Duck with blueberry peach butter

Tonight's dinner was duck (black duck to be specific) with a blueberry peach sauce along with sauteed red and white cabbage and a caesar salad. (and a framboise lambic!)


Trollie had dinner of a bit of duck, some salmon, little bit of turkey, baked squash, cottage cheese and egg with vitamin of salmon oil and vit B.

 The black duck was a bit too gamey for Shawn who was sharing the dinner but I guess my palate really is different. I believe it is because I haven't eaten meat from the grocery store in over 25 years.  But even though he thought the meat was gamey he said the sauce was good. The cabbage and salad were good side dishes. The recipes are below.

Duck:
- thinly sliced duck breasts (I had a black duck that y boss hunted and gave to me but mallard or other duck would probably be better if you don't like gamier meat) - would work with chicken or other bird too
- blueberry peach butter (I made this butter which is basically just blueberries and peaches cooked down into a thick "butter") - any kind of butter or jelly would work
- mead (I have home made mead but any kind of wine would work here as well)
- garlic (fresh and minced)

Get a cast iron pan hot and place the duck slices in pan and sear on each side, (don't worry about cooking all the way through it will continue to cook after you take out of pan and you don't want to over cook).
Deglaze pan with mead adding the butter and garlic and let reduce until thicker sauce consistency
Pour over duck slices.

Cabbage:
- sliced/shredded cabbage (I had a little bit of red and white cabbage so I used what I had, I personally think the red works best)
- butter or bacon fat

Saute cabbage in the butter or bacon fat.

Salad:
- romaine lettuce
- 1 egg coddled, preferably farm raised (boiled for just under 1 min so it is still soft)
- anchovies
- shredded parmesan (preferably fresh and not from a jar with added fillers)
- garlic (fresh minced)
- lemon juice (fresh if possible)
- olive oil

I don't really measure anymore because this is a staple dish of mine but I would say combine the egg, about 1/3 of a cup of cheese, a couple cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/8 of a cup olive oil with a couple minced anchovies in a bowl...adjust to taste. Pour over broken up romaine lettuce and add croutons if you like (I make them sometimes but often go without), some more parmesan and anchovies on top.

End of the year disappointments and hopes for the future

Well, it is getting to the end of the year and time to harvest on the homestead and hopefully a moving into a slowing down period.  It isn't all going as planned though. Because I am in school and work full time, December is a rough month because of moving into winter for real on the homestead which can always cause problems for any animal that may be a bit weak, it is time for me to cull any unecessary animals so I can afford to keep my breeders and pets and for the realization that what I have put up is what I have and won't get any more until the growing season again.  On top of the homestead stuff to take care of, it is exam time and then I have to think of gifts too. 

For school:
I have made it successfully through exams, not as happy with grades but I did my best, so now I move on...

For gifts:
I have great ideas for gifts for everyone but every year I seem to run out of time faster and this year, in particular, time and money have been an issue.  I always make as much of the gifts for family and friends as I can but that takes a lot of time. I did start working ahead and I do have jams and butters made up already. I hope to get a bit of baking done though too.

For homestead:
Well, I have had some really big disappointments. I lost one of my rex rabbits, I think she was on the "weak" end of the scale and the weather and all just took their toll. She was in the barn with everyone else but she just wasn't as active and she is one of my new rabbits.  I have a pair of rex now but I like having the extra security of 2 does.  Also, none of the does that were bred took, so no kits...probably just as well though because the weather has been so up and down.  I have also lost a few more baby chicks, I have no idea why.

My biggest losses however have definite causes. My muscovy black/white drake, Lancelot, was hit by a car, along with one of the girls. They had been free ranging and much healthier and had chosen their own place to hang out at night sheltered under a tree. Even though there are 12 acres of farm field and 70 acres of woods behind me, they decided the road was interesting. :-( They are now all locked up in the shed. I took one of the meat ducks out of the meat pen and added him to the flock that is staying to replace Lancelot. So, one more loss of food for the freezer plus the female for eggs in the spring.

