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Post by midtnmama on Nov 1, 2021 8:42:37 GMT -6
Winter is the time to make plans for the next season of gardening and taking care of our tools and equipment. What's on your list? For us, it's too early to put machinery and tools to bed. We will be doing a lot of chainsawing this winter. I suppose we will do one more cutting of the grass and then service the lawnmower for winter. Thank you Tim Horton, for answering the ammo question on last month's thread. Given what I told you about ricocheting bullets in a trap, would you change what we do? Would a pellet gun be any safer? |
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Post by manygoatsnomore on Nov 1, 2021 18:16:17 GMT -6
I didn't get in my final update on my October list, so I'll do it here. I didn't do as well on mine as Ohio Dreamer did on hers, though. Good job! October To-Do List: Move the firewood around to empty one woodshed for next winter's wood. ✔ 2. Split the pile of rounds from last Spring and stack in woodshed.✔ 3. Cut some of the downed trees into logs and firewood, split as needed and stack in 3rd shed. ✔, but will continue in November. 4. Pick rest of tomatoes and the bean seed pods. ✔ 5. Clean out the chicken litter and spread fresh shavings. Asked Abby for help with this, but it hasn't happened. On to November.🙄 6. Turn lights on in chicken houses. ✔ 7. Take down 2, strike that, 3 sagging gutters and repair fascia and trim boards before rehanging the gutters. First gutter removed. Rest moved to November. 8. Repair roof where needed to tide us over until I can buy and install the new metal roof. Need some full days of dry weather to do the work. Lots of showery days so far this month. Moved to November. 9. Plant some veggies to grow under lights in the house, bring in a few of the flowers to overwinter and add more LED lights to the racks in the kitchen nook. ✔ 10. Finally get the chiropractor here for the horses✔ and arrange for trims after.✔ 11. Bring home pallets and other wood from the neighbors and build some sheds from it all. Have permission and TL's tractor to move wood to my truck, but need to schedule a dry day for the actual moving. Moved to November.12. Roof the woodsheds with something more permanent than tarps, after trimming back the overhanging branches.Still need a day of dry weather all day for each woodshed. Moved to November.13. Continue to record all money in and out. ✔, ongoing. 14. Continue putting the outside of the property to bed for coming winter.✔, ongoing. November 2021 To-Do List: 1. Continue to put up firewood to season for next year. Want to finish filling the 3rd woodshed and beyond. 2. Repair house roof and woodshed roofs as needed, including gutter repairs. 3. Get the wood and pallets from neighbors. 4. Get horses' teeth floated. 5. Build more sheds and shelters for horses, hay, etc. 6. Finish organizing and cleaning the pantry, inventory contents. 7. Put the rest of the house to rights and keep it that way. 8. Get my Covid booster on the 2nd, and get Abby's Covid booster scheduled and done. 9. Get roofing material estimate. 10. TBD I think that's about it. At least, it's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure things will come up during the month. |
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 2, 2021 7:46:16 GMT -6
I did do good in Oct....so can I take Nov off??
Ok...I guess I do respond well to lists, lol. So let see if I can do it again...
1) Can beef when the cow "comes in". It goes to butcher on the 2nd.
2) snow fence will have to go up
3) change the furnace filter DONE - since I typed it I thought to do it, lol.
4) finish splitting woodpile
5) verify what I have for Christmas gifts, pick up anything else I need
6) butcher meat birds (this might slide to Dec....they are "due" for butchering on Nov 29)
7) can meat birds - if we butcher in Nov
8) gun week at the end of the month, if DH gets a deer I will be canning deer in Nov and/or Dec.
Doesn't seem too hard....unless all that meat shows up at once, lol.
ETA:
9) check how many empty caning jars I have. I know I have up-open cases....but need to verify sizes and quantity.
