First Snow Fall of the Season

Thought I would share

Snow fell late last night

Geese seem to enjoy eating it.

Children enjoy making snow angels in it.

My new header is of my goose. One of the contests I had for Blogathon 2006, was to name my geese. Mallory was the winner, and the name of our goose is Alice. The gander is named Rupert.

I know, but I over slept, with reason.

I asked to be allowed to sleep in this morning. I woke at 5 am, and groaned, and fell back to sleep. It wasn't until 730 am that I actually got out of bed. Had coffee, made a mad dash to get the morning chores done in a world that is covered in a frost.

And promptly had a cigarette. Funny that here I am harping on the benefits of natural foods, and I am addicted to a genetically modified substance. Welcome to day one of Soul Ties.

I have not eaten anything today, ugh. And hopefully I can slowly quit smoking. Safety pins and cloth with my vices on it are in place. so, if I get a little snappy during the next 5 days, please remember it is not you my friends, it is me giving up food and smoking. I will be grumpy.

New to homesteading, Endless reaffirmation, mentioned on her blog the other day that when you look at homesteader blog tags, tools are not or rarely listed. I agree that we tend not to devote to much time to the subject. We write about the tools inside of other posts.

Starting Monday, I will start a series about the tools of homesteading. At least the tools that we use here on the 'stead.

If you have a certain tool that you are not sure how to use, or you don't think you are using correctly. Let me know about it so that we can figure it out together. I have run into some tools that I will just stare out, until my husband snickers and asked "do you know what it does?" ummm no. Luckily he does and can get me going in the right direction.

Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday, and so will my tools of the trade.

Did you get here late, want to know more about Soul Ties? Read Soul and Spirit Ties, and How to break Soul and Spirit Ties.

I wanted to say

Have a great Thursday
or
Happy Thanksgiving!
clicking on photo will take you to a Thanksgiving post from last year.

Straining Fresh Cow's Milk

You must remember that I have yet to purchase a cow, I have done a lot of research preparing for the arrival of our Dexter's this spring.

From what I understand, you can use coffee filters to super strain the milk, it will be slow going however. Most of your local Farm Stores will carry the products needed for your cow milking needs, if not ask them. Your local extensions office is always your best resource to finding out the information required to keep your livestock, your family and your homestead healthy.

For those wishing to learn more about milking cows, I will send you off to Monica, over at Small Meadow Farms. Just tell her I sent you to pester her about more info.

I am processing pumpkins today {sorry feed readers) as I won't be on tomorrow, I will answer your questions and give you any how-to information I have today. So What's next?

How to Candy a Vegetarian Homesteader

Candied citrus peels are relatively easy, once you know how. Actually, just about anything from sausage to flower petals can be candied, and truly taste good, not just palatable.

Pay attention to the size of your fruit. The following instructions are for 8 lemons, but if you use homesteading math, {2 banny eggs = 1 chicken egg, 2 chicken eggs=1 goose egg} 1 lemon =1/2 orange, while 1 orange = 1/2 grapefruit, you can adjust the recipe to your needs. You will need 8.5 ounces of water and 4.5 ounces of sugar per orange {use the homesteading math}

• 8 lemons
• 4.25 cups water
• 2.5 cups sugar, plus more for coating

If you have a citrus peeler use that, if not a knife will work just fine. Peel the lemons carefully, trying to keep the peels intact {as much as possible}. Set the peeled oranges aside and reserve for another use. {like eating them}

Using a very sharp knife, cut away the bitter white pith from the underside of the peels. The remaining peel should be approximately 1/8” thick. Do not fret if small amounts of the white pith remain.

Slice the peels into long, thin strips approximately ½” wide.

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan set over a medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat, uncovered, 5 minutes or until the sugar/water comes to a boil.

Add the strips of peel to the sugar/water and turn the heat down to low, simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the syrup reduces to a quarter of its original volume
{the syrup will barely cover the tops of the peels}. Do not stir during this process, unless you want large sugar crystals {not really recommended}. The simmering will take around 2 hours.

Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Once it has cooled, drain the peels in a colander. At this time, turn your oven to 200F.

Place about one cup of sugar in a small bowl, and then dredge the peels in the sugar until they are well coated. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add more sugar if necessary.

