Where as most women have a favorite pair of heels (which of course I do too), I would have to say that my muck boots are one of my most favorite items I own.

Of course I don’t just have plain old black muck boots.  Mine are black with cute little colored hearts all over-and a buckle at the top (accessories are important even where muck boots are concerned).

It may sound silly, but when I slip my bare feet into their cool, slick insides, I feel a sense of calm and comfort.  I know that for at least the next few minutes, I will be outside in the fresh air doing what I love the most; tending to my little homestead.

My mind shifts directions and settles.  With my muck boots on, the bills that need to be paid float away, the multitude of responsibilities of adult life subside temporarily.  I walk with peace and purpose.

The peace that washes over me with my muck boots on is much different than the emotions I feel when I slip my knee-high compression socked feet (no varicose veins for this girl) into my Dansko clogs.  With my Danskos on, I am focused and serious.  I am all business-mixed with exhaustion and prayers that the next 12 hours won’t be totally brutal.

Although muck boots are a bit of a spiritual experience in themselves, they are also super practical.  They protect my legs from the itchy, wet grass.  They are also great for walking through the ridiculous mud that accumulates in our pig pen.  When Houidini is feeling less than pleased at his isloation from his woman, it protects my calves from his grumpy nips.  When I dash out to the pig pen in the wee hours of the night to check on Lady-Bug for the millionth time, hoping she is having those darn piglets, they are easy to slip on.

This redhead is full of muck boot love.  If you don’t have a pair of muck boots, I highly recommend you purchase a pair and stomp around in the mud for awhile-it just might change your life.

Don't miss any Homestead Redhead adventures, check out the full blog at www.homesteadredhead.com and be sure to like our Facebook Page. 

If you are on the outside looking in, homesteading can feel like an overwhelming transition from the common way of life these days.  Speed and convenience are the catalysts for society and admittedly, this makes life a bit more manageable with our hectic schedules.  Who doesn’t love to jump in your car, head to a store, swipe a card and come home with everything you think you need and want?

However, the normal way of life is having severe consequences on us as a nation.  Our physical health is suffering significantly from the “go-go-go” lifestyles and the pre-packaged, artificially flavored “food”  this nation is consuming at ridiculous rates.  Our relationships are suffering from the lack of face to face contact, ease of legally dissolving marriages and utter physical and emotional exhaustion of all of our responsibilities.  Our mental health is suffering.  The majority of the population, including children, are using antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications or utilizing alcohol or illegal drugs to self-medicate.

We are left feeling starved.  Starved for food that does not leave us feeling sick and empty, starved for emotional fulfillment and pride in our accomplishments.  Starved for a true connection to someone or something.  There is another way.  There is another life.  Homesteading is where I found my answer.

Homesteading is a general term for living off the land and being self-sufficient.  It is the basics of what our country was built on and it worked for decades.  It is filled with the clucks of contented chickens, the crisp taste of home-grown vegetables and the sound sleep of working hard and accomplishing a goal.  The beauty of homesteading is it can be individualized in every aspect.  You don’t have to sell your apartment or suburban home and move to the middle of nowhere.  You can start exactly where you are.

Basics 

“All good things are wild and free.”  Henry David Thoreau

Do some research and find out what you are interested and passionate about.  There are so many causes for concern in the way our society functions that the options are endless.  One of my passions is the ridiculously poor quality of our nation’s food.

In 1970, the US spent 6 billion dollars on fast food.  In 2006, this expense increased to 142 billion dollars.  McDonalds alone feeds 52 million people daily (Reference).  52 million people, including lots of innocent, growing children, are eating food that is chemically enhanced from animals who are not given proper nutrients in the first place.

And we wonder why heart attacks, cancer, diabetes and obesity are killing us by the thousands?

In my opinion, food should be grown under a warm sunshine and out in the open air.  Cattle and chickens should be given proper nutrients and respectfully culled to nourish our families.  If you want fresh food, you don’t have to go buy a farm.  Look into organic markets, local farms and food co-ops.  Support those that are giving their time and efforts into growing and raising food as nature intended, if you are not able to yourself.

Whatever you find that you believe has a better way of being done, do it.  Talk to local farmers, other people who are currently homesteading and do plenty of research online.  The great thing about homesteading is there are many different ways to accomplish the same goals.  You get to decide and that’s one of the most important freedoms we have.

