Harvest Canning

The Farmhouse is taken over once again by the harvest season! As soon as one crop is finished and put away for the winter, there are three more crops to take the place. The living room, dining room, tables, benches chairs are covered in canned goods ready to be marked and placed on the shelves. The piano bench is holding more. The front room is being used to hold the over flow of produce as it is the coolest place in the house directly under the ceiling fan as our days continue into the 90's. It is a busy, busy time of year. There is always time to stop and look at the giant sunflowers and then gather more from the garden. Plum syrup, canned pears, spiced peaches, garden salsa, ruby red corn relish, green beans, apple pie filling and spaghetti sauce to name a few of the recent preserves. The dehydrator is running constantly and the cutting boards are never empty and there are plenty of zucchini waiting to be shredded! So much abundance that will see us through the late fall, winter and spring and we feel the blessings with each ripening cucumber! What is happening with your harvest canning?

Baby Chicks are Here!

Our newest batch of baby chicks have arrived! There are forty-two little nubbins and peepers. These little fluff balls are part of the Araucana count.

 
There are eighteen New Hampshire Reds. They were popularized in the 1930's as a dual purpose bird. They are known to be fast growing, on the large side, and they are also great layers.

 
The New Hampshire Reds were surprisingly different from the Rhode Islands that we got last year. Surprising because they have a similar lineage. These little peeps are just three days old.

 
They need plenty of fresh water which means about three changes a day, warmth from a heat lamp, and plenty of food to eat at will!


This batch is a combination of Araucanas and Silver Laced Winged Wyandottes. The Araucanas lay the beautiful green or blue or turquoise or even pink eggs. All of the others will lay a shade of brown; some lighter and some darker than the others.

Brand new baby chicks have a soft, peep, peep, peep song when heat,food,and water are just right...kinda sounds like all of us, huh?!

Dehydrating Eggplant

The eggplant has ripened with abundance. After enjoying it piece by piece for dinners, we harvested most of it. It seems a little later this year, but that was the way the summer weather worked.

Each eggplant weighed a little over a pound and there was about 20 pounds in this basket. Eggplant is always best used as quickly as possible after picking.

It is great preserved in the dehydrator. Most of the eggplant harvest yesterday was dehydrated. There will be plenty of eggplant for soups and casseroles this winter and it stores so well. These were cut in half and then in quarters and sliced about 1/4 inch thick. They dried in about 8 hours.

Of course there was plenty of left over eggplant for dinner and with some fresh tomatoes we had the makings of Eggplant Parmesan for dinner.

Fencing

Fencing is an art form! We have a relatively small farm, but the amount of fencing required to keep animals in and critters out takes a lot of time and attention. Electrical fencing like this solar unit requires a battery. That seems to be fairly understandable, except when you have to replace the battery because the sun won't charge it anymore. These orange units called Red Snap'r are very reliable unless a small battery unit is purchased. When looking at solar electric fence chargers, consider the battery size and the amount of sunshine available in all seasons of the year. These units are very dependable, last for many years, and snap when they are working. Just don't forget to walk the line!

End of Summer Rain

It has been a warm, rainy, wet week end and summer is nearing the end. It couldn't be more beautiful in Southern Oregon as we prepare for the Autumnal Equinox!

Raspberry Ripple

It is definitely summer time when the berries are ripe and we have soaring temperatures over 100 degrees! It is also the perfect time to make a little farm fresh ice cream.

This Raspberry Ripple uses fresh berries, fresh eggs, and other luscious goodness! First, start with the cream base. Use one cup of Half and Half and heat to scalding. In a separate bowl mix together four eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp. of vanilla and shake of salt. Beat the egg mixture together and add a little bit of scalded half and half to it. Then add a little more! Now put the egg mixture into the scalded milk pan and stir well on medium low heat. Add one pint of heavy cream or whipping cream. Stir well and let this mixture cook to the scalding point again. Remove from heat and let cool.

Next, make the raspberry puree. This uses 3 Cups of fresh berries, 1/2-2/3 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and the juice from a whole lemon. Combine all ingredients into a small sauce pan and let it cook. Be sure to stir so it doesn't burn on the bottom. Mmm, smell the fresh berries cooking! Bring this mixture to a rolling boil for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.


Now it is time to freeze the ice cream. Put the cream mixture into your ice cream maker and let it do its thing. Once the ice cream is frozen, remove from the maker and put the frozen ice cream into a freezer proof bowl or pan. Quickly pour the raspberry puree into the ice cream and gently swirl it around. Try not to over-stir or it will become a pretty pink raspberry ice cream! Put pan in freezer to set.


Our favorite part is eating the Raspberry Ripple with toasted waffles for breakfast, lunch, or dessert! Enjoy the long days of summer!