Place the sugar-coated peels in the heated oven and allow them to dry out. This should take about one hour, but be sure to check on them every 20 minutes or so to ensure that they are not burning or cooking in any way. If this is no feasible you can also allow the peels to be left to sit out overnight on a drying rack instead of being placed in the oven.

Once the peels are completely dry, scrape off any excess sugar clumps. Store them in a dry location and they should keep for at least 2 weeks.

Homesteading as a vegetarian.

As some of you know, I qualify my butchering post at the beginning. I was a vegan, then a vegetarian for most of my life. Things changed when I became pregnant, then my resolve caved when I moved to the country. It can be done, being a vegetarian homesteader. Unfortunately I am no longer in the mind set to really give good advice. You would need to learn what crops can be grown at which time, so that you seasonal eating doesn't become only a canned diet. Any homesteaders that blog, please leave a link if you are a vegan or vegetarian so that my readers can see how you live.

I wish you luck.

Anyone else wish to ask about a how-to?

Side note; here is an update on the man who's farm was raided by the government and forced to comply with unnecessary testing.

What to do.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, more people have been arriving here at my blog, looking how to Butcher their own Turkey. One person, who I feel bad for, came in on that post while looking for vegetarian homesteaders. Yet I don't feel to bad, because the subject matter is in the tittle. All my more popular posts are listed in the sidebar, under Posts of Interest.

Speaking of popular posts, I would like to say hi and send a warm welcome to those of you that found their way here due to yesterdays post. I do hope you were on break when you looked up my blog. I would hate to think you might be getting into trouble for surfing the web during business hours. Which reminds me, I did find an article from Presidential hopeful Ron Paul on NAIS, he merely reiterates what we have already said, but a least he cares enough to say something negative about it. I have other NAIS informative sites on my sidebar. Feel free to read them while you are on break today.

I am in the mood for some how-to's. What are you wanting to learn about? Sorry I don't know how to hog a pond, maybe this spring I will. Anything else?

Get this man's aide some glasses.

Recently I sent a letter off to my Senators about NAIS. This isn't my first time, so I expected a "canned" response. oh, boy did I get one;

Dear Mrs. Phelan:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Farm Bill. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

In late October the Senate Agriculture Committee passed S. 2302, the Food and Energy Security Act of 2007. Two weeks later the Senate began debate on the floor with a goal to work through amendments and hopefully pass a Farm Bill. Unfortunately, procedural maneuvers on the part of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have prevented members on both sides of the aisle from offering amendments. As a result, the Senate has yet to complete its work on the Farm Bill.

These delays prohibit the Senate from passing a Farm Bill in a timely fashion, which makes financial and planting decisions difficult for our nation's farmers and ranchers. Kansas wheat farmers already planted next year's crop without knowing what a new Farm Bill will look like. I am hopeful producers and their lenders will not face a similar situation this spring. The Senate needs to have an open and honest debate and quickly complete a Farm Bill. I plan to work with my colleagues to continue to protect the programs that work for Kansans and find a way to move forward.

Sincerely,
Pat

Now let's compare that to the first letter I got, shall we?

Dear Mrs. Phelan
Thanks for your comment regarding a national animal identification system. I appreciate your taking the time to write on this important topic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have taken steps to prevent the spread of animal borne diseases. Among the initiatives announced by Secretary of Agriculture is the establishment of a national animal identification system (NAIS) The system is constructed of three parts: registering the premises within the state, identification for groups of animals in a lot, and animal tracking. The purpose of this regulation is to track animals facing contagious disease back to their original herd. This allows the USDA to minimize the effect quickly and quarantine the animal. USDA officials have indicated that the system is currently voluntary, but will be mandatory in the future.

The USDA recognizes that it may not be feasible or cost effective for a producer to identify each animal. Therefore, current guidelines allow for group/lot identification for both large- and small- scale producers, whose animals move as a group through the production chain. In addition, the USDA does not recommend or endorse any particular method of identification, such as microchip, leg band or ear tag. Instead, the USDA will defer to producers to decide which method of identification is the best and most cost efficient for their animals.

