FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

FarmerDenise

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Yeah, we figured we better butcher them real soon, or they wouldn't fit in the fridge :lol:
OUr previous butchering experience wasn't very good. The knife SO used wasn't sharp enough and the bird suffered. We both shied away from doing it again, so these two got to be rather big. It is also our first time with growing purely meat birds.
This time we were well organized and the birds were dispatched quickly with a sharp and heavy axe. We will still do some things a little differently next time, but all in all we are both ok with raising more meatbirds and with butchering more chickens.
We need to weed out the young obnoxious silkie roo and some non laying hens. We'll need to do the roo this month, but the hens can wait. We'll probably do the roo and at least one hen together. But we have enough on our hands for now.
I added more tomatoes to the pot of tomatoes that have been simmering for 2 days now. They are predicting rain tomorrow, I'll think I'll can them up then.
I think I will try to get the blue lake beans shelled tonight. I already filled one quart jar. I hope to get another filled. If I do, I'll take it with me to visit the folks.
My father loves beans, so it'll be nice to bring him an assortment of homegrown dry beans. They cook up so much faster too. I hope to bring him fava beans, cranberry beans, purple queen beans (don't have enough for eating, but enough to share my seeds), and blue lake beans. I also want to bring them some other goodies from the garden, since they live in the New England area and had a poor garden season. I usually send them dried herbs from our mediteranean climate garden and lots of seeds. Their short growing season doesn't always allow them to save ther own seeds, so getting baggies of ours is always welcome.
DM told me last week that they had one roma tomato. They set it on the counter to appreciate it. It has now shriveled up and is no longer good to eat. :lol:
But they had a good mushroom harvest. So they had something to brag about. :D
 

2dream

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Love your photo.
Do you chop and freeze those peppers for later use?

Sorry about your Dad. Definitely vist and spend time with him. Settle yourself and let the rest take care of itself.
 

dragonlaurel

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That farm does sound like a lot of work. He better remember to be nice.
When are you going to your Father's? New England in the winter will feel awfully cold compared to California.
 

FarmerDenise

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I slice and freeze the bell peppers, I dehydrate the gypsy peppers, because they are thinner walled. We don't have a deep freeze, so our freezer space is limited.

I am going to leave the timing of my visit to the folks up to them. I hope to visit soon, but my father really enjoys christmas and they may want me to come for that.
I grew up in my parents house. It is awfully cold. But I can borrow some warm clothes and then I can enjoy the beautifull countryside where my parents live. Last time I visited at the end of October. It was cold and wet, but I loved it. After all I got to come back home to warm and mostly sunny California. :lol:
 

FarmerDenise

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Called DM today. She will get to work tonight on a flight for me to New York :weee. I look forward to my holiday.
It was a lovely day today. I sat outside for a while feeding sweet corn to the chickens and just enjoying the warmth and breeze rustling the drying cornstalks, the chickens excitedly and noisily running after the corn as I dropped it on the ground. Got the rabbit and the dog fed. Canned 6 quarts of pureed tomatoes. Hope to watch a movie on tv tonight. Or I might play games on FB.
 

FarmerDenise

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Thanks, I just noticed it. We used to have pumkin carving parties. I can get very creative ;)
this year we didn't grow too many pumkins. We had a few volunteers and fortunately they are a good eatig type. So we have enough for soup and a few other pumkin dishes.

I am very busy getting things done on the farm before I leave, and getting ready for the trip. When I come back, it'll be winter here for sure. I doubt there will be any peppers left to pick and the tomatoes will be going down hill. SO has the plastic cover sitting next to the tomatoes, ready to toss it over them at a moment's notice. Anything that requires two people to do, we are trying to get done before I leave. His son comes over to help - sort of, but he cannot be depended on for much of anything. Teenagers :rolleyes:

Off to do some more farm chores - shelling beans in front of the tv, so they can dry out completely and hopefully I'll be able to bag them and freeze them before I leave. Still have a whole lot of corn to do. SO and a friend did some today. We also want to get the garlic planted before I leave, it's one of those jobs that is easier with two people, one seperates the cloves, the other plants.
 
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