Who is the Momma?

I have so enjoyed watching all the ducklings grow this summer.  Mamaw and I were just talking the other day about how interesting the ducklings are. The come out these cute fuzzy little things. You watch them and they seem to grow so slowly. This particular brood seemed like they would never feather in. Just when you think they may never change, you turn around and seemingly they have doubled in size overnight.

This is the oldest of this year's broods with their momma. They crack me up. Many of these ducklings are larger than the hen, yet she leads them around. She still watches and protects them. At night the "little" ones all snuggle in a circle to keep warm, but momma is not far off, ever keeping a watchful eye on her offspring.

Have you guessed which one is the momma? It is the one with the white head. You know the one giving me the suspicious eye as I take photos of her babies.

Second Salt

Kellen and Lydia Salting

Bright (well maybe it wasn't so bright then) and early  this morning we headed down to the meat processor's for a second salting on Kellen and Lydia's Ham, Bacon, and Egg hams. It was a quick and easy process. They simply needed to scrape off the salt from the first salting, and then re-salt their hams. Now, the hams sit and cure until January. I can't wait to see how they turn out! 

Kellen's Hams

Lydia's Ham

Autumn Sunrise

I remember when we first moved here, I was daily in awe of the beauty of our surroundings. Six years later, I admit I often take that beauty for granted, especially in this last year and a half that has been so hectic and stressful.

This morning I got out to do chores a bit earlier than normal. The schedule for the day was jam packed. I was in a hurry, and little stressed about getting everything done on time. Then, I happened to look up from the task I was completing to see this beautiful sunrise.

I stopped and soaked it in for a moment, feeling exceedingly grateful for this beauty we have been given, and appreciative of the moment to enjoy it. There was just a touch of sadness at all the moments I've missed as I've been caught up in the worries of this life.

I only lingered a minute (and then another to grab the camera.) The moment didn't make me late. It didn't interfere with my well laid out plan for the day, but in that moment my focus was changed. I wasn't consumed by my over scheduled day. I was awed by the beauty around me. The beauty is always there, but I don't always choose to look at it.

With that little change of heart came peace, and that underlying peace made the day go much more smoothly. The tasks got done in a timely manner without me being irritable and stressed.

I am very thankful for this morning's beautiful sunrise, the moment to enjoy it, and the gentle reminder that it only takes a moment and a small choice to turn my heart and my focus where it needs to be.

Ham, Bacon, and Eggs

Who is ready for breakfast? Kellen and Lydia are working on the ingredients to make one heck of a breakfast from scratch. Well, perhaps before scratch. They are participating in the Ham, Bacon, and Eggs program this year that is available to local 4-H and FFA students. They each took a hog to Rolfe's Custom Meats last week. The guys there got the hogs ready for cutting, and Saturday Tim took the kids to get to work on the bacon and hams. The leaders and the butchers showed the kids how to cut the ham and bacon from one side of the hog. Then the kids cut the other side.

Lydia cutting the bacon.

After the cutting is done, it time to begin the curing process. Then we wait. There will be another ham salting at the end of month, and several other steps between now and the end of February when the curing process will be complete.

Kellen salting a ham.

Around that time the kids will start collecting the "perfect" dozen of eggs. They will be looking for uniformity of color and size.

The ham, bacon, and eggs will be judged the first week of March, and the project will end with a breakfast where the meats and eggs will be auctioned.

I just love this project, and am so excited the kids are participating this year! The kids are excited too, and enjoyed the cutting of the meats. Kellen was particularly impressed with the large saws that the butcher uses. I can't wait to see how the projects turn out! 

No News and the Same News

Two weeks ago we had a visit with our local retina specialist about Kellen's eye. After visiting him before, visiting the best of the best specialist in Philadelphia, and visiting the infectious disease doctor, the consensus was that the lesion behind Kellen's eye was not cancer and it was not any of the long list of infections or parasites that can be detected by blood work. They all agreed that the next step was to try a round of steroids in hopes that would shrink the lesion behind the eye.

Today the doctor found that has been no change in the lesion or the pocket of fluid from it behind the eye. There had been no significant change in Kellen's vision either. We decided to continue the steroids another two weeks, and check again. At that point, if there has been no change, he will wean off the steroids, but other than that there is no planned course of action. The doctor mentioned freezing the lesion, but also said it is in a very difficult spot for that procedure.

