Homesteaders

[Chicken girl 15]

If you want to skip the scalding and leaving them in the fridge to remove peel and water, you can just put them in the freezer overnight and thaw them out the next day...the peels will slip right off and the water can be poured off the tomatoes before you slip the skins. I just core, cut them open and remove the seeds that I can with my hands, give a shake to remove any clinging and place those pieces in the Ninga blender and pulse it...I don't even bother to remove skins any longer. I used to have a good strainer and pestle/canning sieve but got rid of it years ago when I was thinking I was leaving the country for awhile, so sold all my canning supplies. Now I'm wishing I had that old set back....it was an antique. Looked like this....and worked wonders for tomatoes, apple sauce, and all manner of things that need the seeds strained out and clumps mashed.

I HAVE ONE OF THOSE!!! I love it for all sauces.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I find that recipes never make as much as the recipe says.  When canning... always less.  For some odd reason, cookie dough shrinks before it gets made into cookies.  Any one else have that problem?  

I like that idea.  Would be great way to make sauce for canning.  Toss the veggies in the crock pot.  Toddle off to work, can it when I get home.  With added veggies, I'm sure the cook books would say to pressure can it... yes????

Here's the ? of the day.  My new Ball book says to BWB can tomatoes for (I think) 40 minutes, even pints, even hot pack.  I have an old book, called Putting Food By that talks about processing hot pack for 20 minutes.  I've been adding lemon juice as recommended and processing for 20 minutes.  (any thing from 16 - 24 - 32 oz.)  What processing time are the rest of you doing?  I'm also NOT adding water when I boil the tomatoes as the Ball book says to do.  Seems silly to me to be adding water when you want to have a nice thick tomato product to work with.  Then, the Ball book talks about INCREASING processing time if you can in tomato juice b/c packing liquid is more dense.  I'm new to canning, so can use lots of advice and validation.

cookie dough never makes as many as it says. I think some brat steals my dough.

 

[spurrer]

We have a young man who keeps two cows in our pasture. A year or so ago he put 20 goats in the pasture. They had 15 kids. They were so much pleasure to have. My grandkids came from San Fransisco and they named everyone of them. One was named tater tot. Later Marion had to move them because coyotes were getting the little goats. He said if he brought any back he would bring a dog too. So far we only have the cows. They are expecting calves soon. He comes everyday to feed them but we don't always see him. He owns a heating and cooling business and has fixed my air conditioner three times. I offer to pay him but he just smiles and says that is pasture rent. He is building a house on a mountain near us and it is something to see. His driveway is a mile long. The house is three story and we can see it when we drive along our highway 11.
It is not finished, he is working on it himself. He has cleared the mountain off around his house and has a pasture and lake that he built. He said his friends laughed and said he would never do all he planned but he has. He also has a pasture near us by the railroad tracks. He also built a lake there. He moves his animals from place to place. He will not sell them. He has he has had animals all his life and just enjoys them. We have a railroad track behind our house and love to hear the trains. Of course my grandkids have to put coins on the tracks. This is the same railroad that I lived near when I was growing up. There was a swimming hole below the tracks and we used to wave at the passengers on the trains back when trains carried passengers. Everyone in town went swimming here at one time or another. Now it is all grown up. No one swims in creeks anymore. I think it is because our homes are air conditioned and we don't have to go to the creek to cool off. I would like for things to go back like they used to be for awhile. We had chickens and when mama and daddy clipped their wings they waited until dark and went in the hen house. It was like a mad house when they were clipping the wings. Chickens were flying everywhere and squawking and messing all over the place. We had a chicken lot but they were allowed to roam too. Mama would hear a hen cackling and she would send me to find the nest. I can remember her looking for a hen and saying I bet she is setting. Once we pulled up part of the back bed room floor to get to a nest full of eggs. Mama killed the chickens to eat by chopping their heads off on a chopping block. It amazed me that even with their heads off they could still flop around. I liked to watch mama cut the chicken up and see what was in the craw. Daddys favorite part was the gizzard. He used to tell us that movie stars ate the wings so we would eat them and leave the breast for him. We like to pull the pulley bone and make a wish. The way chicken is cut up in restaurants today there is never a pulley bone. One time mama was cutting stove wood and a rooster flew up and spurred her on her top lip. It went through to her gums. She went in the house and washed it out with alcohol. She was crying and I remember I tried to comfort her by saying now she could wear a ring in her lip. Some comfort. It was so nice growing up with chickens. I remembered the black and white ones that she called domineckers. Thats what I have now but I have learned that the are called Dominques. I had a little brother who was a dwarf. Because he was little someone gave him some little chickens, a hen and a rooster. We called them bantys. He loved those chickens so much. He died in 1950 on Christmas Day when he was seven. I was eleven. We still had the bantys. That was one of the saddest things that ever happened to our family.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Thank everyone for their sweet comments. I am not offended by anyone mentioning religion,  I am a believer also. Although sometime I have doubts but I guess a person questions the bible at one time or another. I had someone say they never ever had doubts but I don't believe that.  I do not like going to church at times because it seems more like a club and their are little groups who like to run things. Since my husband and I are older we don't seem to matter very much to the younger people, not even the minister. There are a few older people who call a few times. I hate when someone says if you need anything just let me know. If I need something I will not ask for help. Except for my brother and brother in law and I hate to  call on them. If you really mean that you will help don't wait to be asked call and offer and ask what can I do today to help. I think you all know what I am saying. We have had home health come out three different times for three months or more at a time. Right now he has used up his time for awhile. They were a lot of help, just  coming and spending time and talking with us. 
I have begun to go out each day around six o'clock and let my two chickens out and I read while they run around . Sometimes my husband goes out and does word search while we sit out. Along about 6:30 a little cool breeze starts blowing and the dry flies start droning. I have solar lights around the coop and they turn on and glow red, green yellow white and then back to green. Just as it begans to get a little dark my two hens start moving toward the coop. It is funny how they stay side by side. Then it seems like there is a secret signal and they go in the coop together. I hear them flutter to the roost as I shut the door. Actually it is just an flap of wire that I cut out. I stuff bird netting around the sides to keep out snakes. That is the best thing for keeping snakes from getting in.
I really look forward to that time spent outside with them. God knew what he was doing when he made chickens.  I would love to see a mother hen with her babies beneath her again like when I was little but I don't have the space for anymore. Right now I have two dozen eggs that they have laid, I get two eggs a day. I will give a dozen away because we don't eat eggs everyday. My neice gets the dozen this week.  I will add that her ex husband has PD and he is younger but a lot worse off than my husband. Can't stand, walk, use a wheel chair on his own. He fell and wound up in ICU because of his ribs, couldn't get enough air in his lungs. Now he is in assisted living now but he is lucky, He retired from Goodyear and they pay 1800 dollars a month for him to stay there. Is this turning into a tell all place instead of all about chickens? Sorry, I will say no more.  Time to go let my chickens run loose for a while. Again Thanks for all the support that I feel from each of you.
Sincererly,
Jane Childers

