Extra! Extra! Turkey Eggs

Today, as usual I went to gather chicken eggs. My girls are notorious for hiding their eggs, causing me to search different spots in order to find them all. I was making my circle and stopped to check the unused old dog house. I didn't find any chicken eggs, but to my surprise, were two turkey eggs! My husband's pet turkey, which was supposed to be Christmas dinner, had laid them.

She must be productive, I'd checked the dog house yesterday more than once for chicken eggs and the turkey eggs weren't there. This leaves me to believe she laid both of them today. The eggs are cream colored and covered in brown speckles. They are larger then chicken eggs and more oval shaped. Not sure how they taste yet. Guess I will have to find out for breakfast tomorrow.

I just had to share my new find with you because I'm just so excited!

Turkey eggs in old dog house.  

Turkey egg

Turkey egg next to chicken egg. 

Reasons Why I Grow Food

A growing number of individuals, families and neighborhoods are becoming more interested in gardening and growing their own food. The reasons vary but include: desire to save money, concern over pesticides and food-borne illnesses, sense of community (community gardens) are all just a few of the reasons.

 My list of reasons I grow our family's food are;

•  My love of nature. I enjoy watching nature grow and produce.
•  The feeling of accomplishment and pride from growing food.
•  Saving money on groceries.
•  Relaxation. I feel like I'm in another world when I garden, freeing my mind of everyday life situations.
•  Knowing the food I cook and place on the table is free of pesticides and contamination of food-borne illnesses. 
• Sharing what I've grown with friends, extended family and the homeless shelter. 
• Knowing if a wide spread disaster occurred, I have a little knowledge which could keep us fed during it. 
• I get to try new food items I've never eaten before, without spending a lot of money. 
• After the growing season the plants become compost for my soil. Providing me with rich dirt, better in appearance and good for next season's plants. 
• I grow food my animals like to eat too: lettuce cabbage, tomatoes, squash etc. Helps save on pet food bills.
• Gift giving. I can some of my fruit and use for Christmas gifts. 
• I like the way my canned goods look on my pantry and cabinet shelves. Edible home decor!
• I get exercise when I garden. Pulling weeds, pushing a wheel barrel full of dirt or compost all add up to calories burned. 
• The food is always fresh.
• I also use home grown food for trade for other garden items from friends I didn't grow. 
• And of course just for the sheer beauty of it.

What are some of the reasons you garden?

Daddy's Girl

We recently had two of our turkeys butchered, Thanksgiving Dinner and Turkey Girl. Thanksgiving Dinner was our male and he is in our freezer, all 30 LBS of him. Turkey Girl stayed with the butcher in his freezer. That left us with Christmas Dinner, who has ended up becoming my husband's pet.

Christmas Dinner ended up being a great watch "dog" turkey. She always lets us know if something is going on outside. She likes to eat out of our hand and is always interested in what we're doing outside. Notice the green paint on her chest. She got a little to close to the shed when she was watching me paint.

When she wants attention she gets pouty, drops her wings and lies down waiting for us to take notice and pet her.

Getting pouty.  

Daddy's girl getting attention, as jealous checkers watches. 

Custom Chicken House and Shed Projects

My husband and I have been diligently working on getting "his" outside projects done. He is trying to finish before it gets too cold or the snow begins to fall. The temperatures are starting to drop down to 26˚ at night and presently it is only 52˚ outside. Still warm enough to work but not for long.

The chickens don't understand what is going on. They watch my husband build and me painting and staining. They also like to examine the tools and dig around in the screws, which they end up scattering everywhere. I think it's funny, but it frustrates my husband.

Even with the curious chickens, progress is being made on the projects. The shed has shelves, walls, a roof and is painted. It lacks the finishing on the roof, doors and the touch up painting. The chicken house roof has to be finished, inside walls, electricity installed and staining to be finished. But what is done, is very attractive in my opinion and the neighbors, (they like to visit to see what else we have going on).

New shed. 

New shed.

The chickens were curious about the shed one day and knocked over all our little yellow bins of hardware. I had to reorganize everything, and in the process found eggs on a narrow shelf and behind some garden tools. Since I've reorganized and picked up the eggs, they haven't been back. I guess they realize the shed is not a good hiding place for eggs.

New coat of paint on rabbit hutch. 

I almost forgot about our rabbit hutch. I put a new coat of paint on it for Knuckles (the rabbit) and her new roommate (a field mouse), who just recently took up residence with her. They get along well burrowing in the hay and eating out of the same dish. With the nights getting colder we will be putting more grass hay in the hutch to keep them warm.

Chicken house project.

Opening of nest boxes for cleaning and gathering eggs.

Open nest boxes. 

Roosts with a view.

Inside shot of nest boxes. 

As you can see, we still have work to do on the chicken house, but it is coming along. It is far enough along for Checkers at least.

Checkers trying out one of the new nest boxes. 

Progress on Shed

The weather is cool and cloudy gray today. We've experienced a few sprinkles, enough my husband was concerned and started working on the shed, to protect our tools. My son joined in to help. They put the roof on, shelves, the back, and hinges for the doors.

They still have to hang doors, finish the shelving and trim. Plus there will be all the organizing of stuff. Which I believe will be delegated to assist with.

He asked me what color I would like to paint it? My husband's way of saying he doesn't like to paint and it's my job to do the painting. What color would you suggest?

Working hard and hardly working.

Son putting on roof, husband taking a break to watch chickens.  

My Sunday Canning Project in Steps and Pics

It is Sunday.  I went to church then came home to attempt to put a dent in all the peaches I picked. This is my second time of canning more of them. I've found canning is time consuming and laborious. I tried to develop a system this time to make it a little easier. I believe I did.

My first peach canning adventure, I canned seven quarts and 1 pint. It took four and a half hours. This time I've canned ten quarts in about three and a half hours. Progress! Still a lot of work though, I think I need a nap.

Here are the steps I used for canning this time;

1. Gather all equipment: bowls, pots with lids, large spoons, canning funnel, jars, lids and bands, butter knife, pot holders, quilt, jar grabber, measuring spoon, and food ingredients.
2. Wash jars, lids and bands.
3.  Place jars in water bath canning pot, note how many can fit.
4.  Boil jars to sterilize them.
5. Mix your sugar and water in a pot to make your syrup. I used a medium syrup consisint of 4 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar. Simmer until mixture is clear. Set to the side.
6.  Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into 4 cups of water. This solution will prevent peaches from turning brown. 
7. Wash peaches, cut in half lengthwise (this will make peeling easier).
8. Boil water in large pot.
9. Place cut peaches in pot and blanche for one minute.
10. Remove and spread out on clean surface i.e. towel, cookie sheet.
11. Peel peaches and remove seeds. 
12. Place peaches in lemon water.
13. Remove peaches from lemon water and rinse with fresh water.
14. Place peaches in hot syrup. Simmer for 2 minutes.
15. Have jars ready, place peaches in jars using funnel to avoid dropping peaches. Leave 1/2 inch head room.
16. Pour syrup in jar to 1/2 inch headroom. 
17. Take butter knife or small spatula and insert between jars and peaches, moving knife gently around the inside of the jar. This will decrease air bubbles. 
18. Place lid and bands on jar. 
19. Place jars in water bath canning for set amount of time, determined by size of jars and elevation of where you live. I live over 4000 feet above sea level and used quart jars. My process time for my peaches was 70 minutes. I usually leave them in another 5 minutes for safety. 
20. After alotted time, remove jars and place where they will not be distrubed, to finish process. I place mine in a quilt to keep them warm a little longer.
21. Once they are sealed (the center of the lid is no longer elevated) label and shelf them.
22. Give as gifts or use for your family consumption.

Using a step by step system made it easier and more enjoyable this time to can. I'm looking forward to canning the rest of my fruit, to enjoy this winter.

Sterilze jars. 

Sugar and water for syrup. 

Lemon water. 

Wash peaches  and cut in half lengthwise.

Blanche, lay out to cool for peeling. 

