rty007 winemaking Q

[patandchickens]

You *can* get (some) turkeys to that size... but it seems like a slightly odd thing for a farmer to do on *purpose*, because it gets really really really expensive. By the time they are getting very large, their feed conversion efficiency is very low, meaning you spend a whole lot more (in feed costs) to put an extra 1 kg onto a 15 kg bird than you did to put 1 extra kg onto it when it was only 5-10 kg.

My broadbreasted bronze tom last year was IIRC around 40-45 lbs (18ish kg) when I finally slaughtered him (he was kind of my buddy, I hated to have to put him in the freezer!); meat quality (taste and texture) was perfectly fine, but he had to be disassembled for freezing/eating due to the huge size of the parts

I am wondering whether your farmer's kilograms are perhaps a bit smaller than other peoples' kilograms, too

Pat

 

[rty007]

what about pork?

I would LOVE to get my hands on some good pork, BUT when I talk to farmers on the phone or on Internet, they say they do not have the facilities which you need to butcher one for sale (A farmer can butcher one for his personal use). And they are not going to risk a poop load of money in fines for a illegal sale. But that proceeder does happen they do sell it this way, it is just that I need to get my ass into a car and show up there, anyone who will see me, will be able to tell in a sec that I am no desk-jockey trying to poop into his business. Then I will probably be able to buy it.

and we'll have lots of duck this fall.

I was thinking more about geese then duck.. but we'll see.

I am surprised about not being able to buy chickens where you are. Are you trying to buy finished chickens?

Yes I am trying to buy a finished chicken, and around here, most of the roosters hit the freezer or stock pot with the first crow ( oh my gosh... how do you call that sound they make)

I am wondering whether your farmer's kilograms are perhaps a bit smaller than other peoples' kilograms, too

I am 99,9% sure that is what is happening. I have so far only contacted him by email but I do know that the person I talked to is a young lad who is probably thinking, that I am just your average city-rat. I learned not to mention that I do have a general KNOWLEDGE of raising livestock, couse the first 2 or 3 farmers I contacted and they started telling me all about how ORGANIC and for personal use those animals were, then it somehow came out, that I do have a general KNOWLEDGE of raising livestock(and believe me I was not trying to school anyone, I just asked a question, and they noticed that I do have some general knowledge and I explained why I do, after that the contacts went dead... probably couse it was ORGANIC my ass).

He also is avoiding giving me a price per KG, he is giving me a price per head.. which truly sends a bad vibe of a typical scam the naive city-rat.

 

[Blackbird]

Well golly darn, RTY. I'd sell you a chicken if I had one to sell. Good luck on your meat purchasing endeavors, doesn't sound very easy over there.

 

[rty007]

BB, do not worry, I'll do it, eventually.

But Tomorrow along with my father and my tiny brother, We are going to visit our friends in their neck of the woods for some mushroom picking.

 

[rty007]

A photo of our bounty from wild foraging...mushroom hunting. the Shrooms were absolutely plentyfull this time, the photo presents a crop of a 3-3,5hur of picking, and we were VERY picky of what we were picking, normally it would be double that in that time...

 

[Blackbird]

Good gravy! What kind are those?? You sure hauled in a nice load!

 

[rty007]

mostly: Xerocomus
then there were some porcino's
and a couple of Leccinum

 

[Wifezilla]

Those look delicious! Morrel mushrooms grow well around here, but I can't find any of the spots. None of the people 'in the know' are talking either!

 

[Farmfresh]

Those look delicious! Morrel mushrooms grow well around here, but I can't find any of the spots. None of the people 'in the know' are talking either!

Morels prefer old growth hardwoods and places where there have been downed hardwood limbs and leaf litter. If you find one stop and check to find the prevailing wind in the area then hunt along the wind path. Spores are spread by the wind and that increases the likely hood of finding more.

Grandma Nettie used to rinse her fresh foraged mushrooms with some cool plain water by giving each mushroom a dip and a swish. She saved the water and would pour it around some hardwood litter in the woods as soon as she could. She claimed that the water would be full of spores and that this would re "seed" the mushroom patch. Who knows maybe she was on to something?

 

[Blackbird]

I just love your Grandma Nettie stories, FF!