feeding fall garden goods

lemons cheer me - their look, feel, scent, flavor, shape size, texture and color.

lemons and me, we get along just fine.

the improved meyers are ripe and ready. i trimmed off a good number this morning then juiced half of the harvest which is now stored in a glass jar in the fridge for quick and easy use

two handfuls of key limes proves the full harvest this year. that's not bad for a tree planted within the year.

slowly but surely the homestead is showing returns in vegetables, fruits, eggs, honey, table chicken, compost and the joy of caring for it all. it is work but it's work i enjoy.

we had good rain yesterday.

got up early early early this morning in order to spread a thin layer of compost over the fall planted garden areas. everything is looking good. i am tempted to pull the eggplants out for potted planting so as to give space for winter growing goods. that may be a job for the future weekend. i may possibly pull a pepper or two to do the same. if i do it right, i may be able to overwinter them successfully.

in other news -
there is compost tea brewing away in the 50 gallon container. this round fed with humates, compost, molasses, comfrey leaves, fish emulsion and liquid kelp. already it's bubbling over the top of the brewer so i drew out a few gallons for potted plants. i am sure they will enjoy the special treat. i topped off the potted plants with fresh finished compost to keep the microbial action in high gear. i hope to give the brew a good 4 days to ready get cooking. this also allows the comfrey leaves to break down some and really lend their goodness to the mix.

greens planted from seed are sprouting their first true leaves. onions are showing growth in the girth of their above ground greens, garlic greens are healthy, tomatoes are setting while the broccoli begin to set heads. the clover planted for the bees runs 2" in height. so the season forward moves.

i ponder a round of meatie chickens maybe a small group of ten or so. i think so - maybe a round of dual purpose in the case for change of heart. pondering pondering still.

dark of the morn milk n' honey

the summer honey has been jarred. the fall honey harvest need wait a week more.

there is cheese in the making - the curds cut. today's attempt is an inoculated blue. the inoculated curds are a beautiful golden hue. i have no idea how this round will eventually turn out. we are in pure experimentation mode.

the batch of whey produced a beautiful white pint of riccotta now chilling in the fridge.

morning eggs are in the laying while wee kitten conquers jumping leaping and climbing the full breadth of her universe. she like a babe wanting to be a part of each morning task - hollering out those moments my mind falls out and forgets.

the morning's fog was thick and hard in the early early hours of the day. the sun now shines through looking to be a beauty of a day.

i'll soon be heading into austintown to help another. one more task yet to tackle - pasta dough - which should take no time at all. the rolling out will need wait til' later this eve.

now to breakfast - a pot of warm milk with a dollop of honey before pressing the curds, washing up and heading out the door.

not a bad start. there are days when early waking pays.

weekend plans shift

this weekend will now be dedicated to helping my students move forward and to gain deeper knowledges in a time crunched process. deadlines call, the work is not simple and so i have decided to shift plans to that of mentorship.

regrets?

not a one.

the payoff will prove far greater than the investment.

make your own pasta!

you will need - 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour ( i use whole wheat) - 3 large eggs - 1 teaspoon salt -

if using a food processor - place flour and salt in processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds. with processor on add in one egg at a time until the mixture forms a ball. if too dry add a bit of water. if too wet add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

remove dough, pat out into a thick pancake sized patty and wrap in oiled plastic wrap. let is rest for 15 minutes minimum. i let mine rest for at least an hour.

once dough is rested - remove from wrap and cut into 4 equal parts. keep the parts wrapped as you work the others one by one.

take a 1/4 of the dough and roll it out to create a rectangle about 5" wide and 10" length.

set your pasta machine to the widest setting (my wide setting is 1). slowly send your dough through the machine three to four times at the widest setting. this kneads the dough and creates good texture.

note - you will find you will need to flour your dough as you move the pasta through - just rub a bit of flour to keep the dough from sticking to itself.

next turn the dial to the next widest setting (for me that is setting 2). run your pasta through. then move setting to 3 and run past through and then to setting 4 to run pasta through. I stop at setting 4 because i prefer this thickness for my pasta.

