What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I have to go pick up 60 bales of hay tomorrow....in nearly 100 degree weather.

 

[Sueby]

I have to go pick up 60 bales of hay tomorrow....in nearly 100 degree weather.
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That is one thing I DO NOT miss about having horses - haying. Ugh, no thanks!

I put some green beans in the dehydrator. Sounded good to me. I blanched them first.

 

[Sally PB]

Potatoes are satisfying!! Also, a surprise as to how much one gets when you get to dig them up.

Digging potatoes is like a treasure hunt! And I always miss a few that are volunteers for the next season.

My neighbors who have free ranged their chickens to death are away on vacation right now. Their house sitter let the chickens out to free range and I'm pretty sure they haven't come back. The rooster came back after 36 hours, but I haven't heard the egg song from there since Monday morning. I usually hear them. But it's been very quiet over there.

Oh my. They don't ask you to chicken sit...?

Ok, I found recipes for both crispy cucumber chips (dehydrated)

I made dehydrated cuke slices one time. Delicious!!! BUT... they weren't burpless. I ate about a cuke's worth and about an hour later, oh, my did I have gas pains! They were too far along to make me burp, so I had to wait for them to work their way through. I never made them again. Love to try it though.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Digging potatoes is like a treasure hunt! And I always miss a few that are volunteers for the next season.

Oh my. They don't ask you to chicken sit...?

I made dehydrated cuke slices one time. Delicious!!! BUT... they weren't burpless. I ate about a cuke's worth and about an hour later, oh, my did I have gas pains! They were too far along to make me burp, so I had to wait for them to work their way through. I never made them again. Love to try it though.

These are the crazy neighbors that I’ve tried to be nice to. I have taken care of their chickens before but they think if we’re “friends” they can use my yard as their own. They have no respect for boundaries. They are really bad chicken caretakers. Their coop is too small for the number of chickens they have. They have had up to nine chickens and the actual coop is approximately 4 feet by 4 feet with two nest boxes. The run is wrapped with 2 x 4 dog wire. What was a beautiful silkie rooster is a sad, raggedy little guy who has been ripped up through the wire by the local raccoon. They live in less than 1/4 acre and they let their chickens out to free range wherever they run to including other neighbors yards and the street. They lose 3 to 4 chickens or more every year. I feel bad for their chickens. So no, I don’t watch their chickens anymore for good reason.

 

[Sally PB]

I feel bad for their chickens. So no, I don’t watch their chickens anymore for good reason.

Wow, I feel bad for their chickens too. If they're all gone, I hope they don't get any more.

 

[TJAnonymous]

That is one thing I DO NOT miss about having horses - haying. Ugh, no thanks!

I put some green beans in the dehydrator. Sounded good to me. I blanched them first.

I actually need around 120 bales but I'm buying them in 2 trips. I hate buying hay because I'm allergic to it which means I have to wear long sleeves & pants. No fun in 100+ degree weather. And I'll likely STILL break out in a rash from it anyway....

 

[TJAnonymous]

My neighbors who have free ranged their chickens to death are away on vacation right now. Their house sitter let the chickens out to free range and I'm pretty sure they haven't come back. The rooster came back after 36 hours, but I haven't heard the egg song from there since Monday morning. I usually hear them. But it's been very quiet over there.

That's so sad! I am a paranoid wreck whenever I'm gone. We typically have our oldest daughter take care of our animals while we are gone.... I ALWAYS count my chickens nearly ever night to make sure they all made it back home. I lectured my daughter to do the same when she housesat for us last summer. Only...she didn't. And my favorite hen took her time coming back up to the run only to discover she was locked out. She appears to have sat down next to the gate where a coyote or fox found her. The only thing I had left were feathers from the attack. I was heartbroken.... So yeah...I told my DH this spring that if he wanted to go on vacation ever again, we needed to cover the chicken run so my chickens couldn't fly over the fence and a predator couldn't jump the fence.

 

[BReeder!]

I do wish I could make crisper pickles though. I use pickle crisp & it helps, but I like a good crunch. Oh well.

Pick the cucumbers early then. It helps with keeping them crunchy. Mine usually have a good snap, but can get soft in the center since I tend to pick them a little later. Also, any fully ripe cucumbers get turned into today or pickle chips. Spears have to be made from cucumbers that haven't fully ripened so they hold up through the canning process and deliver a crunch at the end.
Also, I'm curious to know how Clausen seals there pickles. They claim they are never heated. They are sold refrigerated though, but I do have an extra fridge in the garage that could hold some jars as long as they last a long time.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Wow, I feel bad for their chickens too. If they're all gone, I hope they don't get any more.

People like that usually do because they are clueless and don't recognize their own failures.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Wow, I feel bad for their chickens too. If they're all gone, I hope they don't get any more.

They will. They lose chickens to the local predators and that lets the predators know that there is a free chicken dinner waiting for them. I think their pullets might be back but we usually hear the hens when they’re singing the egg song. And these are the type of people who objectify animals as something to be used. They have no respect for animals.