Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

modern_pioneer

Mountain Man
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
1,394
Reaction score
15
Points
192
Location
In the woods with the critters
I say used the copper molds, unless you plan to collect them. A Butternut tree produces a sweet buttery nut used in cooking and baking. The tree itself will grow just about anywhere and likes moist soil. I have a sugar maple that is just about dead beside the pond because of the poor soil and moisture. I will use some of them and sell the rest to a local co-op store for some extra cash.

I had a pleasant visit with my uncle, well he says that the trees can't be saved. I will use the wood to smoke some deer meat in the fall. He brought me a gallon of his maple syrup, this gallon is medium amber which he knows is my fav. the darker amber is just a little to sweet for my taste.

My uncle has been called "the rocker" since his hippy days, he and my aunt are serous ss people. Both of them know so much about the trees and plants in the woods. They often go shroom hunting, wild asparagus patches, and berries. He tends to a small orchard and farms the land for grain and corn which he sells. I don't think he has his heart in it as much as my Grandpa did, but he keeps a few beef cows, couple pigs and a dozen layers.

I am jealous of him in some ways, he has the oldest grapevine I have ever seen. At the base I would guess that its more than four inches. Grandpa once told me his father had planted it. Last time I visited the farm last fall it was loaded with grapes.

Did you ever have a smell that you smelled as a child and later in life when you smelled it again it brought back memories of being a child??

My Grandpas house, now my uncles, has the light smell of a sweet smokehouse inside. Grandpa loved to burn his hickory wood in the woodstove in the winter. There was once a crack in the chimney behind the wall on the second floor. It must have been there for years, it was only discovered when the ceiling became stained. He fixed the crack but never removed any of the tree sap that smelled like a smokehouse.
 

TanksHill

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
8,192
Reaction score
15
Points
272
Location
NOT Southern, Ca. :)
Thanks. Sorry about your apple trees. I have two but they are very sad. Nut trees are big on my list of things to do. Glad your visit with your uncle went well.
Have a great day!! :)
 

modern_pioneer

Mountain Man
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
1,394
Reaction score
15
Points
192
Location
In the woods with the critters
I was going to buy my old farm back some years ago, the current owner is a old friend of the family.

The problem is the amount of asbestos that needs to be professionally removed. The EPA/DEP will not allow the sale of the farm or land till all of it is removed. When I asked how much it would cost, he said more than 125k. There are also two inground tanks we used for blood and guts from the slaughter house. They are shaped the same as a silo, just 60 feet in the ground, those have to be removed and filled in.

I guess if I were interested in building from scratch that would be the place I would start from. LOL... I doubt the kids would like it, my bus stop was 1.8 miles away from the house. I always thought it was more like three. My step dad built us a bike rack at the bus stop, but it sure was hard and cold in the winter. Most of the time Mom or Dad would give us a ride in the winter. But spring and fall, no way, either walk or ride your bike.

The farm was built by the state in the early thirties, it was once a part of Torrance State hospital, which was/is a mental housing hospital. My Mom worked pest control for the state at Torrance. She had heard it was going to be sold, so she went and worked a deal out with the board of directers at the hospital.

I knew the house was gone, and as I drove down the driveway, I could see the poor state of the farm I grew up on. As the kids were getting back in the rental van, I walked back to where our front porch use to be. I turned around to look at the barns as I had millions of times as a kid. I closed my eyes and I could still see the farm as if I was still a kid, when I opened my eyes I was very sad to see the state of the farm.
 

justusnak

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
Messages
3,638
Reaction score
0
Points
168
Location
SE Indiana
Awww, Jay. Reading that gave me an ache in my heart for you. As a child, we didnt have a "home" We moved alot...probably about once every 2 years. ( long story) I do remember my grandparents farm tho...and like you said, it had a certain smell..sweet wood smoke. I remember when grandma got a new stove...electric, they didnt know what to do with the old woodburning cook stove, so grandpa pulled the wall out from under the stairs, pushed the old stove in and rebuilt the wall. I bet that old stove is still there. I wish sometimes I could go back and ask the owners of we could look, but I know they would never let me buy the old stove..im sure it worth some money now! We could never buy the old farm..too far from here, and im sure too expencive. One day someone will find that treasure...and be glad.
 

modern_pioneer

Mountain Man
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
1,394
Reaction score
15
Points
192
Location
In the woods with the critters
People, we have bread!!!:celebrate

Who knew yeast was so fickle, dated 01 2008, might as well add some Viagra to get the yeast moving.

Look, I wouldn't admit this in public, but after 18 loafs of bread, you have to give me some credit for trying. The yeast I was using was well over a year old. :he

Just about the time I was questioning my own vigor, I thought "what's the date on the yeast package" when I saw it had expired, I knew that was the problem.

One poster even said, and I quote

When you are kneading your dough, knead until it feels like ummmmm, uuuhhhhh, sorry for this but this is the way it was explained to me and I don't know how to say it any better, but shall try to do it with tact- knead it until it feels like one of the girls. Ahem.
LOL... I was thinking which girl? All women are touchy/feely in different ways :/ and than my own vigor came into question, nope were good there.

So I added some new yeast, and we have bread.

I swear, LMAO, I would have made love to the flour to get a loaf of bread.
 

freemotion

Food Guru
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
10,817
Reaction score
90
Points
317
Location
Southwick, MA
:thumbsup Congrats on the bread, and on sticking with it until you figured out what went wrong! You are now an expert! You can put that in the "new ss skills" thread for this year's new ss skill.
 

gettinaclue

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Mar 3, 2009
Messages
1,357
Reaction score
0
Points
114
Location
Spotsylvania, Virginia
Hurray for bread!

Good job!

...And as far as the girl thing...I was about 12 when my mom told me that. I was blushing furiously when she said that and I wouldn't help with the bread for quite a while after that. It just felt like I was doing something "WRONG" with the food ya know?

Oh yeah, she truamitized me. LOL
 

modern_pioneer

Mountain Man
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
1,394
Reaction score
15
Points
192
Location
In the woods with the critters
And as far as the girl thing...I was about 12 when my mom told me that. I was blushing furiously when she said that and I wouldn't help with the bread for quite a while after that. It just felt like I was doing something "WRONG" with the food ya know?

Oh yeah, she truamitized me. LOL
I couldn't get my head around that statement... But I did make another 6 loafs after your statement... None of which were correct...

I was all excited..... Look, that was a great funny, and I did LMAO trying figure it out. That isn't something I would suggest you past forward,<edited to remove adult content>

Who knows????? Perhaps he will show us how to make great Donuts.... LOL

We need to keep it reasonably clean, people!
 
Top