# Singles Homestead Monthly Thread-June



## elkhound

well lets see what we all can do this month...last month was a wonder amount of work done by all here.


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## Qhorseman

May is behind us. It doesn't seem like the year is about half over already. The spring is passed and the dog days of summer are ahead.


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## Qhorseman

elkhound said:


> well lets see what we all can do this month...last month was a wonder amount of work done by all here.


LOL, we posted our threads at the same time.


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## elkhound

Qhorseman said:


> LOL, we posted our threads at the same time.


now thats funny...great minds ya know...:gaptooth:ound:

mod terri or shrek...delete my thread since we got 2 of them....please


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## rkintn

The rain we have gotten the past couple of days has really made mygarden take off! So far, we have harvested squash and zucchini!


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## homefire2007

With June here, I know strawberries can't be far behind. Got a letter in the mail saying the landlords will be raising rent by fifty dollars again. Second time in two years. I am so ready to move. My youngest son has two more years of high school and I really don't want to jeopardize that by moving out of the area. I just need to grin and bear it. I'm going to pressure can ten pounds of pinto beans tomorrow. I think I've watched enough how-to youtube videos to confidently proceed.


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## City Bound

I could not fit a gallon of home made mint tea in my fridge so on a whim I put the tea in the kitchen sink and filled it up with cold water. Woke up this moring and it was still cool and refreshing when I pulled it out of the sink. I guess you can call that an urban spring house.


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## rockhound

CB~ If you cover the jar with a dish towel so that it stays wet, the evaporation will keep it a few degrees cooler.


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## City Bound

I will try that next time rock. Maybe a cooler with water in it would work also.

Towels work good for keeping food warm. Sometimes I put hot food in a bowl cover it with a plate and then wrap it in a towel and it stays warm for a long time. Soup also, cover the pot with a lid, toss a towel over it and leave it on the stove top. Eat warm soup at whim for hours.


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## cindilu

This weekend is about deep cleaning/summer cleaning my house and school. 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Childrens-Garden-Preschool-and-Daycare/166007376762072

I am deep cleaning the school room in preparation for the summer program that I am putting on. Took today off so I could do a three day weekend cleaning job. Still had two parents show up with their kids. They forgot. So here is to a three day weekend and a house that is officially ready for summer time.


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## NewGround

Or we could double post everything and have twice the bacon, LOL...


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## newfieannie

i haven't done anything outside today except water. been baking most of the day. rolls,lemon loaves, carott cake etc. my mower is ready and i plan to go to the country on sunday. this food is for my son. i'll take the camera and see if i can get some pictures if i get any work done. it's still cold here. needs a jacket on. should be good for mowing though. ~Georgia.


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## shanzone2001

This month is get my life organized month...I need to sort through and donate or throw away the stuff that makes me feel cluttered.
I am trying to go with the "less is more" philosophy and be as minimal and organized as possible.

Other than that, I want to get a few more fruit trees in the ground, play with my dehydrator and food sealer, and become really good at cooking in my dutch oven...I bought a tripod so I can to use it over a small fire.


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## Terri

June is the month when I harvest salad greens and water everything!

The chicks are now pullets and have been added to the laying flock. I MIGHT have them laying next month, but they are not at this time.

And, I am getting more eggs than the family is using right now. The thing about teens is that they scarf down HUGE amounts of a food for a while, and then they refuse to eat it!!!!!!! 

Ice cream recipes call for egg yolks. Perhaps I should make ice cream, as well as angel food cake from the egg whites. Otherwise they will go to waste!


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## shanzone2001

Terri, do you have dogs? My dogs LOVE eggs and they each get a few every day.


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## Tommyice

Nothing done here today (except I went to work--does that count?) Came home to find a cool present on the patio.

















I'm thinking of putting it on casters and turning it into a planter box. Do you think I should treat the inside with something or line it so it doesn't rot. It's about a foot deep, maybe a little more. Then I just need to decide what to put in it. Think it would make a good box for experimenting with potatoes? I've never grown those before. Or maybe more carrots.


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## shanzone2001

Or a little herb garden?


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## Terri

I have never tried my dog on eggs: I will have to!


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## Tommyice

shanzone2001 said:


> Or a little herb garden?


Oooh I like that idea. I've already got the Simon & Garfunkel herbs growing elsewhere....so which ones now. Oh the possibilities.


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## City Bound

Cool box Leslie.


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## maverickxxx

Well my big thing for this month is to continue to master cooking over open fire in my fire pit. So far I've smoked a brisket cooked lasagna calzones made my special version of homefries an all the usual cooking over fire stuff hot dogs burgers steak etc. Also made pasta salad potato salad.


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## newfieannie

i was thinking of getting 2 boxes like that to put out on the median. i had been using pots but these look better. wall mart had them for around 30 each. i was waiting until they went on sale. last year i planted flowers and herbs . if i got those boxes i was planning on lining with plastic to make them last longer. ~Georgia.


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## Raven12

Tommyice said:


> Nothing done here today (except I went to work--does that count?) Came home to find a cool present on the patio.
> 
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> I'm thinking of putting it on casters and turning it into a planter box. Do you think I should treat the inside with something or line it so it doesn't rot. It's about a foot deep, maybe a little more. Then I just need to decide what to put in it. Think it would make a good box for experimenting with potatoes? I've never grown those before. Or maybe more carrots.



Here is an idea. Cut one or two large holes in the bottom. Treat the wood. Buy a plastic container bin to fit inside the box. Cut one or two smaller holes in the bottom of the plastic bin. That way the water doesn't sit on the bottom of the box or touch the wood and you have drainage.


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## Tommyice

Now all I have to do is find a container to fit.LOL I'll look when I go to the hardware store for casters.


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## shanzone2001

Tommyice said:


> Now all I have to do is find a container to fit.LOL I'll look when I go to the hardware store for casters.


Or you could use clear plastic....


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## Raeven

Did someone say bacon!!?? (Odie Smile!!!)

I'm tired. Spent the day doing fence repair and moved baby chicks out to their permanent home in the hen house. I released the new pigs out into the open pasture today and crossed my fingers they'd stay put. They did -- they seemed like they were in hog heaven, if you'll excuse the expression! They put themselves away into their holding pen in the evening. I love them!!

Llamas are still nervous around them and are keeping well away. The stupid pea hen is wandering around the pasture. No sign of her mate. Maybe the cougar got HIM. I'd be ok with that.

Time for a celebratory glass of wine and a long shower!!


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## City Bound

I used plastic in a few of my containers, it works. 

Leslie, look in a few dollar stores for coasters. I found two dollar stores with nice metal ones for a buck each.

I paint the inside of most of my containers, it is not the best method, but it is ten times better then doing nothing.


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## shanzone2001

Raeven,
Next time I raise a couple of freezer pigs I want to put them in the pasture. Sounds like you have a great system there with the pasture and holding pen...pictures?


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## City Bound

Friday night slug and snail hunt. 

Killed ten slugs, seven snails, and four caterpillars. Found a slug destroying one of my poles beans that was coming out of the soil. Found three dark caterpillars on my comfrey plant, they had almost eaten the whole thing in a few days.


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## Tommyice

:smackGreat now I've got too many options.


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## City Bound

Tommyice said:


> :smackGreat now I've got too many options.


"Use the force Leslie Skywalker, use the force. Feel what the box truly wants to be. Be one with the box. Be one with the box's transformation. The force will guide you."


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## Raeven

shanzone2001 said:


> Raeven,
> Next time I raise a couple of freezer pigs I want to put them in the pasture. Sounds like you have a great system there with the pasture and holding pen...pictures?


Shan, I will see if I can get some tomorrow. Every time I think of it, the @#$#@!! camera isn't charged up or some such... I still owe some pics of the piggies themselves, Mr. Milo and Ms. Vera Wang. I've put the camera on the charger tonight and resolve to take some tomorrow, along with current pics of the holding pen/pasture areas.

Here are some older pics of the pasture area and the holding pen.

Pasture area:










The holding pen is to the right, out of the picture, about 200 feet in front of the barn and further right of it. It's fenced with net fencing, barbed wire at about 6 feet, electric inside the rim at pig nose height. The shed is inside the pen.

Here's a pic of the shed inside the pen:










I'll get some more as promised.


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## Qhorseman

City Bound said:


> I used plastic in a few of my containers, it works.
> 
> Leslie, look in a few dollar stores for coasters. I found two dollar stores with nice metal ones for a buck each.
> 
> I paint the inside of most of my containers, it is not the best method, but it is ten times better then doing nothing.


If its a ''two dollar'' store, how can it be a ''dollar store''  LOL


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## shanzone2001

Raeven, your set-up is just stunning!!!


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## Raeven

Thanks, Shan.  We did just fall in love with it... I'm very happy here! Wish my husband had lived to enjoy it for longer.


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## shanzone2001

Raeven said:


> Wish my husband had lived to enjoy it for longer.


I do, too. =(


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## Tommyice

Raeven said:


> Shan, I will see if I can get some tomorrow. Every time I think of it, the @#$#@!! camera isn't charged up or some such... I still owe some pics of the piggies themselves, Mr. Milo and Ms. Vera Wang. I've put the camera on the charger tonight and resolve to take some tomorrow, along with current pics of the holding pen/pasture areas.
> 
> Here are some older pics of the pasture area and the holding pen.
> 
> Pasture area:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> The holding pen is to the right, out of the picture, about 200 feet in front of the barn and further right of it. It's fenced with net fencing, barbed wire at about 6 feet, electric inside the rim at pig nose height. The shed is inside the pen.
> 
> Here's a pic of the shed inside the pen:
> 
> 
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> 
> I'll get some more as promised.


Those are some lucky pigs. That place is beautiful.


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## WhyNot

City Bound said:


> Towels work good for keeping food warm. Sometimes I put hot food in a bowl cover it with a plate and then wrap it in a towel and it stays warm for a long time. Soup also, cover the pot with a lid, toss a towel over it and leave it on the stove top. Eat warm soup at whim for hours.


I realize that what I am about to say might be regarded as a "party pooper". And I'm pretty sure could be met with a whole host of, "We've done that for generations and no one got sick". I understand that, however, every time I see this sort of thing I feel obligated to issue a warning. It must be that mother side of me. That....and I know what food poisoning feels like...and it is HORRENDOUS and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Leaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 Â°F and 140 Â°F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 Â°F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour. 

Now that I feel like my personal and professional obligations are fulfilled, you may now go back to your regularly scheduled, "I've always done that and no one died" programming.


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## Tommyice

WhyNot it sounds like you've got a ServeSafe Certification.









If anyone wants learn more about food safety (storage, prep, symptoms of food poisoning and all the dangers) get your hands on the Nation Restaurant Association's ServeSafe Certification study guide. Great resource to have in your kitchen. 

And to quote WhyNot "Now that I feel like my personal and professional obligations are fulfilled, you may now go back to your regularly scheduled, "I've always done that and no one died" programming."


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## WhyNot

Technically it was still May. :shrug:

Last weekend the kid and I went camping.

Path to the lake









FIRE!!!


















We roasted weinies and had beans










And...fried mozzerella sticks


















We whittled









And played with dogs









And hiked









**Nevermind the date stamp...I never bother with it...it's perpetually 2005 in my world.**


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## WhyNot

Oh for the record...my daughter does carry a pocketknife...a brass studebaker pocketknife...because she's classy.


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## City Bound

Whynot, is that you or your daughter in those pics?


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## City Bound

Went out for a few more slug and snail raids when the rain started last night. In total I killed up to 30 snails and 20 slugs. The baby slugs are hard to see because they are so small. I left the slugs and snails dead on the concrete or on the soil to compost and to be taken away by ants.


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## WhyNot

My daughter


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## elkhound

added 10 more fruit trees on my list of chores...half priced too...apples and pears.and a few more buckets of strawberries too.


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## City Bound

Doodle gave me this pickled egg recipe in last months single homestead thread and i tried it. They just finished today and they are OK. They are 10,000 times more edible then the pickled eggs I made in pure vinegar. The vinegar flavor in the recipe was strong but not too strong. I added salt to the egg when I was eating it and the salt was totally drowned out by vinegar.

I think this recipe is a good base to start with then one can add whatever spices they like. I think if they are going to have any flavor other then vinegar the amount of herbs and spices needs to be abundant. The next batch I make I am going to pack it with herbs. 

Pickled Eggs II Recipe - Allrecipes.com


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## newfieannie

this is the back of the house where i plan to have a small secret garden. i've got the new fence right on down to the street but i had a little gate put across down by the end of the house. not much room between me and the neighbors.

that older fence is his and i wanted to make a new one all the way up but afterwards he said he didn't know i meant i would pay for it .what a dummy he is! wouldn't have taken much for the men to extend it while they were at it. i wont bother anymore. i do love his kids and wife. anyway i plan to put up some sort of movable something there in additions to all the plantings. i plan to have more birdhouses,lots of flowers etc. like i have on the front.

those are my plants in pots along the side. potatoes,cauliflower ,peppers etc.some of that stuff goes planted elsewhere. even have stuff planted in a bag of soil. i can see that turning into a lovely little private area before long. there was nothing whatsoever in this spot when i came not even grass. the basement wall was a dirty white. i'll get another pic next year this time(if we are all here ) and see the difference.~Georgia.


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## Qhorseman

rkintn said:


> The rain we have gotten the past couple of days has really made mygarden take off! So far, we have harvested squash and zucchini!


Is'nt zuchinni squash?


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## Tommyice

Georgia what a great spot for a secret garden. But I think you're missing something. You need a dog rolling around on that beautiful lawn.


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## Tommyice

City Bound said:


> "Use the force Leslie Skywalker, use the force. Feel what the box truly wants to be. Be one with the box. Be one with the box's transformation. The force will guide you."


I've decided it's going to be home to Top Hat Blueberry bushes. Last week, made blueberry muffins. I want fresh blueberries in the backyard.


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## newfieannie

that's interesting leslie. it's only lately i have been thinking about getting a small dog. i haven't had one since mine died just before my first husband passed. i'm heading up now to get my grub and whatnot ready for tomorrow. i'll have to leave early because i have about 4 acres or so to mow. pull some brush around and whatnot. have a mug-up(that's a lunch) by the pond.(by the way. i have the cell phone now) supposed to be a good day for working. ~Georgia.


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## barnyardgal

got front porch stained~


















got garden weeded~









got rabbit hutch built~









put plastic underneath rabbit pen to catch poop/pee for the compost/garden/flowers~


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## barnyardgal

mulch is down~


















more mulch & waterfall is going~


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## elkhound

barnyardgal..........wow wow....super nice.


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## doodlemom

How to Make Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Product Usa sells their full pound of madagascar grade b extract beans a dollar cheaper on amazon. Peppermint 1 cup crushed to 2 cups vodka. 1 lemon's/orange outer yellow/orange part zested per ounce of vodka.


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## Tommyice

Do you make the mint and citrus ones the same way and for the same length of time as the vanilla?


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## katydidagain

I have potatoes up along with red onions. I have seeds for special green beans (45 days) I don't want to plant here; I am so trying to move to Atlanta where there are jobs in my profession it's not funny but apparently not yet. If I have to spend another winter in Brrrhio, I'm buying a gun and going shooting. For the moron with the French saying in her tagline--"I'm gonna get a couple of ducks--don't worry about me."


