Daily update

We paired Eve and Adam together again today. With Mary gone, Eve will have to keep busy. ;) 

Seeing red.

I plucked just under one hundred tomatoes from their vines. They will be made into sauce, paste, dried tomatoes, and even ketchup!  We are very excited to make our own ketchup to be honest. There are still many tomatoes on the vine that I hope will ripen soon because I still need to can enchilada sauce and salsa!

Daily update.

80 today!  It was beautiful. 2 eggs from two hard working egg layers. 2 eggs missing from two lazy birds! 

Tomorrow sees to canning chicken stock  and drying some tomatoes for a later batch of ketchup. Also, tomato sauce. Must make tomato sauce!  I harvested nearly a hundred tomatoes, so we should be able to some of both out of the batch. 

Next week we will be at the harvest fair with the other two Cornish Cross fowl and they will be processed either that evening or the next afternoon. Andy heads to Lincoln park for some salmon fishing tomorrow around five am. Hopefully chicken and rabbits won't be the only meat gracing our freezer!  

The girls said goodbye.

Today was an exciting day!  Andy and the girls processed our first rabbit. We decided to eat Mary first since she wasn't producing any offspring. To be sure, we both palpated her tummy today and also a few days before. I would have hated to cut into her and have kits in the womb, but we were right to say she was barren. I couldn't get over Matilde continuously asking if she could "take out the guts!"  Andy just shook his head and answered no.  Evan and Tilly were great through the whole process.  They have both come to an understanding of why we raise animals and are grateful for the food they provide. 

Along with the rabbit, we harvested about 10 pounds of chicken with only two birds!  Two chicken breasts weighed in a whopping 2 pounds by themselves. I couldn't believe it. Amazing what 10 weeks of food scraps will do to a hungry chicken!  Tomorrow I get to make chicken stock with the remaining carcasses and can it for later use. Busy day tomorrow!  

Chow Box

This beautiful box was the final welcome box that we gave to the new next door neighbors. 

It included: a curly cucumber (it grew in a circle!), lots of tomatoes, a couple potatoes, a handful of garlic, three large  green onions, two Walla Walla sweet onions, a half dozen fresh eggs, and a handmade tomato pincushion.  It was presented to them in a cute handmade veggie box from Andy with a card made by the girls. I think they enjoyed the surprise, but I think I needed to extend a hand since I've poo-poo'd the house. Like our other neighbor, Matt, I was upset with the house not the people. I needed to give the box to live my amends. 

Welcome to the neighborhood Karoline and Chris! 

Daily update

High of 81, 5 eggs. Not quite sure how that happened!  

Mary still isn't popping out kits, so I think she may be some good bbqing soon. I think the plan is to cull the birds and the bunnies in the same weekend. It's quite taxing, but I'm sure Andy will enjoy the satisfaction of stocking the freezer.  He's planning more dove, quail, and pheasant hunting this fall as well. I hope he does well! 

Not the best picture...

But it's a picture! 

This funny looking "lantern" is a tomatillo!  Salsa verde is coming to a canning jar soon!  I can already taste it!