Feb. Farm/Homesteading Chat

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Hey Mamas,
What's been going on on your homesteads?

Oh, great book recommendation: Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart... AMAZING! These letters from such a pioneering woman make me feel like such a wimp! I could not put this book down. Just amazing.

In the last part of the book she writes a letter telling of all she has accomplished in one year and it made my jaw drop. It also set me to thinking about how many qts/pts I want to put up for this year. Do you ladies have plans on that yet? IF so, what are your thoughts? I printed out a list if you all want to discuss...

Tomatoes:
Salsas:
Pickles:
Green Beans:
Applesauce:
Peaches:
Jams:
Jellies:
Juice:
Syrups:
Soups:

I could be missing more items...

[missc]

Happy February! I'm still finishing up Christmas presents . Finally getting there though! My dad and stepmom found a great deal on a serger last weekend so they bought it, knowing that my sister and I had wanted one to share. I'm so super excited! It's awesome! Even though I've only used it to sew 2 straight lines . (i'm into emoticons right now, i suppose)
There's a lot of non-homestead stuff right now, well, I guess kind of related. T had fire training all last week with a full-time fire department near us, and he seemed to like it. He's now even talking about going full-time, which would allow him to carry medical insurance and let me work less! This is totally a God thing, it's so amazing. I'm not planning on it happening, but that he is open to the possibility is so God's work and answered prayers.
I don't remember if I said, one of our dogs last week tore the end of his ear. We've been fighting to get that healed. Otherwise animals are good and just hanging out in this cold weather. I found a stash of 7 frozen eggs this morning. I hate it when that happens!
Kids are good. I'm trying to change up homeschool a little for a break until Valentine's day and do some really fun stuff. So today we made Valentine's day cards.

Originally Posted by raisingcropsandbabies Hey Mamas, What's been going on on your homesteads? Oh, great book recommendation: Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart... AMAZING! These letters from such a pioneering woman make me feel like such a wimp! I could not put this book down. Just amazing. In the last part of the book she writes a letter telling of all she has accomplished in one year and it made my jaw drop. It also set me to thinking about how many qts/pts I want to put up for this year. Do you ladies have plans on that yet? IF so, what are your thoughts? I printed out a list if you all want to discuss... Tomatoes: Salsas: Pickles: Green Beans: Applesauce: Peaches: Jams: Jellies: Juice: Syrups: Soups: I could be missing more items...

I want to look up that book. I'm still reading The Egg and I, as well as Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit. I long to parent and homeschool without yelling, it's my downfall sometimes.
I don't typically have a "goal" for canning and preserving, just try not to waste anything that grows. Last year was AWFUL around here for apples so none were canned. This year I'd like to can Tomatoes (diced, sauced, whole, and salsa), Applesauce, maybe Peaches (the kids like them but they're such a pain), grape Jam, and maybe some grape Juice.
How did your fatherinlaw's test turn out? Did I miss it? (sorry)

[aiyana4969]

I *plan* on putting up a lot of speghetti and pizza sauce, chili, stews, and salsas. Peas and green/wax bean mixes. beets if they grow this year.

That's it. I have a large family that goes thru a lot of food! Most of our food are tomato based too. We used diced tomatoes in everything, so I'd like to put up some of those, but even if I planted tomatoes in my entire 40x20 garden AND the raised bed, I doubt I would have enough.

next year tho, I'm hoping to be able to plant acres of this stuff!

So in total:
Green/wax beans
peas
beets?
tomatoes
salsa
pizza sauce
speghetti sauce
chili
stews (while the veggies are fresh!)
beans
refried beans
blueberry jam
applesauce
pie filling
honey?

also going to have a go at making my own pasta, DH wants to attempt sausage

Tomorrow I'm attempting homemade multigrain bagels, :fingerscrossed:

ETA: I'm growing hot chili peppers in pots on the porch and plant to attempt my own chili powder

