# Singles Monthly Homesteading Thread - October 2015



## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

I separated my garlic into cloves getting ready to plant it. From now on out I will be harvesting it in the middle of June or that's my plan. I had a lot of it rot this year. I put all the bad gloves in the compost area and covered it with compost just to see if it will come up. I hate for it to go to waste.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

Rain and wind kept me inside this weekend. 

I made stock from this past week's roasted chicken.

House smells good now.


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

I almost forgot...I filled the incubator with 25 eggs today too.


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

tambo said:


> I almost forgot...I filled the incubator with 25 eggs today too.


What a coincidence....I filled my incubator today also...
Trying to hatch austra white hybrids from leghorn hens and
Black rooster....supposed to lay cream white eggs..

Fall hatching will be a first for me....not sure how it will work out
in the Northland...met a guy who does it successfully here.
October hatchlings would start laying before next fall, which is what
I'm aiming for.


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

Today, I tilled the last of my finished compost into the garlic bed for planting next week. Garden's almost done. The last of the bell peppers came in today, but those tomatillos are still bearing. I have 11 lbs in the freezer so far! Still getting hot peppers too. Lots of jalapenos, and there's two strings of cayenne peppers, each about 2' long, hanging in the kitchen. I'll probably have to start a third string.

The next couple of weeks are going to be dedicated to clean up and fall tilling. I'm going to try Austrian field peas for a green manure, cover crop this winter. They're cold hardy, and I read where you can use them for salad greens too. I'm letting my pole beans dry on the vine for planting seed; greasy beans and purple pod pole.

I have a bunch of basil still growing. Both Genovese sweet basil and Dark Opal purple basil. I've asked around to see if anyone wants some, as I have over two qt jars of each dehydrated and ground up already. We don't care for pesto here, so that's out. I don't want it to go to waste, so I figured, "Heck, give it away". I can't believe the amount of people who don't use herbs in their cooking. Or don't even know what basil is.


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## Echoesechos (Jan 22, 2010)

Been cleaning flower beds out. Front yard is edged and cleaned up. Back yard is about half way as of today. Then it's on to the veggie beds. Going to haul off all the debris when done. 

Excited I will be a goodly bit ahead next spring. Looks like I've been in a war though. Bruised and scratched up everywhere. Lol

October is my squirrel month. The gotta get it done month. Think the cooler temps get me extra motivated. Not sure why the picture came up sideways but can't fix via my iPhone


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

sustainabilly said:


> I have a bunch of basil still growing. Both Genovese sweet basil and Dark Opal purple basil. I've asked around to see if anyone wants some, as I have over two qt jars of each dehydrated and ground up already. We don't care for pesto here, so that's out. I don't want it to go to waste, so I figured, "Heck, give it away". I can't believe the amount of people who don't use herbs in their cooking. Or don't even know what basil is.


I hear that Basil makes a good tea, and has some good health benefits. If you are into tea, you might try that.

Mon


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

frogmammy said:


> I hear that Basil makes a good tea, and has some good health benefits. If you are into tea, you might try that.
> 
> Mon


Yes it does. I drink it sometimes. Although it doesn't taste like it, it puts me in mind of a good cup of broth. It has a savory tone, more robust than other herbal teas, to my taste buds. A lot of herbal teas have a delicate profile and, while I like them, I can only take so much of that. I first learned about using basil for tea while reading the Jean M. Auel books in the "Earth's Children" series. 

The only problem with drying even more of it is that all of my hillbilly dehydrators are solar. And, I've learned that trying to dehydrate with them at this time of year results in moldy herbs; too cool at night and not enough sun during the day. There is the oven, so we'll see.


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

Have you tried basil tea iced? I haven't, but I'd kill for a glass of iced peppermint/spearmint tea, and while I love hot mint tea, I'm not inclined to kill over it. LOL!

This is the first year in probably 20 that I had only ONE herb growing. I've *always* had a mint or two, lavender, and rosemary....and then add ons like basil (one plant lasted 6 years!), lemongrass, thyme, cilantro, a curry....anything that is good for tea, cooking, or smells nice when the dogs brush against it! 

Mon


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

frogmammy said:


> Have you tried basil tea iced? I haven't, but I'd kill for a glass of iced peppermint/spearmint tea, and while I love hot mint tea, I'm not inclined to kill over it. LOL!
> 
> This is the first year in probably 20 that I had only ONE herb growing. I've *always* had a mint or two, lavender, and rosemary....and then add ons like basil (one plant lasted 6 years!), lemongrass, thyme, cilantro, a curry....anything that is good for tea, cooking, or smells nice when the dogs brush against it!
> 
> Mon


No Mon, I've just had it hot. I bought some peppermint this spring. Because the mint family cross pollinates so easily, I try to space all my mints far apart. I have chocolate, spearmint, peppermint, and two species mints. One is a fuzzy leaved variety. I had orange and pineapple mints too. But they died over winter two years ago. 

