Chickens

I gave the hubby quite the scare the other day when I told him I was going to shoot some chickens...perhaps I should've mentioned that it would be with the camera. Anyway, here's a few photos of our brood...I'm slowly turning into that crazy chicken lady!

 Twizzlers (Twizzie) - Araucauna

 General Tso - Buff Orpington Roo

 Almond Joy (AJ) - Cochin Roo

 Cacciatore - Barred Rock

 Buffalo, Barbeque, Popcorn & General - Red Sexlinks & Buff Orpington Roo

 Toffee - Cochin Roo

Twix - Cochin

Freebies!

I try to only post these once a week, but there were a few that I found today that I couldn't pass up! Just click the title below the photo of each book to be redirected to Amazon. Remember, these were free at the time of posting BUT always check the price before clicking "Buy Now" to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price :)

Growing Herbs Indoors

Homesteading For Beginners

JeBouffe Home Canning

Backyard Chickens - 2 Book Combo!

Homesteading Essentials - From Plot to Pot - 2 Book Combo!

Deer Hunting - The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Hunting Deer for Food

"Lazy" Days

Occasionally I get bored and yesterday was one of those days...We finally got around to finish putting up the gutter around the garage. Having the chicken coop and run built along the backside of the garage may have saved us some supplies when building it, but whenever it rains the runoff was going directly into the chicken run and creating a muddy mess. Now the chickens will be very happy!

I also decided to "upgrade" one of the kiddie tables. I've never been a fan of character items to begin with so I had been trying to find a fabric I liked to replace the Cars top this one had, anyway. We also had this car mat. The kids were constantly getting frustrated because the mat would move or crinkle when they were trying to play. You can take these little card tables apart with a couple screws, I cut the mat to fit and stapled it in place on the back and then reattached the table. Problem solved!

Also, never sound a lazy dog in to wake the lil man up from nap...She decided he had a pretty good idea and joined him instead haha

Freebies!

Here are a few more great homesteading, canning and DIY books that you can add to your e-Library (just click the title below the photo of each book to be redirected to Amazon). Remember, these were free at the time of posting BUT always check the price before clicking "Buy Now" to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price :)

Canning & Preserving

Dutch Oven Cookbook

Raised Bed Gardening

Cheese Making at Home

Raising Chickens

Great Uses For Your Wood Ash

 
Chances are if you’re going to be burning wood to heat your home this winter, you’re going to have a ton (maybe literally!) of ash by the end of the season, before you just toss the ash aside, there are plenty of useful ways to re-use it!

Wood ash is extremely alkaline and contains potassium and calcium. It can also contain sulfur, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, manganese, iron, copper, cobalt, magnesium and molybdenum, all of which are great for your plants depending upon your type of soil.

Enriching the Soil
Wood ash is great for certain types of soil, specifically soil that is overly acidic. Almost without fail, alkaline-loving plants such as onions, garlic and leeks will flourish if you add a bit of wood ash to the soil around them. The exception to this is if the pH of your soil is over 7. In that case, you may not want to use wood ash because it contains potassium and is very alkaline. It’s great to mix in if your soil is acidic but if it’s not, you’ll make matters worse.
If you decide to use wood ash in your soil, don’t apply it straight to your raw compost pile because it’ll react with the nitrogen and turn it straight to ammonia. You’ll lose that nitrogen that you’re working so hard to get. If you’re going to add ash to your compost in order to decrease the acidity (raise the pH), add it to mature, ready to use compost.

Wood Ash Protects Your Garden
Spread wood ash around your gardens to protect it from certain bugs that are harmful to your plants. It serves as a barrier to slugs and snails and some say that it protects against some beetles, too.

Use Wood Ash to Do the Dishes
Tossing a bit of wood ash into your dirty skillet will produce enough lye (and friction) to get your camp skillets good and clean. Some people even use it raw as soap.

Give Your Chickens a Spa Day
Chickens naturally roll in dirt as a way to cleanse themselves. This protects them from insects and pests such as mites and lice. However, if your chickens can’t roam, finding a nice dusty place to roll may be a challenge for them. Mix wood ash and sand equally and place it in a litter pan or baby pool, or just dump it in a corner of their pen. The wood ash kills mites and lice and the sand keeps the ash from blowing away.

De-Skunk Fido
Nothing is more disgusting than the smell of a dog that’s been skunked but if you have some extra wood ash, you’re golden. Just rub the ash into his fur and it will neutralize the odor.

For more ways to make use of all of your leftover wood ash, head on over to Survivopedia and read the rest of Theresa Crouse's article.

Chili!

It's that time of year when we start canning and really stocking up our food storage. When the weather starts to get chilly, I really start to crave warm, hearty soups and dishes. This is a friend's recipe for her awesome chili and it makes a LOT! 10 quarts and 7 pints to be exact. Great to have in the freezer for a quick meal down the road!

Ingredients

Brown 10 lbs of hamburger meat or turkey, set aside to drain
In Large pot add:
1 large red pepper chopped
2 large cooking onions chopped
1 regular size can of tomato paste
1 tiny can of tomato paste
3 cans of dark red kidney beans
about 8 small/regular size cans of various brands of chili beans
2 large cans of generic tomato sauce
about 4-5 large cans of various brands of chili beans
mix together and add about 2 cans of water (you don't have to if you don't want to) I wanted to and some of the water will cook off.
3 cans of Del-Monte Green Pepper and Onion

Spices: This is definitely an estimation.
2 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tbsp of paprika
1 tbsp of black pepper
1 tsp of Zatarain's Blackened Seasoning (this will give it a little kick)
2 tbsp of cumin
2 tbsp of chili powder
2 tbsp of onion powder
about 6-7 shakes of Worcestershire Sauce
about 2 tsp of fresh chopped garlic

Note: She did not add salt because she adds 1 tsp of canning salt to the jars before she processes it and cans the rest. Also, make sure you freeze any leftovers.

Let this simmer for about 45-60 minutes and then it will be ready to pack some jars. Once everything is mixed together process at 240 degrees, 10 lbs of PRESSURE and PROCESS for 90 minutes .

Freebies!

I love a good deal and who can beat free?! I'm always cruising Amazon looking through their freebie section for anything I can add to my arsenal. You can never read too much and there's always something to be learned. Here are a few great homesteading, canning and DIY books that you can add to your e-Library (just click the title below the photo of each book to be redirected to Amazon). Remember, these were free at the time of posting BUT always check the price before clicking "Buy Now" to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price :)

Canning & Preserving: All About Canning And Preserving Food In Jars

Pressure Cooking Cookbook For The Busy You

Urban Homesteading: Become A Self Sustainable Urban Homesteader To Get Off The Grid, Grow Food, And Free Yourself

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy