Homestead Update

Things are finally quiet around here (at least for the moment) so I thought I would give a quick update on the homestead. 

Due to several things coming up over the past several months, we haven't done nearly as much on our little homestead as I had hoped to this summer.  We did have a small garden and even though it didn't do as well as I had hoped, we had a few yellow squash and zucchini, as well as some peppers and strawberries for which I am thankful.  I also planted two watermelon plants and the vines are loaded with melons and still blooming.  So far we haven't had any ripen enough to eat, but some of them are pretty big.  I can't wait until they are ready to cut into :)    I LOVE watermelon!!!   

Our tomatoes did not produce at all, but our herbs did great.  I have dried quiet a few of them in the dehydrator as well as making pesto from the basil to freeze. 

My neighbor gave us a good bit of corn and squash, which I was able to put up and he also brought us thirteen watermelons a couple of days ago.  In case you haven't figured it out, I have a GOOD neighbor :) 
I'm thinking about trying my hand at watermelon rind pickles, but need to locate a good recipe first.  I've only had them once a long time ago, but if memory serves me right I really liked them. 

I've decided that I'm not going to try having a fall garden this year, but I am already making plans for my spring garden.  I've learned some things that don't work for us and figured out some things that are working, so maybe next years garden will produce better. 

I haven't done as well with the livestock end of our little homestead as I would have liked either.  My chickens are still laying, but a snake got into the nest of our "setting" hen and since that point none of our hens have expressed a desire to set.  Since we don't have an incubator we did not get any little chicks this year.  I'm hoping to have an incubator by next year though.  

We still have our two rabbit does, but I haven't had time to locate a buck yet.  Since I haven't had time to get the additional cages built that's probably a good thing.  Now that things are starting to settle down, I'm hoping to get a couple of cages built and start breeding the does by the time the weather gets a little cooler. 

I dried up my milking goat about a month ago.  I decided that, in order to keep my sanity, there were some things that had to be let go and that just happened to be one of them.  I am planning to breed her and also our little nubian doe this fall so I should have a good supply of fresh goats milk this spring.  

My two older boys also expanded our horse pasture a little bit.  It's been needing to be done and they finally had a weekend off to take care of  it.  I'm glad to have it done and the horses are definitely enjoying the fresh grazing area.

Well, that's about all we've had going on the homestead front lately.  Maybe next year we'll do better :)

A Quick Update

The last few weeks have been busy and blogging (obviously) has been low on my list of priorities.  I'm thankful that we have had quite a few "at home" days recently, which has enabled me to get a few (much needed) things done around here.  As any of you that are trying to start (or maintain) a homestead know, there is ALWAYS quite a few things that need to be done :)

Anyway here's a quick update on life here at home.

My Dad is still not feeling well, but thankfully he will be seeing his cardiologist this Friday.  I am really praying that the doctor can figure out what is making him feel so bad and get my Dad back on the road to good health.

My daughter has been doing much better the past few weeks.  She still tires easily which is pretty normal when you're pregnant during a Mississippi summer.   Throw in two toddlers and it's amazing to me that she functions at all :).  

We have started getting  a few squash from the garden and have also been dehydrating some of our herbs.  It's beginning to look like that's about all we will be getting from our summer garden.  My tomatoes and cabbage did not do well.  (Actually, I do have ONE tomato plant that looks as if it will produce a few tomatoes). 

I have already been planning a fall garden and am sincerely hoping that we have better luck with that.  I guess I need to find a little more time to spend working in the garden, but lately time has been a precious commodity with many, many demands on it :)

I'm still milking daily, but for some reason the last three or four days the milk has been tasting "off".  I don't have a mastitis test kit, but I do have a strip cup.  The milk shows no flakes, the udder is not hot and feels totally normal.  The goat is eating well, is not pastured in a weedy area, has fresh hay and grass to eat and overall appears healthy.   I guess I will spending some time this week trying to figure out what the problem is with her.  Oh well, as I said before, there is always quite a few things to be done and that's just one more to put on the list. 

I did not make a menu plan for this week, simply because I haven't had time.  A precious man of God and very dear friend of ours went to be home with the Lord this weekend and I just haven't had the time to think much about menu plans.  I know that we will be eating leftovers from the weekend and will probably have a couple of nights that are simple soup and sandwich nights.  Outside of that, I have no plan.

Well, I guess it's time for me to get started with the laundry.  Ferrell is at church camp this week helping out as a counselor, so I'm trying to take up the slack.  That boy has NO idea how much he is missed :)

Have a good week!

Uneventful Week

This has been a totally uneventful week so far and I am loving it!  Monday, I did take my Dad to the doctor as he had been running a pretty high fever over the weekend.  We found out that he has an infection in his leg and since he is diabetic, anything involving legs and feet requires attention.   The doctor started him on an antibiotic and he seems to be feeling somewhat better.  He is still having trouble being up for long at a time though. 

