Today's chores and reflections

Today I've been cleaning up in the goat lot; burning brush and raking up the composted remains of the last 3 large round hay bales we fed.   I'd love to have a chipper/shredder to chip most of what I'm burning (the big stuff goes for firewood) for composting but I don't, C'est la vive.  I have a dear friend who uses the big stuff for firewood, the smaller stuff for campfires and lets the rest of it rot, and that's probably the best option, but something (either neurosis or the ancestral memories of my Eastern European ancestors) makes me want to make it tidy.  At least the ashes can be spread to enrich the soil.  Once this job is through my next plan is to get a bed in the garden ready using the compost I've collected for planting garlic.  The garden year for me seems to start with garlic planting in September or October with August being the Oklahoma equivalent of the dead of winter.  This year has been a wet exception, but usually August is bleak.

I've been thinking today about how chores stack up and how we react to it.  There are those, like me, who bear the thorn of procrastination.  Then once things pile up to the point that action must be taken, we're overwhelmed and disheartened by the fact that we can't get it all done in 2 hours so we don't do anything.    I've studied this pattern of behavior, I've reflected, I know all the tricks and techniques, yet time and time again I find myself in the same situation.  I think of the Apostle Paul:

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."  Romans 7:18-19

Life on the land brings us ever to closer to God, His providence and His will.  He made me; He knows me more intimately than I know myself; He put me here on this 40 acres of Oklahoma red dirt.  Amongst the many blessing are times of trial and humility.  I could analyze it, but I think He'd probably prefer I just get back to my work. 

Tidbits:

A wonderful post by Kathi at Oak Hill Homestead about how she and her family bale hay by hand.

Michael Bunker is has started a great new series on his Process Driven Life blog about off-grid living for Christian agrarians.

A good article from the Mother Earth News archives on tanning rabbit skins.  I can vouch for the method and it comes to mind for me as I have a freezer full of rabbit hides just waiting on cooler weather.

Till next time, blessings.

Judy

The 7-year Itch

Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. Deuteronomy 1:21

I may be wrong, but I think that all of us who have been at this agrarian lifestyle for a while find ourselves a bit lost at times, looking for our roots so to speak.  We make progress, then find that our progress has put us back in the world we turned our backs on.  Maybe not complete re-immersed, but heading that direction.  Or maybe not reconnecting with the world so much as at a loss of what to do next.  There's certainly no lack of jobs to be done, at least not on this farm, but sometimes I'm just stalled out.  What to do????

I think the first step is to start at the beginning, remembering and reflecting on who we were and what we wanted when we started all this; remembering the meals cooked over an open fire, the nights spent reading in the dim lantern light, the evenings waiting for the sun to go down so bathing with water dipped from a 5-gallon bucket would be a cool pleasure; remembering when there was no money for barns and lots and fences; remembering when I thought I was crazy for thinking that this was God's plan for me and knowing with all certainty now that it was and is.  Those at the beginning of the agrarian journey don't have the luxury of time for this type of reminiscing, those of us who have been here a while need it.

The next step for me is to think of those who are in the same circumstance as we were and to find ways to help and encourage them.  I don't write nearly enough, but it is cathartic and rewarding for me and part of this next step is to do it more often.  I get emails from people who say "We've bought 20 acres.  What do we do next?"  I shake my head wondering how do you answer such a question, then I decide that I should at least try.

So readers, I don't know how many of you there are, help me by letting me help you.  Lend me your beginner's enthusiasm.  Share with me that God given spark of craziness that leads you to want to leave the city and milk goats and grow asparagus and keep your children close by your side.  Talk to me, ask me, share with me, help me over the hump, tell me what you need to know.

Heartfelt blessings to you all, till next time,

Judy

Canned Carp

These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. Leviticus 11:9

From my Grandma Duffek I inherited much of my attitude toward food. I love growing it, cooking it and eating it. I also inherited her sturdy, well-fed form. She had a great appreciation for others who enjoyed food. As I outgrew my skinny little girl's frame, she'd grab me by the shoulders and say in her lovely accent, "Oh my, what a sturdy girl!" From Grandma Duffek I learned that one of the best ways a woman can show love for her family is to cook well.

I didn't get to have the woman to woman conversations with my grandma that I would have liked, but my mother has helped fill in the gaps. One thing she often talks about is Grandma canning carp. Here in the south carp is dismissed as a useless trash fish. Historically, though, it was brought from Europe in the early 1800's specifically for a food fish. Today, the Czech Republic is a leading producer and exporter of fish and among those fish carp plays a large role, so maybe my grandma knew what she was doing.

