Around The Homestead

Follow-ups, tid-bits, odds & ends, and miscellaneous doings since the last Around The Homestead.

--> Let's see, where to begin. Most on our minds at present, is the loss of our cat Rascal to Feline Lymphoma. He was my faithful garden companion and chore buddy for over 10 years, and was included in many a photo on this blog. Details at his blog, and a wonderful memorial tribute by my dear friend Tina, here. And a Farewell Limerick from another cat blogger here.

--> The kittens adored him though he barely tolerated them.

They were very quiet the day Rascal died. I don't know how animals know about these things, but they do.

Riley, the adventurer

Katy, the lap cat

I'm glad we got them when we did, because it's hard to think about replacing a lost pet. But really, they aren't his replacement, they're just our next cats.

They are very affectionate and playful. Riley is bold, and Katy more of a scardy-cat. Both are pretty intelligent and Riley especially catches on quickly. It's a comfort to have them around.

--> When I blogged about our new hand tools, I showed you this shot...

... of DH using his new snath & scythe. Well, we raked up all his cuttings and gathered them in. Here is the result...

The former carport has become our hay mow. The good news is that the goats have relished the samples we've given them, so maybe we won't have to buy quite so much hay this winter.

--> Goats adjustments, by the by, are going so-so.

Sometimes I think Surprise (on the left, a real drama queen) is finally one of the "herd" (do 3 goats make a herd???), and then I see Abigail chasing her away. Dan finally had to divide the stall because Abigail wouldn't let Surprise in at night. Baby likes her though.

--> I've set up my summer kitchen once again. I can do everything out there except can and bake Friday night pizza.

--> Lord B developed bumblefoot.

This is a bacterial infection chickens get on the pad of their foot. I hit it with a quadruple whammy, putting garlic (our favorite antibiotic) in the chickens' drinking water, soaking his foot in an Epsom salt solution, applying boric acid ointment, and bandaging as shown on the video at this website.

There was marked improvement within 24 hours, and it continues to improve daily. Although he still favors that leg, the bandage cushions the pad well enough that he can get around quite well, with minimal limping.

--> The Ameraucanas started laying about a week after the Delaware. I'm now getting about three pullet sized eggs a day, ranging in weight from 1 to 1.5 ounce.

My two Ameraucanas each lay a different color egg, one green, the other a pinkish tint. The big green one?

My 1st double-yolker. Oddly, it was laid the same day that I got two "rubber" (shell-less) eggs.

[UPDATE: 3:34 pm - My Barred Holland pullet just laid an egg. BUT, it's ivory rather than the expected white of the breed. Comparing it to the tinted eggs I thought were coming from an Ameraucana, I'm thinking some of them may actually be Holland eggs. No way to know for sure! Anyway, that's 4 eggs for the 1st time today.]

--> A year ago this month we planted a privacy hedge of Leyland Cypress trees....

Here they are a year later....

Definite growth though it can't be fast enough for me! We got them at 3 to 4 feet tall, and the tallest one now is about 6. You can also see the cedar corner fence post Dan put in, as we eventually plan to fence in this field.

--> Speaking of fences...

Our zig zag fence (above) is a wrap.

When we planned it, my mind's eye could see my elder, raspberry, and blueberry bushes on one side, niches of flowers on the other. The reality is weeds and more weeds taking over, and the lay of the fence making it impossible to neatly trimmed. So we've taken it down. We want another fence to take it's place, something easier to maintain the grounds around. More on that in the future.

--> Lastly, I've been honored by Sue (Life Looms Large) with the Sunshine Award!

I don't even know where to begin to tell you what blogs bring sunshine into my life. But really, I'd like to pass this on to my readers. If you're reading this post, please consider yourself awarded! Do a right-click snatch and grab of the award and post it on your own site, as a thank you gift from me.

Did I leave anything out?

Text and photos of Around The Homestead copyright July 2010 byLeigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/

IDC, Favorite Stores For Stocking Up, & Recipes

OK, I'm 2 weeks behind on my Independence Day Challenge 2010 updates! Sunday is the day I aim for, but due to my internet service being on and off for a week (mostly off), I got behind on my online record keeping. Plus, I've got a question for you, and writing all that out has taken some time.

Three weeks ago we shared what we would eat and how we would fix it if our electricity unexpectedly went out for three days. I was interested in your responses, and picked up some good ideas as well as perspective.

Even though my goal as a homesteader is to be able to grow and otherwise provide almost all of the food we consume, we still have a ways to go. A well stocked pantry really shouldn't wait until we get to that point. Also, not everyone has the same goal, though I think it's wise for folks to have emergency supplies on hand.

