Gee, I thought I had the grip on cold weather, but it's only -7º here. This is almost a heat wave for us, LOL!
I feel sorry for those that will be getting that ice. That stuff is horrible. I remember well when Melody & those in western KY had an ice storm 2 years ago.
Have a Great Day!
Bernie
January 2011 - what is on your homestead horizon?
I was out of the state and missed that adventure with the ice storm. And I'm not much more prepared for that kind of emergency than I would have been 2 years ago, except that I now have a larger propane heater.
It was 4* here this morning at 7 am. I tossed and turned all night, worried about whether the furnace would konk out, or the pipes freeze, and if the chickens were alright.
Birds & animals adapt to the weather real good if you don't keep them artificially warm in the beginning of winter.Our hens are in a cold building & doing just fine. 5 hens & 4 or 5 eggs every day. One teenage pullet & one young pullet have died lately, but don't have anything to do with the cold.
Did some sanding on cabinets this morning. That might be my work for today. Got to watch Minnesota - Ohio State basketball at 1 PM. Go Gophers!
Bernie
I came across a few interesting posts today, and some of you may be interested in various parts of the information.
Whizbang Sidewall Tire Cloche
http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-whizbang-squash-planting-secret.html
Whizbang Row Cover Hoop System
http://whizbangrowcover.blogspot.com/
Whizbang BOF Hole Planting Secret
B.O.F. stands for Biodynamic & Organic Fertility. Don’t forget it. Whizbang BOF Holes are going to revolutionize the world of backyard squash growing.
http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-whizbang-squash-planting-secret.html
Whizbang Wheel Hoe
http://planetwhizbang.blogspot.com/
That row cover looks neat! I am going to try some.
They're fabulous... I couldn't grow anything out here w/out them.
I've used the pvc, but it gets brittle after a couple of years in the sun. Now I use #9 tie wire for the rows.
Wow! Darius, that is some great info on row covers and cloches!
J... the supplier where I get my amendments now sells a new reinforced fiberglass rod (made with long fibers, not chopped as before) for row covers and the local guys at the farmer's market have started using them. They love them and they last much longer than anything they have used before, including both fiberglass rods and PVC, which gets brittle as you said.
I'm good here... =0)
I love anything that whizbang guy has ! some day i will build a plucker and scalder for my birds of eating .
not much going on here.
found some garlic in the basement the other day . Bogatyr. Seems still in good shape.
anyone know how long i can keep raw honey in a jar ? its been about a year . getting a bit crystalized . just thought maybe it had a time frame ? and i need to get more in spring ?
Honey keeps forever... it's a preservative in and of itself. Just warm it up to dissolve the crystals. I've bought honey in bulk & kept it for years. Tastes as good as the new as far as I can tell.
ok i was thinking that but just thought i would ask .
and also again another question if i may ?
ok so i have chopped up some dried fruit and its been sitting in Rum for about 5 weeks. in a ziplock in the fridge. still good ?
may attempt another fruit cake but time got away from me this Dec. hate to waste it ,
My local seed guy has the wires for 60¢ a piece. I will probably use them.
They are spring steel, so they go to straight when you take out of the ground.
Also sells row fabric, Remay, for $29 for a 60" x 250 ft.
Yes on the honey keeping indefinitely. The only time it wouldn't was if it were put up with too much moisture in it. Then it will ferment and then you can make mead! When mine thickens, I just let the quart jar sit on the pilot light on the gas stove. You could also simmer in a pan of water.
Bernie, those sound like good prices! I want to do that here... it's only a matter of $$.
Fruits still good... high test alcohol is another preservative. {{hic}}
hehehe Jay . good to know
i may be able to send you some fruit cake !
i was thinking of laying it in my dehydrator and making fruit rolls LOLLL adult version , must be 21 or over to eat them. LOLLL then i decided i have way to much time on my hands right now and i need to be serious ! and stop being silly LOLLL aaahhhh * wipe tears from eyes, laughing so hard at myself *
well i have been going through some seed catologs and darius i thought of you . i saw in Ricthers that there is a Kombucha .
Have you made this ? i can't remember if you did or was it Jay ?
i was thinking of making some .
well i think i may have narrowed down my seed wish list
going to get the compost crop mix seed set from Bountiful Gardens
going to make a edible flower mix with nastiriums, calendula and dandelions.
lots of herbs too
i need to get some Jimmy Nardelo seeds . i dried me up a bunch of them peppers ,2 springs ago and i love them peppers !
sue
Not me that made Kombucha, although I made a terrific amount of lacto-fermented vegetables in the fall.
Not me... must be the fruit giving you those ideas. I had a Jarrahdale pumpkin I think I sent you seeds from... did you ever get anything from them?
The mystery expands... I know I sent seeds to SOMEbody... =0)
The slightest hint of snow here, nowhere near what we need. It's supposed to keep this up for a while today, but I think in the end we're gonna get mouse spit.
Today I'm snug by the fire planning the seed starting. Man, what luxury!
I can safely assure you that I was in no way involved in the seed mystery.
Nor I.. I rarely solicit seeds ~ having my own perverse tastes.
i hope they weren't in the rum balls you sent , cuz then i ate them. :)
well not much here
very cold
snow coming in not much, up to 5"
stocked up on Oreo's and some Rum LOLLLL those are a must have .
had computer trouble but got it all worked out , i think .
what is your final decision on seeds Jay ?
i found a great deal on petunia seeds. 300 for $30.
I will put your minds at ease. It was I who recieved the seeds. That was 2 years ago. I was still at the other pace then and was gardening in my yard. I planted those at a friend's place because she had more room than me. Had a good start, then it got really wet, then the ponies got into the garden. That was the end of the pumpkins. I still have some seed and am going to try again.