As I've stated in previous posts, the quickest way to get me to try something is to tell me I can't or even that I probably shouldn't. Last week my son-in-law, knowing that I'd been brewing this idea for some time, brought me a 5-pound carp that he caught while camping. Cleaning it was a bit challenging, as it is full of substantial bones. I found that my large, heavy Oriental cleaver was the perfect tool. (6lbs of carbon steel hand forged by some little Asian blacksmith, $6.00 at the Asian market. It rusts now, but it's super easy to sharpen and I expect it to patina with age.)

Scaling Mr. Bones required a butcher knife, as the scales are large and tough. I actually read about a Czech fishmonger's wife who decorated a dress in sequins cut from carp scales. They are actually quite pretty. My husband and son-in-law advised me to fillet it which would have made the whole process a bit easier, but I didn't want to waste any meat so I compromised and filleted out the sections that had the ribs after I got it scaled and cut into manageable pieces. It was at that point that I determined I ought to skin it. I don't know if this can be done with the scales still on or not, and the men in my house were suspiciously out of pocket during the entire operation. I suspect the entire family was whispering among themselves, "Uh Oh, Momo's doing it again."

I soaked the meat in a brine of 1 cup salt to 1 gallon of water for about an hour, before packing it into pint jars. I had a couple of pieces like big steaks from the rear section of the fish that packed well as they were. I rolled the thinner side meat to the inside of the ones from the section just behind the ribs, and I rolled the filleted rib section pieces. After researching several recipes, I added 1 teaspoon cooking oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar to each jar, topped with lids and rings and pressured for 90 minutes at 12 pounds pressure.

An hour and a half later I expected to have the odor of a blackwater slough hit me when I removed the top of the canner. I was surprised that there was no smell at all. Canning pork or venison is much, much smellier. The 3 jars in the experiment all sealed. So far so good.

Today I decided it was time for the final test. I opened the jar containing the large rear section of the fish backbone intact. It smelled like salmon. Just for comparison I opened a jar of bass that I'd canned as an experiment a month or so ago. The bass went straight to the cats, and not because it was bad. It just stank like fish bait. All the carp bones, including the backbone, were soft like canned salmon bones. Continuing on I mixed up and fried a batch of "salmon" patties. Still no bad odor. I set them on the table and they were gone in minutes. My daughter said, "Wow, this is better than salmon" and Oran and I had to agree.

From the research I did I concluded that in a year with less bountiful rain than we've had this year, it might be prudent to keep carp live and give them several days in a clearwater tank to clean out. Other than that, I was tickled to have found another source of good food for my family in the days to come. I also read that carp can grow at a rate of 6 pounds per year, making aquaculture something I'll have to explore.

Tidbits:

• My recipe for fish patties (was my recipe for salmon patties)

Mix canned fish with cracker crumbs (maybe 1:3 crumbs to fish), herbs of choice (I like dill and sage), pepper, finely chopped onion and enough egg to bind. Fry till brown in 1/2" of oil

• Another interesting reading site,

Historical Publications of the Kansas State Ag Experiment Station

• And just to get you thinking, (while you're reconsidering things you'ld never do, like eating carp)

The Humanure Handbook

Till next time, Blessings,

Judy

Snakes, good reading and chores

"And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:13-15

A few evenings ago I was feeding the pigs right about dusk when I heard my daughter Rachael yelling something. I thought to myself "What in the world is she doing?" when I make out the word "Snake!" I instructed Lianna to see about her brother Oran, both were with me at the pig pen, and I ran (it was not a pretty sight) to the house. I got a look at the snake just about 5 feet from the porch and heading under the house and grabbed an ax, then I changed my mind and ran into the house and grabbed the .22. Rachael had been one footfall away from stepping on him. (We thank God for His protection.) I shot him twice and we had a good lesson on venomous snakes with the children.

He was a Velvet Tail or Timber rattler, about 3 feet long stretched out. Fortunately, this species of rattlesnake is incredibly docile. This one let the dog lick him and only rattled after I'd shot him once. Still, he was much too close to the house and my family.

Here's a good illustration of the triangular head of a pit viper.

And here's a picture of his working end.

A lady on our NewOkiePioneers email list sent me these wonderful pictures of a Copperhead snake, the other common venomous snake in this area.

*********************************************************************************I I know people find me an odd juxtaposition. I have no running water in the house, but I have a blog and a website. I've never owned and don't really know how to load a dishwasher, cellphone jargon like "Bluetooth" just makes me cock my head and go "Hmmmm", I've never watched "Nip Tuck" or "Big Brother" and Napster makes me think of someone who likes to sleep in the afternoon (which I do on occasion), yet I love the internet. Not the internet of chatrooms and YouTube, but the internet that is the largest library in the world at my fingertips. Here's just a sample of what I find fascinating:

Core Historical Literature of Agriculture

Home Economics Archive

Digital Book Index (more than 1500 agriculture titles)

The Soil and Health Library

The Food Timeline

Documenting the American South

Project Gutenberg

*********************************************************************************

I recently did a mental walk-through of the chores that had backed up here on the homestead starting in my mind's eye at the gate and walking around the whole barnyard and house and came up with a list of some 30+ projects, not including major building projects. I just shake my head at women who say, "Oh I have to work or I'd just die of boredom."