run the pasta one setting at a time until you reach the thickness you like. once you are at a thickness that you like you can then send the pasta through the pasta cutter of your choice. set your pasta out to dry for at least one hour - this again allows for flavor and tooth to build.

to cook - boil well salted water - drop in pasta - cook 3-4 minutes - drain and sauce or pesto or veggie it up! enjoy - you will not go back - it's sooooooooo easy and soooooo much better.

you can add chopped spinach, pepper, ground roasted red pepper, whatever you like in the early mixing stage if you wish to make specialty pasta. i suggest you try a plain version first to understand the moisture balance. one of my favorite add ins is pesto! home made of course.

i store my pasta in plastic containers in the fridge because i tend to eat what i make within a week. you may freeze it if you like for longer storage. i suggest you make what you will eat and always always make fresh if you are able.

cheers!

tip - run the pasta slowly through - do not rush - this is the main reason hand cranked pasta makers are the way to go.

plans for the saturday - not too long away

plans for the one day off this week - saturday

• more homemade pasta - this last batch is so amazing that i'm eating it for breakfast! think what you like - better to have the whole day to burn it off i say
• make cheese - i have three gallons of raw milk to play with - woohoo
• juice lemons - mmm mmm mmm i love lemon juice in almost everything
• another round of pesto - this a purple savory mix of basil leaves
  
• move some compost - revving up the fall garden
• start a 50 gallon batch of compost tea
• harvest honey - i hope i hope i hope
• laundry, sweeping, etc. inside house stuff
• donations to local charity groups - clothing and goods that would get better use with another

and who knows what else - should be a full day - weather permitting

la la la lemon

i was gifted today

i noticed a small lunch sized paper bag in my mailbox and wondered and wondered...
what could it be?
who could it be from?
is that paper bag in the proper mail box?

it was it was
and with note and kind words and all
when opened i announced

oh lucky me!
lovely lemons three

i adore lemons
i feel lemons give life
they are fresh, spirited fruits

fact
i was recently asked what i would take if ever deserted on a desert isle...
i answered a lemon tree

thank you for sharing dear friend
xo

happiness au natural

never underestimate the beauty of a simple sunflower

the pollen and the nectars from the flowers feed this small community in our own creature populated neighborhood

papayas set flower similar to those found on citrus trees

now it's up to these little creatures to set papaya fruits. it might prove too late in the season for this year but one never knows.

moments prior to sun's set as the moon grows full

a good day today. many tasks accomplished. weather perfect throughout the whole of the day for outside chores.

the pile of leaves and shredded tree trimmings - once here now is gone. in truth, all of it has been distributed about the yard laying out new paths in areas. once prone to mud - they are now four inches deep - soft and pleasant under foot, upon one's knees or even when one is sitting about .

in other parts of the place the seeded crimson clover grows in heavy. i am pleased. never has the clover grown in so successfully. the recent days rain and the cool night air have worked in my favor. the clover will prove most beneficial to the bees - the primary reason for the mass planting. now to wait out it's growth and it's flowering and it's sweet scent when walked upon. i am tempted to lay out a second sewing in areas not yet seeded.

i turned the compost today. the pile has grown in size even as it breaks down the heft of the pile is as high as i prefer it to be. so in order to continue the process with the seasons falling leaves and the goods from the cleaning of coops i set up another composting pile. this one back to back with that already filled under the protection of a tall pecan tree. the goods as they work will feed the tree all through winter. protection for feeding - i figure it a more than pleasing trade.

the sweet potato harvest proved disappointing. i wonder if the lack of summer rain and the taxing heat is partially responsible. don't know for sure. i do know the chicken creatures more than appreciate the sweet tater greens. all was not lost. and there is always next year. good thing organic sweet taters are not a crop overly expensive at market.

i planted bordeaux spinach and sorrel in the place where the sweet taters once where. the soil was thoroughly turned in the searching for taters. i lay out the seed and watered it in. i then covered the whole with 1 1/2" of fresh compost and watered that in too.

