Chickens

Prairie Son #2 - 2 1/2 years old

PS2 is shown here giving a tour of the newly repaired chicken coop.  We haven't used it in over a year because it was in a sad state of disrepair, and the dog kennel (supposed to be chicken coop) had been built around it.  The coop weighs at least 400 lbs, and was very difficult to move out of the kennel area to it's new home under a tree. 

We put a dozen eggs in the incubator yesterday, so it will be around August 13th when we expect a hatching.  We are praying that most will hatch out, and that we will get a good division of hens/roosters.  We plan to add the hens to our laying flock, and butcher the roosters.

We hatched out two little chicks a couple months ago.  It wasn't a good hatch rate, but it was our first incubation experiment.  This time we have an egg turner to turn the eggs for us, and we don't have to do it by hand ;-)  So much nicer.  I continue to monitor the temperature and humidity, making adjustments when necessary. 

I am inventorying my pantry and working up my grocery list.  The "plan" is to make a grocery run next month.  I haven't been for a couple of months.  Due to building our house, I have slacked off on replenishing our pantry, a bad "no no".

PD2 made the comment to me yesterday that she doesn't think we'd be able to eat out of our pantry for a year.  She was worried about it, and asked me what we were going to do.  This makes me smile, as she has been learning something after all!  She will be 14 soon, and so far she still thinks "I know it all" or maybe she thinks that I am a "Know It All".  Not sure which LOL!

She also asked me today if I was the only one who thought the way I do, about prepping.  I told her NO!  There are people more prepared, and others not as prepared.  She asked me why.  I had to be honest with her and tell her that many people like to hide their heads in the sand, and while they may be Christians, Christians are human.  Obedience is a struggle for all, though some find it easier to obey. 

Unless you think I am being "self righteous" like the Pharisee, that is not the case.  I firmly acknowledge that I struggle with obedience.  Most of the time I am not aware that I am needing to obey on some issue until it is brought to my attention.  Once I am aware, I struggle to comply.

We talked about the end times, and she mentioned that she is scared to die.  I told her we all are, but while being scared of pain and death is natural, she needs to make sure of her salvation.  I encouraged her to ask me, our Pastor or a good friend of ours for advice.

Keeping with the theme of Chickens, we had Chicken and Dumplings for dinner.  I am so proud of myself.  On Friday, I roasted the chicken for the girls dinner.  On Saturday, PD1 ate more chicken, PD2 ate tortillas we made, and PH and I had chicken ranchero tacos on homemade tortillas.  Today, I boiled the carcass, adding another 1/2 gallon of chicken stock I had put up last week, and we had some great chicken and dumplings.  PD2 helped with cutting the dumplings (she turned 8 on Friday).

Chicken Ranchero Tacos

Cut cooked breast meat from chicken.  Reheat in cast iron skillet (use a little olive oil), add homemade salsa (amount to your taste), stirring to heat salsa and coat chicken.  Take a couple handfuls of  cheddar (we use organic white cheddar) and place on top of chicken and salsa mixture.  Let melt.  Scoop onto flour tortillas and enjoy!  Add tortilla chips and more salsa to plate or make Spanish rice and you have a great meal.

We use the tortilla recipe off of the Hillbilly Housewife website www.hillbillyhousewife.com

Building and Preparing

PH and I are starting to build our house.  Well, no building has happened yet, but the dimensions for the house has been laid out with string, squared and 20 holes for the pier and beam foundation have been dug.  PH is scouting the best price for the posts he plans to use.  We will be getting them and the concrete this next week.

We are feeling some urgency to get more prepared food wise/self sufficient wise.  I've been too complacent the past year or so, raising a baby takes the focus off sometimes, the lack of sleep I suppose.  Being in my 40's with a baby doesn't help, I feel the brain drain ;-)

I re-organized my pantry this week, cleaned out old items (not many Praise God), wiped them off, and took a stock of what I need.  I have let things get seriously low (though my family still believes I am a food hoarder LOL!)

A few items on my list so I won't forget:

chocolate chips
baking powder
baking soda
powdered milk
milking bucket
strainer
cheesecloth
rennet
canning lids
flour (100 lbs on hand)
wheat berries (only 300 lbs left)
sugar (35 lbs)
cornmeal
shampoo
bleach
sewing needles
dental repair kit (6 of them)
herbal meds
firewood (only 3 cords)
new jar for churn
wash board
lye (I guess I could make my own)
shoes/boots
more seeds (never enough)
roofing nails
more tools
incubate more chicks
extra blades for bone saw

I've canned for awhile but only ever jam/jelly and pickles, sometimes tomatoes.  I have branched out this year, and have 3 quarts of pinto beans (LOL).  I use the pressure canner for the first time the other night.  Hoping to start canning some meat soon.  We'll be butchering another goat, and I plan to take the meat and get it made into ground meat.  I'll then brown it and can it.  I am not a big freezer person.  I have had one for only two years.  I'd like to stock it full, but realistically if I don't get most of it canned, I anticipate it going bad if I ever lose power.  It is something I think about every time the power goes out.  PH never has enough fuel for the generator.  That is our one prep area we disagree on.  He doesn't want to store fuel, and I do..So guess what, we don't (sigh).  PH needs a smack on the head. ;-)

Our congregation is working towards preparation, and using our land as a retreat if necessary.  I'll lay out the plans more in the next few weeks as we finalize goals/plans.  This is a big step for our congregation, as most have not supported the need for preparing, no matter that Proverbs 31 tells us to do so.

