Apples. Apples all the way down.

Windfall apples. Literally. 15 bushels.

You may have detected a theme, here at the homestead.  We spend the majority of our time working with, working on, and talking about things that we like.  Never forget that it is OK to surround yourself with work that you like, things that you like, food that you like, you know the IMPORTANT things, the things that make you feel good the things that make you feel the most YOU.

Like apples.  There are whole sections of the country where folks are no more than a short drive away from an apple orchard. Facebook is covered right now with people happily indulging in their fall tradition of an afternoon spent apple picking. They will spend a few hours there, pick a few apples, take a few home, pay top dollar for top quality and leave happy. I am not so easily satisfied. (continued)

How To: Oven Pickles

Ugly oven, shiny pickles.

More about pickles? Yes, more pickles.  Batch style pickles are good for the end of the season as your supply begins to wind down.  If you have made your batch of real pickles you should have enough pickles to satisfy for now, these ones will last longer. This is also a good approach to use for longer term storage as these pickles will leave the oven canned and ready to hit the pantry.

How To: Canning That Extra Chicken

First, You will need one of these. (Click for Amazon)

Previously, we discussed turning a chicken from one meal into several and it was pointed out (accurately) that while I mentioned the canning process I did not discuss it.  An omission to be rectified immediately.

Canning for long term storage is all about heat treatment and safety.  Safety while you work around the hot equipment and the hot stove, safety in ensuring you are using the right recipe for the right foods, safety, safety, safety.

It is possible to make yourself sick with improperly canned foods and it is possible to burn yourself while working with high temperatures and the stove top. Proper understanding, instruction, and due diligence are your responsibility. Protecting you and your family from accidents should be your number one priority. (continued)

PPPP Report Week 13

You'd look mad too if I photographed your morning bath.

Last week marked the forecast end of the Promised Pastured Poultry Progress Reports, but there is always more to the story.  On Monday I alluded to the fact that there was a broiler in the pot and that we graduated several birds over the weekend but didn't go into much detail. From the beginning I've been looking forward to this year's chicken and dinner Sunday night was everything I had been looking forward to.

Mrs. Farmer gets full credit for the preparation and cooking, and that was the best chicken I've had in a long time. A sense of accomplishment and pride in a job well done is part of that, but good food, good air, and sunshine for the chickens accounts for much more.  (continued)

Stretching A Chicken Dinner

Yes, I have chicken overwintering in quart jars.
It might be comfortable, I've never tried it.

Ah, it's fall now, you can tell because Mrs. Farmer refuses to let me leave the windows open at night and has both started checking the weather forecast for frost advisory and begun wearing her fuzzy slippers in the morning. Others may count from the equinox or when the leaves begin to change their color but I know better (and a wise man never argues with his wife).

This weekend our time was spent graduating chickens (old and new) and getting them set up in their winter homes (the freezer or pantry). We're not even close to finished with that yet, but chicken processing and storage have been on my mind daily of late.(continued)

PPPP Report Week 12

That's all folks!  Here's week 12 of your Promised Pastured Poultry Progress Report! The boys are getting feisty now.  There are scuffles in the pen, and as you can see here they are setting their sights outside of the pen too.

So I have spent more time than I'd like herding broilers, but as prices to pay go this one isn't too bad it's only a little time and usually a few laughs for me.

Thirty Degree Nights

Soon to be dried tomatoes

Our pretty little summer is truly over now, we had temps in the 30's overnight this weekend. It's not winter just yet, but my instincts are telling me we'll probably have early snow this year and a frost advisory before September is half over isn't arguing with that guess.

The impending winter provides an undertone of urgency that the hot August afternoons lacked. That shiver getting out of bed, having to squint out the window to see if that shine outside is dew or frost, the ever increasing backlog of fall bounty clamoring to be processed or preserved, all those chores and projects that needed to be done before snowfall... I have a love/hate relationship with fall. (continued)

PPPP Report Week 11

Somewhat delayed, only slightly postponed, here's your Promised Pastured Poultry Progress Report. The trials and travails from Wednesday's Unexpected Arrivals have resulted in a lot of changes and more than a little work but only a few noteworthy for our PPPPR since last week.

Only a week left for the boys!  Which means we will have several weekends of processing coming up.  We'll start actually this weekend, cleaning out the freezer, making room, and retiring some of our older laying hens. (continued)

Unexpected Arrivals

I shall tease you with an unrelated picture
of happy pork attacking windfall crab apples. 

There are a lot of things going on here at the farm.  A lot of "balls in the air" to use a popular phrase. Though I may not be a professional juggler I usually have a pretty good idea of when a ball is coming down though, so I can at least get out of the way if a catch is not possible.

Definitely dropped one today, which lead to a day of scrambling, setting up new accommodations with makeshift materials, and catching up on work I have been meaning to do for months and that (I thought) I would still have plenty of time to get to before they were necessary.(continued)

'Tis the Season to be Canning

I love it when the produce really starts coming in.  Not the dribs and drabs of the early crop, not the trickles of that one or two of variety that might be new to the garden but when that main flush finally hits.  Yes, that is a great time each year.  Both our tomatoes and those at the CSA have finally starred ripening in earnest.  This is not a huge surprise as the CSA is local and we have nearly identical climates but it does mean that when the produce starts to rain, it pours.