I have less herbs growing than I used to. This year there's basils 2 kinds (multiple plnts), oreganos 2 kinds, Italian parsley (5 plnts), 4 lemon balm, bee balm (or Monarda/bergamot), chives, cilantro, thyme, sage, catnip, and mullien. Plus lavender, chamomile, yarrow, and dill.

There were a bunch that either winter killed or the chipmunks ate the last couple of years. Lemon thyme and a variegated oregano, a rosemary and a pineapple sage, sweet marjoram and sweet woodruff, stevia, and a curry plant.

I planted some of them along the front walk, and in pots on the deck, so people could smell them coming up the walk. I like the added attraction of aroma that growing herbs gives me.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I bet that fuzzy is the apple mint. it's my favorite along with pineapple. pineapple doesn't always come back in the spring for me either. I drink mint tea all summer but have never had it cold. still growing here so i'll try it. the apple mint is lovely for garnish etc. ~Georgia


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

It might be Georgia, IDK. Though I don't remember ever buying any or getting any given to me. I remember it has a very light scent, not as strong as the species/common mint does. I'll check it out tomorrow.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

It's getting cooler here now 60-70 at night and 80-90 during the day. YaY for cooler mornings!

A few weeks ago I located someone that is replacing their wood privacy fence so I got all set up to make garden boxes. Made one and a half before I swung the baby sledge on some pickets and a wooden post dropped on top of my foot.

Right on the bunion! Oh the pain! :grump: So I still have 1.5 garden boxes 2 weeks later. I think this weekend I've healed up enough to see if I can injure the other one 

On a better note, my 20 something daughter and her boyfriend that came down here as refugees are doing well. Both had jobs within a month both have been promoted already.

I also got a raise (annual cost of living) and am looking at a promotion soon I think. I should be anyway, did all the things and have a meeting with the director, it better be good news lol That was a lot of hard work.

Officially I got a year older on Sunday and had a great day with a few friends, exactly what I needed after a couple of stressful months. Everything is coming together quite well, no real complaints other than I'm not in Wisconsin and don't have a garden and it's so damned hot all the time lol


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

WhyNot said:


> It's getting cooler here now 60-70 at night and 80-90 during the day. YaY for cooler mornings!
> ...
> 
> I also got a raise (annual cost of living) and am looking at a promotion soon I think. I should be anyway, did all the things and have a meeting with the director, it better be good news lol That was a lot of hard work.
> ...


_*Well, Happy Birthday, young lady!*_
:birthday:

'You've come a long way, baby', may be corny, but _you_ know it's true.

​


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Plugging away at the backlog of bird processing....
Got 4 more ducks plucked and eviserated for freezer camp.
The Pekins weigh 7 lb dressed, and the hybrid others crossed
Harlequin/Swedish/Pekin come in at around 4 to 5 lb...just right
for the single table fare....with the dog getting her favourite
Necks to chew up!


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## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

I've been busy hanging out with my mom this past week, and prior to that, I was busy getting ready for her visit. We had a great time doing just as we pleased -- which admittedly didn't have much to do with homesteading.  But we did take a little trip up to Mt. Hood, and I got a couple pics I thought others might enjoy seeing.

First pic is a view of the summit of Mt. Hood:












Second pic is also the summit from another angle. It shows Palmer Glacier, which is easily seen from Timberline Lodge. Both pics show it, but the second pic shows it better:












Last is a shot I took of Mt. Jefferson to the south of Mt. Hood.












It's a lovely spot to visit if you're ever out this way.


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## Twp.Tom (Dec 29, 2010)

I learned how to make traditional Swedish flatbread (Tunnbrod), at the local community 'Bakstuga". My Swedish friends instructed two Syrian refugees, and myself how to mix,roll,and bake- it was a lot of fun. We can rent the Bakstuga for 100 kronors/day (about $12), we must supply our own wood for the oven. Renee and I will be returning, to try some serious production/bread baking!


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## reneedarley (Jun 11, 2014)




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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

I am at the cabin buttoning it up for the winter and just in time too. Snow predicted for sunday. Tomorrow my SIL is coming over and we are painting the bathroom. I will post pics when I get home.


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

Nothing exciting as Tom, Renee or Raven but TCS had their fruit trees on sale. I bought 3 Cortland apple trees, 3 peach trees, 2 fig trees and 2 more blue berry bushes. Nothing like retail therapy to make you feel better!! :dance: Just kidding feel kinda relieved!!


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Tom/renee
I found the flatbread making very interesting. I bought a cookbook on making lefse flatbread. I do make a flatbread but not true lefse. We like it. I have not baked breads since my hands got bad, arthritis.


