Hawks and Barn Repairs

When I went outside to assess a barn repair, I noticed a few hawks flying low.  I had my camera with me, but I am still not good at catching a good photo of one.  I guess I keep practicing.

 Before Repairs

We not only got these repairs completed, but repaired the bottom split door hinges on the goat barn, and one gate lock.
Now we need to build the top split door and the side door for the goats, and then tackle the new coop for the barred rocks.  

My husband was driving home one day and saw this roost sitting outside on someone's property.  I guess this person also sells other used items.   My husband snatched this up for $20.00.

Today we fixed it up a bit and it's now in with the barred rocks.  As along as we have 2 roosters, they won't get along together in the same coop.  Once we get the new coop built, we can move them from their temporary (night time) coop.

More Tomatoes

Our pantry was blessed with 4 1/2 more quarts of home canned tomato sauce.  This time I did not add any of my larger tomatoes.  I used all Roma tomatoes and my kitchen smelled so good.  I use the seasoned tomato sauce recipe in the Ball canning book.

Pickled Hot Peppers

~Pickled Hot Peppers ~

This is the recipe I used, only I did not have any serrano peppers.  I simply used thick cuts of banana pepper and one cut jalapeno pepper to each jar.  We have not tasted them yet, but hot to in a week.  We like to let it sit and allow all the flavors to permeate for a few days before opening one and tasting. 

Note:  We took one reviewer's tip, and added the peppers to the jars first, then added the boiled liquid into the jars.  Hubby may be trying these today even though it's only been about 2 days.  I'll update you on the flavor.

UPDATE: These had a good warm flavor with the jalapeno in the jars.  They are soft, not like crispy cucumber pickles.  They are good alone, or added to other recipes or sauces for flavor.  I definitely would add the peppers to the jar first, or you will have mushy peppers (if you boil them for 5 minutes per the original recipe).

Pioneer Living Link

While reducing my tomato sauce, and cooling my slaw syrup, I found this Web site on-line. If you are a survivalist and you read my blog for frugal living tips, learning to be self-sufficient and preparedness, you'll love it too.

Pioneer Living Survival

Canning and Eggs ~ Editor of My Writing

Last night, as I was taking clothes off the line, I looked out at the garden.  I forgot to check on my cauliflower and cabbage.  I walked over and found 2 nice heads of cauliflower ready to harvest.  I also found 1 head of cabbage ready.  Back inside I went, and started searching for recipes.  I already have a basket full of green beans, the last of the potatoes, and some organic bacon for dinner tonight.  I needed a way to preserve or store up the cabbage.

Visit back to see what we decided to make with both of them.  I'm busy cutting up tomatoes for another batch of tomato sauce.  I ran out of onions.  I went to the garden, and begged the earth to give me just a few more, but we have used all that we planted.  Next year, we need more. 

While hubby is out buying me more onion, I will finish cutting up the tomatoes.  We were surprised that the produce stand, just down the road, does not have onions.  We use onion and garlic in many of our homemade dishes.

As for the cauliflower, I may use it for dinner tomorrow. I'll figure that out later.  However, we nibbled on a bit and it has a lot more flavor that what you find in stores. 

My son has also been caretaker of the chickens lately.  He's brought it to my attention that I need to make homemade noodles and an angel food cake too.  The barred rocks are laying eggs like crazy now, but they are half the size of the red hen's eggs.  

I am having my 12th grade daughter edit my writing.  She absolutely loooooooooves to edit.  She can't stand it when the local newspaper has errors in it.  She is also co-editor of the school newspaper this year.  YAY!  I've been sooooo tired (physically) that I've not been thinking straight. If I make a mistake, I know that she will find it.  She has a natural "knack" for editing.

Canning Tomatoes and Peppers ~ Going Coo Coo!

Canning is a lot of work.  Phew!  With all of our tomatoes this year, I am very busy canning today.  I can tell you that canning tomato sauce, although lengthy and tedious, was well worth it.  The taste is unbelievably better than store canned sauce.  I canned mine as seasoned tomato sauce, and plan to be doing that again tomorrow.

As for today, I was successful in canning my first tomatoes ever. 

We Were Gifted and More Repairs

Co-workers of my husband's, have gifted us with garlic (homegrown), and jalapeno peppers.  We made 3 quarts of hot salsa with both of those.  We plan to plant some of the garlic very soon also.

We were also gifted some sweet corn.  We cooked it last night and the leftover was cut off and added to crock pot Spanish Rice (also made with fresh garden goodies and my very own tomato sauce).

Repairs and repairs.  They don't seem to stop, so I want to learn how to fix them myself.

Recently, one of the head lights in my van went out.  I told my husband, but he's been busy every night with more urgent repairs, that it didn't get replaced.  One night he was driving to a nearby town, he was stopped by the police. 

The next day he bought a new headlight, and I asked for him to teach me how to change it.   He showed me how, and I helped.  Next on the list is how to repair my windshield wiper spray nozzle.  It's not spraying out on the driver's side and it's driving me nuts. 

Oh, and as for playing hookie, I did get 500 words written.  It's not a lot, but it's more than any other day lately.  I also took a short trip to buy a few more flour sack towels.  I found some on sale for $2.70 (for a pack of 3).  They are not perfect in any way, but that's why I like to embroider on them.