Comical and Abundant Hidden Treasures

In a post back in July, I shared about our tub and trough gardens.

Since we have been having some very chilly nights and even a frost, some of the green turned brown and was no longer pleasing to the eye.

 I decided it was a good day to discover whether sweet potatoes and carrots will actually grow in tubs and troughs.

With great anticipation, I first pulled the carrots, and boy! did several of them look comical!  We had to laugh! 

Since the trough was not deep, the carrots grew wide and very unique!
Don't ask how we will peel them.

Next, the sweet potatoes....

The harvest from the trough with the carrots was not so great.  They were small...

But the tubs produced some larger lunkers....

The results of this experiment prove that the troughs are not good for root produce, but the tubs are.  We have also been eating some nice sized tomatoes from plants grown in the tubs.  See above picture to see how tall some of the plants grew.

On Saturday, Dave, the boys, Kelsey and children dug our white potatoes while I worked at an auction.  Finding these hidden treasures is so fun and the children, large and small :), had a blast.

Along with harvesting potatoes, Morgan was gathering worms.  She presented her "pets" to me with great pride and took them home in a jar.

And then broccoli
I believe it was the best that we have ever grown.
The secret may have been is that the patch was located where we have raised calves for years.  :)   This picture is only half the harvest.

The "green trees" (what mom's like to call it if they are trying to convince a child to eat it) are lightly blanched and then frozen or they can be transformed into the likeness of people...

Very grateful for the Lord's blessings of good food - comical or not!

Until next time.......

With a Bak Bak Here and a Bak Bak There

Uriah started his own little business called "Bubbsie's Best Broilers."

Back in May, he bought 100 peeps, diligently fed and cared for them. 

 

They soon grew old enough to go out in the range huts.  Each day, the huts would be moved ahead onto fresh grass in the morning and in the evening.  They also were fed chicken feed.  

 

These kind of birds are "genetically modified" to grow quickly.  So fast that they eventually out grow their legs and can barely walk.  Their pastime is sitting around panting and it is common for them to have heart attacks. However, we never push our birds and since they are outside and feed on grass, they never get gross.  If you have the opportunity to peek inside a conventional meat chicken house, you will understand what I mean by gross!!  Even at 8 weeks, grass fed birds can jump and fly. 

Normally these chickens are ready to be processed at around 6 weeks old, but ours are usually ready more like 8 - 9 weeks, for the feed we use is not medicated nor hormone ridden.

 Last Friday, it was processing time.  The night before, the broilers were loaded into the cattle trailer so the process could begin early in the morning.

 My, what big chickens Uriah raised!  Uniquely colored, too!   :)  These kind of roosters  eventually have back problems.

  

They are taken out of trailer and put head first in cones for execution, which was George's job, with some help from Uriah.  It is not a coveted job!

They are then put into the scalder, which rotates them around 3 - 4 times in 155 degree water.

 

from there to the plucker

Onto the work table where they are gutted.  Everyone filled in wherever help was needed.  Ben was the runner man.  He went for more ice, equipment parts, etc..

 Carried into the milk house for further cleaning

From there they came to me for final inspection and tucking of wings and legs.

 

plopped into barrels of ice water to cool and then hung up to dry

Once dried, they went into bags, got weighed and distributed into freezers, or to customers.  

Busy and tiring day, but so worth it!  

And it certainly is nice to not have to move those chickens around anymore, though!

Are you hungry?  :)

Until next time.............

Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens is a beautiful magazine that was first published in 1922 by Edwin Meredith, who served as United States Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson.  It is the 4th best selling magazine in the U.S. and it is dedicated to helping women create better, more inviting homes.

As the pages are turned in this lovely publication, photos of pretty, remodeled kitchens complete with breezy curtains and expensive tableware, cozy porches with pillow laden furniture and colorful vases of flowers look back at you.  On another page you may find a weedless garden with a cobbled stone path winding through lush vegetables or variegated  flowers.  Everything is perfect!  Literally!   And as I page through magazines like this one, more than likely in a waiting room setting, I experience longing - longing to have what is on those pages, and discontentment and ungratefulness grows towards what God has provided for me.

You see, I am not gifted in this area, nor do I have the funds or time to mimic the photos on those smooth pages.  I have deep admiration (and a little bit of envy) for my friends who are talented in the area of interior and exterior decorating and it would be wonderful to have them visit me for a few days (or weeks) with the intention of putting those talents to work on our farm.  Our place has potential!  A lot of it and I can imagine how beautiful it would look in the end and how anyone who would drive by would oh & ah at my much better home. 