a few of the babies, I will get them with momma for you tomorrow.

This forum is a place for us all to come cry, cheer, laugh and share. The good and the bad are what makes this room work. Much like @Beekissed said, we all need each other. Our neighbors, yall are mine, are very important to our sanity and good mental health. You are NEVER alone unless you leave us.

I know we can't come help you around the property but we can give you a good laugh at times. For example, my 7 year old son plays football. Saturday was his first game. I love my boy but he is a goof. Explain why he scored for the other team. Yup that's my boy. Run Hornet run.onthe other hand, we could give you a heck of a laugh over some of our debates in here.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

We have a young man who keeps two cows in our pasture. A year or so ago he put 20 goats in the pasture. They had 15 kids. They were so much pleasure to have. My grandkids came from San Fransisco and they named everyone of them. One was named tater tot. Later Marion had to move them because coyotes were getting the little goats. He said if he brought any back he would bring a dog too. So far we only have the cows. They are expecting calves soon. He comes everyday to feed them but we don't always see him. He owns a heating and cooling business and has fixed my air conditioner three times. I offer to pay him but he just smiles and says that is pasture rent. He is building a house on a mountain near us and it is something to see. His driveway is a mile long. The house is three story and we can see it when we drive along our highway 11.
 It is not finished, he is working on it himself. He has cleared the mountain off around his house and has a pasture and lake that he built. He said his friends laughed and said he would never do all he planned but he has. He also has a pasture near us by the railroad tracks. He also built a lake there. He moves his animals from place to place. He will not sell them. He has he has had animals all his life and just enjoys them.  We have a railroad track behind our house and love to hear the trains. Of course my grandkids have to put coins on the tracks. This is the same railroad that I lived near when I was growing up. There was a swimming hole below the tracks and we used to wave at the passengers on the trains back when trains carried passengers. Everyone in town went swimming here at one time or another. Now it is all grown up. No one swims in creeks anymore. I think it is because our homes are air conditioned and we don't have to go to the creek to cool off. I would like for things to go back like they used to be for awhile. We had chickens and when mama and daddy clipped their wings they waited until dark and went in the hen house. It was like a mad house when they were clipping the wings. Chickens were flying everywhere and squawking and messing all over the place. We had a chicken lot but they were allowed to roam too. Mama would hear a hen cackling and she would send me to find the nest. I can remember her looking for a hen and saying I bet she is setting. Once we pulled up part of the back bed room floor to get to a nest full of eggs. Mama killed the chickens to eat by chopping their heads off on a chopping block. It amazed me that even with their heads off they could still flop around. I liked to watch mama cut the chicken up and see what was in the craw. Daddys favorite part was the gizzard. He used to tell us that movie stars ate the wings so we would eat them and leave the breast for him. We like to pull the pulley bone and make a wish.  The way chicken is cut up in restaurants today there is never a pulley bone.  One time mama was cutting stove wood and a rooster flew up and spurred her on her top lip. It went through to her gums. She went in the house and washed it out with alcohol. She was crying and I remember I tried to comfort her by saying now she could wear a ring in her lip. Some comfort. It was so nice growing up with chickens. I remembered the black and white ones that she called domineckers. Thats what I have now but I have learned that the are called Dominques. I had a little brother who was a dwarf. Because he was little someone gave him some little chickens, a hen and a rooster. We  called them bantys. He loved those chickens so much. He died in 1950 on Christmas Day when he was seven. I was eleven. We still had the bantys. That was one of the saddest things that ever happened to our family.