Many of you have also asked how Tim is doing. They got the cancer with the surgeries, and then interferon chemo was recommended. The first month was intense, and I'm so glad it is over. He is now on a lower dose treatment that he is supposed to take for a year. It makes him feel weak and tired, kind of like what you feel like with the flu.

So far we've seen a pattern of him feeling pretty decent for a week or two of treatments and then gradually he feels weaker and weaker. Then his weekly blood work will come back showing his white cell count to be too low for treatments. He'll take a week off, begin to feel better, and then start the cycle again.

It does seem like he is more tolerant of the treatments as he goes on. The down part of the cycle takes longer to come, but it still does. It is very frustrating to us both.

And I wonder if it is really the best course of action. I've always had an interest in alternative/natural medicines and treatments, but never took the time to become more educated. When Tim got his diagnosis we were in crisis mode, and there was no time or energy to research or consider other treatments. We just did what we were told.

A ways into the chemo we started watching documentaries like Food Matters, and reading books about the Gerson Therapy. We started discussing these alternatives. Then we got Kellen's news, and were back in crisis mode again just treading water. 

(Anyway, those two paragraphs were a complete rabbit trail, but this is my blog and rabbit trails are allowed.)

So, we really don't know what is going on with Kellen's eye. The good news is it isn't getting any worse. The bad news is it isn't getting any better, and no one seems to know how to fix it. Tim is doing about the same. The bad news is he still feels sick a lot of the time. The good news is it takes him longer to feel really bad.

Personally, I'm tired of doctors, tired of medicines, tired of not having answers, or fixes. I am just tired.

Definitely Purple

Last week I was walking by the garden, giving it my normal quick glance as I went to feed animals when I noticed something purple sticking out of the ground. My first thought was that the kids had stuck some toy into the ground and forgotten about it. I went for a closer inspection.


As I got closer, I realized it wasn't a toy. In fact, it was connected to my sweet potato vine. I'll admit to being a bit confused momentarily. What can I say? My mind was a bit occupied this summer, but after a second I remembered that I did buy purple sweet potatoes back in the spring.

This is our second year growing sweet potatoes. They have earned a spot near the top of my list of favorite garden plants. They require less work to plant than white potatoes, and once they are in and mulched they are virtually care free. The only maintence they needed this year was a bit of hoeing, and that was only because the neighbors' dog kept digging up the hill. There is quite a bit of labor involved with the harvest. We harvested on Saturday.

Even though I knew I bought purple sweet potatoes, I never expected them to be such a deep and beautiful color. We roasted them with some onion, potato, eggplant, and fresh herbs tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper. It made a delicious side dish.

I'm not sure what color my sweet potatoes will be next year, but I do know that there will be sweet potatoes in the ground here again!

I Don't Know, But It is Bad.

Awhile back the girls and I were on our to Farmer's Market. They were playing school, and Lydia was working with Vivian on her math skills. Vivian was counting with her fingers, and in the process had her middle finger up alone. Lydia gasped and said, "Vivian you can't put your middle finger up like that."

From the front of the van, I am wondering how Lydia knows what that particular gesture means, and what she is going to tell her little sister about it. Vivian is unfazed, and simply asks, "Why can't I?" Lydia answers, "It is bad. It means a bad word."

Do you really think Vivian was satisfied with such an answer?  She kept pushing Lydia, and I kept quietly wondering how this was all going to turn out. Finally, Lydia looks at Vivian and says, "I don't know what it means. I just know that it is bad. Don't do it."


Vivian was finally satisfied with that answer, and so was her mom.

The First Day of Fall

I'm not ready for this to end!

You Might Be a Farm Kid

You might be a farm kid if you consider this a pocket knife,

and argue that it does fold, and in fact does fit in your pocket. The proof being found in that you just pulled it out of your pocket.

You can argue that, and there may be some logic in the argument, but I can assure you that the security guards at the Liberty Bell will not agree with you.

While in Philadelphia, when we had a few hours not spent in a doctor's office, we
went to see some of the historical sights. The first stop was the Liberty Bell. As I was laying my purse out on the counter for inspection, Kellen behind me remarks to the security guard, "Oh, I have a pocket knife." The guard responds, "A pocket knife isn't a problem just as long as we know you have it. Can I see it please?" And Kellen pulls out the knife pictured above.

The mature female guard literally jumped back. The guards inspecting my purse had eyes only for the spectacle behind me. The younger male guard next Kellen stumbled over his words, but eventually got out, "You can't take that in here." At about the same time Tim and I are both asking our son why in the world he had that knife with us in Philadelphia and why it was in his pocket. Tim took the knife with a apology laced with disbelief, and volunteered to stay outside the building while Kellen and I went to look at the bell.

