The teenage years....in the chicken yard!

The baby chicks are fully feathered now, and ready for the big coop. Yesterday the girls  introduced them to the big chickens on campus, and it went pretty well. Everyone seemed to settle in quite nicely...until dinner scraps were thrown out.  They are brave for their little size...or maybe just stupid! I already saw one chase down one of the big hens, for a crust of bread. Very funny sight indeed. Little guy did not get the crust, but a swift peck to the face instead!

 Mama hen was pretty quick on showing her little crew of three, how to escape the fence. Apparently she forgot beagles love little chickens. Not in the cute and cuddly way either.:-o

Lucky for those babies, that this farm has three little girls, who love their chickens. They were quick to their rescue.

This princess is sure that chickens say thank you, by roosting on your finger. Do you know what chickens do when they roost? They poo....Wonder if she still thinks that? 

No playing in your food!!!

 "Gertrude, did you smell that dog? Oh my Word she smelled horrible, and they say chickens stink!"

 Bad hair feather day. ( I think this chicken kind of looks like Wolverine)

 All three teenagers back together again in the dust bowl. Pretty sure one of these little critters....is a rooster. Anyone want a rooster???????

 Thinking this might be the best kind of rooster to have. ;-)

 This picture has nothing to do with this post at all. But isn't it pretty?

Cluttering up the kitchen :-)

I can still remember that exciting feeling I always got as a kid, the night before a much anticipated vacation. Sleeping was not going to happen, as I dreamed about all of the possible adventures I might have on the trip. I am a bit older now, but that feeling still comes at the weirdest times. But over kitchen appliances? Ha...yes!

For quite some time I have had a list of appliances that I wanted to save for, that would help farm life just a bit. The list kept getting longer, and the funds kept disappearing. Two things on the list: an Excalibur food dehydrator and a Soybella nut milk maker. Every time I almost had enough saved up, something would need fixing around here. Things like dishwashers, washing machines, septic tanks, or even little girls teeth. Just when I had given up hope for these much treasured things, the Lord brought them to me in a most economical way. My niece owned a Soybella and was wanting to sell it for half the price of a new one, and I had enough to buy it!! My Mom owns an Excalibur and hasn't had time to use it. She offered for me to keep hers here at my house, and just dehydrate some things for her as needed. To say that I was excited would be a huge understatement. I stayed up most of the night pouring through cook books and owners manuals trying to figure out these modern conveniences. Yes, it almost felt like I was going on vacation the next morning.

Dried yellow tomatoes. :-)

The next morning came...and it was a full one. Between making almond milk (several times), dehydrating everything that I could find growing around here, and then squeezing in canning some more peaches and jam, I never left the kitchen. Funny...I don't remember the vacations going quite like this. ;-) It is amazing how much more food I am able to store for winter with the dehydrator. The girls are loving the fruit roll ups and all the many fruit chips I have been experimenting with. The almond milk was a total flop...until I figured out the right way to use it. It has been turning out so well, that I am having a hard time keeping up with the constant demand for it.

So thankful the girls are excited about this whole process too! We found great deals on strawberries and bananas this week, so when exhaustion set in, I finally let the girls practice their kitchen knife skills. I could use the help. But I warned them,  I was not dressed for a trip to the Emergency room, so if they got injured, they would have to wait for me to make myself a little more presentable. :-o They surprised me at just how good they were at their task.

With all of this food preserving going on, it is not only me that isn't looking presentable. Oh No. The kitchen just about looks like a bomb went off in it every day, and if it wasn't such a tiny kitchen, I am not sure I would have been able to find the sink.

Well, I did find the sink, and it's a good thing, for I remembered I had carrots that needed to be canned.

Who would have thought that cluttered kitchen counters could be so exciting?

Around the farm

Peaches! 

 Blackberries preserved for fall and winter baking.

 The log pile is getting bigger.

 We were so excited to harvest grapes this year. I know you can buy them at the store, but there is something so exciting about picking them right out of your back yard. We have seven vines, and they started producing for us this year. :-)

We have had several lazy porch days!

 Of course there are always eggs,

and this sweet little lady that offers to gather and wash them for me.

This momma deer, along with her two little sweeties,

 have been enjoying the bounty of our farm this year.

 All because this little sweetie has decided to take up "deer watching" instead of  "deer chasing".

That's okay...I like to watch them too Clover.

Just wish we didn't have to watch them eat all our yummy stuff!

