Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[jvls1942]

good monday evening,

It has been go go go since 6 AM last Friday.
I said I was going to just sleep all day Tuesday, but now the corn is at it's peak. so I will be cutting corn off the cob on Tuesday and plan on freezing at least 50 pints.
had some of the corn on the cob for supper with BLT's .
WyoD.. our tomatoes are just now ripening. have to pick them slightly red so the chickens don't get them.

we have been digging just enough potatoes for meals for a couple of weeks. the big dig will come after the corn is done.. no rush on the beets, yet. they are doing very well.

I crossed off two things from my bucket list.
had crab cake benedict for breakfast at a local restaurant,
they were not very impressive.
had two lobster tails for 74% off the price on Sunday. They were very good.

Jake and Dave and Dan have the soffits almost finished,
just have to put the fascia on, yet.
I helped, but very little. cut some pans.

nice to see you folks from the distant past come to check in. still a lot of people missing. .
........jiminwisc.......

 

[jvls1942]

good morning,
still waiting for the corn pickers to show up.

we had light rain until just a little while ago. that should make for pleasant wet corn picking..
I was all for waiting until tomorrow, but..........

I will drive the tractor and let them do the picking.

I think we will do the small patch first..then I will flatten all the stalks with the tractor bucket.

still have all the hens and POL's locked up in the coop. they have to learn what the nests are for.

the chicks are almost big enough to let go onto the floor of the coop . I have a portable brooder hood for them that I can set down.

..........jiminwisc.........

 

[GranolaGirl72]

Evening all,

Finally got the new nesting boxes built and despite being under 11" in height, they used them on the first day. I watched the larger ee lay one yesterday, greenish cast so that means the smaller ee is the bluer egg. We got a total of four eggs today but still have not had more than two brown ones on any given day. Someone is not pulling their weight....

Mowed yesterday, truckload of cardboard today. If it rains tonight, I will not get dirt tomorrow but may try it get a couple loads of mulch.

That's it.
Sonja

 

[jvls1942]

good evening,

the corn is done, finished, kaput..

we got 47 pints frozen, DD Barby took all she wanted, nephew Dan took all he wanted and we sent over a bushel of shucked cobs to my sister to freeze.

we picked the whole patch of corn.. had the bucket on Ollie level full..

now all the stalks are flattened to the ground thanks to Ollie's bucket ..

the chickens got a half bushel of tiny cobs to peck at.
the two geese ate until they couldn't anymore..

my next project is to transplant the grape vines. they are over run with raspberries where they are , now..
OR I just might buy some grape plants and put them in where I just planted the new lawn. only one neat row so I can mow on both sides of it..

I have some researching to do .. I think grapes will do very well in that spot because they will get no shade all day..

not getting any record setting numbers of eggs from the new POL's yet..

..........jiminwisc........

ETA
looks like I am all alone here.
One more post and then I am gone, too.
I researched the grape project. don't have to do anything until spring, so it looks like it will not be my next project .

........jiminwisc.........

 

[GranolaGirl72]

Jim,
I have grapes that grow along my fence, they are huge plants having been there about eight or nine years. Beautiful to look at, crap for production so I hope your project goes better than mine.

I looked up Russian Orloff because I knew nothing about them and wow are they a neat looking bird. I ran into another local chicken keeper at Red the other night and was asking him about marans, just so happens he has some so may be easier to get ones in the spring than I thought.

That's it for the morning.
Sonja

 

[CherMoz]

That's a good job done Jim! Today is the final day of installation and testing of the photovoltaic arrays being installed here. After that we wait for the utility company to do the connection. We opted for two tiltable arrays to get the most out of the winter sun. I would add some excited running around emotos, but I haven't found them yet on my phone.

 

[jvls1942]

Jim,
I have grapes that grow along my fence, they are huge plants having been there about eight or nine years. Beautiful to look at, crap for production so I hope your project goes better than mine.

I looked up Russian Orloff because I knew nothing about them and wow are they a neat looking bird. I ran into another local chicken keeper at Red the other night and was asking him about marans, just so happens he has some so may be easier to get ones in the spring than I thought.

That's it for the morning.
Sonja

Sonja, this winter, prune your grape vines.
in early spring, scrape off all the mulch and hoe lightly around the plants. the bare earth will warm up faster in the spring without grass growing above the roots.

.........jiminwisc........

 

[irishrovr]

My Russians are going to a new home this weekend and I am getting year old laying hens in exchange. If I had a lot of room I wouldn't mind keeping the Ruskies and breeding them but I don't have the room or the time. They are good foragers and have very efficiently broken down the piles of puckie in back of the garden for me.

We pulled up all of the black bean plants and mom and I have been busy shelling them. Will cook up the last of the sweet corn and freeze it today. Carrots are next on the agenda.

My Indian corn was really looking great until yesterday when a large squirrel got in there and did a lot of damage. Durty Buggar! He shredded most of the mature ears, ate half an ear and moved on to the next. He was too heavy for some of the stalks and bent them over. What a mess!! Something (maybe the squirrel again) nibbled on all of the white mini pumpkins. Grrrrr! Bird house gourds and huge pumpkins are doing great (so far, anyway!).

I had a few very, very large beets. Anyone know a good use for overgrown beets?

Back to the garden for me. Have a great day, everyone!

 

[Daethen]

As far as the over grown beets, if they have not become woody then just cook them and either eat em with butter or cut them up and pickle them.

 

[jvls1942]

good evening,

we have a thing that cuts beets into slices, or "french" cut or diced,.. just cook them and cut the really big ones down to fit the machine. one thing about beets, the small ones taste the same as the big ones.

since I cannot plant grapes in the fall, I decided to go and rescue the ones I have from the raspberry invasion.
the lawn mower reeks havock on them, there were some of those pesky tree-like things growing in the raspberries. but with the help of bro Dave and Ollie, we pulled them up by the roots. one of them was a clump, about 15 feet tall.

the grass really could use a good last mowing. but the grapes come first..

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.. the soffits and fascia are finished. really looking good..

..........jiminwisc.......