Answering Your Questions :) & Updates

Most of these have to do with Canning Potatoes post. This post is the most read/looked up/searched for post on this blog. Which to me is a little funny as I have canned potatoes for 10 plus years. Now more and more people are canning more than just jellies and  vegs.

 

Tanya: love your web site…I too am into canning and have gotten a friend of mine into it but she came across a problem that I have never had so wondering if you have…She canned potatoes and at least half of them the lid actually popped up..later when they cooled off they went back down but left wrinkles in the lid..do you think they are safe and has this ever happened to you…thanks for any help are suggestions///

Tanya,

Sometimes this happens to me too, at least one time a canning season. I think it’s the lids (weak). If the jars have sealed, they are still good. But I do use those with the wrinkled tops first. If they didn’t seal put in the icebox and use as soon as you can.

 

 

Katye Birdsong:  Becky, Do you have a recipe for canning peppers? chili and banana peppers?

Katye,

No, I don’t. I usually freeze mine.

 

Oscar:  Good afternoon Ms. Becky I hope you and your family are well. I would like to can the makings of a potato soup/stew. Can potatoes be canned along with other vegetables such as onions and carrots….or beef?
Take care. O.W.

Oscar:

Yes, you can can potatoes with all you listed above. But I have found it easier here at our home to can them all by them selves, as you can do more with them not mixed. When I make Beef stew- in a pot put a jar of: potatoes, carrots, beef(meat), and any thing else you like in there, cook to warm up and eat. But if you want to mix them look in a canning book and see which takes the longest and can for that time for mixed things. This goes for all things you mix to can, use the longest time. Hope this helps, if not let me know and I’ll try again. ok

 

Yvon:  Becky, I just got a pressure canner and was very eager to try it. Mom has done her veggies all her life in a water bath but thought I would do the safer thing and get a pressure canner. I just tried to can to qts of potato for my first try. One didn’t seal so I thought I would taste them. I’m a potato lover and I have to say I have never tasted worse potatoes in my life. They almost had a burnt taste without being burnt or over cooked. What did I do wrong. I followed the Bernadin book. It’s early June and used old potatoes, could that be the problem? Thanks   Yvon, a newbie at canning.

Yvon:

It is best to pressure can most vegs, some are safe to hot water bath, but not many. Old potatoes are your problem for sure.  I have at times used store bought potatoes on sale but they must be hard still, with no eye growth. Most times I can the potatoes out of the garden, dig up one day and can them the next. Good luck and let me know how it goes canning this year please.

 

Katye Birdsong:  Becky, Have you ever thought of writing a book? Your website is so interesting! I’m sure it would sell! My husband came up with that idea.

Katye:

Ok Lord, I get the hint. Katye you see, you and your husband are not the first to say that. My late husband being the first( 2 1/2 years ago.) and then other readers here.  But that would be stepping out of my comfort zone. And second, I have not the faintest clue were to start, or how to put it in a book form.  So for now you all get it free here. 🙂 But as this writing a book thing keeps come up all around me, I will look more into. But please pray for me in this area, that the Lord’s will be done, as this is why I started the blog here.

 

Updates:

  Tasha’s baby, Gabby, is now about 6 1/2 lbs as of today, and is due in under 3 weeks. We are ready and trying hard to wait on her. Tasha had an ultra sound today, the last one. Little Miss Gabby is head up and feet down. Please pray that she will turn the right way soon. Thank you for all your prayers for me and my family.

    I’m doing good most days, more so than a month ago. Thank you Lord. I really miss my better half, a lot. And I’m learning to live again, one day at a time. I’m finding me. (Only moms and wives will understand this.) Some how we lose ourselves over the years. The girls are doing great. We are waiting for our blessing from above, Miss Gabby.

   The farm is doing good. I have made bigger chicken pens. I need to make 2 more different pens. We are chicken sitting for about 8 weeks. Now that’s a true farm, chicken sitting (watching for a out of town friend). Really starting to miss the fresh cows milk. I have a few gallons in the freezer for when I get the withdraw shakes for fresh raw cow’s milk.  🙂 🙂

   I have not found any new tips, hints, money savers lately. I only planted tomatoes and strawberries this year. Our food barn is full ( only 3 girls eating and no men, should last us way longer than a year), and it’s been a long time since I/we have enjoyed a summer, more than 10 years. So the girls and I are going to see what we can do besides hoe and weed all summer. I think Tommy knew this too, when he had me start stocking foods 3 years ago. But next year will be garden time again. This will be a easy summer for us because of Tommy’s insight.

