DianeS - Listeria spreading, culling the rabbits

[dragonlaurel]

Congrats on your new home!

Don't worry much about getting rid of any blackberry vines that the chicken can reach. They may enjoy snacking on the plants and the thorns might slow down any critters that go after you chickens.
If you are into herbal medicines- blackberry leaves are dried and used for headaches. They have to be dried first, but that's easy. It makes a nice tasting tea.
That cobbler sounds yummy

 

[Marianne]

Doing my best to save money by doing things myself. That's self-sufficiency, right?

Hopefully my husband sees that saving money is *almost* the same as making it. I really don't want to have to go get a 40-hour a week desk job like I had before, but I also don't want him concerned about money. We'll see!

There's a link for a 'cost of working calculator' on my blog - http://2atthefarm.blogspot.com/search/label/cost of working calculator

That made it easier for me to see that I didn't have to go back to some crappola job. I can save as much $$ as I was actually clearing just by cooking from scratch and doing the SS thing. So can you! Once I got into the swing of things, the grocery bill was suddenly $50 for the week plus we ate better! My DH was more surprised than I was!

 

[DianeS]

Processed five more chickens today! And picked about 4 more pints of blackberries. That brings the total to about 12 pints of blackberries and 11 processed chickens. Plus there are 5 more chickens on tap for tomorrow, I just ran out of light today.

Bought an old shipping crate, to make the chicken coop. A few more 2x4s from Lowes (creativity got 8 foot boards into the CAR, even!), and we can start building it tomorrow. It will be 8 feet wide, almost 4 feet deep, almost 4 feet high, and will house 6 chickens.

Out of the 16 free chickens, I'm keeping 6. Four Buff Orps, and two Barred Rocks. The RIRs laid eggs but were egg eaters, the "mutt" chickens laid eggs but were egg eaters, and the other four Buff Orps never laid an egg at all (although they did not eat the temptation egg I put in with them). The 6 I'm keeping have all had at least a couple eggs in their enclosures and as far as I can tell haven't eaten any. Here's hoping I've picked the right ones!

The grapes are all sweet tasting, but still have a little bite to their aftertaste. I'm hoping they sweeten up a little bit more, and get larger. Guess when the birds start eating them that's my cue!


Marianne - thanks for that link. I'll see what I come up with!

 

[DianeS]

Got LOTS of free downed apples from a lady via Craigslist today. They fill about 40 gallons worth of plastic bins. They were blown down on her yard, so all have some bruising and insect damage to varying degrees. Some will go straight into compost, but a lot of them look like half the apple or more might be salvageable. (The buggy parts can go to the chickens, for sure.)

So what in the world should I do with the good parts? Or rather, what CAN I do with them?
What are your easiest/favorite recipies for applesauce? Or apple butter?
How can I dry apples?

Can they be frozen until I get to them, or do I have to do this quickly while they're still fresh? Other storage options?

Any ideas would be great! (They are Gravenstein apples, if that matters. Did I spell that correctly?)

 

[framing fowl]

I got 40 gallons last year from someone on CL. I only did applesauce but we ended up with 54 quarts... If I remember right, it took me right around 3 full days to process everything. The apples were naturally sweet so I didn't add any sugar, just a bit of cinnamon to taste.

Dried apples make a fabulous snack. Just cut out the bad parts and put them in a big bowl, sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice so they don't get brown and then put them in the dehydrator. I leave the skins on mine when I dehydrate.

 

[abifae]

How very pleasing. With doing all my cooking at home and working at a remote call center, I don't have ANY of those expenses in the calculator. The more SS I get, assuming I can hold on to this job through typical call center lay offs, the better. But I'm feeling a bit smug LOL.

 

[old fashioned]

The sooner you can get to those apples the better.

Applesauce....you can use just straight apples with just enough water in the pan to keep them from sticking & cook em down to a sauce. You may need/want to use a tater masher to help them along. You can also add some sugar if you want or even some cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, etc for extra spice flavor.

