Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[loadsofeggs]

Good morning one and all! Ill be leaving in a bit for another trip back up to Ashland for an over night stay then my daughter and I will be able to stay here for 6 whole days!
We now have 18 chickens lol The chicken math is working here just fine

Ill see if I can name them all, 3 white leg horns, 3 barnyard mix banties, 5 production reds, 3 EEs, 2 Black Australorps, 1 Buff Orpington and a Buff Orpington rooster. Yep thats 18

We are not looking for more right now but you all know how that goes

In the spring I hope to get some turkeys (I was told ONE turkey named Thanksgiving) and a few ducks (I want muscovies) and some meat birds. I do have an exodic animal list that I have to follow and those are all no goes lol Whats not on list is listed above.
I hope you all have a wonderul day!

 

[Dr HaHa]

dk Good Luck on your interview!!! Meant to say so before. loado think that would be a good name for your turkey! Dornes Peepers is just way too cute! Think it would sleepin in bed with us. Well me probably by myself.

Your gonna love TO she's great! Just picked a half bushel of green beans and easily 10 qts of cukes. Called the guy for the cukes and he said they had enough

but when he showed up for some of the grn beans and carrots I talked him into the cukes

He brought me a pint of pickled aspargus!

I'm procrastinating right now, really don't want to go into the crawlspace.

But I suppose, just get it over with. I don't want to go on the cart!

Don't be such a baby! At the VA on Monday they gave a pneumonia shot and I whined about hating needles, she put a smaller needle on it or as she called it a baby needle. I said oh a baby needle for a baby huh?

 

[Terri O]

Good morning...sheesh...I can remember mornings(not so long ago) that I was sad there were only a few messages to read...I had 4 pages to catch up on this morning...again! I love it! THanks Deb for reposting that butterfly pic. DH took something similar on his phone...we seem to have a lot of the black swallowtails here this year along with zebra and tiger ones! They are so pretty. He also saw one that looked to be a combination of the two? I am going to look it up and see if they can hybridize...

The turkey that is sitting (all summer) has STILL not hatched anything! I dont know if her body heat is wrong or what. She started with her own eggs. 2 clutches. THey I gave her guineas-nothing. then I gave her duck eggs...nothing. Now she has been on chicken eggs for over 3 weeks! I dont know if some hatched and jumped down to be absorbed into other families or what...She is soooo pale looking and I am sure mal-nourished too from sitting so long. Any ideas anyone?

Dornes--I didnt know that Saturday was going to be the day...my DD25 is running a 5K in the "Dirty Girl" competition that day at noon! I asked Carol if Sunday would work? The race is at the hunt club in Milford...fancy place! There are obstacles for the contestants to go over and through...it only comes here once in a blue moon. I guess they run only 3 races all over the US in a year. I cant wait to watch....!

Loads--sent you a PM about ducks!

DrH--thanks for the info!
My camera is still AWOL and I am determined to find it today...or I am going to get a new one! There are so many things I want to show you all! DARN IT ANYWAY!

Well, better get to it! Have a fantastic day everyone! Terri O--who REALLY needs to find some good hay!

 

[kristip]

ok fellow gardeners here... need your expert thoughts. So first time growing potatoes and just went out and harvested them from their known location in the weed patch. Got about a 5 gallon pail full so not bad for a first timer. Here is my question... used my big shovel and the sharp edge cut a number of the bigger ones while digging... first- is there a better way to do that? pitchfork maybe?
Second... besides frying them up quick- what would you do with a bunch of cut potatoes? is there a way of preserving them?

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
A 5 or 6 pronged manure fork works very well. You will still poke one or a dozen, but they are just small holes..

Annie says,, use them up first,,,,make potato pancakes..
Or, cut them uup for french fries and freeze them..

you might try coating the cuts with flour.. If you can get them to dry quickly, they might keep longer..

I had a loooong post written this morning.. lucky for you folks byc lost it for me..

 

[jvls1942]

I just have a few minutes to post..

I think I am sufficiently cooled down enough after losing my looong post earlier..

building your fence in panels and then setting them into place is a wise decision.. do you have an air stapler? I bought a cheap one , 1/4 inch wide head just for fence and cage building..

If you are using hand poultry netting staples, you can hold them with a needle nose plier to get them started.. Or you can make a holder out of a piece of rubber with a slot cut into it.. Put the staple into the slot give it a tap and remove the rubber holder..

Dornes,, I would like a copy of that ketchup recipe,, I would also like a salsa recipe.. I could look them up, but I am basically lazy..

I tried making Ketchup when my kids were small.. I was young , dumb and inexperienced at that time.. I am much older, now..

I should have scooped the seeds and most of the juice out and just used the outside pulp.. It took hours to evaporate all that juice.. I should have put it on the counter to cool, not on the floor where the DDs kitten couldn't fall into the kettle and thrash around trying to get out quickly.. I should have tasted it before setting it on the floor.. I tossed the whole batch.. gave the kitten a bath..

got all the chickens , americaunas and young guineas in the lean-to pen.. the americaunas go out during the day.. except for today.. I kept them in because a lady said she was coming this afternoon, to buy about a dozen americauna.. show? or no-show? place your bets..

One duck egg left in the hatcher.. both bators are turned off..

 

[bigzio]

Afternoon All...enjoy your FFW Doc, don't forget the frys!

I prefer to use a shovel when digging potatoes. My soil is to heavy for any fork and I just end up bending tines. Back your shovel farther away from the plants, now step the shovel into the ground and gather up the top in one hand and pull on the plant as you lift up the shovel, most of the spuds will come out with the top...good luck next time!

Did you get your sop back from the library TO? Did they do it for free?

prolly gonna scramble up a dozen eggs for the flock...couple doz in the fridge from june. Hard boil one doz for us and scramble one for them....spoiled birds!

 

[Dornes]

Ketchup Recipe

Pep 10 min. Cooking 1hr 10 min.

6 large ripe tomatos (I used roma and large) - peeled, seeded, cored and chopped (I just put them through the food mill a couple times and it did the trick.
1 medium size yellow onion (i use vidalia) chopped fine
3 tbs dark brown sugar
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 large bay leaf - crumbled
1/4 tsp each: celery seeds, ground allspice, cinnamon and mustard powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
4-5 tsp corn starch
3 tbs COLD water

Run the tomatoes through the food mill (you know those things that you can make applesauce with)

Place tomatoes and onions in a large heavy saucepan. Set over moderate heat and cook, covered, stirring often. 20-25 minutes. Remove then put them through the food mill again a couple times to get the onions out. Discard solids.

Return mixture to sauce pan and stir in brown sugar, garlic, bay leaf, celery seeds, allspice, cinnamon and mustard powder, and vinegar. bring to boil. Simmer uncovered, stirring often 40 minutes. Add corn starch to cold water and add to the ketchup mixture. Add more if you feel that it needs to be thicker.

Let cool and store in the fridge.

makes about 2 cups.

You can can this too - I will be making more and canning it for sure!

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
easier yet.. I have a friend who lives about 8 miles away.. He said when my potatoes are ready to dig he will bring his tractor and PTO digger over and get them out for me..

I have only one row, about 300 feet long..

 

[Dornes]

Thanks jim for the advice on attaching wire. Yep, we have a hand staple gun. We bought the longer staples and did the inside of the coop that way, hubby went around and stapled and i followed and popped each one with the hammer to get it in all the way. I can't imagine doing one fencing staple at a time. that would surely be a pain!