitely cheaper than hay. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Yippeeee! It's fixed!

2011-04-10T15:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is fixed...my computer issues and the car. Finally my computer issues are resolved and I am no longer blocked from using anything powered by google. I am so excited as I can start blogging again. So much has been going on these days. Spring is definitely a busy time around here. A few of the goat girls are getting close to having babies and I am so looking forward to making more cheese around here. The garden is growing well and we have had some wonderful salads lately. I will be harvesting collards this week. Corn is going in in the next few days. Several families from the homeschool group are coming out for our once a month farm day and we will be going over french intensive gardening techniques. It is so much fun to have them out. The only really bad thing is the heat. It is a bit on the warm side for April and the arugula has already gone to seed...bummer. Oh well, fall will be here soon enough. The black seeded simpson and the red leaf lettuce are doing great though and holding their own. I planted bloomsdale longstanding spinach and it is doing nicely in this heat as well. The tomatoes are looking good and I have several volunteers that have come up in various places around the garden. I have also planted some new varieties so we will see how they do. We have been getting a good rain each week so only the new seeds and seedlings are needing watering more than that. I am not sure how our spring oats are going to do, the horse reached over the fence several time and chowed down so I don't know if they will recover. Milk production is up and the bunnies are breeding....well like bunnies. Lots of rabbit for meals this summer. I will try to get some pics posted this week if I can get petunia to let me borrow MY camera. She has become quite the shutter bug and working hard on her portfolio along with contest entries that will be coming up. I am just happy that she has found her niche. Anyway, blessings from the farm! Kat

March Update #2

2011-03-18T17:40:00.002-05:00

Hello all! Praying that all my readers are doing well. Know that I miss blogging everyday. I seem to come up with some great ideas for posts these days and by the time I get a chance to write it out or get to my mom's computer I have forgotten. Life has been a little rough lately for our family. It seems like there is never an end to our car problems these days. The truck for the farm was scheduled to go in to be repaired Wednesday. And I believe I blogged about the aggravations with the saturn and the broken serpentine belt that turned into a "blown engine" after it went to the mechanic. If I didn't that is a whole nuther story. Anyway, so we have been down to one car while waiting for the truck to go in. Well, Monday going to work my husband hit a deer in our only running car. The car is fixable, but because of its age we did not have comprehensive insurance on it (ins. would have totalled it out) so it is on us to fix it. Needless to say the truck won't be going in this month and possibly even next month. And we are having to drive a rental car. Hopefully our car will be fixed soon, the body shop had to order parts. The main damage was to the hood and he can't find one used. Only damage to the engine compartment was the radiator...no big deal. I really need my truck, but it will just have to wait. With the car issues over the past 3 months and then the computer thing, it really makes a girl just want to climb into bed and stay there for awhile. But there are goats to milk, garden to get in and a million other things to do. Fortunately we are well stocked for the next several weeks on feed and farm supplies and we are good in the house for a good long time. I just hope we will get our car back soon. Ok, that is the bad news. Now that we have that behind us lets get on to the good news. This is the first year that I have actually been on time getting the garden in....Yippeee! And it is looking good too. Cool weather crops are coming along nicely and we will see how the warm ones start doing when they come up. We have been planting loads of peas this year as that will save on grain this winter and alfalfa this winter also. Milk production is up in the one doe I still have in milk because of all the nice green she has to eat these days. Feed bill has starting dropping for the summer and it looks like my first doe to kid this season is developing a really nice little udder. Bunnies are coming along nicely and we are expecting our third litter within the next week. We should get about 5 more litters before the full heat of summer is on us and then everybody gets a break until fall. Spring is when we try to get most of the rabbit breeding done. We get a few litters in the fall, but not as many as spring. The girls are really busy during springtime. chickens are laying well and Dakota our pyrenees has been doing a great job of running off a coyote the past several nights. They are getting brave. Don't know why as they have a whole deer on the side of the road about a mile from our house, they can have at it. So other than car and computer issues things are going well. We have decided to have some homesteading type classes at the farm this spring and summer and are praying that those go well also and we have a good turnout. We will have a couple of gardening type classes and then a classes on raising rabbits for meat and then we haven't decided on the others yet. Hope things are looking bright for everyone else's future and that my friends up north are getting a few signs that spring is on its way. Trust me it is coming and doesn't look like it is gonna be here too long before summer settles in. Busy, busy busy! I will be at mom's through the weekend so will try to get some really get posts to tide everyone over for the week. Blessings from the farm, Kat

March Farm Update

2011-03-09T18:14:00.003-06:00

Well, it has been an interesting time lately. Things are going strong in the garden, at least the digging is. I am actually on schedule and don't feel rushed. The salad greens are just about ready to harvest and I thinned out the broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. My peas are coming up, but don't seem to be coming up strong. I don't know, we will see. This is actually the first year that I got them in on time, so whatever I get will be a blessing. The weather has been bringing in some nasty storms, but at least those storms have brought the temps back into the normal range. Before the first storm we were pushing 80 degrees....in February. Definitely not normal. Now we are sticking in the 50s/60s range. Much more normal for this time of year. I have most of the other beds done and will be planting sunflowers within the next week or so. The pastures are doing well this year. We will be adding some bahia in some places and adding some cowpeas for variety. I am looking for some lespedeza, but am unable to find anything less than 50lb bags and I simply don't need that much. I am also planting sunflowers in the pastures this year. We had another litter of bunnies this past week and they are finally doing good. The mother was a first timer and had them spread all over the place. She waited until the day after she had them to pull any fur. Meanwhile I had to build a nest and use some dryer lint to line it with. I used the fur once she pulled it. Then she didn't realize that she needed to feed the little critters. So I have been having to hold her so that the kits can nurse. She now seems to have the hang of it and the 5 surviving kits (we lost two that were really really small) look fat and happy. I really think this is just a case of first time mom confusion. Her mother was an awesome mom, but did the same kind of thing the first time she kindled. From then on out though she was a great mother. Goats are getting closer to kidding and several of the girls are looking rather pudgy. We have all feet trimmed and cleaned the winter crud out of the barn. Now the rain is making it a soaking mess. Oh, well...what can you do. Well that is about it for now. I will update as I can and hopefully have more interesting posts in the future. As I said earlier, for some reason we can't access google at home on our computer. It really is strange and seems to have all the techies stumped for the moment. Blessings and happy spring, Kat

Weather Update

2011-03-09T18:01:00.002-06:00

Well, things have been quite busy around the farm and the weather has not always been cooperative. In fact today we had some really nasty storms. Last week we had some really nasty storms. In fact they were really nasty. I went to my feed supplier who also happens to be my neighbor around the corner and I was shocked. Oak trees that lined the driveway were twisted and ripped in two, all the shingles on the house were gone, and the worst was when I got behind the house. The grain elevator had been twisted like a twist tie and dropped on one of the grain silos. It was a mess. A very costly mess. As you probably have figured out by now this is a family business on the family farm. They raise cattle, hay and some of their grain. What they don't raise they buy most of from other farmers in the area and the state. Very little is shipped in in the way of feed. They do a lot of business we farmer's in this area fully believe in supporting each other. If we don't support each other, then how can we expect others to do so. It was tough seeing this family hit so hard. They do have insurance and things will eventually get back to normal. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. It's like I told Dwight when I saw him that day....thank the good Lord that nobody was hurt. Things can always be replaced and rebuilt. Even the house was mostly spared, except for the roofing shingles as a huge oak tree was slammed to the ground not two feet from the side of the house. Anyway, like I said...things can always be replaced so thank God for all your little blessings. Kat

Computer Problems

2011-03-09T17:53:00.002-06:00

I apologize for not blogging lately, but I am having some interesting computer issues. It appears as if I am blocked from using anything powered by google. No mail, no blog, no youtube and no google search engine use. I can use other search engines and have no problems. So I apologize if anyone thinks that I am ignoring them. I am not. I just have to find the time to spend at my mom's checking mail and updating. Bear with me while we try to get this sorted out. So far no one can figure out the problem and all anti-virus and malware comes back clean. It is a strange issue. Blessings, Kat

The Perfect Storm?

