Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Baymule]

Even a little bit is good. Not too bad of a harvest!

 

[Mike CHS]

We brought the lambs in to check them out and to pull a few fecal samples. They are all between 6 1/2 and 7 months old and have not needed worming but we check them out quite often.

Teresa checked our canned stores to bring up some pepper relish and it looks like we need to restock this year. We put in 30 plants so that should go pretty quick.

 

[Margali]

She was at the big box store and saw the wheeled trimmer and decided she could use that to help me.

http://powermateoutdoor.com/lawn_care/PWSTM4317.html

I got the Cub Cadet version and LOVE it. Mine does go thru strings pretty fast but it's quick to replace them. I let it sit back on handle so I'm not kneeling.

 

[Ridgetop]

We put blades on our string trimmers since we are cutting through heavier brush and mustard. They do a better job since they don't foul or wear off as soon. Depends what you have to cut. When we cut the hay around the fence line for our new fence DH will probably try the string first, then use blades if necessary. No use renting a power trimmer since he will only need to cut the distance we can put up at one time.

I will start looking for wire here now. We can bring it back. Trouble is we need 5' wire.

When you put up your squash what kind to you can? I tried canning summer squash types one year and they tasted terrible. I prefer to freeze zuchini and crookneck. I haven't tried the winter squash varieties. I imagine those would taste better.

 

[Mike CHS]

We freeze most of our squash in vacuum bags and we make a lot of relishes (chow chow). I blanched a bunch of potatoes then cut up a couple of trays full for french fries that are frozen and in vacuum bags also.

We pulled enough onions today and chopped then froze them on trays to go in gallon bags. The tomatoes have a bunch of good sozed fruit on them and we need to work on the cages this afternoon.

 

[Mike CHS]

I'm adding a few pictures of some of our garden beds since everything looks so good right now. The only issue we have had is that something out there has an appetite for okra and have stripped all of the plants so I have to replant.

The beds in between the fruit trees provide just enough shade with the heat that they work really well.

 

[Baymule]

That is so beautiful!

 

[Ridgetop]

The only issue we have had is that something out there has an appetite for okra and have stripped all of the plants so I have to replant.

Ground squirrels ate our spiky zucchini plants - maybe they have taken a trip to Tennessee! I wouldn't have thought anything would eat spiky plants like okra and zucchini.

 

[Mike CHS]

Teresa was defrosting one of the freezers the other day and decided I needed to cook up some of our ribs. I put 4 racks on the smoker today and I'll do a bunch of thick pork steaks and another rack of ribs tomorrow. We vacuum pack them as individual meals so it is a nice convenience. We still have a big beef roast from the beef that we had but all of that cow has been fed to the dogs. They like it but we don't care for the taste at all.

 

[farmerjan]

Was that beef one of the 2 steers you had raised? I thought that you had liked the beef. I didn't think they were that old. What didn't you like? Maybe I can shed some light on why the taste was what it was?