Tonights bonfire

A quick note and link-
I know what I am making for the bonfire celebration tonight! Check it out and book mark this one!!
Happy Samhain!
~Tammie

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Another lesson learned but trying to laugh...

~You may cut the one wing feathers on a newly brought home muscovy female and keep her in a cage for a few days with your last surving muscovy (clyde), but that does not mean when you let her out, she will stay. I do believe she may as well be walking her duck butt back home. At least in her mind she is going back to her home which is a few miles away, but with her ability of flying cut off with her tip feathers gone on one side, I say the chance is slim.
~Bonnie, our last surviving female muscovy from the auction,
has moved on to be with her prior passed on siblings. The only one left is the one pictured in my hands from my auction entry. That is Clyde. Bonnie was found in the 5 gallon bucket of water in the goat cabin. How does a duck breed drown? By hopping in a bucket to drink and bathe but have no escape route out. The chill of the night made poor bonnie succumb to sleep I assume and then drowned. I believe she must have got in late at night after the girls night time feeding and when I went out the next morn, I found her. I know death happens all the time on farms and we have friends who own farms that just shrug it off, but every time it happens here I try to think what I did wrong. I should have put that brick back in there but when I changed their bucket with a newly filled & clean one, I did not place the brick in, since I had not scrubbed it yet. I kick myself now, but note that is the first time they had ever gone in the bucket. I know this because if they do get in water, it does not stay clear for more then a second.
~So after much debating with myself, I called up a dearly loved farmer friend and asked to purchase on of his females so Clyde would not be alone and mourn his Bonnie lass. After picking her up (a beautiful all white one) I placed the 2 in a kennel for 2 days. Then I clipped her wing on one side so she could not fly. I did not think about the walking... I have not seen or been able to find her since last night. I do believe she thought -offensive language here- "screw you guys, I'm going home"- cartman of south park quote..
I hope she just made a visit to the pond a street over and will come back soon. But i am not holding my breath or getting another muscovy for awhile.
~Bonnie has been buried in the animal cemetary located out back next to our neighbors pet cemetary that is the final resting spot for animals such as a pet rat, snake, cats and a dog. Ours has a few hens and chicks, a few bunnies (left over from an animal getting into their nest), a few ducklings and a wether goat. They will be on our list of stops to place some food and drink on the graves for Samhain. Some cracked corn and a dish of water would be suffiecient along with raisins. They all loved it when we would give them raisins. Put a smile on your face when you think of the departed, for your life is richer due to them having shared it with you. Have a wonderful All Hollows Eve!
~Tammie

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another use for green tomato's & another book to look for

During my morning walk around, I noticed my garden had a nice amount of green tomato's still clinging to their vines. They are the black cherry variety ( & a few striped caverns) , so fried green tomatos were out. While on a search for a new chutney recipe, I came across one for green tomato chutney with apples. Of course I still have half a bushel & am making pumpkin butter and another chutney with it, so why not add the green tomato chutney to the days list. I did not follow this recipe to a T. I left out mustard seed , pickling spice, & chili powder- used cayenne instead- . I added cardamom, 2 apples plus 2 pears chunked up & ground black pepper. I kinda mixed it up with this recipe here. It was an almost all day stove top ordeal! The liquid would not condense down to make it thick untill just before dinner. Who knows why. Maybe because I left the lid on it took longer. After a taste test it has been proclaimed wonderful! I can just imagine all the sandwich's this could be used on. Left over turkey from Thanksgiving, The captains burgers.... What a great tasting condiment! And to think, I discovered chutney's wonderful tastes just a few years ago. This batch of jars will go as gifts later in the year.
I have fresh pureed pumpkin in the crockpot, slow cooking with a few apples chunked up, brown sugar, cider vinegar & spices. Pumpkin butter is in the making. I will be making plenty of this for gifts to go in our handmade gift baskets too. more later on the baskets but now onto the book I would like to recommend.
Food for friends: homemade gifts for every season by Sally Pasley Vargas. I do not remember where when or how I came upon this book, but it is among the most cherished on my bookshelf.
This book is amazing! Sally Vargas has covered every angle of gift giving from the heart and even goes as far as to show you how to make containers for your gifts from simple things as a kitchen cloth for a jar wrap to a keepsake candy box. The first chapter with recipes pertains to Breakfast foods. She gives you the recipes for 5 grain pancakes/waffles, New England corn muffin mix, Maple cranberry granola, mexican hot chocolate, and one of my favorites- a recipe for Chai mix. Who would not love at least one of these in a gift basket?
There is a chapter on Jams and marmalades, preserved fruits, homemade liqueurs ( one recipe in this chapter has a simple but wonderful sweet blackberry wine using red wine for a base), a chapter on condiments such as homemade grainy mustard, a cake chapter which includes a recipe for lavender lemon tea cakes, and other chapters such as gifts for the hostess (i.e goat cheese rounds in herbs & olive oil), confections, and one of my most used recipes is in her cookie chapter. She has a recipe for Chocolate apricot Rugelach. These do not last more then a 24 hour period in my house when I make them.