10) still need more pallets.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 2, 2021 10:50:18 GMT -6
Went into town to do the banking and use my $5 off coupon at Ace Hardware (bought expensive jars...but with coupon came to $3 cheaper than Walmart...so a win). While in town I stopped at our 1/2 off Store (not a chain store....I think they are the only store. They are owned by our Medicine Shoppe). They buy out the stock of other stores, with a strong emphasis on medical supplies. Found a gem!! They had ALL KINDS of medical alert bracelets and necklaces...already engraved! I'm deathly allergic to sulfa but never wear an alert. Most because they are rather expensive (usually around $10) and I have to buy blanks and then find and pay someplace get them engraved. I also have a BAD habit of breaking them. They had sulfa  And to top it off they were $1 each So I bought 4 bracelets and 1 necklace. With the way things are going in the medical community....I'm thinking I better stay "marked". A friend was in the ER last week....for 16 hours! He had low potassium and knew it. Dr agreed, they did tests then sent him back to the waiting room to wait (not in the room he had been in for the exam). He sat 12+ hours waiting for the Dr. to phone him on the hospital phone for his results. I have another friend in EMS....she said the number of medical people that have quit/retired due to possible mandates is staggering. I know if they go through with the mandates her company will shut down, they don't have enough staff now....and if 3/4 won't get the jab...there will be no one to work (and no one is applying....they have been begging for employees for 3+ years now. Seem to be a problem everyone in EMS is having at least locally). So I think I better stay marked. |
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Post by manygoatsnomore on Nov 13, 2021 21:41:45 GMT -6
So far this month, I've managed to check off having the horses' teeth floated, getting my Covid booster, and working on cutting up trees into logs for lumber and the rest into firewood. The 3rd shed is nearly full, should be in the next few days. I need to switch gears and start building instead. I need the dry storage.
I've talked to the neighbors with the pile of pallets, railroad ties and other building supplies, and they confirmed that the pile was there for me with no plans to burn it before I could get there. Several neighbors have now offered assistance with loading the larger stuff onto my truck with their tractors, so hopefully I will get to that this week.
I've contacted the roofing metal company for a quote, but need to resend the pictures that didn't attach to my email last time. In the meantime, I need to at least tarp the roof over the kitchen nook area...it's been too wet to pull off the old roof and repair it in between storms.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 14, 2021 13:23:18 GMT -6
Update time....
1) Can beef when the cow "comes in". It goes to butcher on the 2nd. Still Waiting for beef
2) snow fence will have to go up
3) change the furnace filter DONE - since I typed it I thought to do it, lol.
4) finish splitting woodpile DONE
5) verify what I have for Christmas gifts, pick up anything else I need As easy as this sounds, it isn't, lol
6) butcher meat birds (this might slide to Dec....they are "due" for butchering on Nov 29)
7) can meat birds - if we butcher in Nov
8) gun week at the end of the month, if DH gets a deer I will be canning deer in Nov and/or Dec.
Doesn't seem too hard....unless all that meat shows up at once, lol.
ETA:
9) check how many empty caning jars I have. I know I have up-open cases....but need to verify sizes and quantity. DONE
10) still need more pallets.
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Post by feather on Nov 14, 2021 14:41:08 GMT -6
Update time.... 1) Can beef when the cow "comes in". It goes to butcher on the 2nd. Still Waiting for beef6) butcher meat birds (this might slide to Dec....they are "due" for butchering on Nov 29) 7) can meat birds - if we butcher in Nov 8) gun week at the end of the month, if DH gets a deer I will be canning deer in Nov and/or Dec. Doesn't seem too hard....unless all that meat shows up at once, lol. Okay, lol. If you butcher a week before the birds are due, the 21st, and can them that week, that will be done.
If your husband gets a deer, near the end of the month, the 28th or 29th, you have a few days left for canning deer. If the beef goes to the butcher on the 2nd, you'll have the first week of December for canning beef. You'll have cool weather, I presume? and can hang deer and beef for a while? It does sound complicated.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 15, 2021 8:07:06 GMT -6
feather , We butcher our own birds and deer, but the beef is done professionally...I get nice little packets of frozen meat. Hoping that is ready this week. Deer we hang only long enough to butcher, butcher day of kill. It is how we have always done it...no "hang time". Birds we can't butcher early...not even sure they will be ready when they are "due". It's cold, so they are using more feed to keep warm verse bulking. They are "waddle pigs"...but maybe a bit behind the size of birds done earlier in the year. Yes, it's "cold" here. Temps will come back up this week, but Thanksgiving week and Gun week could be as much as 20 degrees below average this year  Since we do our own birds, all outside, we may hold off a few more days to find a day with favorable weather. I really don't want to be cleaning birds outside in 5-15 degree temps with a 30-40 MPH wind blowing on me.... This time of year, that kind of cold only lasts days, so we should find a low wind 30 degree day to work with. We butchered in short sleeves two Decembers ago, lol.