now i sit.
organic yukon gold taters boil on the stove - soon to be chilled and enjoyed in this week's lunchy greens. i'll steam fresh beans for the same and boil a few eggs before mixing up the dressing vinaigrette.

as the sun sets i feel content to rest.
the weekend has been fine.
tonight the moon grows full but i shall sleep - i hope well and sound.

up before the sun

here we are november already and the rooster is crowing out back while the ladychickens are testing out flight and take off routines. the chilly mornings rev everyone up including myself.

i have been up for hours already this a.m. i am caring for the neighbors pups and kitty creatures so i was over early to make sure they had an opportunity to get out of doors to sniff and search and explore the beginning of a new day. then to feed their hungry fasting tummies.

i was able to move half of the chipped wood pile about the place yesterday (a pile of about 6 yards). i placed a good six or seven barrows full in each of the chicken runs.
the chickens immediately made for cleaning out the green leaves and foliage out from the woody bits - scratching away - as they are also doing just now this morning. the wood chips will compost down over time but are sure to last a bit longer than the usual contribution of cut grass and hay. they are good for the growth of beneficial bacteria, for the growth of earthy worms which the girls just adore and they give a good shield from extra wet muddy earth on those rainy days.

the rest of the chippy pile will be distributed around the muddy prone places in the yard. aside from transporting barrows of chips, i'll be digging up the second bed of sweet taters and planting spinach where the taters once rested. i love my greens. yesterday's greens harvest resulted in six gallon sized bags. surely enough for a week's worth of lunch. there is nothing like the sweet flavor of fresh cut greens.

i made efforts to trim the barbed nails of little ms. darla with partial success. she's a little worm in the morning so i must work within limited time pockets of stillness. there are still more little nails needing trimming - another time... mr. t is doing well with ms. darla. the old man sometimes plays, sometimes tolerates but has yet to show any sincere aggression towards her. he too has made efforts to teach the young kitten proper manners but i believe both he and i have a ways to go before she understands the rules of the house. one thing is for sure - ms. darla is plenty comfortable in our universe.

i cleaned up the food pantry a bit yesterday - sorted rice with rice and beans with beans and legumes with legumes, etc. i refilled my flour, sugar and pancake mix stores and set the sprouting seeds in jars upon the shelf. we are plenty ready for the winter months - we have fruits, jams and maters, maters, maters.

i did not manage to get the pasta made yesterday so that task moves to today's bill. the base for the dough will consist of egg, flour and a touch of salt - a simple mix. i will be using a hand cranked pasta maker to roll the goods out. i might just take a shot at squash or pumpkin squash stuffed ravioli today too - all depends in how the day reveals itself.

pasta in the making - whole wheat flour, home grown home made pesto, black pepper, sea salt and eggs - this is the dough resting before the big rolling out.

walla!
whole wheat pasta with pesto and parmesan

time to get the body back out of doors
i bet the kitties spend the day lounging in the porch's warm sun light.

glorious days ahead

the glorious days are upon us. crisp mornings with warming sunny afternoons. these are the days folks live for in the central texas area. these are the days i thought might not ever come this year. and the sigh of my relief is great and the comfort in the cool is deep and i find great joy in the wearing of a sweater and vest.

another great glory is that these are the days for seasonal greens. and i plant them, lots of them, all kinds, anywhere they might catch a bit of sun. i prefer mixed greens anyday. more variety, more nutrition, more flavor, more texture and simply more interesting in the eating experience.

i've got red lettuces, green lettuces, leaf lettuces, romains, arugula, tatsoi, chinese greens, cabbages, kales, borage, comfrey, chards, beet greens and a mix of cool weather herbs - both sweet and savory.

when harvesting, i head out with my big green collecting bin and a pair of snips then i simply move from bed to bed taking no care to separate out one type of green from the other. then it's a quick dip in a water bath and a spin in the greens dryer before popping into a bag for fridge storage. they don't last long and could not be more healthy which is good for me in these autumnal months. no need for extra weight on my bones - i've got plenty already for winter stores.

