Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Terri O]

OK everyone...I KNOW you all have been waiting with bated breath for my 2012 potato experiment! Remember last years....planting in a barrel was a bust....this year I went with heirloom types to see how they grew. I have NO FRIGGEN IDEA why I decided that I had to dog potatoes on the hottest day of the year...but I did and once I got started I had to dig all the heirlooms just to see what else there was....kinda like digging for buried treasure ya know? AMY--you need to post your results also. I got the potatoes and gave Amy hers at the bash...So OK...here are the pics:

Yellow Finn---not a great producer but I might have mixed some up with the Fingerlings. Nice yellow color. I will report on flavors after dinner tonight...

These are the fingerlings. I thought they would be more like the shape I planted (finger-like) There may be a few Yellow Finns mixed in here however. They did all hold onto the plant and had to be broken apart.



Purple Viking--really a cool looking potato! Very white inside. I think this might have been the whole gathering of the two potatoes I planted though so not a great producer. Maybe there are more in the garden but I dont think so.


These are the results of some of the RedGold potatoes from my grocery store. Again they did not carry on the golden flesh that they had when purchased.


My favorite! These are called All Blue. they were very prolific for only planting 2 potatoes! (cut up of course) A few nice big specimens and lots of little ones. The only problem I had was that they are very hard to see in the dirt of the garden!


Just for fun I dug one one my Kennebec potatoes. This is in a gallon pail not a 5 gal LOL! The plants are still alove and this will be my "keeper" potato for the winter.
I have not dug the Yukon Gold or the Norland Reds as yet either...those vines are still growing too.
Ya know, looking at this report, I guess it is not a great surprise that my garden didnt produce a lot this year...it seems that I planted a whole BUNCH of spuds! LOL!

Hey Amy....waiting for your report! TerriOpotatocrazy!

 

[jvls1942]

good aft, I had my first cuppa under the shade tree this AM.. I made it a point to listen to the birds.. the guineas are the quietest.. the only time they make noise is when they go to roost at night,, or when they are on alert.. when they walk past on their quest for bugs, they chirp constantly to each other, but is is a very soft sound.. I still say, if I had to choose one bird to keep, it would be the guineas.. and who said they were not winter hardy ?? stop reading those books,,

Maybe we have built up an immunity,, but I am still not going to peel tomatoes for canning..
and we do not have skins floating in our chili..

I took the air cleaner completely apart and really cleaned it.. It is one of those oil bath types.. probably not the most efficient kind.. the "filter" is nothing more than a screen type of material rolled up very tightly.. judging by the amount of dirt in the oil pan, as I said, not the most efficient patent on the planet.. at any rate, it is all cleaned and painted.. I am going to try to find some heavy duty felt and make a top and bottom seal for the screen stuff.. maybe that will help some with the filtering..

TerriO, looks like you dug enough potatoes for a couple of meals..

this AM, Annie asked Gramma how she slept.. "Oh I slept fine,, and so did the baby ".. Oh?

Annie is taking the old front seal and the new one to Ron.. If he doesn't think the new one is correct , as we do, she will ask him to order one..

I tried that place in Wisconsin a few years ago.. they couldn't help me with old Oliver 55 PTO tractor parts.. so I just didn't bother trying them again.. I just assumed they couldn't help now either..

I am anxious to go shopping for a temperature guage tomorrow.. why does guage come up underlined as an incorrect spelling ? gage ,, and so does gage..

we have a bunch of pullets starting to lay.. time to put them on Craig's list.. I am going to try selling "flocks" of like 6 hens and 1 rooster..

I have about a dozen turkeys and almost that many geese that have to go also..

I am not going to feed so many birds all through this winter at THESE feed prices..

I am not decided what to do about the 8 peafowl..

I just sold all my month old guineas.. all I have left are about 15 less than a week old ones.. 5 of them appear to be the purples.. thanks for the color chart .. It saved Strombergs from a good arse chewing from Annie,,

...........jiminthehousebecauseitishotoutside...........

 

[kristip]

Perfect...you tell me what time and I can meet you over there. I will take whatever you want to get rid of. Let me know what you might like for them. Need any zucchini or cherry tomatoes? I am at work from 8-2:30

Thanks again cheryl

how about 12:30 pm at the Copps on Fish Hatchery Rd, if you would like to get rid of some zucchini I would take some of them.  nothing for the cucs just glad that they can be used, I will bring you at least 2 - 5 gallon buckets.

working on making pickled onions this am, DH went out and pulled the rest yesterday and there was enough to make another 11 pints- he is all excited!  We figured the onions would be to big for the jars.

thinking we should try our hand at planting garlic, considering how much we have been going through this season

12:30 sounds great. Let's meet closer to the hallmark store next to copps, just because it is pretty busy at lunch. I drive an almost black dodge grand caravan. Thanks again!

 

[Hens and Roos]

12:30 sounds great. Let's meet closer to the hallmark store next to copps, just because it is pretty busy at lunch. I drive an almost black dodge grand caravan. Thanks again!

okay, I drive a dk cherry/maroon chevy traverse,

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Sorry. Been MIA up north & just plain busy. Long story.

