Surviving Minnesota!

Ralphie good info on the long beans . I have never grown them but have tasted them at the Chinese buffet . I think they are a pole version of the southern peas like black eyed . So you could maybe use them as shell outs . I have grown the southern peas . Not a fan but that is just me . On rabbits I caught one by hand yesterday evening . Came down the hill out of the woods on my tractor and scared one . She went into the empty chicken pen . So I naturally had to catch her . Got into stinging nettle weed in my effort . Looked her over and showed her to the beagles . Then let her go . The beagles have been tracking her all summer when I let them out . So she is a training aid . Got about a inch of rain during the night . Wish I had scattered my food plot seeds before the rain .
I need to can tomatoes again . Need to measure the roof . Going to replace it with metal roof . Menards has a 11% off sale . Not sure if I have to order or if it is in stock . Might even go to the sale barn tonight . Have not been in awhile . Might be some produce like pears or green beans . Rabbits got mine also . My fault as I did not get the fence up . Got too busy too fast this year .


I did strip and try drying a few of the beans we will see what they turn out like.

I wish I had a metal roof. Next time I roof I will put one on, these old farm houses have less problems with them in snow I think. I would not have been as kind to the rabbit. I caught one this spring and let it go in front of the dogs, they were so stupid they watched it run away. Of course, I use to discourage them from chasing rabbits when I hunted birds with them.
 
The chicken looks good Minnie. I just think it is wrong of them to have the swap tomorrow when I need at least another weeks time.

EJB I did not know for sure, but was taking an educated guess on the CM's being barred. I have so much to learn on these birds and so little time to learn it. I would like to go to the fair and see Holm do his thing and the other birds too, but I am a crowdophobe. Judy has been pushing to go she is off for a couple weeks so who knows.

Ivie those things sound great. I remember when I was a kid, which was WAY long ago, eating those things. Stella Skoog use to make all those things. They lived across the river and up in the land the Feds stole to make the refuge out of. She was about 75 then and cooked and baked all that Scandinavian foodstuff. I have searched my entire life to find lefsa as good as hers was. I have never found it. ( I would guess with a name like Stella Skoog, and recalling her accent she was pure Norwegian.)

I lost a tree branch last night, A huge one. I got so lucky. It just missed my Van, my old Lawn mower/tractor and the deck. It also just missed my layer coop.











I actually looked for marks on the van and did not see any. I guess I need to move a tree now.

My old white dog is in her last year I think. She is throwing up several times a day. We can not find anything soft enough for her to eat and keep down. We are cooking her rice in chicken broth but even that comes back up. I am so going to miss her and am so worried. We have decided to not take her to a Vet. She is 11 years old and that is the oldest Lab we have ever had. It just does not make sense to spend thousands of dollars on her when the inevitable is so close at hand for her. She is the first dog we can actually call ours. The dogs before her were "Kid Picked" and not ours. All the dogs before her even thought of themselves as the kids best friend. I still think of her as my pup even as she ages.

Besides the tree, I have canning on the table for today, I am going to make some chunk pickles out of the large cukes, I have not decided if I want to dill or sweet pickle them. I also have some peppers to deal with. I have no idea what I will do with them. The hot ones I will pickle in vinegar, the "other ones" Judy likes stuffed. I cannot even stand the smell of a baking stuffed pepper. I am wondering if I can freezer them until they are hard then vacuum pack them so she can stuff them during the winter. Do peppers need to be blanched before freezing?

Jerry, I think it is funny the people on the EE thread telling you how Ameraucanas were developed and what breeds went into them. I especially like the people that insist EE were created from Ameraucanas.


MNchick I hope your "shingle chicken killing" party goes well tomorrow. Are you going to shingle even in the rain, if it rains?