I prefer to make home/handmade gifts for people around the holiday, for a house warming, or for a hostess gift. Everyone likes food and with this book the ideas cover even the hard to shop for person. This is a must have book for those who like to give from the kitchen and put more then just a smile on the face, but a contentness in the belly.
Do not forget to check your local public library for a copy. Once you look it over, you too will want one for your own.
Happy reading & sweet dreams...

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Making a list...

Starting my list of gotta gets. This is just a sampling of my findings in my search for inexpensive Home Dairy needs. I have 2 dairy goats so my needs are not major. I do need to keep the cost low. I refuse to pay out alot of money just because its use is for a dairy and not the common household.If the product is the same item just a different named use, then its good enough for me.

This is a seamless stainless steel pail. This is sold for ease in a dog kennel so has one flat side. Now if i were to purchase such an item say from
Hoegger supply
or say from Lehmans,
I would not get them at the price found here ($14.99 US)! I like that it has a flat side! I think it would be easier to pour with into a filter and to have it pushed back against the counter wall to prevent and mishaps. They also have the same Seamless SS pails in a 6 quart rounded shape for $11.99! I have noticed the trend in such things having a bigger price tag when it is for livestock in comparison to household type pets. I have found that with collars too. Not on everything but I am seeing a trend in my research. Spending $15 compared to $30 or $40 on a 6 quart pail is a much better deal. Money saved can be used on a mini strainer with filters or just buy an extra pail so you always have a backup. After all, the milk is only in there for the duration of milking and walking to the kitchen for it to be strained.
In my search for aquiring all the proper supplies, I found a recipe for the teat dip/udder wash on fiasco Farm's website. She wrote that she has not had a case of mastitis or udder pox since using the recipe she shares with us. She also gives you a disposable alternitive to purchasing a teat dipper.
I read a tip on a forum for those seeking cream separators to not bother unless you can get one at an auction, since new they cost around $300. They said to use one of those old ice tea jugs with the spout like this instead. They wrote that they had always strained their goats milk that way. They chilled their milk in the jug, then once it has separated- which can be seen through the glass - drained out the "blue john" aka skim milk till the cream is at the bottom. So a cream separator is on the bottom of needs for now. I need to make a cheese press and save all my larger yogurt containers to use for the molds. I may later this season ask on freecycle if anyone has a cheese press. I am sure someone out there has one laying around and no longer need or use it.
Can you tell I am getting excited? One step closer to acheiving my goal.
~Tammie
p.s. I have been working on a new kitchen apron for my Buy the Farm fundraiser. They will be of ordinary style and fun fabric pockets. Plus "freezer paper stenciled" with my logo which you will see when I share the first finished apron. I am working out some kinks, so hopefully before Thanksgiving, I can get that site and my Etsy shop moving! Thank you for all the wonderful encouragment so many of you have given me. I have truly appreciated it.
~T

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Welcome home, Playing in the loft, & a local Pumpkin patch