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## doodlemom

Tommyice said:


> Do you make the mint and citrus ones the same way and for the same length of time as the vanilla?


30 days yes


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## shanzone2001

Barnyardgal...love the "poop catching" idea! Seems way easier than shoveling like I do! Beautiful pictures!


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## Qhorseman

You don't need to compost rabbit manure. You can side dress it right into the garden.


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## NewGround

doodlemom said:


> How to Make Vanilla Extract
> Vanilla Product Usa sells their full pound of madagascar grade b extract beans a dollar cheaper on amazon. Peppermint 1 cup crushed to 2 cups vodka. 1 lemon's/orange outer yellow/orange part zested per ounce of vodka.


You do a lot of stuff with vodka, hmmm... LOL


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## NewGround

barnyardgal said:


> got rabbit hutch built~
> 
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> put plastic underneath rabbit pen to catch poop/pee for the compost/garden/flowers~


Keep us updated on how the poop catcher works...

I am planning my rabbitry now and I am thinking of something like a hardware cloth poop catcher sloped front to back with a liquids catcher under that similar to yours...

If that doesn't clog up, what you're doing would be easier... A few decades since my last rabbit experience but I remember that stuff gumming up pretty bad...


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## WolfWalksSoftly

One could come up with a little more advanced design and Market it as the "Super Dooper Pooper Chute" for those that want to get their Poop together!


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## Ramblin Wreck

I'm just busting my buns on the weekends around here as I'm working away from home during the week until the end of September. Yesterday was mostly pasture mowing, but I did make a run to the feed store to get some cattle panels and a bag of laying pellets for my brother. To avoid doing lawn chores (would take most of my weekend time), I hired my niece who was recently laid off from Lockheed to cut the grass. She and her Mom (my SIL) also wanted to tackle the clean up of the feed/mechanical room at the barn. My younger brother and I could not believe how they turned that sow's ear into a silk purse. The Ag Coop delivered/distributed some fertilizer last week just before two rains, so hopefully the hay fields will be "jumping" in the next week or two.

Not getting as much done around here as I would like, but doing what I can with the time that I have.


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## Raven12

Terrible weather today (off and on rain). Good for the garden but not much else.


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## City Bound

HEading over to the pow wow. hubba-bubba! Hubba-bubba!


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## Raven12

City Bound said:


> HEading over to the pow wow. hubba-bubba! Hubba-bubba!


The pow wow?


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## doodlemom

NewGround said:


> You do a lot of stuff with vodka, hmmm... LOL


My mother and grandmother never drank. My grandmother had a half pint bottle of whiskey for the parakeet when the parakeet was coughing she made an extract. The parakeet got better. My mother made Kaluah for a gift when I was 5 years old. In the 70s there was no internet and you had to go to the store to buy vanilla beans. The nearest store that had vanilla beans and the price of them she commented. Making extracts is just a frugal family thing lol.


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## Tommyice

City Bound said:


> HEading over to the pow wow. hubba-bubba! Hubba-bubba!





Raven12 said:


> The pow wow?


[YOUTUBE]1SuDA61tkv8#![/YOUTUBE]


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## homefire2007

Went to the grocery store and bought ten pounds of hamburger meat on sale. Washed clothes at the laundromat and took recycling to the bins in town. Back home and looking at all the clutter.....sheesh, where does it come from? Youngest DS has a nasty cold and I'm going to baby him today. Between work and school I don't get much time with him. I've got a boatload of books I'll put on Freecycle. I am tired of 'stuff' and want to pare down as much as possible. Between me and the kids, you can barely navigate. Can you tell I'm a wee bit exasperated?


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## Raven12

15 min ago...










...maybe not so good for the garden.


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## Tommyice

Parallel universes here Raven. Just started thundering. Sure wish I could send some of this rain to someone who needs it.


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## homefire2007

Raven12 said:


> 15 min ago...
> 
> 
> 
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> ...maybe not so good for the garden.


I guess not!! That stuff may be headed our way. Hope your garden makes it okay!


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## Raeven

Wow, what the hail!!!


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## Qhorseman

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> One could come up with a little more advanced design and Market it as the "Super Dooper Pooper Chute" for those that want to get their Poop together!


Check out Bass Equipments website, they sell equipment for commercial rabbitry's and kennels. They have what you are thinking of.


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## Raven12

Raeven said:


> Wow, what the hail!!!


Lol. Oh yeah. I lost two peppers. One was my favorite. Good thing I've got back ups.


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## Laura

Logging will start this week, full clearcut. The mill wants the timber as soon as possible. Ugh! I have a lot of work to do! Fencelines have to come down. I need to put together a firewood crew that won't annoy my logger so the slash piles will be managable.

Friday I put on the Sergio Valente suede power suit, taped designer shoes to the bottom of my feet, grabbed the matching purse and headed to town to speak at a meeting about the problem of the federal presence in our area. Another UGH! Amazing how clothes make a difference. All those people wouldn't be shaking my hand if I'd shown up in my Carharts.

Afterward I went to the bar & grill for a good burger. Gotta love logger/cowboy/Indian/biker bars! Harrass the bouncer, threaten to kick his butt, remind him he only likes the job because he loves Wild Women. It's true! I ended up diffusing a couple of situations before the bouncer needed to jump in, let him know of another one brewing on the other side of the place. He stays busy. I got hit on by a logger kid 30 years younger than I. That was sweet...and icky. I sat with the Rez Women and had a good time.

I didn't find firewood cutters.


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## tambo

I moved the chicks to a bigger pen. They are not really chicks any more but I put them in a pen next to my big pen so maybe the big chickens and the new chickens will be buddies when I move them in there. LOL 

Sprayed some roundup. I also tilled the garden and planted some more potatoes. I don't know if they will do any good because I planted them where the others where planted and they were some I got at the grocery store a while back. The sack said all purpose/utility so I took that as seed potatoes. LOL They were all starting to sprout so we will see. 

It was so hot out and I forgot to wear my hat that I wet my head using rain water from the wheel barrel. I thought about the cowboys using the horse trough because the water was clear but there was dirt in the bottom of it.

Sorry Elk no pictures. I know I'm a bad girl. 

I picked some blackberries and have a blackberry crisp in the oven now.


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## WolfWalksSoftly

Tommyice said:


> Sure wish I could send some of this rain to someone who needs it.


You can send it my way, it looks like we might get some stormy weather. I hope so, might get up on the roof and watch.


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## JohnnyLee

doodlemom said:


> ... Making extracts is just a frugal family thing lol.


Hmmmm. That's what Hank says...

[youtube]IHjaW9sXl7s[/youtube]


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## doodlemom

No offither I wasn't drinking. I just had a salad Whiskey Recipes - Whisky Salad Dressing | Whisky Boys Whisky Blog..... some steak VODKA MARINATED STEAK | Recipes | Nigella Lawson spagetti..http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vodka-sauce/....and a piece of cake
Golden Rum Cake Recipe - Allrecipes.com


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## doodlemom

On a serious note if you would like to make peppermint oil just heat up some vegetable oil between 150-175f and pour into a jar loosely filled with peppermint squeezing out any air and wait a month. You can use it for candy making, soaps,toothpaste,sore muscles,nausea,rodent,ant,bat repellant and a bunch of other stuff.


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## WhyNot

Other than the camping trip, I could regale you all with what I have been up to the last few weeks. I've even got before and after pictures of everything that I've built, rebuilt, fixed, painted, planted......but you know what. I'm exhausted.

My new life is calling, has been calling, been screaming...and finally it is come. I'm packed. I'm assuring myself I'm ready. As I came in tonight and started stripping my work clothes I had a tickle on my arm. Love granted me a two hour conversation with this amazing creature.










Did you know that the caterpillar has completely different DNA than the butterfly it turns into? I didn't know that until tonight. I'm trying to not think about it because I'm tired and how things work isn't really a good thing to be working on at this moment.

I've also had beer. Probably one of the last I will have for a while since I will be in a dry county in Arkansas. 

My conversation with the yellow swallowtail I feel is quite appropriate, I appreciate the visit. Butterflies to me symbolize the delicate transition from one phase to another. Caterpillars to me seem much more sturdy and perhaps hardy than the butterfly they morph into. The butterfly delicate and beautiful but at the same time fierce and even aggressive....I imagine the cocoon I have made for myself sluicing away and emerging new. New surroundings, new adventure, new life.


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## WolfWalksSoftly

Too bad you couldn't have recorded your conversation. That was cool it landed on you.
"Regale" I do like some of the words in your Vocabulary.


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## Tommyice

Like button not strong enough WhyNot. Need a Really Love button.

I think it's a good omen for your new phase in your life. Safe journey!


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## WhyNot

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> Too bad you couldn't have recorded your conversation. That was cool it landed on you.



Not just landed...but stayed for so long. It seemed as exhausted as I. Some things you cannot capture though.





WolfWalksSoftly said:


> "Regale" I do like some of the words in your Vocabulary.


Ah, yes, life is a sumptuous feast


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## cindilu

My urban garden is starting to grow. 








[/IMG]


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## WhyNot

City Bound said:


> HEading over to the pow wow. hubba-bubba! Hubba-bubba!


.............."hubba-bubba"? Dude. Your indians over there must be so totally different than those over here.......isn't that like, from a bubble gum commerical?


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## City Bound

Hubba-bubba! hubba-bubba!


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## City Bound

Raven12 said:


> The pow wow?


An Native American festival, where they have dancers, over priced food, and people sell stuff in booths.

Man, the fry bread was out of this world. I had two fry breads.


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## City Bound

[YOUTUBE]E3meEmDpaDU[/YOUTUBE]


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## WolfWalksSoftly

I need to make me some Indian Taco's AND Fry Bread !


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## City Bound

Found about 20 mulberry trees on way to the pow wow, and that made me say "Wow!".

They need another week or two to be ripe.


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## Raven12

Here is some info for anyone that is native american. Many nations have set up heritage seed banks for their members. They will send free samples so you might want to check that out.


----------



## NoClue

The zucchini harvest has begun here - kept 2 for myself and gave 3 to my neighbors. I started another batch of sauerkraut.

Other than that, nothing but cooking and cleaning, cleaning and cooking.


----------



## City Bound

Raven, can non-native americans get those seeds also if they pay? I saw something about that seed bank on the back of a book at the pow wow.


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

City Bound said:


> Raven, can non-native americans get those seeds also if they pay? I saw something about that seed bank on the back of a book at the pow wow.


No, you have to have Reservations..lol couldn't resist that one


----------



## newfieannie

i haven't done much today. hit the SA this morning. got some more bone china tea cups. came back and weeded a bit in the rain. after mowing yesterday i have aches in places i didn't know i had. when you haven't been on the ride-on for a year takes awhile. i only paid 350 dollars to get the mower fixed. probably 100 of that was pick-up and delivery. sometimes it would smoke like crazy but then i was in the high wet grass. i hope that was the reason.

very pleased with what i did. my old place is taking shape. i raked the grass into piles and will move it when the rain stops. i still haven't decided if i will get the place demolished. i walk in and look around and see half the ceiling tiles on the floor and there is a big hump in the floor but all i think is how happy i was there. i can probably just clean the whole place. hang a few curtains etc. and it would be good enough for summer time. i'm outside most of the time anyway. my countertop stove,wall oven, wood stove,fridge etc. everything is still in good shape.i had everything covered with tarps.

everybody cross their fingers that my mock orange will bloom. i have been waiting 5 years and i do believe i saw a couple buds. ~Georgia.


----------



## Raven12

City Bound said:


> Raven, can non-native americans get those seeds also if they pay? I saw something about that seed bank on the back of a book at the pow wow.


From my online research I have found that some will sell the seeds and some will only allow members to have access. You would have to ask. See what happens. It never hurts to try.


----------



## City Bound

Ok, thanks Raven.

Most of my peas are done. They taste great. This is the first time I have ever tasted uncooked peas from the vine. This is the first year i could get the timing right to actually have peas.


----------



## Laura

Dang! Loggerbabies gave me a lowball offer for the entire job and want to start this afternoon. I gotta cool their jets when they show up, give them a chance to change the contract before I take it to their competitors. I ain't paying logger wages for a firewood crew. I noticed yesterday the kids couldn't do the required math so they're trying the easy way. 

They're assuming I'm a typical blonde with boobs without a beard standing behind me.


----------



## City Bound

One of the native seed places. Looks like they sell to outsiders.

https://nativeseeds.org/index.php/store/103/2/seeds/southwest-traditional


----------



## City Bound

Elk, have your pickled eggs ever gotten a slight sulfur smell to them while int he fridge? Also, how long do you usually keep your pickled eggs in the fridge?


----------



## elkhound

City Bound said:


> Elk, have your pickled eggs ever gotten a slight sulfur smell to them while int he fridge? Also, how long do you usually keep your pickled eggs in the fridge?


nope/never.....i do 12 to 18 eggs at a time..let them sit in formula for a about a week and then its game on.they dont last about a week.i eat them during hot weather cause i cant work with much on my belly in this heat.


----------



## elkhound

worked hard yesty getting things in the ground before rains headed in.

planted some antique corn










one wide row of onions finally look ok










maters n peppers..i am guilty of planting things to close...lol










2 more rows in the big tater patch.










tater and sunchoke jungle patch.there so many taters popping up between rows it looks awful.the onions look like grass...lol









check out the taters and chokes growing under the walnut tree.


----------



## cindilu

Ahh, how nice of you to post my cabin again. Kidding aside I love your garden, very good job of getting it done.


----------



## Vickie44

E Is that red flint corn ?


----------



## elkhound

Vickie44 said:


> E Is that red flint corn ?


yes its a all red indian corn a friend gave me a start off.i am doing a small 'antigue garden' with this.old time field green beans from here locally and probably pumkins os some such thing.i cant find muskmelons here.might do kushaws from my grandaddys seed stores.oh and potato leaf maters.


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Good Lord, they are huge kernels..lol


----------



## elkhound

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> Good Lord, they are huge kernels..lol


you have to use chainhoist to pick them..lol

tallest corn i ever grew was hickory cane/heel tap corn.kernels size of ya thumb nail and ear was off the ground at 8ft on largest stalk.the stalk hit the floor of our 2nd floor in our work place shop.which i think was 13feet high.no one could believe how tall it was.


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

I've seen pic's of those bad boys....


----------



## elkhound

i been collecting old time types of corn and try expand each year.


----------



## Raven12

Tommyice said:


> Parallel universes here Raven. Just started thundering. Sure wish I could send some of this rain to someone who needs it.


Another day, another storm...on the plus side my rain barrel is full.


----------



## Tommyice

Raven12 said:


> Another day, another storm...on the plus side my rain barrel is full.


Yup. Right about now, I'm thinking if I had gotten around to building mine, I'd probably have enough water to fill a tanker truck.

gre:I'm so sick of the rain. I NEED SUNSHINE!!!!!!!

Sorry for screaming. I'll go back to being quiet now.