As we walked away the guards kept shaking their heads and laughing about Kellen's "pocket knife." We heard one remark, "What in the world was he going to do with that knife?" Another added, "Was he going to skin an animal or something?"  We did not tell them that the knife had been used for that very purpose many times. Nor did we tell them we were from West Virginia, or that we live on a farm. No need to perpetuate stereotypes. 

We did have a little fun. . .

The vast majority of our trip to Philadelphia involved us sitting on our rears. Leaving Sunday morning and returning late Tuesday night, we spent roughly 18 hours sitting in the van,13 hours sitting in the eye center, and of course hours spent sitting to eat and the inactive hours when we slept. But outside of those hours we were walking.

It has been a long time since I've been in a big city, and Philadelphia made recently visited cities, such as Cincinnati and Durham look quite quaint. I do enjoy visiting the city, but must admit to feeling a bit out of place when we first got there. Our hotel was mere blocks from the eye center, right in the city. Once the car was parked in the garage, it stayed there until we were ready to head home.

I played tourist and hung out our hotel window to get pictures the first night.  I love how Philadelphia has the really old mixed in with the modern.

 

The majority of Monday was spent at the eye center.

We did have a few hours at the end of the day for a little tourist activity. With historical sites such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall within walking distance we (I) couldn't resist even though we all were pretty wiped out from the drive and the day at the eye center.  Unfortunately, many of the inside sights closed before we were able to go through them. We did get to see the Liberty Bell. Well, at least Kellen and I did. Tim had to wait outside. That funny story I will save for a post all of its own. 

And we were able to take in a few things from an outside view. 

Tuesday was Kellen's biopsy. After that we had to hit the road and head back home. We did however, make a quick stop for lunch at Pat's King of Steaks for the required Philly Cheesesteak where New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sat a couple of tables from us enjoying his lunch. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have recognized him, but my more politically savvy husband did. Of course the suits with ear pieces hovering around should have alerted me that someone well known was eating lunch near us.

And that about covers our whirlwind trip to the big city of Philadelphia.

Hurry Up and Wait

In my last post, Glasses and More, I shared that a routine eye exam showed that Kellen has a lesion behind his eye that is causing his retina to detach. Last week we made a whirlwind trip to Philadelphia to see one of the top specialists in the country.

We saw several doctors and they ran many tests, much to my frustration many of the same tests he had here in Huntington. At the end of a long day we still had no answers, and the doctor was calling the lesion atypical. They scheduled a needle biopsy for the next morning, and we headed home to wait for the results.

The biopsy showed that the lesion was not a tumor. That is very good news, but it doesn't answer the question of what the lesion is actually. Nor does it fix the problem that is causing the retina to detach, and Kellen to lose vision. The doctors suspect that it is some kind of infection, possibly something originating from an animal. We have a friend whose husband has a similar condition cause by a spore from bird/bat feces. Mom has a co-worker with a similar condition caused by a bacteria carried by chickens.

Kellen and I spent a good day at the doctor/hospital for tests before we went to Philadelphia. Now he gets to go to yet another specialist. This time it is an Infectious Disease doctor. We aren't sure which one yet though, because the first one recommended to us doesn't see minors..... So now we wait again. We wait for a referral to make an appointment with a new doctor who will run a bunch of tests, and then we will wait for those results.

Hurry up and I can do well, waiting, not so much so. Keep praying for us!

Glasses and More

See what happens when he sees the camera.

There is a new addition to Kellen's face.

Kellen had been complaining that he was having trouble seeing for awhile now. We went for an eye exam, and they found that he is near sighted. We picked up his glasses today, and according to Kellen, the world looks much better now.

Unfortunately, near sightedness is not the only issue with Kellen's eyes. During the eye exam they found his right eye is not seeing anything on his left to the center. He did not respond to any of the blinking lights in that field of vision with that eye.

Further examination showed that his retina is partially detached. There is what one doctor called a tumor and another doctor called a lesion behind his right eye. That thing, whatever you want to call it, is swollen and leaking fluid of some sort behind the eye which is causing the retina to detach. The detached retina is causing the partial blindness in his right eye. We were referred to a retinal specialist. We saw him the next day.