The girls are back home! As I opened the back of the cargo area, Chia did not want to hop down- which i am sure having Jack (Our old english sheep dog who will have his turn here soon of being introduced), bark at them from atop the hill did not help. He so badly wanted to welcome them back too and being on a line while we were gone did not make him happy!
After lifting Chia out of my vehicle- which she is not a light weight by the way- she led the way to her pen yard. She knew where she was going! I directed her into the new "goat cabin", as dubbed by the kids. She seemed to like it for the most part. Cleopatra was maaa-ing at me. I went back to lead her up the hill and she lead the way excitedly.
Roseanna made up a nice paper with "breeding notes". It documented their stay on her Family Farm.
~ William was naughty one day- actually the word "bored" was used- and broke out taking Chia galavanting throughout the Farm & fields causing her to acquire "burdocks" in her coat. I think its funny myself... So today was her grooming day. They were not that bad to take out. I saved the comb you get in the hosptial for newborns and use it for my goats. It has a fine side I use to check for ticks and lice and a more spaced tooth side I use for regular combing of tangled or for the longer haired areas after bathing them.
The girls behaved so happy and were bouncing around in their pen. Chia actually bounded playfully down the hill when I threw the chickens their scratch and she came to snitch a bit. My dear cleo seems to not be able to get enough of my time. She rubs herself all over my legs and will put her head between my knees if I turn my back to do something. I think my concern of them not being their old selves was proved to be just nonsense.
~ The kids LOVE the loft in the Goat cabin. I have to hide the ladder up there so they do not get in the habit of playing in it! It is very spacious and I will make sure I stuff it with straw bales to help prevent their "hide and seeks". There are open ends of the gable so air circulation is not a problem. I need to staple screen in the openings to prevent night time visitors in the coming winter/ spring. I feel so happy that my girls are here. I love the Goat cabin too! It is spacious enough that The kids & I can sit in there and interact with the girls comfortably.
We went to the local pumpkin patch today. A good friend of ours met us up there too. As you can see, 2 wagons were needed to carry all the pumpkins & Frog..
While there, I spotted and grabbed a few white ones that MAY BE what Phelan wrote of in her blog. They were only 50 cents so why not try it out- ya know?!
I will be saving seeds from the best tasting ones for next years barnyard pumpkin patch. I have saved seeds (or am planning to when the "host" is eaten) from all the squash bought at the Farm market, cloud 9 eggplant, patty pan squash, and other various vegetables throughout the harvest season. I have also saved ALOT of calendula seeds. If you see anything you would like seeds from, just let me know. I would be happy to share.
The captain made a "harvest stew" so I best make some biscuits & herbed butter.
Goodnight & sweet dreams....
~Tammie

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The goat house has arrived!

~It needs to be scrubbed down & painted as you can see. I of course am not complaining. To me I see a strong durable and well built Goat house. A touch of love is all it needs. I look forward to cleaning it up! I have this thing you see, I get a kick out of re-lifing stuff. I see potential in "stuff" where others see junk. I do it when I would go house hunting before we bought this place. Some even call it an addiction (thanks honey!). So anyway, Lucky for me this building was generously given to me from a freecycler (Jenny-thank you!).
Below is the front view. I will make a dutch door ( hopefully soon) for the entry. Under the white wood next to the doorway is a screened window.
.
On both sides are plexi glass windows.

The loft inside is almost the entire top portion with a 3 feet open area - see wood strip on back wall to see its height level-. There is a ladder to lean against the wall for climbing up to it.
So happy! Now I am off to sweep it out and throw some disinfectant down. Gotta get it ready for the girls. They come home tommorow!
~Tammie

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The man in the tree,,,

The property it resides on has exchanged hands since its making & with much happiness has remained untouched. I wish I knew its history- who carved it, what inspired them to do the bearded man and to put it at this crossway. I smile every time I see it. I hope to someday have a "man in the tree" of my very own... someday...
~Tammie

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A trip to the market...

Just a few days earlier these bins were filled and overflowing with their contents.

The buttercup squash were 2 for (US) $1, Acron squash was 3 for (US) $1, & butternut squash was 2 for (US) $1. I missed out on the pie pumpkins we spotted on our last trip. They were (US) $1 each. I had to make a trip to another more expensive Farm market for them just so I could can them for pie filling to go with the winter holiday gifts. I still have a bushel of apples in the Mudroom. They are patiently sitting in a little tykes wagon where left them after our day of picking. I have been so busy with everything outside that I seem to only have time to put aside for the couch recovering adventure.
~ All of the back pillows for our couch have been finished as of midnight. I tried my hand at Machine Applique (correct me if I am wrong on the name...). I have never ventured past basic sewing. This was time consuming and doing it so late at night when tired, I am sure did not help with all the mistakes. I found this design in a book for etching into a gourd. I instantly thought how I would like to do it with the above fabric for the furniture. Of course the main coloring of the new upholstry is cream, green, and blue. So I though the denim may help tie it into the rest. It may end up on the vintage chaise that belonged to The Captains English Grandma. Which is in dire need of recovering, too. It is a velvet silver color (from the late 60's I believe.), but my children have had their toll on it- makeup base that was snuck out of my cabinet along with eyeshadow, lotion, markers... I am sure you get the picture.I have cleaned it to the best of my ability, but Base is so hard to get out of this fabric. My children are opportunist's...
~ My new Goat house (shed) will be here Friday! The day before I get my girls back from the Breeder.
Will it be weird/abnormal If I run and hug them when I see them? Of course since they are running with a buck I may get deterred by the smell and settle for a neck rub. I wonder if they will "recognize" me? Do they have memories like us or maybe even a "hey- thats part of our old herd" kind of acknowledgment. Yeah- I am so hardcore. hahahaha... My girls are to me as a dearly cherished pet dog is to someone else.
~ Coffee pot broke (glass cracked) last night. Not happy- I went early this morning to the gas station and bought the largest cup of coffee they had- in my pajamas and a hoody.... I just cant start my day without a cup of joe.
So now I am off to buy another coffee maker and drop some books off at the public library.
~Tammie

