Nevadans?

[americanvalkyrie]

so Mark had an interesting idea today. We were talking about insulting the coop to muffle some of the morning crowing and realized it may not be an easy thing to do with the rubbermaid shed. He suggested that we invest in a bunch of bales of hay to pile around the coop on three sides all the way up to the roof. Thought it may even help keep it a little warmer in the winter, whaddya think?

Sounds like it's probably cheaper than insulation, plus tons of people would want your recycled straw or hay as long as it's not moldy. Even if it is, it would make a good starter for compost, or a good bottom layer for a new garden bed.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Sorry, when I read that you were thinking of stacking the bails up to the roof it sounded like those 3 walls would be solid with no air flow and with the door closed at night, no air flow :/

Lol you're absolutely right I should have clarified

 

[Lacy Blues]

Can you get straw bales in Nevada? Everywhere I looked last year... no such thing!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Can you get straw bales in Nevada? Everywhere I looked last year... no such thing!

I buy them for about $12 or so at Green's Feed. It was my main garden mulch in Garden #2.

 

[NevadaRon]

Can you get straw bales in Nevada? Everywhere I looked last year... no such thing!

That's all I use for litter in my coops. You can get it everywhere in the Dayton/Carson City/Carson Valley area.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Can you get straw bales in Nevada?  Everywhere I looked last year... no such thing! 

The day after Halloween the pumpkin patches and other places that don't usually sell them will have them really cheap. We got a few bales at the pumpkin patch in sparks last year on the day before Halloween for about two bucks each!

 

[NevadaRon]

The day after Halloween the pumpkin patches and other places that don't usually sell them will have them really cheap. We got a few bales at the pumpkin patch in sparks last year on the day before Halloween for about two bucks each!

Nice! Thanks Aubrey - I'll be stocking up!

 

[Lacy Blues]

The day after Halloween the pumpkin patches and other places that don't usually sell them will have them really cheap. We got a few bales at the pumpkin patch in sparks last year on the day before Halloween for about two bucks each!

Hey, yeah! I'll be stocking up too then! Thanks.

 

[vegaschick]

I'm with you on planting more flowers. I have some bee activity but not quite enough. I read that borage is really good to plant. it attracts a lot of bees so i'm thinking that will be one to plant next year.

I planted a little bit of borage this year and it really does work! Those were the only bees I saw in my garden this year. The bees weren't the typical honeybee, more like a cutter bee but I didn't care, they were doin' their job!!! More borage next year, for sure!!!

Ack! If I saw the first request, it got caught up in the midday brain rush hour wreck.

Autumn Cranberry Pear Jam

3 cups crushed cored peeled pears
2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
5 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pouch liquid pectin

Bring everything but pectin to a full roiling boil over high heat. Add pectin, then boil hard or one minute. Ladle into jars and seal.

Carrot Cake Jam

1 and 1/2 cups finely grated peeled carrots
1 and 1/2 cups chopped cored peeled pears
1 and 3/4 cups canned pineapple, including juice
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 pkg regular powdered fruit pectin
6 and 1/2 cups sugar

Bring everything but pectin and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whick in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, add sugar, then return to a hard boil for one minute. Ladle into jars and seal.

My husband and I picked up our pears yesterday. I thought each box would be 25lbs. More like 50. I have 100lbs of pears sitting in my living room. Russ gave me the first "are you crazy" look of the season. I told him not to worry... one of the boxes was going to be divided up between two friends who are hooking us up with other foods. With our last 50, I think I'm going to do a mix of dehydrating, pear butter, cranberry pear jam, gingered pear, pear lime, maybe the carrot cake one. We'll see... we use most of our jams as toppings for yogurt.

This photo is called "How I Spent My September... Not Counting the Grapes that are Still on the Vine, or the Plums Still on the Tree."



The tomatoes are going in the dehydrator (the small ones, not the heirlooms,) as are grapes, pears, plums, and probably my surplus eggs once my girls start laying. The grapes will all be ripe within a week. The plums from my trees within 2 weeks. Those pears within 1-2 weeks. The nectarines any day now. Those peaches are ripe NOW (one of my projects for today.) And those plums got picked by a friend, still a little green, so I don't think I'll stress those. They're going to be dehydrated, anyway. I'll use my tree plums for the gingered plum jam. And the corn doesn't have to be milled immediately... we can use it for Halloween decorations first, then grind it. But the rest will need to be picked within the next few weeks, and the potatoes in probably 3 weeks or so. Green beans need picked and frozen about every 4 days now. And my friend with the apples is going to need them picked early, in a few weeks, because the power company is going to come and cut back her branches, so we can let them ripen the rest of the way in a closet. I told Russ not to plan anything for me this September.

Thank you for the recipes and my goodness woman...you are AMAZING not crazy!!!

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Yeah missy, thanks to you I was able to give my dad more than just rosemary sprigs this year when he brought over his annual batch of garden fresh salsa! He was shocked LOL!