The specialist did numerous tests, took a lot of pictures, and even took a sonogram. At the end of 3.5 hours of testing, he told us he wasn't really sure what is going on. He did say the lesion looked hollow which in his mind, ruled out a tumor and the worst possible scenarios. He said he thought it might be vascular because there was a vein going into the lesion, but he really had never seen anything like it. He wanted to discuss it with his colleagues. 

A week later and the colleagues have no answers for us either.  Their recommendation was to take it to the next level of specialists. Today we made an appointment with doctors in Philadelphia. Sunday we will drive there, and Monday we will spend 6-8 hours in their offices for more tests, and some answers and a fix, we hope.

I think we are all in a little bit of shock from the news, events, and lack of news. I can not believe we have to go through yet another major medical issue and traumatic event. Finding out we are making a 500 mile drive this weekend has put me in a complete doer/shaper mode of making plans and getting things ready on this end. I think having something to focus on is a good thing. It helps to keep my brain quiet.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

How Could I Forget This

I am having a rough week. It has been busy. Tim has been working long hours. We got surprising and not at all good news this week at a routine eye doctor appointment. (Sorry to leave you hanging on that one. I'll post more about it later.) Tonight I was feeling exhausted, and sat down to vent (or whine) here on my blog when I had a sudden thought that made me smile. Sharing thoughts, or in this case pictures,  that make me smile are much better than wallowing in the self pity I've been stuck in all day.

You may remember from Kellen's birthday that I complained that I could never get a decent picture of him. He wants nothing to do with being photographed. Luckily for me, we have a friend with a nice telescopic lens who took it upon herself to capture some pictures for me while we were attending a group picnic. Here is my teenager:

 

This picnic was over three weeks ago. I can't believe that I never posted these pictures on the blog. I tagged them on Facebook, and forgot about them. (Oh the blessing and the curse of Facebook.)

Kellen did eventually catch on. He asked Racina, "Why do you keep following me around with that camera?" So, glad she got some great shots first!  Thanks so much Racina for getting some great pictures of Kellen, and giving me something to smile about tonight.

Well, Excuse Me

Our ducks are completely free ranging this year, owing mostly to my lack of effort in keeping them in the fenced in place that they are meant to be. There are certainly disadvantages to having ducks who have the run of the place. The biggest of which is the mess that they leave on my front porch. (Can't for the life of me figure out why they like it there so well.)

There are also some advantages. They are helpful in the garden. They eat the grass and the bugs, and really don't seem to bother the vegetables themselves. (The same can not be said for a few chickens who have managed to escape their fence despite my best efforts.)

The hens also are more successful in hatching their clutches when they are not confined to a fenced in area.  But sometimes, I have to wonder about the places they choose for their nests. Such as the hen that is pictured below.

She has made her nest between our shed and the steps to our side door. This is where we park. My washer and clothes line are on this side of the house. This is the door we go in and out of the most. Yet, there she sits.

She really isn't in the way, and I really wouldn't mind except for one thing. Every time someone walks down those steps she hisses and gets her dander up as if we are intruding on her territory. Really? Well excuse me Mrs. Hen, this was my space first. You're welcome to it for your month of brooding, but I really do not appreciate your rudeness!

When you have a few days off

As many of you know, after a seven year hiatus from the world of paid working, I chose to go back to work a little over two years ago. I did not go back to my previous profession. Instead I chose to take a serving job that allowed me to work on weekends with a minimal disruption to our homeschool schedule. The choice was made in an effort to get out of debt.

For the most part, I am happy the choice was made.  The schedule can be grueling at times, but working three days a week has been a tremendous lift to our financial position. Our debt has been significantly reduced. The credit cards have been paid off for some time, and that in itself is a tremendous burden removed.

The last year has been exhausting. We've taken some heavy hits here both emotionally and financially. The responsibilities of farm and family are overwhelming some days, but these are the responsibilities I enjoy the most. The weeks go so fast, and when Friday rolls around I often just want to stomp my feet, and scream "I just can't do it!" But I don't. There is an emergency fund that needs built back up. There are medical bills that need paid, and huge black cloud of student loans that still hovers over our heads. I suck it up, put on my best fake smile, and head to work. It needs done whether I like it or not.

This weekend I found myself in an unusual circumstance. I was off Friday and Saturday! It felt a tiny bit of heaven to not have to rush home after the market Friday to get ready for work! We did however have a wedding rehearsal to attend.

Friends of ours from church got married on Saturday. Vivian was the flower girl. It was a fun wedding. The rehearsal was Friday with dinner at Hillbilly Hot Dogs.

