Queen's Edge Farm: Friday

Friday, May 30, 2008

Friday

I spent the morning running to a couple of different feed stores looking for another wire rabbit hutch. The one here in town didn't have it, so I went to the one the next town over, and they had what I was looking for....

Afterwards, we came home and got the rabbits settled in their new cages, the old cage cleaned, the chicks fed and watered, and then headed into town to have lunch with Candi.

The girls and I had already eaten, but we met Candi and her brood at Jack In the Box. We then headed to Walmart to pick up a few groceries. I also purchased a box of canning jars, some pickling spice, and a dehydrator. I am so happy about the dehydrator!

Just wanted to share a few funny things that have happened around here the past few days......

First of all, on Tuesday I went out to the land to check on my chickens, re-fill the feeders and the waterers. Well, I didn't pay attention, and forgot to latch the gates so the chickens got out. I went back in the chicken yard and the hens hopped in the coop right away, but the two roosters, flew out of the coop. I didn't have time to chase them, or wait until they went up naturally, so I left them out for the night. I was half hoping something would eat them, because the main rooster has been a pain in the posterior for the past year.

Well, Thursday I went out around lunch time to water the garden, and pick some vegetables. I went to the coop to see if there were any eggs. None in the nesting boxes, so I looked down on the bottom. Nope, none there either. I was starting to get irritated by now, as these are the worst laying chickens I have ever heard of. I think, I need some kind of window or skylight on the top of the coop to let more light in, because SOMETHING is throwing their laying off.

Anyway, as I was bending down, I noticed a bunch of feathers on the other side of the coop between the barn wall, and the coop. I thought "Oh no, something got the rooster, and left pieces of it here!" About that time, the rooster turned it's head and stared at me. It was panting too, which I know is not good for chickens. I walked around to the side of the coop, and started laughing. I knew right away what had happened, because I have seen the rooster do it...He likes to fly up on top of the coop, the thing is, that the roof is sheet metal, and very slippery. Apparently, he slipped, and got wedged UPSIDE DOWN between the wall of the coop and the wall of the barn. I couldn't pull him out by his legs, so Taylor and I rocked the coop back and forth, until he fell down on the ground. We had to put him back into the chicken yard, and he wasn't walking really great. Provided some water to him, and then he started crowing for a LONG time. He was really embarassed! He went into the coop, and didn't come out the rest of the day, though I heard him crowing. Maybe that will "learn" him to stay in the chicken yard. LOL! I wish I had a camera on me, it would have been a great picture.

The second thing happened today at Jack In the Box. Raymond is Candi's 6 year old son. He is in love with Hannah (soon to be 5). He has made all these plans for their married life. What kind of job he will have, the 1,000 children and so on. This REALLY irritates Hannah. When he starts going on with "When you and I are married, I'll take you to Disney World, etc." Hannah constantly tells him "Look I am not getting married to you. I don't even like you." He just smiles and keeps on going.

Well, today he walked up to her to show her how much taller he has gotten (they were the same height until recently). He told her "See, I am bigger than you. I could beat you up you know." Now, most little girls would cry and run and tell, but not Hannah. She looked at him with a serious look, no smile, and sipped her soda. Then she told him calmly "I can break your finger you know?" He got this scared look on his face, and backed away. It was so funny!
I told her to be nice to him, and not to scare Raymond. She told me he was on her nerves. I told her again, she better stop letting him bother her, because they were going to end up married one day. I told her people who fight all the time, end up married. She puffed up, got red in the face, and told me "I am never marrying that disgusting boy." I laughed and laughed.

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Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.