----------



## newfieannie

i haven't done much in the garden today. a little deadheading and some weeding and transplanting. just too wet. couldn't even get a pic of my good looking romaine lettuce and broad beans. gave it up and made some bread.

i was going to try that Paleo diet but i heard you couldn't have bread. dont know how i would survive without my home made bread and jam or pb. i do it the old fashioned way. good therapy for when you feel like pounding on somebody's head. i got another pic. here somewhere. of course that is coming in a bit. ~Georgia. i'll make it smaller


----------



## City Bound

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> Good Lord, they are huge kernels..lol


I was a kernel in the Farmy. Fought in the Weed Wars firing spud missles.


----------



## City Bound

Tommyice said:


> Yup. Right about now, I'm thinking if I had gotten around to building mine, I'd probably have enough water to fill a tanker truck.
> 
> gre:I'm so sick of the rain. I NEED SUNSHINE!!!!!!!
> 
> Sorry for screaming. I'll go back to being quiet now.


If you were not so scared to drive into the evil city I would give you a rain barrel for free.


----------



## City Bound

is it yeasted bread that the paleo diet will not let you eat or all breads? I think the paleo people had to make some kind of bread from wild foods. Tribal people make breads from roots and tubers.


----------



## City Bound

Elk, how do you water all the stuff you grow?


----------



## newfieannie

not sure CB. i thought it was all bread. 
i was going to set up a tea table in the garden today to celebrate the queens Jubilee and have some of the foods she likes. trifle and the like. gave that up because of the weather and just worked it into my supper table. hope she likes trout. ~Georgia


----------



## NewGround

Georgia, do you call that bozom bread or butt bread? LOL 

Either way it looks delicious... ;-)

You sure can cook up some wonderful looking dishes...



newfieannie said:


>


----------



## City Bound

There are two, so maybe they are Bosom Butt-ies?


----------



## newfieannie

call it what you like guys. i call it good. i've already had 2 slices with rasp. jam. the reason for making it like this is i can cut them apart easily and freeze them. i can't see why my pic is still big . it was small for awhile and photo bucket says it is 400 x 400 but it isn't showing here. ~Georgia.


----------



## Tommyice

newfieannie said:


> not sure CB. i thought it was all bread.
> i was going to set up a tea table in the garden today to celebrate the queens Jubilee and have some of the foods she likes. trifle and the like. gave that up because of the weather and just worked it into my supper table. hope she likes trout. ~Georgia


I'm sure she likes trout Georgia--she's an avid outdoors woman. But look at it this way, you had typical British weather. 

I have to know....how do you get your bread to look like that? There is something very "Benny Hill" about it.LOL


----------



## newfieannie

all i do Leslie is rollup 2 buns for each pan. is that what you mean? who's BH ?~Georgia


----------



## Tommyice

City Bound said:


> If you were not so scared to drive into the evil city I would give you a rain barrel for free.


I ain't scared. Just hate all those people and those rules about which way the streets go. 
Last time I drove through NYC, I was in a Triumph TR6. Small enough to fit on the sidewalks (ask me how I know). If I went there now, I'd have to Mad Max-out my truck.


----------



## NewGround

buns, LOl...

[YOUTUBE]iAiq1xKF38k[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Tommyice

newfieannie said:


> all i do Leslie is rollup 2 buns for each pan. is that what you mean? who's BH ?~Georgia


He was a british comedian. Burlesque style humor. Here's the end credits from one of the shows. A link to one of the skits would surely bring out the fun police.
[YOUTUBE]BdpM1OkBYMs[/YOUTUBE]

CB you might want to avert your eyes--he's wearing a bunny costume in one of the clips.


----------



## City Bound

haha. man, BH was my hero when I was eight. still funny after all these years.


----------



## Raven12

newfieannie said:


> not sure CB. i thought it was all bread.
> i was going to set up a tea table in the garden today to celebrate the queens Jubilee and have some of the foods she likes. trifle and the like. gave that up because of the weather and just worked it into my supper table. hope she likes trout. ~Georgia


That is a neat tradition, Annie. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## Qhorseman

Terri said:


> I have never tried my dog on eggs: I will have to!


Dog and Eggs, going to have to try that  LOL


----------



## elkhound

City Bound said:


> Elk, how do you water all the stuff you grow?


5 gallon bucket in one hand and a water can in the other.....i love punishment...lol


----------



## elkhound

had a log today that just wanted to hold onto its bark.i had to chop bark off in 4 inch swathes.put pole in ground and about a hour later i noticed this...so i had to snap a picture to show/share with yall....its bleeding....should we have the willies now??


----------



## doodlemom

Urtica dioica Stinging Nettle PFAF Plant Database Getting the most out of nettles-Solar cooking/freezing/using the water for cooking, spraying on plants,adding to chicken's water, now drying leaves for winter cooking, throwing stripped stems directly on garden as mulch and plan to start spinning the fiber for fun someday.[YOUTUBE]6QSvdAZeOxw[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]zpWuVgMhK70[/YOUTUBE]










[YOUTUBE]S1mSkrq4xs[/YOUTUBE]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S1mSkrq4xs[/ame]


----------



## Qhorseman

I split wood and mowed grass today. Winter will be here before we know it. The trees have been off the stump and blocked for a year. We need some rain badly here, the ground is like talcum powder.


----------



## BetsyK in Mich

Packing up the motor home for a road trip. Decided I'd better hill the potatoes and finally got out with the Roundup to spray around the buildings and trees. Sure saves on the trimming, that thing gives me a headache. Seems as if I've been running all day, tired.


----------



## newfieannie

yes it sure can give you a doozy of a headache. i've had them when i have left my protectors in the city. have 2 pairs now. always have them on and sometimes stuff cotton wool in there besides. ~Georgia.


----------



## City Bound

Doodles, I love those nettles vids. Very cool. It looks so easy to spin the stuff. The vikings use to make clothes from nettles fibers. nice.


----------



## Qhorseman

BetsyK in Mich said:


> Packing up the motor home for a road trip. Decided I'd better hill the potatoes and finally got out with the Roundup to spray around the buildings and trees. Sure saves on the trimming, that thing gives me a headache. Seems as if I've been running all day, tired.



Awww....BetsyK.....Roundup??


----------



## NewGround

Thought I had read where nettle fibers were used to make wedding veils and other such things before silk displaced it... you see even way back you have another chinese import wiping another american business, LOL..


----------



## BetsyK in Mich

Q, I know, I know, my bad. I only use it around the foundations of the buildings where I can't get to with the mower. I guess it is age, I just cannot run that trimmer anymore so this is the next step. If I had my druthers I'd have a whole lot less buildings to deal with.


----------



## Qhorseman

BetsyK in Mich said:


> Q, I know, I know, my bad. I only use it around the foundations of the buildings where I can't get to with the mower. I guess it is age, I just cannot run that trimmer anymore so this is the next step. If I had my druthers I'd have a whole lot less buildings to deal with.


I am very Anti-Monsanto. My brother is dying from Agent Orange. Another quality product brought to us by them.


----------



## City Bound

NewGround said:


> Thought I had read where nettle fibers were used to make wedding veils and other such things before silk displaced it... you see even way back you have another chinese import wiping another american business, LOL..


That is the way it goes, cut overhead, increase profits. Not always good for a nation or a community, but good for the company.

You can make clothes from sunflower stalks also. I do not know much about it.

I would love to see communities produce most of their needs and that way they can reduce the instability that these business men create in our lives. That is one of the reasons I am becoming interested in the Hutterites, they produce for a great deal of their needs as a community. If a community managed nettles they could provide leaves for food and the stems could be processed for fabric. That way they could be independent of materials from over seas and they can free themselves from the binds of Gov money and from having that ball and chain on their leg of going out into the world to make money.


----------



## Qhorseman

CB, industrial hemp. It grows anywhere. Longer staple than any other fiber. Can make just about anything from it. I had a pair of Nike hiking boots I bought overseas made from it. They were some of the best I have ever owned, they breathed naturally and dried quickly. If life is really got ya down, you can always smoke it  We are one of the only countries that does not allow its cultivation. If they allowed us to grow it, I would have 200 acres of it growing. (Sheriff will probably visit the farm now)

CB, get out of NY, what ya write about here is happening out in the rest of the country. Our small town supports each others business. Ya won't find it in any of the cities in this country.


----------



## City Bound

Smoke your shoes, that is funny. "I'm so blue, i smoked my shoe."

Yes, hemp is a super plant, but brings jail time. I would grow medical maryjane if I knew it was truly going to ill people. Most of the people in those pot co-ops are not ill, they are just stoners. I saw a news show on med-pot in cali and one guy was able to get pot because he stubbed his toe.

Q, we support local business here. I use to know all the people I bought from on a first name bases and knew then all my life. Use to know the waiters at the diner also. Now they just toss some illegals in the stores to run the place and I do not know anyone anymore.

I was thinking about production, not just going to local merchants. I was thinking of a small community managing and cultivating nettles and then using the raw materials to produce goods for that community in an organized manner. Some spin, some work the looms, and some make simple clothes. The community could decide what style of clothes to make based on materials and practicality, or people can take the raw fabric and make what they want from it. Managing resources in isolation creates culture.


----------



## Tommyice

Didn't know they made shoes from hemp. I knew about hemp fabric. I just requested some samples of a hemp fabric--can't find in the stores around here but there's fabric store desert here and I'm not hauling myself into NY's garment district. Too dangerous (for my bank account LOL)


----------



## Qhorseman

I support the legalization of marijauna. Instead of our government spending 8 billion dollars a year enforcing laws no one pays attention to anyway, they should tax it like liquor and gain 8 billion doallars a year in tax revenue. Net gain by the gov. 16 billion. 

As retired LE I can tell you I would much rather deal with a stoner on the street than a drunk anytime. Drunk wants to kick my butt, stoner just wants to get some munchies. There is an old joke "Whats the difference between a drunk and a pothead? A drunk will blow thru a stop sign and kill a familiy of 4. A stoner will sit at the sign and wait for it to turn green"

Besides that in an economy that needs all the help it can get, the growing of hemp will help alot. Not only in taxes but as a renwable resource also.


----------



## Raeven

I hauled house trash today, as well as the stuff that had accumulated in the barn, hen house and work shop. I only do it every 4 months, so it's good to get that job over with for awhile.


----------



## doodlemom

Qhorseman said:


> I support the legalization of marijauna. Instead of our government spending 8 billion dollars a year enforcing laws no one pays attention to anyway, they should tax it like liquor and gain 8 billion doallars a year in tax revenue. Net gain by the gov. 16 billion.
> 
> As retired LE I can tell you I would much rather deal with a stoner on the street than a drunk anytime. Drunk wants to kick my butt, stoner just wants to get some munchies. There is an old joke "Whats the difference between a drunk and a pothead? A drunk will blow thru a stop sign and kill a familiy of 4. A stoner will sit at the sign and wait for it to turn green"
> 
> Besides that in an economy that needs all the help it can get, the growing of hemp will help alot. Not only in taxes but as a renwable resource also.


Marijuana nearly doubles risk of collisions &#8211; - CNN.com Blogs
Actually a stoned young man blew through a stop sign in some rural town kiling a vehicle full of students going to or from a sporting event. The stoner survived and I believe the father of one of the victims who was driving the kids. It was a 4 way stop in the middle of flat land nowhere on a sunny day with clear visability and straight roads no hills. You could clearly see anyone approaching or at the stop from any direction. No blood alcohol was detected just marajuana. Long time ago not CT.


----------



## Guest

City Bound said:


> Yes, hemp is a super plant, but brings jail time. I would grow medical maryjane if I knew it was truly going to ill people. Most of the people in those pot co-ops are not ill, they are just stoners. I saw a news show on med-pot in cali and one guy was able to get pot because he stubbed his toe.
> 
> Q, we support local business here. I use to know all the people I bought from on a first name bases and knew then all my life............................


OK. its good to know your supplier. Since I've had some experience in the field(45 years, more or less) I'm often called upon as an expert.. mind you, I don't really like the high afforded by marijuana, or as you put it Mary Jane, but I really do know my stuff. In my (locally) expert opinion, medical quality pot is no better than skunk and beer. I'm not saying its bad, mind you, It's good stuff. It's just not superior stuff. Personally, I'd as soon have beer. Never really liked the pot buzz. I just tolerate it.


----------



## doodlemom

Pssttt hey dude check out my homegrown


----------



## tambo

Built a fire pit today. I'm not sure how it will do but I made it with stuff I alrady had on hand.I got the idea for jnull0's channel on UTube.


----------



## Guest

Oh, doodlemom, you know we only keep the buds, never the shake!! But, long as it works!!

CB, I've been thinking about it. I've had some extraordinarily good medical marijuana. I guess that for 1/3 the cost, I've also had some extraordinarily good skunk. Sorry, dude. I don't think I'll be a customer.


----------



## Qhorseman

doodlemom said:


> Marijuana nearly doubles risk of collisions â - CNN.com Blogs
> Actually a stoned young man blew through a stop sign in some rural town kiling a vehicle full of students going to or from a sporting event. The stoner survived and I believe the father of one of the victims who was driving the kids. It was a 4 way stop in the middle of flat land nowhere on a sunny day with clear visability and straight roads no hills. You could clearly see anyone approaching or at the stop from any direction. No blood alcohol was detected just marajuana. Long time ago not CT.


I believe in the responsible use of either substance. No one should be driving under the influence of anything.


----------



## City Bound

Zong, i would just like to help ease the suffering of ill and dieing people. If wine works give them wine, if pot works give them pot.


----------



## City Bound

doodle, the nettles rehydrate well? I sun dried dandelions and they were tough after rehydrating and cooking.

On a side note, if the nettles are rich enough then when brewed as a tea they smell a little like pot.


----------



## elkhound

yall ever make nettle beer/wine thingy type stuff


----------



## Raven12

City Bound said:


> Zong, i would just like to help ease the suffering of ill and dieing people. If wine works give them wine, if pot works give them pot.


Amen, CB.


----------



## doodlemom

elkhound said:


> yall ever make nettle beer/wine thingy type stuff


No. I'd try making wine with my grapes first, but I'd rather make jelly.


----------



## maverickxxx

Well this afternoon I decided to build one those pad with water shooting up like that have at water parks. I've got a bunch of mis matched pavers around camper so I picked up all those ran down to hardware store picked up some water line 3/4" 5 ts one t that's thread grab some PVC fittings to reduce down from two inch that's the size of the hose from centrifugal pump dug a small trench by hand Excavtor isn't at homestead agin! I did not like that cause I'm lazy remember. Made a big circle hooked in 6 ts an PVC fittings covered it all back with dirt an half graded for pavers set them all down fired up pump hoping the reducing down to 3/4 didn't blow apart from 2" pump . I didn't shoots water 12' in air outta five 3/4 " ts open with no nozzles. So wrks great I'm going to move water slide over to pavers so u can walk through the showers an slide down water slide not today though. My daughter absolutely loves the showers she was laughing an screaming for over an hr. An I'm lazy remember so I just set my plastic lawn chair up on pavers an sat there. Not to bad for a fifty dollar idea


----------



## maverickxxx

I'd also like some ideas on other water park theme ideas for a small child I can build I got a pool coming that water slide will run into the filter pump won't be running all the time so idk how much of a problem that's going to be.


