A quick note on dinner

Jess made chili for dinner. She made it from venison, onions, bell peppers and hot peppers we provided for ourselves. There really is alot of satisfaction in making a meal out of your own hard work. I guess I will have to grow kidney beans for next years chili.

PS I read I found this today and it reminded me of someone.

Rick

I am not dead.

Well it has been a while since I updated this page. I had to write if for no other reason to let my loyal reader know that I am not dead. I don't have a lot to tell you about today. Last weekend Jess and i made some rhubarb and raspberry jam. It was alot easier than I thought it would be. I will have to pick up some more pectin and make another batch of rhubarb jam yet this fall. I think I would need to reduce the sugar a bit however as I like a little more tartness in my food than most people.
I also got an opportunity to get out and do some small game hunting this season already. A friend of mine and I went out and shot a tiny squirrel. Not exactly a safari for wildebeest but we had a good time.
In micro-farming news, we lost a chicken last weekend to what I am assuming was a area cat. Also the tomato plants are done fro the season. I got a large shipment of garlic in for fall planting and need to build up a bed quickly.

I guess that is all for now.
Rick

Another Update

Well alot has happened since my last posting. Jess and I tried our hand at making a a batch of canned pickles. I think they look good. The weather has turned cold lately. The weather guy behind me is talking frost. I covered my peppers and lettuces this afternoon and put some hay in the chicken coop as well so I think we are ready. Still I hope we have some time yet before winter. I still have so much to do this fall. It just feels like we are in for an early and cold winter. Ah well.
Jess and I went to an event out at the Cedar Summit Farm last weekend. It was a fund raiser for Slow Food Minnesota. The food was great. I spoke a bit with a guy who runs a beer business in the cities. He reminded me that I really am lucky to have the place we do. I guess some times it takes a comment like ,"..Of course you do, You live in shangra-friggin-la!" to remind you how lucky you are. I sometimes get a bit overwhelmed by all the work that needs doing here but hearing things like that really helps.

Well keep warm.
Rick

Putting food by.

Well Jess and I spent some time this weekend processing foods for storage. We made my grandmas spicy pasta sauce out of our tomatoes and onions. We also dehydrated tomatoes and peppers. We vacuum packed the pasta sauce and froze it. I am still drying the peppers. I will probably grind them tomorrow. I also spent some time raking up the grass clippings for use as mulch and possibly chicken bedding.

Tomatoes and more

Well Jess and I have been harvesting alot of tomatoes lately. They seem to have colonized every horizontal surface in our kitchen like fleshy red tribbles. So tonight we made a double batch of tomato soup and froze it. I think it will make for a mighty fine lunch some time this winter. A winter that feels closer all the time. It is getting down into the fifties in the evenings again and the nights seem to come sooner every day. I feel like I have so much to get done yet this season. Ah well fall is always nice.

Updates.

Wow, almost a week since my last post. Things have been kinda quiet here as of late. We had a week of dreary wet weather with high temps in the upper 70's. The rhubarb and peas seem to be loving it. The lettuces are not too upset about it but the tomatoes are almost dead. They got a bad case of wilt and the cool wet weather didn't help. the grass really popped back though. I had to mow yesterday for the first time in at least a month. I gotta admit I wasn't really missing it. I harvested hops yesterday. I hadn't wanted to harvest them wet and I think they are a bit past prime. Oh well live and learn.
On another front I heard a talk on the radio yesterday by Michale Pollan. He is the author of a book called the Omnivores Dilemma. I was really impressed by his ability to articulate some of the things I had been feeling about why I am doing this farmy self sufficiency thing. It is a realization that our current relationship with our world simply won't persist in it's current form. I look forward to reading his book this winter. I will have to make a list of books to read this off season.

Rick

PS started using Remember The Milk to organize farm chores and life tasks. Will let you know how it goes. So far I like it.

Becarful what you wish for.

Well Jess and I had a nice weekend in Milwaukee. We ate and tasted a number of wines beers and foods. We both agreed that we need to be eating more goat cheese. There is something about the tang and creaminess of goat cheese that is hard to beat. We particularly enjoyed the Milwaukee Ale house.
We got call on Sunday morning while we were on the way home wondering if we were doing OK. We then found out that southeastern Minnesota had been having a flood of biblical proportions. we got home and checked on the chickens and the dog. All was well. The garden was doing OK as well. The peas seem to be enjoying the cool wet weather. The tomatoes on the other hand look to have a bit of quite a bit of wilt. Nothing is perfect for everyone.

Well gotta go check the dehumidifier in the basement.

Rick

Fire and lavender

Well today I spent some time smoking up the forge. I figured it was time to chase the spiders out. I started fires in the stove and the forge itself. I didn't work any iron but with the cooler fall air I figure it wont be long before I am back in the forge. It also gave me a chance to burn some sticks.
I also picked some Lavender while in the garden today. I guess I had smelled lavender soaps and such before but this was the first time I smelled the plant itself. I can really see how it would taste good with roast pork or lamb.

Of Plums and Progress

I have a number of things to mention today. First off we got a load of gravel delivered for the drive. I had hoped to be able to move alot of it with the plow and small tractor but the wheels just dig in so I have been finishing it off with a rake and a shovel. We also bought a new wheel barrow to help with the job. Last Tuesday we also had someone out to remove the branch that fell on the chicken yard. They did a great job. I have also got some more of the garage scraped. It is slow work but shoveling gravel has helped to put it into perspective.
On the harvest front I just picked the first tomato and a bunch of plums. I also picked a quart or two of green beans.

Close call

Well I was working in the garage because it was raining. Not a hard rain and not even windy by the standards of this place when I heard a crack. I thought it was odd that lightning would have such a series of pops. I noticed that less light was coming in the window so I stepped out to look at the chicken coop and found this. We were very lucky today. The dog and I and the chickens were all within the radius of this branch and none of us is scratched. I think. There still may be a chicken under there but I doubt it. We will have to call someone out to drag the wood away and probably replace some or all of the fence but otherwise we got of cheap!
In other news Jess and I went to the St. Paul farmers market this morning and bought some herbs and veggies. I am going to try a variety of eggplants to see if we like them. We are also so glad to have gotten rain at last. I filled up both rain barrels and all the buckets I had available. You know you can never have too many 5 Gal. buckets.

Well gotta go sharpen my ax.
Rick