2011-02-21T07:41:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a forecast for the year. Clothing prices going up due to "skyrocketing" cotton prices. Food going up due to freezes, droughts, floods, and other reasons for bad harvests. The middle east especially is in a tizzy and much of it due to rising food costs which for them are already well over 50% of their income. Is this going to be the year of the perfect storm that truly wakes up the sleeping sheep in America? Someone mentioned the other day in a forum that I read that collapse IS happening here just very slowly. One business closes today, one house is foreclosed on tomorrow, one more person loses a job, etc. etc. Are we headed in the same direction as Argentina where one buggy of food from poorly stocked grocery shelves costs over 1400 pesos and the average monthly income is 250 pesos? We have had it so easy here for so long, yet we are no longer the formidable empire that we once were. In fact we are quickly becoming the laughing stock of the world and what happens when that world will no longer support us? What will Americans do? Will we pull up our bootstraps and dig in to start over in a new direction? Or will we cry and whine in the streets that no one is coming to our rescue? As for me and mine we will pull up our bootstraps and I suspect that there are many more out there just like us. I don't write this post to send anyone into a panic or to even be depressing. What I am trying to point out is that many times we need to take a good hard look at ourselves and our lives to re-evaluate what we do now and what we can do in the future. The time to do that is when things are relatively comfortable. I know many times I have been told that because I think of these types of things that I have no faith in God and His provisions. I have all faith in God. I have faith that He has given me enough warning of what is to come, so that I can be prepared. God absolutely positively does provide everything we need, but there has to be a little bit of effort on our part as well. Like the old joke about the man on his roof after a big flood. A guy in a rowboat comes by and he refuses to get in, then as the waters continue to rise a guy in a canoe comes by and he refuses again. Then the waters are washing over the roof and a guy in a motorboat comes by and he refuses again. Each time he says "God will save me". Then he gets to heaven and asks God why He didn't save him as he had such strong faith. God's reply, "I sent 3 boats, what more did you want?" Indeed we all have to make a little effort and grab onto what God has provided, which are the signs that bad times are coming. We need to make the effort to prepare ourselves mentally, spiritually and physically. Seeing the signs that some tough times are coming makes me sit down and reflect on the skills that I have and the skills that I should have. What more can I do to live without some things that truly aren't needed? What effort is required of me to live with what God has provided? Take this time to ask this of yourselves. It is a good time to reflect on our lives. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Bio-Intensive Gardening

2011-02-20T06:14:00.002-06:00

For the past two years we have tilled and amended the soil quite liberally in our permanent garden area. Each year we put about 8-10 inches of compost down over the whole thing. We have some pretty good soil now; something actually living rather than hardpan clay. For the past couple of years we grew in rows and had fairly decent yields. My goal, however, all along has been a more bio-intensive approach rather than the old method of plow and till. Now that my soil is alive with activity I want to keep it that way. Tilling disturbs the soil too much by disturbing the micro-organisms and releasing nutrients when they are exposed to air. Not to mention doing all of this is labor intensive. So, this year I get to put in my permanent beds. Yes, I said beds or wide rows if you want to call it that. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with row gardening. It worked for both my grandfathers and it worked for me. My issue is that I want to grow more in the same space and I want to cut down on the manual labor. Since I am the main one in the garden, I am the main laborer and frankly my body ain't what it used to be. So let me explain a bit about bio-intensive gardening (also called french intensive). Basically you are creating permanent beds or wide rows. There are walkways around the beds and they are never wider than you can work from the sides because once in place you don't want to walk on them because you don't want to compact the soil. Typically bio intensive requires the bed to be double dug to a depth of 24 inches. Because I still have some hardpan clay I am adapting the method a bit to suit my needs. Instead of double digging I am digging and using the lasagna method a bit. From everything I have seen compost is used but almost only as a sprinkling amendment in most bio-intensive gardens. I am using a lot more compost. So here is what I am doing in steps.

Step one: Decide where you want your bed and how big. It should only be about 3-4 feet wide so that you can be in the walkway and still reach the middle of the bed without stepping on it.

Step 2: Dig out about 6-8 inches of soil and place to the side.

Step 3: Lay down a thick layer of newspaper, then barn cleanings, then some organic matter, then soil removed, then compost,then organic matter, the another good layer of compost. For organic matter you can use just about anything like leaves, barn cleanings from rabbits or goats, etc. Basically you are creating a compost pile in place. For the barn cleanings please don't use chicken manure as it gets way too hot. I use the cleanings from thunder's stall after the chickens have gone through in the morning and scratched everything up and then I only apply a very thin layer.Horse and cow manure get pretty hot also so be careful with those. Being on the bottom it will have aged pretty well by the time the plant roots get there, but in the meantime the bed will be warmer than the surrounding ground which is a plus.

Step 4: Plant or wait to plant, depending on what you want to plant. I am planting cool season crops so I am already planting. When I plant my seeds, I then sprinkle more compost over the top after I have scattered them over the entire bed. If I were planting plants then I would place them in the bed in a hexagonal pattern instead of rows (you can grow more in a smaller space)and mulch around them.

Step 5: Mulch the walkways.

Step 6: Maintain by weeding and watering.

There are several advantages to gardening or farming this way. First it is less damaging to the soil and healthy soil means fewer pest and disease problems. Second, because you ignore all spacing "rules" you grow more in less space and tend to have fewer weeds. Third, the beds tend to hold moisture better especially when the walkways are mulched. You can also plant in relays and in tandom. For instance cabbage is slow growing so you can plant cabbage and radishes together since radishes grow much faster, therefore you are doubling your harvest from one bed/row. This is a better way to utilize vertical space for growing things like cucumbers, melons and squash which will also free up space allowing room for more crops. After each harvest I will add another layer of organic matter and then another layer of compost, then plant again (relay planting). Each year on out I will only have to loosen the soil in the bed add some organic matter and compost and then plant. No more tilling and plowing, which is great news to my aging back. The great thing about this is that you can have one bed or many and you can grow a lot in one bed. I have one bed that is about 3ft x 6 ft and it is now growing mache, spinach, romaine, arugula, carrots and radishes. Not bad for a small space. While my first few years in this particular space has been all about growing good soil and getting rid of the hardpan clay, this year is all about growing a great vegetable garden. We will see how it goes. Happy gardening, Kat

Do What You Can Where You Are

2011-02-17T07:20:00.002-06:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday. First it was beautiful weather. Second I had a group of wonderful women and children from our homeschool group come out to the farm for a fun educational work type day. They all had loads of questions which was awesome. It was so nice to be with other folks who want to learn about taking care of themselves and doing something for themselves. Sometimes, I will admit I feel like an island all alone in my thoughts and beliefs surrounded by people who think I am a little on the nutty side. These women showed me that I am certainly not alone. Thanks ladies, you have no idea how much you gave me yesterday. Anyway, one of the big questions of the day was about space and getting started and how to start with something. My advice to anyone who wants to do something is to start small and start with what you can do. If you don't have a big yard grow something in containers, same thing if you are in a rental. We had one mom who will be moving soon, so one thing she can start doing is researching local farms where she is going that she can buy from. She can also start studying planting guides for the area that she is moving to. In other words, my advice to everyone yesterday was to start what they can, where they are. Whatever it is start doing it. It doesn't matter whether it is growing a few tomatoes in pots or a small salad garden with just a few things or researching what you want to do when you get where you are going for a full scale small farm. Everybody has to start somewhere and each small step, no matter how trivial it may seem, is a small step towards independence and knowledge. My second piece of advice is to do whatever works for you. Each farm and each family is different, circumstances change and life changes. What works for Joe farmer down the road may not work for you. For instance....My mom and I were talking the other day about the garden. I have managed to get a good tilth and topsoil built in my garden area by plowing and tilling in tons (yes tons) of compost. Now, I no longer want to disturb that so I am moving into a more french intensive type of gardening plan which will be permanent. My mom was a little distressed because my grandfather had always plowed and tilled each and every year. Plowing and tilling is labor intensive. I am the main laborer around here. I am getting older. I need an easier way of doing things. In other words, there are many ways to do the same thing and accomplish the same goal so find what fits you and your family. Take all the knowledge and experience from others that you can get, file it away in your knowledge bank, and use what fits. Do What YOU Can Where YOU Are. That includes where you physically are living and where you are in your life. When our children are little they require more time, which means less time for other things. When they get older we have more time for other things because they need us less for their physical needs. You don't have to do things just like somebody else does. You can do whatever works for you and your family. Whatever you do, do something. Blessings to all and many thanks to all the ladies and kids that were here yesterday. I had a wonderful time sharing with you all and look forward to doing so again in the future. Kat

Beaver Update

2011-02-15T04:37:00.003-06:00

Well, the beaver was negative for rabies. Good thing. Thunder is doing just fine and the bite has just about healed. No infection and no lameness. He is a tough old man. The state lab said that there is a disease that beavers can get which gives similar signs (odd behavior)and that is probably what was wrong with the beaver, but it definitely was not rabies. So everybody here is in good shape. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Some hints of Spring

