Poultry Harvest 2015

This year brought quite a few challenges to our homestead- many of which have a profound effect on our food production. Heat was the first obstacle partnered with some shipping mishaps which left us with half the birds we normally process in a year's time. This was followed by severe flooding that left us standing in water searching for higher ground.

Challenges are good for us- even in urban farm/homesteading. Times like this force us to think outside the box, evaluate every option we hadn't thought of, and press on. The flock didn't suffer to terribly once we found a dry place for them, and the year's butchering day went off without incident. In all, we processed about 50 birds in 3 hours despite the fact there are only 3 of us here to do the work (in the past there were 5-7 people on hand).

My family tends to give me plenty of space on days like these: I am task oriented, focused and rather intense about set up, process and the generally running  of it. Over the years, our family members learned each aspect of the process, but eventually found their place in the line up.

Fans set out, freezer's cleaned and prepped- I tend to 'fast' my flock the night before: the have water but no feed. This cuts mess and the birds seem calmer. My butcher set up has three stations: catch and kill, cut and cook, burn and bury. That's it. Note: we do not leave skin on our birds, so there is no plucking station.

My station is cut and cool where tables are set up and covered with paper. Trash bins are double lined and tucked under those tables. I have aprons specifically for butchering. Knives are specific to me as I have very small hands; I like them sharp and light weight. On one side of the table is a tub of water for 'quick rinse' needs (hands, knives, etc.). The other side of my table has a tub of icy salt water for rinsing the meat before packing. This cools the temp and helps draw the blood from the meat.
 

Bags of ice go into chests near the table. The rinsed and packaged meat will be chilled here before it goes into the freezer. This prevents the freezer temp from plummeting and the meat not cooling quickly.

Once meat is well chilled, the bags are layered in the freezer: layer of ice, layer of meat, layer of ice, etc. My family will tell you I am a bit nuts about cleaning and cooling quickly- but they have not gotten sick from any of our meat (just saying).

Today I sit with a sigh of satisfaction knowing the freezer is stocked and the heifer will be joining in very soon. Though it is not the usual harvest, it is a good one. We can always raise another set in the fall. We are all just glad to have a whole hunk of chore time cut out! 

Fretfully Fallen Behind

It's sad, but true- I have fallen fretfully behind! Day after day it seems the light runs out before the long list of things clawing at my attention. Sitting in the middle of the living room floor, my mind wandered to the possibilities of why: my age? empty nest? outside job? weather? There may be an answer there, but the truth is- life is life, I am human, and today I am just behind-- but, there is hope.

The two year research project has found its end; data collection is finally complete. While that chapter of my life has closed, there is a small possibility the job itself will continue. Work is still scheduled and, for now, there is funding for me to complete it a bit longer.

Another school year is behind us: my youngest is officially a college student (thought he has been for a year)- his high school graduation complete. My role in school nutrition and garden education is closed for this school year- several successful gardens, cooking/nutrition lessons are complete. My journey as a home school mom is complete and my year as "Professor Go" has closed. Fortunately, I have a small break until the summer sessions begin.

With these things out of the way, it is sad to say I am working toward getting my  balance back in several areas of life:

- weaning baby goats
   If you have ever done it, you feel my pain. Bottle fed babies become psychotic little demons when you start the weaning process.

- stocking the freezer
   After the poultry apocalypse, we did finally manage to raise 1/4 of the number of meat birds we generally put up in a year. Never the less, it is time to butcher those babies and fill the freezer. We also have a heifer hanging to complete the deal.

- canning
   This creeps up on you! Since my property is a swamp right now (yes I am in the Texas flood mess) I am striving to harvest any and all veggies that managed to survive and produce. These plants will succumb to their fate soon, so daily sloshing through the rows is necessary.

- cleaning
   Time to detox my house again! Clothes, dishes, stuff of madness must go. Ignoring the problem put me long overdue (and I hate tossing things out).

- quilting
   You can only imagine the struggle to sit at a frame! Several quilts are waiting patiently- giving me a sense of guilt every time I walk past them.

- myself
   Now that the 'mama phase' has slowed to 'mother of young adults' it is time to find myself; to determine the pace that fits an empty house and solitude. Despite the fact I am married, my husband and I work different hours- our time is rather limited to Sunday. This pushes me to find me and the pace, path, and priorities that fit this season.

Today- I am breathing deep the fleeting moments of sunshine, watching the water still flowing across my land, and embracing the mess that is me. It is time to get back on track and put away being behind.  

Poultry Apocalypse 2015

Every year chicks are ordered. They arrive fairly unscathed despite their journey. This year, unfortunately, that was not so. It seems this is the year of the poultry apocalypse and it isn't pretty.