Worse of all though is the human thief.  I get frustrated with predators like the owl that took nearly my whole flock of teenage Khaki campbells and the fox that took several of my new hens.  However, it is nature, it happens and you mourn the loss and move on.  This is a violation and I feel violated and very angry. Someone came onto my property, went into my rabbit barn and into my secure coop inside where I had 4 turkeys, one a tom just ready for harvesting and 2 polish chickens and took the tom.  I was away for the weekend and when I got back I saw that the turkey was missing (my brother fed and watered everyone but never opened the coop and didn't really keep track of who was where...he knew the turkeys in there were healthy looking each day and that was all he was concerned about).  There is absolutely no way the turkey tom could have escaped that coop inside the barn...it is completely secure and is inside another building with a door.  Someone earlier last week had stopped by and was upset because my brother told him the drakes he asked about were not for sale... my suspicion is that is was him but of course, I have no proof.  That turkey would have been Yule dinner plus about a weeks worth or more of other meals plus broth and food for Trollie.  The loss of that bird plus the duck is just a big set back.  I understand whoever took him may have a need greater than mine but I doubt it. If someone was in that much need, they could have asked and I might have been able to help... however, I am barely making ends meet, actually, most months I don't, making the sacrifice to feed these birds over that past season was so that I could have them in my freezer to feed me through the winter... there are several places in town where a family can get a turkey dinner, no questions asked.  As much as I would like to be charitable, this just has kind of ruined my "happy" feelings around the holiday.

However, I am not destitute... I planned on certain animals to get me through the winter, it will be a bit of a stretch now, more so than it was already going to be and I will probably be taking one of the ducks early for holiday dinner.  I have had people offer to get me a bird but as sweet as that is, it isn't the same. I raised this turkey up, he was treated well, in fact he was partly raised by someone else with a couple of the girls I have and when I tried to separate him so he would have more space he got really despondent and kept calling for "his" girls so I kept him with them and he was much happier.  I know he had a good life and was hoping he would sustain me and my family too.  Now, I don't know how he will be treated, if he will be wasted, etc. I had plans of stock and soups and using his feathers in crafts and his big wings and tail for sweat lodge. I am just really upset and trying to let it go.

So, part of this post is just letting it all out there and letting it go. I want to start the solstice off on a positive note and work on moving forward with my goals.

Friday Primal Dinner/Saturday Breakfast

Sausage, Roasted Apples and Squash/Apple Soup

This week I made all the recipes up myself by what I had on hand.

Dinner for Friday night was Sausage sauteed with sage, Roasted Apple in balsamic vinegar and sage and Roasted Banana Squash and Carmelized Apple Soup.

Sausage:
local country sausage
fresh sage from garden

- cut into pieces and sauteed in cast iron pan

Roasted Apples:
local apples
balsamic vinegar
fresh sage from garden

- cut apples into slices with skin on
- place in baking pan at 350F drizzled with balsamic vinegar and sage
- roast until tender

Roasted Banana Squash and Carmelized Apple Soup
banana squash roasted and pureed
local apples cooked down and carmelized into butter
home made beef stock
garlic, onion, tumeric, sage, cayenne

- combine all and let simmer to combine flavors

Saturday Primal Breakfast: Bacon Pieces, Sauteed Apple and Fried Egg

I had a package of bacon ends so I cut the meaty parts off into bits and saved the fat. I cut the apple into small bits and sauteed in the bacon fat, then fried the egg after and combined in a bowl.

December Antlerless morning hunt

Well, we were not so lucky to see deer this morning.  We got out there around 5:30am or so. It was a slow sunrise because of the rain and fog. It was still too dark to see and I could hear something relatively big walking to my right but I couldn't see anything. A bit later I could hear a bunch of running around and something actually ran under my stand...so finally I turned on my headlamp and it was a big raccoon. Other than him and  couple squirrels, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Great horn calling to eachother.  The same pair that fed on my khaki campbell ducks this spring, I am sure.

We headed in around 8 since there didn't seem to be much action....I'll be back out this afternoon.

December cleaning and organizing

Today was a busy one.  I have done quite a bit of cleaning of this house...sorely needed.  It still has a ways to go but it is tons better. (and there are 5 bags going to goodwill!) It is just so hard to keep up with while working and doing schoolwork and doing the homestead chores and making good food, on top of that is the fact that it is never just my stuff to clean up but my brothers' too.  I don't clean up after them but it makes it harder to keep things organized.  Anyway, it is a sight better today after a bit of work and little sleep.

After the main cleaning and the inspection by the prospective new landlord's mortgage company, I got a few things done. I made this beautiful bread pictured here. It is an herbed bread with sundried tomato and rosemary. It is a butter bread so can't make it all the time but figured it will do me well for breakfasts this week. I also made another standard bread with rosemary so I can freeze and have the dough in the fridge for next week. I took advantage of the nice weather and cleaned everyone's water bowls and planted onion and garlic, apples cut for more sauce and peels for apple vinegar, beans started for sprouts, cabbage soup started, laundry done and clothes out for week.

Now to study for finals this week.

And some pics from the week:

Cabbages before they became kraut and soup

The warm weather obviously made them think it is Spring

Gwynafar

two of the boys (one is Val's)

Rowena is a very loud and free girl
 (she won't stay with her partner in the pen and runs around talking all day)

This is Sven, he doesn't like the camera but I was able to pet him for the first time today.
 He is one of the strays that show up here. Freya is inside now and sadly both Grendel and Rothgar
are gone....Rothy was very sweet but he got hit by a car. Hopefully Sven is around for awhile.