in addition to the greens a bit of okra and long beans
not too much - a nice bit for afternoon grilling - add a little olive oil, salt, pepper and you've got yourself a small bit of magic.

also up today
the waxing of hard cheeses - a batch of baba - a pot of basil pesto - and a batch of hippychick pasta

i was able to wax out three rounds of cheese made earlier this week - two rounds in the italian hard spiky flavor family. the third round - the largest of the three - in the aged hard cheddar family. now it's the three month wait. if these rounds mature in flavor like this summer's cheese, then the three months will be more than worth the wait. i have tapped into the first - the result - a tangy goodness - i'm thrilled

the cheese stores are slowly but surely building. at present there 4 full waxed rounds in store and 3lbs of fresh mozzarella ready for present eating. the super fantastic hippychick cheese plan is to make two to four rounds every other week which would put me in long term cheese happiness in near to no time leaving plenty to share with family and/or to pull out for special occasions. that may not sound like a whole lot to the tried and true cheese makers out there but for a solo small time farmer like myself - it's gold.

this mornings basil harvest put up to 3 1/2 pints of glowing green pesto and a single eggplant put up to 1 1/2 pints of baba ghanoush. so with fresh greens, pesto, baba, fresh mozzarella and fresh pasta in house, i will want for nothing.

- - - - - - - - -

jived! jived! i'm feelin' alive!

it's a clear blue sky of a day

the temperature is hovering near 55˚f

the air is crisp cool

it feels great to be wearing a sweater, boots and cushy socks

the creatures are playing, flying and jumping

and everything is green, flowering and growing steadily

it's a day for jivin' jivin' feeling so alivin'

cheers!

sweetest of sweets makes a tough day most beautiful

thank you
mommy cara

thank you
daddy chris

thank you

sweetflower hazel

you have made auntie m so happy

i love thee tree
(as great-grandpa would say)

it all depends in how you look at it

the morning's harvest
this a half plus dozen eggs
beans for lunch
yummy

i planted out another patch of greens this morning - a simple task really considering that most lettuce greens prefer a surface seeding - throw them down - water them in - done

it's a beautiful morning - good light - comfortable temperatures and a slight breeze
it's a good day for light outdoor tasks
these are the days i relish most
keep um' comin' naturemama

- - - - - - - - - -

it is now nearly 8:oopm and i sit bushed tired and happy for the feeling a bit better and for the tasks now complete.

metal shed chicken coop

• clean and dust out coop
  
• replace bedding
• change feeders out to big birdie feeder
• change waterer out to big birdie waterer
• add in a third perch for night time snoozing
• treat the ladies with sweet tater vines, greens and chards
• compost all used bedding - this is the good stuff

garage barn coop

• unload six 5olb bags of organic chicken feed from car to storage cart
• mix a 4olb batch of hippychicks extra special feed suppliment* - enough to last a good six weeks - the mix? - ground alfalfa, flaked molasses, fish meal, kelp, food grade d.e. and crushed oyster shell - *read up before you choose to do this at home - know your ratios - too much of anything is not a good thing and could possibly be a very bad thing if not researched.
  
• feed and water the chickygirls
• treat the ladies with sweet tater vines, over-ripe maters and leafy herbs
• sweep out the garage
  

the orignal coop

• feed, water and treats of greens, chards and sweet tater vines
• collect eggs - beauties today!
• cuddle, scratch and chat a while - ya' know socializing with my homegirls

bunny

• feed, water, cuddles and greens for treats
  

the house

• wash 99% laundry
• change bed sheets - i love fresh sheets
• sweep all floors
• wash all dishes
• cook a batch of homemade tapioca pudding
• fold and put all clothes away
• wash sink and clean all kitchen counters
• clean downstairs bathroom
  
