Independence Day Challenge

Planted - Nothing

Harvested - Summer Squash, Zucchini, Sweet Banana Peppers, Green Tomatoes (fell off the vines), Cherry Tomatoes, Radishes, Lettuces, Eggs and Goat Milk.

Independence Day Update #4

Happy Memorial Day!

A couple from Danville, VA came and bought some ducks today. They were here in December and purchased three of our Muscovy ducks and an Embden goose. They recently lost their drake and came back to get another. They also ended up getting another mature duck and a month old duckling. They will all have a wonderful new home with this couple as pets on their pond.

Here is my weekly IDC update:

Plant something - Russet potatos, Glaskins Perpetual Rhubarb, Drunken Woman Lettuce, Iceburg Lettuce, Kuroda Long Carrots, Radishes, Bush Pickle Cucumber and Straight 8 Cucumber.

Harvest something - Fresh free range eggs from our chickens. Plantain (the herb/weed) from our yard, wild mint.

Preserve something - Froze fresh mint leaves, dried plantain leaves.

Reduce Waste - Did our usual recycling efforts. Took our once a week trip to town to save on gas. The kitchen scraps went to the chickens and/or the compost bin. Got a Little Tike basketball hoop off of Freecycle for the kids.

Preparation and Storage - Not much on this front this week.

Eat the Food -

Independence Day Update #3

Between yesterday and today there are three new ducklings and two more turkey poults in the brooder. I expect a flush of ducklings in the new few days. Also, yesterday one of the oldest turkey poults that I had left with its mother found its way into the pasture and became a dog toy for our LGDs. When I found it in the barn I wasn't sure if it was still alive or not. It was missing feathers and wet from dog mouth. After I determined it was still breathing I put it with the young birds under the heat lamp in the brooder. In the afternoon it was dry and sitting up a bit. By this morning it was eating, drinking and looking BAR (bright, alert and responsive). It did not want to get up on its feet though... I wonder if it has a broken leg? They are not floppy at all so I have hope it will fully recover with a bit more rest but its days of free ranging with mom are over.

I spent some time in the garden this afternoon. Took the weed whacker around the outside of the raised beds. It looks so much tidier now. I haven't been able to plant in the 4x8 box that I cleaned out earlier this week as I hadn't figured out how to chicken proof it until today. I cut a 16 foot cattle panel in half to give me a 4x8 metal grid to lay on top of the box. Over the grid I will place a bird net for fruit trees. This should keep the birds from scratching up the bed and eating the seeds and disrupting any tender starts. I hope to get some lettuce, radishes, carrots and cukes planted in that box in the next few days.

Here is my update for the IDC this week.

Plant something - Mr. Stripy tomato, sweet yellow pepper, sweet orange pepper, sweet banana pepper, sweet potato.

Harvest something - Fresh free range eggs from our chickens.

Preserve something - Does feeding my sourdough count as something I am preserving? If so, it is something I do at least every other day to keep it alive.

Reduce Waste - Took our once a week trip to town to save on gas. Knitted up a reusable produce bag. No more plastic produce bags for me... YEAH! You can read about it here. Kitchen scraps went to the chickens and/or the compost bin.

Preparation and Storage - I scored a few more great items on the discount table at the local grocery store to have in the pantry. I am continuing to clean out garden beds when I have time and still keep up with the weeds in the boxes I already have planted. I am using newspaper with aged barn floor straw over it as mulch to keep the weeds at bay and the soil moist.

Our two oldest children have life insurance policies through Modern Woodmen of America. One of the many benefits that MWA offers to their policy holders is a free tree every year. This week I remembered to log onto their website and order our two free trees for this year. I don't expect them to come until the Fall for planting but it is something I got done this week! Oh, I ordered a Sugar Maple and a Redbud. The maple for Fall color and the redbud for Spring color!

Eat the Food - Made a Shrimp Scampi from shrimp from the freezer, pasta out of the pantry and served it with a loaf of sourdough bread, also out of the freezer. Brought a pan of Chicken Enchiladas, made with home grown chicken out of the freezer, over to the In-Laws for dinner Saturday night. Made more homemade granola and bagels this weekend for breakfasts.

Independence Day Update #2

Here is my update for the IDC this week. Not much going on yet...

Plant something - German oregano, sage, thyme, curly parsley and four cherry tomatoes in the boxes on the deck.

Two of the four cherry tomatos in the deck boxes.

Harvest something - Fresh free range eggs from our chickens.

Preserve something - Froze rhubarb for later use.

Reduce Waste - Took our weekly trip to town and stopped at the recycling center. Kitchen scraps went to the chickens.

Preparation and Storage - I cleaned the crab grass out of one of my 4x8 raised beds that went unused last year hope to get it planted next week.

Eat the Food - I don't cook using a meal plan because my family (especially Neil) often decides what they are in the "mood" to eat the day of or, at most, the day before it is to be eaten. What I do instead is to keep a well stocked pantry that allows me to cook pretty much any of our family favorite meals from what we have in stock. This means when I am shopping I am usually replacing or adding to our pantry stores instead of buying for ingredients for that weeks meals (except fresh fruits and veggies but again just replacing what we normally keep in the house). This week for example there was baked chicken with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and green beans; steak, hand cut french fries and salad; ham, mac & cheese and broccoli; sweet & sour meatballs with rice; and stuffed pizza rolls (made from scratch). All of the things were decided on the afternoon of the same meal and all the ingredients pulled from our pantry shelves or freezer.

Independence Day Update #1

I decided to join in on the Independence Day Challenge over at Casaubon's Book. This is the second year of the challenge. Last year many of the blogs I read regularly participated in this challenge so I was intrigued to try it myself this time around. I hope to post my weekly updates every Monday so keep an eye out for them.

Plant something – Homestead tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, sweet basil and watermelon.

Harvest something – Fresh free-range eggs from our chickens.

Preserve something – Froze extra portions of split pea soup made this week.

Reduce waste – Only one trip to town for errands to save on gas. Leftover kitchen scraps went out to feed the poultry or into the compost. Our county has recycling bins for paper, plastic #1 & 2, glass, aluminum and steel. We do our part here and recycle all we can out of our daily trash. I also use cloth diapers so no diapers were added to landfills.

Preparation and Storage – I scored a good deal at the discount table at my local grocery store this week. Four bags of dried beans w/ seasoning meant for the crock-pot. Just add a meat protein for a complete meal. I also picked up two bottles of a green surface cleaner that were also on the discount table. I added some other items to my stores as well, boxed mac & cheese, tuna, chocolate syrup and salsa.

Build Community Food Systems – nope

Eat the Food – Used dry stores to make granola, granola bars and a large pot of split pea soup (using leftover ham from the freezer).