Gate plantings
Redo gate signs
Plant fruit trees (along drive?)
Sort and burn woodpile by garden
Transplant giant reed and Jerusalem artichoke to right-of-way
Clean up old wood pallet in garden
Plant garlic
Plant winter wheat
Clean up shower area, make storage for bathing supplies
Move blue tank to goat pen
New worm beds
Move bathtubs to house for planters
Level rabbit water tank
Arrange rocks and set bridge timbers around parking area
Clean up goat pen
Finish clearing and burning in east pasture
Clean out milking barn
Clean lots
Clean barn and feed area
Clean woodshed
Spread woodchips
Transplant horehound bed
Build water catchment
Finish west trellises
Fence to clear west of house
Clear little garden
Add 4th side to compost pile
Clean up greenhouse
Plant trees
Weed south walkway bed
Weed north walkway bed
New rabbit barn
Tool storage at woodshed

*********************************************************************************

A couple of tidbits:

Here' is another great piece by Michael Bunker that I downloaded and saved. It speaks eloquently about one reason the modern world is such a mess.

Here's a really good recipe for Chicken Fried Steak. Even if you haven't had much success with chicken fry (as we call it), try this recipe. I made it using buffalo rump roast, sliced about 3/4" thick and pounded thin.

Till next time, Blessings,

Judy

Target Practice and The Garden Salvage Operation.

And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes. Zechariah 9:8

Sorry, no witty lead-ins this time. I really just have some wonderful pictures of family target practice. Our Papa Hamilton, our family patriarch and a gifted minister of God, came over for family fellowship and a meal of buffalo hash (the recipe's at the end of the post.) Afterwards we just thought it was a good time for some family fun.

Our junior spotters:

I'm not sure, but I think if you look closely you can actually see the bullet:

David spotting:

Rachael takes a turn with the SKS:

Then tries her hand at spotting:

A rare picture of me. I really am more comfortable than I look:

Papa and David discuss an ammo feed problem:

David takes a turn with my new .45:

And Lianna joins in with her BB gun. She hit 3 out of 4 at 20 yards.

The same morning we got the garden ready for the salvage crew. We used electric fence to divide the garden into 2 sections and to protect my still viable peppers.

This is our herd sire Max, 1/2 Boer and 1/2 dairy:

Here's the buffalo hash recipe. I rarely use a recipe, so it's sometimes hard for me to put things in a true recipe format. Bear with me:

Take a nice chunk of buffalo (or beef or venison or pork or whatever). Cut it into cubes 1/2" or less in size. Brown the cubes well in a hot cast iron pan. Remove the meat and throw in a finely chopped onion, a little salt, and brown well. Deglaze the pan with a couple of cups of water (pour the water in the pan and scrape up all the nice brown stuff on the bottom.) Return the meat to the pan, add a couple of tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce or tomato paste or even some powdered dried tomatoes, cover and simmer till tender, adding more water as needed. Meanwhile, melt about 1/4 cup butter and add 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux. Be careful not to let the flour burn. When the meat is tender, pour the broth into the hot roux and whisk to make the gravy. Return the gravy to the pot with the meat and add enough finely cubed (1/4") potatoes to make however much you need. I prefer canned new potatoes for their waxy texture and I use about twice the quantity of potatoes as meat. Simmer until the potatoes are done (or hot in the case of canned potatoes remembering to boil home-canned potatoes at least 10 minutes somewhere in the process.) Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

We make this simple and mild, but it can be jazzed up with garlic, cayenne pepper or chili powder, green sauce, or any number of vegetable additions depending on what's in your pantry and what you like.

A tidbit for today: Here's an inspirational and true post from Homesteader Life,

and an article by Howard King. (My disclaimer: I post this to edify those who agree, to teach those who might, and to incite no argument with those who don't.) God is perfectly capable of leading us where He will have us go.

Till next time, Blessings,

Judy

Turkey Craw Beans and Other Wonderful Vegetables

I got ahead of myself in my last post and forgot to post the picture I took of the prolificity of my Turkey Craw beans, so I decided rather than go back and add the picture I'd just post specifically about them and a few other varieties that I love.

According to the stories, the Turkey Craw bean originated when an hunter somewhere in Appalachia shot a turkey and found an interesting bean in the craw. He planted it, saved seed, and the variety was born. It's a bean you have to hunt for or stumble across, but it is available from a few sources:

Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center

Southern Seed Legacy Project

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Reimer Seeds

The Turkey Craw bean is one of the most beautiful and unusual looking beans, in my opinion. It's listed in most sources as a cornfield bean, and is touted as being stringless and of a good flavor for snap beans. Unfortunately, I missed that stage this year. I don't know yet how they'll do in drought, but with this year's rain they certainly were abundant.

