Friday, August 15, 2014

Since I can't Pin this to Pinterest, I am sharing this blog post

from another Blogger so that I can find it when I am ready to make applesauce.

http://www.sbcanning.com/2013/09/canning-applesauce-fancy-flavors-from.html


You can start here and work your way back.

 http://www.sbcanning.com/

Saturday, August 02, 2014

Sorry

I have been MIA here on the blog. Face Book is easier when all I have to do is click share.

Life, and work, have finally slowed down for us. We still have a ewe lamb and a ram lamb that would love to go to another farm as a breeding, or pet, pair. She is 1/2 Jacob and 1/2 Horned Dorset, and pure white. He is 1/2 Dorset and the other 1/2 is mostly Dorset with a tiny bit of Jacob/Border Leicester thrown in 3 generations previously. He is black, and not neutered at this time. $200 for the pair.

We had 2 tiny chicks born to the broody hen. I finally gave in and let us have a dozen eggs. 4 hatched, 2 died, and the rest of the eggs she rolled out of her nest....Brat! The 2 surviving chicks are doing well and growing quickly. Although, I think 1 is a rooster.

Fleeces are growing back in nicely. I need to set up the sewing machine and fixed sheep coats to keep them all clean. So far, so good. But they are out on pasture and getting their round bales in a big square feeder. It seems to be helping keeping the fleeces clean.

I need to get out to the garage and get fleeces photographed and on the web. I've been spending all of my free time from work inside dyeing yarn, unpacking boxes and repacking boxes. I am hoping to have the farm on the market by September 1st. So, anything unnecessary at this time needs to be packed up. We also have walls to paint, trim to put up inside and out that needs to be painted, and the barn and chicken house need to be painted.

I am so looking forward to my sister and brother-in-law spending most of August and September with us!! He can paint and help with trim, and maybe motivate my husband, whereas my sister will help with cleaning, packing and staging. So much to do. Lots of little jobs. Mainly finish work which hubby does not care for. My sister, brother-in-law, daughter and nephews help with the finish work on the last house we built. I thold him he does not have to build another house. Maybe take down some walls, or put some up.

August 22nd we leave here for my daughter's in Connecticut. From there we are driving to Harrodsburg, KY to look at a farm. We will then go check into our hotel by 3. We go back to Harrodsburg to look at 3 other farms on Sunday. Monday we will see 3 farms with 2 different realtors. Tuesday, I know of one farm in Berry, KY. She is going to line up some more for us. We will leave KY  Wednesday morning for CT, and then NH. Back to work Thursday. Or we leave Tuesday after we see the last farm and take turns sleeping, getting back into NH Wednesday night. It is going to be busy, that is for sure. I am hoping to find a farm that speaks to us this time. Not like 3 years ago when we went to WV, TN and NC and found only one that we liked. But, it was too farm south and too far off the beaten path for a shop. And, in KY there are plenty of Food Lion grocery stores near all of the farms we will look at. Food Lion is owned by Hannaford Bros. Jerry works for Hannaford, 35 years in, and can transfer to a Food Lion. I guess sometimes it pays to be working for a chain...

Between my sister and brother-in-law living here, and my sister-in-law & nephews covering when they are not, we can enjoy our trip south with my daughter and her husband!

I am just so excited about the possibility of a new adventure!! We've lived here since January 2000. We have simply outgrown this farm! I am looking forward to being as self sustainable as possible. If I have my way, I'll only come off farm once a month to do my bulk buying of 'stuff' we won't be growing ourselves, like toilet paper and flour. (I know I could grind my own flour, but I won't be growing wheat...) I am hoping to have bigger gardens, at least one cow (for milk and butter) and a bull (for making calves to raise into freezer steer),  a pig or two a year, chickens for eggs, maybe a few birds for meat, and sheep for meat and wool. I am looking forward to having a shop!!! And, having only what I am working on to be in the house.

I am off to get something done around here. If you want to know on a more regular basis what is going on with Ewe & I Farm and it inhabitants, check out our Face Book page!  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ewe-I-Farm/208179205917180?ref_type=bookmark

TTFN!

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