Saturday was the wedding followed by an outdoor reception. The weather was good, and the wedding and reception were beautiful. The Appletons however did come out of the wedding with a couple funny stories.

Of course, one would involve Nolan. We had to go a little early so Vivian could be there for pictures. Nolan spent the whole time on the DS. It wasn't until I saw him sitting at the top of the steps playing that I realized what he was wearing. His siblings helped him get his clothes, and I only gave him a brief glance before we left. How do you like his ensemble, dress pants, button shirt, tennis shoes, and no socks?

His father came to the wedding in an even a better outfit. He had on his farm clothes, a t-shirt, stained up shorts, and work boots. To be fair, it really wasn't Tim's fault.

We needed to get feed Saturday. With the time and location of the wedding, and the hours of the feed store, it was decided that the best solution was for Tim to go early to the feed store, and then meet the rest of us at the church for the wedding. Part of that plan also included that someone (who would that be?) would bring the clothes Tim had picked out, and he could change when he got to the church. That someone forgot to grab Tim's clothes.

The only store anywhere close to the church was Dollar General. So we went and found Tim a pair of short, a button shirt, and a pair of shoes for the wedding. Thankfully the wedding was pretty casual, and luckily all the items were 50% off. We spent $17.

The wedding was early, and after the wedding we wondered what to do with ourselves with the whole family home on a Saturday. Tim and I considered a date night. Honestly, I think the last time we had time completely alone was when we went to North Carolina for his surgery. We looked at the movie listings, and found nothing very interesting, and didn't really feel all that motivated to get ourselves together to go out again.

Instead Tim took a nap, I read a book, and the kids read and watched a movie in the heat of the afternoon. When it began to cool off a little we all headed out to the garden for a little work. We worked together on the best part of gardening, the harvesting.

We picked green beans. Did I mention we made my bean poles too high, and I planted them too thickly? Ah well, live and learn. This was our first year to use bamboo teepees for poles. In previous years, I've always planted the pole beans on the fence.

We also picked onions, peppers, tomatoes, a few potatoes, corn, melons, okra, and the year's star performer, the herbs. I now have two kinds of basil, parsley, and sage drying above my kitchen sink. It smells so good.

We made my favorite dinner after that, a dinner made almost entirely from food from the farm. We had roasted corn, fried okra, hamburgers, melon, peppers, and sliced tomatoes. Dinner was late, and by the time we ate and cleaned up it was time for bed. It was a wonderful day!

Our schedules are jammed packed. Our weeks are often rushed and stressful. I often wonder how this life is the the simple life. It might seem strange that when I find myself with a day off, that I would choose to work in the garden with the family instead of getting away for an evening with my husband. Tim and I rarely get to work together on farm projects, but when we do I have to say that it is deeply gratifying. Maybe it is knowing that we are in this together. Maybe it is the satisfaction of laboring together to provide for our family.  I'm not sure, but I do know that it is far better than working in the garden alone, and much more appealing to me than sitting in an over air conditioned theater being entertained. I wish there were more days like this.

Gaining Ground in the Battle on Squash Pests - maybe.

You've all heard people talk about how prolific zucchini plants are. You've probably heard stories of gardeners sneaking zucchini onto their neighbors porch in an effort to get rid of it. But let me be the one to dispel this myth. I have had one year of prolific zucchini. Every other year, it has been a battle with the pests to keep this family in zucchini.

It isn't just zucchini either, growing squash has become war, and I fear I am on the losing side.  We are waging a chemical free war here, but I think the bugs may be smarter than I am. It was so bad last year that I swore I was not going to plant anything in the squash family this year. But then spring came and I started thinking about grilled veggies, stuffed zucchini, zucchini brownies, zucchini struedel, fresh pumpkin, and well, before I knew what I was doing hills of dirt were made and seeds were going into the ground.


The more I do this organic gardening thing, the more I am convinced the my best weapons are careful observation and quick action when pests are observed. This is the strategy I tried to implement with the squash this year. The squash have two enemies; squash bugs and vine borers.

The adult squash bugs are elusive. They are a gray color and tend to hang out in the dirt where they are well camouflaged.  I mostly see them on the actual plants in the cool of the morning. If I see them, I squish them or drop them into a jar of water with dish detergent.

Their eggs however, are more easily found. Look for copper colored eggs on the leaves. Most often they are on the underside of the leaf, but sometimes on the top. The eggs are hard to squash. I remove the leaf and the eggs and feed it to the chickens or drop it in water with dish detergent.

