It's been a while...well all summer!

This summer has been a whirl wind of things and stuff and other things and stuff.

So I'll talk about today, which was a good day.

Hubby left this am with the older 3 kids to pick up a lamb from a local farm going out of business...yes $100 dollar pedigree lamb 2 years old. Not kidding. He went with two of my friends was the best sheep wrangler ever, helped them kill and gut and chunk then brought those home. He finished getting all the cuts packaged and into the fridge at 1am. Hooray!

He said this means he won't go hunting this year which I'm bummed about. I love caribou and moose and I love having a ton of it. But we still have a little meat goat to butcher in a few more weeks, so we'll be fine.

I made my biggest stock pot yesterday full of my "yummy lentil soup" as we call it. Full of fresh veggies and lentils. After organizing my freezer last night and finding WAY more salmon than I realized we had I thought, wow, we just don't have enough room for a lamb and 3 gallons of soup. So I started canning it today. It changes the flavor a bit and steals good nutrients out of it too, but we just don't have the room and how nice to open a jar of soup. I did two batches mostly those 3cup jars that spaghetti sauce comes in full. Then I just stuck the rest into 6 more quart size yogurt containers and made a tall stack in the chest freezer, those fit ok.

I got out all of last years salmon and put a bunch into jars and processed some of that and 7 pints of my husbands salmon that he just smoked. I'm using my new Tattler lids and so far they're doing ok. At least one out of every batch fails, sometimes 2 or 3. I know I just need to figure out the trick (or quit using oil in all my canning which you're not supposed to do, so can't blame the lids).

My sister and I picked blueberries on Thursday and I decided not to take the time to pull the stems off of each and every one, so I threw 4 cups of those into the freezer (to sweeten them up) and then into the pot to boil and mashed them up well. Strained the juice. Then took my 2008 blueberries which were still fairly pretty out of the freezer and 11 cups of rhubarb and threw those into the pot for a big batch of bluebarb jam. I'm using my new Pamona's Pectin which so far I ADORE! Works like a charm and you don't have to sell your child to afford the sugar you need for the jam.

Made some brine for the rest of the salmon and put about 8 fillets into the brine and I'll smoke that tomorrow then can about 1/2 of it. We like the top part canned 'cause it softens the bones then we freeze the tails which are boneless and pull them out for snacks. Salmon and farmers goat cheese on a cracker are my all time favorite midnight snacks now. Mostly because we made most of it and it tastes good too.

I have 7 more 1/2 pints of plain salmon in the fridge to process for tomorrow.

I was tickled at one point a local "goat lady" I know makes really great soaps and was asking around for fresh produce. So I made out like a bandit getting 6 bars of soap for emptying out my fridge of my produce and a box full of turnips out of the garden. Less work for me tomorrow, woo hoo! I was going to have to make zucchini bread and blanch the veggies that were already picked AND make more sauerkraut. And turnips are not my favorite veggie I'm finding...so it worked out great for me.

Well it's 1:30am and I'm hallucinating and probably slurring my speech...so I'm going to bed.

Country Jane, Glad to be back

Sold!

Last week my neighbor expressed interest in buying one of our boy goats. She came over with her children and they played with him. He's very sweet, he's been our bottle baby and cuddly.

My husband and I had made the decision that we would sell the boys as bucks but if they didn't sell we'd butcher them once winter hit and try goat meat. The thing was, was that I just couldn't bear letting this little guy get butchered, so I was willing to sell him as a wether (castrated) and ask much less for him because he wouldn't procreate.

Neighbor liked the goat, but they didn't want goats for dairy, just for fun, he husband didn't like goat's milk and her aunt breeds mini cows in another state, so they'd probably end up with a cow. I brought her in the house to have a glass of milk. I had just had some cereal that morning and this jar was especially un-goaty. She was impressed. I took her into the milking shed and brought in a doe, she milked her a little into a jar. We filtered the milk and she took it home, chilled it and gave it to her husband. He liked it!

So they decided to buy my cutie boy and a doeling from the breeder I got my does from. Happy day!

Yesterday someone called on the bucks I had for sale on Craigslist and wanted to come right over and see them. He really wanted two pets and to have them eat all the weeds on his 2.5 acers on the mountain in Farm Town. So I told him that I would wether them for him and he could have them for less than my asking price. He liked that better and wanted the 2 brothers that were left. Gave me the cash and left me to do the deed on the boys and he'd get them later in the week.

Today we took our new doeling and the two boys for their "procedures" to a neighbor farm where she and my breeder did the deeds. New doeling got her tattoo for tomorrows goat show she'll be in (and win). And the boys were elastrated. That's pretty rotten. Our cutie boy was cut last week and we prefer that method, but beggars can't be choosers, and that's the breeder's preferred method.