   Well I better go for now. Thank you all very much for reading my blog. May God bless you all. Have a great day.

Becky

Getting Things Ready

Well I’m still here. With spring in the air, and it calling me to come outside and enjoy it, I have. I got the yard mowed yesterday with the push mower, and my poor unused muscles are crying this morning. Hopefully after a few more times, I’ll be in shape again and not hurt. Winter muscles are slowly waking up and becoming summer muscles.  I really need to learn to use the riding mower. It took all day to mow and that’s just the yard. I did not mow the pasture. All the fence lines are down from there, now just an opened field. Which TommieLynn loves, even if I am not going to mow it.  The sunshine felt good and the yard looks nice.  We really have a big yard, with hills, it’s not a nice flat yard.

I mulched a few things so as not to have to weed eat around them. I need to check into more mulch. Boy, does it look nice around plants and trees.  I am itching to plant but know I need to wait until the end of April, first of May. So I am getting beds ready to plant. The first things to plant will be potatoes ( which I am trying  in big planter tub) and green beans.  I have offered my neighbors the big  field to plant their crops, as I don’t need the big field for us three. They said ok , so hopefully they will use it.  They have been out of work and have kids. And grew a small garden in their yard last year.

I finally got my power bill down by $50.00, I almost cried yesterday when bill came in. I did the happy dance and the girls thought I fell off my rocker. Oh,well. That’s a big drop for us, usually it’s only been $10 – $20 drop.  I need to get the box fans out and cleaned. The house vents opened up and the fan put in the kitchen ceiling. But this can wait until the end of April. We can still get snow. But hopefully not.

One of my chickens is sitting, first one this year. Baby chicks on the way. I need to get the baby chicken pens ready, move some pens, and make some pens bigger. We are having a problem with stray dogs after my chickens.  They have gotten two, and that’s two too many. So I have to run more fence around the pens. There is always something needing to be done  here on the farm. (Even if it’s now a small farm).  I can run fence but it’s still hard for me to get the T-posts in the ground with the T-post slammer(it weighs about 20lbs, and you have to pick it up over your head and slam it down many times on the T-post to get it in the ground, Tommy always did this.) Maybe I can find some muscle to help me. One good thing about living on a farm, you don’t have to pay to go to a gym for a work out. LOL

The girls are doing good. Tasha’s belly is getting better. TommieLynn is growing. We are trying to get ready for they baby. Moving things from one room to another, and thankfully throwing things away.  TommieLynn can’t make up her mind: one minute she wants to be a tomboy and the next a young lady. Which at times bring a smile to my face. My youngest is growing up fast. One minute boys are yucky and the next she’s asking when she can date.

I really need to clean the food barn out. So I know what I really need to plant this year.  I know I will not be canning potatoes this year, unless we are blessed with a lot of them. I’m only planting about 10 lbs as I can’t run the tractor. I know I should plant more, but this first year without Tommy, I need to find out what I can do. And potatoes take the most work, and with everything else, well we’ll see.  It feels so funny, strange not having Tommy here to work with me. It was our favorite time of year, us working together outside to feed our family. I am so glad he taught me all he did. I know I can do almost everything he did, almost. But he never taught me to run the tractor, which is really ok. I don’t think I’d use it if I knew how.

I made it through two of the hardest days without Tommy. Easter Sunday and the next day, Monday, which we would have been married 12 years.  It was rough, but by God’s grace and mercy I made. Yesterday I got the book back that I had made from the entries from the Caring Bridge site for TommieLynn. It had  great photos of Tommy in it. So she and I let some tears fall and enjoyed looking and remembering. Her favorite photo was of her with her daddy showing her how to shoot a gun.  I have good days along with bad ones.  The hardest thing on me is making decisions without him. We always talked thing out before doing anything.  We have been to the grave site a few times, this is where TommieLynn really lets the tears fall. But she’s also the one who asks to go there.

How are you all doing?

What are you doing this year that you did not do last year?

Anyone planting a garden for the first time this year?

Anyone found a great money saving tips lately?

Well I had better start this day. Thank you all for your prayers and comments. They all help me get through my days and bring a smile to my face. God bless you all. Have a great day.

