Hillbilly Hen House

 The recent days have been in the high 60's and low 70's, up until Friday.  We dipped just a hair, and the rain moved in.  The rain did not stop me from working on the new coop.  I've dubbed it the "Hillbilly" hen house, ha ha!  We've had to do some crazy work in order to make things work with what we have.  Nothing seems to come together straight, nor level, but it's getting done.

I decided to do things a big backwards, but it's a race against the clock with painting trim.  Instead of waiting for a day to measure and cut the trim, then paint it, I just painted what we had.  I can touch up later, but it's painted now, before the weather gets too cold.  The weather is quickly changing here.

I bought my husband that wrist wrap that is on his wrist. It is magnetic and holds the screws for him.  Now he needs a carpenters apron and/or a tool belt.

Chickens Carving a Pumpkin

 

We gave the chickens a pumpkin from the garden, and scratched the surface to get them to start carving it.  At first, they were not sure about the pumpkin, but by day two they were enjoying it.

Stocking Up ~ Freezing and Dehydrating ~ Herbs ~ Bag Holding Hack (if you have a jar lifter for canning)

 

Our last 87°F day was yesterday.  Woke up to find one of my older hens has passed away.   We are on the downward slide to cooler weather, with a pretty chilly weekend coming up.

Feeling a bit better, I took advantage of the heat, and washed bed covers, bedding and other laundry.  I mostly washed the large bed covers, so they could dry outside.  The bedding smelled so good too!  

Someone else wanted to enjoy the sunshine.

I even unpacked (and washed) our holiday bedding, which I forgot about, and had not used for 2-3 years or so.  I mentioned it to my husband, and he was all for using them the next few months.

Okay, now on to other happenings here. . .

I don't see the price of any culinary herbs and spices going down any time soon.  I am busy putting my herbs into storage for winter/spring.

Bag Holding Hack:  Use a jar lifter to hold your freezer bag in place while you snip away or fill your bag.  I used a quart freezer bag in this photo.  Worked great!  I haven't tried this with heavier fillings, but if I do, I will update.

I dice and freeze my green onion and chives.  These two do not dehydrate well.  They just blow all over inside your dehydrator.  Trust  me on this, as I have tried it.  I am freezing these two in freezer bags this year, due to freezer space.  Otherwise, in the past I have used freezer containers.

I am dehydrating sage, yarrow, spearmint, peppermint, and more oregano, and thyme.  The peppermint this year is limited, as the plant is not that big.  I have my mints in pots this year.  I have yet to convince my husband for a medicinal/wild growing weed garden somewhere around this homestead.

My cilantro has gone to seed, so I am saving the seed.  My outdoor basil is still going strong, so I have taken a cutting for propagation, and the same with parsley.  My dill has also gone to seed, so I am saving dill seed as well.  Not one store in our area sold dill seed (for culinary uses).  We had to travel 3 hours to the Amish area stores to find any.  I will be sure to dry as much of our own as I can.

Mullein that grew up in a flower bed, but has not gone to seed/flower yet.  I will harvest it before our fall frost arrives.

I have been making notes in our garden journal, on new herbs to grow next year.   A few that I used to grow and for some reason just didn't get them planted, like Tarragon and Marjoram.

Weather Heats Up ~ Hot Peppers ~ Eggs ~ Boiled Eggs

 It is tough getting the day started this week.  The cooler weather, just screams "sit, sip and enjoy the morning while you can" and then I delay the day ha ha ha!  It's worth it, as we are heating up now to the 80's again.  

I picked all of the hot peppers that were on the plants.  I don't think we'll get  anything more, as this could be the very last warm fall week we have this season.  There were zero Anaheim  peppers, two baby hot banana, no serrano, and just these jalapenos.  Not enough to can hot pepper jelly this year.  I could buy extra from a farm stand, but I decided not this year.  I will freeze these remaining jalapenos, and keep a few for cooking this week and next.

If you read yesterday's post, I forgot to pack my husband's breakfast for the day (2-day's prep in photo).  I decided to use up some of the smaller eggs, from the newer laying hens, and scramble them.  I added them to his breakfast (and mine).

I put some of the larger eggs in the fridge a few weeks back, and got those out to boil.  There are people who raise layers, and still do not think they can boil their own eggs.  You can, but you have to let them sit a week or two (in the fridge) before boiling, or they will not peel for you.  Also, I put the saved eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature before boiling them.  I do not add anything to the water.  If you want a boiled egg, and only have fresh eggs, you can poach your egg for the same taste.