The newly hatched bugs have gray or greenish bodies. They almost look like a tiny spider. They are easily smashed.

While I can't claim victory over squash bugs, and can claim containment.  They are there, but by removing the eggs and destroying of the bugs that I do see, I am able to keep them from doing serious damage to the plants.

The deadly enemy to my squash are the vine borers. Adult vine borers are moths. They resemble a red wasp. I rarely see them, and if I do, I never can kill them. They are too fast. They lay tiny black eggs on the stems of the plant. I've looked for the eggs. I've removed a few things that may have been eggs, but then again maybe they were just dirt.

I don't know I have a vine borer until I see something like the picture to the right. See the yellow stuff that looks like chewed fibers. Yep, that is the evidence of a vine borer. Or if it is dry it will look something like sawdust.

When the stem is cut open, you'll find a white grub like worm with a black head. The one pictured on the left is a pretty big one. The tiny ones can be hard to see.

The only thing I know to do when these bugs are found is to split open the stem and destroy the bugs. This works pretty well if the borer is only in a leaf stem. When they are in the main stem of the plant, you can split it and mend the stem by covering it with dirt or wrapping it up, but the plant is severely weakened.

The first time I found borers this year, I split the stems, destroyed the borers, and covered the stems with dirt. The plants came through this nicely. They stayed upright and green. They looked healthy, but fruit production came to an abrupt halt. I wasn't able to keep up the borer vigil, and the next time I checked over the zucchini they were so infested with borers that I pulled all but one plant. It is so frustrating. My next step is to replant, and try again. 

Another thing I noticed this year is the pumpkins are coming through these attacks better than the zucchini or summer squash. I have not been able to keep as close of a watch on the pumpkins, and vine borers are there. The pumpkin vines put down roots that seem to take up the slack where the borers have attacked. Maybe I should try a vining variety of zucchini?

The war is on, and though I think I gained a little ground this year, the bugs definitely have the advantage. Any one have a secret weapon they'd like to share?

A Little Patience Pays Off

If I were to list my finer qualities, patience would not be at the top of the list. I'm not a patient person. I want things to happen now, and I get impatient with people (especially my own children) more than I'd like to admit. But if there is one place that I can say Tim and I have learned to be patient, it is with regards to making purchases.

Being patient is absolutely necessary when it comes to parting with our hard earn dollars. We've learned the hard way, finding a way to buy things we can't afford costs you dearly in the long run. We've also learned that a little patience usually pays off.

I can not count the number of times when we've really wanted or needed (or thought we needed) something, but decided to wait for it, and were so glad we did. Sometimes we found we really didn't want it that much, or that doing without it wasn't so bad. Other times we were able to find the item at a much better price, and often for free. We've seen this happen with so many things. There have been small things like clothing, bigger things, like furniture, and really big things like a vehicle.

The latest example of this happened a few weeks ago. For the entire back story, we need to go back about a year. Tim's office used to be a restaurant. When the building owner converted the space he walled off the kitchen to create an office space and a kitchen. A caterer was working out of the kitchen, and then he went out of business.

The caterer left most of the equipment, and Tim approached the building owner about purchasing a couple of things he thought would be useful on the farm. Mainly, at the time, Tim was thinking of the stainless steel tables. He wanted them for deer processing. There were also freezers and stoves, and a few other things. Tim offered a price. The landlord countered, and no middle ground was found.

The kitchen sat vacant for over a year, and then the landlord approached Tim to see if he was still interested in any of the equipment. There was a new tenant coming, and they didn't want most of the things that had been left in the kitchen. The timing couldn't have been better for us.

Our current freezer space really was not enough for the business of the farm. The freezers we did have were old and inefficient. New freezers were on our purchase radar already. The kitchen had two good sized chest freezers, a small commercial upright freezer, and a small walk in freezer. Cash is a little tight, but the owner assured Tim they could work out a plan for payment.

In the end Tim took all the freezers, two household stoves (one that is needed for the canning kitchen, not sure where the other one is going,) and a lot of miscellaneous type items. There was a wonderful commercial gas stove there that I would have loved to have. Sadly, I have no place or no gas for it! He also cleaned up the place a bit. The owner was just pleased to have it all gone, but we offered to trade him some farm goods for the items. A wonderful deal for both sides!

The freezers came just in time as we just had a whole beef and hog processed. The chest freezers are already full. We need to decide exactly where we want walk in freezer, and do some prep work before we can set that up. Tim didn't get the tables he was originally looking at, but those weren't really needed like the freezers were.

