Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[sumi]

I highly recommend trying it! It wasn't any harder than cooking steak any other way - in fact it took some of the guesswork out of it. This article gives you a timetable that works practically perfectly!

https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how-to-reverse-sear-best-way-to-cook-steak.html

It was grocery store steak.

FEM, I finally got to trying this. Our supermarket marked some steaks down to half price, so I picked up two and cooked one yesterday. I did manage to overcook it a bit, but gosh, it was amazingly good!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@sumi So glad you enjoyed it. It's not any harder than cooking a steak any other way...it's my 'go to' these days. I cooked two big steaks that way last night. Might have steak and eggs for breakfast this morning.

Ended up with 10 chicks out of the 12 eggs I set. A little better odds than the quail eggs. I've got a couple of Lavender Orps, quite a few Black Orps (or crosses), one with typical chipmunk ameraucana markings, a white one from one of the (not so) meaty gals) and a NAKED NECK!!! I just love those birds. I did the CC trick of turning a few of them on their backs in my hand and the ones I checked kept their legs tucked in indicating females. First I've ever heard of that - be interesting to see if my results work out like his did.

We are under a flash flood warning from a weak tropical wave, but the big excitement is still out there brewing. We have a tropical storm now - Gordon. Initial indications are that it will make landfall a good bit east of us so maybe we won't get the rough part. The east side of a storm is the "dirty" side which seems to get the biggest portion of the rain. It's really yucky out now. We've had rain for over a week now...started light earlier last week but got a little heavier each day as the progressed.

Guess I need to pull Chester back in or risk him disappearing in a mudhole in the pasture, lol. He's too short to even reach the feeders hanging on the fence so I've had to hand feed him. If I lower the feeders the pigs will take over.

A lull in the rain now so I should get out there and feed while I have the chance.

Oh, oh, oh - I'm down 5 lbs!!!!

Happy Labor Day ya'll!

 

[Mini Horses]

Mostly it's just cluttered so I want to get it a little better organized. Yuck - I'd rather be outside doing anything than being stuck inside.... ugh.

Isn't it amazing that we can tolerate/choose shoveling manures more than cleaning our houses? It's just that need to care for the animals, or being outside....I'm so with you! Do you have any extra shelving? That helps me, for a while anyway. Of course I am annoyed that my garage is where I WANT to put some things and son is still living there. I feel this coming to a not wanted winter stay. He's a framer/roofer, etc. and that work is slow here. It's hard -- jobs tight, needs a house, none he can "afford". Buy a tent? I try to go with "pay me and tolerate". Not easy.

My goats are much easier to deal with.

Speaking of goats -- sure hope Chester gets a couple bred for you. Then you can have the others serviced by your choice. We don't need so many, either of us. I'm @ 15 female & 6 male. 4 of the boys are from Spring kidding and will be sold by 9/15....at auction. Will carry only 17 into winter. Minis are down to 12. That's too many but, they are old and here until the end. I'm slowly downsizing. Very slowly I may have a huge change come Spring when I'm a year into the "quit & stay home" mode. I either want some farm income working or just cut to "supply self" with animals & work. That would be cutting to about 5 does.

These are hard decisions for me. Just wait, you will see. You have a couple years but they pass quickly.


CONGRATS on the 5# !!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I absolutely agree that in a year or so I'll be cutting the herd drastically. My justification for breeding now is so that I have a great group to choose from, lol. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[baymule]

Sometimes my husband complains about the cost of animal feed. Then I ask him who he wants to get rid of. We have two senior horses that will NEVER get on a truck to Mexico. He isn't willing to sell them, so that shuts him up. We have 9 ewes and a ram. The sheep are a loss. Chickens are a loss. Pigs make money, not a lot, but they make money. We eat lamb, chicken, eggs, and pork from our farm. He likes that part and now brags to other people how I raise our meat. LOL

Rain! I am eyeing Gordon, hoping that we get some of that rain. We have 70% chance of rain today, but I think it will stay below I-20 and our chance of rain will be zero. It is so dry, the sand scrunches under my feet and the fried grass crunches when I walk. FEM I sure would trade some of your rain for some of my sunshine!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

FEM I sure would trade some of your rain for some of my sunshine!

I'd take it! We are back to Muddville….and, just for an added bonus - the mosquitos have hatched... Lovin' life right now!

 

[Mini Horses]

I absolutely agree that in a year or so I'll be cutting the herd drastically. My justification for breeding now is so that I have a great group to choose from, lol. That's my story and I'm sticking to it

I like your line of reasoning and I am going to adopt that thought process!! Not really anyone who questions me -- the kids gave up quite a while back. Maybe when I suggested they not accept free eggs, meat, veg, place to live ------- OR pay for it and support ME. Things have been pretty quiet past few years. Now, I tune in more to ME.

But gearing down to supporting yourself and any unplanned extras can be given to others is not a bad thing. Just hard.

It's 92 in the shade of my porch an hr ago, plus humidity. I came in to wait it out a couple hrs before going back. Of course, I am so stinky and sweaty, a shower, lunch, maybe a short "siesta" next. Then back at it for a few hrs about 3 or 4. At least I've gotten a good amount done on today's project! Good girl!!

Bay...that's why I still have 12 senior minis. Not shipping them anywhere!

 

[baymule]

Would y'all believe...….I was picking peas and it started RAINING! We got almost an inch, off and on all day in a drizzle. It is so nice and cool outside. And the dust is settled!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Hey um, I think I picked up your 5 lbs... Lol! But seriously, congrats! The first 5 and the last 5 are the hardest.

There must have been a dragonfly explosion at my house, there were like 10 flying in circles in the front yard. It was really cool! It also means there's lots of bugs for them to eat which is less cool! We got a mosquito warning, lots are testing positive for West Nile virus in NH. Yay one more thing to worry about.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@baymule - WooHoo - so glad you got it - I sent it your way. Just waiting for you to send me some sunshine now! We had probably at least 4 - 5 hours of a good steady rain today. Thankfully it wasn't real heavy. And, it looks like Gordon is not gonna get too close - so breathing a sigh of relief on that one!

@NH Homesteader - I have this theory that there's only so much poundage in the world. Somebody loses some - somebody else gains it, lol. I'm so stinkin' proud of me that I could just spit. I'm doing this...not cheating, getting good steps in, eating healthy. The only bad part is no booze. At least not on weeknights....just a bit on Friday and Saturday. Oh well, this isn't forever.

We had salad with steak strips on top for dinner. I baked some parmesan rounds to go with and it was so good! Gotta go figure out something to take for lunch tomorrow and do some clean-up on the kitchen...ugh.