Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[shelby chick]

MIchickens- looks like you're going to have a great coop, did you remember to leave space for your bed? I'm still trying to decide what I want for my peas, every time I look at something else, I change my mind.  The way I'm going I'll not get started before winter really hits.  I saw a black garbage bag full of alpaca wool go for $26 at an auction, I don't spin.
 We have a disconnect between what local government, federal government and law makers, and people want,especially when it comes to self sufficiency.  At least part of it is that the squeeky wheel gets greased and the protestors against are more vocal, but its bad when experts agree that home grown food is better for you and yet communities keep passing laws and regulations against being able to grow even your own vegetables.  Every time a agri business has problems with the safety of their product, it results in more regulations against the home grower.  That's crazy.

 

[shelby chick]

Dissent that make you sick, it's big Ag. That controls it all look at what they did to the farmers that were involved in monsanto soybeans monsanto is the dept.of ah.thet control everything from farms go our backyarc

 

[EverMystique1]

Can't you just take them in to be done for like $2ea? I haven't done any for the freezer yet, thinkin next spring of getting meat hens. What is the easiest way in your opinions as far as processing? I"ve heard save the $, it's easy to do yourself, processing is cheap and the easiest and I had a friend say she just goes out and skins it, brings it in and throws it in the pot? I do as much organic n homemade as possible, meat is the most expensive, this is y I want to learn to do some of my own animals. 

I haven't found anywhere close to take them to.

I don't bother plucking, just skin like you would any other animal. It's the gutting that takes time, making sure not to puncture the bladder, and getting all the yucky out with such a small chwst cavity on non-meat birds. Meat birds have, in my limited experience, slightly wider cavities, which makes it easier to get your hand inside.

Happy Veterans Day to everyone

evermystique -  I skin all my chickens we dont cook with skin anyways, i can do it pretty quick to bad i didnt live closer i would come help you..

Thanks for the thought. What is most difficult, other than what I already menrioned above, is that my energy level drops quickly. So, 2-3 birds on any given day is my processing limit. But that's fine. It's not like we eat them as fast as I kill them. Lol. At least, not since 3 of our 5 kids have gone out of the house.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Lady, the kitty's were adorable. Thats one I wouldn't mind having. What would you sell them for? And, I would love one in the black wool cause I love black sheep the best!

Parts and labor? $20 maybe. The black one reminds me of Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service where he is replaced with a little stuffed cat doll in the bird cage - NOT the disney version but the undubbed Japanese version. The Disney Dub was atrocious.

 

[Opa]

Since I can barely bend my arm I have resigned myself to the fact that it may be a while before I am able to hunt. The swelling has gone done g fslightly but the entire arm is still extremely hot and I realize that anything that increases the pulse rate could spread the infection. It's amazing that a fairly common seemingly benign surgery can so quickly turn into a life threatening situation. Granny's mantra that one should stay paid up, prayed up, and ready to go up has never seemed more appropriate.

This is our first full week of freezing weather and I wish I could say that I was looking forward to the cold and snow. There once was a time that I considered the time between September and May to be the best time of the year. Goose hunting would start the season, followed by bow hunting for deer, and then the gun deer season. December would start with a smoke pole in hand in search of the final large additions to my larder.

If the temperatures dropped enough we often would be on the lakes before Christmas in search of early winter Crappie. While it didn't happen often there were catches large enough that I could almost fry enough fish to fill my sons.

Cross country sking, wading thru thickets in search of cottontails, jigging for walleyes, filled the frigid months. Winter was exhilerating and fulfilling and when at last the temperatures would start to rise we would end with spring turkey hunting.

Now winter has become something to endure. Something that can't end quick enough. No one is more surprised with this than I. I'm not sure just when this happened and since the largest percentage of our year is cold I wish it hadn't. While I still appreciate the quiet beauty that winter brings it doesn't take long for me to tire of the additional work and expense that winter places on us.

 

[lbrykowski2011]

I know alot of you stock n store. I cook w/walnuts alot at the holidays and on CL today, real close to me, someone has a bushel of blk walnuts hulled and dried but not cracked. I have never used these, is it a good deal and I want or are they a different walnut you don't use often. Thanks, Lana

 

[RaZ]

Mighty cold in the house this morning. Apparently, the furnace repair yesterday was only temporary. The tech did say that the circuit board on this unit is poorly designed. It seems that it is too close to the heat ex-changer and the soldered contact points melt.

At least I can fire up the wood stove.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Powdered sugar, YUM!

 

[RaZ]

Black walnuts have a more bitter flavour than the store bought English walnuts. I like the black walnut for snacking on and the other for baking.

 

[MIchickens]

Opa.....I wish you the best on a speedy recovery! The possibility of missing opening day must be torture. You seem like a tough guy....I'm sure you'll pull through with flying colors!