Becky

Learning New Things

Thank you all for your comments. I’m staying here until the Lord leads me some where else.

Yes, Amanda: It was your post. I not know how I found it but I did, and it really blessed me. Thank you very much. Mrs. Olson: TommieLynn and I will both get Social Security. And I am very thankful to get it. Pam , Linda, Sheila, Marlys: Thank you for your prayers.

My hands have been full here. We have had snow this week. And tomorrow will be in the 70’s. I have not done much in the garden, due to the weather. So I have been trying to get the house, spring cleaned. Tasha’s boyfriend, Carl, came and mowed the yard for me. I can’t drive the small tractor mower. So I used the push mower to get were he could not. ( just like Tommy and I use to do.) We got done fast, and the yard looked great. A man is taking down the fence lines for me for half the posts. This will give Tommielynn a lot more room to play, which she is looking forward too very much. The chickens are doing great. I need to make a few more pens and houses, hopefully soon. My gas oven has stopped working. So I am using a small toaster oven I had stuck back. Tommy always got on to me about put things back that we did not use, until he needed it. I just smiled as I used the toaster oven. Someone had given it to me last year. Tommy asked why I was keeping it/ wanted it. I just told him you never know. Thank you Lord. I am trying to live now on a smaller income. TommieLynn gets mad at times when I tell her to turn a light off. But she is getting so much better at helping cut back. She won second place prize at the Easter egg hunt last Saturday. And with her $10 prize, bought her friends hamster, she has been wanting for weeks. She was so happy, She could buy it with her money. Carl showed me how to use the air compressor to pump up the wagon and wheel barrow tires. And how to change the tires on my yard wagon. And who said you stopped learning after 40? Or your to old to learn new things? Next he’s going to show me how to use the skill saw, so I can make chicken houses and pens. Now that ought to be a funny sight.

I did go and get bullets for the guns I have. Yes, I can shot, but better with a 22. But I need to get better. Carl is going to show me how to clean them, and break them down. Tommy always did this, now I need to learn. Why do I need to learn more? I might need to put meat on the table. And well look around, more and more people are doing things ( both good and bad) that they did not use to do, due to the economy. I pray I don’t need to use them. But like I’ve said before, I prepare for the worse and pray for the best. I am having to learn a lot of new things now, things Tommy always took care of. I am so glad that Tommy taught TommieLynn to shot. That is something she will carry with her always.

My garden will be smaller this year. And I can’t wait to get out there in the dirt and sunshine. I will be trying my hand at growing potatoes in buckets/ big planters above ground. I will keep you updated on this. I am praying it will work well for us. I am picking out seeds to plant now. Tommielynn wants watermelons this year. We have not done those in years, but we’ll try. The man I get apples from every year called and said the snow and cold has not got to his apple trees. Thank you Lord. We’ll have apples again this year.

With Tommy now watching from above, the men who come to buy the things in the yard, I no longer need, are not giving me a hard time for being a woman. Which I am so thankful for. I stand my ground. But at times they try to get me to go lower on the price. One guy said, would you be upset if I made an offer? I said, Yes! He just smiled and said ok. I am learning more every day. Some days it puts my mind on overload, but I making it one day at a time.

Last Sunday was a wonderfully great day. Tasha and Carl went to church with us, what a blessing. The service was just what I needed, Thank you Lord. Then we all went to dinner. Were we laughed until we all had tears in our eyes, a wonderful feeling. Over all the best day I have had in a long time. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord for Carl too, as he has been so much help to me. Which has really lightened my load.

Well I had better get something done toady. I was trying to wait for it to warm up just a bit. More house cleaning, washing clothes, and hopefully I can get out side today. Thank you all for everything and all your prayers.

Becky

　

 

 

What a Day? Mad Bull

   The man came and tried to get the bull yesterday morning, he had brought an other man with him. Two hours of chasing the bull and almost getting him in the trailer but bull broke through them. The bull ran around the yard then broke the gate to get back into his field. Tommy always went out and helped load cows, while I stayed in the house. Boy, I sure wish he was here again. The men left without the bull and said they’d be back last night.

