Independence Days Check In

It's been blasted hot here - a good 10°F warmer than normal. I've managed to avoid the air-conditioner, but I sure hope it returns to normal temperatures soon. Oh, and a little rain would be appreciated as well. Anyhow, on to the week's progress for the Independence Days 2009 Challenge:

Plant something: Nope, but am tending some sprouting Flying Dragon orange trees.

Harvest something: Gathered goose & chicken eggs (credit for the idea of putting this under "harvest": http://greenbluebrown.blogspot.com).

Preserve something: My sanity? Nope... too late.

Reduce waste: Hung clothes to dry on clothesline. Fixed and re-used old wire chicken run for new pullet shelter. Did not turn on air-conditioner in either car or home. Purchased “antique” metal nest box (10 cubbies) for the chickens at a fraction of the cost of new. Of course, will clean & sanitize thoroughly.

Preparation & Storage: purchased in bulk: coffee, dried garlic, curry seasoning blend, dried garbanzo beans, rice flour, garbanzo flour. Bulk homemade pasta sauce frozen. Researching pressure canners, finalizing on an All American 30-quart canner so I can start canning instead of freezing broths and sauces. Last week had electrician come out to look over site for emergency generator. This week, finalizing generator model, plans and costs.

Build Community Food Systems: Picked up CSA basket, purchased local goat cheese at our tiny farmers market. Preparing for local co-op vendor/member "meet and greet" next week.

Eat the Food: Ate CSA goodies.

[pic: Maggie being silly]

New Chick Digs, Part Four

The flies were getting awful, and the chicks were getting big. Once more, new chick digs were in order. We had an old wire run sitting unused in the back, so I dragged it out to the cedar patch where we keep the laying coop and food. Not only did it provide more height, it also gave two extra feet in depth. Perches, food, water, tarp cover in case of rain... yeah, that was the easy part. The geese provided assistance and monitoring, of course.

Next: getting the chicks from pen "A" to pen "B". I'm only one person, so made about oh, say, a dozen or more trips back & forth between the pens, juggling a succession of eighteen wriggling chicks and trying not to lose any. I was unsuccessful in that regard. Yep, chicks got loose. It wasn't just me not keeping a good grip... there was also a couple of small holes in the back that I didn't think would be a problem, and by golly, you know what's next: that's EXACTLY what four of them found, and made their escapes. A total of six chicks out running free ("FREEEEDOOOOM!!"), and I had to catch the little buggers.

It took about an hour to catch the majority (fresh corn on the cob is still chicken kryptonite), but there was one little Leghorn who just wasn't taking the bribe. After about a half-hour of cajoling and running him around the cedars, finally set up a boxed-sides trap of blankets and ran him into it. Yoink! Got him!

The chicks seem to be settling in and enjoying the new space. The geese are hanging out and watching the new denizens, like it's their private zoo. The older chicken girls aren't too interested yet, although Red (one of the older Americaunas) did give a young, loose Barred a lesson in pecking order when it came to the fresh corn.

Think I'm done for the day, and am glad not only for the chicks, but for myself. Now I don't have to listen to the strangled cries of adolescent roosters, trying to find their voices at dawn next to the bedroom window.

[Pics: the new digs, and the runaway Leghorn safely ensconced.]

CSA Veggie Adventure Check In

The ongoing adventure in seeing how much CSA produce I can use up and not waste during the week...

What was in the CSA bag last week: onions, kale, carrots, salad greens, mizuna greens, snow peas, turnips, and a small vase of flowers.

What I made: mixed salad greens with mizuna & carrots, wilted mizuna in an omelet, stew with onions, turnips & carrots, and snow peas mixed in with leftover Chinese. Admired the flowers.

What's still left to eat (thank goodness for Evert Fresh bags): onions & kale.

This week's haul: broccoli, spinach, dandelion greens, salad greens, onions, beets, and another batch of flowers (to admire, not eat).

I'm going to force myself to do something with those beets, I mean it this time. The compost pile is still "eating" far too well for my liking.

[Pic: Frau again. She's a very photogenic chicken.]

Independence Days Check In, Week #1

In a previous post, I spoke about Sharon Astyk's Independence Days Challenge. The ID Challenge is about learning and doing things that will help make your household more self-sufficient, as well as help educate neighbors and friends. There's a weekly check in, on Mondays, at Sharon's blog. I'll post here as well as there. Here goes the first week, with a refresher on the weekly goals:

1. Plant something
2. Harvest something
3. Preserve something
4. Reduce waste
5. Preparation and Storage
6. Build Community Food Systems
7. Eat the Food

Plant something: Nada.

Harvest something: First blackberries of the season, woo-hoo!

Preserve something: Purchased meat in bulk, portioned and vacuum-sealed for freezer. Froze extra goose eggs (raw, scrambled).

Reduce waste: See Preserve - bulk purchase of meats, vacuum-sealed to protect against freezer burn. Blew out too-old-to-eat goose eggs for a friend’s pysanky crafting. Took cans, bottles, cardboard and paper to recycling center.

Preparation & Storage: Purchased pharmacy-regulated cold medicines (Sudafed, etc.). Ditto batteries and a case of soy milk. Inventoried freezer items (meats, cheeses, veggies, etc.)

Build Community Food Systems: Sold eggs through our local co-op. Gave some goose eggs as gift. Agreed to take part in the co-op membership drive event; took flyers for the co-op event to give to neighbors and posted co-op flyer graphic on blog.

Eat the Food: Ate home-preserved sauerkraut, and ate a friend’s Flying Dragon orange marmalade.

[Pic: our gal Frau]

Locals: Come Check Out the Co-op!

If you live near the Wimberley area, and are interested in eating fresh, locally grown food, come on down to the Community Center on Sunday, May 17th at 2:00 PM. The Bountiful Sprout Co-Op is having a meet & greet for farm vendors, co-op members, and those who might be interested in becoming co-op members! There will also be a premiere (and free!) showing of the documentary "Food Fight".

These are the folks through whom I sell our geese and chicken eggs. Besides bringing eggs, if a few of the younger chickens are co-operative, I may bring some little fuzzy-butts to my vendor table as well. Hope to see you there!

[Pic: Click on the graphic for a bigger view of the flyer.]