Primal Friday: Sesame Crusted Tuna, Wasabi Sweet Potatoes and Egg Drop Soup

Tonight I decided on an Asian type dinner.  I had some sushi grade tuna and I wanted to make a soup but didn't want Miso (hard to find any without MSG) so I looked up Egg Drop Soup and it was easier than I thought it would be.  I had sweet potatoes too so I decided to make them wasabi mashed.

It all came out pretty good except that I cooked the tuna a little too long, they were kind of narrow pieces so they cooked much faster than I thought but it still tasted good with a little added wasabi and soy sauce. Yumm.  The soup came out pretty good but I used fresh ginger instead of powdered...I will either mince finer or use powder next time.

Seared Sesame Crusted Tuna:

- toasted sesame in a bit of olive oil
- coated tuna with sesame
- sauteed tuna on high
- sliced tuna

Wasabi Mashed Sweet Potato

- peeled sweet potatoes (I had regular and white)
- cut into cubes and boiled
- mashed and added wasabi paste

Egg Drop Soup

- sauteed onion in butter
- added sliced ginger, a tsp of sesame oil and soy sauce
- added 4 cups veggie broth and 4 cups water (called for 8 cups beef broth but I had used mine up already)
- mixed 4 Tbs arrowroot with a little water then added to stock
- brought to a boil and let thicken a bit
- whisked 6 eggs in a bowl and slowly added to stock while stirring with wisk

Preserving Challenge week 2

Okay, I have been much more successful at "putting up" thank I have been at writing about it!

So, I am heading into week 3 and the past two weeks I have put up:

1 batch of Cardamom Apple Sauce canned
1 batch of Ginger Apple Butter canned
1 jar of Kimchi (I count this because it will be around for a bit then I will try stew...and this is my very first Kimchi...came out a wee bit, okay a lot, spicy!)
1 quart of RoastedBroccoli Cauliflower Soup to freezer
1 quart of Broccoli Soup to freezer
1 gallon bag Broccoli to freezer
2 gallon bags Cauliflower to freezer
6 gallon bags Cabbage to freezer
2 batches sauerkraut on
1 pint bag okra to freezer
1 batch Okra Cauliflower stew in freezer
2 batches turkey stock to freezer
2 batches veggie stock to freezer
2 pints tomato paste canned
1 pint dehydrated tomatoes canned
2 quart Sweet Potato Soup in freezer
1 quart of Cream of Broccoli and Cheese Soup in freezer
1 quart + 6 pints apple slices canned
1 batch sage dried

More preserving to do this week!  I am enjoying making the soups, having some for dinner and putting the rest of to freeze!  I am crossing my fingers for the sauerkraut...the last batch didn't work right, think too much air was allowed in and the cabbage didn't release enough water soon enough and I didn't catch it in time to add saltwater...so I dumped it and started over.  I made 2 batches in different containers, hopefully they work!  I plan to make some cabbage soup and an Indian cabbage dish this week, some for meals now and the rest to put up in the freezer. Hopefully I remember to blog at the end of the week!

One more step in the organizing and purging - closet

Since I live in an old house with my brothers, I don't have a lot of storage space.  My bedroom is part of the newer part of the house and has a walk in closet so it ends up accumulating alot of stuff.  My living room ends up cluttered with all kinds of things, like my hiking and camping and kayaking gear...etc.

So, I finally tackled the closet and after a couple days got it organized and purged a bunch of stuff...this is my goal, to simplify, organize and get rid of what I don't really need.  I consolidated and organized my clothes so they take up less than half the space.  This left room for me put a tuffy tote of ritual clothes, and a couple tuffy totes of all my kayaking, diving and hiking gear. I should have enough room for all my camping gear too once I get that organized. This means it is all in one place and out of the living room.  I have a couple laundry baskets full of stuff and clothes to go to good will.  More work on hiking gear and then sewing and craft supplies should make the living room a bit less messy and crowded.  Hopefully will be done by end of weekend.

Primal Friday - Bison Meatloaf and Mushroom Soup

This week's Primal Friday dinner is a Bison meatloaf with mushrooms - super easy.  I made some extra Cream of Mushroom and Celery soup yesterday when I made the soup for the Broccoli Casserole so we had that with the meatloaf.  Tasty and filling!

