Homesteading food... raising, growing and making our own

One thing we don't have to worry about on the homestead is food. We know how to grow it, where it comes from, what it eats, how to garden and in the end, how it is butchered. 

Today I was getting lamb ready for the weekend. It is thawed...

It looks fresh and not gray like meat in the store. 

We wash all our meat after it is thawed.

Then soak it in milk overnight to get any mutton taste it might have out (haven't tasted it yet).

We get eggs daily. Technically, they can stay out on the counter since they aren't washed. But I wash them up. 

And put them in the frig. The numbers are for freshness. Eat the lowest number first. 

Our herbs are beginning to peek through. 

Later I went out to check on our new chicks.  Yes, I had a partner.  Norman insisted on bringing one of his new toys. 

The new layers are doing great. I hope to put leg bands on them tomorrow or this weekend by the latest. It will help later when we need to figure out who is not laying between the older hens vs. the younger ones (they will have the bands on them). 

These are the meat hens. They look very healthy and happy. 

Then back in the house to wash up (always , always wash up after being out with chickens!)

Bread needed to be made ...oatmeal bread this time. 

It turned out good.  It is a thick hearty bread. 

Next I needed to make chicken salad before heading to work.  I found this recipe here . It is a French chicken salad from an 1800 recipe, over 200 years old.

With our own parsley, it was fantastic!

It was all about the food before work today. Tomorrow I will cook the lamb so we will have it for the weekend , despite it being a meatless Friday. 

peace

Spring has sprung. Time to get in the greenhouse.

Wednesday... already and the second day of spring!  Great weekend seeing the musical Hamilton and having our Eggstravaganza party, yesterday was Grandma Day. We  watched and crafted Paddington  Bear ... today it is back to work on the homestead. 

We have a dozen hens and are getting eleven eggs a day.  We butchered the roosters at the beginning of winter. It produced a calmness in the hen yard.  The girls are all happy, humming as they lay eggs. 

I washed the eggs , made breakfast and emptied the dishwasher. The goals for the morning before heading to work were greenhouse, card wool and spend time with the dog. 

Greenhouse ... with a beautiful spring morning sky. 

Ugh, what a mess.  Well, simply dig in and begin, right? I turned on the timer for an hour so I would have time for at least the wool later. 

A mess every where. 

Something or someone even got into this bag of seeds. 

I got to work. Norman, the dog, played outside the greenhouse while I cleaned. I did get some cleaning done.  Tomorrow I can find the warming mats, containers and decide what seeds I want to plant. 

And clear out the beds to get them prepared. 

What I am reading. 

Next, I was able to card some of my wool.  I love to card wool. 

This is Wilbur's wool. 

This is some alpaca I had.  

I put it through a few times. It turned out beautiful.  May spin it this weekend or make wool drier balls. 

Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays are meatless days. I made a lentil salad for lunch. 

Used leftovers from the vegetable platter from the weekend party.

Turned out good with garlic, onions, lemons, olive oil, pepper flakes, and balsamic vinegar. 

It was time to get ready for work. I didn't have time to really spend with the dog.  On my dinner hour I went to the store and got him toys so he would quit stealing pillows and blankets. 

He immediately knew they were for him. 

Norman loves fuchsia colored things!

I'd say someone is very happy. 

Until tomorrow... 

peace

Movie and a Craft Day

Today is the first day of spring and it is gorgeous here.   It is time to take advantage of every sunny day that I can ...plus the vitamin D is great for your mood, so is the soil and exercise. It is suppose to be warm this week, so, I went out to see what needed to be worked on. Definitely need to clean up the greenhouse. 

First on the agenda is getting ready for Tuesdays with Logan. We have a movie and crafts. Today is Paddington.

So I gathered my homegrown mint tea and some tea strainers. 

Next it was marmalade time. I decide to make a marmalade called Sunrise Marmalade with carrots, lemons and pineapple from this book I got free when buying a canner.

I found a really cool Paddington  craft here and gave it a shot. Looks like a 5 year old (and a grandma) could handle this one.  Plus she has a lovely accent to go along with our theme today. 

We had teatime before bed. This was all new Logan. He learned how to make mint tea from the garden. 

Next up, trying the marmalade. 

All in all a good day. 

Peace