2011-02-15T04:07:00.002-06:00

Oh the weather outside is delightful! Highs near 70 yesterday and supposed to be that way all week. I had to take the row covers off of my cabbages and other cole crops. i love this kind of weather and it always makes life seem more bearable when you know that spring is just around the corner. Of course, February and usually the beginning of March can be really tricky like that. Lovely, beautiful weather and then right back in the throes of old man winter. Let's just hope that the trees don't start putting out blooms only to have them frozen off again. I remember my grandfather's pear tree and the aggravation that the tree and the weather caused him. Apparently, each year this pear tree was tricked by February's little hints of spring to come. Each year at the first sign of nice weather it would load itself with beautiful blossoms. And then each year it would lose those blossoms to those end of February freezes that we get every single year. My grandfather tried talking to the tree, but it really didn't seem to do much good. The tree was always so excited at the prospect of spring the it just couldn't seem to help itself. Grandaddy never got a single pear off of that tree even though he babied and petted it and begged for it to wait just a little longer. Sometimes I feel like that pear tree. It is so hard to be patient and wait just a little longer for true spring to get here. I remember one of my first garden failures was thinking that I could go ahead and plant my warm season crops. I did and they died. So I truly have to force myself to wait. Fortunately, I learned about cool weather crops and now I can get my hands dirty and have plants that love this weather. I also have plenty of garden work to do to get ready for everything else. The cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and lettuces are coming up nicely under their little row covers. The wattle fence around their section of the garden is doing a good job of keeping the ducks out of that area, so far so good. Since that was my first attempt at wattle fence building is isn't very pretty and I keep having to make adjustments but that is what this life is all about, learning to do something better or different. Sewing has been put on hold for a bit while we get the garden in order. I try to do a little sewing at night, but don't seem to get very far. I am truly exhausted in the evenings. The girl's are too as they are spending a good amount of time outside also. The little one was so exhausted last night that she fell asleep while I drew her bath water. After her bath and supper she spent a little time cuddling and talking with me and then didn't put up much fuss when I tucked her into bed. She "worked" very hard yesterday as we burned off some yard trash and worked on the wattle fence. I am really praying for a good garden this year. There is something about a summer evening sitting in my garden chair looking at the beautiful plants. It makes all the hard work worth it. The baby bunnies are beginning to pop out of the nest and nibbling at mama's food. They are truly adorable little critters and it is a good thing to see them out of the nest. The hens are really ramping up egg production and we are getting about a dozen a day now, provided we can get them before the cats do. That usually means going out to collect the eggs very often during the day. We have one chick from out hatch so far. It hatched out a couple days early. We had another egg hatch, but it fell in the water and drowned. Unfortunately, that is one of the hazards of having a homemade incubator. The other eggs were due to hatch yesterday, but they didn't. I am really hoping they will. They all looked viable the last time that I candled them, but you never know anything can happen. I am hoping that my Australorps will think about going broody soon. They did last year and it was a nightmare as hens started fighting over the nest. Even the reds decided to not be outdone by the australorps and wanted to be broody too. The result was broken eggs, too many eggs etc. etc. We got one little chick and the chicken killer cat eventually got that one. Chicken killer cat is now gone of course so maybe this year will be better if we can catch a broody quickly before there are too many eggs and she is competing with the other hens. I don't want too many of them going broody, but I would like to have one or two hatch out some chicks. Anyway, I am rambling. I hope you all are having a great week and some lovely weather for a change. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Homemade Soap Update

2011-02-10T07:19:00.003-06:00

Well, it has been a little over 2 months since our family first started making and using our own homemade soap. As you recall our first soap was a goat milk soap made with olive oil, lard and peanut oil. The bars dried beautifully and I have to say that I love this soap and will never return to store bought soap. The bars last a long time even with frequent use. We have been using the small bars that we molded in the muffin tins and each bar has lasted about a month in the shower. The lather is gorgeous and it rinses off well. We have soft water and I always felt like I never got store bought soap off my skin. I don't think I did because I had irritation issues from store bought soap, especially in my nether regions. I know too much information, but you know I am trying to give a full and accurate report. I am happy to report that I have absolutely no irritation issues with my homemade soap and I feel like it washes off completely. Now the best part ever....My soap leaves my skin so moisturized and soft. It is amazing that even if I forget to put lotion (homemade also) on after a shower my legs don't get that scaly look of dry winter skin. My elbows don't get dry and scaly either. I probably will make one more batch of bath soap and then we will have enough to last us throughout the year. I might put oatmeal in that one (getting brave here). The thing is that I already probably have enough at the rate we are going to last through the year and my cost for making all that soap was pennies compared to store bought soap. I estimate that I spent about the same amount making a year's supply as I did buying a month's supply before. So definitely a savings. Then you have to consider that I gifted about a dozen bars of it for Christmas, so I figure an even bigger savings there. I even used some of it on one of our dogs who has serious skin allergies and it seems to have eased her itching. I think that is why I am considering adding the oatmeal to the next batch mainly for her. So for those of you considering making your own I would highly suggest jumping in there and doing so. I really can't think of any drawbacks to soap making other than it could become addictive and it does require a little time and effort. But just think I spent about 3 hours making a year's supply of soap. Really not that much time investment if you ask me. Blessings and happy soapmaking. Kat

Here is the link to the soap recipe post from December: My first soap
For the laundry soap I just used 48 oz. of waste fat no rhyme or reason just what I had and water instead of milk, but essentially the same hot process recipe. Blessings

How To Render Fat from Meat Trimmings

2011-02-10T06:53:00.003-06:00

I started making soap not too long ago (December), so I started saving my waste fat to make more soap. I recently pulled out all those trimmings from the freezer so that I could render them. Rendering is the process of separating the fat oils from the meat and gristle. So I thought I would share the process if anyone is interested in rendering their own fat for candles, soap, lotions, etc. etc.

Step 1: Cut or chop the trimmings into little bits. A food processor helps with this or you can even use your blender. If using the blender only work with very small portions as it really overworks the motor. The smaller the pieces the easier the fat separates out in cooking.

Step 2: Put your chopped up trimmings in a pot that is big enough so that the trimmings only take up half the pot.

Step 3: Place about 2-3 inches of water in the pot.

Step 4: Bring the trimmings to a low rolling boil and keep them there for about 30-45 minutes. Keep the boil low enough so that the fat is cooked out but nothing tries to scorch or stick to the pan.

Step 5: Line a strainer with cheesecloth and pour the boiled trimmings though into a mold. I used a couple loaf pans for a mold. Let the fat cool, then place in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will rise to the top and harden somewhat. Now if you have any leftover liquid it will settle on the bottom. You can either choose to skim off the fat at this point or do what I did with the second loaf pan. I put it in the freezer, then when frozen i removed the whole loaf and simple cut the non fat (mine was gelatin) off of the fat layer. The fat layer will be solid white.

Step 6: Store your fat in the freezer for future use or use immediately.

Now the brown meaty bits that you have left after rendering is called suet. I feed it to the chickens. Dogs, cats, pigs love it too. I suppose you could make a suet type cake with peanut butter or such to hold it together and put it out for the wild birds. I just put mine in a large container in the fridge and each day add a good couple spoonfuls to the chicken bucket. They love it and it is a great source of protein and calories. The gelatin that I cut off the fat after molding was fed to the dogs. I used about half of the fat to make some laundry soap. Because the fat was tallow (beef fat) and lard (pig fat) mostly with just a smattering of other waste fat the soap turned out pretty crumbly. Of course, I might have done something wrong in the processing. However, even though it crumbled into little bits it definitely is soapy, and little crumbly bits are great for laundry since I don't have to grate the bars now. Anyway, I washed my first load of laundry yesterday with my new soap and it turned out just fine. So, don't waste those fat trimmings. They are a valuable resource for the home. Blessings, Kat