No matter how many times it has happened, it still amazes me how a little patience pays off, and how often the need is met just at the right time. We are truly blessed! 

Our New Tools

It was chicken processing day, Rob from Wild Sage Homestead and a friend were joining us to learn how to process a chicken. The whole family was excitedly gathered around. Tim went to work a little late that morning. Our thirteen year old even posted on Facebook that he was excited about the morning's event. The kids couldn't wait to get started.

What was all the excitement about? We've processed hundreds of chickens, and the kids normally make themselves scarce on processing day. This was no ordinary processing day though. This was the day we got to use our new chicken processing tools, a plucker, and an eviscerating table.

Thanks to the help and support of the community, we were awarded grant money that enabled us to step up the whole process of processing. Thank you Gail Patton of Unlimited Future, who has been a cheerleader for us all along and got the ball rolling on funding for a plucker. Additional funding received from CAFE Huntington, and matching funds from Create Huntington allowed us to purchase a ready assembled plucker, and a table designed for the job of processing. Remaining funds will be used for some more kill cones, and a new water pump for our rain water collection system.

So the big question of course, is how did our new tools work? I couldn't be more pleased. The plucker turns my twenty minutes hand plucking into a two minute job. And even more importantly, it does a nice clean job. Even after spending a lot of time hand plucking, it seemed I was never done. I would keep finding feathers I missed. The plucker machine gets the birds clean. It does miss a little on the inside of the wings, and occasionally the thigh, but finishing up those areas only requires another minute or two.

The table allows me to stand up instead of hunching over like I used to. There is a convenient hole to drop all the mess through.  When you're done a simple spray of the hose, and the remaining mess washes down the drain, and leaves you a clean slate for the next bird. 

I am so thankful for these new tools! With them we will be able to process and sell a lot more chickens!

And in case you're wondering, the excitement for the kids didn't last. The youngest two pressed the on switch on the plucker a couple of times, and then disappeared. The older two did stick around to help. Kellen is the kill cone master, and Lydia does a great job picking any remaining feathers. Their excitement over the plucker may have faded quickly. Mine, however, has not! I am still thrilled, and looking forward to using it again!

Simply Delicious

Grilled Center Cut Ham Slice

Occasionally, someone will ask my favorite way to cook a certain cut of meat. Most of the time I don't think they are expecting the answer I give. If it is a large piece of meat, my answer is something like this, "I throw it in crock pot. Sprinkle it with a few spices, and let it cook all day on low." For the smaller cuts of meat the answer is simply a variation, "I sprinkle it with some spices, and toss it on the grill. Flip it every so often until it is done."

How do you like those recipes? Truth be told, I really do enjoy cooking. I love to try new recipes, or more often use a recipe as a guide to create something new and delicious for the family. Following recipes, or creating new ones requires a rather scares resource. That resource would be time.

If you ask me my favorite way to prepare something, it will be a way that is quick, easy, and produces a delicious result. That my friends is likely to involve a crock pot or a grill. When you have a good piece of meat, you don't need to spend a lot of time, or add a lot of extra ingredients to achieve a wonderful result.

But if you were looking for a more specific recipe than "Slap it on the grill with some salt and pepper," here are a few recipes I like. Hope you find something useful.


Lamb
Curried Chops and Leg Of Lamb
Gryo Burgers

Chicken
Cooking a Skinned Bird
Summer Garden Chicken


Beef
Meatloaf (simple)
Meatloaf (variations)
Homemade Sloppy Joes


Pork
Blackened Chops

Why We Feed our Animals Grain

Photo Credit: Love Happiness Photography

Since venturing into the public sale of our meats, we've encountered a lot of question about how our animals are raised. I think that is wonderful. It means people are educated and care about where their food comes from.

Probably the most frequent question we get is whether the animals are fed grain or not. I understand the concerns. Some are concerned about animal welfare. If you've seen video of chickens or beef in a feed lot type setting, there is good reason to be concerned.

Others are concerned about nutrition, and the fact that most animal feeds contain GMO grain. Honestly, I am just beginning to understand these issues, but I do understand the concern that is there.

We raise beef, chicken, pork, and eggs for sale to the public. All of our animals are pastured. They have access to large open spaces. They forage, and eat all the good things the pasture has to offer. They all also are fed a ration of grain daily.

One reason we choose to feed grain is nutrition. The pork and chicken grow very quickly. They need the extra protein in grain to sustain that growth. The cows do not grow as quickly, but they still need a good diet. Our pastures are in good shape. They probably could maintain our small herd of cows in the summer without grain. The trouble comes in the winter.