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

Just a picture of spoils as a benny from what I do. 7 Round bales ( heavy bales 1800 plus) that I covered lightly with composted products. I've got another 40 ton or so of round bales to get. I carry 7 home with me when I'm in that area, just cuz of overhead clearances.

Scraped down to the bale this afternoon. it is hot enough you can't hold it in your hand!

I'm new at this. I hope I'm keeping them wet enough they won't self ignite?


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

I planted another 170 cloves of garlic today. I did a double row instead of the 4 row bed I've been doing. That is 330 cloves in the ground if they all come up.

I took my tractor cylinder in to be repaired Thursday. I got it back the next day. I bought new hoses and got it back on the tractor today. So good so far.... no leaks. I did the reinstall by myself!! :bouncy:


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Busy week at work last week....hunting season, hunters, ammo,
guns and accessories at the workplace.....now having few days
off homesteading vacation of sorts....processed more birds outside
on an unusually warm mid October day....gotta keep at that the
next couple days yet.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

did quite a bit of yardwork yesterday and today. brought in all my antique cans , pots etc. sorted out the 2 sheds so I could store them in there as opposed to my craft room . covered some extra bags of soil in plastic for spring. taped up some vents with duct tape that I didn't need to blow open this winter. have to disconnect my hoses yet. 

mounted my brass bell on the brick wall that I have been wanting to get at for years. some people don't like brass but I do. the guys on Homesteading questions told me how to do it ages ago but I just lately got everything I needed. he's small but he's heavy! I'm going to put a red plaid bow on it for Christmas. pretty well got everything battened down now. good thing too. we had frost last night. I got the furnace blasting right now. all I got to do is line up someone for snow shovelling although I heard we were going to have an easy winter. I like to prepare for the worst though.~Georgia


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

Got back today from closing the cabin up. It was cooooollllld up there. Yesterday we got a flurry of snow and today it was 29* I sure enjoyed it.

Painted the bathroom--only been meaning to do it for the past 10 years. Some vacation pics....


















Before shot of the bathroom (pardon the mess please)









And afters (the color is subtle--a light sagey green with a lot of blue in the tone)


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

cleaned up a bit again this afternoon. put a new mat on the step. hope it doesn't put people off. it's just for fun. most people that come here know what I'm like anyway. ~Georgia


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

LMAO, I like it! 
That's funny Georgia.


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## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

sustainabilly said:


> LMAO, I like it!
> That's funny Georgia.



I want one !


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

We had 1 1/4" of rain Wednesday, so I've kinda been shut down. Had a bud come in to do some business, from Kim, which is a tiny little burg south of here. I ran with him to do his business, and then we stopped for a beer bout lunchtime. Needless to say, the rest of our day was consumed, and a part of the next in recuperation.

Heavy dews every morn have kept things from drying so I can make some dinero.
Been busy here though. some things I would rather procrastinate about, and put off cuz I can find other things I'd rather do. I've got wood cut, brush piles burned, compost pushed up, odds and ends from my fencing project cleaned up, metal targets cut out and hung (pistol), and even did some shooting this afternoon to avoid doing book keeping. I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!!! I hired it out this year, but it's not working the best, and I need to go back through the summers billings and bank statements/deposits, cuz it just ain't adding up quite right in my empty gourd.

Made a trip to buy some grub this evening, and being hungry, everything seemed to call to me. $180 for a single guy is quite a bit over usual, but I did buy a lot of meat. Deer is bout gone, and I love pork, and hamburgers! Don't even venture to look at steaks.

Bought a pork loin with ribs that I seasoned up, wrapped in plastic, and will throw in the smoker tomorrow morn. Bud from Kim will be in with his GF. I think mine quit on me? Havn't heard from her since we spent the day in the bar, except for a mean text.

Maybe I'll start calling her Hillary, since she wants to rule the world?


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Candled out my clear eggs from the incubator....40 eggs 
look potential for hatching, they are starting to pip and chirp...
Odd for me, as it's the first attempt at fall hatching ever...
Not even sure it's a good idea, but gonna give it a go. Next
Step is brooding...shouldn't be much different than early spring
With heat lamps in cool basement....then, the challenge is
Getting them feathered for the cold weather transition.
Part of the 'planning' as mentioned in another thread.
Postponed my vacation days to early november....still lots 
Of outside stuff to be doing.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Today I thought I would treat myself to a day off, and only work on the things I wanted to do! I have been working hard and I am a bit tired.

Nope.

I went to balance the checkbook so I knew where I stood financially, and I'll be darned if there is not some stranger writing checks on my bank account! :flame:And, since it is Sunday I cannot hop in the car and run to the bank and have them fix it. It looks like the clerk from the dollar store copied my check and then altered it so that she could sign it herself. She wrote 3 checks on my account: a bit over $400 worth.