Splitting Tree Trunks

2011-02-08T06:59:00.003-06:00

Well, I know it can be done. I have seen folks do it. I fully understand how to do it. But one thing is....it looks a whole lot easier than it is. What am I talking about? Splitting tree trunks. You know those split rail fences that folks like so much. Well those at one time were a whole tree trunk which was split lengthwise down the middle. Well I had cut down some small pines and was going to use them in my wattle fence. Even though they were small, they were still bigger than what I wanted. So, I decided to split them. Now, this was the first time I have ever tried to split anything other than firewood but I figure it is a good skill to know how to do. I grabbed my trusty hatchet, gave it a whirl on the stone and then grabbed my little hand sledge and wedge. Off I went into the garden yesterday afternoon to split those trees, after all pine is soft can't be too hard right? Wrong. The first split actually pretty nicely and really isn't all that hard in terms of effort (remember these are pines, not oak). The going is slow because you want the wood to split slowly so that it doesn't break. Let the tools gently pulled the wood apart along the grain. The key is to have a trunk with a straight grain...no pecan or sweet gum. However, I quickly found out that this is truly an art form. While the first split rather well, the next one didn't go so well. I started splitting in the middle of the trunk and somehow, someway I wound up blowing out the side. So then half the trunk was split and the other half was still whole. I tried starting the split again and it just didn't work. So I shaved down the rest of the trunk and now have loads of pine shavings on the ground. I tried again and again blew out the side. Again I shaved down the whole side of the trunk. It was at that point that I had better call it a day and start again fresh today. I just need to figure out how to keep my wedge straight and why is is wiggling its way crooked?. Maybe my arm was getting tired from all the hammering with the small sledge? I don't know, but I will really have to examine my methods today and try to figure what I am doing wrong. Why is it old timers made it look so easy and why can't I make it look so easy? Oh well, I won't give up and whatever I manage to get I will work with. Maybe in a few years of doing this I will be able to make it seem easy enough. Well, gotta get the barn chores done so I can go hack up some tree trunks. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Beaver Situation

2011-02-08T06:17:00.002-06:00

Well, Sunday certainly was an interesting day around here. It started out normal enough. I got up drank my coffee, read the news, took my shower, got my clothes out for church, woke up the children and headed out to feed and milk. Everything out there appeared normal also, until I got to the second doe to be milked. From where she is on the milk stand I can see into Thunder's (horse) stall. So I am happily milking away enjoying my quiet time and the sounds of happy critters munching away when I see a dark shape in the back corner of Thunder's stall. It was a big dark shape and very difficult to tell what it was. For a split second I thought the neighbor's dog had gotten into the barn and in the stall with Thunder (very dangerous thing to do) and was really badly hurt. However, one of the chickens solved the mystery as she popped through the wall between the stalls and began to make her way happily around Thunder's feet (yes he tolerates the chickens) to scratch through his bedding. As the chicken scurried toward the big dark shape it growled and lunged at her. It was then that I knew what it was....a beaver. A really big beaver. For a moment I was shocked, so much so that I stopped milking and just sat and stared. What was a beaver doing in my barn so far from any lake or pond or stream or anything else. Our pond is swimming pool size, wide open, no trees, and fenced in. Not beaver habitat. My neighbors to the side and back of me (2 brothers) have about 4 very large lakes and several smaller lakes/ponds. I figured the beaver came from there. But here is the question. This beaver had to travel up the hill, through the woods, all the way around my goat fence, double back toward my house (and my LGD) to go into the front of my barn right next to the house with the cars parked in front. Why? This is not normal behavior for a beaver. So I got my husband and we pulled all the animals out of the barn and put them out back in the pasture. Thunder was not happy that he did not get to finish his breakfast. My husband and I left the barn to give it a chance to go away, put all the dogs in the house and got the gun. The beaver was right where we left it, it had no interest in leaving. Something was not right with this beaver. Beavers tend to avoid humans at all cost, at least that has been my experience. As a wildlife painter I spent many hours in the woods trying to get photos of beavers only to get the splash of their tail as they disappeared from sight. Even though I have never heard of a case of rabies in beavers this was my thought. So my husband shot the beaver leaving the head intact. We then with gloves double bagged the beaver, put it in a cooler on ice and checked the critters. Well, it had bitten Thunder so it definitely needed to be tested. By this time going to church is out the window because I need to know what to do with this beaver. So I call the state wildlife office (no answer, it is Sunday after all), the critter man (doesn't know what to do with it), my vet (no answer probably in church with the phone off), sheriff's department (don't know what to do with it) and on and on it went as I called every agency I could think of to call to see where I needed to take this beaver. Finally, my vet called me back. So yesterday morning I went and picked up a rabies booster for the horse, decapitated the beaver and took the head to the state lab in the city to be tested. I should know the results today. What a shame, that was some of the most beautiful meat I had ever seen not to mention the gorgeous pelt. And the fat, just think of the soap I could make from that beautiful 1/2" layer of fat just under the skin. So that has been my past couple of days, dealing with a wayward and possibly very sick beaver. I hope the animal tests negative, but at the same time I hate the thought that I killed an animal that perhaps just got very turned around and very scared when it found itself in a bad spot. However, with such odd behavior and its unwillingness to get out of my barn I really had no choice. I will never have any answers as to why this beaver wound up in my barn. I am just wondering if one of my neighbors hasn't destroyed a lodge and displaced a family. Cruel thing to do this time of year, even in a mild southern winter. This is the time of year that babies are getting ready to be born and mama wouldn't have time to build another lodge before hand. If people are going to live in wild places with wild things, then I wish they would at least learn the cycle of those things with which they live. I understand beavers can cause problems and need to be moved out, but if you destroy the lodge at least do it when they have time to rebuild before having babies and even then maybe it would be better to trap and eat the beavers before destroying the lodge. My grandfather never agreed with wasting any life that God created. He didn't believe in killing for the sake of killing and putting a pregnant beaver out of home in winter is killing for the sake of killing in my book. Of course, I am just jumping to conclusions on that one. It just as easily could be a sick or lost juvenile that mama put out to make room for the new little ones. Anyways it was a beautiful critter and I finally got up close and personal with a beaver that I had for so many years tried to capture on film. Blessings from the farm, Kat

The Best Laid Plans

2011-02-03T07:18:00.002-06:00

Wow, what nasty weather. So my day has started just a little differently than normal. Usually about right now I would getting ready to head out to the barn and milk and feed. We are having a good downpour of sleet at the moment and I have no interest in going out in it. Apparently the critters are interested in getting up and moving around much either. I have been up since 4 am and not a single crow from either rooster. Normally, the goats start moving around the barn about daylight and then start calling me shortly after. I looked out the sliding glass door and could just see a pile of goats huddled in their stall in the little barn. They are showing no interest in getting up. Normally, the horses are near the fence on the other side of the house. I looked out the windows and not a sign of horses anywhere, they too are huddled in the barn. So, my day is starting off a little different than it normally would. I have already done most of my household chores for the day. I even have some extras as I got wholesale cuts of Boston butts, beef knuckles and rib eyes on sale yesterday. So I have all that meat to cut and put up (the rib eyes are whole ribeyes). I will can the beef knuckles, and one of the butts. And since I will be getting out all my canning stuff, I might as well take one of the turkeys out of the freezer to can also. That is something that I have been putting off. I have also got some cheddar on the stove already cheddaring. As so as I have that in the mold, I suppose I will head outside to face the nastiness. This sleet is supposed to clear out by this afternoon so maybe I can get to finish the electric fence around the goat pasture. I am almost done with it and would really like to get it on before they start tearing up the woven wire fence again. Between the goats climbing on it and the neighbor shoving trees through and down on it, it has taken a real beating. I cut more posts, my husband and I set them and then painstakingly took the whole fence down and straightened it. That is not something I wish to repeat. All the insulators are up, now we just have to run the wire, set the grounds, and hook it up. I am hoping that I can get out there to get that done today as I really need to get back in the garden. I am already running behind schedule there. I should already have the beets planted along with the sweet peas and I have more wattle fence to finish. Well, I guess I can't complain about the weather too much down here. You folks up in the north and midwest have really been having it rough. We are at 32 degrees this morning, but you folks are in the negatives. Too cold for me and by the looks of it too cold for my goats too! Well, off to turn the cheddar and pull out the canner and jars. Blessings for the day, Kat