   The man came back by his self. The bull went into the stall and we used a rope to hold the gate closed so he could not get out. The man had me hold the rope to keep a 500lb  mad bull in there. I had no gloves on and no where to wrap the rope around but my hands. Well the bull didn’t want to stay in there, and he pushed and rammed the gate. I kept losing my grip on the rope, which allowed the gate to open some. After 10 minutes of fighting with this mad bull, some thing popped in my chest and by now I have rope burn and now a big deep cut on my finger where the rope was. My nerves are shot now, and I’m shaking all over. I told the man I could not hold any longer and let go. He was not happy but he was also smart enough not to open his mouth. He did say he would be back today with a gun that would put the bull to sleep while they loaded it. I said good and walked away.

   I had wondered if my decision was right to get rid of the bull was right, NOW I have no doubts, none! The sooner that bull leaves the happier I’ll be.

   The guy brought my truck back last night. He said that with the big trucks, it had extra oil lines for pulling large loads. And since I would no longer be pulling loads, he did away with the lines and plugged the holes. Total cost $2.00. Thank you Lord. The guy has worked on Tommy’s and my trucks for years.  So I know he has blessed me when he fixed my truck the last two times. Please pray the Lord would bless this guy.

   My farm will now just be chickens and gardens.   That decision has been made very very clear. No more cows, I can’t handle them by my self.

   It has rained here on and off now for more than two weeks. So getting into the garden to work has not happened.

   Yesterday was an eye opening day, and I’m so glad it’s over. I know the Lord walked closely with me yesterday. And for that I’m thankful.

   Life was so much easier when there was two of us making decisions.  Now every time I make one, I wondered if it’s right.

 

   Becky

 

“Forgive always, and show unconditional love to everyone you meet.”

 

Technorati Tags: beef cow,blessings,farming,self sufficiency

Not always easy being a women

Yesterday we got the first of Tommy’s ER and hospital bills — $5,246.25, $43.00, $220.00. That’s a lot of money, and I know that there are morning coming. Show us the way, Lord.

Tommy got up about 11 am. And I got ready to go to town. In town I got : 100lbs gas tank refilled $70 ( both were filled at the first of the month- one ran out in 7 days due to the cold weather, so I need another tank to make it the rest of the month.), picked up 4 of Tommy’s meds ( one was the cough pills and the pharmacist was a little up set that the new hospice was making us pay for breathing meds. So he dropped the price down to half – 60 pills- 15 days- $25. Thank you Lord. The other pill was for his sinus $11.52.); picked of meds for Tasha from our old drug store( she opened the bag when i got home and found on the bottle that they owed her 12 pills more, she was up set. Tommy and I told her that’s why we changed, it was costings we to much to go to town twice to get 1 whole med filled.) : at Family Dollar, I got 4- 2liters of sprite (which had a coupon saying “buy 3 sodas and oreo’s cookies and get $2.00 off.” you kids know my love for oreo’s, so I checked there price- $2.25. OK, I got my cookies for 25 cents, what a blessing and a treat.) : then went to the feed store and got 200 lbs of feed, ( the ladies working there know I buy seed potatoes this time every year, so they tell me they only have a few of my kind left and the next order they place the prices go up. So I paid for my feed and charged to my account 50lb bag of seed potatoes until the first of the month, the bag was $15.75, so at least I had one bag for now.) : At the thrift store I found 4 new looking bras for 25 cents each, 3- mine and 1 for Tommielynn: then picked up a few groceries.

When I got home, I called up the road to a friends house and asked if her husband could help me unload the 100lb tank off the truck. He came down and unloaded it for me. Another blessing.