After peeling place in lemon juice, then rinse with fresh water.

Place peaches in syrup to simmer 2 minutes 

Put the peaches in jars, add syrup, use butter knife to get rid of air bubbles.

Apply lids and bands. 

Process in water bath canner for appropriate time. 

After water bath, place to the side undisturbed to allow sealing

After sealed and cooled, label and shelf. 

Still Canning

I'm still canning, trying to put up our harvest. There is just so much this year. I'm not complaining, just running out of time to do all the work. Besides all the fruit I have picked, I still have apples and peaches on the trees. Fortunately many of my peaches are still a little green. They weren't getting enough sun to ripen on the trees. They are now going to sit in the sun and ripen for a few days on my tables. This will allow me time to put up other fruits.

Ripe and unripe peaches to can. 

Apples to pick and dry.  

Shaded unripe peach.  

Ripe peaches.

1st canned peaches. I canned 7 quarts and 1 pint.

Male Dominance

Every morning our chickens and turkeys rush out of the coop. It's like watching a mini-stampede; all the feathers fluttering and little legs running. And, every morning after the stampede our male turkey shows his dominance; or what he thinks is his dominance.

King of the chicken yard. 

Scary fellow.  Look at that blue face. 

He first fans his tail feathers, puffs up his back feathers and begins dropping his wing tips to the ground, all in an effort to enlarge his size. He draws back his head and holds his breathe, turning blue, attempting to give a mean look. It is quite the show. The only problem, the chickens and other turkeys don't care. They go about their business scratching and even turning their heads and walking away from him.

Back end of white turkey walking away from his dominance.  

Chickens too busy scratching to care about turkey dominance. 

Clean Up

The day has finally come! We are taking off the old shed and tree branches which have cluttered our yard for a few weeks now. I'm excited! The joyous thoughts of not having to look at all the stuff and having my yard back is exhilarating.

My husband, son and our friend Ryan did the honor of loading and hauling the stuff off. It was a lot of work: sorting stuff, loading the truck, strapping down the load, unloading at the dump and all the clean up of the little pieces afterwards. I'm thankful for the hardworking, strong men in my life.

1st load. Chris my son in front, Ryan in back of him.

Project wood stacked to the side to make room for loading. 

Progress 

Maxine on left, Spot on right, our ducks, staying out of the way. 

Cleaning up small pieces of twigs and old fruit. 

All cleaned up. 

My son thrilled to be doing a dump run and not sleeping in. 

Change in Project Plans

My husband is very talented, not only in graphic design but with wood also. Over the last three years he has built multiple things and began work on other projects still unfinished. You can read and view his projects here and here. All the projects have been necessary for making our home fit our lifestyle.

But as many know, even the best laid plans have to change sometimes. Concepts for several of the unfinished plans ended up changing and other uses have been found for them. Our sick bay for injured animals now houses building supplies, one of our sheds has been tore down and replaced with a larger shed, a partially finished pole barn was dismantled, our duck pond was dug up, tree stumps dug out, parts of the backyard leveled and the chicken house built last year is currently being dismantled, the materials being used for a new, much larger chicken house.

The stumps needed to go of course. They were taking up space and I was tripping over some of them. Our sick bay will go back to its intended use at a later date. The yard needed leveling because of an old raised strawberry bed and other uneven areas causing safety concerns. The chicken house is not big enough for our mixed flock; the ducks at present can't fit in there at night and winter is coming.

The shed and duck pond were a shock to me. I went away for the weekend with my son to a concert and came back to a demolished shed and dismantled pole barn, with a new shed  in the process of being built.

A friend of my husband who owns a local nursery, came to visit one day while I was away and inspected our duck pond. Her advice; rip it out and start over.

It has taken me a while to get used to all the changes. But I've come to accept them, and will be thankful when all is finished.

Old shed.

New shed, left side. 

New shed, right side. 

New shed, front view.

Site for new chicken house.

Old site of duck pond. Not sure of new location yet. 

Ducks don't seem to care about the pond. They like the shade and peaches.