First Chicks of the Season

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Several weeks ago Brooke got out the incubator and prepared to fill it with the first batch of eggs for the year. Trying to gather enough eggs was a little slow going at first. The weather was super cold during that time, so it was very tricky trying to get the eggs before they got too cold. Brooke would run out to the coop every half an hour starting in the morning until early afternoon, or until the eggs were gathered. At the time her group of chickens, which has 5 in the group, were only averaging two eggs a day. Between the chickens not laying any some days to the eggs getting too cold by the time she got to them, it took her a week to get nine eggs. Out of those eggs there were a few that were questionable on being too cold, but she decided to go ahead and use them.
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The First Kids Have Arrived!

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Well, Saturday night I thought for sure we’d wake up Sunday morning with some new kids in the barn. I got up early Sunday morning and saw there were no kids yet, so I let Sugar back out with the other goats. The rest of Sunday and all day Monday we checked… and we fretted… and we wondered… and we checked… and we paced… and we checked…. then we checked… and we…. well, you get the point. There were still no babies yet.
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Surprise in the Garden

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Last year when we planned our garden, Miley told me she really wanted to try to grow carrots. I have tried growing them, without luck, once a long time ago and I don’t know why, but I never tried growing them again. So when Miley asked to grow carrots, I said, “Sure, why not!” Along with carrots, we also decided to grow radishes, spinach and lettuce.

I bought several bags each of compost and top soil, hoping that if we made a thick heaped row of it we wouldn’t have so many weeds. She and I worked hard dumping the dirt and forming it into a nice heaped up row. Then we planted our seeds and watered them in. The next day we went out to the garden and discovered our nicely mounded up row leveled and scattered everywhere. The chickens had gotten into the garden and totally ruined the whole thing. Miley was upset and I… well let’s just say those chickens were lucky they could out run me otherwise we would have had lots of chicken stew to eat… and I don’t butcher chickens… but that day I sure would have!
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Lazy Times Will Soon Turn Busy

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Winter, it’s that slow time of the year around here. Especially this winter, it feels like it’s gone on forever. Since we downsized the number of animals a lot before this winter arrived, it’s gone especially slow. In a way it’s been nice to have a break, but I do have to admit I’ve gotten a little lazy… well more like a lot lazy. We started a new routine where Dylan opens the coop and lets the chickens out every morning before work. That way I can wait until later in the morning to go out to feed them their soaked grain and give them water. The hydrant is sometimes frozen shut early in the morning so it’s easier to water them later in the morning. Since I don’t have to go out early anymore, I’ve been taking advantage of that and sleeping in. Yeah, I’ve gotten pretty lazy but let me tell you, it’s been pretty nice.
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Prepping the Garden for Winter; Better Late than Never

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Oh, how the weather has been so nice! If only it could be like this most of the winter, I’d be so happy! Since it was so nice out I decided it would be the perfect time to get out in the garden and prep it for winter. Yeah, over half way through winter and I’m just now getting it prepped for winter. Better late than never, right? I’m attempting to try the no-till method, so I really should have gotten it all cleaned up in the fall. But at the time, everything was producing so well that I couldn’t bear to tear it out. Then once frost came, it was too cold to go out and clean it up, plus I was just done with the garden and needed a break so I left it. Luckily with this nice weather, I’ve had a chance to get it done before spring.
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Found an Egg How?

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Oh, those chickens, they just love to hide their eggs. It feels like we’re always celebrating Easter because each evening when we gather eggs we always have to go on a big egg hunt. Lately one of the hens’ favorite spots to hide their eggs has been in the large bale of hay we use to feed the goats. Since the bale is in the other side of the barn opposite where the chickens live, I always wait until morning to gather the eggs from there. When its dark out and the howling coyotes sound like they’re in the field right next to us, the last thing I want to do is take time and go over to the dark, creepy side of the barn and dig through the hay with a flashlight looking for eggs. It’s creepy for sure!
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Our Indoor Garden

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Being able to grow vegetables year round is a fun project to do, especially during those dreary, drab, cold winter months. There’s just something about watching plant sprouts appear through the dirt, grow, and bloom that helps get us through the worst part of the winter until we can start growing things in the garden again. From growing plants on a window sill to building a walipini, there are a lot of options when it comes to growing vegetables year round. The most interesting to me is using a walipini… oh, how I’d love to have a walipini!  A walipini is an earth sheltered green house. It’s built into the ground, and then covered with a plastic sheet roof to allow the sun in. They are more efficient to use than a regular green house because the earth absorbs the heat from the sun, which keeps it warm through the night. I’ve read they also maintain an even temperature through the summer months, so they can be used to grow year round. Imagine a garden where you don’t have to worry about weeding or bugs during the summer and can continue growing through the winter too… that would be amazing! Building one just might have to be a future project but we need to do a lot more research on it first.
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What’s That in the Vinegar?

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The other night after I tucked Miley in bed and the older kids headed to bed, I decided I needed a little drink before I went to bed. As I was trying to decide what to drink, I saw the apple cider vinegar sitting on the cabinet and decided that it sounded good mixed with a little orange juice. I like to drink a little of it every once in a while because it’s supposed to have some good health benefits. Also, surprisingly, it’s pretty good mixed with a little orange juice as long as I don’t get the vinegar part too strong. As I picked up the bottle and glanced in it, I noticed a layer of white, slimy looking gunk on top. I was thinking “Eeeewww!” so I dug it out of the jar to get a closer look.
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Fermented Sauerkraut

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Well, you remember that big jar of fermented pickles I made before New Year’s? The one that I was thinking would last us at least through the end of January? Well, it barely lasted 2 weeks before it was gone. Yeah, those pickles were that addicting. Other than being all out of pickles it’s really not a bad thing they’re gone. Actually it’s a really good thing we devoured them considering all the health benefits that come from eating fermented vegetables. (Here is a link to an excellent article explaining more about the benefits and how to of eating fermented foods.)  Another good thing is it means I get to make more! I always find fermenting fun, plus it’s educational and interesting for the kids to watch the foods change as they ferment. It’s a science experiment that ends with something yummy to eat!
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