Independence Days Challenge: August 31, 2009

Independence Days Challenge is an ongoing experiment in learning to live in a less wasteful, more self-sufficient manner. Here's last week's progress:

Plant something: Spouse doesn't want to haul soil by hand cart for the raised Fall beds, so unless I want to do it all by myself, looks like I'll be renting a Bobcat for a day from one of the local hardware stores. One rental unit has a front loader in the front and a digger in the back, so maybe we can quickly load up the beds with soil and then get to work on digging more holes for Spring tree planting...

Harvest something: Eggs from our girls. Also foraged pears from an abandoned pear tree next to the nursery where I work. The pears, although ripe, are of the firm/crisp variety - perfect for canning. Thinking about using a Spiced Pears recipe.

Preserve something: not this week.

Reduce waste: Used old railroad ties (that a previous owner left on the property) to create a goose pool that butts against the side of the hill. Lined with a pond liner, so no worries about creosote tainting the water. One more goose pond to make, then no more plastic kiddie pools!
EDIT: completely forgot - the nursery is letting me take home any grass I weed for the geese, and any trimmings from their plants for my compost pile. YES!

Preparation and Storage: kinda sorta - reading Extreme Gardening - How to Grow Organic in the Hostile Deserts by Dave Owens. I don't live in the desert, but I do live in a semi-arid region where water conservation is a necessity. I've also contacted a local permaculturist to discuss a consultation for our property.

Build Community Food Systems: ordered local, humanely-raised beef products through the co-op. Also have enough eggs to sell through the co-op this week as well.

Eat the Food: I set aside the medium-sized eggs from our Cubalaya chickens for personal use, and they are very tasty :-). Munched on some of the foraged pears as well.

You can play too! See Sharon Astyk's Independence Days Challenge.

[pic: the free pears]

Goose Pool Project

Spouse and I are clutching our respective backs and groaning every time we have to stand up. Yep, it's been project time! We are almost finished putting in a permanent goose pool against the side of the shady hill. The dogs are constantly tearing holes into the plastic kiddie pools we currently use for the geese, and there's only so much recycling of those darn things we want to do...



The new pool is roughly 6'x3' with 2' available depth for the water. We used some old railroad ties left by the previous owner for structure, staking the ties down with rebar. The pond will be lined with a fish-safe pond liner, and then cement pavers will lay on top of the pond liner so the dogs can't (easily) tear thru it when they play.



A pond filter & pump will go into the deepest part, which should keep me from having to clean out the water every day. More pictures as the project finishes up...

Update on Specklebutt Junior

All's well in the barnyard. Specklebutt's "Offspring" is growing like a weed, and is at the face-only-a-mother-could-love stage where s/he's half fuzz, half feathers. Mom and Offspring are spending more time apart now, but Offspring still likes to hang out close to Mom when Mom is around. Last bit of rain we got, I found Offspring trying to snuggle under Mom's chest while they were roosting in the cedar. Everybody, say it with me: "awwww!"

Offspring has also found a way into Compost Pile #1 (which is ready to be put into the garden). Plenty of bugs to scratch out & eat, and no competition from the other chickens - they can't fit through the fence holes like Offspring can.

As far as the other chickens go, they're all doing well, too. Since finding the out-of-coop laying spot, I've now enough eggs to start selling through the co-op again, which in turn pays enough to feed the chickens. Nice!

Independence Days Challenge: August 25, 2009

For those new to the blog, welcome! A brief review: Independence Days Challenge is an ongoing experiment in learning to live in a less wasteful, more self-sufficient manner, started by my favorite "doomer", Sharon Astyk. Here's last week's progress:

Plant something: Nope, still too darned hot. Browsed through the Seed Savers Exchange catalog, writing down what I'd like to get for the season. The local nursery also has veggie starts available for Fall planting, so may get lazy and just go that route.

Harvest something: Eggs from the girls, and basil from the garden. Girls are still laying all over the place, but found the latest spot: a box that holds rope & bungee cords in a shelving unit on the side porch. Despite taking the eggs, two of the Ameraucanas are still laying in that box. Tempted to line the with an old towel, but I don't want to cause them to lay elsewhere once more.

Preserve something: Not this week. I don't consider kombucha as a long term"preserve something", but will say that the last batch turned out quite tasty. Used a combination of green tea and ginger tea for the base (inspired by Elisa's brews), and started taste testing after four days of fermenting. Bottled on fifth day - didn't need to wait seven to ten days. Think that keeping the house temps at 80+F during the day led to the faster fermentation.

Reduce waste: Took in several weeks worth of recyclables to the transfer station. Was able to salvage some of the goods for re-use at home. First reduce, then reuse, THEN recycle!

Preparation & Storage: Installed more shelves in clothes closet, and transferred canning equipment and supplies out of the pantry and onto the new shelves. Pantry was reorganized, and now has a paper pad & pen waiting for me to do an inventory (ahem). Holy smokes I sure have a lot of brown rice pasta!

Build Community Food Systems: Bought produce at the local Farmer's Market, and saved quite a bit of grocery money. Not much there - other than real food - for impulse buying. And speaking of community food systems: as of tomorrow, I'll be working at the local nursery & feed store, woo-hoo! They sell a goodly amount of seeds and starts, and the owner writes a monthly newsletter on good planting practices for the season. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

Eat the Food: I did indeed :-). Currently nomming on a friend's peach/plum preserves.

You can play too! See Sharon Astyk's Independence Days Challenge.

[Pic: one of the Sicilian Buttercup hens]

Back In The (Chicken) Saddle

Modeling the latest in chicken fashion is "Red". Red has a bald spot the size of a quarter on her back with lots of broken-off feathers surrounding, as well some broken-off feathers on her wings. This is due to being gnawed on by the geese. Whereas all the other chickens take off running if the geese come near, Red bops along like nothing's going on. You see, Red thinks the geese are big roosters. Once the geese are close, Red "assumes the position". The geese then set upon Red until Red figures out she's had enough, and takes off.

I ran across the pattern for this protective chicken saddle on-line, and Spouse sewed it up this afternoon. We chose to make it from a wide-weave burlap for air circulation, plus the burlap should still be tough enough to withstand both the @#$!! geese and the @#$!! roosters. Red didn't give much thought to the getup when we put it on her, only adjusting the straps that go around her wing base a few minutes afterward.

I'm already thinking of making copies in different colors and fabrics. Everything in beauty for the girls, you know.

P.S. Your eyes are fine, there is indeed some purple coloring on Red's wings and back. The purple on Red's feathers is from a spray-on product called "Blue Kote", which has an ingredient called gentian violet. It's non-stinging antiseptic for abrasions and cuts.

[If you're not handy with a needle, you can also buy chicken saddles on line. I kid you not.]