----------



## City Bound

I was planting some stevia today and I bought a nice turkish fig that is hardy in zone seven. I am a little sad because I feel I need to down size on my roof garden. I am going to get rid of my raspberries, blueberries, two dwarfed patio figs, and three dwarfed cherry bushes. They are not producing enough to hang around.

Once I clear off all the unwanted plants I am going to set up a chair, some christmas lights, a five gallon bucket turned into a water fall mini pond with gold fish, and then turn a part of the roof garden into a hobo-hangout paradise. I will chill up there at night with the christmas lights on.


----------



## doodlemom

Raspberry Leaves, Uses, Remedies, Ideas,Herbal,Cures
How to harvest blueberry leaves and make Blueberry leaf tea Â« Blueberry Croft Farm and Nursery Blog


----------



## City Bound

I know about making tea with the leaves, but I am tight on space. If I ever need the leaves for medical reasons i can buy them at the health food store for $3. 

I have three Marian Berry vines and they are said to give a heavy yield. I hope those vines will give me some substantial food. I have seven raspberry plants and they do not give me enough food.


----------



## City Bound

Thank you for the links though doodle, that was kind of you.


----------



## Raven12

maverickxxx said:


> I'd also like some ideas on other water park theme ideas for a small child I can build I got a pool coming that water slide will run into the filter pump won't be running all the time so idk how much of a problem that's going to be.


Your daughter would love a hot tub.


----------



## doodlemom

Early varieties of currants and gooseberries are ripening. I was out there 3 days ago picking and picking. I like the varieties of currant that all ripen at once so you can take the whole string of them. I was picking the blanca ones and the pink champagne ones as they ripen, but then said this is tedious and tasted the unripened ones on the string saying good enough I'll make muffins from the unripened ones as they're mostly ripened. Black currants pack serious flavor much different from reds/whites/pinks and make wonderful scones. One of the bushes of gooseberry was just about ripe I tasted and said wow this tastes like a cross between an apple and crabapple really good crunch and ended up stripping that bush. It is worth getting many different varieties of the same thing due to ripening times and subtle differences in flavor, texture, color. The strawberries are coming into full production and I found 1 ripe raspberry which means raspberries from now until september. Elderberries are full of flowers. Going to make it a point to batter and fry some.


----------



## Raven12

You have me drooling, Doodle.


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

How can you tell for sure that what looks like an Elderberry actually is one. I have seen several and want to make some syrup, but I also know there is a look a like that is poisonous/


----------



## doodlemom

Caution - Elderberry can be dangerous
Bad Elderberry:
Sambucus racemosa Fact Sheet
Sambucus racemosa=bad

Good Elderberry:
arborboy: Shrub ID: Sambucus canadensis (American elderberry)
Sambucus Canadensis=good

Also good=Sambucus *****
Sambucus ***** - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Thanks DM...:bow:


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Good, I have the good kind (I think)..lol will make Syrup and Jelly T. woo hoo
dark purple berries


----------



## maverickxxx

Well I picked up some upgrades for water park in the form of different spray nozzles we will see how they wrk should shoot water alot higher some are fans some are streams an just straight 1/4 so we will see if they add to much back pressure an start blowing apart fittings. I might get that pool this weekend


----------



## maverickxxx

Every one keeps telling me hot tub I dOnt remember any at any of water parks I've been to I really like those wake board pools or whatever they are called. The one where water shoots up slope at u an u hop on board n try to surf on it. I'd like to know what size pump they use


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Just get a water trough, an outboard motor, and build a fire.


----------



## newfieannie

a couple more of my clematis vines are blooming today. there is a white one among this but it's later. i'll try to get some wildlife pics tomorrow when i go out to the country. i heard there was a black bear around there. that, i dont want to see. i hope the sound of the mower keeps it away. ~Georgia.


----------



## NW Rancher

Mav, that's the Flowrider. Those pumps are absolutely huge, not possible to move that volume without a gigantic investment. One thing that is possible though with your pond is a trolly pull like they have at wakeboard parks. Check 'em out, a guy could rig one up with a small winch geared up.

Here's one example, there's a bunch of how to build 'em videos on youtube....


[youtube]I3_wT6scrIM[/youtube]

[youtube]knrBcyS8sZE[/youtube]


----------



## City Bound

NEwfie, the plate used as a boarder is a nice idea.


----------



## tambo

Dehydrating some cabbage today. I froze some too but forgot to take pictures.


----------



## maverickxxx

That's the kinda idea I was looking for for me I just so happen to have Mosta that stuff kicking around. Might be a little much for the baby. Guess I should do some exploring in pond. I might be building a dredging barge to. Flo rider is what I was thinking could remember name. I was thinking maybe a couple two inch or maybe three I have accsess to an a four inch as well. If I built some sorta floriferous an had promising results my step dad could get me a 6 or 8 to use. Who knows it's just as much fun for me to build as is to play. I got some ideas now for flow rider I can build a big berm of dirtan cover it with some plastic an make some custom fan jet nozzles for the two inch pumps. An by fan jet nozzles custom ten pound sledge an two inch pipe. The winch is a little more to invest in I don't have wake board or any spare clutches. But secondly going to build one. I already planned my daughters third bday which is snow tube party. Down the Mtn behind me. I haven't taught about how I was going to build rope toe yet. That winch would be very handy. Thanxs


----------



## NW Rancher

No problem. The winch would be a lot of fun for a little one, if you ran it real slow and used a tube or other mellow riding device. Lots of fun stuff to do with it.

I've ridden a Flowrider, they are absolutely huge. You might be able to have some fun with your two inch pump, but the scale of the real ones is freaking crazy. HUGE volume, plus pressure. Think wave pool scale engineering. But yeah, a two inch high volume pump nozzled down over a dirt berm would be fun for something, I'm sure.


----------



## maverickxxx

Yea ideas is the big part of build cool stuff. I m going to try to make fan jet nozzle TOMMROW if I have time to see what kinda pressure I get. I tested the upgrades tonight an was shooting water 25'-30' in air the shower one wasn't wrking well cause pump was pulling alge through pump which was clogging it up. But that's easy fix.


----------



## doodlemom

Today was tart/pie/muffin experimentation day.


----------



## newfieannie

my, those berries look good. mine are only in flower yet except for the gooseberries which should be ripe in a month. ~Georgia.


----------



## newfieannie

City Bound said:


> NEwfie, the plate used as a boarder is a nice idea.


they are saucers CB and yes, i've been using them for years. haven't broken any. i go for tea themed stuff. have a cup and saucer bird feeder. i'm working on a chandelier now with tea cups and tea lights to hang in the garden. ~Georgia.


----------



## littlejoe

We've worked our way through most of the first cutting of alfalfa. Things have really slowed this week. A lot of wheat is real close to being combined, and I imagine any straw will be baled as well. I see the better alf that has been cut is maybe two weeks plus away from swathing agaiin. That will be the end of hay for most of the ditches unless we get some good rains. We had a 40% chance today, and we're getting high winds instead. Although it looks like a big cell is way off in the southeast.

Planted a nectarine and scarlet hawthorne yesterday. One thing I had none of, and do enjoy grazing on (nectarines)! The trees I have around the casa, under a drip, or water with a hose, are growing good. The rest that I had planned to water through irrigation water.... quite a few are still alive, but their canteens are running dry.


----------



## NW Rancher

Still planting trees? Good for you, I should be following your lead. So far this week, between work, I've got a new bed prepped for the 100 or so asparagus seedlings that are hardening off and ready to go in, cobbed one low wall in the greenhouse, planted a bunch more of the garden, and am planning the big push on the root cellar coming up in the next few weeks. I've got 16 pints of ham hock and beans bubbling in the canner right next to me as I type, and am planning on thawing out a ham for the same treatment later in the week. Gotta make some room in the freezer for that danged bull.


----------



## doodlemom

newfieannie said:


> my, those berries look good. mine are only in flower yet except for the gooseberries which should be ripe in a month. ~Georgia.


 What zone are you in Georgia? What types are you growing? Do you have any good recipes? I have been pirating recipes like taking the best rated cranberry muffin recipe from all recipes and subbing currants then cutting the sour cream a little with ricotta just because I didn't have enough sour cream. Then subbing them for pie cherries in tarts-yeah no pitting. Your baking pics are always so awesome I bet you have a lot of great recipes.


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## City Bound

I am still waiting for my gooseberries to give fruit. It has been about three years. How long does it usually take?


----------



## littlejoe

What is the meaning of "hardening off" your aspergrass seedlings at this time of the year, NWR?

Also with all the beds everyone seemed to put in, how did they turn out? I've got 22 out of 24 up and covered to full depth. This was Wally-world starts.


----------



## maverickxxx

Well I saw some home made wave ridders I forgot to pick up pipe on way home I wanted to get back before rain. 1 bunch of guys used 8" but bad design n it broke it was insidean pretty flat was low idle. So I figure a couple two an a four would be equivalent of 8". I didfind one spec which was running a 260 hp electric which converts to about 80 gas motor which is prolly even less diesel. It won't be hard to make spray bar I'm going to use a quarter inch walled 4" pipe an add nozzles on an have some couplers for hooking water lines in. I figure that one big solid pipe will be easier to hook to ground than individual lines. I'm not gonna build as big as water park one. So I think I can possibly pull it off this weekend. Gonna bring Excavtor home for this. Of course I could do one solid line down it with demo saw I could weld it back in if it didn't wrk. I'm so glad I've been collecting all that stuff that people say what r u gonna do with that. N I say idk?


----------



## doodlemom

City Bound said:


> I am still waiting for my gooseberries to give fruit. It has been about three years. How long does it usually take?


Have you ever seen any flowers? Are you saying 3 years grown from seed? If not I'd say there's something definately wrong. If you saw flowers then there is a problem with pollination.


----------



## NW Rancher

Well, I started 'em under a light with heat under 'em. Now they are about 4" tall and I've got them sitting next to the sliding glass door inside at the back of the house. It's cooler there than it was in the starting tray, and the light is indirect but daylight rather than artificial. It's cool here, mid to low 40s at night and not out of the 50s during the days, so they get shocked if I go right from the starting tray to outside without a hardening off period.

My beds are great, but like I said, it's still cool here. I just sowed corn and other warm stuff like squash yesterday. Most of my beds are onion, garlic, brassicas, greens, and a lot of early spring cover crops like oats and vetch that I'm now chopping down to sow warm stuff in their place. I lost a bunch of beans to frost just last week, so I'm starting over with those as well. We won't see much over 60 for another month or so.


----------



## newfieannie

i think it is 5 not certain. i grow red and blk currants. i make jam from those. gooseberries i eat in a bowl with cream. just can't seem to keep them long enough to make jam or a pie. blueberries i make cobblers mostly and cheesecake. i mostly use a bit of this a bit of that in my recipes. always experimenting also. i see there's a lot of black raspberries growing wild on my land when i was out today. my blueberry bushes are loaded with flowers. i put some sheep manure on while i was there. ~Georgia.


----------



## littlejoe

Wow! Didn't realize there was that much differance in temps. We've had a few nights in the fifties this month. but a high of 102 last week! July and August are usually sizzlers! Not as much corn planted around here as usual due to the sparse water, but I've seen some field corn close to 2' high.


----------



## littlejoe

doodlemom said:


> Your baking pics are always so awesome I bet you have a lot of great recipes.


If she was but a half mile closer? To far to go afootback, and my caveyos are thin.  I love seeing what she does in her kitchen as well!


----------



## newfieannie

this is what i was working at today. i had a before pic. but dont know what happened to it. i left the city at 7am and started at 8. i mowed and raked . took up 5 loads of hay(grass) to the compost pile. then mowed and raked some more. i still have a few piles raked up for friday.

that whole field as far as you can see was really my lawn a few years ago and i'm trying to bring it back. you can see on both sides how high it was. a couple years growth. it doesn't take long before nature takes over. this is a start now . wont be long before i get it in shape. you can see the latticework fell down but that can easily be repaired. 4 hours i worked at it. quite pleased with what i was able to accomplish. wont be long before that turns nice and green and now with my mower working i wont get behind. ~Georgia.


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## newfieannie

i must really be tired tonight. hopefully there is a pic. here somewhere. ~Georgia


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## City Bound

doodlemom said:


> Have you ever seen any flowers? Are you saying 3 years grown from seed? If not I'd say there's something definately wrong. If you saw flowers then there is a problem with pollination.


The problem is that they flower early before the bees wake up for spring. When the bees wake up the flowers are falling off. 

I did not start them from seed. I started them from a propagation from layering. I bought gooseberry, blackberry and concord grapes from a guy, the blackberries finally started giving me berries this year.


----------



## glazed

Tommyice said:


> Nothing done here today (except I went to work--does that count?) Came home to find a cool present on the patio.


:donut:

I see a hay box!

The Mama Crow: Old-Fashioned Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)

:donut:


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## doodlemom

They are self pollinating. Try using a little paint brush on the flowers like a be next time something like that happens. I'm not joking as I've done it with indoor plants back when I was patient with stuff like that lol.


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## City Bound

Thanks doodle. I will try that next year......if I do not get so frustrated before hand that I throw them off the roof. haha


----------



## City Bound

Doodle, what did you do with the fallen pool? Is it still half standing in the yard?

I was thinking that you could save the liner to use as a liner for a green roof or a root cellar.


----------



## Raven12

Georgia, that is beautiful.


----------



## newfieannie

it is not so good looking now but at one time there would be people there taking their wedding pics almost every weekend. i had flowers and shrubs everywhere and would mow about 4 acres. like the old song "it'll come back" ~Georgia.


----------



## doodlemom

City Bound said:


> Doodle, what did you do with the fallen pool? Is it still half standing in the yard?
> 
> I was thinking that you could save the liner to use as a liner for a green roof or a root cellar.


Yeah it's still standing. My little brother wants to take it to the dump, but I said no way man. Nice 33 by 18 foot ******* wind break to my firepit/ lounge area. I'm not out to impress people as long as I'm happy and the kids think it's a cool new area lol. Less scary for kids to sit fireside with solid walls around Instead of lighting firecrackers on the dirt driveway we're going to be lighting them in the pool this July.


----------



## City Bound

Ok. 

I was helping my cousin put up his new pool a few weeks ago and I was noticing how nice and thick that liner was, so it made me think back on the thread you had about your pool.


----------



## Raven12

newfieannie said:


> it is not so good looking now but at one time there would be people there taking their wedding pics almost every weekend. i had flowers and shrubs everywhere and would mow about 4 acres. like the old song "it'll come back" ~Georgia.


I'm lost. Is that your land? Did you hold wedding there?


----------



## doodlemom

City Bound said:


> Ok.
> 
> I was helping my cousin put up his new pool a few weeks ago and I was noticing how nice and thick that liner was, so it made me think back on the thread you had about your pool.


Liner makes a good tarp, pond liner, weed barrier. Tarp over firewood is most likely its destination.


----------



## newfieannie

yes, that is my land. it was after their wedding they would come and take pics because of the many flowers and whatnot. i didn't know the people. they would just ask and i would tell them to go ahead. i had thousands of lupins, foxglove delphs etc. etc. they are still there but i haven't got that far yet to mow around the beds. i dont want to get my mower stuck in the tall grass so i'm getting a little at a time. ~Georgia.