I know it's really not that exciting to sell a goat. But this is our first time around and it's nice to know they're all going to good families.

Country Jane, goat breeder

Have a freedom? Use it or loose it!

Lately I have realized how important this is even for little old me. Even stay-at-home moms can help.

Can you own a gun? Buy one.

Can you (still) grow your own food? Try to.

Can you homeschool your kids? Do it.

Can you (still) speak out against this tyranny of a government? Then speak.

Can you think for yourself? Think.

Our freedoms are being taken from us at an alarming rate.

Some states still have the freedom to own guns, some to carry concealed, some to carry open. If you have that freedom but don't exercises it, why? Why should you? I have learned that when I practice a freedom many of my friends tend to follow suit. Not because of me, but because they see..."hey, if she can do it, I can too!" I never cared about guns in particular, but when my girlfriend got a cute little pistol and carried it her purse I thought, "hey, I want one too". Now that I own my own cute little pistol I want to carry it concealed...because I can. My husband has wanted a machine gun for a while. Guess what? They are LEGAL, just very expensive because kind President Reagan decided they needed to stop making them. Well? I think I'd like one...maybe I'll start saving my pennies.

Some states, like ours, have the freedom to FREELY homeschool. But look at what happens when that carrot is whipped out by those peskey school districts who get government funding for every extra kid they have in their district. They offer the free computer and the free money to sign up those "homeschooled" kids so those parents don't have such a burden. But it's our FREEDOM to homeschool with no strings attached. So we choose to practice that freedom. The unfortunate thing is that it will be short lived. Those other "homeschooling" families aren't really homeschooling. They are taking that carrot and getting the lessons and books paid for. Their restrictions are getting stricter each year and again they will try to pass legislation against free homeschooling. They won't care, it's no skin off their back.

Can you grow your own food? That will be short lived as well. There's a brand new council that President Obama created including top men from all the departments including Homeland security, etc that will oversee the farms of the "heartland". The implications of the government oversight on all farmers is insanely scary. They want to be able to take over farms if you aren't doing something right. But they want your food. They want control. They are in bed with the big boys.

Think. This requires no TV and you have to choose where you get your information. Then you have to form your own conclusions. You have to educate yourself. You have to look at the facts. This hurts your brain, I'm warning you. But it's still legal, so do it.

Can you speak out? Granny Miller is shutting down her blog and I'm so bummed. If you can speak out and help others do it. I respect Granny on many many levels and she has the freedom to shut hers down, but I'm not sure I agree with her choice. Having a blog is still legal, have one.

Be proactive. Be free. Practice freedom. Look for new freedoms you don't currently use but might like to have one day and practice it NOW, or it will be gone tomorrow.

Country Jane, Happy 4th of July

Busy bees

Stream of thought tonight after a long productive week... starting Saturday night...

Saturday: Friends came out for a nice long visit. I made them stay longer by making eggs and smoked salmon for lunch and then some salmon and my sister's roasted potatoes for dinner. Made a new hay feeder for our goat kids, neighbor stopped by to talk and I asked him if he had time to plow some field for some potatoes, he came by 5 min later and plowed a nice spot. Sunday: Planted a bunch of potatoes. Also planted a dozen new strawberry plants in a new spot. Took kids to the lake, then hubby took us all to the movies.

Monday: chores and work then headed to Little City. Hit feed store, Alfalfa lady for 3 bales, horse shop for DD's new riding boots and helmet, Costco, and my mom's to say happy birthday.

Tuesday: chores and work then built the Walls for the bike shed I'm making for the kids.

Wednesday: chores and work. Took DD to riding lesson and ran errands. Sister's house for dinner. Cleaned out hay shed, fixed broken hay feeder and added more flooring (pallets) to keep the hay and straw from molding on the bare ground.

Thursday: some chores and work. Took DD to her first Orthodontist visit, ran errands including going to the apple tree lady's house and bought 6 Alaskan hardy one to two year old trees. Planted them in a rush and took son to soccer game. Went on a date with hubby. Had fun.

Friday: chores and work. Went to Farm Town with my friend and found the barley man's house. Bought 600lbs of barley. Ran errands. Dropped other daughter with other Grandma for the night and met up with a farmer who was hoping to bale his hay. It was too wet to do the whole field but he let me buy 3 damp bales so we split them open when I got home. Sis dropped of her boys for my son to babysit for their date. Finished the apple trees, put hardware "cloth" around the base of them all for vole protection. Weeded 2 LARGE strollers full of weeds from the front flower bed...it's not finished. Watered the rhubarb and strawberries. Came in when it was 11pm, still light but youngest daughter was fussy. Just ate a cheese curd my husband made. He's been making cheese for the last 4 hours...

It's midnight thirty...I'd better get the rest of these kids in bed and go get in my own.