Four Years Ago

2011-02-01T06:21:00.002-06:00

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day about what all we do here on the farm. She tried to have a little flock of layers about a year ago and gave up when the hawks got them all. So her little chicken coop that she built herself stands empty. She made the statement that she always makes when we talk, "I could never do everything that you do." I hear this statement a lot when people find out what all I do. I fully understand where they are coming from. But most don't realize that I didn't start off doing "all" that I do now. In fact, if someone had told me a little over 4 years ago that I would be milking goats, grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread, along with the various other things that I do around here I would have said they must be out of their mind. I could barely keep up with the housework and homeschooling. Then I had a feeling and that feeling grew and grew that I needed to do more. In fact those feelings came in the form of dreams that haunted me each and every night for more than 6 months. The funny thing about those dreams is that they were very specific about what I needed to do. In those dreams I envisioned cooking more from scratch than I did at the time, growing and putting away a large garden, raising livestock. While I have always loved farm life and wanted to have a farm, it wasn't something that I envisioned for myself. Many days I struggled just to get the laundry and the cooking done. Having chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia sometimes made just getting out of bed a struggle. It still does. Pain has been my middle name since I was 8. But I can only say that because of the specific nature of those dreams that they were a calling from God. God wanted me to do this and after all those nights and all those months I simply could not deny it. I didn't see how we would do it. My husband worked a lot just trying to make ends meet. Even on his days off he often took side jobs which meant he could barely get the yard mowed much less anything else. Our fences were (some still are) in poor shape and often barely kept the horses in. The pastures were poor and the barns were pitiful. We had no good place for the garden as all of the soil had long ago been overly processed with chemicals, and in some places badly eroded. I had already tried 2 flocks of chickens and that turned out miserably when both flocks were wiped out by the neighbor's pit bulls despite the fencing that I struggled to put up. I had also tried rabbits and lost them to heat stroke despite frozen water bottles. I did not see how I could do what He was calling me to do. But I finally broke down and decided that if God wanted me to do this then He would make it possible. Where I was weak He would make me strong. I followed the path of the dreams. The instructions from God. Whenever I needed to know how to do something the answers were right there even though many times I didn't know what I was looking for. He was opening the doors and leading the way. I just had to follow and learn. However, I am not going to say that things were easy. They weren't. My first garden here was 5 ft.x10ft. Just enough to attempt to grow a few tomatoes and cucumbers. I called it my salad garden. It failed miserably. I planted the lettuce too late and as spring turned into summer within a week it died rapidly. The tomatoes burned up later in the summer as I harvested a measly two of them off 3 plants. The cucumbers grew and grew and then were attacked by cucumber beetles. The next year I amended the soil and tried again. That year I couldn't keep the pony out of the garden. My daughter accidentally left the gate open and once he got a taste he wiped it clean. He even broke through the fence to get in. I built a chicken coop, newer and stronger out of recycled wood. I bought a few hens. 1 drowned in the horse water trough, another was killed by a possum that dug under the coop. I think we only have 2 of the original 5 left. One and on it went, each time we added something or tried something it brought new problems and I was still working out the old problems. But I was learning and despite the issues and setbacks each season brought more knowledge. I gleaned the knowledge that I had gained from my grandparents as it started to come back after many years of being shoved to the back of my mind. Now 4 years later I am content with what God has allowed us to do. We are still learning and each year we learn more and address new and different issues. God has always provided the means for us to do this and to follow this path. When we thought there was no money he either showed us how to do it free or cheap and when we couldn't do that somehow the money was available. The more we did for ourselves the less it cost us in living expenses. Our grocery bill now for 4 is cheaper than what it used to be for 2 due to the knowledge and skills that we have obtained over the past 4 years. During those 4 years, I felt such an urgency to learn and do more. I no longer feel that urgency because I know that now finally we are in a good place. Whatever we learn and do from here on out is a "bonus", but the urgency is gone. We have a well stocked pantry, we have several food sources, we have skills that we never dreamed of having. We look at our land and our life in a much different light than we did 4 years ago. I still have pain and I still struggle with bone deep fatigue, but God gives me the strength and the fortitude to keep going. Because I followed His plan and guidance we eat better which has eased the pain. So yeah, I can understand my friend's statement. I made the same one myself years ago. But because I had faith that God knew me better than I knew myself I am in a whole different place. I have a peace in my life that I never knew before. So sometimes, we have to take that leap of faith that God will give us the strength and courage to do what we must do to follow the path that He wants us to follow. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Mushrooms on Toast

2011-02-01T05:52:00.002-06:00

I have been pigging out lately on one of my favorite meals....mushrooms on toast. It is traditionally a British food, but thanks to Gordon Ramsey this southern gal is hooked. So here is how I make it.

I take 3 large fresh mushrooms and slice them. I then saute them in a little bit of butter with minced garlic. You can use as little garlic or as much as you like. Just a hint of salt. Saute them until done and then place them on two pieces of toast. Then poach two eggs (I do mine soft poached and still runny). Place the eggs on top of the mushrooms and enjoy. This is oh so yummy and since we eat a large mid day dinner it makes a nice light supper. It is rich though because of the butter. Enjoy! Blessings from the farm, Kat

What is a wattle fence?

2011-01-29T05:07:00.002-06:00

Kelle asked on one of my posts what a wattle fence is. I won't go into great detail since I am working on an article for Backwoods Home magazine and writing all of it here would negate my ability to sell said article. However, I will explain a bit here and it shouldn't hurt. In victorian times, especially in England folks needed to use what they could in order to repair fences. Most homesteads had a stand of small green saplings. In order to make quick repairs on fences, especially in cold winters, they would use these sapling to weave in and out of posts in the ground. The green saplings (about an inch in diameter)were flexible enough to weave through the posts without breaking, but as they dried became much stronger. Depending on how you weave the saplings,these fences can be quite strong and were often used in sheep fields. They would not be strong enough to contain cows that were determined to test fences, nor do I think they would contain my goats. My horses would be contained just fine because they don't test fences. They just take advantage of a hole that is there. During that time they even had people who built what was called a wattle hurdle, which is much like a moveable fence panel. These guys were masters at working the samplings through and around the posts so that when they were finished they were very strong. Hurdles were typically used out in the field to make a small corral for working the sheep. It was easier to work them in the fields than to get the whole flock to the barn. The hurdle makers would actually twist the samplings so that they wrapped around the end posts and could be woven back into the body of the hurdle. This made them self contained and really strong. The great thing about these fences is that they use underbrush that needs to be cleaned out anyways or yard trash that needs to be cleaned up. I have been making mine out of trash sticks on our huge woodpile that my husband was going to burn. These aren't as flexible as green saplings would be and so don't make as strong of a fence. However, I only need mine to keep the ducks out of the garden beds and for that purpose they work just fine. My first fence is probably not the best example of wattling there is and I am still having make slight repairs here and there as the fence settles into place. Most repairs are simply done by adding a few more branches to the top. However, the ducks don't try to go through the mass of branches and twigs and therefore are staying out of the garden beds. This will give my seedling a chance and once the plants are mature enough then I can open the gate and let the ducks have at the bugs. Meanwhile they can run around each section and hopefully get the pests before they get into the fenced area. I can see lots of uses for this type of fence in our future. The best thing is that when the wood at the bottom rots, then you just squish the fence down and add more to the top. Our pine thicket needs to be cleaned out, so I can see using lots of the pine saplings for a wattle fencing. I would also like to build some wattle hurdles and think that the wisteria vine that I need to clean out would do just great for that purpose. We are growing a stand of bamboo also and will be using the bamboo poles to make wattles. It will be a great way to keep the bamboo under control. The closer the posts the stronger the fence. The second section I am working on will be stronger that the first since I am spacing the posts closer. The post can be a thicker sapling (2-3 inches in diameter) simply hammered into the ground. A few years ago I couldn't hardly hammer a piece of rebar into that ground and now I am amazed at how easily I can hammer a 2 inch sapling into the ground to set the posts for the wattle fence. All those tons of compost have really paid off. Anyway that is another blog post. I hope this explains what a wattle fence is a little better. Blessings, Kat

Tightwad Tip-In the Kitchen

2011-01-29T04:48:00.002-06:00

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but cooking oil is not cheap. A little tip that I learned from my grandmother was to save your grease. Bacon grease has a special little jar in the refrigerator. Once the grease is cool, I spoon it into the jar. I am a traditional southern cook and all veggies are season with pork fat. A cheap way of doing that is to add a little bacon grease to your beans or peas instead of using fat back which is not so cheap anymore. Same flavor and seasoning, but far less cost. A little bacon grease in the pan to fry up eggs in the morning is also cheaper than using fresh oil and frankly the taste is better also. When I fry something like rabbit or pork chops, I save the cooking oil. I have a jar and when the oil is cooled down I simply pour the majority of the clean oil into the jar. There are always the little bits in the bottom of the pan and those go into a cup to be put on the dog and cat food (not more than a little spoonful each). Cooking oil can be used three or four times depending on what you are frying. Meat usually is about three times, but potatoes and such can stretch it another time before it needs to be discarded. Most restaurants only change out their fryer grease once a week (at least they should). Since we only fry something about once a week this allows me to go almost a month using the same amount of grease. Sometimes, I might have to add a little bit of new grease to have enough. However, that is usually on the third or fourth use. And another plus is that you get a better browning once the grease has been used at least once. The downside to that is by the fourth use you can brown too much too quickly so be careful to keep your temp down to slow down browning. The structure of the cooking oil by that time is breaking down so slower cooking at a lower temp is necessary to keep the food from burning on the outside before it is done on the inside. Usually for later usage I choose something that doesn't need to cook as long like cubed steak instead of rabbit or pork and then I use a lower temp setting. Another thing that I save is the fat trimmings from butchering. I have a bag in the freezer and when I have fat trimmings they all go in that bag. I will render all that fat and then make my laundry soap from it. I also put excess grease from cooking hamburger or sausage etc, into that bag. I had a turkey carcass that I made broth from not too long ago. I always put my broth in the refrigerator overnight for any fat to congeal at the top before I can it. So once I took it out of the refrigerator I scooped all the fat off the top and put in my bag in the freezer. I got a good half cup of fat that otherwise would have been wasted, but now will be put to good use. Saving grease and re-using is definitely a good way to save a little money in the kitchen. Remember that every little bit here and there adds up to a lot over the long term. Blessings, Kat