Other than that we have pretty much been here at home doing some things that have been needing to be done.   The funny thing about homesteading is that there is always something needing to be done.  No time for boredom here.  No sir!

This morning I went over and milked for my friend that is out of town.  She has three nubian does and quite often lets me come milk for her when they travel and I get the milk.  It's a pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned, because I enjoy milking and enjoy the milk even more :)

Tomorrow I will be going with my daughter to the doctor for her checkup.  She has a sonogram scheduled and we are really hoping to find out what the baby will be.  I think we will be taking Rachel with us, so that she can see the baby on the sonogram.  I can't wait!

Well, there are still things to be done, so I guess I better get to it.  Hope you're having a great week!

A Good Monday

Monday was a good day for us here on the "old homestead."    We were able to continue working on the "ongoing" list of projects that need to be done, as well as keeping up with the laundry and other "normal stuff." 

I was able to put up quite a few jars of strawberry jam, in addition to working in the garden awhile.  I have to admit that I also took time to sit and watch the chickens and goats.  There is nothing any more relaxing to me than sitting on the porch and watching the goats graze and the chickens scratch and peck their way around the yard.  Throw in a couple of "strutting" roosters and you have quite a show. 

While I was busy with my various activities, my middle son, Caleb, was working on a trundle bed for my youngest grandaughter.  Due to the limited space in Amanda's home, she asked if Caleb could help her find a solution to three babies, one bedroom.  They settled on a trundle bed that will roll (with locking wheels :) under Rachel's daybed during the day and can be pulled out at night.  He built it in such a way that if she is later able to purchase bunk beds for the girls, then the trundle will serve as a big drawer for storage.   I'm very proud of the job that he did and Ellen is loving her "new" bed.

Rachel got in on the work as well by "helping" me work in the garden and also "helping" wash dishes.  It really blesses my heart to be able to "work" alongside these sweet babies as they learn and grow.    Later, after all of Rachel's hard work, we let them play in their little wading pool for an hour or so.  

Rachel is learning to be very watchful and protective of her little sister and yesterday I noticed that Ellen is beginning to look to Rachel for help with the things that she can't do yet.  It is so sweet to watch them play. 

I have had a great start to my week.  I hope you have too.

A Foot in the Bucket Kind of Morning

Have you ever had a "foot in the bucket" morning?  Well, anyone that's ever milked knows exactly what I'm talking about and I'm having one of those days today.  

To begin with I overslept which is never a good thing.  I usually try to be up and moving between 6:00 and 6:30 every morning.  This morning it was 8:00 before I got up.  That automatically puts me two hours behind and the day hasn't even started. 

Ferrell and I went out to milk and everything was going well, when all of a sudden the dear, sweet, goat that I'm milking, for no apparent reason starts stomping (I realized later there was a fly bugging her). 

Since I was daydreaming and not paying attention she managed to get her foot in the bucket and dump all of the milk.  It would have been ok if she had dumped it at the beginning, but NO she waits until we're almost finished.  

As we come in from the barn I walk into the kitchen to clean up the milking supplies and realize SOMEONE had a midnight snack evidently and I now have a sink full of dishes to wash as well.  (We don't have an electric dishwasher).  

By this point I'm getting slightly aggravated with myself and the way the day is going, so I decide to go on the porch with my coffee to "simmer down" before tackling anything else.  Guess what!  My swing cushions are wet due to the rain we had last night!   Guess what else is wet?  

 I think I may go back to bed and start over.   Probably not though, since I have quite a few errands to run and I'm seriously thinking, that to get anything productive done today I will have to incorporate my "15 minute rule."  Maybe that will make me get motivated to re-start my day. 

I hope everyone else is having a better start to their morning!

Mornings on the Homestead

I love early mornings on our little homestead!

For me, that is the perfect start to the day.  There is such a feeling of peace in my spirit during the mornings while I milk and Maybelle is the perfect goat for milking.  She stands quietly and eats while I milk and it gives me time to think and sometimes NOT to think, but just a time to enjoy the peace and quiet.  

Now anyone that has livestock knows that by quiet, I don't really mean silence, I just mean no pressure, no stress, no real chaos, and no immediate demands on my time.  While I'm milking I can hear Ferrell moving around the barn feeding and watering the horses, moving the young goats to the pasture area, and cleaning whatever needs to be cleaned at the time. 

For some reason, neither of us really talk while we're in the barn.  I think he enjoys the peacefulness as much as I do (or maybe he's just too sleepy :).   In the background we can hear the horses softly nickering, the rooster crowing, and the goats gently bleating.  

After our time in the barn we quietly move back to the house and really begin our day.  The quiet time is over and real life begins to intrude.  Yep, I love mornings on the homestead.

Our Two-legged AND Four-legged Kids at Play

Thought I would share some pictures of  the "kids" (both two legged and four legged) at play!

All of our kids enjoy playing in this old culvert.

Ellen loves the culvert, but isn't too sure about the goats :)

Ellen crawled in, but I don't think she realized Dottie was behind her!