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by missc Happy February! I'm still finishing up Christmas presents . Finally getting there though! My dad and stepmom found a great deal on a serger last weekend so they bought it, knowing that my sister and I had wanted one to share. I'm so super excited! It's awesome! Even though I've only used it to sew 2 straight lines . (i'm into emoticons right now, i suppose) There's a lot of non-homestead stuff right now, well, I guess kind of related. T had fire training all last week with a full-time fire department near us, and he seemed to like it. He's now even talking about going full-time, which would allow him to carry medical insurance and let me work less! This is totally a God thing, it's so amazing. I'm not planning on it happening, but that he is open to the possibility is so God's work and answered prayers. I don't remember if I said, one of our dogs last week tore the end of his ear. We've been fighting to get that healed. Otherwise animals are good and just hanging out in this cold weather. I found a stash of 7 frozen eggs this morning. I hate it when that happens! I want to look up that book. I'm still reading The Egg and I, as well as Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit. I long to parent and homeschool without yelling, it's my downfall sometimes. I don't typically have a "goal" for canning and preserving, just try not to waste anything that grows. Last year was AWFUL around here for apples so none were canned. This year I'd like to can Tomatoes (diced, sauced, whole, and salsa), Applesauce, maybe Peaches (the kids like them but they're such a pain), grape Jam, and maybe some grape Juice. How did your fatherinlaw's test turn out? Did I miss it? (sorry)

Oh, you will LOVE the serger more and more! My first project was mama cloth and that was a little rough... learning to use it while serging curves! Not recommended. I used it on 4 skirts/dresses since and it's so nice to have finished looking seams on the inside! I'm cutting out fabric for some pj pants and I picked that project this week just so I can use the serger...

Um, that is so awesome about your DH! And give a thank you to him from all of us citizens who his occupation helps! 4 years ago, I slide into a ditch on an icy road and 8 firemen pulled us out. I will always remember how kind and calming they were (of course, I was shaking and crying), "Take a deep breath ma'am. You're okay." sigh.

Oh, I hear you on the yelling. Sometimes the boys are so loud that is the only way they hear me, it seems like. I remember when I lost my voice due to a virus, how much more calming it was to make them hear me through a whisper. I need to get that book from the library.

AFM- FIL has cancer. And now MIL is in the hospital with another infection. They are doing another scan to see if it's just on her piece of hardware in her foot or if it's in the bone again... When it rains it pours. Luckily, my dh's oldest sister's husband is laid off (typical for winter-time) and he's been able to take FIL to see MIL and to his appts... which eases the burden off my DH (as he has been farming all alone for 3 months now and it's so time consuming with his factory job as well). DH checks on FIL (and MIL) twice a day. I've been making meals as well as DH's two non-crazy sisters. The sisters come on the weekends to help clean up after FIL, as I can't do that with 4 little ones in tow. I tell ya what... there are 3 out of 4 siblings that take care of FIL/MIL and do what they can. DH has a big brunt of it, but his sisters really do a lot too... It makes me sooo happy to have 4 kids who can spread out the burden of caring for DH and I when we are older. My parents aren't anywhere near needing help, but there are 7 of us kids, when the time comes. It makes me feel sad for the "one and onlies" who take on all of it. If we were only able to have 1, I would be saving as much as I can to go into a nice home because I think it's too much for 1 adult to do.

We are getting over the flu here. Baby Girl is the only one left with the virus so no church today. I disinfected everything, have done 12-13 loads of laundry in 3 days. It's been a disaster, but the kids have been in good spirits. That makes a WORLD of difference! DH and I also got it and I'm so thankful I'm the wife... while I had to take care of the kids, I did not have to go out and grind feed, transport hay, milk, shear, etc. Poor DH.

On Friday night, I'm hosting an Ag. Wives' meeting. This month's discussion is about Meat Chickens. I'm really excited! This is the first month and there will be 11-13 young farmwives.