Then while I was unloading feed and putting it up, a man (which was here days ago, wanting to buy my chickens, I said no then). While he asked me how much I wanted for my chickens. I told him again I was not selling my chickens. He said, well I talked to Tommy earlier today and he told me to come out this evening. ( Well Tommy had told me he talked to him while I was in town, and that he’d told him he’d have to talk to me about it. Tommy has always let me handle the buying and selling of farm things. Even if the older farmer men don’t like dealing with women that know what they are talking about. Some have just left the farm when Tommy tells them to talk to me.) Well back to this man, he then asks to buy my young roosters and again I tell him no. Then he asks to buy my yard wagon, no. Then he wants to buy my meat bull because he looks so good, NO. He said, you can’t take care of him with Tommy down. OK, now my blood is really starting to boil. As calmly as I could I said, I have been taking care of this farm and bull cows for many year now, and I’m the one that got that beef bull to look good. He just shook his head and started walking around the yard again. He came to the camper shell Tommy had made for the back of the big truck, and asked to buy it, NO> Then he wanted our blue small tractor/ mower, NO. He said, What are you going to do with it? Well I said my yard still needs to be mowed. He asked if I did it, to this he has gotten his first yes. Now he sees the big farm tractor and asks about it. I tell him it’s $2000 with everything. He asks how low I’ll go. i told him it was not leaving the yard for under $2000. He was not happy and thought a minute and said, You know that tractor will tip over easy with you driving it. I said no it would not because I didn’t drive it. So he says then let me have it for under $2000. My lady manners are starting to leave my body. I said no, it would sit under cover until someone had $2000. Then he walks right back to my young roosters and asks to buy them again as I don’t need 5 roosters– ANOTHER NO. I tell him Tommy’s up and watching TV, why not go in and say hi as you are his friend. He said , no I have to go. thank you Lord, he’s leaving. As he is getting in his car, he asks again to buy my silky chicken and buffs. I take a really deep breath and say no yet again.

I go into the house to tell Tommy. He just said I handle him well just like I always handle farm business with old men. I told Tommy I was so very close to losing it and so very mad. I asked him if I had a “dumb” sign on my chest. “No”, he said, “some old men are that way. And that they think you will sell things cheap now that they all know I’m dying.” I asked Tommy to pray for me to have wisdom to handle these men now and in the future. He said he would but I was doing a great job now. I don’t feel that way at all. I know I’m not the kind of women these old farmer men are used to, but I’m not dumb and stand my ground. Over the years now, a few have really gotten ticked off when I showed, I knew what I was talking about or how they were wrong about something they were selling, and me knowing the fair price. I have fought these kind of men for years now, but today’s takes the big prize. There really needs to be more women farmers. I’m praying this man does not come back — for his sake. Now I do have to give credit to a few old farmers, who once they found out I knew what I was talking about , we all became great friends.

The lady at the feed co-op said today that more and more young people, then ever before, are coming in to get garden supplies and asking about how to grow gardens.

Becky

Just Tommy and I this Weekend & Farm Update

Shawn and Cindy came and got  TommieLynn for the weekend, Friday night.  TommieLynn was overly happy to spend the weekend with her brother. Thank you Shawn and Cindy.  Tasha went to Carl’s for most of the weekend. So it was just Tommy and I. Oh, what a treat. It has been many years since we have had a weekend alone together.

I took him out to eat Saturday night to his favorite restaurant to get his favorite meal.  The restaurant had 4 men walking around singing to those of us eating. The restaurant had candles and flowers on the table.  It was a wonderful evening, which we both really enjoyed. Thank you Lord, for blessing our evening and time together.  I did have to give Tommy a dose of morphine while we were there but he said he had a great time with a smile.  When we got home he did put on his oxygen and rested with a full belly and a smile in his face.  His smile on his  face so very much blessed me.  I have found that the smaller things bless my heart so much more now than ever before.  Thank you Lord again for a wonderful evening.

It is now time to cut down my chickens. We have 25+ chickens. And their feed bill is getting to high. People are no longer buying eggs. So I am giving away 2-3 flats of eggs a week. Don’t get me wrong, I do not mind giving eggs away, but their feed bill is about $30 a week. We  no longer eat a lot of eggs a week, maybe 1-2 dozen.  So we are down sizing the chickens. More than like, we will give the extra chickens away, to those who need them for food. Tommy is no longer able to butcher them,   and I just can’t bring myself to do it. Now I could if I had too, but right now I don’t have too.  Thank you Lord . So we will get the chickens down to 8-12 hens and a rooster, that way we will still be able to bless others with some eggs without over spending on feed.  The beef cow is getting fatter, and will go into the freezer hopeful by late spring/ early summer. And then all the pasture fences will come down.

Looking to spring:  We will not have the big garden down in the field this year. The strawberry & tomato patch (were I have many raised beds and is fenced in) will be used again this year. And I have to fence in an area for potatoes and some corn, up closer to the house but away from the strawberry patch. So I have been scouting the yard for the right place to put it. It will not be real big as there is only 4 of us now.  I will only plant 50 lbs. of potatoes instead of 200 lbs. We love potatoes.  Our potatoes did  not do very well last year, maybe  a new spot will help.  I have really missed our potatoes this winter.  And just enough corn to eat fresh and  a little to freeze, not 8 rows 150 ft. long.   All other veg’s will go into the raised beds. So this will be our first year with a small garden. 