If you're like us, then building a food storage is a slow process, mainly due to finances. Even so, I've found that just a couple of extra items each week adds up more quickly than one would think. Add to that the fact that I'm a bargain hunter, which means I work real hard to stretch our food dollars.

I know I'm not alone in this, and always love to know where to find good prices. I'm going to share with you some of the places I've been able to stock up on inexpensive groceries, and I hope you'll comment on the same.

Here are some of my favorites. If you click on the links you can use their store locators to see if one is near you.

GO Grocery Outlet (United Grocery Outlet) - Never know what you're going to find kind of bargains. Great stock up prices. Can be brand names or off brands, including organic products. Selection varies with each visit. It's regional, although when I was trying to find their website I discovered a different Grocery Outlet serving the American northwest.

Aldi - Nationwide. Set-up like a small warehouse, plan to bring your own shopping bags, recycle the cardboard boxes their products come in, or purchase reusable shopping bags. Mostly store brand products, which are very tasty. Not much on organics and natural foods, but good prices for basic groceries and especially produce.
Big Lots - a close-out retailer, meaning they sell name brands at clearance prices. Not a grocery store, but every one I've been in has a grocery section. I keep my eyes open and can often find organic and natural foods at fantastic prices. Also health care products.

Two food programs offer monthly food boxes at reasonable prices. Not specifically organic or natural foods, they still offer a lot of food for a good price (under $40 for a week's worth of groceries for a family of four). Both operate at local levels around the country:
SHAREAngel Food Ministries

Various dollar stores - I've found some good bargains here. Not always, but occasionally there are organic or natural food items, such as Dan's favorite Newman's Own salad dressing for a dollar per large bottle. Dollar Tree is an example. Anytime I'm near any sort of dollar store, I check their food and health care aisles.

Discount grocery stores - these are usually independent, have no websites, and I've never known how to find them in the phone book. I just notice them by looking around or from someone else. Oftentimes they have close-outs, overstocks, clearance items, out-of-dates, dented cans or damaged packaging. Amazing Savings is a regional example. Dates do make a difference on some items, such as boxed whole grain items, which can go rancid. But canned goods don't matter, unless badly damaged. And everything isn't necessarily out of date.

Of course food co-ops and buying clubs are excellent options as well. I get my locally, pasture raised meat from one. We do have an area food coop, which I plan to join once my duties as weavers guild president are over.

The one online bulk resource I've used is Bulk Foods Consumer Online Market. They have a somewhat limited selection, but on an order of $75 or more, shipping is only $5. If you've tried others, I'd love to hear about them and what you think.

And last but not least, my Independence Days Challenge weekly make that 2 week update. A few recipes are at the bottom of the post:

1. Plant Something -

• rugosa rose bushes

2. Harvest something -

• green beans
• broccoli
• Swiss chard
• strawberries
• watermelon
• cabbage
• eggs
• blueberries
• onions
  
• yellow summer squash
• sweet basil

3. Preserve something -

• canned green beans
• canned Swiss chard
• dried chamomile flowers
• cured onions
  
• dried sweet basil

4. Waste Not –

• A lot of this is so routine that I don't think to list it all: kitchen scraps to chickens and compost (goats haven't been interested in anything I've offered so far); cooking and soaking waters to plants; barn cleanings to compost; chipped wood, cardboard, & newspaper for mulch; line drying clothes, etc., etc.
• Set up our summer kitchen again, to help keep the house cooler. Also, the hot plate uses less electricity than stove top cooking.
  

5. Want Not –

• chickens starting to lay
• collected lettuce & radish seeds from fall garden plantings
• stocking up on millet
• stocking up on coffee
  

6. Build Community Food Systems –

• blogging about it
• gave away green beans
  
• trying to set a good example for the neighbors, some of whom evidently would prefer to see our property with golf course lawns and plasticized Americana landscaping.
  

7. Eat the Food –

• yogurt on cereal and fresh picked strawberries & blueberries. I've been having trouble getting my non-homogenized milk (they're always sold out), so yogurt is becoming more of a treat than a staple!
• cole slaw from garden cabbage & carrots.
  
• Green Bean / Broccoli salad:
  
  
  • leftover cooked green beans (from losing jar of green beans while canning),
    
  • handful of fresh picked broccoli
    
  • chopped tomato (not home grown yet)
  • black olives
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar.
    
  • DH likes his sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
  Very tasty with hamburgers made from local pasture-fed beef .

• Strawberry no-bake yogurt cheesecake - The idea for adding berries to the filling mixture came from Alison. I think you could use any mashed fruit. No photo though, sorry!
  