• harvest 6 beer size bottles of kombucha
  
• recycle, recycle, recycle
• sweep front porch, back porch and mud porch
• clean up kitty land
• trash out
• play with darla kitten, cuddle mr. t
• removed cheese from cheese press - wrapped it in cheese cloth - set on wood stand for 2-3 day air dry prior to waxing
  

all in one day - slow and steady as the stomach is still queezy - it was an all day affair but i am happy to have spent the time so. i still have mail to go through, papers to sort through for recycling. then there is the back studio porch that needs a whole lot of attention - one step at a time...

the daytime temps were just lovely and tonight is said to cool - possibly rain - all is well.

hippychick tip -

• if your chickys are laying fewer eggs there is no need for alarm. as the days grow shorter the laying slows. chickens require light in order to lay eggs. long summer days = longer hours of sunlight = more eggs. shorter autumnal days = less hours of sunlight = less eggs. hey everybody deserves a break - it is a natural cycle. give your girls the rest. the eggs will come just at a slower rate. note - a series of overcast skies can have the same effect.

the rising hour

wee taters from the soil - just a few from the tippy top layer of soil - little sweet things - enough for a tender fresh lunch - now slowly roasting in a simple foil wrap

the days have cooled
today's morning is crisp

the fall flu caught me for a start this week but as it comes it too goes. a fresh start to more carefully choose the foods that go in the body.

today i will keep things simple - a bit of rice, sweet taters, hot tea, and peaches. even this list seems a bit hopeful as my stomach still gurgles away but i will try and if not today then tomorrow. so far the tea feels good on this chilly cool morn'.

we had rain this week - a good fine bit of rain - rain that finally was able to soak deep into the soil and feed the thirsty trees. the ground now soft allows such soaking in where weeks earlier was rock hard and impervious to such an idea.

the citrus trees are showing great spurts of growth, sending out shoots and new branches nearly overnight. it seems here in my patch of central texas that they prefer to send out their greatest growth in the fall. the lemons and limes are near ready for picking and each morning i steady my hand while silently saying to myself "not yet, not quite yet, soon enough".

soon i will pull the remainder of the sweet taters out of the soil for curing. i grow curious and curiouser at the wonder of the size of this year's harvest. enough i am sure and happy we will be for what we gain as this summer proved so very trying on so many of the crops.

greens are now growing and crisp and lovely in the morning light. i have thrown down another batch of seed filling empty spots or those recently cleared out - no bit of soil goes unplanted for too long around here.

there are creatures munching on the leaves of the broccoli but not so much munching to harm. the sunflowers are blooming and their heads bowing heavy filled with seed that will ripen and be left for birds and climbing creatures to forage. the okra and peppers are still setting flower and fruit like they have not all year.

the chickeny creatures have slowed in their laying as summer's sunny long days have passed. yet the eggs they are laying are beautiful and full and the color inside gold and orange. they share in the feast of the greens and the goods - just this week they ate melons and chards and fresh herbs. what goes in is what comes out so i feed fresh and fragrant and so far i have yet to be disappointed.

the teenager chicken babes are ready for their new home and it looks like next week they will travel. to austintown they will go to a farm where they will live each like queens with a mom as doting as myself. they will be kept for egg laying and for loving and for playing. what more could a chicken baby mama ask for?

the sun has now risen and the leaves crisp edges reflect and shudder in the softest barely there breeze.

it feels a good day for making cheese

hippychick's first honey

amazing
so very beautiful
and with light passing through...
ahh
* * * * * *
the numbers are in...

total harvest - 24 lbs of dark rich honey

equal to
8 full quarts plus a half pint of honey
(all this from a single shallow super - oh my!)