Admittedly, my order was placed a little later than normal. The busy-ness of our home has me running a bit behind tradition. The confirmation came stating our chicks were shipped, but the pick up call did not. Four days passed before we received a late night call, after postal hours, that the chicks were in. By morning the results were dreadful. Nearly half our birds were DOA. Those that remained didn't last long.

Contact with our hatchery confirmed the error had occurred in transit; the birds seem to have sat in shipping between there place and ours. Rising temperatures and enclosed trucks led them to their fate. Graciously our hatchery re-ordered.

Confirmation came, but the call did not. Again, though one day earlier than the last, our birds were still not here until three days past their scheduled pick up. Again, the results were fatal. With dread and remorse I contacted the hatchery seeking a solution to the mix up. They were on top of the error and eager to resolve as well. Bless them.

As of right now, half the birds we anticipated are alive and seem to be holding their own. We decided to accept credit to the account and not attempt further shipments right now. The hatchery is working to reach out to the postal offices regarding care of live animal transports. It has been a tough season, but it is a blessing to work with a wonderful company.

A few lessons learned:

*stay on top of the anticipated arrival date- it would not have helped this time, since the birds truly were not arriving on time- it does help you prepare

*be open and honest with the post office and your hatchery- both sets of employees were helpful and ready to answer questions.

*know your hatchery- we have a long excellent history with our hatchery and it really helped during this mess.

*accept what you can not change and move on- I hate losing them, but I can't fix it. Focusing on what is truly helps.

*be ready for disaster- have electrolytes, incubators, isolation areas, and even a hair dryer available for emergencies.

The hatchery we have used for many of our homesteading years is Murray McMurray Hatchery; excellent company with very considerate and helpful staff. I highly recommend them.
 

Finding the End of the Cabbage Harvest- Finally

   Believe it or not, I may have finally reached the end of the incredible cabbage harvest- remember the crazy story about test beds and my husband who seriously hates cabbage. Making one final batch of sauerkraut brought to mind a familiar setting: grandmothers gathered, knives in hand, and a crock so large I could curl up in it. Stroll with me... back to the prairie:


   Down in the garden Grandma has a knife in hand and large buckets to fill; spring cabbage is ready for harvest. Pulling back the large outer leaves, she cuts the large firm heads. My job is to load them into the buckets as she chops them but the fresh spring air and warm sparkling sunshine keep distracting me.
   Back in the big farm kitchen the cabbage heads are washed before the hard cores are cut out. One by one the cabbages are shredded into fine pieces and sprinkled with plenty of fine salt. Worked and wrenched the salty shreds fill bowl after bowl all around the room. Time for the big brown crock to make it's way to the garage....we're making sauerkraut.
   In the coolness of the garage, Grandma fills the large crock with the salty wet cabbage shredded the day before..the wooden 'plate' is set in it's place to weight the cabbage under it's juices. It takes forever for cabbage to become kraut! Yet, as we daily 'churn the kraut' our minds wander to the various things she will make with this tasty treat: kraut and hot dogs, even my favorite sauerkraut pizza!
   Day after day we wait for the kraut to be just right..then packing and canning and setting on the scary basement shelves...just another blessing of this spring's bounty.

   Living in the humid south rarely affords me the laborious task of kraut making. My batches are few and far between since our cabbage season is short and our humidity is high. This year brought a longer cold season, offering the opportunity for hearty cole crops-- well, that and those buried soaker hose test beds.

For those of you asking, no, he doesn't eat sauerkraut either.

Better grow tomatoes in those beds next!

Offerings of Spring

 

The splitter-splatter of raindrops continue in intermittent cycles outside my window. Here and there a bird offers a song to break the melody. I managed a short walk around the property during a break in the rain to find signs of life; offerings of spring.

The herbal garden has greened up quite nicely with spots of color from daffodils and hyacinths. There in the foliage I spied a few early rose buds hinting at their presence. Soon this area will be filled with colored petals and the fragrance of citrus blossom.

Behind our house the woods are full of honeysuckle underlay with the white bloom of dew berry. Every time the sun pokes out bees scamper for nectar, pollinating to ensure a bountiful harvest is coming.

Tree buds can be seen if you look hard enough. Yesterday saw the first hints of pollen dust on every flat surface. Allergy season is sure to hit soon.

In these moments of transition inspiration can be found, for God has not forgotten. As sure as He will unfurl the leaves, He surely will unfold His plan for me. Such welcome sights offer me a realization: that every aspect of my life- be it home, office, blog, business- be a place of comfort and welcome; a place where we linger a bit, long to stay a while, and seek to come again.

The gloom of clouds may stay longer than desired, yet out of the rain will unfurl the glorious beauty of inspiration.