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Post by feather on Nov 15, 2021 11:52:03 GMT -6
feather , We butcher our own birds and deer, but the beef is done professionally...I get nice little packets of frozen meat. Hoping that is ready this week. Deer we hang only long enough to butcher, butcher day of kill. It is how we have always done it...no "hang time". Birds we can't butcher early...not even sure they will be ready when they are "due". It's cold, so they are using more feed to keep warm verse bulking. They are "waddle pigs"...but maybe a bit behind the size of birds done earlier in the year. Yes, it's "cold" here. Temps will come back up this week, but Thanksgiving week and Gun week could be as much as 20 degrees below average this year Since we do our own birds, all outside, we may hold off a few more days to find a day with favorable weather. I really don't want to be cleaning birds outside in 5-15 degree temps with a 30-40 MPH wind blowing on me.... This time of year, that kind of cold only lasts days, so we should find a low wind 30 degree day to work with. We butchered in short sleeves two Decembers ago, lol. I hope you get some warm winter days! That would make it so much easier. It sounds very busy and very complicated.
Do you raw can, put the raw meat in the can, the pressure can, or do you cook it first then put it in cans? I've only done with with raw meat directly into the cans.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 15, 2021 15:40:59 GMT -6
feather , Depends on what I'm canning. I cook (boil) birds first then can. I do that because I'm LAZY, lol. It's easier to get the meat off the bones once it's cooked. Then....since I have the meat off the bones...I bake the bones then make a nice bone broth. So a day or so later...I pull the meat out of the fridge that was waiting for broth and can it all up. Now if I'm canning chicken I bought in the store (boneless skinless breasts) I raw pack. Beef and venison I raw pack chunks. But I also make meals with some of it, too, that gets pre-cooked (chili, meatballs, poor man's steak, soups, etc).
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Post by feather on Nov 16, 2021 10:21:18 GMT -6
Ohio Dreamer, When I think of you, the last thing I would think of is LAZY. You are not that. Sorry for all the questions, BUT. When you are canning beef or venison in raw pack chunks, you say you also make meals with some of it. Are you just eating the meals or are you canning or freezing some of the precooked meat? I'm asking because when I'm canning I'm solely focused on getting the most canning done I can. Unless the fridge needs food, I'm not cooking at the same time, due to a small area to cook in. I try to prepare food before I begin canning--but that is a space to cook problem here.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 17, 2021 8:57:38 GMT -6
feather , Meals are canned meals....chili, sloppy doe, stew (with carrots, potatoes, etc), soups, pot pie filling, etc. Anything I can dump, heat, and eat later as is (or as in pot pie, put in a crust and bake). Nothing better than heating up a pint of chili and pouring over two baked potatoes....dinner in minutes. Honestly, when I can all day....my family is most likely going to have to order out dinner, lol. Rather counter productive....but after making up 10 gallons of chili and canning it and everything thing else...last thing I want to do is cook dinner (or eat chili, lol). I very much do do things the lazy way. If I do things that way I can get 3 or 4 things done a day. If I don't do it the lazy way....maybe only 2 things get done. Sometimes being lazy is more productive, LOL!!
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 17, 2021 14:57:25 GMT -6
Got THE call....I can pick up beef tomorrow The Marathon begins, lol. One of the places I go past to get to the butcher is the Farmer's Exchange (it's the only time I'm down there...about 30 min south of us). Called for price on meat bird feed....$2 less then I normally pay and 10# larger bag I should ask about layers pellets while I'm there getting meat bird feed (I only need one bag...I hope). |
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Post by feather on Nov 17, 2021 16:08:38 GMT -6
Got THE call....I can pick up beef tomorrow The Marathon begins, lol. One of the places I go past to get to the butcher is the Farmer's Exchange (it's the only time I'm down there...about 30 min south of us). Called for price on meat bird feed....$2 less then I normally pay and 10# larger bag I should ask about layers pellets while I'm there getting meat bird feed (I only need one bag...I hope). The Adventure begins! A Marathon! Who will win, Ohio Dreamer or ....Ohio Dreamer! I sure want to hear about it, when you have down time. Good luck! |
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 18, 2021 7:07:09 GMT -6
feather , lol...you're funny! It's more how fast can I get it done....I want to prep Thanksgiving on Tuesday (it's going to be cold...so I want the oven going making pies  ) Heading out shortly. Will hit a few grocery stores on the way to get the few things I need (puff pastry and mushrooms...I'm doing a beef wellington for T-Day). Then Farmer's Exchange, since I'm going by. They have a great price on meat bird feed, I called yesterday to check. Then finally to the butcher's. They are 45 min away (without stops) in a direction we never go. So I'm trying to get the biggest bang for my "gas buck" but hitting these other stores we never get to go to, lol.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 18, 2021 15:13:32 GMT -6
Made it home. Hitting the "other" grocery store was a waste of time. They didn't have what I wanted. I did get layer feed at a good price along with the meat bird feed. But then I had to go to the town I normally shop in on the way home and get what I needed. An extra hour of travel and shopping time.