On the chicken front, I need to find another Show Rooster in my Mob of boys, Andy is still perfect but his crest as became so small or his hackles so full that it is almost non-existent. The proposed SOPs say no crest is a disqualifying defect. also his comb has gotten so large it no longer makes him look balanced and his waddles are getting "wrinkles". I still plan to use him for breeding. If I use only well endowed hens it should balance itself. (fingers crossed) I will try to get some pictures one of these days. Also the huge comb is no longer as smooth as I like it to be. I am going to enter him in the BYC comb contest this fall, if they have one.

Ralphie: I'm glad tree branch is in chicken yard and not in your bed or on your car. What a PITA though. Chainsaw work on widowmakers. "Lovely". I do not envy you. If I was there I'd help wheel barrow the chunks for you. That's about all I'm good for.

I am sorry to hear of your old Yeller/White dog. It's horrid, horrid, horrid thing to go through. Your timing and patterns in the house will be different. There is definitely a space they leave that is ....refillable if you decide. But it's definitely a space. You know where to come if you need share more....I certainly appreciated when I went through it. Every day after gets better...just remember that.
I would love to have some "canning to do" right now. I think projects will be working on that larger garden project for next year...prepping the space that is. Cleaning the coop. DH is getting that boat lift finally. He needs to modify it (remove a side thing of boards for wave runners) But He will have his hands full this week too.

Ralphie: I'll go read the thread and get my bearings on what you're saying. I think it comical that folks would not read his little footer and understand who they're talking with either.
When one grandma was alive she and I would spend time together and she taught me how to make Kringla - however that would be correctly spelt. It was a Norwegian sweet bread baked in a figure 8. As soon as it came out of the oven it was dipped in sugar water. I wish I could spend time with you Minnie and can chicken. Besides bonding a little you would be teaching me new stuff. It reminds of me of some younger days. Then Grandpa taught me how to make Klube - potato dumpling. Its been a long time. I would like to can chicken and have Klube in the pan cooking. Sweet!
Oh Ivie: All that down home talk with Grandma in the picture. I remember stayovers with my Grandparents in the rolling bluff country of Southeastern MN. Big Scanda-hoovian settlements there. Grandma and Grandpa would have us for late summer week visit. She had a tub of rainwater for watering her plants that she would sacrifice for our baths. My hair was never softer than that bath. I remember the sounds of crickets in the cracks of their sidewalk and in the crabgrass and the glow of a setting sun. I remember a climbing clematis, bleeding heart all around her house. She would also do her laundry outside. Grandpa would roll the Washer out of the garage. It was the tub with a ringer/roller set up. We watched her amazed. She'd make us supper. And then Grandpa would keep the A & W in the basement and bring up a couple bottles and Make Rootbeer floats. Mmmm delicious. We'd watch Lawrence Welk and the Dolly Parton Shows. Then off to bed.

She would make lefsa and flatbread. I never got to make it with her though. Wish I had. First time I made lefsa was with my MIL. My good friend has the Potato dumplings down pat. Kumla she calls it...?

I've canned venison before. But our family eats it all and well from the freezer. Canning is more work. I'm actually throwing out some old jars that have not been eaten for a couple years. I think the jars would go to better use with canned peaches. So will most likely do that ...maybe this weekend.
 
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Ralphie: I'm glad tree branch is in chicken yard and not in your bed or on your car. What a PITA though. Chainsaw work on widowmakers. "Lovely". I do not envy you. If I was there I'd help wheel barrow the chunks for you. That's about all I'm good for.

I am sorry to hear of your old Yeller/White dog. It's horrid, horrid, horrid thing to go through. Your timing and patterns in the house will be different. There is definitely a space they leave that is ....refillable if you decide. But it's definitely a space. You know where to come if you need share more....I certainly appreciated when I went through it. Every day after gets better...just remember that.
I would love to have some "canning to do" right now. I think projects will be working on that larger garden project for next year...prepping the space that is. Cleaning the coop. DH is getting that boat lift finally. He needs to modify it (remove a side thing of boards for wave runners) But He will have his hands full this week too.