Tightwad Tip-Laundry

2011-01-27T06:36:00.002-06:00

First I don't like doing laundry and especially hate folding clothes. Second, I hate spending money to do laundry. So a couple of things to cut down on the amount and the bill. First, wear clothes more than once if you possibly can. If I have to go to town and run a couple of errands very often my clothes have not been worn for very long and I was clean when I put them on, so I hang them up on a hanger and let them air. I have a special place in our bedroom outside the closet that I hang the clothes so that I know they have been worn once and this gives them room to air out. Those are the clothes that I choose first for my next outing. After they have been worn a couple of times then they head to the wash. My husband and daughter do the same thing. This greatly cuts down on the amount of clothes that I wash during the week. I will even do this with work clothes around the farm if I haven't gotten too dirty. For instance, I worked in the garden planting and covering rows. The work wasn't too terribly labor intensive so I will rewear my shirt to do the same today and just put on a different pair of pants since the knees were muddy. Another thing to do is once you are washing use the shortest setting on your machine that you can. Those clothes that were worn to town and don't have any mud or dirt on them or stains, put them on a short setting. The less time your washing machine runs the less electricity you use. Of course, dirty stained outside work clothes need more time to get clean. However, those outfits that you wore for just a few hours each time mostly running errands or visiting friends really don't need that long to get clean. Anyway, those are my tightwad tips for the day. Blessings, Kat

It's official Garden Year 2011has Begun

2011-01-27T06:04:00.003-06:00

Well, it is official. Our garden year has begun as the cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, and salad greens went into the ground yesterday. The second round of broccoli and cauliflower will hit their prospective beds within a couple of weeks. The green peas will go into the ground this weekend along with the onions and beets. I really have my husband confused poor guy. For the past several years we have tilled into the hard pan clay inches and inches of compost. Then between each row we layered mulch that later became compost. Our soil now has a nice tilth and is deep rich dark black soil. So we are no longer tilling because it is no longer necessary and actually damages the soil and releases potential nutrients from it. Instead we are raising beds in the areas that used to be rows and planting on top of layers of unfinished compost that are topped with finished compost. We are changing from traditional rows over to more of the French intensive style of gardening now that our soil is in good health. Our intentions are that there will be less compaction and damage to the soil that we have spent years getting into good shape. This will also free up some room for larger plantings of beets, corn and sunflowers. These are good livestock crops for us and it is important that we grow as much as we can for the stock. We also have a few patches that will become a permanent herb garden and room for berries bushes. I will try to get some pics later today, but will give a brief overview. Where our rows once were, I made wide beds/rows. I first layered down some feed sacks (paper), then a thin layer of stall cleanings, then a layer of leaves,then another thin layer of stall cleanings, then soil from immediately around the bed which would be the walkway, and then finally topped with a good several inches of compost. I then scattered my seeds and covered with another thin layer of dirt from around the bed. Then the whole bed was covered with a sheet of plastic to create a mini greenhouse. The composting action of the stall cleanings will warm the bed for the seedlings along with the greenhouse effect of the plastic. But the plastic will keep in the warmth at night and protect the seedlings from any frost. I did this year's ago in my much much smaller garden and had a wonderful yield. Now the walkways are being carpeted with leaves and later all the gleanings from the barn that has been deeply bedded over the winter. The chicken coop which is also deeply bedded will start off the new garden compost pile for the year once this one is emptied. Chicken manure is really too hot to safely use straight into the garden. One thing that you must be careful of is creating too hot a composting environment in your beds that you burn up your plants. That is why it is important to use either cool manure (rabbit) or very thin layers. The cleanings from the rabbit litter boxes and the stalls of the horses is what we are using. With the horse manure it is important that there be lots of carbon material and very thin layers of stall cleanings. Since our chickens head to the stalls to scratch around first thing in the morning everything is broken down into small pieces and will add just enough heat and compost very slowly under the seedlings so that they get warmth, but no burn. The added benefit is that since the composting action is slow, nutrients will be released all through the growing season. At the end of the season, just that much more beautiful black topsoil has been created. Anyway, today we will be working on the wattle fence around the next section and then it will be time to add more crops to the spring garden. Blessings from the farm, Kat

No Buy February?

2011-01-26T06:45:00.003-06:00

In the past I have chosen February as a month with absolutely no buying, not even at the grocery. It has always been a good chance to dig deep into the freezer and pantry and use things that need to be used and rotated out. Having this month has always meant that we don't have anything freezer burnt and that fresh produce going into the freezer especially is this year's produce. However, commodities prices are on the rise. Shoot, everything in cost is rising rapidly. So here I am with February right around the corner and wondering if I am going to follow my tradition or not. Since I only go to the grocery about once a month, I have noticed a big difference. Sugar still keeps going up and has been a huge increase over the last year and shows no signs of slowing down. I doubt I will use as much sugar this year as I did last year since I won't need any jams and jellies, but I will need some over the course of the next year. I do go through staple goods on a regular basis and they are something that is constantly rotating in our home. So with all of this said, it seems much wiser to purchase now rather than later. What I am thinking is that maybe I need to use February to simply pad my stock of staple goods and that will be the only buying that I do. Maybe by doing so I can do a "no buy" month later in the year or at least watch the pricing index on goods that I cannot provide myself. While we stay stocked up in these goods and certainly have enough to last us awhile, they do constantly move through our home. So I am thinking that I would much rather pay the cost now while I can rather than pay more of the cost later. So what do you folks think? I am personally thinking that February needs to be staples only month, might as well get while the getting is good. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Just a little update

2011-01-25T07:14:00.002-06:00

Well, my back has finally recovered. I still don't know what I did to it but it was bad....really bad. I couldn't even sit at the computer for more than a few minutes at a time and being on the couch or in the bed was extremely frustrating. My husband and Petunia took over the feeding chores and did pretty well getting food for everyone. It is a good thing that I prepare extra soup and can it up. We ate a lot of soup. We also ate a lot of cheese/crackers, cereal and sandwiches. Frankly, I am a little sick of cereal and sandwiches. The one thing that I learned is that I don't need to put off teaching Petunia how to milk any longer. I have known that I need to teach her so that she can, just in case. It is one of those things that I just didn't get around to doing. My mom had to bring over one of her canes so that I could get out to the barn and do the milking. Thankfully, that was all that I had to do. It was painful enough to do just that. Needless to say I have gotten way behind in my farm schedule. I should have had the cole crops under the row covers by now, but I don't. Housework is behind also. My back is still a little sore and I have to be careful how I move and such, but thank goodness I am back to being functional. I did start incubating eggs this past week so we should start having chicks in a few weeks. Yipppeeeee!!! The girls are getting back into the swing of laying after their winter siesta and we are up to about 8 eggs a day now out of 11 hens. I have 3 more due to start laying in March. It is nice not to have to ration eggs anymore. Despite things being pretty cold there are subtle signs of spring around. For one, the days are starting to get longer (just a little bit). We have had a pretty mild winter this year with only a few days here and there with freezing temps. This would have been a great year to keep the garden going with greens and such. I guess it is good to have a couple months off from gardening. When I have the garden going I am in it everyday and by the end of the year I am simply tired of it. The next few weeks will be busy as I add compost, finish wattle fences, plant the coles, onions, and green peas. I will be in full swing in the garden in just a few more weeks. So I guess I need to spend the next couple of weeks getting the spring cleaning in the house done and odds and ends chores finished and put away. I have quite a few sewing projects to finish. It seems like I never finish with the sewing. Today it is pouring down rain so that seems a good thing to do. Maybe I can make a good dent in that and finish those winter skirts that have been sitting half done for the past 2 months. Speaking of skirts....My sister gave me a gift certificate for Kohl's for Christmas. While the children were at their Sunday church activities Sunday night I went shopping. I bought a few things for the kitchen and then couldn't find anything else that I really needed for the kitchen or the house. I then took a look at the bras because I really do need some new bras. I then struck a huge dilemma...why are all the bras padded?! I am well endowed enough, the last thing I need is extra padding. So I couldn't find a bra that would not make me look bigger than I am so I headed over to the clothes. There in the women's clothing section I scored!!!! On the clearance racks I found some great skirts for this summer and some awesome shirts also. The best thing is that no one item was more than 3.00. I bought 5 skirts and 3 blouses and was tickled pink. It made up for the bra issue. It was fun to actually buy something for myself and not just something for the house, or the kids or the farm. I haven't spent money just on me in a very very long time. I know that sounds selfish, but I think we all need to do something for ourselves every now and then. The kids were funny though as they are used to me usually getting stuff for them and were quite disappointed when I started pulling stuff out of the bags. However, once Petunia got over her initial disappointment she did say that it was good that I used my present on myself. Little Britches didn't think so though. Well, I guess that is about all I have been up to the last few weeks. It is hard getting back into the swing of things after being down for so long (2 weeks is a very very long time for me). I just simply don't know where to start. Blessings, Kat