my family raises our ounces egg birds , 125 of them, and meat birds. My youngest daughter (9years old) helps me process every 6-8 weeks. She is a great farm hand. Then come spring we are buying a bred dexter cow. We are a young family but very much enjoy the old fashioned way of life. It's safer, healthier and WAY MORE FUN!!@ We love to do jobs by hand not by paying someone to do it for us. If you (or anyone here) have advice or tips for me and mine please share.

 

[spurrer]

thank you so much for your post. I hope that everything goes good for you, your mama and daddy. We never know what life is going to hand us but I know my situation could be a lot worse. I try to live and make the best of each day that I can. Thank your all for your prayers and good wishes. This is more than just a place to talk and learn about chickens. This is a place to be witness and a great help and friend to each other. I am glad I am a part of it and if I get off subject too much just let me know and I will get back on track. I hope to extend my chicken run when it gets cooler . Here in Ala the temperature is still in the 90's. It will take me til next spring to do all the things I have planned to do when it gets cooler. My last attempt at building a bigger run was kind of pitiful but I had to do it on my own and I don't know anything about building. I drove post in the ground, tried to line them up even but they aren't. I wrapped them in wire and fastened it all on with zip ties. Those things are wonderful . I think I could build a house with them. I put bird netting across the top to keep out hawks and then my daughter and I put camo screen over part of it for shade. I connected my chicken tractor and a small run that we built to it and the chickens had more freedom. I had to move the parts that were movable into more shade and they have turned the ground into all dirt. I will move it again when I have help. My brother helped me before and he seemed to enjoy it. But it was so terribly hot. When it cools off I have to wash all my windows outside,they are high off the ground and hard to reach.I have a long extension pole. I have to trim and remove a lot of limbs. I bought a black and decker chain saw that is called an alligator. You open it like a pair of scissors and the saw part is not exposed to where you could get cut. My brother tried it out and said he was getting him one. It cuts limbs close to three inches around. My backyard looks horrible with all the stuff I have put up out there but I don't care. I have two solar lights that look like flowers and when they come on they turn red, green, blue and yellow. That seems to be the signal my chickens use to go to roost . I love to see them going in the door side by side. I have decided to name one Mary Alice and the other Sister. That is what my daughter Alice has always called her sister instead of using her name, Mary Jane. I think it is sweet. There is three years difference between them. They were both born on Nov 5th.

 

[spurrer]

Such a pretty cat and great pictures . Mine won't hold still long enough for me to get good ones. She is laying in a chair now asleep waiting for me to go to bed. It is so nice to wake up during the night and feel her little body cuddled up close to me. She starts out at the foot of the bed. I think she waits until I go to sleep to move up closer to me.

 

[spurrer]

You put what I was trying to say perfectly. If approached in that way I would not mind saying what I need help with.

 

[spurrer]

Thank you for the picture. So he scored for the other side. That is funny. I hope the coach didn't get on to him. Sometime I think the fun is taken away by making it seem so important to win.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Thank you for the picture. So he scored for the other side. That is funny. I hope the coach didn't get on to him. Sometime I think the  fun  is taken away by making it seem so important to win.

his coach laughed and talked to him about which way to go. We live in a small town so all the coaches are parents as well.