The only seeds/plants  I have to buy this spring  are: potatoes, tomatoes, onions sets. I have enough seeds for the other things we grow for about 3 years. Which is a great blessing. We were blessed last year with a really big box of  seed packets: veg’s. , flowers, herbs seeds. Yes, not all of them will come up due to being last years seeds, but more than 80% will. So I just replant seeds that don’t come up, and have done so for years. Every fall when our feed store marks that years seeds to half price, I buy the seeds I  need to   plant the following  spring.  I save money on seeds.  As the seeds get older the percentage of the ones that will come up goes down some. I have planted some seeds that were over 3 years old, and had a good crop.

As the girls and I will be doing all the yard work this year, I am looking for ways to cut back on as much as I can. One things I am going to do to cut down on weed eating is: put straw/mulch/hay around things and places that usually need to be weed eat-ed. I can get all the straw and hay from our feed store  for free:  I pick up the broken bales off the ground, there is always a lot.  TommieLynn has been begging to use the push mower, oh little does she know what she’s asking for.  She starts this year, we’ll see now long she’ll want to mow. 

We have friends coming in this coming weekend, Scott and Ann. Then the following week, Tommy’s sister, Linda, is coming for a visit. He has not seen her in 6+ years. They both are really looking forward to this visit.

Well I am going to finish enjoying my quiet weekend. Hope you all have a great week.

Becky

Me, Write a book?

Tommy has asked me for many years to write a book about what we as a family have been through, the ways we live, the ways the Lord has worked in our lives,  our up and downs, how I cook and canning , run a farm,etc.  Something to leave the kids.  And I have had a few comments asking me to write a book. I have been writing a daily paper  journal about our family lives for years now, 12 + books are full.

Well I found a place that will turn your blog into a book for you at a reasonable price. So as a first step to please my husband, I am working so doing that.  The only draw back is that the site only uses Blogger blogs. So I am transferring the post there and all the comments from here.  It will take me a while to type in all my journals, to be able to get them in book form. And I will set up a different blog on blogger to do this.  Am I trying to sell the books? I am not sure, this is new to me. So for now I’ll do them for the kids and see where the Lord leads.  I would have never dreamed of writing a book. So I am not sure where this all will lead. Do any of you have any thoughts on this? I would really like to know your very honest answers. Would you want to buy a book about Jordan’s Farm and family life??

Becky

Changes in the Mist – Ready Or Not

I have been looking ahead and trying to make a plan before Spring and Summer gets here. There has been a lot of changes in my life this year – some good and some not so good – little and big. I am not very good at change.  Some changes are good for us, some hurt really bad, some don’t last to long. My family is smaller in size now, needs are changing from a few years ago, and I’m getting older. We loved are full farm and all it gave us. But now there are not as many hands as before working the farm. And it’s finally hit me, I can’t run the farm by myself. Don’t get me wrong the girls help all they can. But a farm is a  lot of work year round.  And I really would like to spend more time with my family.

So here is some of the ways we are going to down size some:

• I am selling my milk cow as soon as I can. We love the milk but thinking ahead there is no way I can keep the fence lines weed eat or all the fields mowed and do a garden.  And come fall, the thought of loading and unloading a 100 bales of hay for winter use, is not a good picture. And we no longer drink 4-5 gallons of milk a week. So it’s time to say good bye to milking.
• The Black Angus Bull now running in the field, will be fatten up and put in the freezer as fast as we can. And while we are eating his meat, I’ll put some money back every month to buy a half cow for meat. I know where I can do this cheaper than store prices and the cows are feed the way I feed mine. ( I’ll also be able to buy half a hog when needed). So we will still be able to get great meat without all the work. I worked the price out, it’s only 50 cents more a pound if someone else raises it.  Which is about $1.09 a pound, cut and wrap and fast froze. Still cheaper than the store meat, and better tasting too.
• My husband is selling his big tractor. We will not be mowing the fields any more or having a great big garden. We are switching to raised beds for most, and making a fenced in area for potatoes. We no longer need a big garden to feed us. I still will be able to get apples and pears off the ground from friends.  So I think I have our food planned out.
• We will keep our chickens for meat and eggs. And sell chickens and eggs.  They are very easy to care for. And I HATE STORE BROUGHT EGGS.
• We have 3 freezers that I would like to get down to using just 1 or 2. Which means canning more meat. 