Meat is almost put away. I had one box of ground that just won't fit. That's fine....I'll just start with that in the canning. In the canner, I have 10 pts of meatball and 9 pts of stroganoff. On the counter, I have waiting 13 pints of poor man steak. I always start with the more complicated things, lol....that way in 3 days I don't just toss in the towel. By then all I have to do is chunks in a jar....which is fast and easy. Tomorrow will be sloppy joe, chili, soup, and ??.
Of course that's a full day....but add in an emergency trip to the Vet with a dog that sounded to have something stuck in her throat. She work us all up at 5 am with a horrible "hack". Between the time Dh left for work and I left, she was fine....tired but fine. Walked in the door from running around (with McD's) and she was hacking. DH said he'd run her if she had to go.....called vet while choking down a chicken sandwich. I bought the dog a burger (something we do as we go so infrequently). Fed that to her while on the phone. They wanted her....Dh drove home got her and took her in. They found nothing....maybe the burger finally pushed it through. DH didn't know about the burger....so he got her one, too, LOL!!!
Son just walked in a few seconds ago.....dog started hacking! It first time in 4 hours. Maybe excitement triggered??? Asthma??? Can't bother worrying about it....I have too much canning to do and she has already seen the vet. DH had them trim her nails while they had her....she won't let us touch them. Well worth the $7.
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Post by feather on Nov 18, 2021 15:21:40 GMT -6
Ohio Dreamer, "Meat is almost put away. I had one box of ground that just won't fit. That's fine....I'll just start with that in the canning. In the canner, I have 10 pts of meatball and 9 pts of stroganoff. On the counter, I have waiting 13 pints of poor man steak. I always start with the more complicated things, lol....that way in 3 days I don't just toss in the towel. By then all I have to do is chunks in a jar....which is fast and easy. Tomorrow will be sloppy joe, chili, soup, and ??." You start with the most complicated, never would have thought that. The marathon begins!
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Post by useless on Nov 18, 2021 16:30:41 GMT -6
My garden tools, large and small, need cleaned off, the wooden handles treated, and blades or edges sharpened. Have a couple hoses still out that must get drained and stashed in the garage.
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Post by adinwnc on Nov 20, 2021 1:54:47 GMT -6
Finally got my driveway fixed! Two days of grading, three loads of gravel and four drains later I hope this will stay longer than 6 months. Access to the house is certainly a needed prep, and just plain makes it easier to live here.
Got my yearly eye exam - and ordered glasses specifically made for computer work. I spend 8+ hours each day using a computer, so they help with seeing the details on the screens.
The local grocery store is keeping up, but raising prices. I got a turkey breast for Thanksgiving yesterday, stuffing cranberry sauce and jello earlier in the week. Will still add green beans and potatoes in the next few days. I don't mind going to the store, so I make several small trips and that helps me see what is going on in the community.
The yarn choices at the local stores is not as good as it usually is and I had to order some red and green cotton yarn to finish a Christmas garland. It has taken me longer to look for/find the yarn than it will to finish the garland. In my search for yarn, I found canning lids available online thru Walmart at close to normal prices. I got a couple of boxes just because the lids have been out of stock for so long.
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Post by useless on Nov 20, 2021 7:02:02 GMT -6
WOW, adinwnc, over 8 hours on the computer is a long stint. I've never spent anywhere near that long even when I was teaching all-Zoom. I want to break my addiction to online Scrabble. With the eye doctor's blessing, I use drugstore reading glasses for the computer. Prescription ones in the same strength work better for books and magazines, which seems really odd.
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Post by adinwnc on Nov 20, 2021 7:30:30 GMT -6
useless I work from home, so it's all computer work. Unfortunately I can't do the reading glasses from the drugstore, I have a stigmatism 😝 that makes the edges of the letters look fuzzy without the glasses. Needless to say, I don't really want to play on the computer after working on it all day.