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## Raven12

Hey, maybe you could make a buck out of that somehow. Rent the land for outdoor photos, parties, and weddings.


----------



## City Bound

went to the community garden and did some weeding and planting. Amazing how aggressive those weeds can be. Planted two tomato plants even though I am not a fan of tomatoes. I figure maybe I will like them if I eat them more, or I will give them away. Planted some pole beans to climb the corn. Planted 26 basil plants for making pesto. It rained. I was planting in the rain. Got home and I was soaked through. No biggie. A little water wont kill me. Pumpkin vines are doing good, one is nice and hardy.


----------



## Raven12

City Bound said:


> went to the community garden and did some weeding and planting. Amazing how aggressive those weeds can be. Planted two tomato plants even though I am not a fan of tomatoes. I figure maybe I will like them if I eat them more, or I will give them away. Planted some pole beans to climb the corn. Planted 26 basil plants for making pesto. It rained. I was planting in the rain. Got home and I was soaked through. No biggie. A little water wont kill me. Pumpkin vines are doing good, one is nice and hardy.


Have you tried different tomato varieties? I am trying a yellow and black this year.


----------



## City Bound

No Raven, I barely want to try the red, haha. I got Big boys.


----------



## Raeven

FINALLY got most of the rest of the garden in today. I planted out remaining tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. Also sowed corn, beans, squash and pumpkins. Set out my cucumber starts and laid down a new bed of spinach.

I'm regularly harvesting lettuce, chard, spinach, carrots, beets and arugula, but I can't wait for the warm weather crops!!


----------



## maverickxxx

Well that's my plan nw I gotta buy a hammer an grinder for the Excavtor an I can start going into my end of world paradise. But as with most my projects it would start out as root cellar an turn into a secret lair for plotting an excuting world domination. Sounds like he's got it figured out though he's borrowing the one machine that does everything. I was thinking I would want to be able to drive my skidsteer in mine so I could pallettize an crate extra apples n pumpkins n stuff cause I'm lazy. I figure I could load apples n stuff in orchards an drive them right in n be dun.


----------



## netexan

Looks like everone's been busy.
I mowed the grass yesterday, trimmed and harvested from the garden. Sent 22# of cucumbers and 28# of squash into town to the soup kitchen. Finished making jelly w/ the peaches from my Early Alberta tree and I'm still canning BBQ sauce, squash pickles and dill pickles.

















Mights well feed myself before cutting my hair and trimming tree limbs.


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## City Bound

mav, you have an apple orchard and pumpkin patch, or you are going to hire yourself out to orchards?


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## maverickxxx

I don't know what kinda apples they are yet but I figure I could feed animals in winter apples an pumpkins figure it would be pretty easy an not much wrk cause I'm lazy. I was thinking I could just make like a fork bucket for skid steer an just drive through patch plucking them up an dump them into crates. I'm not even remotely close to orchard stuff but I figure the twenty or so apple trees I've found that would be alot of apples even if they aren't good


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## City Bound

mav, you found around 20 apple trees on your new land? HAve you started a pumpkin patch for this fall?


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## Tommyice

Do you deer hunt Mav? I'm thinking with that many apples falling on the ground for easy eating, it'll be easy venison eating for you.


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## Tommyice

The sun finally came out this afternoon. Ran to the garden to weed. Darn if they aren't growing faster than my veggies. Look what I found in the raspberry canes. The first harbingers of jars of jam...


----------



## newfieannie

aren't they just perfect. i'll swap with the strawberries i found in my garden this morning. i dont like strawberries. just love raspberries though. long time yet before ours are ripe. ~Georgia.


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## Tommyice

I'll take that trade Georgia. Raspberries aren't my favorite. I really planted the canes for my late mom--she loved raspberries. I really only like them as jam and used in cookies and confections.


----------



## SusanNC

Tommyice said:


> I'll take that trade Georgia. Raspberries aren't my favorite. I really planted the canes for my late mom--she loved raspberries. I really only like them as jam and used in cookies and confections.


Raspberries are one of my favorites. Last weekend I made a jam with rasp/strawberries and Godiva chocolate liqueur...it was quite good.


----------



## City Bound

This is from two days ago.

Picked a neighbor's cherry tree and got 10 pounds.







[/IMG]

Went picking mulberries and got enough for five pints of jam.







[/IMG]


----------



## City Bound

Sorry the pics are big. It is hard enough to attach a pic and re-sizing the pic just makes it even harder.


----------



## newfieannie

they sure look good. there was a mullberry tree here when i came but it was in the wrong spot so i moved it. must have been fairly new because the tag was still on. 75 dollars. it was small but had a few berries. didn't come back though.

well, i finished repairing the steps and retaining wall late today. wasn't sure if i would get one step done. it was in such poor shape . all gone on one end. i braced it up with boards and bricks. it's all set up though. i probably saved 500 dollars by doing it myself(knowing the prices these days) too stiff right now to walk upstairs. anyone remember me saying i need a bed in this room? i've got before and after pictures. just waiting to get more paint tomorrow to finish it off.~Georgia.


----------



## elkhound

small success...my transplanted ramps are blooming


----------



## elkhound

been blowin the grill up lately

beef ribs

















deer tenderloin




































catfish from my pond and deer from my forest...this makes me proud...******* surf and turf i call it.


----------



## Tommyice

Elk you got some bacon on that venison tenderloin or some sort of glaze? 

When I'm lucky enough to get my hands on a venison roast I marinating it in Jim Beam. Slap some bacon on it, toss in the oven to slow roast. Melt a jar of currant jelly and splash some Jim Beam in it. Baste the venison with the currant glaze.


----------



## elkhound

Tommyice said:


> Elk you got some bacon on that venison tenderloin or some sort of glaze?


nope just seasoning salt and garlic powder real thick..smoked this with wild cherry and a bit of peach..i am really diggin the smoker box on the gas grill.i cant wait till i get the off grid grill and stop using gas...soon..real soon.


----------



## Tommyice

It looks so yummmy Elk. I keep trying to pull it off the screen--I'm famished.


----------



## elkhound

i am really diggin this new catalina tangy bacon dressing on my salads too.


----------



## Tommyice

Can we get a recipe for that?


----------



## Raeven

Elk, it looks luscious... except your venison is a tad overcooked.

A good vet should be able to bring it back amongst the living.


----------



## Qhorseman

Tommyice said:


> It looks so yummmy Elk. I keep trying to pull it off the screen--I'm famished.


Elk is tasty


----------



## elkhound

Tommyice said:


> Can we get a recipe for that?


no its store bought ..sorry


----------



## elkhound

Raeven said:


> Elk, it looks luscious... except your venison is a tad overcooked.
> 
> A good vet should be able to bring it back amongst the living.


you like it red in center ? and or blood coming out of it? it was totaly soft and moist..but as you pointed out theres no pink...i been using a thermometer and it hit 180ish before i realized it.ideally 160ish and take it off do you use a thermometer if so what temps do you stop at for a red insides?..but hey what ya expect for it cooking by itself while i am cleaning up tools at the end of day...lol

p.s. i love a red ribeye..yummy


----------



## Raeven

elkhound said:


> you like it red in center ? and or blood coming out of it? it was totaly soft and moist..but as you pointed out theres no pink...i been using a thermometer and it hit 180ish before i realized it.ideally 160ish and take it off do you use a thermometer if so what temps do you stop at for a red insides?..but hey what ya expect for it cooking by itself while i am cleaning up tools at the end of day...lol
> 
> p.s. i love a red ribeye..yummy


LOL, Elk, I think any man who can cook as well as you do makes you one in a million -- and if you're simultaneously cleaning up tools at the end of the day, well... baby, they broke the mold!!

Yeah, I like it still trying to walk off the plate... If using a thermometer, I cook to 122F and get vaguely irritated if it hits 130F while it rests. But of course that is for VERY rare. Just my preference. Except chicken and pork. Pork to 155-160F, and chicken to 165-170F. Chicken will hit a resting temp of between 175-180F.

I'm with yas step by step on a red ribeye... or any beef, really. I cook burger a LITTLE more than rare, to more like medium rare, but I still like it pink in the center.

If you let the red ribeye rest for about 10 minutes before serving, the blood will stay where you want it -- inside the steak.


----------



## littlejoe

Darn sure looks like a meal I would dig into, Elk! Were the catfish smoked as well? I've never tried smoking any fish... yet! What's the yellow stuff on your plate?

A bud knocked down about 20 acres of hay today. Made a walkabout this evening when I got home. Think I'll shut him down at that, the rest of it has just lacked water! One good hit with water in mid May would've done wonders on the hillside!

Made a walkabout through my dryland tree farm as well. Looks like most of thems canteens has went dry... All of the black walnuts, and all of the black locust are still alive, with a just a few of the others. THey must be double tough? We've got rain coming, and soon! They say it happens just before it's too late. It better hurry up!


----------



## elkhound

Raeven said:


> LOL, Elk, I think any man who can cook as well as you do makes you one in a million -- and if you're simultaneously cleaning up tools at the end of the day, well... baby, they broke the mold!!
> 
> Yeah, I like it still trying to walk off the plate... If using a thermometer, I cook to 122F and get vaguely irritated if it hits 130F while it rests. But of course that is for VERY rare. Just my preference. Except chicken and pork. Pork to 155-160F, and chicken to 165-170F. Chicken will hit a resting temp of between 175-180F.
> 
> I'm with yas step by step on a red ribeye... or any beef, really. I cook burger a LITTLE more than rare, to more like medium rare, but I still like it pink in the center.
> 
> If you let the red ribeye rest for about 10 minutes before serving, the blood will stay where you want it -- inside the steak.


i am still learning on the cooking thang..yea my stuff gets cooked on the grill alot while i am finishing up chores for the day.the tenderloin if you notice on the right side is a bit darker.my chips flared up with flames and got some black sooty smoke on it instead of the lighter colored smoke.i drizzled water on the fire and it was back to the good smoke the.


yea i like to cook and do the best i can with tools i have to do so with and the things i harvest and grow and buy.


----------



## elkhound

littlejoe said:


> Darn sure looks like a meal I would dig into, Elk! Were the catfish smoked as well? I've never tried smoking any fish... yet! What's the yellow stuff on your plate?
> 
> A bud knocked down about 20 acres of hay today. Made a walkabout this evening when I got home. Think I'll shut him down at that, the rest of it has just lacked water! One good hit with water in mid May would've done wonders on the hillside!
> 
> Made a walkabout through my dryland tree farm as well. Looks like most of thems canteens has went dry... All of the black walnuts, and all of the black locust are still alive, with a just a few of the others. THey must be double tough? We've got rain coming, and soon! They say it happens just before it's too late. It better hurry up!




the yellow was a pack of frozen creamstlye corn from the garden...i am cleaning out the freezers around here...yes i smoked the catfish a little too.

i have brined and smoked catfisg the same as salmon and it was a beautiful thing for sure.

that catfish i found from 2008 in vacum bag had zero freezer burn and looked fresh when i thawed it out.


----------



## Raeven

Your food is beautiful, Elk, and looks irresistible -- I'd be on it like a dog on a pork chop if I was in your vicinity!


----------



## elkhound

Raeven said:


> Your food is beautiful, Elk, and looks irresistible -- I'd be on it like a dog on a pork chop if I was in your vicinity!


i feel i can do better at times....melissa on CF says us homesteaders are food snobs...lol

wait til i get the smoke shack built and rocket stove fired up soon.

you know i would try and get it just the right bloody so you could do the happy gal dance...lol


----------



## NW Rancher

Man that looks so good, I'm hungry.


----------



## Raeven

elkhound said:


> i feel i can do better at times....melissa on CF says us homesteaders are food snobs...lol
> 
> wait til i get the smoke shack built and rocket stove fired up soon.
> 
> you know i would try and get it just the right bloody so you could do the happy gal dance...lol


Awwww, and I would, too -- can't remember the last time a man made me a good, bloody piece of meat!

That sounds awful, but I really mean it!


----------



## elkhound

Raeven said:


> Awwww, and I would, too -- can't remember the last time a man made me a good, bloody piece of meat!
> 
> That sounds awful, but I really mean it!


R O F L M A O.....I LOVE IT..DONT EDIT IT EITHER you made me snort and cough and spewwwww


----------



## Raeven

LOL, Elk, I promise, I won't edit it... can't promise it will withstand mod scrutiny, however. In my defense, it WAS sincerely said!!


----------



## elkhound

Raeven said:


> LOL, Elk, I promise, I won't edit it... can't promise it will withstand mod scrutiny, however. In my defense, it WAS sincerely said!!


i gotta get my gold stars out and stick one by your screen name.....lol...:happy2:


----------



## doodlemom

Bought 25 feet of 1/2 inch galvanized hardware mesh at 1.79/foot-robbery. That stuff was under 1.00 last time I bought it to make the bottoms of my rabbit hutches. This time I'm using it to go over the 1 inch chicken run areas as I've had some raccoons lurking. Easy peasy snips still so sharp it cut like paper. Used T 50 staples every inch so it's gonna stay no problem. I picture a raccoon yanking away at it as I've had one literally chew through the bottom of a heavy duty garbage can trying to get the lid off after rolling it some 20 feet. I keep the cans in the van now. No room in the sheds and I drive the jeep anyway. If that raccoon ever messes with my outdoor cat it's going to be considered a striped woodchuck.


----------



## Raven12

My squash are blooming. I have never grown squash so this is a huge deal for me. It's like Christmas Day!


----------



## Terri

The large item pickup is today, and I had an old sofa too heavy for the kids and I to take out to the curb.

So, I cut it up with a chainsaw and the kids took it out in pieces!

I love being a homesteader.


----------



## City Bound

Raven, having a garden is like having Christmas everyday.


----------



## City Bound

I spent the whole morning getting gas and oil for a power washer and then trying to get it to work. Oh boy, what a waste of a morning. The pump on the power washer is not working. Now I have to ether go buy a power washer or rent one. 

I tell you it is fitting that I am half Irish because I have the luck of the Irish. I keep stepping in _____ over and over, some people say that is good luck, I just say it stinks. hahah


----------



## newfieannie

some good lookin food Elkie! i was thinking of getting a power washer. the bricks across the front of my house really look awful. not sure if it would clean those. i didn't know they ran on gas.

i've spent the morning trying to get the gas mower to run. when i bought it there was no gas cap and i have been using a plastic top from a bottle. i took off everything i could but no luck . she would start. run about 20 seconds and cut off. i was just about ready to plug in the electric mower when i remembered many years ago i had lost the cap and i balled up a cloth and put in there. tried it and it works like a charm. got all my mowing finished for another weekend.this is just the city of course. i have to go and do the country mowing tomorrow but everything works good out there. ~Georgia.


----------



## cindilu

Okay, I know this isn't food, or chickens, or crops, but I am pretty dang proud of myself. I had tshirts made for my kiddos when we go out on field trips and they have my business name on them. That is a big accomplishment for me and I thought I would share. So here is my pic and my girlies that I am going to round up and lasso and put in my van and take to the play park. 








[/IMG]


----------



## newfieannie

aren't they the cutest! shirts are neat too. i dont know why i thought your children were older. ~Georgia. okay, i see now. you are caring for them.