It got a few degrees above freezing today but no sunshine. No snow either so I won't complain. Calling for a bit more the next couple of days. Hope it doesn't amount to much.
Ben ran through the fence tonight. Then he got the fence hung in his tail and drug it to kingdom come. Stupid horse. Gonna let DH fix it. Ben is his horse.
Tried to fashion a blanket for Max tonight out of a wool blanket. Didn't turn out too good so I am going to make a better one tomorrow. He was shivering last night. Really suprised me because he has the thickest of all the winter coats and he is as fat as mud.
Shivering is not necessarily a bad thing, Cajun. It's just the normal response of the body to create heat. Not to worry... horses survive much colder weather in the Dakotas, as long as they can get out of the wind.
So, did the ponies enjoy the pumpkins? I sure hope somebody did! =0)
Ya know, River did something very similar to Ben today... she got her collar snagged on the SO's yarn skein somehow & walked it all over the house before I noticed. Ooopsie!
Was I making a decision about seeds? Hmmm.... now I must go look at my catalogues again, I forgot. LOL
LOL @ the yarn. That must have looked funny. How is her back?
This message was edited Jan 10, 2011 8:27 PM
Her back is better, she's using both legs again, though limping, and she has an appointment w/the veterinary acupuncturist tomorrow morning.
That's gonna be a sticky situation. :)
I am about half way through 4 season gardening. There is a lot to take in.
Caj, we won't get above freezing here until later in the week, and then not by much. Thankfully we appear to be just above all the icy mess moving east and north.
J, how did you like the Jarrahdale? Does it store well? The Muscat de Provençe I bought at the farmer's market (planning to save seeds) didn't keep well at all. I bought some Red Kuri for this year, and still need to order Potimarron when I get the rest of my seed list together.
The yarn story was funny. I expect any day now that my new kitten will discover the toilet paper roll hanging on the bathroom wall. The tail of it flutters over the heat vent just below it, so I know it will be tempting sooner or later.
good morning
Lucy our Chocolate Lab got the toilet paper this morning.
caught her just in time.
i was still sleeping when i heard her , opened up one eye and there she was staring at me with toilet paper in mouth . Then she ran !
I jumped out of bed to catch her. Oh what fun that was , got a head rush, almost tipped over as i tried to stablize myself LOLLL
then since i wear glasses and i didn't have them on ,,,, i couldnt see a thing where i was going . just chasing a big dark blob LOL
Funny, cajun. lol
The Jarrahdale stored very well, was fine grained & quite tasty. This last year we grew Blue Ballet hubbard squash & were flat knocked out by the taste, & there's still 4 good sized ones in the guest bathroom (we got 8 from 6 plants). They produced over a cool summer, so definitely a keeper here. The Jarrahdale I bought, so don't know how it will grow here yet. It's got a very hard skin, needs a cleaver & a hammer to get into it.
I started the hubbard in wall o'waters early... worked really well. Put the wall o'waters up a week before seeding, warming the soil inside.
I think maybe we'll have squash for dinner tonight. =0)
Oh yes, that kitten is gonna love that!
It's -3º here this morning... can spring be far behind? LOL Sure enough, that snow didn't amount to a hill of lettuce seeds... just enough to stick to the bottom of the dog's feet & track in dirt. Today sunny, cold. Another paperwork day, methinks.
Taynors, well, that got your blood pumping...you ought to be raring to go now! Totally energized for the day...
Took a few minutes after I got out of bed to realize we have snow covering this morning. Suppose to get 1"-3" here.
I just have to be careful and not grow more than 1-3 large winter squash, or I waste too much. That's why I usually just buy a couple for pies and to can a few jars.
The first full summer I was here, I ended up with over 400 pounds of huge winter squash for the root cellar (couldn't give very many away), and only a handful of smaller ones that are the right size for a meal or two for me. I think by that spring I probably had 200 pounds left; they became compost. Half were blue hubbard. I grew Baby Blue Hubbards one year, they are about the same size of Blue Ballet. Delicious, but you have to take an ax to them.
I 'spect all the good keepers need the cleaver & hammer treatment. LOL
Interested this year in one called 'Thelma Sanders' Sweet Potato' that Abundant Life seeds is carrying. 7-8" size & the longest storing winter squash they have grown. "Outstanding texture & taste"... Yum! And only 85-95 days to maturity. =0)
I was looking at that Nardello pepper myself, but think this year we'll stick w/Round of Hungary. It's been pretty reliable for us the last 2 years. Also very interested in the Jersey Devil tomato... we really like the Striped Roman, but it doesn't slip its skin well.
This year is going to be all about tomatoes... we've used up our canned ones; last year was a poor year, nobody around here got much in the way of ripe tomatoes.
I grew 'Thelma Sanders' Sweet Potato' last year. I usually do quite well with winter squash, but this one did poorly for me. Only 2 got larger than a golf ball, and they quickly rotted. I'm not sure why, either. Seeds came from Seeds of Change, and one other one from them looked wonky in shape (a butternut) but tasted fine.
I'll be curious to see how it does for you!
Huh. That's not very encouraging, but we'll give her a go anyway. Did you get a lot of rain last year?
I'll grow some Blue Ballet as back up... I think I'll have enough seed from this year's crop I don't have to worry about saving seed! LOL
No more rain than usual. All the other winter squash did fine, and I thought all along it might have been the seed.
If I grow it this year...hmm, maybe I'll hand pollinate one & send you some seeds?
Nah... but Thanks!