I add enough water to cover the eggs about 1 inch before I set the pot to boil.

They boiled up perfectly, and I used some for egg salad, and save some for slicing on sandwiched or for snacking.  I sometimes like a few boiled eggs for a quick breakfast.  The chickens are earning their keep.

Tomato Days! ~ Littles are Laying ~ Zucchini Pizza Bites and other Tidbits

 Welcome to Crazy Lady's Kitchen, where the days start with tomatoes, and end with sauce anything!

My Weston sauce maker waste funnel broke!  Of all the wrong times to happen.  The funnel is a think plastic one, with plastic tabs to attach it.  It broke before, and they were out of stock for over a year.  I saved my old one, and hold it on, but now the price to replace it is a whopping $21.79 with shipping.  

I'm looking into getting a different food strainer/sauce maker.  What is the brand you all use (for those who have one)?  If I have to replace the funnel every year, I might as well look into a better overall sauce maker.  I use it to make applesauce too.  

We brought in another 80 pounds of paste tomatoes.  I canned pizza sauce, and taco sauce.  I've been crazy busy, with long days in the kitchen.  Top that off with doing all the dishes, and trying to keep up with normal housework, including laundry!  Yikes.  Let alone the mowing.

I apologize if you emailed me.  I have not had a second to read them, and it's either that or I plum forget with the crazy kitchen-ness!!

I managed to get one bell pepper into our dinner, but I have all of these to either freeze or eat.  I'm hoping for some stuffed bell peppers soon.

Breakfast has been simple.  I baked these eggs and ham cups in parchment this time, and they came out of the pan much, much easier.

The "littles" are laying now.  I am happy that most of them are laying them in the roosts too.

I made zucchini pizza bites with home canned pizza sauce.  I used instructions for baking at 375°F, but will try other ways such as higher temp and/or using broil method.  Zucchini is slowing way down for us now.

We finally found a cucumber salad we love, that uses Greek yogurt vs. mayo.  I'll be back to share that soon.  I just have to get this mountain of paste tomatoes off the tables and out of my living room first.

Just the Bits

Our egg basket has been looking a bit empty lately.  I have been using them a lot more, so I hope the newbies start laying soon.

The garden is producing, but the red raspberries don't look that great this year.  The blackberries are loaded, so I'm hoping my bird netting will keep the birds out.

It is such a relieving, happy, and glorious feeling to walk out and pick something fresh, and not have to get in the truck and drive to the store and spend hard earned money on our vegetables.  I am already making a list of what to plant next year  (for one, adding English type cucumbers, if you have a favorite organic/heirloom variety please do share).  If things go good this month, we may have new raised beds built for fall planting.

I tried a new recipe to accommodate zucchini into our meal - Roasted Chickpea Salad.  Recipe is online with Green Healthy Cooking.  I made my own homemade ras el hanout seasoning (no sugar) using a recipe online from AllRecipes.  Although, homemade is easily done and less expensive, the real seasoning contains many more ingredients like ginger.  

We really liked the new recipe, and it uses 2 zucchini in the recipe.  I thought it would be too much for the two of us, but it went fast.  I may be looking for a resource for the organic seasoning, or just stick with homemade.  A great way to use up seasonal zucchini.  Oh, and this salad can be a main meal or side dish, and eaten hot or cold.  Add salmon or other meat if desired.

(source:  Vita-cost)

The recipe called for farro, and it was completely out, so I used quinoa in our salad.  I'm wondering how the Jovial einkorn wheat berries would taste in this recipe.  I have yet to even try these.  I have to order them online, as our stores do not sell them.  

Has anyone tried these?  Do you like the taste?  How do they compare to farro?  Any good online resource other than Vita-cost?  They are $5.99 plus shipping in their online store.  I don't place an order until I have a discount code with free shipping involved (and a list of re-order items to re-stock).

 

This and That ~ Score at the Store

The heat continues.  We had a high of 92°F, so I was out pretty early to water the gardens.  My sprinkler decided to work when it wanted, so it has to be replaced now.  It will not rotate all the time, and handling the hose to water everything is a 2 hour job.

I let the chickens out pretty early now as well, put frozen water bottles in their watering units and then later re-do it again when the heat hits the worst.  Let's just say, there is no porch time going on right now.  We could use a nice breeze.

We had some excitement in our parts.  Two inmates escaped the jail in my hometown.  I was on alert, and yesterday they caught them in a town I go to often.  Anyway......

