Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[bigzio]

Well, that has to be a bite in the gut to think about selling the homestead Jim ....gonna holdoff here as long as I can, and then put up a fight.
Nice job on the set-up so far kee. Sounds like adequate space for plenty of birds. I hope you can purchase the place after all the hard labor and investments you have made. Keep us posted if those nipples do cause problems in the extreme cold months.

bigz

 

[ParkfieldFarm]

Wow Jim--a lot to think about if you're serious! That's a big step.

CM, that's...interesting. Whaddya thinking?

Thanks bigz! I definitely will keep everyone in the loop. I guess the horizontal ones aren't supposed to freeze open. I'm crossing my fingers.

We went to see a usda loan officer last week, and chat with the FSA, and it looks like if we can get an operation off the ground in the next few years we can get a farm purchase loan. We just have to start making money over here. The owners did say there's a possibility of us buying, so I guess we'll see. And we have to chat with the farmer who owns the land around us, because maybe he'll let us add on a few acres, which is easily altered into grazing land when we get a little further.

If you look up Growanstede on google maps, there we are! It's an old picture, but the house looks the same. That's what I'm calling it--Growanstede.

 

[jvls1942]

well, your light is 90% installed already, just pick out a fixture and put it up..
I am always ready to sell and move. Annie always says that I couldn't live in town. maybe that was true a few years ago, but now I am content to not have a garden or animals.. let someone else shovel the snow.
while I am drinking my morning coffee in a nearby cafe..
None of our 3 kids want to live way out here. so there is no reason to keep the place..
things keep wearing out and some day I would have to hire somebody to fix them.
I have plenty of busy work and projects, but I often need help, and you just can't hire anybody any more.. kids do not want nor need to work for their spending money like we had to do..
......jiminwisc....

 

[ParkfieldFarm]

Wallll, I just applied to my first job out here. Jeff is usually the one working while I take care of the home front, but there's so much to do around here that he's so much more qualified for that I think we're going to trade off. I'm sad about it. I'm good at office work but it's meh.

Jim, that's huge!

 

[bigzio]

Fish Fry Friday once again here.....just baked haddock and a baked potato with ho-made slaw from garden carrots and cabbage.
Good luck with the office job kee…..I prefer animals and birds to people for the most part....people can be so unhuman...if that makes sense? Friendly folks with a kind heart are less common than they use to be.

bigz

 

[jvls1942]

Hi,
No snow here yet.
I am going to cook a couple of stuffed cornish hens next week.
today I put a brand new spark plug into the scooter. it still won't start on just gas. have to prime it the first time with starting fluid.
after it once starts, then I don't need the starting fluid anymore..
........jiminwisc.....

 

[bigzio]

Good 3 inches here...really wet heavy stuff.
GO PACK!

bigz

 

[ParkfieldFarm]

Juuuust starting crispy flurries here.

PS Only 7 turkeys left!

 

[jvls1942]

well, the pack didn't look any different than they did before.. so much for their bragging that they were going to win all the rest of their games..
on a good note, the scooter has been starting up without any starting fluid help..
Now I can put it all back together and start working on the other one..
turkeys are great for Christmas dinner, too..
......jiminwisc......

 

[chikenscratch]

Thank you all.

Here is Cindy’s recipe with all of the edits.

Green Goop:
This is done as "part" by weight, so you can do as little or as much as you want. I make quite a bit at one time so my small batch is a 4 oz or more for larger batches "part" but you can do less if you like.
Mom's Green Goop
2 1/2 parts Plantian
1 Calendula
1 Chickweed
1 Comfery root
1 Lemon Balm
1 Mullein leaf
1 St. John's wort
Made into a tincture. I like to use all powders if I can, then I can make 1 tincture with all the herbs. Other wise you should make them seperate and combine when done. This takes at least 2 weeks. Strain well, I use unbleached muslin. Measure your combined tincture, place in sauce pan. Measure out 1/2 the amount of Olive Oil as you had of tincture, poor over tincture. Simmer very lightly for several hours and stir often. The idea is for the tincture to evaporate threw the oil. When the tincture is gone or almost gone. Strain again. Melt in enough bee's wax to the consistency you like. I like it a little on the "stiff" side because when it's soft people seem to glop it on too heavy.
Good Luck!
Oops, forgot to let you know what I left out lol Citric Acid (powder) and orris root. These are the "preservatives" and "fixatives".
When I first started making it I started with whole herb and simmered /steeped it down. Strained, simmered, oil...etc. For a decent size batch it took about 2 days of cooking and straining. I found a similar recipe done with the tinctures (which I make myself) but was allot easier and quicker so I used that method with my formula. If you want a scent add a few drops of essential oil. Bees wax I get where I can find it. I got a good deal on Ebay once. It was New -old stock. Wrapped, but about 8 years old.... worked fine.


Edit for how much orris root and citric acid:


I don't have access to my books or notes now, but you are going to want to strain it more than once, once for the big stuff, then a finer strain. They go in between the 2 strains. The root is optional, but smells nice and will help keep any other scent you want strong. 1/8 teaspoon per cup. citric acid is a preservative, 1/4 teaspoon per cup (I think, it might be less).


Additional edit:


A few changes, You can use whole, chopped or powdered herbs by weight. You can do it by bringing the herbs to a simmer and simmer for 5 min. stirring often then turn off, let steep for 6 to 8 hours and filter. I use muslin cloth and squeeze out every drop I can. The longest part is evaporating the water mix into the oil. After you've made a batch, you can mess around with what you might want to change for the next one.
When things settle down I need to make a batch for us!

Good Luck!