Both recipes are pretty easy:

Bison Meatloaf

2 lbs ground bison (from local farm)
mushrooms (I didn't measure but half a large package)
1 egg (from my chickens, of course)
Cheddar

- mix up the bison, mushroom and egg
- put in loaf pan, bake 45 min in 350F oven
- add cheddar to top (I just sliced) and cook another 10 min or so

Cream of Mushroom (and Celery soup)
(I decided to make a combination soup and leave it chunky - but it can be pureed)

half package or more mushrooms
couple stalks celery
broth (I used turkey broth I had just made) - 1 1/2 cups or so
onion
parsley and sage (from garden) - I added sage because I had that in the turkey sauce too
cream (mine was fresh and real)
butter (fresh as possible - mine was from Amish store - didn't get to make my own)
flour

- saute mushrooms, celery and onion in butter (I did in cast iron dutch oven)
- add broth
- in another pan melt butter and add just enough flour to thicken
- add roue to broth
- add cream and cook down until as thick as you want.

turkey day

Well Turkey Day started yesterday...when I got home from work and harvested Mr. Royal. So, first on my "thankful for" list is: I am thankful for the life that fed us tonight.

Mr. Royal is the black and white
(a Royal Palm Turkey)

We had a very simple dinner this year, just me and my brothers.  I was up until 2am processing Mr. Royal after getting my homework done.  I decided to breast and leg the turkey and use the back meat and everything else for "Trollie food" and not cook the turkey whole. This is what I usually do throughout the year.  It came out okay but it could have been better if I had basted more or kept whole.  I made a nice sauce that i had originally basted the breast and leg with but I think it needed a bit more basting throughout.  It was all good but the meat was a little dry.  The sauce ended up mostly on the bottom of the pan so I made a gravy and it was very tasty.  We also had my family Broccoli Casserole but instead of the canned cream of mushroom soup I made my own, instead of frozen boxed broccoli I used the local broccoli I had put in the freezer and instead of store bought mayonnaise, I made my own.  My brother made a home made stuffing and we had our traditional stuffed celery and stuffed dates for appetizers through the day.

The turkey sauce was a Blueberry, Apple and Sage.  I took one of my blueberry jams that was a little soft, put it in my cast iron pan, added 2 chopped up apples and sage from the garden.  When I scraped it from the pan after cooking the turkey, it was mixed with fat, so I sautee'd it in the cast iron pan again and reduced down with some mead. Quite tasty.

A small amount of each will be given to the landwights.  The rest leftovers in the fridge.

And for my being thankful:

For my health, my family - chosen and actual, friends, for having rewarding work, a chance to grow and have a career in the future, a place to live that enables me to continue my goals of homesteading while I continue in school. I am thankful for many things including all my furry and feather heads...they bring me joy, a feeling of hope and purpose and responsibility.  For all my blessings now and hopes into the future. I give thanks.

Hail the Gods, Hail the Ancestors and Hail the community.

homesteading prep...house work...

Today was general homestead work.  I cut up all the ripe tomatoes, filled a couple trays of tomatoes to dehydrate:

filled the crockpot with the rest to make tomato paste and both are cooking along now.  And I have a basket of green ones still that I will probably add to a stew.

Then I cut up apples, have a bucket going to make apple cider vinegar with the scraps and have the apples on the stove making a thick applesauce with green cardamom.  It smells amazing.  Other than that, I chased a rabbit around a bit and did cleaning of the kitchen and living room...it is all slow work but I am purging lots of stuff and rearranging and hopefully it will be all organized at some point soon...with less clutter.

And I took some pics of my free-ranging ducks and chickens.

Buffy

Lizzy

   

Lancelot

Gawen (Front) and Cynric (back)
 (They are Charlie's babies and the two boys I am keeping besides Lancelot)

Igraine

Hunting Day 3

I went hunting again this evening, the last day of regular shotgun season until after the new year, there is still one week of antlerless before the end of the year. I was not successful in bringing home a deer but it was one more step in my hunting experience.  I enjoyed the usual time of peace in the woods,  The most exciting thing was seeing a pileated woodpecker, they are just so very cool, it was pretty awesome. 

The most amazing part of the hunt however was just a little before end time.  A doe started walking into sight...I have never seen a deer on a deer hunt, believe it or not.  I have seen them when I have been out hunting other animals but I have never been able to get a deer because I have never seen one during deer season, I have never shot at one either, obviously.  So, I was like...oh my...now what?!  My adrenalen kicked in and I was all shaky.  The doe stayed mostly behind a tree for quite a bit of time.  It was getting darker and since I knew I would either hit the doe or completely miss, not much chance of wounding, I finally took a shot.  Sadly, I missed and no meat for my freezer but it was an amazing experience.  It was the deer's day and I do not begrudge her life.  Hunting is all about luck and skill, being at the right place at the right time and a bunch of fate.  Today's fate was I want home empty handed and the deer went on running through the woods.  I will have another chance to put food in my freezer and I am thankful for the opportunity and the experience of being out there and a part of that natural cycle.