Apple Butter....IMO, the only difference between sauce & butter is the length of cooking time. For apple butter, using whatever amount of sugar & spices (as mentioned above for sauce) just simmer for 2 or 3 hours until it's as thick as you want it.

Apple Pie Filling...you can 'can' apple pie filling by using apple slices with sugar & spices, heated & put in jars & processed in a WB canner for about 15 min for pints & 25 min for quarts. When using the canned filling for a pie, the apples will be softer in the pie than if using fresh.....but still good

Dried Apples.....just slice the apples in roughly the same sized slices (1/4 inch?) & toss with some lemon juice &/or sugar &/or spices & spread out in a single layer in a dehydrator until fairly dry. Probably atleast 2-4 hours, maybe longer. Any moisture in the apples will hasten decay or mold, etc.
If you don't have a dehydrator, you can spread them out on a cookie sheet & put in your oven on the lowest setting with the door propped open a bit for air circulation. You'll just have to check them periodically & turn them over now & then so they can dry evenly. I don't have a dehydrator anymore (mine broke down & haven't replaced it) so I've been using my regular oven for any drying. It's not perfect but it works. If you have a convection oven that's even better since the fan helps to circulate the air.

Decorations or Crafts...I've used Red Delicious apples because of the star shape of the core when sliced, but I think any apple can work. If you have any decent whole apples, just make slices thru the apple like you would slice a tomato or something then sprinkle with cinnamon or other above spices on both sides and dry until pliable. Using a paring knife or even a screwdriver, kinda poke a small hole near the edge and thread some string, yarn or ribbon & tie a knot so you have a loop to hang the spiced apple slice. I've done this at Christmas time & hung these (and orange slices too) on the tree, the wreath on the front door, etc. It makes your house smell so Christmas-y & fruity too and with it on the wreath on the door even guests get a whiff before coming inside.


Just sharing some ideas.......




edited to include if you can the pie filling, when using it later all you have to do is have your crusts ready and pour in your own homemade filling. (sorry, just thought to add that just in case you (or anyone reading) wasn't sure about the process)

 

[miss_thenorth]

Apple cider, apple cider vinegar, hard apple cider.

 

[DianeS]

I have three tiny bug bites, but I don't know what bug has been biting me. I live in Oregon, which has ENTIRELY different bugs than Colorado did. I'll try to do a photo in a day or two if I need to, but I'm hoping this is identifiable by description.

The bump is tiny - maybe half a match head in size. It is smoothly round, like a drop of water. The area around it is not red (at least not until I scratch it) but the raised bump is. The three bumps are all under my clothing, in large surface areas: two on the side of my ribcage, one on my shoulder. So it does seem like a bug bite, not a contact sensitivity.

I think I got them today, in the middle of the day. The weather has been hot (high 80s) and yesterday took a dive to the low 70s and rainy.

Sound like anything anyone knows? Mosquito? Flea? Spider? Not chiggers. I'm usually the person the bugs don't bite, so this is new. I'd like to figure out what bug it is and take steps to avoid it in the future. Thanks in advance!

 

[DianeS]

More Craigslist scores!

Today I picked up 12 free chickens, all 3 years old so laying was slowing down. Nine hens and three roosters. The three roosters and three of the hens are in the fridge already - I love free food! The other 6 hens are on the schedule for Thursday, although I may butcher some of my own laying hens that I don't think are laying at all, and replace them with a couple of these. I'll have to see.

One of the roosters was a gorgeous auburn-red color, and another had striking black-and-white feathers, so I kept the saddle feathers from both, and I'll see if I can sell them or make some jewelry. It's worth trying.

I also got about three pounds of garden tomatoes, too. (Did I mention I love free food? )

Also, I got the rabbits mated today. Initiating new bucks isn't easy! Gotta wait until the experienced female is really in the mood so they have a chance of getting it right. LOL! One was still totally clueless, we'll have to see if he catches on later.