hey Free! Do you feed the pigs the husks from the black walnuts?

[ohiofarmgirl]

we went over and got 3 50 lbs bags of black walnuts!! some still have the green husks on them - can i just throw them at.. i mean.. "to" the pigs as is or do i have to take off the green outer shell/husk thingy?

didnt score on the corn (only 2 bags + 2 buckets in the time we had) but we really raked in the walnuts

 

[freemotion]

Wowza! Beekissed said to just throw them in whole, so that is what I did. If some have nice green husks, you can take the husks off, dehydrate them, grind them up, and use the powder to deworm the goats....and the pigs in the spring when there are no walnuts around.

I did this last year. I used two bricks to smash the hulls off...the splash zone needs to be covered, as those things STAIN! I used rubber gloves and my hands were stained through the gloves! I lined my dehydrator trays with waxed paper...still stained the edges of the trays....and dried the husk bits. The husks need to start out green for this, but will make a dark brown powder that smells quite yummy. I stored it in a couple of antique, bail-type quart canning jars.

Can you go back for more corn or was that it? Still, it is free!

 

[Beekissed]

When we were homesteading, us girls had to step on them to dehull them and then place them in buckets for carrying to a drying place, then they would be stored for later.

Our shoes would be ruined and the leather or canvas gloves we used were no protection. We were always ashamed during walnut time to go to school with those dark stains on our hands which, no matter how hard you washed, always just looked like had dirty hands. Sort of like the color of your fingers after suckering many, many tomato plants.

Yep, leave the hulls on...that's the good part!

You guys seem to be having such fun foraging for your pigs! What a neat thing to do and share. If I had a bigger place and a real farm, I would be having pigs too. Such a diverse homestead animal!

 

[freemotion]

I'm actually having a blast with this. If a bunch of money fell into my lap tomorrow ( ) I'd still keep this challenge up. It it like a treasure hunt...what do you call that game, when everyone gets a list and you have to find all the items or complete all the tasks on your list and it is a race?

 

[Beekissed]

Scavenger hunt! I know! I love the SS life for just that reason...see how many things I can get on the cheap, for free, out of the trash, etc., and then repurpose them into something, feed to the animals, or refurbish and sell.

I love doing those things. I know it sound simply dreadful to someone who likes a nice lifestyle of just buying what you need but I love this game so much more. At this game, I can win!

I always lose when we play Monopoly but at Trivial Pursuit I am the queen!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

thanks ladies! and yep its a scavenger hunt alright!!!

okeydokey - i'll toss some of these for those pigs.

we'll head back to the fields for more corn. but what a bummer.... we hurried over with just a few hours to stomp around because it was supposed to rain.....and we got about 5 drops. dang!

we have another pal who has 90 acres of corn that was just taken up.. so whooot!

 

[freemotion]

The chickens will eat that corn right off the cobs, too!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

wow! them pigs really went for them! we are headed out on more adventures today...

whooot! free stuff!!!