Hail the landvaettir and hail Ullr and Frey!

Day One and Two of Hunting

This week is shotgun season.  I missed most of antlerless for a variety of reasons...Weddings, Hurricanes, important things like that!  So, I really wanted to get at least a little time in this week...not like it produced anything for my freezer but I usually enjoy the time anyway.

For one thing, it forces me to slow down and just be.  I was only able to spend a couple hours Monday afternoon and this afternoon.  I was off Monday and doing a lot of work on the homestead and today I went into work early so I could get out early.  The guys that lease the woods behind where I live said I can use their stands when they aren't in town.

So, Monday I spent a bit of time watching a Red Bellied Woodpecker, he was quite amusing, carrying one piece of corn at a time to the nest by hopping from tree to tree, depositing it and then ziplining back to the corn pile where a couple squirrels were munching away.  Today i watched squirrels mostly at a different spot.  The squirrels were the active ones this time and zipping all around with leaves and acorns.  I watched one stuff its cheeks so much it couldn't close its mouth and then went zipping up to a nest at the top of the tree.  Another squirrel kept playing peek a boo with me from the tree next to mine and then went bounding back and forth almost smacking me in the head. One of the amazing things when sitting in the woods at sunset is when it just starts to get dim out and the birds just erupt in song everywhere at once...pretty awesome!

Sadly, no deer but It was nice to chill with nature for a bit.  Then I got home to all of my Muscovies out of the coop and refusing to return...so they are all hanging under the Juniper tree because I wasted quite a bit of time trying to chase them back in the dark and finally gave up!

So, now I have bread rising and am trying to relax a bit because homework is done and I have a very busy next couple days working out of town at training - gonna be nice because it involves hiking through woods and wetland but also long hours and lots of driving.

Next hunting opportunity will be black powder week in a couple weeks.

Primal Tuesday - Smoked Ham and Broccoli Soup

Tonight's Primal Tuesday dinner was a smoked ham that is from the last of my half hog I got from Green Branch - grass-fed, organic and local.  I slow cooked it rubbed in olive oil, lavender and rosemary last night then refrigerated it and collected all the drippings.  I harvested all the broccoli from my garden for the other part of dinner, a simple broccoli soup with chicken broth (from my chickens), a bit of mead, garlic and green onions from my garden. I made that last night too.

Tonight I took the ham out, cut some slices, heated up the drippings and cooked it down with a bit of mead... sadly, I am about out of mead. :-( I took the slices and heated them up in the ajus.  I heated up the broccoli soup and served it with a sharp cheddar.  The broccoli soup could have used a bit more spice I think...but I will freeze it, as is, and spice when I heat it up.

Very simple but good dinner.  I will take the rest of the ham and slice up some for sandwiches with cheddar, homemade mayo and cheat a little with some homemade oat bread since I need a good quick lunch for training classes this week.  I will bring the sandwich and my applesauce, eat a good breakfast before I leave of egg omelet muffins.  The rest of the ham will be cubed up and some frozen for a part of another meal and the rest will be to go with the kimchi this weekend.

Trollie food for the night was local bison liver with pumpkin puree I made the other day and some cottage cheese (was bought, gotta figure out how to make) and an egg.

Friday Primal Dinner and mystery on the homestead

Well, first dinner...sorry no pic tonight.  I made a Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli soup and Stuffed Pork Chops.  I made the soup last night, took a little time but was really easy, had a small bowl last night for dinner and let the soup blend overnight...was even better tonight.  So, when I decide on a dinner I often figure out one type of food I want to fix and then try to make them work together.  I had cauliflower and broccoli that had to be used, so found a simple soup recipe and the rest was put in the freezer.  I also had boneless porkchops that I thought would be good for tonight. So, I decided to add some blue cheese to the top of the soup, the parmesan was good but I thought the blue cheese would add a good contrast.  I figured i could stff the porkchops so I mixed some of the blue cheese with some  roasted garlic (also in the soup) and some sage, 'cause sage is just awesome!  It all came out well and I enjoyed...the rest of the soup is in the freezer for another meal.  The recipes are below.