We will be doing a lot of canning but that's hardly the only option for storing the surplus of the season. (continued)

Watch For Mullein

Fuzzy Leaves.

Here in the northeast we've had a pretty mild summer and I've heard that other parts of the U.S. have as well.  My tomatoes and peppers may not be acting like their usual bright prolific selves but other plants are picking up the slack.

One example that doesn't seem to give a rip about our summer weather is Verbascum thapsus, the common mullein.

PPPP Report Week 10

Earlier sunsets plus cloud cover makes for bad photos.

It's that time again.  Welcome back for your regularly schedule Wednesday Promised Pastured Poultry Progress Report. Not watching the clock and a bit of a rain delay lead to chores (and photography) later in the afternoon than usual. The flash can only do so much to compensate for that, so I apologize that these pictures will not be as clear and bright as you're used to now.

We're into crunch time now.  Only 14 days left before the broiler boys are "ready".  Since we'll probably graduate them in stages (50 is a lot to do in one day with only 2 sets of hands) some will be running around a bit longer and end up a bit bigger but I doubt it will be a lengthy reprieve.  (continued)

Labor Day

Busy busy bumblebee

Happy Labor Day.  Unlike some other holidays it seems like I'm always actually laboring on Labor Day.  This year has turned out to be no exception.

Time is always working against the homestead.  Really it's an obstacle we all face I think, part of the human condition itself.  With high temps in the 80's this week summer hasn't given up on us yet but really in my mind it is already Fall.  Many of the things I wanted done before winter are still not finished and at this point more than one may not make it into the "done" column before the snow flies either.

As long as I'm making some progress though it counts as a win, a good day.  Any day you aren't making progress is a day you are losing ground.  (continued)

What's in a Name? (The Hoop Coop, a light how-to)

I am unreasonably particular about names. I say unreasonable because of how much time I waste thinking about it, for one, and also because if the name for something doesn't fit properly the situation will be a major distraction until I've resolved the problem.  As you may imagine calling the new coop structure the "Broiler Boat" then filling it with hens and turkeys instead has been driving me crazy.

Now, I think of it as a Hoop Coop, which is no unique idea according to google so it may not be as exciting, but I feel quite a bit better about it.

Today, I'm going to run through some parts, measurements and steps for you in case you want to try out this structure yourself. (continued)

PPPP Report Week 9

Six little ladies, taking their leave. With enough room for
first class, they scramble atop each other like it's coach.

Welcome back.  Once again it is Wednesday and it's time for the Promised Pastured Poultry Progress Report and I'm happy to let you know we've had our first scheduled reduction in tenants. Six of our little Barred Rock layers left in style Saturday.  They will be reclining in the lap of luxury as they bask, warm, happy, and well fed  as the backyard flock for our in laws.  Not new to chickens (they were there with us as we learned the ropes too, years ago) these will be the first birds at their place in over a year.

Turns out a year off, give or take was just about right. (continued)

A Bit About the Bacon

The latest paddock, slightly used.

As the pigs featured briefly in Friday's post, it is no surprise that questions about them cropped up over the weekend.  I have been fascinated by the boys since we first brought them home and it has been a learning experience throughout.

As we have discussed before the pigs are a welcome, if recent, addition to our farm  and my affection towards them has only increased as they continue to demonstrate just how awesome they are.  Not as awesome as bacon or sausage though, which bodes well for their eventual graduation. (continued)

Little Signs of Progress

Happy pigs.  Eating = Happy.

When you have a lot going on at once it can be easy to lose sight of where you are making progress.  Days where your best intentions become an extended example of "putting out fires" being behind schedule and scrambling just to keep up with needs to be done never mind the items on the agenda that you were hoping to address.

A day like that is stressful for me, as it would be for anyone, and while I may not call it a "good day" it is still often better than the alternative.  Dealing with those problems and having that rough day becomes a down payment on a (hopefully) smooth-sailing day tomorrow, or next week, or next month.  At the very least it is educational. Probably. I hope. 

(continued)

PPPP Report Week 8

The boys in the box.

It's Wednesday!  Time again for your Promised Pastured Poultry Progress Report. Only another month before the broilers are "done" and, let me tell you, the boys are BIG now.  Full sized chickens in their own right, if not quite as large as the broiler ideal yet.  All they need now is a little more time (and a lot more feed) and they'll be the plump broiler/roasters of my dreams.

The tail end of Week 7 saw us through to a total of 500 lbs. (10 bags) of feed and as of 8/19 we are on bag 14.  100 lbs a week may seem like a lot, but we're also talking about over 100 lbs. of poultry "on the hoof" now that they are so big. (continued)

Garden Photo Gallery

As teased on Friday, there are many many photographs of the garden last week. Without further ado, here they are, presented for your enjoyment.  As with previous photo posts I warn you after the break there are many pictures, ready to peg your internet connection and will be data heavy. If you are concerned about such things you may want to wait until you are in range of of wifi. (continued)

The Importance of the Gardens

Kale and Chard.

I love trees and perennials. Anything that's happy dumping massive amounts of food on my
head every year (and there are so many plants happy to do this) is bound to be a winner in my book.

With that said though, the majority of what can be produced in a hurry are annual crops.  I look forward to telling many stories about all the future surplus tree crops that will be raining all over the farm someday, but for now those are "someday" stories.  The crops gracing the table right now, the production we rely on today, are annuals. And most folks plant their annuals in the garden. (continued)