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

[FarmerDenise]

Broody Susie is still on her nest in the front room. Every morning I rush to see if any of the eggs are pipping, and am disappointed to find they are not. I candled an egg today. it is well filled and I can see movement, barely. I guess they are so crowded in there they can barely move. I take Susie outside twice a day to poop and let her dig in the dirt. She usually takes a bath and picks at a few greens. I have to hand feed her or she barely eats. She is loosing more feathers too. I fed her some egg and mealworms. She also likes the catfood, so I give her that also.

Yesterday I decided to cook up all the old freezer meat that didn't quite seem fit for human consumption. I added some carrots and oatmeal and set it on the woodstove. I left it there overnight figuring it would slowly simmer all night. But when we checked it today it stunk to high heaven... eewwww. I put a lid on it and put the pot outside. I will toss it tomorrow. I couldn't get myself to open the pot up to throw it out today after it stunk up the house. there is no way I am even going to feed that nasty smelling mess to the dog. I think the stove was not hot enough and the oats caused it all to ferment overnight. It smelled like vomit
I also cooked up 5 lbs of fresh ground meat yesterday intending to make chili. But when I went to soak the beans they were covered in weevils, more So I threw those out in the garbage. I don't want to take a chance and put them in the compost. They might survive and infest my next crop of beans.
So I used some my homemade tomato sauce and we had spaghetti with marinara sauce for dinner last night. Tonight I had a nice big salad for dinner made with some storebought greens and lots of homegrown goodies added including the last of our tomatoes and some hardboiled eggs from our chickens. SO fixed himself a sandwhich. I think he is having his homemade chocolate chip cookies for desert I might have a jar of pears for my desert. It's especially good with a little brandy added

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Uwwww! That reminds me of the time I was cooking a pork roast in my crockpot,...DS had pulled some "green" red onions from our garden and he begged me to put them in with the roast,...so I did. BAD MISTAKE. I woke up about three o'clock in the morning and was wretching from the smell! It was horrific! I have no idea why it smelled like that,..it made us all sick form the stench! I didn't waste the pork,..I cooled it and washed it off and disgarded everything else in the pot,...I immediately poured BBQ on top of the roast,..it killed the rest of the smell and all was good. I will never cook another onion, "green" or otherwise in my crockpot. Them lingering smells like that,..well you just never forget them.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I found more beans in the cupboard have been infested by bugs. Ugh!! I don't care so much about the storebought pinto beans, but they got into my homegrown cranberry beans too. I had frozen them, but we don't have a deep freeze, so I guess the temperature is not cold enough to freeze the little buggers.

Earlier this week I made soap, using all the little bits and pieces of leftover soap. I used the woodstove to heat and melt them and ended up with 15 bars of usable soap. Not bad, considering most folks would have thrown all that away. It cost me no money and only a little bit of time.

Susie's eggs are still not pipping. I keep hearing peeping noises and then realize it is coming from the house sparrows outside. She is getting quite used to being taken outside to poop, scratch around a bit and nibble on some greens and then have me pick her up and bring her back inside to her nest. I put a clean old tshirt on top of the prior layers of material on her nest, carefully putting back all her eggs. It is such fun to watch her settle herself on the eggs, making sure every egg is properly situated. I also brought a chickwaterer in, so that if a chick hatches while I'm not looking, it won't drown in the cup that Susie has been using for her water dish. I also got some chick starter at the feed store today. I was glad to see that they had it. These little guys are going to have to be inside for quite a bit.

I got quite a few errands done today. I needed to get some copies made of documents to do with my abandoning the septic and hooking into city sewer, so I can send them to the county and get my abatement removed from my property. I didn't want to just go and do that chore, so I waited til I had several things to do in the same general area and took care of them all at once. I feel like I got something accomplished today by running all those chores:
Then I went and fed the rabbit and took Susie back outside once more.

I have my pressure canner sitting on the kitchen stove.
I spent the morning following the instructions for cleaning and assembling it. It is sooo beautiful. I can't look at it enough!!!
Maybe tomorrow I'll have enough energy to actually can something.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Earlier this week I made soap, using all the little bits and pieces of leftover soap. I used the woodstove to heat and melt them and ended up with 15 bars of usable soap. Not bad, considering most folks would have thrown all that away. It cost me no money and only a little bit of time.

My mom does this too,she is VERY frugal. She even saves her "leftover" candle bits and melts them and makes jar candles. It is a great idea and very cost effective!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I would save candle bits too. but I found out a few years ago that one of my allergies is caused by parafin. So I only rarely use candles and if possible I only use beeswax candles. I love making candles. I am looking forward to making some next month for st bridgit's day or Llamas.
I had a beehive one year, but the bees left. I have been looking for a new hive since, mostly because I want the wax. Although I won't mind the honey or the bees fertilizing my crops either.

 

[ORChick]

Earlier this week I made soap, using all the little bits and pieces of leftover soap. I used the woodstove to heat and melt them and ended up with 15 bars of usable soap. Not bad, considering most folks would have thrown all that away. It cost me no money and only a little bit of time.

My mom does this too,she is VERY frugal. She even saves her "leftover" candle bits and melts them and makes jar candles. It is a great idea and very cost effective!

I melt my candle ends too, and pour the wax into 12 oz. frozen juice containers. This makes a nice pillar type candle, and the container can easily be cut away once the wax has cooled. Good to have on hand for emergency lighting. My mother used the candle ends as fire starters.
Good idea, FD, for the soap ends. I'll have to keep that in mind.

 

[FarmerDenise]

the first chick hatched, and the sun came out today
Susie's clutch of 14 eggs

Susie on the nest with her new chick

The first chick, still wet

 

[big brown horse]

WOW!!! How awesome is that!!!

 

[TanksHill]

How exciting. I love to see those new little peepers. It wont be long now and they will all start popping out.

Congrats, gina

 

[FarmerDenise]

I can't stop grinning, between the chicks starting to hatch and the sun shining, what can be better!!!