----------



## cindilu

newfieannie said:


> aren't they the cutest! shirts are neat too. i dont know why i thought your children were older. ~Georgia. okay, i see now. you are caring for them.


My children are older with one moving to CO this fall, these are my daycare kiddos and before anyone has a fit I have written permission to post pics etc on the web. Got to cover my behind with that one. That would be a no no if I put them up with out. :nono:

So it is all good, really I am very close to the G-Ma stage.


----------



## Raven12

Awwww...Cindilu. I want to come over and play too! Looks like you guys are having so much fun!!! Taking care of and educating children is far more important than crops or chickens.


----------



## NewGround

Raven12 said:


> Awwww...Cindilu. I want to come over and play too! Looks like you guys are having so much fun!!! Taking care of and educating children is far more important than crops or chickens.


Unless they're hungry...


----------



## Tommyice

Raven12 said:


> My squash are blooming. I have never grown squash so this is a huge deal for me. It's like Christmas Day!


Merry Christmas!

Hey, Have a Happy New Year too!


----------



## newfieannie

i'm the same way with potatoes although i have been growing them for many years. i can't wait for them to flower so i can root around and get the first tiny ones. they are marvelous with truffle oil!. 

my broad beans are in flower now. the squash isn't though. tomatoes are. looks like there are a few on the peppers but i dont expect much from them. it's always so cold at night. like tonight i had to turn the furnace on. ~Georgia.


----------



## Raven12




----------



## Tommyice

Cool Raven. Ya know, I hear you can smoke squash flowers.


----------



## foxfiredidit

Tommyice said:


> Cool Raven. Ya know, I hear you can smoke squash flowers.


Oh yeah? Maybe I'll let y'all know how well that works !!


----------



## foxfiredidit

Well its time for the gut check now.

What seemed such a great idea back in February and March is way ahead of me now. A ton of squash it seems, mostly given away but enjoyed fresh so often now I'm not sure I can bite another one. 62 bell peppers off 9 plants so far, not sure if thats good, as this is my first year growing them, and they're still loading up with little ones (Lots of jambalaya). Two of the plants bit the dust, so hopefully the remaining crop will be less. Tomatos? I've put up 10 quart bags so far, but then I gave away a lot when they first started coming on. There are 19 on the counter this afternoon. Lots of cucumbers as well....I like them, but why did I plant so many? I don't have time to make pickles and I've never done that anyway. I did "Pickled Squash" last night. 6 pints of squash, oinions, & bell pepper in a sweet vinegar brine with celery seed, mustard powder and mustard seeds. Wow is that good. But the main attraction is just coming on. 

Those 8 long rows of pink eyed purple hulls are putting on peas, with blooms every where you look as well. The speckled butterbeans are here now. I picked and put up 8 quart bags off the first picking (4 short rows). With all the rain here lately, there is a better than good chance all those other shells will be filling out well. The johnson grass is loving the wet weather, and as I picked the beans, I pulled the grass.

What a great place to get really dirty, embarressingly wet with sweat, too hot, too tired, and bothered by the humidity. I think I will buy stock in the Gator Aid company. I lost my cell phone in the garden, took forever to find it. A year ago, I found my favorite Bo Randall knife that had been gone for almost a year in the garden. There seems to be a pattern developing here. 

But, its hard to let it just go to grass and say to heck with it. With the mindset I've had of late, that option crossed my mind. But now the freezer will be full, and now I won't have to garden hard until year after next. Maybe its a good thing, just hard to see that with the sweat on my glasses and in my eyes. Did I happen to mention its pretty humid this far south?


----------



## elkhound

foxfire..get yourself a heavy duty sweat band..i cant work without mine.


----------



## foxfiredidit

elkhound said:


> foxfire..get yourself a heavy duty sweat band..i cant work without mine.


I will that...my doo-rag is good for the first hour, then I end up wringing it out and wearing it wet.


----------



## Raven12

I used to live on the Gulf so I get the humidity factor, Foxfire. Sounds like you are having a great harvest. Lucky you! 

Leslie, No smoking them! One trick I learned living on the Gulf is that you can deep fry anything, even squash blossoms.


----------



## Tommyice

Had those for the first time in Italy Raven. Boy were they good. Better than the squash itself in my humble opinion.


----------



## City Bound

stuffed and fried squash and pumpkin flowers are good.


----------



## WhyNot

Well...I been in Arkansas now, in more of a permanent fashion than I was last fall. And so far I have been doing the type of things you do when you are in Arkansas. I'll have some stories later but so far I don't think I can divulge much, I'll have to read over this non-disclosure statement I signed at the border.


----------



## NewGround

WhyNot said:


> Well...I been in Arkansas now, in more of a permanent fashion than I was last fall. And so far I have been doing the type of things you do when you are in Arkansas. I'll have some stories later but so far I don't think I can divulge much, I'll have to read over this non-disclosure statement I signed at the border.


~~queue the banjo music~~


----------



## City Bound

More of that irish luck yesterday. Finally borrowed a power washer, then the pull chord broke. haha. Now I have to fix it.

I thought I was about 45% irish but I am going to have to check ancestry.com because with my luck I might really be 100% irish.

Other then that, the corn is coming up nice and the pumpkin vines are vibrant and lush.


----------



## Guest

Took in 14 gallons of plums the last couple days. Got 18 gallons wine making, and froze 5 gallons for later. Got in 2 gallons of green beans. Cooking them with a couple slices of fatback, I'll eat off that all week. looks like maybe 2 gallons of blackberries ready. I'm going to try to get them before the sun goes down. Finished the end of my last barbecued deer hindquarter Friday. My buddy came by yesterday morning and brought me one from his freezer. 18 pounds. So, I'll have another deer hindquarter barbecue in a couple weeks. Got 5 gallon bucket of apples sitting on the porch, not sure what to do with them, yet. I'm thinking slice them and freeze them, maybe. After I pick the blackberries, I'm going to pickle another hundred eggs. 13 dozen sitting around now, no reason to wait. Strawberries are setting runners, and nobody around to give them too.


----------



## tambo

Kraut experiment I mixed up today.
























Corn I put up today.
























Squash I up today.
















Plus mowed the yard today.


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## newfieannie

i am so envious Tambo. i could grow all that in the country but not in here. i took the day off today . i worked hard yesterday at the steps and retaining wall. every now and then i do take a rest. i'm heading out at 6am to do mowing for a few hours tomorrow. well, i guess it's today now. i'd better hit the sack. ~Georgia.


----------



## littlejoe

Tambo... do the squash and corn pretty much hold their consistency after being frozen? I've never tried any.

I love fried summer squash and ear corn, but don't get much of it through the summer.


----------



## Tommyice

Nice Tambo. I love my vac sealer. I take my corn off the cob, only because I can use it other ways and it takes less space in the freezer that way.


----------



## tambo

I would have liked to cut it off the cobb but no time. It takes up less freezer space that way too. If I don't goof off to much my next 2 days off I may try to cut some off too. If y'all see me on HT tell me to quit goofing off and get to work. LOL

Little Joe the corn is awesome out of the freezer. The squash does fine for me because when I fry it I don't batter it, I just fry it in the skillet with butter and onion and sweat it down. I will have to remember to see if it would hold up to be deep fried next time I thaw some out. A can of squash in the store is over a dollar and might have 3 chunks in it. So when I have more than I can eat I just cut it up and freeze it.


----------



## newfieannie

me and my trusty old friend were working out in the country today.i've had that old thing for over 20 years. took up 22 loads to the compost pile. mowed and raked and mowed and raked again. when it's long like that you have to go over it a couple times. i'm very pleased today though. i can see a dent in it for sure.need some rain now to turn it green. saw lots of hummingbirds but i was too busy mowing. loved to have them flying around me though. ~Georgia.


----------



## Tommyice

Jealous of your hummingbirds Newfie. I set up a hummingbird feeder with no expectations of ever having one visit. Was sitting outside blowing bubbles with my neighbor's 6 year old daughter (hey we were done weeding and watering the garden--it was time to relax) and she told me she saw a funny bird there the other day. Her mom pressed her for a description and sure enough that little girl got to see her first hummingbird. I'm happy for her and pea-green with envy.LOL


----------



## Raven12

WhyNot said:


> Well...I been in Arkansas now, in more of a permanent fashion than I was last fall. And so far I have been doing the type of things you do when you are in Arkansas. I'll have some stories later but so far I don't think I can divulge much, I'll have to read over this non-disclosure statement I signed at the border.


What kind of top secret stuff is going on in Arkansas that you can't divulge? It isn't Area 51! Or is it?


----------



## Raven12

I have one lettuce seedling that has emerged. Yes, I know for most of you that is pretty lame but ya'll are stuck with me. Lol.


----------



## newfieannie

lots of lettuce here but my peppers are pitiful. ~Georgia.


----------



## City Bound

too hot for lettuce here now.


----------



## newfieannie

it seemed as if whereever i turned today i could see roses. just a sea of them all over my land. the lupins too have escaped and are all over the field. not sure what those white flowers are. ~Georgia.


----------



## Raven12

Your place is gorgeous. I wouldn't ever want to leave home if I were you.


----------



## Qhorseman

Wild Blackberries everywhere this year. I picked about a half gallon this evening. I am going to try and get my daughter to make cobbler. I turned the lettuce beds this afternoon to get them ready for a fall and winter crop of lettuce.


----------



## newfieannie

Raven12 said:


> Your place is gorgeous. I wouldn't ever want to leave home if I were you.


it's nothing much . just a few acres with the house falling down but i do love it which is why i'm back out there in earnest this summer trying to pull it all back to its former glory. the plan is to spend the summer there and the winter in the city. best of both worlds really. ~Georgia.


----------



## City Bound

georia, how long of a ride is it to your country place?


----------



## Raven12

Q, if I could triple like your comments about Wild blackberries and cobbler, I would.

Georgia, the land is truly beautiful.


----------



## newfieannie

about 30 miles. not very far but a whole different world. ~Georgia.


----------



## City Bound

not a bad ride geogia. Good deal.


----------



## WhyNot

Raven12 said:


> What kind of top secret stuff is going on in Arkansas that you can't divulge? It isn't Area 51! Or is it?


Nope I've been to Area 51, this is not it. I'm pretty sure it's not it because there is more green stuff here and the "do not enter" and such signs are much smaller and have a particular homemade flair to them. 

Went fishing and caught my first Arkansas bluegill....hmmm probably about a 1/2 lb ready to fry MAYBE and my first Arkansas catfish....uhm...decidedly not a 1/2 pound. lol Enough for flavor. hahaha I'd tell the story about how I caught the bluegill but it might make someone feel bad so I won't do that. :heh:

I did go on a drive the other day to look at some property. I never call the realtor for the first driveby. Apparently on this one you do because "the sign will be on the left" wasn't...and I ended up in another state. And everyone over there was looking at me even more funny than they look at me over here. APPARENTLY they don't see too many very white girls in pink trucks anywhere around here. I just don't understand that. 

I ended up finally being able to turn around (roads are very narrow in the boonies here) at a pasture gate with a long horn bull looking at me....well like I was a very white girl in a pink truck.

So I made my second pass to try to find this property and ended up down yet another cowpath with a sudden very large sign that said, "something, something hunting camp NO TRESPASSING" and the path got steeper and darker. I backed out a 1/4 mile LOL no where to turn around.

Then I decided to go the other way because if I accidently ended up in another state it would be AT LEAST a four hour drive. Was looking at an old rock house when some other woman showed up from Florida....I never caught her name but we cruised around out in the Arkansas outback looking at cabins together. She assured me she was no competition in the market for any of those places.

I don't understand that. I mean...the rock house even came with piles of rat poop and some HUMONGOUS spiders....and a turquoise bathtub with some sort of animal carcass in it.

On another, not quite as adventurous note, the black sumatras my friend hatched out for me are nothing short of awesome and I'm hoping to make them a coop in the next two weeks. They are small yet to be putting in a coop so I have some time to design it....haha...and afford it.

The real big secret is how much fun I'm having. It should probably be illegal.


----------



## Raven12

Glad you are having such a great time and so much fun. You deserve the happiness.


----------



## WhyNot

Thanks Raven12.

Oh and I've learned how to pluck chickens. My chicken knowledge is now all the way around 

And then we are scheduled to harvest some rabbits. The only thing I have experienced with rabbits is from the ones I've raised...never tried the meat, never harvested or processed one...so this should be good...well as good as taking an animal can be I guess.

I hope to do the same thing with a deer this fall. So far I've skinned and butchered/processed probably 30 or more deer in my life but I've never actually shot one and one of the ones I hit with a car I tried to field dress but...well that didn't go very well LOL. So I hope to harvest and field dress one this fall. Then I'll be full circle with that experience as well.

Tying up loose experiences and having new ones


----------



## Qhorseman

A pink truck? Not sure I have ever seen one


----------



## newfieannie

i painted my old truck pink one time. i only used it for the lumber yard etc. my husband wasn't too happy when he came home on vacation and needed to go after shavings,lumber etc. wouldn't use it until i painted over it. i thought it looked purty myself. ~Georgia.


----------



## WhyNot

Qhorseman said:


> A pink truck? Not sure I have ever seen one


Well...now you can say you have, raspberry hot pink and white...done by an Arkansas conversion shop lol. Not recently though, years ago.


----------



## newfieannie

too tired to go back out working in the country again today so i took some friends to their appointments and then worked a bit in my city garden. this garden looks small with the way i took it but it extends back almost to the fence. not too many are blooming yet but i just love those painted daisies. this is my first year for blooms. i had them last year but yanked them out for weeds. my tomatoes are there to soak up the sun.i have another pic but of course have to do another post. ~Georgia.


----------



## newfieannie

found a surprise this morning. one lone peony growing up through the yarrow. dont know how that happened but i think it looks good. i'll leave it. ~Georgia.


----------



## Tommyice

WhyNot said:


> Well...now you can say you have, raspberry hot pink and white...done by an Arkansas conversion shop lol. Not recently though, years ago.


Sure hope you can find a tree in your new location that coordinates as well as that one.`


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Such awesome colors in this thread. WhyNot, you can fix your truck with some flat paint, black, green, and brown..lol then you would fit in..lol


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Or if you HAVE to stay with the pink....


----------



## WhyNot

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> Such awesome colors in this thread. WhyNot, you can fix your truck with some flat paint, black, green, and brown..lol then you would fit in..lol


Oh heck no! I'm not a refugee from the heck or high water backwoods militia (no offense to the same)!! I'm just a gurl.



WolfWalksSoftly said:


> Or if you HAVE to stay with the pink....




Now this.....this would match my hat.


----------



## tambo

Pink camo is just wrong. A pink gun of any kind is even worst. Can you tell I don't like pink?

My ultimate vehicle would be a Toyota FJ in realtree camo inside and out!!


----------



## NoClue

Tonight, I'll be dining on my first tomatoes of the season.

My friends and neighbors are in awe. All the old-timers around here say that you can't plant tomatoes here until the end of May, and so, can't possibly have tomatoes until the end of July. I started mine in early April. The climate isn't what it used to be, and sometimes it works in our favor.


----------



## Fowler

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> Or if you HAVE to stay with the pink....


