Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[emorems0]

Also, check out the variety of eggs I get yesterday. I may have all brown egg layers, but that doesn't mean they are homogenous!

I've never gotten one like the skinny, lighter one before... I think it was a first egg from my dark cornish. She's been squatting for me for a while (and she's the only one of my hens that does actually) and has had a bright red comb for a while too. I don't think they lay well, so I'll curious to see how often she lays now that (I think) she started. The darker speckled egg is from an Orpington I got from chiqueschicks this spring. The other little darker one came from the tractor so I think it's from one of the foster RIRs, the bantam hen in there does not have a red comb yet at all. And I believe the large, lighter one comes from one of my black australorps.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I love the harvest season but I swear, I'm my own worst enemy

. For some reason, I have to get everything to can all at once! Yesterday, I finished coming the tomatoes down into sauce and got 7 more quarts of that while slicing and dehydrating a case of kiwi. Today I'm tackling 70 lbs of carrots and maybe (BIG maybe) the 50 lbs of potatoes on the porch. The carrots and potatoes were deals that we managed to come across on the way home yesterday and couldn't pass up. Didn't matter that I had already run out to the Amish fruit farm and bought 6 baskets full of apples for Apple sauce. They have to wait now since they're the freshest lol. Like I said, my own worst enemy.

 

[Bettacreek]

I finally started chopping out tomato plants. I'm so sick of them. I'm to the point where I'd rather buy store stuff than deal with them. Next year, ALL volunteers will be weeded out and composted. I want to grow those big paste tomatoes that you just toss in a pot, cook and blend. I'm over grape tomatoes.

 

[fisherlady]

I love the harvest season but I swear, I'm my own worst enemy

. For some reason, I have to get everything to can all at once! Yesterday, I finished coming the tomatoes down into sauce and got 7 more quarts of that while slicing and dehydrating a case of kiwi. Today I'm tackling 70 lbs of carrots and maybe (BIG maybe) the 50 lbs of potatoes on the porch. The carrots and potatoes were deals that we managed to come across on the way home yesterday and couldn't pass up. Didn't matter that I had already run out to the Amish fruit farm and bought 6 baskets full of apples for Apple sauce. They have to wait now since they're the freshest lol. Like I said, my own worst enemy.

Canning is going to cut into your chick watching time! LOL

How are you doing the carrots? I use a ton of carrots in cooking and might be better off canning them if they stay crisp enough.

 

[Bettacreek]

Canning is going to cut into your chick watching time! LOL

How are you doing the carrots? I use a ton of carrots in cooking and might be better off canning them if they stay crisp enough.

They'll be like stewed carrots. You have to pressure can them. You can dehydrate them though. Then you can sprinkle them in with whatever you're cooking. Or you can do honeyed carrots.

 

[fisherlady]

I finally started chopping out tomato plants. I'm so sick of them. I'm to the point where I'd rather buy store stuff than deal with them. Next year, ALL volunteers will be weeded out and composted. I want to grow those big paste tomatoes that you just toss in a pot, cook and blend. I'm over grape tomatoes.

We are lucky, I have a friend who puts in a garden about twice the size he should and we benefit from it twice. I give him a trailer load of manure and hay from the meat birds in her spring and we get squash, cukes, peppers and tomatoes in late summer. We just canned a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes he gave us last week, ended up with 10 qts of stewed tomatoes to use. I really like that arrangement!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Canning is going to cut into your chick watching time! LOL

How are you doing the carrots? I use a ton of carrots in cooking and might be better off canning them if they stay crisp enough.

I'm doing most of them in the pressure canner and they ends up just like store bought canned carrots. I might dehydrate some though, depending on how quickly I get sick of canning lol

 

[Blarneyeggs]

i had planned on canning tomatoes today but instead planted some lettuce n spinach and did some major cleaning up of down branches in the goat pen. It took me 2 1/2 hours to do chores on Thursday with no extra cleaning tasks. One hour was spent grazing goats, but 1 1/2 hours for chickens? This has to be cut down. I like the idea of everyone free ranging together with just 2 large feeders and 2 large waterers offered, I'm not hatching right now so am not worried about cross breeding... Anyone have solutions on cutting chore time down?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I finally started chopping out tomato plants. I'm so sick of them. I'm to the point where I'd rather buy store stuff than deal with them. Next year, ALL volunteers will be weeded out and composted. I want to grow those big paste tomatoes that you just toss in a pot, cook and blend. I'm over grape tomatoes.

I highly recommend the variety "San Marzano Gigante". I ordered mine from Territorial Seed Company and you can get either plants or seeds I believe. Excellent paste/Roma tomatoes that produces like crazy. I ordered this this year and last, and will continue to do so. They really really are highly productive with little attention.

We are lucky, I have a friend who puts in a garden about twice the size he should and we benefit from it twice. I give him a trailer load of manure and hay from the meat birds in her spring and we get squash, cukes, peppers and tomatoes in late summer. We just canned a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes he gave us last week, ended up with 10 qts of stewed tomatoes to use. I really like that arrangement!

You are lucky! That's a great exchange, poop and hay for fresh veggies!

i had planned on canning tomatoes today but instead planted some lettuce n spinach and did some major cleaning up of down branches in the goat pen. It took me 2 1/2 hours to do chores on Thursday with no extra cleaning tasks. One hour was spent grazing goats, but 1 1/2 hours for chickens? This has to be cut down. I like the idea of everyone free ranging together with just 2 large feeders and 2 large waterers offered, I'm not hatching right now so am not worried about cross breeding... Anyone have solutions on cutting chore time down?[/COLOR/]

Hire someone!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Here is the parrot we adopting/rescuing. Her name is Lucy and she is a 22 year old Eclectus. We pick her up Friday!

@dheltzel. Do all the bantam Cochin have feathered feet? I have 3 brown/tan chicks that have no feathers on their feet. I only had two Rhodebar eggs, and only one hatched. I think I may have gotten a Blue Maran too, I only have one large back chick, but two Marans eggs hatched.

Edited to add: that's my DH, and you can't see it, but he has a huge smile on his face.