Country Jane, tuckered out

apple trees, mouse protected

Our favorite soup

I had borscht growing up, but never cared for it. It was red with lots of veggies and no meat and I just didn't like it.

So when my next-door-neighbor (the super duper awesome Alaskan one) said she was making borscht I was surprised. She told me she found a great recipe and told me all that was in it. Ham hocks, bacon and meat, meat and more meat...oh and a few beets and some cabbage.

Ok, fine, I had to try it. She gave me the "recipe" if you can call it that. It's just like any soup, use what you have don't use what you don't have. Add the spices and you have a killer stew.

I made it for us and my sis and her hubby. And now I have strict instructions to call them over for supper if I make it, guess who's coming over for dinner tonight?

I'll give you the general recipe but adapt it as you need to. I'll put my notes at the bottom about what I did today.

Borscht
~3-4 qt water
2lbs beef shanks or chunk beef or hamburger or leftover meat (this is what I save my leftovers for) browned (tonight it's ground venison, left over moose roast and left over moose steaks)
1 c ham or pork shoulder or bacon or sausage or ham hock or ham bone (tonight it's ham bone and ham)

2 bay leaves
8 pepper corn
4 sprigs parsley or a few TBS dried parsley
1 T salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c vinegar
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 c fresh dill or some dry
1 c sour cream plus extra

carrots, I don't have any today so it'll do with out
onions or leeks, I never have leeks I'm using 3 onions tonight
beets ~2 lbs. I use fresh, frozen, canned or pickled beets, all of them work
cabbage, I usually put in a lot like a small head, it really shrinks down
new potatoes if you have them

I make this different most every time. My recipe is not clear. If I'm using bacon for flavor I cook that in the pan first, then remove to add last. If I'm using a ham hock or bone like today, I cooked up the hamburger and onions, added the bone, added extra water than normal (to cover the bone) and all the spices plus more I might save off some broth for the next batch. I have even made it pork free for our friends who don't eat pork. Still very good.

Simmer bone in the broth for a while if you have a bone, or just throw in your carrots, onions, meat, spices water, simmer for a while. When harder veggies are cooked add cabbage, beets, tomato paste, vinegar, dill and your cup of sour cream last.

Serve with extra sour cream and dill.

Your family will love you, extra and then beg you to make it time and time again. This is my favorite "harvest" food because it sucks up so much of the extra garden produce in the fall, I always want leftovers to freeze, but there has never been.

Country Jane, enjoying the kitchen on this rainy day

gather ingredients, make sure you have extra coffee, don't mind the coffee mate it's your imagination, I would never drink that crap



sink full of venison, cabbage, ham, leftovers and more leftovers thawing out




when this lard is gone I'd like to render my own, my friend is a huge lard fan and I really like it



venison burger from a friend and onions in the lard



ham bone with more water than the recipe calls for...going to have to triple the broth on this one

  -that's all the pics I have for now, bone is still simmering-

New addition to the family

My daughter turned 13 this year and she has been begging for years to get a puppy.

So I decided to get her a goat.

This spring has been rough with having two does in milk but not enough milk. When I bought them last June they were giving 2 gallons a day, but that's because I didn't bring any kids home to feed the milk to. We got all of it, and it was a lot to handle. But I miss the plethora. I want to make cheese again and even just yogurt.

I had originally chosen LaMancha for the breed of choice, but she didn't have any in milk and I didn't want to start with kids. I wanted to be forced into the hardest part of owning goats...to milk 2x per day.

We bought the Nubians because they were good quality pure breeds and I didn't want to start with mixed...and, well, that's what she had. I paid more than I'd expected to pay, but this breeder was highly recommended. She tested her herd clean every year, did all the shows, and knew a lot and she brings up quality goats from out of state.

Back to my story.

Daughter wants to breed dogs, so I figured we'd get a high quality LaMancha and she can breed that. I'm set up for goats and would like more milk next summer. LaManchas produce quantity for a long time. I'm so not up for puppies and more dogs. Not a dog fan...

daughter with her holy shirt

LaMancha's just aren't as cute as Nubians

But I'm sure she'll grow on me.

Country Jane, fan of goats

New name?

When buying goats I realized that we needed a "herd" name. Therefore our little "homestead" needed a name. I thought of one, but am still not used to it.

Today I finished the front part of the fence along the road on the first acre (we have a whopping two acres). This fence is going to get the better of me, and in some ways has already. I started with grandiose plans, but three years later I find myself stuck in the middle of an un-ending chore.

It's a long story and I don't think I'm up for telling it tonight, but if I call my farm "Crooked Fence Ranch" then it would look like my fence was supposed to be crooked.......right?

Country Jane, twisted er crooked

the next part to be re-done...they have been pulled and holes re-dug, now to get them in line and set...BLEK!