Back Pain

2011-01-12T06:55:00.002-06:00

I live with pain on a daily basis and can usually muster the stubbornness to get through it and get what I need to get done. This is different. This is debilitating. This pain is crippling. I don't know what I have done or how it could have happened since I was taking a couple of easy days resting on the couch with the heating pad and doing some mending that needed to be done. I worked really hard getting everything outside taken care of before this storm we were supposed to have and never did. I was sore and my body was whooped. So, I did the basic chores and decided a couple of days on the couch doing some writing and mending wouldn't hurt. I was wrong. Yesterday afternoon I started to get excruciating pain in my lower back. I couldn't get comfortable and the heat from the heating pad just seemed to make it worse. By last night I could barely walk. If I attempt to stand up straight, my legs give way and I fall. This morning I can walk around the house only if I stay hunched over and hold onto something because my back can't hold me up. What has happened to me? And what am I gonna do? If I can just make it through today, then my husband is off the next two days and will be home. I hope I will be better by then, but after not being better this morning I don't have high hopes. I wish I knew what was going on and if I am not even slightly better tomorrow I am going to have him take me to the doctor. I doubt at this point that I could even drive because I have no strength in my back, which means moving my legs is not very easy. I am trying to figure out how I am going to get out to the barn to milk and feed. That is the one thing that I am kicking myself for right now. I have been putting off teaching my oldest how to milk and getting the girls used to her milking when I can't. So I am the only one who can milk and someway, somehow I am going to have to get out to that barn and do just that. She can feed, but only I can milk. So ladies, take this from my experience.....teach someone else in your family to milk and make sure the girls will allow them to do just that. I also needed to make cheese today and I made broth yesterday that needs to be canned today. I took some robaxin last night, hoping that would relax the muscles and help. It didn't. I also took a Lortab which would normally knock me out in a second since I rarely even take anything for a headache. It didn't even touch the pain level. The pain in my shoulder is gone though! I am trying to move around a little to keep from getting stove up and not being able to move at all. My legs are still giving way though. I am praying that the Lord gives me the strength to get through morning chores and that this is something simple that will heal with rest. To be honest, this is humbling and scary. I have always been such an independent, strong willed person. I have always managed to do what I need to do despite pain or injury. This is the first time in my life that I can't do that. No matter how much I want to or how determined I am, my body won't. Here is hoping that your day is better than mine is looking to be and that none of you have to go through this. Blessings from the farm, Kat

I Should Have Known Better (Civil War History)

2011-01-09T04:46:00.002-06:00

I should have known better this morning than to read this ridiculous article in the Washington Post. Really I should know better than to read anything in the Washington Post, knowing that most pieces are simply opinion. I suppose I was merely intrigued that a story about the Civil War was being written in a NEWSpaper. I thought newspapers were for news that was well....new, not history. I opened it anyway. So here is my response to this non researched garbage. Mr. Loewen claims that the south was actually opposed to states' rights. Mr. Loewen could not be further from the truth. The south actually believed that piece of paper called the United States Constitution that gave them all right to govern themselves as an independent member of a constitutional republic. Oddly enough, the majority of the people of the northern states also felt that each individual state had the right to decide what to do for themselves. It was only a select few mostly northern Congressmen who felt otherwise. Sounds a little familiar doesn't it, the people strongly oppose a bailout but Congress does it anyway. They didn't listen to the people then and they aren't doing it now. Secondly, Mr. Loewen claims that the imposition of overwhelming taxes and tariffs on the southern states is a lie also. If he had bothered to do any research at all he would have seen that the southern states had a much larger export market than the north and its fledgling factories. Most tariffs and taxes were levied on exports, so who paid those high export taxes? Well, that would be those that did the most exporting, the south and the cotton industry. The Morrell Tariff was actually the straw that broke the camel's back. The south already paid 80% of the nations taxes and when time came to spend that money they were routinely outvoted in Congress in favor of northern infrastructure. Why were they outvoted? It is simple, more people in the north than south meant more representatives for the north. His third "myth" holds that even though the majority of whites in the south were too poor to own slaves, they were optimistic about one day reaching the upper eschelons of society and wanted to secure their ability to own slaves at that point. What a bunch of baloney. He also states in this area that there was such an air of white supremacy that they were afraid to go against their kind. And uses this statement "The consequence will be that our men will be all exterminated or expelled to wander as vagabonds over a hostile earth, and as for our women, their fate will be too horrible to contemplate even in fancy." by then Georgia Supreme Court Justice Henry Benning. Well, if Mr. Loewen had bothered to do any research he would understand that this statement was in response to the Haiti slave rebellions. The south was indeed looking for a way to move away from slavery because it was no longer economically viable since the invention of the cotton gin (just like we no longer use draft horses on most farms anymore). However, they realized that just turning all those people loose with no homes, no jobs, no food was not the way to go. In fact, the plantation owners in Haiti had done just that. They sent all of their slaves packing. Essentially, they threw them out of their homes (owned by the plantation), took away their food supply (again owned by the plantation) and sent them on their way. The slaves retaliated because there was no means for them to support themselves and they burned and looted the plantations and very few plantation owners escaped death. So this comment that Mr. Loewen uses out of context to try to support his feeble opinion, was actually a valid fear held by the south because it had already happened elsewhere! I will give him this, he does come slightly close to the truth with his myth #4. Lincoln didn't care about slavery nor did he care about the slaves. He actually was in favor of putting all slaves back on boats and sending them back to Africa. However, the only reason he cared about keeping the nation together was because of money. I have already explained that the north at that time simply couldn't have done without the large amount of money that it received from the taxes imposed on the south. Lincoln knew that and didn't want to lose a huge source of revenue, his main source. This brings us to his final "myth" which I have already touched on a bit. He says that even though it is impossible to disprove that slavery would have ended on its own, it is difficult to accept that it would have. Well, that is his opinion. How many things have developed and evolved in agricultural history. I am sure there was a time when farmers could not even fathom the invention of the tractor and the end of using draft horses to pull a plow. I am sure there was a day when farmers could not fathom a machine that would milk their cows for them. Large draft horses became more of an economic burden on the farmer once the tractor was invented. It would have been the same with slavery. Think about it Mr. Loewen. Slaves had to be housed, fed, clothed, medical needs attended to all year long whether there was a crop to harvest or not. With mechanized equipment that could do the work only when needed and didn't cost anything the rest of the year, slavery was not a sound business expense. Farming is a business whether you know it or not. We don't just play in the dirt for the fun of it (ok it is fun, but that is not the point). In closing I would highly suggest that Mr. Loewen do some research before he puts his opinions on paper and states them as fact. History is history, it doesn't need to be twisted into a story to suit whichever audience you want to reach. Slavery existed in the United States, get over it. There are more important things to learn from the Un-Civil War (there was nothing civil about that war) because what happened then leading up to that massacre is happening now to lead to another possible massacre and folks if we don't wake up and learn our history we will repeat it. Arizona is now fighting for its right to keep illegals out of its state. Sounds like the same states' rights that were an issue in 1861. Many states including my own, have declared Obamacare unconstitutional and sent out Declarations of Sovereignty in response to imposing a glorified tax on the people of their states. Sounds like the taxes and tariffs of the 1860s also. The American people both black and white need to get around this smoke screen and mirrors trick being imposed on them by constantly bickering over slavery. The rest of the issues are still happening right under our noses! Slavery happened, it happened here and it happened in Egypt 4000 years ago and it has happened at some point in some time throughout history around the globe. But what is happening now is that the American people are willingly taking up those chains of slavery yet again because they fail to understand the real truth of history. Mr. Loewen if you want to write about the Civil War, write about something worthwhile. Something we can learn that will help us today when we as a nation are facing the same tyranny and oppression and invasion of states' rights that only a few faced 150 years ago. I will hop down off my soap box with this quote,

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government." (The Declaration of Independence)

The men and women of the south knew this document. They believed in it and had fought for it and died for it. They believed it so deeply that they were willing to risk lives and fortunes to keep it alive. You see, they suffered just as the colonies did, in a long train of abuses of which they could do nothing about. So they set to provide new Guards for their future and their children's future. Mr. Loewen have you even read the Declaration of Independence?