Now for the mystery.  This morning as I was feeding eveeryone I found Mr. Royal (the Royal Palm turkey tom) in the pen with Mr. Buff and big tom...they were not happy with eachother but I didn't have time to deal with.  I figured maybe he got out and my brothers put him in there the night before (though they know he doesn't get along with the other toms so was curious).  When I got home tonight I found out that my brothers did not put him in there and that he was there last night when they got home around 10pm.  Mr. Black was out all day yesterday and was still out this morning...I decided to let him free range for a little bit before chasing him down.  Mr. Royal has always been the aggressive one and he is the reason I had to split everyone up in the first place.  Well, it is dark when I get home from work so I fixed dinner then decided to make sure everyone is in bed.  Oddly Mr. Royal was not in the coop with the turkeys or in hanging with the ducks...after searching with the flashlight I finally found him hunched up in the far corner of the pen and I finally got him to hobble out...he has a bruised leg and a bloody face.  Apparently he isn't king of the mountain anymore.  As much of a pain he is I felt bad for him.  He let me wal in the pen and pick him up.  I brought him in the house, checked him out and made sure there were no injuries I needed to take care of and then put him in the small pen where I put Mr. Black this morning.  *shakes head* If it isn't one thing it is another!  Hopefully everyone behaves until I can work on the pens tomorrow and sort everyone out!
I still haven't a clue how Mr. Black remained roaming around while Mr. Royal escaped the front pen and ended up in the big pen??? 

And now the recipes if anyone wants them.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup (original found online and adapted - original had a lot more stock, I like a thicker soup)

1 head of local broccoli
1 head of local cauliflower
1 bulb roasted garlic
olive oil
1 large onion
butter
2 quarts home made chicken stock
paprika, salt and pepper


1. chop broccoli and cauliflower florets and put in roasting pan with , drizzle with olive oil, paprika, pepper and salt.
2. roast at 400F for about half hour or until tender (flip if browning too much)
3. carmelize one sliced onion (slice onion, saute in butter until golden)
4. place roasted vegetables and carmelized onion (don't forget bits scraped from pan) with chicken stock into blender in batches (I actually put in food processer first but it didn't make it smooth enough so then put in blender)
5. put all in pot and simmer to blend flavors.
6. enjoy as is, with parmesan cheese, blue cheese like I did or yogurt or sourcream (might try next)

Blue Cheese, Roasted Garlic, Sage Stuffed Pork chops

1. mix blue cheese, roasted garlic and chopped sage
2. make pocket in boneless porkchops
3. saute in olive oil on med high so the outside browns then turn down to make sure the chop is done through

Primal Tuesday: Venison, Rosemary Nut Bread and Sweet Potato Soup

This week's Primal Tuesday dinner is Venison tenderloins (very simply sauteed), Sweet Potato Soup with roasted garlic and a Rosemary Nut Bread (that was extremely filling!).  It was all very good and pretty simple.

The soup was an adaptation from some recipes I found online.  The bread was from this website, and I followed it pretty closely.

http://aliveandwellness.blogspot.com/2012/10/rosemary-and-olive-oil-bread-grain-free.html

The Sweet Potato Soup was actually made yesterday and I refrigerated enough for dinner tonight and froze the rest in meal size portions.  This is how I made it:

I cut up and peeled about 4 sweet potatoes, thawed out about 4 cups of chicken stock (I like my soups a little thicker than the 6 or 8 cups I saw on a couple recipes), an onion and cut the tops off of 2 garlic bulbs (twice as much as called for in some recipes).  The sweet potatoes, onion and garlic bulbs were placed in a baking pan, coated them in olive oil and roasted in the oven for about 1/2 hour at 425F until soft.  The sweet potatoes, garlic and onion were added to the chicken stock in the food processor in batches and blended in a pot on low on the stove.  It came out really good so I think I will make more.

And...Trollie food (my pug/boston for those who don't know) was left over ham, raw salmon, cottage cheese, egg, garlic, salmon oil vitamins and blood from the venison when thawed out.  It was practically inhaled!  She has gotten a bit picky since she has gone on a 90% raw diet but she is doing really well on it.

Homesteading has no time off

Well, I have had a bad cold since the middle of last week and I am on a mini vacation - stay at home vacation with holidays extending the weekend.  I have been doing my best to not let my cold get worse since others who have had a similar cold have gotten much worse and been sick for weeks.  Luckily I think it is working and just from resting, tea and cough drops.  No meds if at all possible and so far it is working!

However, the homestead doesn't know I have a cold and chores still have to be done.  I have skipped the late night chores and tried to get the feeding and watering done once in the day.  It has been working mostly, except the baby chicks are still inside because I haven't felt comfortable with them being outside since it is much colder than I thought it would be and because I haven't done the extra work converting the coop.  So, peepy little chicks in the bathroom but it is actually okay, it means I can monitor them better and have more interaction which I wouldn't if they were in the coop.  So, really, it is pretty good.  The muscovies are also still sharing the chicken coop because I want to change their pen before I release them to the outside again, there are a few things that aren't working as well as I had hoped when I originally put it together...they have kinda chosen to stay in the coop.  I open the door to the coop a bit and all the chickens come out and the ducks stay in. 