This would match my 20 gauge perfectly, same camo....sweet!!


----------



## WhyNot

tambo said:


> Pink camo is just wrong. A pink gun of any kind is even worst. Can you tell I don't like pink?
> 
> My ultimate vehicle would be a Toyota FJ in realtree camo inside and out!!


I prefer my guns with the wood and metal look, although I have a .22 that's nylon. I also don't think I'd have any vehicle camoflauged in any way...it's just...well too much lol.

Now...at one time I DID see a lime green Plymoth Barracuda with a four inch black shag interior....THAT was sweet.

I was going to do something similar to a '63 Pontiac Astre that I had except it was going to be a pretty orange on the outside and the shag was going to be shorter and cream colored...but I hit a MONSTER deer with it just outside Ogallala Nebraska and totally demolished it. :sob:


----------



## WolfWalksSoftly

Don't be disrespecting the cammo now!..


----------



## Qhorseman

I just got a load of lumber from the lumber yard. Going to build a new rabbit house house in the next few days.


----------



## tambo

LOL I have more camo clothes than regular clothes. None of them have pink on them though.


----------



## Qhorseman

tambo said:


> LOL I have more camo clothes than regular clothes. None of them have pink on them though.


Maybe thats why the coyotes are hanging up out of rifle range lately, none of my camo is pink. Have to check and see if there are any pink ghillie's available  LOL


----------



## newfieannie

my first pale pink oriental poppy. i've only had one called white king and the common orange ones. i'm hoping for a few more of these. ~Georgia.


----------



## littlejoe

This heat and semi-slack time has got me thinking I need more shade trees... any trees are good!

I had ordered some red oaks to put as a shade tree on the west side, last spriing kinda experimenting. They didn't take, actually very few things took from this nursery. Went to a landscaper/used to be nursery/produce stand operator I know, and he sold me 3-8' cottonless cottonwoods for $15 apiece, and threw in a apple tree that appears to be a gold delicous... just didn't have a tag. The cottonwoods will grow big, fast! I could've dug some up, but don't think the price was bad. I know it wasn't bad... I wouldnt dig any for that! plus I know these won't be sending cotton everywhere.

Anyone know a good place to order different types of oak trees from? This soil has some alkalinity to it, but still I see some red, and silver leaf maple that are huge, and show no chlorotic problems. Seldom do I see any oaks?


----------



## Qhorseman

Missouri State Tree Farm in Licking,MO they have many varieties of oak.


----------



## littlejoe

Looks like you may have to a Missouri landowner, Q?


----------



## Qhorseman

littlejoe said:


> Looks like you may have to a Missouri landowner, Q?


Sorry about that LJ, I thought they shipped to anyone.


----------



## City Bound

Came home to find my comfry in a sad state. it was drooping from the heat. I really wish there was more going on homesteading wise for me but there is not. I do not know if that is good or bad. 

I got a packet of Linda Runyon's wild food books, they are pretty good.


----------



## WhyNot

Just got back with two Black Jersey Giant chicks! Wheeee! Supposed to be pullets...we'll see what happens. Wheeee! I have six chicks!!

....probably should find a place to live soon lol.


----------



## Qhorseman

Anyone else starting to think about hunting season? I am, I need venison badly. I am out


----------



## tambo

Replaced my bathroom faucet today. Man plumbing sucks. I couldn't cut the water off with the cutoff valves because whoever installed them put them where you couldn't turn the handles because they were to close. So I had to turn the water off at the meter. (Looks like someone hasn't been reading the meter either because it was covered with mud.) So any way 2 trips to town to lowes I got the faucet changed out and the cut off valves where I can use them now.

Then I went out and picked a wheel barrel full and a half bushel basket of corn. I will be all day putting that up tomorrow.

I hope I get to go back to work. A maintenance man at work slipped and when he went to try to catch himself he stuck his hand in a fan and cut it off. They shut the plant down for an investigation. OSHA is there too. I heard the plant was going to be shut down until they can get guards on all the compressors. I hate it for him because he is a dang good mechanic and really a good guy.


----------



## NewGround

Qhorseman said:


> Anyone else starting to think about hunting season? I am, I need venison badly. I am out


Maybe you could try a cattle-guard on your truck and ride the back roads around dusk ;-)


----------



## Qhorseman

Thats mighty expensive venison when you hunt with your truck.


----------



## foxfiredidit

Qhorseman said:


> Anyone else starting to think about hunting season? I am, I need venison badly. I am out


I took note of where I'm on the deer meat last night when I went to the freezer to add yesterday's haul from the garden....still doing pretty good. Looks like there is 2, but I don't think 3, still in there. 

But I really don't ever stop thinking about it. If I get an opportunity this afternoon late, I'll ride over to the big plot and check on the clay peas. They could be growing well, or they could be gone....hopefully they're still there. I always put in a crop or two so the doe deer can get some nutrients going before they have those babies in August. Between August and the last of September I distribute corn away from the plots in the wooded areas so the wheat, clover, and rye can get a chance to grow back in the plots. After the middle of October until January 31st....its game on.


----------



## Qhorseman

Ahhhh....I found a Hornworm helping himself to one of my tomatos this morning. Went thru all my mater plants looking for anymore.


----------



## Vickie44

I have been harvesting and freezing peas, thought I was doing well but this heat will probably be the end of them. I 've got snow and sugar snap, the shelling peas arent ready yet.


----------



## newfieannie

been out at the country place since early morning. started a new section of mowing . it's hot raking at 28. i set a goal when i left and accomplished it though. ran into the biggest ant hill i've ever seen .went headlong over the mower into a tree. few scratches on my neck from the spruce and broke my ear protectors.tall grass see. nothing much.no broken bones. never have had one. good thing the mower cuts out when you fall off. i must be tough! back in the city now. having a cup of tea before i start watering my garden. i'm hoping for rain tomorrow to do some transplanting. ~Georgia.


----------



## City Bound

vickie how many pea plants did you grow? I grew ten to see if I could finally get a crop. I got peas but there was not very much to eat even though the plant was full. I imagine it would take over 100 pea plant to feed a family. 

My rabbit really enjoys pea stems. Some guy at the community garden told me that the tips of the pea plant are edible and that they sell them in Whole Foods.


----------



## City Bound

geogia, you have internet at the country place?


----------



## newfieannie

i dont have a computer out there now. i brought it in for the winter so it wouldn't get damp. i'm back in the city right now. ~Georgia.


----------



## NewGround

Qhorseman said:


> Thats mighty expensive venison when you hunt with your truck.


Only if you miss a lot, try putting iron sights on it...


----------



## Qhorseman

newground said:


> only if you miss a lot, try putting iron sights on it...


lol


----------



## tambo

I put up some corn cut off the cob today.










My handy bag holder my sister gave me.



















I put up 19 bags all together out of about 80 ears.


----------



## doodlemom

That corn looks so good!


----------



## doodlemom

City Bound said:


> vickie how many pea plants did you grow? I grew ten to see if I could finally get a crop. I got peas but there was not very much to eat even though the plant was full. I imagine it would take over 100 pea plant to feed a family.
> 
> My rabbit really enjoys pea stems. Some guy at the community garden told me that the tips of the pea plant are edible and that they sell them in Whole Foods.


They have a good price on sprouting seeds ant Mountain Valley Seed.


----------



## Terri

Tonight, about 11 PM, there was a tapping on my window. The funny thing was, both cats were inside already!

I looked up and I was eyeball to eyeball with a raccoon, who was catching the moths on the window!


----------



## doodlemom

Your moths must be the size of chickens lol


----------



## netexan

Fed critters this a.m. and checked on the garden. Now it's time to put a rub on a brisket and a turkey breast so they can go into the smoker tomorrow.


----------



## Qhorseman

Got the rough frame of the new rabbit house built. Now I need to get the braces installed and get a roof on it. Mmmmmmm......I can taste the fried rabbit already


----------



## Vickie44

City Bound said:


> vickie how many pea plants did you grow? I grew ten to see if I could finally get a crop. I got peas but there was not very much to eat even though the plant was full. I imagine it would take over 100 pea plant to feed a family.
> 
> My rabbit really enjoys pea stems. Some guy at the community garden told me that the tips of the pea plant are edible and that they sell them in Whole Foods.


I plant peas around the perimeter CB so 50 ft sugar snap, 50 ft oregon snow , 50ft asian snow and 50 ft shelling. I have been freezing them for a while now as I plant in March. 10 plants would just give enough to add to salads.


----------



## Vickie44

Tambo the corn looks great . I canned sweet corn last year , same day I picked and it is still fabulous.


----------



## newfieannie

sure does look good Tambo! do you parboil a bit or just freeze as is? ~Georgia.


----------



## City Bound

Vickie44 said:


> I plant peas around the perimeter CB so 50 ft sugar snap, 50 ft oregon snow , 50ft asian snow and 50 ft shelling. I have been freezing them for a while now as I plant in March. 10 plants would just give enough to add to salads.


That is about 800 pea plants. Wow.


----------



## foxfiredidit

CB, I put in 8 rows of peas that were each 70 ft. long. That's roughly 900 plants give or take a few. Right now, they're producing a bushel basket every other day, which is give or take a couple, 10-12 freezer bags of the type you see in Tambo's excellant corn process photos. I put 2 1/2 cups of peas in each bag, lay it out flat as Tambo does, and stack it in the freezer. The pea patch is still loaded down with immature peas and peas that will be ready on Sunday...or Monday even more, 'cause I'm taking Sunday off. 

There are 4 short rows of beans out there as well. They are 40 ft. long which is around 250 plants. They are producing about 6-8 freezer bags every other day and just like the peas, more to go. 

If we get another rain out of the tropical weather in the Gulf, the production could go higher on both patches. Rain is the maker or the breaker. 

To date, a little over 200 lbs potatos, somewhere at around 15-20 lbs of onions (should have planted more), 40+ lbs squash, 60 +/- bell peppers, 35 lbs tomatos, 25 lbs cucumbers, and the okra rows are just now getting high enough to start blooming, 34 bags of peas, and 23 bags of beans. Add the heat, humidity, my age, the whiskey (happy hour is 8-9 pm), inherent laziness, and 25 gallons or so of gator-aid to my penchant for daydreaming (about pretty wimmins)....makes a tough row to hoe thus far. But I'm getting there. 

Added a couple of whole pork loins I found on sale, cut that up and to the freezer. The blueberries are abundant in this area now, and so I got my hands on 5 quarts and added them in. The pickled squash, pepper and onion mix has peaked my interest and now I have 18 pints of that (enough is enough!!). 

Overall, I'll be really glad when this vegatable thing goes away. I want to go to the Gulf for shrimp, snapper and crab. I can't live without jambalaya and they got boudin down there that I gotta save a space for.


----------



## City Bound

Impressive fox. 

It must be nice to have space to grow more.

Talking about space, it dawned on me the other day when I was watching footage of a Brazilian slum that these people were impoverished but at the same time they had all this space around them to grow food in. Even in a sq feet outside the door the to hut the family could grow something to take the weight of poverty off their backs.


----------



## foxfiredidit

City Bound said:


> Impressive fox.
> 
> It must be nice to have space to grow more.


Just my opinion, but storage space and knowing the canning / freezing processes are more essential than space to grow. The prices at the farmer's market and the quality are pretty competitive with what you can get by planting, if you can buy the items you want to store. 

But this is what this old retired geezer who lives in the outback does in order to keep all the joints and gaskets in working order. It ain't pretty but it serves for way more than to just stock the freezer.


----------



## newfieannie

i can get stuff at the farmers market for less but i do it for the same thing .keeps me in shape. ~Georgia.


----------



## tambo

NF I blanch it a little.


----------



## newfieannie

out in the garden tonight tying up my beans and what not. stopped to play with my flowers. cut a peony and put it in my glass. put a tea light in the center. i know i'm really weird. all the peonies are in full bloom tonight. my yellow rose is blooming. i'll get a pic when the rain stops. ~Georgia


----------



## WhyNot

That is an awesome and cute idea, Newfie! I think I'll steal it.


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## newfieannie

go right ahead. it would look better if i had taken it a little later when you could see the light. i'm still trying to make it smaller. pb says it's already 400x400 but it's not showing here. i'll get it in a bit. ~Georgia


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## WhyNot

oh it's showing here at 400 x 400...but...the funny things with browsers is that for YOU it will "remember" and show the original large size on pb for a while until it clears it out of its cache.

Trust me...everyone else here sees it at 400 x 400.

I already went through that. LOL


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## netexan

Harvested again this a.m. and weighed everything out. Since Friday the 15th, eight days ago, I have taken 124# 11oz of produce from the garden! Put a brisket and a turkey breast on the smoker early this a.m. for supper tonight and blanched then froze todays take of squash and zuccini. 

I do believe it is now officially Beer30 here in the bottoms!


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## City Bound

Fox, farmers markets are expensive here. Storage space is important. I can not even imagine how many freezer people on HT must have to store all these frozen foods.


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## Qhorseman

City Bound said:


> Fox, farmers markets are expensive here. Storage space is important. I can not even imagine how many freezer people on HT must have to store all these frozen foods.


CB, I have noticed the produce at the FM are nudging up in prices here also. The state has now mandated we collect sales tax. This year the FM's have officially exceeded 1 billion in sales. I guess the gov. can't ignore us any longer, they want their cut now.


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## Tommyice

The usual happenings here today. Trying to keep ahead of the weeds in the garden and barrels. Since my strawberries are in barrels, I've got the runners all set into little pots around the barrel until they're big enough to move into their own space. Probably will fill the old strawberry pots with this group. 

Oh and my wisteria really loves me. Look what it made, the heat of summer, just for me.









It's got a twin on the other side of the plant. Have any of you ever seen a wisteria bloom twice a year?


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## City Bound

Qhorseman said:


> CB, I have noticed the produce at the FM are nudging up in prices here also. The state has now mandated we collect sales tax. This year the FM's have officially exceeded 1 billion in sales. I guess the gov. can't ignore us any longer, they want their cut now.


One billion in your state or is that the total for the nation?


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## Raven12

I take a walk through the grocery section in stores whenever I think I am spending too much on my garden. I can't believe the cost of tomatoes and zucchini here.


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## newfieannie

my Wisteria didn't even bloom once. waited 5 years .dug it out. the mock orange will probably go the same way. ~Georgia.


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## Tommyice

Georgia mine was a runner from a vine up at the barn where Tommy was stabled. I took three of them, this is the only one that survived the transplant. It took about three years before I saw any blossoming. The first year there were only two sickly looking ones. The second year showed more promise with about 10 stout looking ones. This year it must have had about 40 of them. I have it trained on a chain link fence, weaving it through the linking to help cover it. I'm just really surprised it's blossoming a second time.


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## netexan

Heirloom tomatoes









another harvest









Smoked turkey breast and brisket


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## WolfWalksSoftly

Just dawned on me... that's the first breast I stared at, that wasn't a womans..lol Good Form !


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## netexan

Thank you Wolf! I'm glad you got some eye candy today.


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## WolfWalksSoftly

What can I say..I am a smoked meat conisuer.


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## netexan

I'm happy to know that I'm not alone in this big, weird, world.