Adventures in mint

I have always enjoyed growing mint, probably because it is almost fool proof! I love brushing up against a patch of pineapple mint on the way to feed my bunnies. Or filling a vase full of all the different "flavors" that I have growing, and decorating the kitchen table with it. This year the girls have "discovered" how lovely it can make their room smell, and have been clipping it and keeping it in bowls beside their beds. Even with all of those ways of enjoying the mint, I have still been left wondering what else we could do with it. I have just about every mint available for growing around here. I have chocolate, spearmint, peppermint, pineapple, apple, and lemon. Anyone who has ever tried to grow mint before knows just how well it takes off over. I have some patches that are so large I actually mow them with the rider mower, to keep them from engulfing my whole yard. :-) So, I have been reading up on ways to use it.

Mint jelly was super yummy, especially when spread on crackers with cream cheese.

I was reading in my new soap making book about all the yummy smelling soap recipes that you can make with dried mint. I read in my homesteading book about different types of teas that are made with dried mint. I am not sure when, or what, I want to try to make with the mint next, but there was a common step that all of them had. Dry the mint. So we did. :-)

 We let it hang to dry for about two weeks.

 Then the girls went to town crushing it...

And then putting it in jars. 

This was such a fun little project that took very little time, and no money. That makes it a winner in my book for sure!

Snack time

Snack time is one of the "things" that I know will happen everyday. Not just once, but three times. The princesses' tummies are like clock work, and everyday at 10:00 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., you can bet you are going to hear, "I'm STARVING"...even though they could have just eaten thirty minutes before. I have learned that I can dread this ever persistent chore, which I usually do, or plan/ prepare for it. I have even made it an "activity" at times, that way I can knock out craft time too. ;-)

Apples are yummy, 

but so much yummier if you get to bob for them!

And who wouldn't think that a box/clubhouse would be the perfect spot to color the day away, all the while partaking of much needed nourishment. :-)

Or you could make a boat out of aluminum foil,

 And see how many goldfish you can pile into it before it sinks.

Or how about heading out to the garden

 and seeing what you can find to decorate a left over pancake? (can this be considered art for the day?)

Even though all of those "ideas" were received with applause and gratitude,

one of the most loved snack times...is anything that can not be considered healthy. I got this one covered too! 

HONEY GLAZED SNACK MIX

Printed from COOKS.COM

---

4 c. Corn Chex or Crispix
1 1/2 c. mini pretzels
1 c. walnuts or pecan halves
1/3 c. butter
1/4 c. honey

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine cereal, pretzels and nuts. In saucepan over low heat, melt butter; stir in honey. Pour over cereal mixture; toss to coat. Spread on 15"x10" jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until glazed, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly, spread on waxed paper. Cool completely. Makes 8 cups. Freezes well.

Since I am a cook who believes in using what you have instead of running to store for every little thing, I varied this just a bit. We had fruit loops, organic peanut butter cereal and of course mini marshmallows. I just waited till the mix was cooled just a bit before adding the marshmallows.

I know, I know...it's not healthy. Hey, they had apples the other day. ;-)

Blackberry time

It's blackberry time!! Our property is chock full of the prickly blackberry and raspberry bushes, and they are finally ripe! Sweet Man drove the girls and I to our biggest patch, so we could harvest away. He had to focus on his college class. That is where a laptop comes in. ;-) Everyone should get to further their education in the shade of deep woods!

While he was busy studying, we set off to fill our buckets.

Everyone was so "in to it" for about the first half hour. After that the younger two lost interest pretty quick. I decided to tell them the story of the little Red Hen. You know, the one where she tries to get helpers to plant the grain, water it, harvest it, grind it and then finally bake it. No one would help and when it finally came time to eat it everyone jumped up to have a yummy bite. She then asks, "who helped me plant it, water it etc.?" Since none of them helped her with it, they were not given any to eat. I thought I did a marvelous job telling this story to my girls, all the while filling my bucket. I was quite pleased with myself, thinking I was teaching them a wonderful life lesson, when Princess #3 looks at me and says, " That's OK, I don't even like blackberries." Geez, what a tough crowd! :-o They ended up playing in the back of  the truck, while Princess #1 and I continued on with our "job."

I am trying to figure out just how much studying was being done back at the truck. ;-)

We had full buckets and scratched up arms and legs, so we called it a night. We got to take the beautiful drive back to the house.

I am going to can a majority of the berries to be able to use them throughout winter. But blackberry muffins just sounded so wonderful, for an early morning breakfast to be enjoyed on the porch, with my coffee and my dog.

 On second thought, I guess I'll share. ;-)

Wordless Wednesday