The muscovies are pretty amazing.  I went into the coop today and they were all roosting at the roof level!  They sure can fly even with clipped wings!

Hopefully this storm coming tomorrow won't be too bad and I can get some work done on the pens and coops Thursday with a bit more energy and over this cold!

In the meantime I am trying to get bits of stuff done around the house on my "mini vacation".  I will post on that later.

The babies are growing and are feathering out!

After the Storm

Everyone seems to be well, a few a bit bedraggled but doing well.  Thank the gods and landvaettir!

I spent a couple hours working on the meat bird pen and settling everyone.  The muscovies are still in with the hens until I can do more work on their pen and coop...most likely tomorrow after work since I am still fighting being sick...scratchy throat and all.

I got more of the 2nd layer of fencing up on the meat bird pen but ran out of the fencing so I put the two turkeys in and will put the goose back in later but the ducks will have to wait.  I have to wait until my next paycheck so sometime next week I should be able to get all the meat birds settled in one pen and that willl make it better for everyone...more room for the other birds and then I can get everyone set for the winter.

The two boys back in their pen enjoying some grain.







In the meantime...everyone is getting along and were happy muching away.

Lancelot (he is handsome and knows it!)with Cynric (he is an almost all white Muscovy)

Lancelot with some of the girls...the one in the back is Sabrina (the Momma of all the ducks I have now except the black and white ones)

Hens and Henry enjoying some grain and a bowl of oatmeal in whey...definitely need to demud everything but they are mostly good and dry and safe.

A little wet but runnin around like happy featherheads.  Arthur and Merlin are fast friends now.



Everyone munching together, still need to put the
trash cans and tarps back where they belong.



Mr. Buff (since he is staying I should give him a permanent name) and Big Tom enjoying the "fruits" of my labors yesterday, all the apple and tomato peels.

Preserving and baking during the storm

Well, it is around 10:30pm and we still have power, thank the gods (and knock on wood). I pray we keep it on! Hail Thor! Hail Njordhr! Prayers were said to Freyr and landvaettir for safety of the land and critters...I will see how all is in the morning.

I have kept busy and spent much of the day cutting and slicing and baking and such. I made basil pesto and lemon balm pesto and put in freezer. I have 4 pints tomato paste canned and 6 pints and 1 quart apples (more to do tomorrow).  I have a dehydrator full of tomatoes for sundried tomatoes.  I was also very bad and made Oatmeal Apple cookies and for Trollie, Oatmeal, Peanut, Bacon cookies. 

Dog Biscuits Recipe below (I changed it a bit from what I found online):

2 1/2 cups oatmeal flour (ground rolled oatmeal)
2 tsp baking powder
2 pieces bacon crumbled
1/2 cup peanuts ground
1/4 cup bacon grease (might need a little more)
1/4 cup water

I mixed it all up and rolled into cookies on a parchment lined sheet.  Baked at 325F for 15 min, then shut oven off and let them sit in oven for 30 min.

My prayers and thoughts to all my friends that everyone and their property is safe from the storm.

Harvest time and preserving in the storm

I have a basket full of tomatoes in the crock pot to make sauce...if power goes out, I will transfer to stove on low.  Another basket full or 2 going in dehydrator.  I will be making pesto shortly from the last of the basil.  Going to puree the lemon balm too.  I got an arm full of both.  I have 2 more baskets of tomatoes, red and green that I took from the garden, figured might as well since I was fighting the slugs for them and who knows what the storm will do to them. 

I left the brocolli, cabbage, cauliflour and kale hoping they will do okay..they aren't quite ready yet.  So, lots more to do but getting some things done.

Tomatoes, Sage, Parsley

one of two baskets of tomatoes

Red Peppers, Eggplant, Basil and Lemon grass

Waitin for the storm

Well, I have a couple things on the porch to organize but the rest is done.  I worked my butt off yesterday... I cleaned all the rabbit cages and got them all set.  They had time in the fresh air and 'ahem' conjugal time.

The following pairs were together so we will count 30 days and pray for more babies! I mixed the Silver Fox buck with the Harlequin but the other two are full bred Rex and Harlequin.  Rowan still taking care of her babies... sadly I no longer have Am. Chins to breed.

Holly and Darroch
Hazel and Ronan
Cassia and Telsy

Rowan and one one of the babies

I didn't get a chance to clean out the small coops but I got all the rest of the featherheads to a more secure place.  The boy muscovies are in the pen with Merlin and Arthur, along with Mr. Goose and Mr. Black Turkey.   
















