Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

CntryBoy777

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Sounds to me like he is enjoying the "Good Life", and it is better to have one ya can approach, than having to trick into a situation, just to get close. I'd do the same thing, so not a problem from my perspective at all.
 

Eliya Sage

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WOW............ I just looked at the clock after reading this,........... thats one way to go threw some hours... I totally envy what your doing!!!! I can't wait!!! When i graduate from collage i'm going to boon and start my own veterinary clinic...
My plan is to start with a basic veterinary clinic, right on the edge of town, close enough, but far enough, you know? i'll be living in-town. Then, i want to make a rehab center for all the animals that need it. With all those animals around that area, God knows they need more people willing to take animals, help them, and release them back into the wild. I'll have a little cul de sac that connects the rehab center, to the clinic, Then once rehab center and the clinic seems to be steady, i want to start building a place similar to what you've built, probably 2 miles or so away from the clinic/rehab center, I'll build the house in some woods, than i'll work on making it "animal ready", add a small stable.. get some Nigerian dwarfs, for pets and milk, one or two miniature donkeys, for pets, and then i've always wanted a little german shepherd, a bulldog and maybe a cute little rottweiler, fence some area in, and that'll be the place i live for my life. I'll be set for life.
I've always known what i wanted to do with my life and recently certain details have been clearer,
I envy what you've done and i'll be lucky if i have half the attitude ya'll had, the whole, "Get 'er done" thing :celebrate

-Though i like to dream big, i'll probably work 20 years at someone else's clinic to pay off collage, then MAYBE start to fulfill my dream..:idunno
Money will certainly be a continuous problem..:he

If only we got paid for making our dreams happen :)

-Love what you've built!!!!!!!!!!
 

Mike CHS

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Thank you @Eliya Sage. I hope you get yours started just like you want to. Our only regret is starting it so late but I do think we appreciate it more now than if we did it before we were ready.
 

Mike CHS

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It has been raining off and on today so we decided to process some cucumbers for pickles and shredded enough squash to be able to can a dozen or more pints of squash relish tomorrow. Last year we only had a partial season but the garden did good considering. This year is one of those years where the neighbors probably thought about putting out signs saying NO MORE CUCUMBERS OR SQUASH AT THIS ADDRESS. :)


Pickles 19 June 2017.JPG
 

Mike CHS

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Those are all dill pickles this time. The next batch will be Bread N Butter.
Squash is good pickled. Most years it does better than cucumbers.

We plan on doing some pickled squash when the next batch starts producing. We need to figure out what to do with the Spaghetti Squash that is coming on.
 

Baymule

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The spaghetti squash will keep like a winter squash, so you will have time to enjoy them over time. And if they start going bad, give them to the sheep!
 

Baymule

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Mike, I have made these pickles since I was in high school. I called my Grandmother to get her mother's recipe and I've been making them ever since. I made a batch Friday night after slaughtering a hog. Man was I ever tired after that! But we kept our 3 grand daughters that night so their parents could get some sleep-not that we needed any rest....LOL

Mamma Wall's Spicy Sweet Pickles

My spicy sweet pickle recipe came from my great grandmother to my grandmother to me.

Start this process early in the morning so you will have time the next day to process the pickles.

5 gallon bucket of sliced cucumbers about 1/4" thick
cover with water, add 4 cups pickling lime
I put a plate over them to weigh the cukes down in the lime water
Soak for 24 hours, drain, then wash all lime off. ( I put the lime water on the compost pile)
Put cukes back in the bucket, cover with cold water with 4 cups of vinegar added.
Soak for 2 hours. Then drain.
You need 2 large pots with lids.
In each pot, add 8 cups apple cider vinegar and 10 cups sugar

In each pot, add 1 box or bottle of pickling spices. I use McCormicks-1.5 oz bottles in the spice section at the grocery store. (you can put them in a bag so the spices don't get on the cucumbers, but I never do because I like the spices in the jars of pickles)

Bring the ACV, sugar and spices to a simmering boil, add sliced cucumbers.

Simmer on medium-low heat until the cucumbers are translucent.

Pack in hot sterile jars, cover with syrup and seal.

The lime makes them crisp. They are so good, makes the best deviled eggs! I can eat 1/2 a jar by myself.

Using this recipe, I got 20 pints and 4 quarts.

The small quantity version is to use 7 pounds of cucumbers, 2 1/2 cups pickling lime, cover with water and soak 24 hours. Wash well and cover with cold water, add 2 cups vinegar, soak for 2 hours. Syrup; 2 quarts of Apple Cider Vinegar, 4 pounds of sugar and half a bottle of pickling spice. Bring syrup to a boil on medium heat, stirring to make sure the sugar melts. Add sliced cucumbers and cook until translucent. Pack in hot sterile jars, cover with boiling syrup and seal.


This recipe turns plain ol' cucumbers into cinnamon candy!

Let's see if I can reach in the back of my feeble mind to resurrect the fabled "Mock Spiced Apple Rings" recipe from my Grandmother. I haven't made them for several years, so ya'll bear with me.

First off, you use the cucumbers that hid under the leaves and got really big. Yeah, those, the ones that got away, they are big and seedy. You peel them, cut in chunks and then hollow them out. Scrape out all the seeds, then slice into 1/4" pieces.

Now I am trying to remember how many cucumbers to use in the recipe........ For some reason a gallon of sliced cukes is coming to mind.

Ok, now we have a gallon of peeled, cored, sliced cucumbers. Cover them with water and pour in one cup of pickling lime. Let them set 24 hours. Put a plate or something on top to weigh them down so all the slices are under the water/lime mix.

Pour off the lime water and rinse the cucumbers thoroughly. Soak for 2 hours in cold water and one cup of apple cider vinegar.

While the cucumbers are soaking, make a syrup of 5 cups apple cider vinegar, 6 cups sugar and one pound of red hots cinnamon candy. Add one small bottle of red food color and a half dozen cinnamon sticks. Rinse the cucumbers and add to the syrup. Simmer the cucumbers on low heat until they are translucent. Take out the cinnamon sticks and ladle the pickles into hot sterile jars. Pour the hot syrup over the pickles and seal the jars.

Put a jar in the refrigerator and pace the floor until they are cooled down. Eat the whole danged jar!
 

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