Bee~ Journal of then...

[Farmfresh]

I grow some, but in my smallish space I can not keep up with hubbies demand. He could probably eat an ACRE of corn alone! I have grown Northern extra sweet, Bodacious, and good old Peaches and Cream! We buy any extra we need at the Farmers Market by us where everything sold HAS to be grown by the seller!

We do can some of the corn, but by and large we prefer it frozen. I solve the space issues in several ways. First I freeze only corn OFF the cob. That saves a lot of room right there! Next I freeze 2 - 3 cups in each quart size ziplock bag, I squeeze all of the air out and then flatten the bags as flat as possible and freeze them on a cookie sheet. After they are hard I can stand them up in my freezer baskets and flip through them much like files in a filing cabinet! I try to do all my veggies like this when frozen. Uniformity really saves space. Finally we have one big chest freezer (Energy Star) for veggies and fruits (with the occasional baked items) and ANOTHER identical freezer for meats, which we buy a whole animal at a time and I split with my grown children, plus the chickens and turkeys that I raise.

 

[me&thegals]

Do any of you grow corn? What kind do you grow? Do you can it or freeze it.

We grow Serendipity. My mom researched it out, and it surely lived up to its name the first year! What a shockingly good corn. We sold it at work and the farmer's market as well as our CSA shares. Everybody who said anything about it said it was the best they had ever had.

It ripens for a long time, so stands well in the field. For the heck of it, I tried some that had not sold at work 5 days later (a long holiday weekend) and it still tasted great! Nice texture, not too gummy, chewy or starchy. We freeze it for the fresh flavor. Good luck!

me&thegals

 

[Beekissed]

I'll have to look into the Serendipity corn. Down from whence I come, the Ambrosia was wonderful and its okay up here but, for some reason, just not as good here. Does that make sense? Must be a difference in the soil or something.

 

[Beekissed]

Okay....word from the egg grading expert in my boy's FFA:

Grades:

AA=air sac the size of a dime

A=air sac the size of a nickel

B=air sac the size of a quarter

Translation: The larger the air sac, the smaller the yolk. Will not grade at all if any meat or blood spots.

Most of my dozen I sent for inspection got a AA rating. The others got an A....we are sending more AAs tomorrow to join the original bunch and on Wed. they will be judged at a state contest. If we win its $200!!! If we place at all it will be $75!

The "expert" says my eggs are wonderfully uniform in size, shape and color....says they have a good chance in the show.

The only eggs we sent are the ones from my New Hampshire ladies....they have the most beautiful eggs and are so consistent in their large and perfect size that I didn't even consider sending any of the others. Wish I had bought more NH chicks!

 

[dacjohns]

Need to have some bar-be-que to go with the fried green tomatoes.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

The only eggs we sent are the ones from my New Hampshire ladies....they have the most beautiful eggs and are so consistent in their large and perfect size that I didn't even consider sending any of the others. Wish I had bought more NH chicks!

Really?!
That makes me happy! I ordered 7 NHR from McMurray and 2 more from Meyer! 1 roo and 8 girls total!

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah, Aly, the NH matured sooner, have been consistent with their laying and the eggs are the most lovely I've seen. Sort of like the Maran's eggs but with more laying consistency, ya know? And they are just nice birds, pretty to look at, hardy. Their eggs are glossy and a rich, reddish brown , where as the rest of my birds lay a more tan or khaki, matte egg. And their shells are very thick and sturdy, yolks are large and deep orange....just perfect all the way around. I think you will be very pleased with your NHs.

The broody I have sitting is on NH eggs mostly....we kind of stacked the deck! If I get another broody, she will be sitting on ALL NH eggs. They won't be purebred, but I don't care. RIR, PR, or Orp roos bred over NH hens is a good cross in my book. Still good egg-laying potential, still pretty to look at, still a big, meaty chicken when it comes to culling roos from the hatch.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

What's does PR stand for?

 

[lorihadams]

uh oh, sorry I got everybody's mouths watering with the tomato story!

Do the New Hampshires do well in cold weather? How are they for eating?

 

[Farmfresh]

I think it is Plymouth Rock.