JUSTUSNAK...Summer coming to an end!?

justusnak

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Thank's Lori, I am doing much better, although still sore. Yesterday I was able to get 3 of the Cornish X butchered.....9 to go! At this rate, It will take me forever, but at least I can get er done! LOL
 

justusnak

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Altho recovery is slow, I am getting around quite a bit better. So much is going on here. I was able to re-home 25 rescue ducks! Whew! That will help with the feed bill!!! Freedom, the mini donkey finally has a new home as well.
Hubby and I picked almost a half bushel beets, and I was able to get 9 pints pickled. They are so pretty...I am excited to get more pickled.
Yesterday I was able to get 3 of the meat chickens butchered....9 more to go! :rolleyes: It may take me longer than most, but I am getting there, slowly. :D The largest rooster I processed yesterday, dressed out at 8 pounds!!! He is HUGH!! This weekend I will put him in the rotisserie oven..and we will feast! :p
The garden is coming right along...tomato plants are blooming....green beans are about 3 ft tall...peppers are looking a bit sad tho, I need to get some barn mulch around them soon. The potato plants are getting tall, and are needing to be hilled as well. A little at a time...all I can do. Friday, someone is coming to look at one of the hounds...hopefully he will have a new home. It is bitter sweet....I have gotten very attached to him, but know in my heart he is a foster, and will be happy in a forever home...some day. It is just hard to let them go. I have decided I will not foster dogs any more. It is too hard to bring them to good health, they learn to trust you, and we fall in love, then send them on their way. Nope, too hard....not for me. I must say I have great respect for people that CAN do that...it is much easier with farm animals. :/
So, that is about it for us here....just humming right along!
 

Denim Deb

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That's why I don't foster animals. The only animal I've ever fostered was Misty and that was because the court case wasn't done. Once it was, she became mine. I would have been heartbroken if I had had to return her.
 

justusnak

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Well, I am doing MUCH better since my accident, and almost back to "normal" :p Yesterday I mucked out the PB pig stall and took a wagon load to the garden for the taters. Then I went back for more punishment, and mucked out the stall and yard for Suzie and her 2 kids....I was able to get 2 more loads for the garden...got the tomato's and peppers covered, and MOST of the green beans.
This year we tried something different with the tomato plants. We "wove" some farm fencing in a zig- zag pattern through the plants....this allows the tomato plants to grow through the fence, and with a little help they will be supported just fine...I think.
Today we will do the second row....but here are a few pictures of how our garden grows! :D
These pictures were taken fairly early this morning, so they are in the shade still...however, in an hour or so, full sun!
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From left to right....2 rows of green beans, 2 rows of tomato plants ( 24 plants per row) , a row of bell peppers, 12 plants total, 2 rows of potato's, then the "barren" spot, there is 2 rows of beets, I planted just a few days ago.

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Potato's

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Here you can sorta see the way we "fenced in" the tomato's!

The other smaller garden is in need of weeding, so no pics! :/ However, I have already began canning beets from there...9 pints pickled already!
 

justusnak

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Well, it starts!! I REALLY need to get the pantry cleaned and organized.....so far, I have canned 20 pints of pickled beets....3 pints of green beans...and 8 pints of sweet potato's. The sweet potato's were from last years harvest. They kept great in the garage all winter. We ate what we could....fresh. It was time to can the rest, and make space for the Yukon golds that will be coming in soon. I picked our first tomato the other day....YUM!!!
Tomorrow we will finish off the meat chickens. They got HUGH!!! Several of them are WAY over 8 pounds. I will cut them up for fryers...and can the "leftovers" ( wing tips, backs, etc.)
Weather forecast is for 6 days of 100 degree temps, and NO rain in sight! I just hope the pond is enough to water the garden....come on rain!!!!
 

Dawn419

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Your garden is looking great!!! :drool

I never thought about canning sweet potatoes, don't know why? :hu Mom has been freezing hers. That works really well since there are only a few of us that like them.

I feel for you on the lack of rain and hot temps...we've not had rain since the 11th of this month and the temps have been 100+. I'm so ready for summer to be over and it just "officially" got here! :th
 

justusnak

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WOW! September already! Where did the summer go!?? Our garden did fairly well...50 pints of green beans, 32 pints pickled beets, 47 pints corn, 16 pints potatoes, 14 quarts of spaghetti sauce, + 4 pints. , 19 pints canned tomatoes, 16 pints chili starter, 23 pints peaches..and about 20 pounds of onions...whew! Looking at all of this in the pantry makes me tired, but proud! The tomatoes are still coming on pretty good! The green peppers are still going strong...even after I put about 20 bags of sliced peppers in the freezer. :)
A few weeks ago, I got a call about a baby pig. He apparently fell from a semi truck, on the highway. He was scooped up by someone and brought to me. He was about 10 days old, and weighed about 3 pounds. He is now 3 weeks old, still on milk, but weighs about 8 or 10 pounds! I see bacon in my future. ;)
I still have about 3 pounds of carrots to get canned...oh, and I canned some of my goats milk! So far ( just over a week after canning) it still looks good, no clumps, no discoloring...
Today I got my hard cheese making kit...so I will be making cheddar cheese soon, hoping to have enough to give out to family for Christmas. We just LOVE Cheddar cheese!
Last week I canned 5 quarts of Meatloaf...hoping to get more done soon. Once the ground beef goes on sale. :p Sunday I will hopefully have time to butcher all these roosters. There are about 7 too many here...and I need to empty a few pens, before winter. They will get canned as well.
It has been a long crazy, busy summer....I hope everyone has had a productive one!!
 
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