I'm finally all caught up with dental appointments.  It took them a month to get my permanent crown done.  Glad that is all over with.  I went in for a cleaning, and they found I had chipped a tooth, which ended with 4 total visits.  I went ahead and booked my next cleaning, as they are booking almost a year out.  I'm not kidding either.  

I went into town to get new hand weights, and a few other things, and came home with these beauties.  I bought three for the flower beds (perennials). I may go back for at least one more.  I have always wanted to add "blue" to the flower beds.

I also scored some good deals I was not looking for.   First, 2# organic ground turkey for $3.49.  I cooked them up, and froze them for this next week.  I also got 3# organic baby bella mushrooms - all dehydrated.  I paid $1.34/a pound for the mushrooms.  

I finally got my eggs boiled.  I have a dinner dish to use them with, and I wanted them on hand for snacking.  Now I need to start stashing more fresh eggs in the carton for the next time, but they are not all laying in this heat.  One is slacking out there.

It looks like we will have to replace our main AC.  We are hoping it will last this summer, but the buttons on the front will not work anymore.  Thankfully, I found the remote that went to it, so I can at least change the settings from that.

I found a recipe book with Mom's notes on it.  There are a few strange ones that I will try soon.  By strange, I mean different.

Book Finished! ~ Just the Bits

 First, I was in a book funk, where I have not been wanting to read at all.  I used to LOVE to read.  I'd fit it in anywhere I could.  

One of my cousins recommended reading "Atomic Habits" as one of two books she mentioned.  I bought both. 

My goal was to read 2 pages daily.  Small habit to start, but showing up to read made it a good habit. 

I was pretty impressed with this book.  There are some powerful quotes, so it's just not that same ol' self help type book.   If you want to get back to good habits, or ditch bad habits, this book is for you.

I haven't started the other book yet, but when I do, I will update on that one too.  Atomic Habits was highly recommended, and is a great book to take a review of your daily life.  We all need a review every once in a while.

It's day 11 of no rain.  It's great to dry laundry on the line, but I'm running that electric bill back up with the water pump, by watering what we did plant.

I'm glad we didn't buy annual flowers (yet).  I'd be watering those daily right now.

I've come to accept we just won't get everything planted in the garden.  I'll be going to some Farmer's Markets.  I have a bad feeling the voles got my 100 spring planted garlic cloves.  I dug into one grow bag and found one clove.  I plan to dig up the rest to concur that is a fact or not.

I finally finished painting kilz on the upstairs larger room.  I'll be moving on into the smaller room next.

I finally got someone to drive out here, and help get one AC unit in.  At least part of the house feels much better.  I am patiently waiting to get the upstairs one installed. 

We are on day 9 of my husband's double shift hours.  Every day he says it's the last, and then there is another.   There is hope that it will get back to normal soon.

The heat here is no joke.  My chickens have been panting.  I had to chip ice for them, and today will take frozen water bottles out to put inside their watering units.  

My husband had me order two solar motion activated rodent repellers.  They send off a sound to repel rodents such as rabbits, skunks, raccoons, squirrels etc.  He's feeling badly something got my bell peppers and hot peppers, and he can't help me get the fence up yet.  The units have been delivered, have been charged, and I will update on if we have anymore activity in the garden.

I had another "wing it" Wednesday dinner.  I loaded this up with lots of vegetables (onion, bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini), herbs from the herb garden, a bit of kale and spinach (because I didn't have enough kale), home canned tomato sauce, quinoa pasta, and a small bit of Monterrey jack cheese.  So good!  Oh, and I used ground turkey for the meat in this.  I really like this pasta too.  I does not get mushy like most chickpea pastas do.  Unfortunately, it's is also not sold in stores around here.  It's sort of a "treat" for us here lately.  It's on the re-order list for now.

Sprout Jar/Rack/Tray Kit Update

 

You can go to my post HERE to see the jar/rack kit I purchased.  I bought it on Amazon, but can't remember the brand etc.  Anyway, I love this set!  The jar lids are wide lids, and fit any wide lid 1 quart jar (came with 2 as well).  The lids have groves to hold the jars sideways, which is needed to keep the jars drained between daily rinsing, and the tray underneath is perfect to catch any drips.  I had been using a kitchen towel.  Anyway, this was the next day after soaking and rinsing day 1.  Works perfect, and no hassles trying to balance the jars on the counter.