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 20, 2021 8:41:47 GMT -6
Guys, you are not helping here! I need this thread to get VERY busy so I have pages to read to catch up. I NEED your help procrastinating getting back into the kitchen to can more... You all ARN'T pulling your weight, LOL!!!
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Post by feather on Nov 20, 2021 8:55:10 GMT -6
Guys, you are not helping here! I need this thread to get VERY busy so I have pages to read to catch up. I NEED your help procrastinating getting back into the kitchen to can more... You all ARN'T pulling your weight, LOL!!!
Stop reminding me I want to can soups! I know I want to. I have to do other things for the moment!  |
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Post by midtnmama on Nov 20, 2021 8:58:00 GMT -6
Ohio Dreamer, I ordered pro mix this morning for winter seed sowing because feather put a bug in my ear. I am organizing my pots that are filled with soil and some of my soil-filled winter seed sowing vessels in one place outside next to the house and will cover with a tarp. Then bang, week after christmas I begin! I am looking into a bagger system (generic) or sweeper to use with my riding lawn mower. To buy one from this manufacturer would require me to sell a kidney. So I'm trying to see if I can jerryrig one. One problem is that the generic bagger fits on the housing for a collection system at the back of the seat. We don't have that. Wondering if I could sew a backpack contraption to the bag? Also, need to check whether the zero turn lawnmower has a hitch to add a generic sweeper. I don't need it to be perfect or do a great job. I don't live in a neighborhood and don't care a whit if there are streaks of grass or leaves that aren't picked up. I just need SOME way of more easily and efficiently move grass or leaves SOMETIMES.
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Post by feather on Nov 20, 2021 9:35:12 GMT -6
midtnmama, DS has a hand held, electric corded, leaf blower, that sucks them up and mulches them into an over the shoulder bag. I was pricing them last week, and I saw the WORX one, for around $150. Most of them over the shoulder bag ones run $100 to $130. If you don't mind electric corded. It helps us with the leaves closer to the house, like the front and side yards. Otherwise we use rakes.
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Post by useless on Nov 20, 2021 9:45:55 GMT -6
feather, There's one of those leaf vacs in my garage. I know the motor runs, or at least it did earlier this year when I plugged things in just to see what worked. I should probably try that out, if my old mulching mower won't start in the cold.
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Post by feather on Nov 20, 2021 10:37:02 GMT -6
The bag for the leaf blower, hangs over the neck and body, the bag in the back.  |
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 20, 2021 11:42:16 GMT -6
midtnmama , DS has a hand held, electric corded, leaf blower, that sucks them up and mulches them into an over the shoulder bag. I was pricing them last week, and I saw the WORX one, for around $150. Most of them over the shoulder bag ones run $100 to $130. If you don't mind electric corded. It helps us with the leaves closer to the house, like the front and side yards. Otherwise we use rakes. We have one of those! We actually have the Worx one. Works well. My only "con" with it is the leaves compact enough that they don't fall out of the bag when dumping....you have to pull them out. It had been my father-in-laws, we inherited it. Worth the $ if you have leaves....and it mulches them tiny, great for compost piles as they don't blow in a wind Well...son pick up the stack for you all, lol. He texted me asking me to look for his wallet...didn't find it. So I ran 30 min away to give him my credit card to get his haircut and shave. He has a wedding to go to tonight, so he really couldn't come home and go back....time crunch. He found his wallet when he go home, so he's good to go...now. So I didn't even get to start canning till after 11 am, lol. You are right feather, I need to explore more threads....I'm a slacker, lol |
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Post by Ohio Dreamer on Nov 22, 2021 8:55:59 GMT -6
Ok feather, here are the results....2-1/2 days of canning yielded 113 jars on the shelf. Today I need to "recover" the house, lol....and turn my eyes to T-Day |
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Post by midtnmama on Nov 22, 2021 9:15:17 GMT -6
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And to top it off they were $1 each 
Since we do our own birds, all outside, we may hold off a few more days to find a day with favorable weather. I really don't want to be cleaning birds outside in 5-15 degree temps with a 30-40 MPH wind blowing on me.... This time of year, that kind of cold only lasts days, so we should find a low wind 30 degree day to work with. We butchered in short sleeves two Decembers ago, lol.
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