Good hay is hard to find in these parts. We do bale some of our own, but it isn't enough for all the animals through the winter. Our hay is normally pretty good, but then hay is subject to timing and weather. This year our hay is not as good as normal. Our first cutting was delayed because of the rain. Hay loses nutrition if it gets too tall and stem-y. When we could finally cut and bale the hay, we only got one field cut before Tim started his treatments. The other two didn't get cut for another month. That hay was way overgrown, and unfortunately, got baled damp. Hopefully, our second cutting will be better. We won't get a third cutting this year. Giving grain helps to cover any deficiencies in the hay.

Photo Credit: Love Happiness Photography

Another, and perhaps less important reason, we feed the animals grain is to keep them a little tame. Feeding them everyday helps them get to know us. We talk to them. We give them a little love. We watch for any signs of illness or other things that require our attention.

The animals know us. They are comfortable around us. They know our voice, and they certainly know what a bucket of feed is. It may not seem like much, but it goes along way when you're trying to work with them.

I'm very thankful the animals know what a bucket of feed is when we're moving an 800 pound sow from pasture to pasture, or loading a 1400 pound cow into the animal trailer.  With a bucket of feed and the call of the person who feeds them, they will follow you just about anywhere you want them to go.

Our animals are humanely raised, and get lots of fresh air and exercise. Our animals are fed grain. While I understand the interest in grass fed meat, exclusively grass feeding any of our animals is not an option that works for this farm. Hopefully, now you understand a little better why.

Apple Sauce Oatmeal Cookies

Beginning to sell at the Farmers Market has been a great adventure this summer. Our main focus here on the farm is meat and eggs, but when the market began, we had precious little in the way of meat to sell. We decided to add baked good to the items we had available.

The market we participate in is a producers market. Baked goods are required to contain local ingredients, preferably those grown yourself. So, I went on a search for recipes which could be made with products from right here on the farm.

One of my favorites was found at Allrecipes. I tweaked it a bit to create the Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies we've taken to the market. We make ours with our eggs and applesauce. By request, here is the recipe:

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
1/3 C butter, softened
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 C applesauce
1 1/4  C flour
1 1/4 C oatmeal
1/2 C raisins (optional)
1/2 C walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter. Add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix in applesauce and egg.  Add flour, a little at a time. Stir in oatmeal. Fold in the raisins and nuts.

Put spoonfulls of dough on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.

In the Midst of Chaos

The morning sun was just beginning to come over the trees. There was a cool breeze. The birds were singing in the woods. The kids were occupied with other tasks elsewhere. All seemed peaceful and right in my world. I felt a deep and abiding contentment even though the task at hand was butchering chickens. It was a couple of the best hours of my entire week.
 

The younger two were with Tim's parents for the week. Though I missed them, it turned out to be incredibly good timing for their annual visit. The week was incredibly busy. In addition to our normal activities, both Kellen and Lydia had their Battle of The Books Tournament, and Lydia had a lamb at the fair. If you ever have had an animal at the fair, you know what all the entails. We were there everyday to care for the lamb, and most days there was some kind of showing to do. It was extremely hot and humid. It was also one of those weeks full of extra farm surprises. Such as a 800 pound sow breaking floor boards and getting stuck, and the keys (with the spare) getting locked in the van. 

I don't mean to sound as if it was a horrible week. It wasn't. Lydia did well with her lamb. Kellen won his tournament. It really was a good week. It just was a very very busy one.

It was a week where I desperately need some quiet alone time. I had plenty of down time at the fair between activities. I spent a lot of time reading then, but that wasn't what I needed. I didn't need to be entertained. I needed to be quiet, to be still, and to disengage my brain for awhile.  That time was found last week while processing chickens.

There is something about engaging the hands in productive, yet mindless, activities that brings about a deep satisfaction. I've found it before while hanging clothes on the line. I know others find it in washing the dishes and in cleaning. 

So often I look for rest in the form of entertainment. I turn to the computer. I turn to a book, or perhaps a movie, seeking a little time to rejuvenate. While those activities may provide a bit of physical rest, mentally they are only a distraction. They turn my brain from the never ending to do list by occupying it with something else.

I'm not very good at being still, taking a deep breath, and enjoying the moment around me. When it actually happens it often catches me by surprise as it did this week. All I can do is be thankful for those moments of rest and peace amongst the chaos of our daily life.