  
  • 16 oz homemade yogurt cheese
  • 8 oz carton whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • about 1/2 to 2/3 cup garden strawberries (I popped small quantities in the freezer to save up for this).
  • Blend yogurt cheese, sugar and mashed strawberries. Fold in whipped cream. Scoop into graham cracker crust and refrigerate.
  This recipe is a keeper! (Blueberry season next!)

• blueberry pie :)
• Blueberry pancakes with our own blueberries & eggs
• strawberry jam on toast
• sautéed savoy cabbage & onions
• homestead raised chicken breast in our fav summer supper salad
• And what new keeper of chickens can resist posting a photo of their 1st eggs!
  
  
  

  

  1st three pullet eggs frying with three store bought ones.

  
  

I think that's it. To read what other Independence Days Challengers are doing, click here.

IDC, Favorite Stores For Stocking Up, & Recipes copyright (both text & 

photos) July 2010 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

The 1st Year: Evaluating Our Energy Consumption

One of Dan's desires has been to get off the grid. Or at least to become more energy self-sufficient. It's a huge dream however, and whether or not we can actually do it, I don't know. It seems that most alternative systems produce less electricity than a typical consumer uses. The first step then, is to evaluate our usage.

Our first full month here was June 2009. We bought the place on the last day of April and during May, we were back and forth, cleaning this place up and gradually moving things over as needed. A year later we have a year's worth of electric bills, and can analyze how much energy we used and why. It's in kilowatt hours and looks like this:

June - 610 KWH
July - 587
August - 747
September - 412
October - 390
November - 446
December - 938
January - 976
February - 1308
March - 856
April - 357
May - 414

Our (almost) 1500 square foot house is all electric including air conditioning, heat, cook stove and water heater. The biggest factor of course, is weather. Our yearly temperature range is about 20° to 100° F, which is roughly 6° to 38° C. Even so, there are other factors worth noting.

~ June, July, and August we used the air conditioner. Not only temperature, but humidity is a big factor here. We didn't use the AC everyday and kept the thermostat set fairly high. We used it not just for cooling, but for dehumidifying as well.

~ August was the month I did the most food preservation (canning & drying). Clothes drying was done outside on the line, weather permitting.

~ July and August were our hottest months. September, things cool off considerably.

~ December we sanded, stained, and sealed our dining and living room floors. Because we currently don't have central heat, we used radiator type space heaters to keep the room and floor temps within the product usability and drying range (50° F/ 10° C). Even then it took several days to dry the supposed 24 hour drying stain, and then several more for the sealer, which required two coats.

~ January, February, and March were our coldest months. We used our wood heat stove, plus two space heaters. One we kept in the kitchen/back bath where we take showers. The kitchen is at the back end of the house and didn't get much of the wood heat, even with fans. The heater here, was kept on low at night and turned up some during the day. The other was in my studio/computer room, for day use only. We closed that room off at night to keep the heat in the central part of the house. There are lots of (old) windows in the studio (pics here) so it doesn't retain heat very well.

~ February (big usage spike) we got the chicks, and so had a 250 watt heat lamp going 24/7. Usage of this tapered off later in March.

~ We had a very cold, rainy winter, which meant more machine drying of laundry.

How can we cut back during our peak usage months? Because our house is shaped like a long rectangle (floor plan here), getting heat from the wood stove in the front living room to the kitchen and back bathroom was difficult, even with fans. One thing will be replacing the HVAC, so that we don't need to use space heaters during the coldest months. I shared our research in this earlier post. Also I'm hoping to eventually find a reasonably priced wood cook stove, which will supply heat as well as decrease the need for another heat source. We are working on some of the insulation issues, which will also help.

What alternative sources are realistic for us? We've been researching that too, but with less than hopeful results.

Solar? We do plan to put a passive solar water heating system in. But for heating the house, the expense would not be worth it. Not only because we only need heat for about three months of the year, but also because we had lots of rain this past winter and virtually no sun.

Wind? Winter and spring were windy, enough to make us research wind turbines. Here's one that produces 538 KWH per month with an average windspeed of 12 mph. That would certainly help. Price? Only $9499.99 not including shipping and installation. True, there are tax credits for wind energy, but those only help folks with enough money to pay for the thing in the first place. Tax credits don't help low to moderate income folks like us. A loan? Well, we don't do debt. Even so, according to the Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the US my area, with its average of less than 12.3 MPH winds, has very little wind energy potential.

So where does that leave us? Sun and wind are the darlings of the alternative energy set, with good reason. Unfortunately, they obviously aren't suitable for all parts of the world. The bottom line is that we've still got our thinking caps on.

The 1st Year: Evaluating Our Energy Consumption copyright
July 2010 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Related Posts:
2010 Goals: Evaluating Heating & Cooling
Self-Sufficiency? Still Just A Dream