Ok, I am done ranting and tirading now. I just had to get that out of my system. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Deep South Winter Storm

2011-01-08T03:58:00.002-06:00

I really hate these winter storms here in the deep south. I know, I know....you folks up north are just laughing at what we call a winter storm here. Here is the difference. Folks up north understand snow and ice, folks in the south understand cold and mud. Folks in the north understand how to drive in snowy icy conditions, folks in the south think snow and ice mean GO FASTER, CHANGE LANES MORE OFTEN, NEVER SIGNAL, SLAM ON BRAKES!I know my sister in Maine is laughing her head off right now as she prepares to shovel the snow so that she can make her morning snowy drive to work. I don't envy her and that is why I live where snow is supposed to be a once in 20 year thing. Usually our winters mean lots of rain and mud, not lots of snow and ice! Global warming my foot and don't even go there about the "climate change" they are now trying to call it. Anyway, I am sure the stores were a nightmare yesterday. What a blessing to always be prepared (remember Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Ivan taught me that). I do however, have a very busy day ahead of me because of this mess coming from the door that somebody in the north left open. In normal winter conditions here I don't really make any big changes to the barns. They stay pretty open. I just deep bed the goat barn and they have a large stall to cuddle up in on cold nights. The rabbits are content with deep hay in their cages and on really cold nights I throw a cover over the cages. However, I am battening down the hatches at both ends of the aisleway so that it doesn't become a wind tunnel. I also have my old stallion in the stall next to the goats, so will give him some extra bedding and close up that gap at the bottom of his stall. Both stalls are closed it, but open to the aisle which is open on the north and south end. The rabbits are housed in the aisle. Then there is the chicken coop. It is closed on the north side, but the other 3 sides are open along the top. So I will close up 2 of those sides, add more bedding for the chickens and fill up their grain feeder that hardly ever gets used. Having something to eat all day while cooped up will help keep them warm. Then it will just be a quick check to refresh water. I am filling extra water buckets all around because I know my hoses will be frozen and possibly my outdoor spickets. Then there is the big horse barn. My husband decided to take off part of the north side wall so that he could turn my big foaling stall into the tractor spot. This means that the barn can get pretty windy. So I will cover the stall facing the opening and the side door opening. Then there is just the small door on the south side and the 2 horses that use that barn will be able to get in out of the freezing rain, sleet or snow. I will back some extra bedding in there and go ahead and take some hay over there so that everything I need is right there. I have extra coffee cans to have feed rations pre measured out and all that needs doing is to grab a can and dump it. And again I have a big trashcan in the barn for water so I don't have to haul to many water buckets, just a couple gallon jugs of hot water. I try to make everything as simple outside as possible in this weather. Sleet is no fun to run around outside in for very long and everything is so spread out around here, that a lot of time is spent in the elements moving from barn to barn. It would be nice to have everything in one spot and that is my goal one day, but alas that day is not here. We are good in the house, but need to bring in more firewood and stack as much as we can get. The propane is good and set to go. I am cooking a turkey, Sunday morning so if we lose power it is simple to heat the turkey and canned veggies over the fire. I also have canned soups and stuff and am baking bread and some cookies also. We are good as far as the house goes. All the laundry is done. You just never know with our power out here in the country on good days (it goes out on bright clear sunny days!), so with this weather....limbs falling, lines breaking, town a priority....well you get the idea. The one thing I am really upset about is this will keep me from working on the wattle fence around the garden. I have been having so much fun building that fence and it looks like it will have to wait a few days. Oh, well...that is life on the farm. Maybe I can eek out a little time to work on it today and this storm might give me lots more material to work with! Blessings from the farm and stay warm and safe.

Amazing Kid!

2011-01-06T07:54:00.001-06:00

This kid has got to be my new hero. He is truly an amazing speaker and he has been invited to speak at a California conference. I believe he will be the intro speaker for Joel Salatin. Blessings, Kat

Fence Post Cutting for Women

2011-01-02T06:01:00.002-06:00

Well the goats have really damaged their fence. Actually, it is so badly damaged that they no longer stay in it, unless they choose to. Part of the problem was that we skimped on fence posts. At the time my husband didn't want to fell any trees to make posts and instead wanted to buy steel T posts. I have never really liked t posts because with enough pressure the fencing just slide down the post as the ties loosen. Well that is exactly what has happened to most of their fence line. Field fence is a bear to straighten out. It must be completely taken down laid out flat and straightened. You simply make more of a mess if you try to straighten it out while it is up, especially attached to t posts. I have been waiting for my husband to help fix the fence. It absolutely must be done before the garden is planted or we will have the same problem as last year....goats walking over their fence right into the garden. Last year I would have had a really good harvest had it not been for the goats that ate half of the garden produce (if not more). They inhaled all of my fall greens. I only have two pastures that are fenced for the goats, the perimeter around the horse pastures is in barbed wire and definitely is not goat proof. The other pasture fenced for goats is the one that my neighbor in his enthusiasm to bulldoze his side of the fenceline drove two tree through the fence, dropped another on the fence and broke off 3 of my fence posts (wood). So the whole line between his property and mine in that pasture is destroyed. Yes, he cut the trees up and got them out of my way, but he didn't repair the damage done. So the goats are visiting the neighbors on that side and using his fields to get to the neighbors on the backside. I am tired of calling goats back home, my husband has the flu and is working very long hours lately, so it is up to me to solve the problem. The goat pasture attached to the barn is first on the agenda. There are several spots that the boys have broken the wire and that won't be salvageable, but I have a plan. Anyway, back to the fence posts. I don't like chainsaws much, but I am comfortable using a small one. Unfortunately we only have a big one. So what is a girl to do? Using an axe kills me and knocks me out of commission for several days due to the pain of hefting the heavy thing over and over. Believe me, an axe may not weigh much when you first pick it up but swing it over and over and it will begin to weigh a ton. So I broke out my trusty axe, made sure it was nice and sharp and went to work. I chose cedar trees to cut since I use my oak in the fireplace, and cedar is naturally insect resistant. I chose 10 inch diameter trees for several reasons. The thickness of the heartwood is what makes a fence post last and smaller diameter just doesn't have much heartwood yet. The soft outer wood will become softer over time so you need a tree with a good thick heart. Second, trees with this diameter will usually yield at least 2 good sized posts which means fewer trees to fell. And three, a 10 inch diameter isn't too terribly hard to cut through. So I took my trusty hatchet and used the v cut on one side and then cut through from the other. This helped to control which way my tree fell, especially if you take a look at the way the tree is growing. Oh, first I delimbed the bottom limbs so that I could get to the trunk. Once the tree was down then I delimbed the rest of the trunk with the hatchet. After 2 trees, I resharpened my hatchet. A dull hatchet makes for a lot more work on your part. All in all I got 4 trees down, delimbed and ready to cut into posts in 2 hours. Not bad for a girl!. I will cut those today and then get them prepared to set. Ideally you want to let the posts cure for several months to a year. I don't have that kind of time. So I will strip the bark from the bottom of each post (again with my hatchet) and paint that portion with a mixture of linseed oil and charcoal to act as a preservative. You simply crush the charcoal into a powder, mix in the linseed oil and paint it on. I will then set those posts, take the fence down, straighten it out and put it back up. Then I am going to run two strands of hotwire along the top portion of the fence. That will keep my boys from trying to climb it. That should solve that fence problem and then I can work on their other pasture fence. So for women I highly recommend working with a hatchet that is lighter weight than trying to use an axe. It is also easier to control. It cuts smaller bits than an axe would and probably takes more swings, but you can accomplish more and feel less pain afterword. I must admit my muscles are sore, but I am not in screaming pain like I usually am after trying to use the axe. Blessings from the farm. Kat