This was 2 days after initial soaking.  By the way, I soak for the first day, rinse and drain for the night.  I rinse daily.  I will be sprouting some microgreens for us soon using these.  Current sprouts are lentils, I sprouted for the chickens.  I take the black out cover off to rinse, then wipe the jar and cover again.

Day 3 after the initial soak and drain.  

Day 4.  All ready to feed to the chickens.

Just the Bits

 The weekend was a busy one for us.  There was garden prep (needed weeded/tilled), dropped off donations, ran errands and started to build raised beds.

Put the new chicks in with the hens.  They are getting along.  There were a few pecks and that was it, but the chicks are not smart enough to use the ramp to get back inside for water and food.  I have to put them back in several times.  They will figure it out.

Some of the flowering bushes we planted last year are blooming now.  All of the flower beds are weeded, other than one rose bed.

Should-a, Could-a, Would-a. ~ Raising new chicks

The Should part:  I should have waited to get chicks after we built the new coop.

The Could have:  I could have had electric hooked to the coop, and no dust in the house.  Our garage is not heated, so their make-shift brooder is in the utility room with a heat lamp currently.

The Would have:  I would have had a brooder inside the new coop, making the transition much easier to introduce them to the hens, and again, no dust and mess in the house. 

If you follow my blog, you already know that a few years ago, there was a massacre in the original coop.  It was inside a barn, but after 12 years, raccoons and opossums, ripped holes in the chicken wire (rookie mistake in the beginning, don't ever use chicken wire), and killed more than half the chickens and all of the roosters.

A friend sold me this coop for $75.00.  It worked, but has no ventilation, I have to crawl inside to muck it, and the roosts are on the floor, so we had to install plastic roosts higher inside for them.  Feed and water is an issue with this coop too.  The windows do not open, and it's a hot house in the summer.  The sides do not open from the top to get eggs (which makes no sense to put them at the floor of the coop either).  Chickens like to roost high.  Laying eggs on the floor would encourage egg eating.  The entire layout of this coop make no sense for a proper chicken coop.  Anyway . . .

I cannot wait to get started on the new coop.  We are currently trying to see if the corners of the cement slab behind it (currently covered with trees, rocks, over grown wild growing things the birds planted) will have even corners to work with.  Crossing our fingers it works for the new build.  

Back to the title of this post....I have to get the chicks introduced and I have a smaller kennel that will fit inside this coop (for now), where I can introduce the chicks and keep them safe for the meanwhile, and get them out of the house.  Whew.  I will just pull the plastic tray out at the bottom.  Anyway....got it figured out for now.

 

Garden Harvest Tip and other ramblings

 

I like to dice up jalapenos I freeze from the garden, but the tip below is an idea to keep fresh peppers fresh, after harvesting.  Anyway, this breakfast had a lot going on in it.  I had a red bell pepper, bacon, a few sweet potatoes, onion, leftover pesto, eggs, jalapeno, and fresh green onions from the herb garden.  Delicious.  No recipe.  I just tossed it together.

As we near garden season, here is another tip I learned (America's Test Kitchen):

(source:  America's Test Kitchen)

I did not know this.  Typically, we either eat, can or freeze as we harvest, but at the end of the season this could be useful.

My husband has not had a day off for 2 weeks now.  Not even weekends.  We cannot wait for that schedule to end.

I have switched gears, and started to go through all the crafting supplies that were moved out of the bedroom closet.  There is a lot to go through.  

Tough decisions on what stays and what goes.

There is nothing going on in the garden currently.  I'm waiting on my husband's crazy schedule to end, before we purchase solar electric fencing.

My front flower bed is full of purple dead nettle.  Part of me says harvest it, the other says look away.

Einkorn Waffles ~ Purge/Extreme Clean Update ~ Spring Flowers

 

There is so much going on here right now.  Crazy busy with purging and re-organizing a lot of "stuff" in our closet.  I decided to take a slower morning, and tried Jovial's Einkorn (recipe is on their website) waffle recipe that uses yogurt in the recipe.  I had to use more dishes than I would like in the morning, but they were good.  They turned out nice and fluffy, but need cooked about 1 minute longer than traditional recipes (or they will be doughy in the center).  Delicious!

We are going through every single tote that was in the closet.  Together we emptied 5 totes (so far).  I am washing them out and putting them aside for now (I may be able to use some for yarn).  We will not get rid of them for sure.  They are too expensive to buy right now (like about everything else).

We are once again having wonderful weather, and the spring flowers are blooming on the homestead.

Update on the chickens and barley grass.  They don't seem interested in it.  They like the lentil sprouts the best, but all chickens are different.