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Where does the time go....

The captain has been on vacation from work since last Friday, so my computer time was cut and the to do list came out. I took him to his first livestock auction in Farmerstown, ohio- the same auction I bought Buddy from.
I brought 5 of the hens who never bothered to read the rules where you should start laying around 5 months. They were almost 8 months and yes- they were hens. We also took Shakespeare down in the hopes we could find a jersey wooly for Casperilla. No dice. Instead, I got a friend for Daisy, her breed- a spotted rex. Meet "Root beer shake" as named by lil' man. Daisy's babies were ate by something that found a small hole & tunneled under the wood of their cage to get to them. I felt horrible.
Root beer shake is adjusting well but it is obvious he was not handled much. we will see if we get any babies from this pairing. Daisy seems to like him better then Shakespeare too.
~ Lil man found a white mushroom growing under the pine trees out back and came rushing over to tell me the fairies built another house.
During his inspection, the stem came off and we had a closer look to the inside.
I have told the children that when they see mushrooms in the yard, they are fairy houses popping up, so they need to leave them be as to not upset the fairies. I guess this one he could not help but touch.
What kind is it? I do not know. If only I had a mushroom man handy....

Of course, 2 patches of this kind popped up in the pen pictured here (behind "Bonnie & Clyde"). ~Yep it is a male and female pair. Male muscovy's are much larger then the females starting around 3 weeks but up to 3 months according to my online investigation. I still carry them into the garage at night and they still nuzzle into my neck. Their feathers are so smooth and soft. I love how they make these little faint squeek noises as they rub the tops of their heads under my chin. Such sweeties. I only hope they remain that way.
~ The date for picking up Cleo & Chia is the 21st. I have a shed being delivered this week given to me by a freecycler. A nice and sturdy shed at that. It has a few windows and a small loft area that can hold a few bales of straw or some tack. It will need a new paint job and will replace the old chicken coop. The old infamous sunshine face painted one. I will put the chickens in the old goat house. Alot of rearranging is to be done this week.
~ I am in the middle of covering up our old couch. we bought this set when Panda was a year old. We have learned an important lesson when it comes to furniture and children. One. Those no spill sippy cups can still stain your furniture despite the packagings claim for no spills. Two being do not buy nice furniture when the kids are young and expect it to stay that way and get you through at least a decade of use. Aint going to happen honey.
Our couch and loveseat are still "sound" just not very pretty anymore. I have resorted to covering them up with blankets and sheets. Not very pretty and reminded me of those college campus houses I use to visit friends in. Anyway, I have been making recycled jean denim covered replacements for the seat cushions and large square patchwork of various pieces for the back pillows. I will sew a slip cover for the couch base with an old queen size sheet. So far the results are good. Much better then the way it looked before. It was so bad, that the shampooer couldnt help -despite its every 3 months use. As soon as it is done, I will share my crazy furniture project that has been bumped to the top of the list for sewing projects.
~ Spinning grandma, I promise as soon as I can take some detailed pictures this week, i will send you a how to on the star wreaths. Very easy once you see it done once. I have not forgot about your request.
~Phelan, It turns out they sold 1400 of the blueberry tress and have now listed with a realtor who has upped their price by alot. I guess I should just be content with dreaming for awhile longer. When it is the one, then it will be possible. Problem is I have no patience anymore...
~Thank you all for your well wishes for our anniversary. It does not feel like we have been together almost a decade... The time does fly.
I will try to blog more this month. I have been so busy lately. Fall and Spring seem to bring the most work for me.
Sweet dreams...
~Tammie

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Hey honey- wanna buy a blueberry farm?

