Insulation

Well Jess and I spent much of this weekend insulating. We put plastic on the windows downstairs. I really hate doing this every year, but until the windows are sufficiently airtight we have to go through the ritual. I believe it makes a difference, possibly more than the cost of the supplies and time. We also caulked the front hall. I think this may be a real money saver. I also spent some time insulating the chicken coop.
We also began using a spreadsheet to track some of the expenditures around the house. We started tracking electric usage by month and propane as well. We are also tracking softener salt use as well.
On the food front. We microwaved one of the pumpkins that had been been taking up space on the table for a few weeks. We used some of the pulp to make a pumpkin pecan quick bread. We got the recipe from Cooks Illustrated holiday baking issue. We also roasted the seeds. We put some Chinese 5 spice powder on them and the were great.
Rick

Update

Well I spent a few hours today insulating the chicken coop. I moved the roosts as well. The chickens are still laying eggs like crazy. I guess if you were one of those people that I told they needed tons of daylight, I was wrong. I gave the last of the garden lettuces and kales to the chickens this morning as well. I think I will need to grow more kale next year. The ornamental kales might make a good fall feed stock for the chickens. I really hope to free range the chickens next year. In addition I plan to grow more crops that can be fed to the chicks when we have surpluses. I was thinking over dinner tonight of growing soybeans again next year. I could eat the green beans as edamame and feed the late season beans to the chicks.
In other news we have spent a few days this week tightening up the house. We still have a long way to go to have the house properly insulated.
Well goodnight.
Rick

Deer hunting

Well I got back yesterday from deer hunting. My luck was not the best this year. Our party took plenty of deer and did our part to reduce the deer overpopulation in northwest Minnesota. I had a few shots at running deer but I failed to make those shots. I did let a decent 6 point buck go bye at only fifty yards. I could have made the shot but I guess I will have to meet up with him next year. We processed the deer we had and added some meat to the freezer. I really need to improve my shooting however and plan to make some more deer jerky soon.
*this picture has been edited for content.

Swiss Chard is Awsome

Well I got out to the garden this afternoon. I have been hearing words like polar vortex and below freezing in the weather forecast this weekend. I decided it was time to take in the last few plants. The swiss chard was still standing tall. I am amazed at how hardy this plant is. I have been harvesting the same patch since early summer. I decided that the best place to store the chard leaves was in the chickens. I also fed them some of the pea plants as well. I noticed that the roots of the chard were pretty good size. I decided that since they are members of the beet family that we would roast the roots. Jess helped me to clean them and roasted them with olive oil and garlic. The larger roots were too woody and fibrous but overall they made a nice dinner side dish. I also spent some time gathering the grass clipping into mounds which I just heard will blow away tomorrow. I also insulated the dog house for cooper.
On the wine and beer front I racked this summers dandelion wine and also last springs honey nut brown ale. The dandelion wine has mellowed a lot since I was told it tasted like vodka last time I racked it. The nut brown ale had been in primary since spring! I sampled it and it wasn't too bad either. RDWHAHB I guess.
Well stay warm.
Rick

Wishlist

Hi readers,

Just a quick note. I have started a wish list at Amazon. I decided that I would publish this as an aid to my friends and family during the upcoming holiday season. I realize that I have alot of interests and that they change frequently and that can make gift giving a challenge. I hope this list helps. All the same I feel a little inappropriate publishing this. I guess I am unused to asking for things these days. So I just want to let you all know that this list is provided for informational purposes only. To all my friends and family your love and well wishes are all the gifts I really need.

Well I will try and write tonight but I need to get going so I have something to write about.
Rick

Planning for next November

Hi All,

Not a lot to report today. Spent some of today getting chicken supplies for winter. You can really feel the cold coming soon. Something in the air or the light. Still have some greens in the garden for the chickens. I am still amazed how hardy swiss chard is. I picked some more and gave it to the chickens this afternoon. I also spent a few hours in the garden after work yesterday. I cleaned up the spent tomatoes and pepper bed. I also cleaned up the bean bed as well.
Well deer hunting next weekend. Wish me luck.

Rick

Jerky and more

We had some friends down on Sunday. We had a great time. We tasted the first jar of the pickles Jess and I made this summer. Not bad. I think I would have liked them to end up just a bit crisper. Maybe next year. I came across this article on Treehugger as well. Our friends brought with them a meat grinder attachment for a Kitchen Aid mixer. I was amazed at how well it ground down the 2 hams of deer I had left in the freezer from last year. Need to make room in the freezer as it is almost time again. I started making jerky with about 4 Lbs of it. I put it in the dehydrator this evening and by morning we will see how it went.

Lots more done today

Well I started this weekend by burning some brush last night out by the pole barn. I was looking for a nice place to sit down and found the hay/straw/weed pile. It was nice and warm so the dog joined me as well. I woke up an hour later, covered the fire and wandered inside. Kinda cool.
Today I finished cutting the grass. and aired out the coop. I cut some more veggies and gave them to the chickens. I spread some newspaper out in the garden and weighed it down with a few wheel barrows of chicken bedding compost. I am hoping the combination will leave the bed ready to be turned and planted early next spring.
For lunch today Jess and I made vermicelli carbonara. We used both procuto and bacon. It was great we used 6 eggs and had a great lunch

Fire season in california again.

Well I suppose you have heard about the fires in the San Diego area by now. We used to have a joke when I lived there that southern California had 4 seasons, Fires, Mudslides, Earthquakes and Riot season. I feel for the folks that have suffered losses in this years fire season. I hope that when they rebuild they will keep sustainability in mind. This is the desert people! Hot dry winds are common, so common that they have a name, Santa Anna. One of the dominant plants in the area near the desert is the Creosote bush. It burns hot and fast when dry (see previous point!). Since this is the desert there is little water available for putting out fires once they get going. So if you are determined to build a house in the mountains please don't make it out wood and cover it with an asphalt roof. Please consider something made out of local stone and consider a steel roof or clay tile. Or better yet live in a place and in a manner that you can sustain.
And the dismount from the soap box is good!!

PS 9 eggs today

Update

Hello reader. Well not a lot has been happening on the farm. This weekend we were away for a few days for a friends wedding. It wall went well and Cooper and the chickens were fine for 2 days. I took a little time to start insulating the chicken coop. I think it is going to be a bigger job than I thought. I need to finish the electric this week as well. The chickens have been laying eggs like crazy. There were 20 eggs in the coop when we got back Saturday afternoon !
Jess decided to bake a bit this afternoon. She made some squash dip and baked some buns. We had them with my friends apricot-habanero jam. I am currently filtering the peaches and vodka mix we made earlier this summer. It takes along time to filter with coffee filters but it looks crystal clear. I think I need to rack my dandelion wine and look into starting a batch of rhubarb wine. I had to harvest 5 lb's of rhubarb that was damaged by the wind while we were away.
Thats it for tonight I think.