Sunday, September 5, 2010

food has a story.......

Farming is hard work. It's taxing on you physically and mentally. Jason and I have been raising our own meat sense year 2 of living here. We began with cows and added meat chickens, turkeys, duck and pig. The first few times our birds were ready, we would drive them to the butcher and pick up the finished package the next morning, all nice and tidy. We decided it was time to butcher the birds ourselves.



We raise birds twice a year making sure we don't have them when it's really HOT or when it's COLD. I sell to whom ever orders in advance and I add more for our family. I lost 14 birds in July to a skunk, while we were camping. Mind you we go camping once a year 'cause it's SO hard to leave the farm and we always take our dog Lucy (black lab) We set a trap and killed the skunk however I'm now 14 birds behind and I had to re-order. So with that said we only had 11 chickens to butcher and 3 turkeys.


We put the stock pot on the burner and heat the water to 150 then hung bailing twin from the barn to hang the birds from. I can't really explain the vibe in the air......Jason and I started getting kind stressed and short with each other. We had read everything there was to read on butchering and we watched every You-tube video we could find. The truth was, we both were unsure of what we were about to do.

You can see it all over Jason's face!












Jason wanted to say a prayer before we started and that seemed to give us some peace. It went really smooth. Some of the kids watched and then helped pluck. We took that time to explain how we love our animals and take care of them and in return they take care of us by building our body's strong and healthy, good clean food, the circle of life. It's amazing how many people are disconnected from their food. They think that there is always going to be food at the store. You already know how I feel about that.


We butchered 5 chickens and 1 turkey that night and saved the rest for the next night. Now we have a system, we know what to expect. It's still not an easy thing to do. It still sort of bothers me, the first bird, and cutting it's throat. I think if it didn't, maybe, there might be something wrong with you, I'm not sure. We love our animals and taking another living creatures life is not easy. I totally understand why some folks choose to be a vegetarian. i was foe a while and then my hair started falling out due to a lack of protein. So I pull up my "farm girl" panties and do what needs to be done-blessings









Saturday, September 4, 2010

harvest........

Happy harvest to all who are harvesting! I have been canning for what seems like months but it's more loke weeks. My kitchen looks like fresh produce market :)




French chard and romaine lettuce have been coming out out ears, good thing my family likes salad.......Let me rephrase that.. Good thing I offer lots of salads to my children and explain the benefit's of eating lots of green food. I believe it's important to teach your children how to fuel their body properly and why garbage food makes them feel yucky. You get ONE body treat it right!

Friend and fellow "farm girl" Tiffany brought over her pressure canner so we could can turkey (I have TONS of turkey...another post) We both had NEVER canned meat or used a pressure canner. It was my goal this season to start using one. I was shocked at how easy it was.

Turkey......from my farm! This is why we moved to Oregon, I cant believe 5 years later I have raised my own turkey, butchered it and then canned it! God is good.


We LOVE all the relish recipes from the Ball blue book! I bought a box of 48 ears, 4 for 1.00 from Greens Bridge (my fav farm in Jefferson)



LOTS and lots of Oregon blackberry's!

I did NOT plant zucchini or yellow squash this year. My neighbor did and so I am getting all his extra. I cut them up and put them in my dehydrator and make chips! My family LOVES these with a little salt and pepper, dipped in hummus...yummy!


bread and butter pickles!

A friend of ours owns a nursery and he has a connection with a farmer in Salem for peaches. I got 100lbs for 65$. May seem like a lot but it was the best deal I could find. Greens Bridge wanted 1.00 a lb. Canned peaches are like gold in my home. I use honey instead of sugar and the peaches take on the flavor of the honey, this year I used blackberry honey.




Free!

So far 36 quart and 12 pints of applesauce and 13 quarts of apple pie fill! I also use honey in my applesauce and I add cinnamon. Those apples came from Tiffany's house. Olivia and I picked for maybe 1/2 hr. Her apples were beautiful! She uses what she can and then lets others come pick and feeds ALL the apples on the ground to her chickens, alpacas and cows. Nothing goes to waist....A TRUE FARM GIRL! It bugs me when I see fruit or veggis go to waist.


If I got married again this would be my bouquet!


I have lots more canning to do today. Tiff is letting me borrow her pressure canner for a few days. I have more turkey to can, salsa, apple pie fill.....Yadda, yadda! -blessings

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Awakening....