* * * * * *
enough for family gift this holiday season

lovely

* * * * * *
next year - who knows
maybe even more this year - there is still time

i want to play it safe with the bees this first winter
the better they feed themselves - the more survive for next year's hive

* * * * * *
happy for that which has been harvested

that is for sure

hippychick honey yup yup sustainable success

a harvest indeed
super dark honey
woo hoo and a big yee haa

the harvest is not huge huge huge but kind enough in light of the brutal summer the bees recently survived.

i pulled seven frames from a single shallow super. the second super was not yet fully capped upon further inspection so best to let the bees finish up the process and to allow the honey to mature before any further robbing.

it looks like the filtering process may take a day or so. it's looking a very slow process dripping through the filter. looks like i'll not know the volume of honey harvested for a bit. ah the lessons of patience one must learn through the sustainable living process.

the wait in this case will prove more than worth it i am sure.

how did i do it? harvest the honey that is?
without anything fancy that's for sure. i kept the process pretty darn plain and simple.

i pumped in a little smoke. i removed the super i was robbing from the hive. - heavy! oh my! i sure am glad i am working with 8 frame supers and not 10 frame - woof it had some weight to it! i then replaced the top feeder and the hive cover to keep as many bees contained inside of the hive as possible because i knew the next actions would prove most exciting to the bees. i removed each honey capped frame from the super one by one trying to keep the frame fully in tact. i removed the bees on the comb with a gentle brushing off then i placed the frame in a covered plastic bin.

i leaned the empty super upon the side of the hive. i would be back with the extracted frames as soon as i was able. the bees in the mean time were working on bits of comb that might have fallen from frames and or were still sticking to the inside of the super. i smoked all around myself before heading for the house.

i then transported the bin full with the seven supers inside and shut the doors. you do not want to be extracting honey from frames anywhere the bees can get to you. they'd overpower and drive you off in a jiffy. that's no fun and could cause a big ole' mess.

at this point, you can check out the you tube video for the next few steps which include

• uncapping the honey
• loading the frames into the extractor
• spinning the frames
• draining the honey into a filtered bucket

so now i wait for the slow filtering process to complete... another slow drip
honey sweet honey
honey sweet honey bee
thank you thank you thank you

hippychick honey? maybe maybe

i plan to make my first attempt to harvest honey this afternoon - fingers crossed it goes well.

woo hoo! this is very exciting.

climate change - blog action day - central texas

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

today is blog action day - the topic - global climate change

in this vein i present, as one voice, a series of links leading you to information relevant to climate change in from voices in central texas, greater texas and to the universe beyond.


The top 100 effects of Global Climate Warming at center for american progress

Climate Change, Carbon Credits and Agriculture at carbon offsets daily news

Texas Climate News @ texas climate news

Three season outlook @ capital climate

Envision Central Texas @ envision central texas

Austin Climate Protection Program - myth and fact @ austin city connection

Climate Change in Texas @ next generation earth

New El Nino @ The Independent

rainfall patters at the fly gap division of double helix ranch in mason texas

intergovernmental panel on climate change @ ipcc

united nations educational scientific and cultural organization a.k.a. unesco

unesco world heritage center and climate change report from paris july conference

and remember...

sweet morning

the skies are yet a pale slate blue and there is misty moisture in the air. and excellent day for the rubberydubbery boots. the chickeny creatures are out and about scratching away for gold and other such wiggly creeping crawling goodies. the wet brings the worms to the surface, seconds pass, a scratch or two then with an excited joy they are quickly gobbled down.

get ya protein here! we got protein! dig for protein!

good for the girls - good for the eggs
did you ever think that you were eating worms too?
hee, hee hee - you are, you are

meanwhile the pepper plants are blooming up a storm and those fruits already formed are shaping up. their size is compact. it's funny, i have yet to grow a large sized sweet pepper in this texas climate. the flavor is great so i don't complain. we are happy for the harvest we are blessed with.

the morning's harvest presented a little bit of this and a little bit of that. nice bits for rounding out the day's salad and beautiful for observing.


the basil leaves are wide and long and full of more than fine flavor. i missed trimming a few plants yesterday. i think i've got enough for another three or four pints of pesto in the waiting. i left quite a bit on the plants ready for trimming.

half of this basil harvest will be thrown in with the salad greens for extra flavor and half will be thinly sliced for fresh mater, basil, mozz salad. i think there may be a bit more than i need even for today's goods. maybe a good drying off then a swim in olive oil will do a bit of the harvest good.

- basil flavored olive oil -
mmm mmm nummie!