Big Tom my Standard Bronze tom and Mama's boy

 Here are my turkey boys trying to get everyone's attention.  Luckily Big Tom and Mr. Buff get along pretty well.

        

Mr. Buff, my Jersey Buff tom

The babies are doing okay, though I have lost two now, both were Australorps. :-(

this is the little "suprise", don't know what he is yet

So, now we just wait and see what happens.  I really hope we keep the power on because it will be rough to keep them alive.  Right now they are chirpin away in the bathroom. 

Prepping for the storm

Well, like many today, my thoughts are of the pending storm  This one could be a doozie for several reasons but having grown up in Florida and spent highschool in New England, a hurricane INSIDE a nor'easter does not sound like a whole lot of fun! I have experienced both and yikes!

And, of course, my thoughts are mostly about my animals right now  With the heavy rains we got this summer and the damage they caused just in illness from nothing drying out, lots of rain is not what I would like to see right now.  I have spent the past couple months spreading everyone out into bigger pens with more space.  Now I need to bring everyone back in and hope that the pens I spent so much time and energy on will hold....they are not exactly structures of great construction! Sadly construction projects of any kind are not my forte'!  Definitely an issue for a homesteader who has no partner helping her.

Anyway, so, I already had a long list of "to do" for the weekend since it is my first full weekend at home for awhile, it has gotten a bit longer and rearranged:

Clean the yard - I have been working slowly on this for several weeks...cleaning out the shed for the new chicken coop resulted in some homeless items that need to be secured elsewhere like bicycles and stuff. This was already on the list, now it is a necessity

Secure doors on coop and rabbitry - this was also a priority but is more so now.  Remember my lack of carpentry skills?  The doors are not exactly straight or super sturdy yet but I will be working to make them more so.

Extending Muscovy pen - they are getting big and have outgrown the temporary pen and need to expand.  This may be put off a bit though since I am not sure how well the pens already put up are going to hold and I will be moving the Muscovies to the chicken shed for the storm...probably seperating out the "meat birds" from those I am keeping too when I let them out again.

Garden: Well, I had ideas of planting one more crop of spinach and kale but I am not sure that will work well because they will probably be washed away.  I do still plan to get the straw bales around the winter greens and cabbage.  I will need to harvest everything else now though...all the herbs and such.

Freezer: I had already planned to try to consolidate everything into one freezer, now I am definitely going to spend some time doing that, in case we lose power I want everything jam packed in there so it will stay frozen longer. 

And speaking of electricity, babies with no heat lamp is going to be a problem....so I am praying we keep our power on! And the babies are coming back into my bathroom Sunday just in case.

Lots more on the list but these are the priority now... I figure I will spend the real rainy portions of the storm doing homework, I can read by candlelight if necessary.

Babies!

My chicks finally arrived.  I ordered babies months ago (before I realized how poor I would be this time of year) but it was timed after the craziness of October was over.  I didn't do well with the baby hatching this year.  I tried to let everyone hatch their eggs naturally.  The turkeys never came to term...I finally had to toss them after 8 weeks of 3 hens setting!  My goose and duck eggs were stolen right from under the Mommas (I believe by a snake...only thing that could have gotten into the pen and taken the eggs with no shells or evidence).  My chickens hatched all of 1 egg they were brooding and the baby disappeared.  So, definitely incubating next year and no more free ranging babies either!

However, that doesn't help me have new hens for the Spring.  I also have a motley crew left and some hens are getting older.  I have decided the breeds I really like are Austrolorps and Buff Orpingtons (though I would love to get my hands on some Lavender Orps).  I have 1 Buff hen and 4 Australorp hens and Henry my Australorp roo.  So, I ordered mostly Buff babies....girls and 2 boys and then about half as many Astralorp girls.  I added two Americauna girls who will hopefully become friends with Merlin my Americauna roo. 

Both Orpingtons and Australorps are listed as "recovering" on the ALBC list.  The Orpingtons are supposed to be meat birds and the Australorps are bred from them to be egg layers.  I liked them both as egg layers and for their temperment.  I would like to raise more threatened heritage birds but for now...practical and sustainable is what I need.  My turkey and rabbit breeds are more threatened...the Jersey Buff turkey is "critical" so I feel good about raising them and they are local to the Mid-Atlantic.

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#chickens

Anyway, my plan is to have these girls grow up and be added to my laying hen stock.  I will have more eggs to sell and when I raise new babies from them, since I will have roos and hens from both breeds, to sell the babies too and, of course, keep some for myself in the spring.

Here is a pic of my Australorp roo, Henry.

To the right is Ms. Buffy, my Buff Orpington girl who is actually getting on in years.

And to the left is Henrietta, one of the Australorp girls.