Ralphie: I'll go read the thread and get my bearings on what you're saying. I think it comical that folks would not read his little footer and understand who they're talking with either. But in essence if you breed another breed to Araucana you would get an EE by some loose definition...and that's what they sort of did to get Ameraucana's? And they kept refining it until they got colors and traits to breed true to a developed standard which then got an approval from APA? IDK tiddly winks...I'll be the first to admit. But I guess I get that claim. When we think of the common EE though...we think of say Buff Orpington (or whatever standard breed) crossed with Ameraucana...and I think some variant or cross with Ameraucanas is what we are getting when we go to the bins at L & M, Runnings, MinnieChickMama. Araucanas are scarce aren't they? I doubt they are much used for breeding stocks at hatcheries.
Oh Ivie: All that down home talk with Grandma in the picture. I remember stayovers with my Grandparents in the rolling bluff country of Southeastern MN. Big Scanda-hoovian settlements there. Grandma and Grandpa would have us for late summer week visit. She had a tub of rainwater for watering her plants that she would sacrifice for our baths. My hair was never softer than that bath. I remember the sounds of crickets in the cracks of their sidewalk and in the crabgrass and the glow of a setting sun. I remember a climbing clematis, bleeding heart all around her house. She would also do her laundry outside. Grandpa would roll the Washer out of the garage. It was the tub with a ringer/roller set up. We watched her amazed. She'd make us supper. And then Grandpa would keep the A & W in the basement and bring up a couple bottles and Make Rootbeer floats. Mmmm delicious. We'd watch Lawrence Welk and the Dolly Parton Shows. Then off to bed.

She would make lefsa and flatbread. I never got to make it with her though. Wish I had. First time I made lefsa was with my MIL. My good friend has the Potato dumplings down pat. Kumla she calls it...?

I've canned venison before. But our family eats it all and well from the freezer. Canning is more work. I'm actually throwing out some old jars that have not been eaten for a couple years. I think the jars would go to better use with canned peaches. So will most likely do that ...maybe this weekend.


NO way!!! I need them!

I have turned into a domestic. I like canning. I like my garden, my birds a d hate going anywhere. I have even thought about getting rid of the piece of paradise in Toga as I have not been there in almost a year and only went twice last summer.


I am not excited about cutting up the "widowmaker". I think I will get a neighbor kid (yea I know he is 40) to help me. I told Judy I might rent a cherry picker to do this one. I am not sure, but cutting the over hang from below has me slightly worried, they way it hangs and all.


As far as my staying home and becoming a bigger hermit than I was before, my SIL got this sign for me the other day..Of course it does not apply to any of my friends here on BYC..


 
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Oh Gee...I hope I said my Ameraucana statement well enough, Jerry.
hide.gif
I'm a fan of the breed! I love them.
yippiechickie.gif
And I know they are not EE's. LOL.

Ralphie...I will not throw the jars out....just their contents. I'm too 'skin flint' to throw away jars.
 
Oh Gee...I hope I said my Ameraucana statement well enough, Jerry.
hide.gif
I'm a fan of the breed! I love them.
yippiechickie.gif
And I know they are not EE's. LOL.

Ralphie...I will not throw the jars out....just their contents. I'm too 'skin flint' to throw away jars.


You had me worried! Wasting perfectly good jars! Shameful. I should have known better.
 
FYI: For those who want to downsize and are not ready for New Ulm this weekend...there is a auction in Fergus Falls on Sept. 10th ( * April 23, June 18, Sept 10 – Tri State Bird and Animal Auction – Fergus Falls MN. Ottertail County Fairgrounds West Contact Chuck (605) 884-6309 or Wayne (701) 238-6820) and a swap in Hutchinson on Sept. 17th (* February 20, September 17 - MN Game Breeders Swap, McLeod Co. Fairgrounds 840 Century Avenue Southwest Hutchinson, MN 55350. 7am, $5 admission, contact Doug Randall (320) 236-2270 or (320) 333-7111).
 

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