We  will be growing a few more vegetable and I’ll can every thing I can get my hands on.  This new life is going to be really different, as we have lived this way for 10 + years. And it has kept us feed well. But changes are here like it or not. The Word says there is a season for  everything, I guess my season is changing again. Time to learn new things, new and different ways.

 

Tommy and I are not looking forward to selling the milk cow or his tractor, we worked long and hard for both, Tommy and I together broke the milk cow to hand milking and  she was  born here on the farm, and Tommy has wait years to be able to buy the tractor: but now it’s time.

 

This blog will still be about farm life, now just a mini farm life. And I will still share all I have learned and will be learning here. 

 

Well for now we will be down sizing to fit our needs better. Will I ever have a full farm again, only the good Lord knows that and He’s not told me yet. So for now it’s one day at a time, going where the Lord leads us.

 

Change is in the air,

Becky

Tommy’s Tractor

Peaches milk cow, bull meat

Farm Life – 9/29 – Photos

My son is coming over today to cover the roof vents up for the winter.  This is a blessing as Tommy can’t get up on the roof anymore and I really don’t like heights. My son will help do a few other things around here, to help us get ready for winter. But I think he just wants some of my cooking, you know he is still a growing boy.  

We here, are still out of gas (GA,TN,NC). And no one is sure when we will get some more.  We have a half a tank of gas, which should get us to town about 5-6 times. But I do not need to go to town for about a week. I really feel for those here, trying just to get to work. Tommy and I feel some place might close down for a while here, because of the gas. According to the News, it is just the southeast, USA. Ok, winter is not even here yet.  Lord, help us all.

 

 This truck gets 25+ miles to the gallon, while only on a good day did this truck get 10.

 

 

 My strawberry  patch/ raised beds garden is almost ready for winter. There are still a few more tomatoes, and the birds are almost done with the sunflowers. I covered the beds in straw for the winter. Strawberry plants will get covered after the first frost.

   

  My garlic is drying and I’m going to try braiding it this year.

 

 Our T-Bone steaks come out to about $.50 a pound. All the beef cuts and hamburger is about $.50 a pound. This prices includes all the feed we give them and the butchers prices to cut, wrap and freeze. Is it worth having a beef cow? YES. I know what my cows eat, and who they are bred to. We have had our own meat so long that when we eat out/ someone else house, their meat taste so bland and tough and no flavor. This is most likely why they come here to eat. Would you like to come to dinner, too?

  

 

We are not getting the building, a long story. But I thanked the Lord with tears in my eyes, for He knows what’s best for us.  1 Thess. 5:18 says “In everything give thanks…”. This is sometimes hard to do without tears. But I know He knows what’s best and does everything for our good.  I will not lean on my own understanding, but lean on Him.

 

One day at a time. One prayer at a time.

Becky

 

 

Technorati Tags: beef cow,farm life,garden,garlic,gas prices,self sufficiency,winter

Garlic braiding and Big box of seeds and saying good bye to friends

I have not harvested my garlic yet, but soon. I found Michelle’s Garden blog. She does a post about how to braid garlic with photos, which is great. Here’s the link: Braiding garlic with photos. I have always wanted to do this, but well I’m a show me person ( that’s why I post so many photos, photos just help). I can’t wait to braid my garlic.

Super friends of ours, Scott and Ann, came over last night. They bought me a really big box full of seeds. Seeds: vegs , herbs , and flowers. What a blessing, thank you Scott and Ann.  I’ll have the prettiest yard next year and loads of vegs. Getting that box made me want to plant them now but well I’ll have to wait till next year now. Oh what a great blessing.

Scott and Ann told us they will be moving for a while. You see this area has very,very little work. So they are going where there is work, about 5 hours away. They will come back, when they can. I wish them God speed, but boy they will be missed. Since Tommy has been sick they have been a blessing to us. They are good friends.

This was just a cute photo. Not often do you see cats and chickens getting a long or even sharing food.

Hope you all have a great day.

Becky

 

 

Technorati Tags: blessings,food storage,garden,ideas,self sufficiency