The morning of Wednesday august 21 I woke up early to go see a surgeon about this pesky "node" that had been growing under my chin for the last year. I never thought to much about it because it started small. I thought for awhile it was an "under" ground zit however after 6 months I realised it wasn't and made an app. to see my WONDERFUL Doc. She felt around and told me it was a Lymph node and sent me over to get an ultrasound. The technician confirmed it. Patty (doc) asked me if I had any dental issues going on. I told her that I had never got my wisdom teeth out and that I was in the process of getting it done.The dentist I saw as a child thought I had a "BIG" mouth and there was no need to take them out :) Patty gave me the number for the surgeon and said to give her a call to get 'it" removed but not to worry. That was in May.... This of course had been in the back of my mind through the beginning months of summer and I noticed that it wasn't going down, even with getting some of the dental work done, in fact it was growing and I was starting to get self -conscious with a big "node" growing under my chin....Fast forward to August 21, last week. I go in bright and early to see the surgeon I wasn't really nervous until I sat in the waiting room. I hadn't really "gone there" in my mind, until that moment..... A few minutes later they call me in. The surgeon feels around and tells me that they can cut "it" out next week and that I might have cancer of the Lymph system! Of course I hear nothing else, she is rambling on about further testing and I practically fall on the floor and start to have a fricken melt down. She tells me it's a small chance, and she felt around for more lymph nodes that might be enlarged and finds non...thank God! The nurse handed me a tissue and sent me out to the front to make an appointment for the following Tuesday (yesterday) for surgery.After surgery they would send it to Salem and I would know by Friday what the next step would be.

Walking out to my car I was sick I felt this BIG ugly gray cloud position it's self over my head about a foot behind me threatening to hail. I called my husband and told him what the surgeon said, he didn't know what to say, I called my sister, it was harder to tell her than any other person, I'm not sure why, I'm still processing that. The drive home was very confusing, however I needed to pull it together for the kids, Lexi was home watching the little ones. I got home got them settled with lunch and sent them out to swim and I began to make calls and ask for prayer.
I am a Christian and not in the lose term it's used in today. I believe in Jesus, I believe he is the son of God, I believe he is the ONLY way to the father as said in the Bible. I LOVE the relationship I have with my maker, he created me so he knows me better that I know myself. I have not been a perfect child, but Gods forgiveness is as far as the east is to the west however sin has consequence and I AM a dirty rotten sinner and I have a sorted past.

You never know how your going to respond in a situation like this, never did I think I would be the one to tell everyone but I needed to put my pride aside and ask for prayer. Those prayers were the only thing that kept me going through the next few days. I broke down in a sobbing mess every time I would talk to someone. NOTHING seemed to matter. I didn't care about the garden, the canning, the animals nothing had any meaning unless it was what I could carry on with me into eternity, Faith, Hope, Love, Charity, Kindness, Forgiveness the condition of my heart and soul, my kids, that was a tough thought, my mother passed away when I was 6, I didn't want that for my kids or my Husband.

After two days of the "cloud" following me I really started to feel Gods peace, I felt the prayer of people and that is what got me through that VERY long week. On Sunday my pastor talked about putting on the armor of God because satin is out to seek and destroy. The belt of truth, the shoes of peace and the breast plate of righteousness, that is what I wore for the next few days.

Tuesday came, I was covered in prayer, Jason brought me in to the surgeons office and she met me there with a smile and began to prep me for the quick, in-office surgery. I was shaking in my boots! I knew that we would know a little more after she saw exactly what it was. I was ready to go...

The surgeon cut me open and said, " this isn't a lymph node, it's a cyst"!!!!!!!! "We have nothing to worry about your fine." Of course I started to cry and thank God for answering every ones prayers.

What a life changing week, I have learned so much! YES! I have pride issues! (I'm french)

1. God is BIG, bigger than any ones mind can EVER imagine

2. I DO NEED PEOPLE

3. people care

4. I LOVE my life! (kids, hub, friends, family, farming all of it!)

5.There is consequences for sin but God can heal and restore.

6. Stupid stuff doesn't matter and most things are stupid :)

7. Why do we work so hard on the external when it's rotting away and abandon the internal?

8. I LOVE my sister!

9. Mya is my very best friend on the planet, I'm so grateful for her friendship!

10. Watch out word 'cause God is NOT finished with me.

blessings-johnna
back to canning :)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Auction

Took some friends to the auction.........