I have long states that any national animal identification program should be based upon he recommendations of producers and not a top-down mandate issued by the Congress of some federal agency. The Current NAIS voluntary participation period is aimed at cooperatively developing the most efficient system possible. To this end, the USDA is soliciting comments and suggestions from producers. Additionally, the Senate Agriculture Committee has held several oversight hearings on animal identification issues.

Again, thank you for writing. You may rest assured, I will keep your comment handy as the committee continues oversight on this important issue.

If you would like more information on issues before the Senate, please visit my website at http://robert.senate.gov You may also sign up on my home page for a monthly electronic newsletter that will provide additional update on my work for Kansas.

With every best wish,
Sincerely,
Pat

hhmmmm...Why did the latest letter not mention NAIS? Why are we passing blame onto others? My letter talked about NAIS, not the...wait what are we calling it now? The Food and Energy Security act of 2007. What!?! This is not a Farm bill, this is corporate and fear monger sponsorship. oops did I say that out loud?

Pat Roberts, Senator for Kansas and his aide that sent the letter, both of you need to take a time out in the corner and think about what you have done.

Take Some Responsibility

I was reading some blogs, catching up on a few, reading new to me one {blogger isn't allowing me to comment right now, I will get back to it in a while}. And I realized that I have been neglecting one important part of living away from towns, everything is your responsibility.

The city is slowly encroaching on our homestead. A new housing development is going in a few miles away. This will affect our free flow of traffic on our 2 lane paved roads. Traffic around these developments get bad. People don't seem to understand how to drive in the boonies.

Take for example the combines that frequent our roads. People can get so impatient that they put their selves, the tractor operator and on coming traffic in danger. The Combine has the right away, if you wish to keep things safe. If you come up on one, make sure you are allowed to pass before even thinking about doing so. Last month a driver decided to pass a Combine on one of our bridges, a no no, it caused a tractor trailer driver that was on coming to swerve to miss the impatient driver, and the tractor trailer driver slammed into the concrete barrier of the bridge.

If a combine or tractor or grain truck is coming toward you, remember that you are smaller and more maneuverable then they. Especially on a dirt road. Take a moment and pull to the side, allow the on coming driver to have more of the road. They will thank you for it. {and while we are talking about driving on a dirt road, stick to 45 mph or under, and if someone on a bike, motorcycle, is coming toward you, slow down so we don't get pelleted by sand and rock. Thank you}

Living away from town also brings up the responsibility of electricity, propane, and sewage. You do not have someone that comes out to read your meters. You have to read and send in your own electric meter reading. If you don't, the co-op will send you an estimated bill, you could spend 100's of dollars more for your neglect. Forget to check the propane gauge? You will wake up on a Sunday morning, frozen. If you are lucky and get into a small family ran business, you can get propane on a Sunday morning without being charged extra. Some of the big business won't come out, or charge high "emergency" rates. And yes, we did find out how important it is to check your propane gauge regularly. Sewage is also all yours to love. It doesn't matter what kind of storage facility you have, it is still your responsibility to maintain it. To be pumped or to fix erosion problems. Also, you might want to treat your open lagoons for the smell. It can get rather rank in your house when a wind picks up.

When you first move to your new boonie property. Take a few months to see where your propane and electric people drive on your land before planting anything. And even then there is no guarantee that they will stick to that route, as some of my fellow homesteaders have learned recently. If you have planted something in their way, they will drive over it to do their jobs. My strawberry patch was ran over once, luckily it came back.

When I lived in a little town in the north west of this county, before it turned into a little city. A couple of teenagers were speeding down a paved road, and hit a cow. (see another reason to keep your speed around 45 mph) The teens were hurt rather badly, and the cow walked away. Animals on the loose can be a problem. There are many different reasons why something escapes. And you tend to see more after harsh storms. If you are driving around and you do happen to see livestock, be it pig, goat, cow, sheep, chicken or horse, pull into the closest house you see and inform the owner. They might not own the animal, but they might corral it and they are sure to know the owner. This keeps the livestock safe and drivers safe.

Living away from the towns add different responsibilities to your already long list. But they are important to your safety and your pocketbook. And if you are just driving through, please be courtesy, leave the city driving in the city, and enjoy the country view.