This year's flower photos

Garden Update

The garden finally got itself started as it slowly warmed up.  It has issues though.  Since we are using railroad ties, we are going to have take each one apart and line them due to the creosote treatment in the ties.  The good news- we had a great strawberry crop this year!  We had enough to freeze 2 batches of Strawberry jam!  The strawberries liked the cold weather! The basil did not grow after 2 plantings and the tomatoes are okay, nothing stellar. Thess photos were taken 2 weeks ago, now the sunflower and dahlias on the edge of the planters are in full bloom.  I planted pickling cucumbers, only one planted grew and I have gotten 2 cukes from it.  So to sum it all up, we have a lot of work to do with revamping the planters, and adding 2 more where the pumpkin patch area. We defiantly hope next year will bring better soil and better weather.

Chicken canned and ready for casserole, salads or sandwiches recipe

http://www.thriftyandthriving.com/2011/06/step-by-step-instructions-for-canning-chicken/

Garden Planted- Check

Gotta try this recipe



http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2010/09/our-version-of-white-castle-sliders.html

I'm gonna try these for the next Sunday family get together. They look fun and easy.  Keep you posted.

Goals for the garden-2011

I want to plant peppercini pepper plants and can them.
I want to plant pickling cucumbers and make dill pickles -Planted 5-21
I want to have successfull tomatoes to can. Planted 16 12' high plants 5-21
I want to have lots of basil to freeze into cube of pesto
I want a fricking pumpkin patch

New thing that I am going to try -
Put the poinsetta plant out today.  Not looking very good 5-21
Plant zinnias-to see if Katie likes them for the wedding and for a splash of color in the front "B" triangle
Work on the living wall.
Rooting willow trees for the privacy line

Spring prep and planting

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  Went to church and had a good breakfast, just the 3 of us.   Joe, Jake & I went and gathered poop to amend the box gardens along with lime.  Last year- 2010- we made 6 8x4 railroad ties garden boxes.  We filled them with dirt that we took away from the previous owner's weird ass landscaping around the house.  So the dirt was probably "dead" dirt as our garden were terrile last year.  Hopefully warmer spring weather and this will help produce some plentiful gardens.  Never in a million years, I would of thought that I would be out in the pasture on a little garden tractor with Joe following behind and me yelling "Poop" for Joe to scoop up. We actually did have fun, laughed alot.  The kids came over later on and it was a very nice Mother's Day all around.

Today -
Just planted basil, spinach,  peas, radish and romain lettuce.  I also planted some dahilias on the edge of the boxes to give a border of flowers on each side of the boxes.  We will see how they will turn out.  It is 62 degrees out right now

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I want to try this!
http://lifeofperks.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-dishwashing-detergent.html

Freezer full of beef 2-2-2011

David offered us a beef, we eargerly took him up on the offer.   So he showed up yesterday with the beef.  We paid $2.10 a pound for 570 pounds.  The is after the degutting and bled, that is the weight hanging on the rail

Butchering at Jerry's 1-28-2011

Joe went Friday to do the killing, then on Sunday, Chaz, Katie, James, Joe,Jake, & I left at 6:00am for Jerry's.  Got there at 8. Before butchering, the pigs weighed 300# rail weight (sausage pig) & 280#  Joe, James, & Chaz cut the pig up. We bought the seasoning for $145, So Jerry called it even for the price of the pork. One half went into sauasge and the othe half (different pig) went into cuts.  Susie, Kevin & Jerry have the other halfs.  We made Italian, Smoked Italian, Brats and tried a Jimmy dean copycat recipe.  (here http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-jimmy-dean-pork-breakfast-sausage-250325)  The tasting of it at the time, was ok, not a real "aah we found it".  We had a good time with the kids and visting with Susie & Kevin.  Good memories were made and the freezer is full of pork.