This was right after she realized Dottie was in the culvert with her.



My oldest son Heath and his friend John decided that big kids like to play too :)



Heath & John "walking" the culvert

Heath & John falling off of the culvert :)

John was a little sick after his ride ;)



Mary may have had a little lamb, but Rachel has a goat!

Mary may have had a little lamb, but Rachel has a goat and everywhere that Rachel went the goat was sure to go. 

Dottie has attached herself to Rachel and it is hilarious to watch.  Everywhere that Rachel goes, Dottie is a step behind.  If Rachel starts running, Dottie is running right behind her.  The two of them have played all morning.  Here's a few pics.



More Homestead Additions





Maybelle and Sunny Wether



Maybelle & Sunny Wether didn't quite know what to think about Rachel 

Saturday afternoon Amanda and I picked up our new "Homestead Additions".    We bought a purebred (unregistered) Sanaan doe (Maybelle)  and her baby boy (Sunny Wether).   (The previous owners said that it was a sunny day when they wethered the little guy, hence the name "Sunny Wether").   

We are so excited about our new additions and are looking forward to having fresh goats milk.   The previous owners had left Sunny on his Mama so it will be an adjustment for the little guy to switch to bottle feedings.  We thought we would give them a couple of days to settle in before we start milking.    

Goat's Milk, Yogurt & Kefir

I have really enjoyed having fresh goat's milk available this week.  I had forgotten how good it tastes when compared to store bought milk and the fact that it's a little easier to digest is a blessing.  Even my lactose intolerant daughter has been able to drink the goat's milk with no problems. 

I do have to admit that I pasteurize my goat's milk.  I am well aware of all of the health benefits connected to raw milk and really wish I had peace of mind about using raw milk, but due to a "scare" with our goat herd several years ago (back when we were milking our own) we have begun pastuerizing.  Even with the benefits that are lost through pasteurizing I still think that "homegrown" milk is better for you than what you purchase and I have peace of mind which counts for a lot. 

Some of the ways I've been using our goat's milk this week (in addition to drinking it) are yogurt and kefir.  In the past I've made yogurt in the crockpot, but it's never turned out exactly the way I like it.  This week I've been making it in quart jars in an insulated cooler and I'm much more satisfied with the results.  Since it doesn't require any more effort I think that (at least for now) will be the method I use. 

The Kefir fascinates me.  I have never had any experience with Kefir until Caleb started having digestive trouble and a friend of mine recommended he drink Kefir.  She brought us a carton of Kefir she purchased through a co-op that she is in and Caleb drank it for about a week.   It did seem to help quite a bit with the pain and some of the other symptoms improved slightly.  (Coincidence or not I can't say).  We ran out of the Kefir so he hasn't been able to continue until now.  My cultures have arrived and I have started my own Kefir making experience. 

The grains looked sort of like wet noodles when they got here, but after feeding them a couple of days they are starting to look more like cauliflower, which is how they are supposed to look if I'm understanding what I've read.  They appear to be growing nicely and I'm hopeful I'll even have some to share in the future if I find anyone interested.

I've learned a few things, even in the few days that I've been making Kefir.  One is that if you don't feed them as much as they need the milk seems to separate from the whey and have a more "sour" taste.  Also, the longer you leave it to culture the more sour it gets.  My family seems to like it better after about 12 hours.  It isn't as sour and is a little runnier.  I think the Kefir that cultured longer will make an excellent substitute for buttermilk and since I have an abundance of Kefir at the moment I will probably be giving that a try sometime today.   The "12 hour" Kefir tastes a lot like plain yogurt to me and I'm planning to use it in smoothies.

I love to learn new things and have really enjoyed "playing around" with the Kefir and Yogurt.  I'm looking  forward to getting more goat's milk to "play around" with in the near future. 

Can't Wait!

I am so excited!  Yesterday on our way back from my son Caleb's doctors appointment we were able to go by and pick out our new baby goat!  Sort of! 

I've had the opportunity to milk a few times for some friends of ours and mentioned to them that I was wanting to get goats again.  She called last week and they will be selling some of the babies they have and wondered if I was interested.  After talking to my family we decided that I could get one of her little doelings which will be ready to milk by next spring and in the meantime I would like to see if I can find one that is already milking.  If I can't, we at least have this little girl to look forward to next year. 

When we stopped by we found that they have three little doelings, but my friends children have all laid claim to them.  She and her husband are planning to keep one of them and sell the other two.  I gave her my order of "goat preference" and she will be getting back to me in a couple of weeks when the babies are weaned.   I can't wait.

I also got two gallons of milk from her while I was there and am hoping my live Kefir cultures arrive today.  I can't wait to start making kefir and will be making yogurt today as well.  

I guess the plan for the moment is to get the barn ready and "dog proofed" before we bring our new little girl home.  I'm also looking for a small wether as a companion for her, since past experience showed me that goats are VERY social.  I'll be posting pictures when she gets here.  Can't Wait!