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## Tommyice

netexan said:


> I'm happy to know that I'm not alone in this big, weird, world.


There's a lot more of us then there are of them 

By the way Netexan, now that the breasts have been pointed out, what about those legs in the second pic? :huh:


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## netexan

That's Hotwheels. My girl and I'm just tryin' to keep my toes out of the way.


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## City Bound

not much homesteading stuff going on around my way  

Currants and raspberries are fruiting.


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## Qhorseman

City Bound said:


> One billion in your state or is that the total for the nation?


nation wide


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## elkhound

trying something new....tomato clips.heres some heirloom maters..pink german and big yellow.


















wooden stake in ground to tie string on


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## Raeven

Your tomatoes look great, Elk! Mine are struggling in the persistent cold. They're growing, but slowly. They won't need clips or cages for a few weeks yet...

I prefer heirlooms. Seeds are savable and the flavor is so much better in my opinion.


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## elkhound

Raeven said:


> Your tomatoes look great, Elk! Mine are struggling in the persistent cold. They're growing, but slowly. They won't need clips or cages for a few weeks yet...
> 
> I prefer heirlooms. Seeds are savable and the flavor is so much better in my opinion.



i have a mater i been growing a long time..its called Jerusalem.its a big red beefy mater that me and my dad been seed saving for about 20 years.they started from 12 seeds from israel and the locals here started calling them jerusalem but most abaonded them because they blighted.we kept growing them and got the blight out of them...after 20 years...lol

they are big meaty canners


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## WolfWalksSoftly

Gauuld that looks good Elk. My first Tom. won't make it into the house, will just grab the salt shaker and eat the thing from the vine.


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## Raven12

I am so tomato jealous.


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## NewGround

elkhound said:


> i have a mater i been growing a long time..its called Jerusalem.its a big red beefy mater that me and my dad been seed saving for about 20 years.they started from 12 seeds from israel and the locals here started calling them jerusalem but most abaonded them because they blighted.we kept growing them and got the blight out of them...after 20 years...lol
> 
> they are big meaty canners


If you would care to share some of them seeds please let me know... I like Romas 'cause they're meaty but didn't get any in this year... Those are even better than Romas...


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## Raven12

I was thinking the same thing too, NG.


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## Tommyice

Elk I sure hope you've grown enough to share with everyone


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## WolfWalksSoftly

Yeah, what Leslie said!


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## elkhound

for the record those are last years maters.....i will have some seed come fall time iffin ya want them for next season.


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## City Bound

I was putting a automatic watering system in at the community garden plot. Drilled holes in an old hose to make a soaker hose and it worked good. I really should have put this system in earlier but I had too much going on. I made a real mess of my onions installing the hose.


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## NW Rancher

That's a great idea CB. I can't use a regular soaker hose here, as I water from a spring above the garden. I get too much sediment and it plugs a regular soaker. I may have to give your idea a try.


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## City Bound

Rancher, just pass the drill right through to the other side and you get two holes. The smaller the drill bit the more of a sprinkler you get, the wider the bit, more of a trickle.


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## NW Rancher

Thanks 'Bound, you're a peach.


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## City Bound

A peach? haha thank you. 

I crimped the hose a few times and tied it with wire and that finished the end of the line. 

let me know how it works for you if you try it.


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## Qhorseman

NW Rancher said:


> That's a great idea CB. I can't use a regular soaker hose here, as I water from a spring above the garden. I get too much sediment and it plugs a regular soaker. I may have to give your idea a try.


Have you tried a sand filter on your supply line?


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## NW Rancher

I did Q. I can get it to work ok for a short while, but it's really fine sediment, and plugs up the hose eventually regardless. Also, I do have a pump on the system but try to use it gravity fed most of the time, which really doesn't work once there's any restriction in either the filter or the hose. I've got about 100' of fall though, so it does have some good pressure when it's clear.


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## NewGround

Met a grading contractor out at the site today... Just got finished picking all the ticks off me, sure wish I had some help with that...

After walking the site it looks to be 3-4 days with a track loader... Clear, grub and burn it off...


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## Tommyice

Love to help you out with the tick search and rescue, but quite frankly, not sure what good I'd be. Just this morning it took me a 15 minutes to take one of my dad's dog. 10 seconds to pull it off; 14 minutes 50 seconds to jump around screaming "EEEWWWWW!"

Guess you've got a spot marked for the cabin already?


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## NewGround

Well if you recall the pics I posted before that whole area is not so densely filled out you can't even see in there... That's why it needs slash and burn... It's so bad even the blood-filled ticks have ticks on them...


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## Tommyice

{{{{{shudder}}}}}} Eeeeeewwwwww ticks on ticks.


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## NewGround

Tommyice said:


> {{{{{shudder}}}}}} Eeeeeewwwwww ticks on ticks.


LOL, you're gonna have to buck up homestead girl... At least they're keeping the snakes away...


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## Qhorseman

Tommyice said:


> {{{{{shudder}}}}}} Eeeeeewwwwww ticks on ticks.


They don't eat much


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## Raeven

I hate ticks. Never had one here. Pulled one off one of my dogs. Once.


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## netexan

Yesterday it was 101 and they're forecasting 103 for today, so I'm watering twice a day in an effort to keep stuff alive.
Might make bread and butter pickles today but I'm crawfishin' on the idea as I don't want to heat the house up with 4 gallons of boiling water. Not to mention that Wheels is gone to see her folks so I already have an increased work load.


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## WolfWalksSoftly

Pickle the bad boys outside in the shade.


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## netexan

I gave up on it today, Wolf. It'll have to wait till tomorrow after I pick over the garden again. It's beer 30 so it's time to turn on Guns & Roses, grab the coppertone and go fetch a coors.


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## shanzone2001

netexan said:


> It's beer 30 so it's time to turn on Guns & Roses, grab the coppertone and go fetch a coors.


Ahhhhhh, that sounds like heaven!!!


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## netexan

Cheers.


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## shanzone2001

netexan said:


> Cheers.


Tease.....:hammer:


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## netexan

Sometimes I can't help myself.


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## Tommyice

Hey Netexan did you ever make the peach jam? How did it turn out?


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## netexan

I did. It is great. Now I'm waiting on my other peach trees and I'll make a bunch more. It's a terrible thing to have so many peach trees that you have to make jam, eat them on pancakes, ice cream, Grill 'em. I tell ya Leslie it's terrible.


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## NewGround

shanzone2001 said:


> Tease.....:hammer:


Go ahead and have a beer, it's better than nail polish...


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## Tommyice

netexan said:


> I did. It is great. Now I'm waiting on my other peach trees and I'll make a bunch more. It's a terrible thing to have so many peach trees that you have to make jam, eat them on pancakes, ice cream, Grill 'em. I tell ya Leslie it's terrible.


I feel for ya Netexan. It must be a horrible cross to bear, so many peaches.









I don't have trees, but all the orchards around here will be ready at the end of July.


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## netexan

No kidding. The end of July. By that time most everything down here will have given up the ghost.


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## Tommyice

I haven't had anything to harvest yet. Poor me


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## netexan

I do feel for you. But when your harvest is in full swing our's will have long since been gone. Well except for the second plantings of fall crops.


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## Tommyice

You just can't help yourself can you? LOL


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## netexan

It's a curse.


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## WhyNot

Still rounding out experiences here. Until this morning the only bird I had ever skinned with feathers still on was wild geese and an experiment with a pheasant.

Did the last of the butcher chickens this morning and skinned them instead of plucking. Goes much faster....MUCH faster. Did it that way because of the heat, we had lost a couple the first day of triple digits so...it was figured this would be a good way to get the rest done quickly.

Figured right. :thumb:


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## littlejoe

It might make a large differeance in how you decide to cook them. whynot? I could remember skinning a few chickens, but most were plucked when I was a kid.

I bought a turkey a few years ago, to smoke. Didn't scald it, just started plucking, and remembered skinning a few chickens. So... I skun the turkey! Brined it, injected it, and babeyed it all day in the smoke. It smelled delicous, but came out tougher than a boot sole!

I could then remember some of those chickens, mom pressure cooked, and they went into noodles or dumplings. or whatever. Brainstorm... I think it was the old hens we skinned.

I've smoked a couple purchased turkey carcasses since for smoking, that were already cleaned and plucked. They were better than good.


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## doodlemom

Tommyice said:


> Love to help you out with the tick search and rescue, but quite frankly, not sure what good I'd be. Just this morning it took me a 15 minutes to take one of my dad's dog. 10 seconds to pull it off; 14 minutes 50 seconds to jump around screaming "EEEWWWWW!"
> 
> Guess you've got a spot marked for the cabin already?


My childhood fun was taking a lighter to them with my little brother.


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## littlejoe

doodlemom said:


> My childhood fun was taking a lighter to them with my little brother.


Did you help your little bro take them off of the dog, or were you setting on top of him, saying let me help you, little bro?


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## doodlemom

Fresh off the dogs and cats. They all had flea collars and lived outdoors. Nothing worse than finding one of those nasty things on your pets.


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## doodlemom

I have to add we took a bottle of my mothers perfume and used it as a tick torch at 11 and 12 years. Good thing it didn't blow up.


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## Tommyice

doodlemom said:


> Fresh off the dogs and cats. They all had flea collars and lived outdoors. Nothing worse than finding one of those nasty things on your pets.


Yes there is...finding one on yourself in a spot you can't reach.


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## littlejoe

doodlemom said:


> I have to add we took a bottle of my mothers perfume and used it as a tick torch at 11 and 12 years. Good thing it didn't blow up.


I bet your dogs and cats were easy to catch, no? lol!:sing:


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## Raeven

Spent the afternoon plinking with my new .22... I finally settled on one yesterday and brought it home. I'm well pleased with it and look forward to many happy years of putting varmints out of their misery.


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## foxfiredidit

I love my new 22...its got one of those red-dot scopes on it and a 25 round clip. The scope is good, but you have to turn it off after every use or it continues to aim at something even after you stow it away.


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## Raeven

Which did you get, Fox? I want to hear about both .22 and scope!


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## foxfiredidit

Raeven said:


> Which did you get, Fox? I want to hear about both .22 and scope!


After researching the results of what was out there, I had to choose between the Ruger and the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 AR. I chose the S&W. Using the CCI mini-mags (or Stinger rounds) with 1640 with feet per second muzzle velocity versus the normal 1250 (federal rounds), I can load up the bottom of a coke can 8 out of 10 times, with the other two shots being very close, at 80 yards. 3 failure to feed so far, no failure to fire so far, and I've run probably 2000 rounds through it. Failure to feed problem was my sloppy loading of the clip though, and since I've paid more attention to that, have had none. It costs 390 bucks at the local gun store. Its set up on the AR platform with all functional controls and nothing added on just to "look" like a military weapon, which I understand some others do. A great smooth shooting 22 rifle with an adjustable stock for folks with shorter arm reach.

I put a Trueglow 2X red/green dot scope on it which is a cheap thing, but with the peep sights and my eyelasses, I wasn't getting the sight picture I wanted every time which affected the accuracy. Now if I could just remember to turn it off after using the gun, all would be well. The scope was around 65 dollars as I recall. Other easily attached periphials are available, such as a flashlight activated by a pressure control on the forearm grip which might be good, as I'm bad about having to look for a flashlight at night. My night vision is great, but not a hootowl if I want to see something clearly. 

Hope you are having fun with yours as well. A 22 LR is a fun gun, and no matter the brand you got, it will serve you well. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Finding one you like will enhance your proficiency with it...practice, practice.


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## Raven12

.........


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## foxfiredidit

The majority of it is over, done, complete. I am taking down the strings and white plastic bags that hang in clothesline fashion around the garden. The deer can have it, or whats now left of it. I've taken all I want, all I can stand, and just when the really hot weather has arrived. I thought it would be over by mid-June but having such poor luck with the big pea patch and replanting put that off. What I didn't want was taken by folks who needed or wanted it. Maybe the deer won't eat the okra, I've never known them to, and maybe what tomatos are left will withstand the over warm nights to keep a few coming along. If they do, they do, it is what it is, and was what it was. Thanks garden, for being so kind to me this year, and thanks again for the aches and pains, sweat and dirt, and for not hiding my cell phone for too long.


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## Tommyice

Gee Fox how are you gonna spend the rest of your summer? Planning a fall planting?


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## Terri

This morning I went out to pick blackberries but most of them had dried on the bushes. It was 107 just 2 days ago. I turned the water on them instead and then I picked vegetables.

I got 3 tomatos, enough okra for a meal, just one carrot and a beet.

The carrot and the beet greens will go into a salad with some other things: waste not want not!


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## foxfiredidit

Tommyice said:


> Gee Fox how are you gonna spend the rest of your summer? Planning a fall planting?


Ti, gardening is not my favorite thing, and once a year is enough for me. A small turnip patch as ground cover on the kitchen garden will be about it. Everything else I plant now will be for the game animals. When they come back to their winter range, and the water returns to the ephemeral streams in mid Nov, they'll be expecting it and I will be expecting them. The bambi deer are due in August, they will want something good to eat by November.


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## doodlemom

Raven12 said:


> .........


Must be shorthand for "Got all my seeds evenly spaced in a straight row"


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## NewGround

Hey, what's everyone got planned for the extra time tonight? It will be the last chance to get something done for this thread before a July thread starts...

I heard on the radio that 'cause the earth's rotation has been slowing down all the atomic clocks will add one leap second at midnight tonight... So what you gonna do with the extra time? Leap Second Party! Woohoo...


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## tambo

To hot to cook in the house today so I cooked some Cornish Hens in the dutch oven. This time I used charcoal. I used the charcoal chimney twice to have enough coals. I forgot to take pics while it was cooking.


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## Tommyice

Did you do the bread outside too?

Once again a yummy looking meal Tambo.


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## tambo

No I didn't. I was going too but I had to catch a rabbit that got loose today. I sure do wish I had bought another dutch oven the other day when we were looking at them. I want another smaller one with legs to try stacking them.


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## littlejoe

Wow! That does look like a meal... I'm salivating now! lol!
I'm not a dutch oven cooker or experimenter yet, but why can't you stack the same size? I know their is a heat differance in top and bottom, but you should be able to adjust for that.
I'm gonna have to give it a go, when I get a little time. This thread is getting me fired up!


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## tambo

Littlejoe I only have one Dutch oven with legs. If the other one had legs I could've stacked them.


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## littlejoe

I see said the blind man... Would some simple spacers work? Like some 1"-1 1/2" square tubing.

All I'm doing is suggesting, cuz I don't know? I've ate a few meals out of them, just getting excited to try my own.


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## tambo

Yeah that probably would've worked or a section of a can. Anything to raise it up I guess. Wished I had thought of that. It would've saved me some charcoal.


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## NewGround

I saw a YT video where the guy bakes bread in a dutch oven over the fire hanging on a tripod... What he did was take a dutch oven just the right size for his loaf pan to fit inside touching on the insides but not the bottom and enough clearance on top for the rise without hitting the lid... So the bread pan is suspended in the dutch oven... Next time I get to Lanier's gonna match up a bread pan to one of their DO's and give this idea a go...


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## tambo

I'm gonna have to find a rack to fit in the bottom of my dutch ovens.


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