I love the colorful names we've given our southern vegetable varieties. I grow them as much for that reason as any. Here are a few of my favorites, some of which I grow and some I haven't tried yet.

• Mule Team tomato
• Arkansas Traveler tomato
• Blue Goose pea
• Trucker's Favorite corn
• Lena Cisco's Bird Bean
• Texas Homestead bean(the original name of the Kentucky Wonder)
• Rattlesnake bean
• Nebraska Wedding tomato (I'm assuming, based on it's wonderful name, that it must be from "southern" Nebraska. At any rate it's a salute to the other half of my genealogy, my Nebraska Czech heritage. I'm exactly 1/2 Czech, 1/2 Texan, born an Okie and southern as they come.)
• Sheepnose apple

Here's a belated but better picture of my mixed pole bean harvest

I found no interesting tidbits for today, just an uplifting verse from our Lord's word:

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:7-8

Till next time, Blessings,

Judy

How To Skin A Cat

One of my favorite sayings is "There's more than one way to skin a cat." I get a bit annoyed on my jaunts around the homesteading communities on the internet when people tell other people, "Oh, you can't do that!" as if there's one way and one way only to accomplish the things we do on the homestead. I'm a bit like a Missourian when I hear that; I want to say "Show me." As far as I'm concerned, right Biblical doctrine is carved in stone. Everything else is, well, it's just everything else. I try, when asked for advice, to use the following guidelines: 1) If I've actually done what it is the person is asking about, I say, "In my experience. . ." 2)If I only have anecdote from other homesteaders or have only read about the activity in question I say "I've heard, or I've read. . . ." and 3) If I'm completely in the dark I say, "I have no clue." I often break the "rules", those directions that are in all the books, often word for word in book after book. I make no apologies for it and I've learned some interesting things along the way. I encourage everyone, when it comes to your personal agrarian journey, to try prayerfully breaking the rules. Learn how to learn, not simply how to follow directions. And mostly, pay no attention to those who would tell you "You cant."

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

As I mentioned in a previous post, my garden is a riotous explosion of grass, at least the south side is, and I'm to the point of harvesting seed and putting it to bed for the winter. I picked all the pole beans that had dried on the vine and am almost finished shelling them out. There are several varieties: rattlesnake, genuine cornfield, white half-runner, Kentucky wonder, Grandma Nellie's mushroom bean and turkey craw bean. The turkey craw beans were surprisingly prolific.

Next I'll be making one more harvest of cowpeas along with sorghum. I did manage to get the peppers weeded, and they're just coming into their harvest season so I'll continue to care for them. David and I discussed how to deal with the grass and have decided to run a bit of electric fence to protect the few things we want to keep and initially turning the goats and horses in followed by the pigs. Ideally, we'll get it all done in time to plant some winter wheat for a cover crop.

I grow only heirloom vegetables and have spent lots of time in the last couple of years collecting, sorting and cataloging seed. At the risk of really upsetting some readers, I'm not sure it's time well spent for me. Let me explain. I value the heirlooms, the history they represent and the genetics they preserve. I will continue to grow heirlooms. But, I also value feeding my family in what I feel will be tumultuous times ahead. I've gardened long enough in the same place to have things that always volunteer. Varieties that actually thrive in the tough climate of the southern plains. I've made a decision to focus less on cataloguing and more on simply saving what grows well. Corn is a soft spot for me, so I will continue to be careful not to let my corn cross and to carefully keep the various varieties separate, but when it comes to beans and cowpeas I'm saving them in a mix and planting them the same way. May the best bean win. Hopefully the time I've spent sorting and separately planting, labeling and harvesting different varieties will be better spent weeding.

I've been asked about my new sourdough starter and am happy to report that it seems to be a wonderful one - not too sour with a rich flavor. I inadvertently left a jar of it on the mantle for over a week and finally got the nerve to do something with it. There was a bit of mold on top. Once you've lived on the land long enough you develop a tolerance for little inconveniences like mold. I scraped it off and the starter still smelled nice. I combined it back with some of the same starter that had been in the fridge and made some really good bread. I baked it in a super hot oven in my cast-iron Dutch oven and it turned out great. One thing I've discovered is that with sourdough you have to be careful to let it rise sufficiently. It makes a world of difference in the texture of the finished loaf.

David and Oran got up this morning for their Saturday trip to the feed store - some "man time" that is so important for little boys. This afternoon or tomorrow we'll be getting the garden ready for grazing, so Lord willing there will be pictures in an upcoming post. School has started for Lianna:

and I caught her praising the Lord the other day:

Finally, a tidbit: Don't store too much propane, if you don't want to be registered with the Department of Homeland Security.

It's time to get to work. Till next time, Blessings.

Judy