Anyway, your cat is probably peeing everywhere because she has urinary crystals which causes pain when she pees, and she then associates the pain with her box so she stops using it. Cure the crystals & it usually cures the problem.

Crystals form due to dietary pH and ash content in their food. Your cat needs to go on a urinary diet. Wellness has an excellent dry food but it is pretty pricey. Purina One also has a urinary formula that is effective if cost is an issue. You can get a 16lb. bag down here for about $22, as opposed to Wellness, which is about $34-35 for 12lbs., but the quality & ingredients in Wellness are far superior. As for canned food, your best bet is to check the labels for ash content. It is listed in the guaranteed analysis below the ingredients. It should list crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, moisture, ash max. Make sure to buy food that has the ash max at 3% or less. Most fish flavored food will be high in ash, so be careful when buying it. And make sure she has access to fresh water always to help flush the crystals through. I have never heard of water being a cause of crystal formation. I have a 19 year old cat who is prone to crystal formation & he has drank Milwaukee water (4 years) & now the irony, mineral ridden crap we now have (15 years). I have noticed no increase in him getting crystals with the water change. In fact, he has only had 1 reoccurrance since leaving Milwaukee & their soft, treated water. 

Petco has reasonable prices on their dry food when you catch a sale, and they usually have free shipping on orders over $50.
http://www.petco.com/product/106445...nd-Rice-Cat-Food.aspx?CoreCat=CatFFB_Wellness

http://www.petco.com/product/11038/...th-Formula-Cat-Food.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
Another reason cats stop using their box is because they might have a urinary tract infection from bacteria causing an alkaline pH urine. After getting meds to clear it up, a urinary diet will prevent reoccurrances. Some cats are just prone to getting them over & over, so a lifelong urinary diet becomes necessary.  

She is on EVO right now. Its chicken based 88 percent protein, grain free. A very spendy food. But if I have both cats on a comporable wet food its going to cost me over $60/mo. So I've thought about a raw diet. But that's so much work! The fact is, dry food is not good for cats. They should be getting the majority of their water from food. I just know that she peed in my car once and the smell had never come out. If she pees on my carpet it will be "off with her head"

 

[bigzio]

Labor Day Monday All....glad you found the old PM with directions frenchie...hope they are able to help you out.

Nice pics once again...thanks for sharing...nice looking birds and pretty spuds.

H&R...I'll have suzie post her salsa recipe..we really like it.

Hi
Here's my recipe that I have loved for over 35 years....

5 cups of diced tomateoes (after the skins and core are slipped
1 large green pepper chopped to the size you like
2 med chopped onions
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 c white vinegar
2 t. cayenne pepper or to taste ...this is basically mid to med. we usually do 3 to spice it up more.
3-4 garlic cloves sliced thin

Drain the tomatoes in a wire mesh colindar till hardly any juice comes out. This takes quite awhile. In the meantime I get the veggis chopped and the rest of the ingredients in a kettle. when the tomatoes are ready put them in and simmer for 4 hours or untill desired thickness.

Fill pint jars and process in pressure canner for 25 min. at 10 lbs pressure

This yields 3 pints but I always do at least 5 batches at once to save time.

Any questions just holler........ENJOY!!!!!!!!

 

[vickiw]

Jim~ gauge

 

[Hens and Roos]

Labor Day Monday All....glad you found the old PM with directions frenchie...hope they are able to help you out.

Nice pics once again...thanks for sharing...nice looking birds and pretty spuds.

H&R...I'll have suzie post her salsa recipe..we really like it.

Hi
Here's my recipe that I have loved for over 35 years....

5 cups of diced tomateoes (after the skins and core are slipped
1 large green pepper chopped to the size you like
2 med chopped onions
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 c white vinegar
2 t. cayenne pepper or to taste ...this is basically mid to med. we usually do 3 to spice it up more.
3-4 garlic cloves sliced thin

Drain the tomatoes in a wire mesh colindar till hardly any juice comes out. This takes quite awhile. In the meantime I get the veggis chopped and the rest of the ingredients in a kettle. when the tomatoes are ready put them in and simmer for 4 hours or untill desired thickness.

Fill pint jars and process in pressure canner for 25 min. at 10 lbs pressure

This yields 3 pints but I always do at least 5 batches at once to save time.

Any questions just holler........ENJOY!!!!!!!!

thanks, do you know if you can process them in a boiling water bath?

 

[kristip]

So we survived three birthday parties and over a hundred cupcakes this weekend, jut nex to drop off some tomorrow for school and give the kids our presents tomorrow and the festivities are over! Made it another year. We had lots of fun though,
My new work schedule starts this week so will take some getting used to along with packing lunches etc. Friday is my first free day do hoping to do my canning...
What were the pickling cuc tips? Found the recipe for dilly beans and another one...going to try those also. Yum.

Ok well it is sad but true...wiped out and going to read nd hit the hay really early tonight. Later everyone

 

[CasieD]

CASIED ~ ooooh, such pretty babies!!! Will you be selling any eggs/chicks in the spring? If so, PLEASE put me on your list! My blacks have "forever" homes but I love to start a flock of SFH's.

I am also trying to locate a source for Hedemora chickens. any ideas anyone?

I'll be sure to let you know next spring when I have eggs/chicks available!