"18 acre farm with 2.5 acre turn key blueberry patch operation(can increase patch to 8 acres). All equipment included. Great horse property as well. Barn, sugarhouse, 20x45 shop, 1400 ft frontage, century home.XXXX county. good schools. (xxx)xxx-xxx "

Ummm, yeah. My heart started pounding, my throat got that choked up feeling and the butterflies danced madly in my belly. I could have the goat farm & a blueberry patch! Of course dreaming never hurt.... just as a reminder... I love blueberries....

I wonder if I could get a farm loan for that? For agriculture farm loans they want you to have multiple years experience in that field. There had to be something different and not so hard to get. Yep. I want to check it out. Maybe our family can run a bluberry farm plus have dairy goats to make the yogurt & cheese with.... hmmm. So many ideas & temptations... so little money...
~ You may want to skip over this part Phelan.
Went back out to the apple orchard & picked a bushel of Idared apples. A lovely day at 74 degrees. Lots of families out there today at Stotlers Orchard. These apples were huge- Softball size fruits. It did not take long to fill up the bags. Panda sat with Frog on the blanket while The captain (ocassionaly with lil man on his shoulders) & I did most of the picking this time.
Last Friday was our "marriage" anniversary. We had a neutral "handfasting" style ceromony in a victorian house by the University 5 years. "In my life" was sung/ being played on a guitar as Panda walked me down the spiraling staircase to her daddy. I still get goosebumps when I hear this song. To some it may not be thought of as a wedding song but I did not wear a big frilly dress either. After all, I am unusual.The bridesmaids wore short simple black dresses & carried fall colored roses and hawthorn berry bouquets to match my larger one. The men wore black shirts under their black tux's and deep wine red vests with black ties (groom had slate grey vest & black shirt/tie. Although now I wish we would have just eloped to like Ireland or Scotland. A huge waste of money that could of gone to financing a wonderful & more enjoyable time honeymoon then playing host & hostess to a hundred people ( who secretly cared about food drinks) and trying to not make any faux paux's on supposedly "our day". So on October 06, 2001, I married my best friend after a whirlwind courtship of 4 years. In that time we gave birth to our lovely Panda, who was the turning point in my life. He has stood by me while I try to deal with the ghosts in my closet. Next to him I feel I can conquer the world. His deep & pure love still amazes me to this day. Now I am done with the sappy stuff.
So Happy "9th" Anniversary to us.....
~Tammie

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Star projects & fall foods

I have been so busy around here this week. I have been "winterizing" the animal house's, raking out pens, canning more of the flavored applesauces, taking as many nature walks as possible with Frog & lil' man, plus doing in home massage's- for free. I realy need to get some practice in and my cousins wife has graciously agreed to allow me to borrow her for an hour, a few times during the week. My hands and arms are so sore. I need to practice proper form....
~ We made our star projects -again-. The first ones were thrown in the bonfire by lil' man. I do not know why. I like the way they turned out. I used a grapevine wreath that was discovered hanging in the basement from who knows when. It was not a perfect circle which made it a little more difficult to create. The children helped find items during our last woodland walk to decorate it with, then we hung it on the front door. Panda made her own star for her room. we tied feathers on it like the ones in "A year in the country".

Rachel Ray has a magazine out now. She has a recipe for a wild rice, mushroom, & sausage soup. I make one similar but I use Uncle bens long grain & wild rice that has a 23 herb seasoning packet, 1 pound ground/browned maple sausage, 1 carrot diced up small, 1 big container of various mushrooms, 2 cups half & half, 3 1/2 cups or about 30 ounces of chicken broth. So yummy & easy to make. It is what I am making for our family picnic in Hocking hills later this month. I made it last night for dinner along with my homemade sweet potato dinner rolls and a warm celestial seasonings herb tea "tension tamer"( 5 tea bags) mixed with 1 frozen concentrate of lemonade and about 1 gallon of water. We ate on the back porch, enjoying the perfect temperatures for "dining out".
~ The girls are still not home. I do not understand what happened. I have been charting their heat cycles (which happen to have been a day apart for 2 cycles) and had it worked out that they would arrive on the 16th/17th day and come home in a week. They have not taken to their boyfriends yet. They are going on 2 weeks this weekend of their stay. Hopefully The girls will settle soon and I can go pick them up. May sound silly, but I miss my goats... I love those 2. I miss going out in the morning and seeing them waiting for me at the gate. I miss those Chia the boss sounds and the clink of my mischeviously sweet Cleo's bell. Its too quiet here now.....
~Tammie

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