But, that is not my reality and for some sad reason, what is my reality is never published in a magazine.  I have been contemplating publishing one!  It would be titled, "Reality Homes & Gardens" and it would feature homesteads like mine - homesteads of busy, sometimes overwhelmed, mamas.  I have come to terms with my reality and realize that this is exactly where God wants me to be.  I have learned much in this imperfect setting and there is much more that I can still learn.

Consider yourselves privileged to have a sneak peek at the first photos for the new publication of my imaginary magazine.

Our reality kitchen .......
Seriously, why are there always dishes to do?

 

It is complete with the latest style of a potato, and obviously apple, bin.....

 

 the easy to use laundry chute.....

and the state of the art dining room decor.....

A paragraph will be added on how Uriah, Oliver & I learned how to remove a toilet so a leak could be fixed.  What do you think?  Should this article go at the beginning or towards the end of the magazine in a section called, "The Gross Part of Homesteading?"

And then the gardens......

We have scattered gardens and they are void of cobbled stoned paths.  Weeds and hose nozzles are more commonly seen as we stroll around among our plants.  :)

I first planted carrots in this trough and then waited and waited for them to grow.  When the delay went longer than I thought it should, I figured the seeds were bad or my thumb turned brown.  So, I planted sweet potato plants along side the tomato plant.  I had purchased the sweet potato plants thinking they would go in one of the bigger gardens but the master gardener informed me there was no room.  I would either have to throw them out or find a place to stick em.  Well, as you see the carrots did not like the competition and decided to grow.  I still have somewhat of a green thumb, after all.  The external of this trough looks so pretty, but is there really room for carrots and potatoes to grow in there?  We'll see.....

One of the tubs with sweet potatoes...

and the bucket?  Just one of the lawn ornaments.  Pretty, isn't it?  Wonder why we don't see more of them in Better Homes & Gardens?  :)

 

Another trough with lettuce, tomato plant and sweet potatoes...

had pretty flowers at both ends, but they died.  Not sure why......rethinking my green thumb idea.  We had this trough sitting in a different location, but the menfolk moved it to work at another project, which I will share at a later date.

 

As you can see, I did stick potato plants wherever I could.  What the potatoes will look like, who knows, but I have been enjoying the greenery.

 

This was once my beautiful bleeding heart bush that my mom gave to me years ago for my birthday.  For some reason the dog thought it was a nice place to lay down!  What would Better Homes do about this problem?  I guess they don't have dogs for their children.  Maybe they don't have children.

 
 The green bean patch.  Instead of being bordered by pretty flowers, we have Bacon & Sausage at one corner and calves at the other end.  New trend!  Makes for interesting odors while picking beans! 

 

Thinking I should add a new section to the magazine featuring laundry, for that is a daily reality around here...

Let's see, what could I call it?   Any ideas?

 

 That concludes this addition of "Reality Homes & Gardens."  If you would like to make a submission for future publications, send your name, address, pictures, and story of what "reality" is to you.  :)

Really, though, this was all meant in fun and to encourage everyone else in their less than magazine setting. Don't take me as complaining.  I am not!  God has been good to us and has provided everything we need.   My reality is one of blessings, as I am sure yours is as well.

As far as the magazines featuring beautiful, elaborate, yummy dishes of food?  Yeah, not my reality either.  :)  Would one of you be willing to tackle that edition?

Until next time.......   

Computer Fast So Far

We have made it to day 4 of the computer fast and here I am - on the computer!! 

This is what we have learned so far......

It is impossible for me to stay off this thing, due to having to do orders, research, school stuff, news, weather, etc.. How did we do all these things before computer age?  I actually remember using an encyclopedia, reading a newspaper and ordering through catalogs!   Anyway, the last 4 days, I felt guilty being connected, because the boys stayed off their computer and did not complain at all.  Dave & I decided to allow the boys to play on the computer on the weekends as a reward for staying off all week, and I can be on Facebook and blog spot only Sundays.  We are attempting to keep up with the journals, but not with much excitement so far.  We will only journal during the week and not weekends.  We will see how this week goes.  Can we continue for a month?   Verdict is still out.

Here are a few things we did this week.....

Rescued our run-a-way wagon that decided to take a hike down the barn ramp, across the road and over the bank....

 

discovered we no longer need tractors as long as we have these boys around...... :)

 

ate our lunch around the campfire.....

 

and made hay.......

 

It was a good week!

Until next time.......