We left at 7:30 am, two hours before it began, wanting to get a GOOD look at all the "goods" before it started. They had furniture, books, tools pretty much everything you could think of. My friends and I went to see livestock and poultry. I have NEVER seen anything like this! First off I was WAY over dressed in my cowboy boots and prairie skirt. Second, I had a Starbucks in my hand (my friend treated me for driving) Third, I had make-up on. Apparently you DON'T have to bath to go to the auction or brush your teeth, heck you don't even need teeth! I AM a country girl, NOT a snob, however this was a little over the top. We decided to start at poultry, early enough to take a look at all the birds before the auctioneer arrived. Let me just say that these birds were bottom of the barrel birds, I WOULD NEVER buy one of these poor animals and bring it on my farm for fear they would give my "spoiled" flocks some kind of disease! I felt sad in my heart for these birds, however I had to "suck it up" and get on with the auction. While looking at the birds I met a very nice "veteran of the auction" she has a farm and sometimes if she finds a good bird buys it, she introduced us to this man who comes every week and buys almost all the birds, sick or well and takes them home, butchers them and sells them to restaurants and private buyers under the banner of "buy local", "farm fresh", "free range". I WAS HORRIFIED! I work so hard to sell my meat under those titles because I believe in providing for my customers the very best quality food for them and there family's. It made me sick that some one could lie like that and really be selling complete crap! I wanted to take him out! Instead I chalked it up to a lesson learned. We moved on to the livestock, still sicked out from poultry and people, went to wash our hands and made our way to the benches and waited for the cows to come in. Not so bad, the other animals were not as "ghetto" as the poultry. I MIGHT buy a cow next time. I would have taken pictures but they had signs EVERYWHERE prohibiting it....hmmmm I wonder why?



If you buy your food from a local provider ask if you can visit their farm, if they have nothing to hind they will welcome you. I welcome all our customers. If you buy your meat from the grocery store......that sucks for you......I mean... find a local farm or raise your own! The funny thing is it's not that hard to provide a humane environment for your animals, it's not hard to have "free range" if you have the land. It's sad how the mighty dollar has corrupted the hearts of man. People have no conscious anymore. The folks who are buying the chicken that 2 days prior had No feathers due to mights, have no clue! YUCK!
Okay, okay I'm done ranting for now! On a happier note I've been very busy canning. Canning feeds my soul, I LOVE IT! I know I'm late with "survival story" I'm work'en on it. If you have a farm, garden and kids you know how busy the summer is. I heard it's going to be a early, cold winter here in Oregon! DAMN that "global warming" :)
blessings




Monday, July 19, 2010

Stocking up!

I'm feeling very inspired today! I've been stocking 2 blogs that I love, first one is http://mcguirehomestead.blogspot.com/ this lady is a "Rock star" in the world of canning. Every time I read her blog I want to can something. The best part is EVERYTHING comes from her own land....Go check her out and leave her a comment! Someday that will be me, but in the mean time I choose to support my Local farm! I love Greens Bridge!





Strawberry and Raspberry, Marion Berry jam......Yummy!




I also make pies and freeze them, I started that 3 years ago and my family loves it! I make about 15 pies Marion berry, Blueberry, Cherry and peach!



We also harvested onion last week.




Treasure hunting! Digging for potatoes is the ultimate treasure hunt. I had so much fun digging up our spuds!







I keep our onions and spuds in the barn were it's cool.


I also just harvested some of our cauliflower and my dill is ready to pickle something however the cucumbers this year are very slow going, it's that way for everyone. The wet spring has made it a ruff garden year. I'm going to pickle today....Onion, cauliflower and eggs. My family loves picked eggs.


I feel like summer is getting away from me, I have only canned jam! I need to get off this computer and get to work! -blessings


P.S. I REALLY want to can stew! Who wants to come over and teach me?:)







Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Summer time!


I know.....I know.....it's been awhile. We've had a busy summer. It's funny how I long for summer, so that I can have a "break" there's no "break" for us, I don't think I'm a break kind of person. This is what we have been up to....... Alexa...her favorite pass time....



Emma found this nest for me:)


Our meat birds.....


1st "french chard" harvest...



beautiful isn't it....


I think I can....I think I can....




Onions! I LOVE to eat these...the blooms of the onion! My "fancy" sister has some "fancy" french word for them. I just call them onion blooms!



Had lunch out of the yard the other day....Yummy!




I had an "Eclipse" party for my older girls the night the movie came out. I had 17 girls stay the night and we went to the 12:10 am showing of the movie... We had a blast!



The next morning...


Before we left for the movie we had some backyard fun....farm girl style!



Jason........on our camping trip.





Camping.....
Granger with his buddy!





And now the MOST important thing....my derby skate!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures....we've had a fun summer so far. Now it's time to kick it into "ant" gear...we have been kinda "grasshopper'en" it. I'm working on the next "survival story" post....now off to pick Raspberry's......happy summer all -blessings


p.s. I think I've found it...... the blog I was looking for a few posts ago, I'll let you know if it's a "goodie" soon :)