We've enlarged the pond/water holding area, so that there is water in each pasture now for the animals.  I don't know if I mentioned this before, sorry if I am repeating myself.  Living on the prairie in the hot, Texas sun is addling this Prairie mama's brain at times.  Ordering fish to stock the pond is on the list, and will be accomplished as we approach the fall.  Too hot now, and we want to give the little feeder fish a good start during cooler weather.

PD#1 has been working closely with me in the kitchen lately.  Part of her schooling/homemaking class.  We will start more intensely in the Fall.  I am ordering a new curriculum for her called "Above Rubies".  There is another prepping curriculum I am ordering too...

Off to work on my lists: clothing, tools, food, fuel and MORE...

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!  I am so thankful to live in America.  Even with all of our governmental problems, this is a great country, made great by the Constitution and our wonderful citizens.  This evening PH cooked on the grill.  I had planned a simple meal for us, since we were staying home, with no company coming over.  Due to the burn ban we were unable to do our annual firework get together, and there weren't any displays allowed in the state as a whole from what I gathered from the news.  Kind of sad really, but safer, fire wise.  Today's menu looked like this:

Grilled Chicken
Hamburgers with homemade buns (lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup)
homemade bread
homemade dill pickles
home grown watermelon fresh from the garden
Blue Bell Ice Cream (It's a TEXAS thang!)

I didn't have to go stand in long lines for any of our meal items, other than ice cream, we had everything on hand to make.  The buns took the longest as I had to let them rise TWICE!

This weekend was a great weekend, very relaxing for our family.  PH was off from work today, but was still up early to mow the front field.  Yes, we could actually mow!  We've been a drought since like forever, but received 2 inches of rain two weeks ago (about that), and the pastures are looking great.  PH and I had been watering like crazy people, and our electrical bill shows it.  I am thankful we don't have to pay a water bill, because our electric bill was high enough  I am trying to save my pennies for a solar jack pump, but it seems like I need more and more pennies lately, and I need to divide them among a lot of projects.  (sigh)

Project 1:  House
Project 2: Fencing
Project 3: Well/Pump
Project 4:  Pond Expansion
Project 5:  Water Catchment
Project 6:  think up new projects

I have been on a kick to only cook from my food stores.  It makes it very difficult when PH and the Prairie Kids (PKs) are fast food junkies.  I can no longer eat fast food as I get sick every time.  I wonder if it comes from eating healthier, organic food?  My body just can't process the "yuck" anymore.  Oh, it's a good thing (for me) but it makes it difficult when my spendthrift Prairie Family wants to eat out.  This normally amounts to once a week, when PH gets paid. 

Anyway...this weekend I have been trying new bread recipes.  I am on the never ending quest for "the" perfect sandwich bread recipe.  I've also made homemade doughnuts for breakfast, drop biscuits and canadian bacon, made hamburger buns for our lunch today along with a small mini loaf of bread.  I only made six buns because the PKs don't eat (or won't eat) hamburger, and one PK has to eat gluten free.  So, I had PH take the bone saw and cut an organic, pasture raised, locally grown, roasting chicken in half.  I rubbed each side with Olive Oil and PH cooked them on the grill.  I made 4 hamburgers with 1 lb of organic beef.

In case I haven't shared about our new eating habits.  We have been working on our long term storage pantry since 2006, but recently due to health, financial, political, religious (okay really ALL kinds) concerns we have switched to eating healthier.  We buy local from friends and area farmers for our beef, honey, and poultry.  I purchase raw milk from the local dairy and we make our own butter from the cream.  This tired PW has been canning up our harvest.  It has proven difficult to get all the vegetables we wanted canned due to the drought, but every little bit helps.  In the past, we stored up using store bought canned goods, though I did make wild mustang grape jelly every year, as well as, strawberry jam.  This year I canned up 2 dozen quarts of a seasoned tomato sauce, 2 dozen jars of dill pickles and 2 dozen jars of sweet pickles.  I also canned about 5 quarts of jalapeno salsa, and put a bushel of corn in the freezer.  All in all, I have far short of the number of quarts I wanted to put up from the garden.  Our green beans did NOTHING.  We are getting ready to plant our second garden, so we will see how it turns out.  Next on the agenda is to begin canning meats. 

**WARNING BUTCHERING PICTURES COMING UP**



We butchered our first buckling this weekend.  He was a little young (4 months) but one of our dogs attacked him and damaged his mouth beyond fixing, so we didn't want him to go to waste.  PH followed a YouTube video to get the job done.  We are such high tech, red necks! Ha, ha, ha...
After hacking the carcass into 8 different pieces, I wrapped up each piece in white butcher paper in placed in the freezer.  I'd like to make some stew from the meat and can it, but I am still working on the logistics. 

Our little prairie cabin isn't getting any bigger, and large canning processes will need to take place out of doors.  PH helped get me started on my outdoor kitchen today by moving one of the HEAVY metal picnic tables behind the cabin/container, arranging the gas and wood grills plus additional prep tables in the shade. 

More later!