Blogging Vacation

I often go back and forth on keeping my blog. I love to keep a record of our journey and what I've been up to, but I feel like I have too many irons in the fire right now. So instead of stopping completely, I've just decided to take a little vacation from blogging. You can still keep up with what we are up to from my husband's blog, and there is also a link in his side bar that will show when I'm back. Hopefully when I am back I can share pictures of what I did on vacation. :)

Outside Progress

Last week we made quite a bit of progress outside, none of it was really expected. It started out with my parents dropping in for a day's visit. Although I told them that I didn't want them to have to work, they wanted to. Shortly after they arrived, we got a call that Mr. Vanhouwelingen (the namesake of our black chickens - named by Caleb) was going to come out with his tractor and tiller. So this is what we accomplished:

• Moved the woodpile into a wagon to get it out of the front yard
• Moved a bunch of junk out of the front yard
• Moved a bunch of "junk" that was scattered around the orchard area - wood, fence posts, buckets, etc.
• Moved my flowers from the old garden (old is a relative term) to my new flower bed by the house
• Planted red raspberries starts that my parents brought. They went in the empty corner of the orchard
  
• Got the front yard tilled, dirt moved to level it (the next day), and ready for seeding
• Got the ground in between the orchard trees tilled and ready for seeding
• Got the garden tilled and ready for planting (The garden is now 1/2 of the old hog pen and 1/2 old garden and new sod tilled up. The other 1/2 of the hog pen got trees planted in it.)

I'm sure that I'm forgetting something too, but we got a lot done! The place is starting to look a bit less constructiony outside. And although I had settled on possibly just having a fall garden, I was able to get some of it planted and should be able to get it all in now. It's such a blessing to have friends and family who volunteer to help out!

Snapshots: Stoneyfield's Woods

Beautiful Beans

Although it is starting to warm up and dry up, we have had a bit of cool, wet weather here lately. Since we had ran out of chili beans, I decided that it was a good time to get out the canners, can some beans, and warm up the house a bit.

I ended up canning black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans. Some I left plain for soups and some I added seasonings for chili beans. I ended up with 6 quarts and 9 pints of beans.

This is the first time I have tried something besides pinto beans. It really wasn't any different to can the black and navy beans, although they might not need to soak quite as long as the pinto. I think they look neat together though, and next time I might try canning them as a mix.

Right now I just use my beans for soups and burritos. Since they are such a good source of fiber (good for Ethan's cholesterol) and a great source of protein, I would like to try a few more recipes. I'm looking for a good baked bean recipe, but other than that I really don't know what else is a possibility. The only beans I ate growing up were baked beans or in chili. Any suggestions?

Click here for my post on how to can beans.

On Farm Science Experiments

We now have our cows and bull in an electric fence and our calves in another electric fence. Every once in a while I check to make sure the fencer is working and the fence is charged. To do this, I grab a piece of grass and touch it to the wire. If it is on, I can feel a small shock at the tip of my fingers.

The other day I was a bit curious when doing this, so I licked my fingers to wet them and then touched the wire with the grass. A slightly bigger shock. Not much, but noticeable. Just what I expected.

Last night Ethan put up a bit more electric fence. This was by my request (from having lost count of how many times I've had to put the bull and cows in by myself), and it is on the inside of the cattle panels that keep getting broken through.

After the kids went to bed I did a few things outside, and before coming in I decided to see if the new fence was working. So I reached through the cattle panel with my piece of grass. Without thinking, I also held on to the cattle panel while touching the wire with the grass. I quickly found out that a cattle panel makes a very nice ground as I felt the electric current enter one hand, travel through my arms, and then go out the other hand - just by touching it with a piece of grass.

Hmmm. . . I wonder what would happen if I do it again and lick my fingers first . . .

Snapshots: Rainy Day Rooster

Plant Orchard - Check

It seems like there is an unending list of things to do around here and nothing ever gets completely done - just done enough to get by and then on to the next thing that needs attention.

This past week, however, we were able to get all of the 27 fruit trees in the ground. After changing the location to a third spot, taking apart a calf pen, moving deep bedding, and three days of planting (not all day though), the orchard got planted. I still need to do the mulching, wrapping them with wire, and tie them to steaks, but at least the trees are in the ground and out of the bucket.

Here is what we planted. I didn't do to much thinking about the order to put them in, and maybe I should have, but I am happy enough with the layout. I am excited to watch them grow, and it will be interesting to see which varieties thrive here. (You can click on the image to enlarge it.)