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by aiyana4969 I *plan* on putting up a lot of speghetti and pizza sauce, chili, stews, and salsas. Peas and green/wax bean mixes. beets if they grow this year. That's it. I have a large family that goes thru a lot of food! Most of our food are tomato based too. We used diced tomatoes in everything, so I'd like to put up some of those, but even if I planted tomatoes in my entire 40x20 garden AND the raised bed, I doubt I would have enough. next year tho, I'm hoping to be able to plant acres of this stuff! So in total: Green/wax beans peas beets? tomatoes salsa pizza sauce speghetti sauce chili stews (while the veggies are fresh!) beans refried beans blueberry jam applesauce pie filling honey? also going to have a go at making my own pasta, DH wants to attempt sausage Tomorrow I'm attempting homemade multigrain bagels, :fingerscrossed: ETA: I'm growing hot chili peppers in pots on the porch and plant to attempt my own chili powder

Love your list! I make homemade noodles (like for beef/chicken and noodles... not really tomato sauce pastas) and freeze the bags of it. Last week, a friend and I got together and made 6x a batch and dried them in her dehydrator and it only took 2 hours vs. drying all day on the counter! Super nice.
Um, that is awesome about chili powder! And do share how the bagels turn out... have only done soft pretzels, but not bagels (which sound even yummier)!
Can you can refried beans??? INTERESTING! I usually just freeze mine and never even thought about canning it!!!

We go through a lot of tomato-based products, just not a lot of tomatoes (mistake last year as I mostly canned halved tomatoes).

Canning goals:

120 qts of green beans (2 a week, plus more for soups/casseroles)
30-40 qts of spaghetti sauce
30 pts. of pizza sauce
maybe only 10 qts of diced tomatoes
10-12 pts. of tomato salsa
12 pts. of zucchini salsa
20-30 pts. of jams (various kinds)
28 qts of peaches (I LOVE canning peaches... thankfully DH loves to help with them as well)
40 pts. of applesauce
50 qts. of grape juice (should still be able to give grapes away still if the season is good)... so easy to make with whole grapes!
12 qts of pickles (never made pickles before)

That's all I can think of right now. We shall see if I meet my numbers... It looks like a lot, but most of it is only ready 2 produces at a time (if I can time my plants up right). And I plan on just planting some tomatoes... the rest I will buy as I can buy 2-5 gallon buckets full for only $5!!! Can't beat that for all the tomatoes being ready to can at once...

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Oh, quick wanted to say that I hope I didn't offend anyone by my single child thoughts. If I did, then I am sorry.

Okay, off to finish chores... I need to make more cleaning supplies, dump scraps, and burn trash before DH gets home (he took the older two to go grocery shopping for me after he finished morning chores). If Baby Girl's crib is dry (had a major washing this morning!), I can lay her down for a nap which would speed things up! haha

[aiyana4969]

No offence taken. Even though there are 3 of us, I'm the oldest my sister barely speaks to my mother and can barely take care of herself, my brother is in the navy and still quite immature (heel always be moms baby boy, he's 8 years and one day younger than me) so it w will fall to me to care for her. My dad's girlfriend is 2 years older than me so she should manage just fine right?

Been reading that book you read rcb, I got the kindle version and it is a good read ! More later, got stuff to do

[missc]

K, I'll come back and reply more later, but the Paul Harvey Dodge Ram commercial, "God made a farmer", I LoVE it! Totally awesome! If you didn't see it, google it, it was pretty cool.

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by missc K, I'll come back and reply more later, but the Paul Harvey Dodge Ram commercial, "God made a farmer", I LoVE it! Totally awesome! If you didn't see it, google it, it was pretty cool.

Okay, that made me cry for 5 minutes after! How blessed we are... So dern emotional lately. Should be able to use my newly sewn mama cloth in a couple days now... haha.

[MrsCrafty]

Hope you guys don't mind me joining, I posted in the chat a long time ago but now that I'm at my desk job 3 days a week I have time again
Just to intro myself-
I'm Denise, my DH is Brady, we live on our farm with DS, DSD, and a little girl coming in April. We farm 1,200 acres of soybeans and corn, and have several hundred hogs we farrow. I work as a school nurse. I just moved to the farm last summer, we just got married a month ago, I grew up in a huge city so this is a totally new way of life for me! We're getting chickens this spring, and although I'll have a newborn I'm hoping to have a much bigger garden. I want to grow a lot of tomatoes since spaghetti sauce and salsa are 2 of things we go through the most in our house! My DHs Gma does tons of freezer corn and gives it to us, I'd love to do pickles too, and am going to plant a couple apple tree's so in the future can make all sorts of apple goodies.

Oh and that commercial! The FFA advisor at my school sent it to me. So sweet and awesome for people to remember where their food comes from.