Now I am grumpy as well as tired. 

Tomorrow is another day: I will feel MUCH Better by tomorrow afternoon! 

Tonight we ate green beans from my garden and a rice and hamburger dish. The garden looks terrible but it is still producing well enough so that we do not have to buy vegetables unless we want to!

DS, who helps me in the garden, has been looking at apartments. Soon I will be an empty-nester, though at least my son intends to stay in town! My daughter moved to Nebraska, so I am pleased my son wants to stay in town at least!


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

Terri said:


> Today I thought I would treat myself to a day off, and only work on the things I wanted to do! I have been working hard and I am a bit tired.
> 
> Nope.
> 
> ...


_Not Like
_
Dang Terri! That bites. I sure hope you burn that clerk down for it.




Terri said:


> Tomorrow is another day: I will feel MUCH Better by tomorrow afternoon!
> 
> Tonight we ate green beans from my garden and a rice and hamburger dish. The garden looks terrible but it is still producing well enough so that we do not have to buy vegetables unless we want to!
> 
> DS, who helps me in the garden, has been looking at apartments. Soon I will be an empty-nester, though at least my son intends to stay in town! My daughter moved to Nebraska, so I am pleased my son wants to stay in town at least!


_Like_

No killing frost yet? So strange how zones and frosts work sometimes. I would've figured your area would get one before mine. We had our first killing frost about a week and a half ago. Now, it's clean up time for everything dead...if this rain ever stops, lol.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

sustainabilly said:


> _Not Like
> _
> Dang Terri! That bites. I sure hope you burn that clerk down for it..


I just got back from the bank, and they said I will get the money back. They think it might be related to some mail that went missing a couple of months back, so it might not have been the clerk. Still, I think I will use cash at that store from now on.




sustainabilly said:


> _Like_
> 
> No killing frost yet? So strange how zones and frosts work sometimes. I would've figured your area would get one before mine. We had our first killing frost about a week and a half ago. Now, it's clean up time for everything dead...if this rain ever stops, lol.


 It frosted today. 

The key for us is whether the storms that blow through here every Fall are big one or little one's, and mostly they have been little ones this year. I don't know why! This is a great time of year for the cabbages: I have no heads but there are a lot of big beautiful leaves that I can use in stir-frys and such!


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

my son came in this morning and brought some more pine and whatnot for my decorations. we trimmed the hydrangea tree in front . it was practically in the front door. wish I had thought to take before pics. not worth taking after now. suffice to say we trimmed the tree down to about a 1/4 the size it was. remains to be seen how it will turn out next year. I'm quite pleased though . no trouble on the walkway and steps getting around now.i didn't even have to dispose of it. he put it all in his truck.

I also got my sliding doors to my closet fixed, a new dryer outside vent put on and screws replaced in the retaining wall light fixtures. very productive day. sent him off with an apple pie and cream to go with it. tomato bread, poor cakes and a pot of fish chowder. after that I raked the leaves and swept the front walk. needed to do that because there will be crowds passing by tomorrow on the way to the cenotaph. ~Georgia


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I ordered a coffee table for my family room downstairs yesterday. wont get it until first week in February by the time they build and stain it. 320 with delivery. could have gotten one just a few blocks away but they want 700 for one not as good. this is pine. all I had there since I moved here was an old one belong to Andrew. threw that out last month. I'm using a rubbermaid tub now with a cloth over it. can't really tell the difference just by looking. thought I would have it by Christmas. oh well i'll have it for Valentines day I hope. have another lovely one with Victorian style legs but that is upstairs in the living room. still looking for an old sewing machine to turn into a table. ~Georgia


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

*Made it to mail box. Got my bank statement and okay but one check was not on there. Mailed so late I guess. The bank cut off date is end of the 6th of month. They changed the format and the date. I do not care for the new format or the date.*

*I cooked kettle of soup the other day and need to freeze part. Meal size portions for me. Thawing piece of pork steak for supper. *

*Still snow out here going pretty good. Went to Vernal Thursday and no snow there. It was nice to be out of snow for a few hours. *


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I don't want to see snow Colorado . we had enough of that last year to last us a lifetime. it was 15C here today and yesterday. if this is the el nino there're talking about. I say bring it on. I painted the rest of my upstairs bathroom today. had some Elegant Ivory leftover from my bedroom so used that.didn't turn out too bad I must say! 

went out in the shed to look for moulding for my mirror and happened to notice the window in my craft room. there was a hole between the window and the basement wall. I shoved steel wool in until I can get my son to look at it Monday. might just need caulking. supposed to be good weather for a few days. ~Georgia


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