Getting Started 

Start small.  As you do more research, you will become inspired to get involved in many homesteading projects.  Focus on a few main changes or projects you would like to make, and start there.  You don’t want to become overwhelmed with too many projects, this is the opposite goal of homesteading.  Homesteading focuses on hard work and caring for your body, soul, mind and the land in a peaceful, natural way.

Some simple projects to get your feet wet:

1. Grow a garden
2. Raise chickens
3. Start a compost pile
4. Make your own laundry detergent
5. Cook a meal with locally grown ingredients

Whatever you decide, remember it is about you working with your own two hands (and your family/friends) to accomplish a goal.  It is incredibly rewarding to use your own mind and body to do something productive for yourself and your family.  It is incredibly validating to know you didn’t have to pay someone to get a job done, but instead you did it with your own time and energy.

Lessons Learned 

Homesteading is forgiving.  There isn’t a hard line between the right way to do things and the wrong way to do things in homesteading.  Luckily, if your tomato plants develop blight, that doesn’t mean you have to go without tomatoes for a year, like it did in the time of our ancestors.  We are exponentially blessed with the option to live in the best of both worlds.  You can utilize your own efforts, but also if need be, use what is readily available to you.  One of the joys of homesteading is learning from the mistakes you make, as well as the mistakes others have made before you.

Rewards 

After a few homesteading projects, I can almost promise you will begin to view the world differently.  You will walk with a prouder stance, feel more respect for yourself and your ancestors and feel more physically and emotionally satisfied.

I work as an emergency room nurse in a busy, rural hospital.  I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a friend.  I got married, bought a house, began working as a nurse full time and graduated with my bachelors degree in a matter of a few years.  I was left feeling tired and frustrated at my endless to-do lists and responsibilities.  I was working so hard and yet felt like I had little to show.  Homesteading changed my life and my attitude.

Over the last year, as my homesteading practices have grown, I have developed an incredible sense of peace and pride.  I know that if something were to happen to society or government as we know it, I could provide for my family.  I know that if something breaks around my homestead, I can fix it or figure out how to fix it.  My homestead is my respite for the chaos of the emergency room and the duties of my personal responsibilities.  The work on the homestead is hard, but is more rewarding than I could have imagined.

While true 100% lifestyle change to homesteading may not be for everyone, there is a benefit in incorporating some homesteading principles.  You owe it to yourself and your family to change your perspective and spend a little more time together working toward a common goal.  Laugh, work hard, learn and grow.  Nourish your body, your mind and your family with a journey into homesteading.

Don’t miss any Homestead Redhead adventures, check out the full blog at www.homesteadredhead.com  and be sure to like our Facebook page HERE. 

With the chicks growing faster every day, we are in need of another coop.  Currently Solstice and Princess are living with the pigs and they typically bunker down in the pig houses for the night.  I wanted to make sure that when the chicks are moved to the pen, there is a coop that provides everything they need.

I definitely didn’t want to buy one, so I looked around at what we had available here on the homestead.  Luckily for us, we had plenty of pallets that were waiting patiently to be repurposed.

I used three pallets to make a three sided structure and secured with wood screws.

After the sides were secured, I found some sticks in the woods that would serve as their roosts.  I positioned them at different heights and secured in with a few wood screws .   

We had some scrap metal roofing laying around, so I decided to put it to good use and used a few pieces as a roof.  I secured to the pallets with roofing nails.

I also added our black nesting boxes from the girl’s coop and attached them with screws to the sides. 

  

Overall this project only took a few hours and I didn’t have to purchase anything.  If you don’t have any extra materials laying around, check on Craigslist in the free section for any materials you could put to use in this project.  I resisted decorating and making it cute so it would continue to not cost anything!  

With the glorious rebirth of Spring, your lovely hens’ egg production will likely increase.  As the eggs stack up in your fridge, you will likely become quite creative with how you can incorporate them into all your meals.  Fresh eggs are one of the most simple, delicate pleasures on this earth.  However, after the fifteenth meal in a row where the main course involves eggs, your pleasure may begin to dwindle.  Instead of culling all the hens and replacing those egg meals with chicken, I have another solution…

1.  Use crushed eggs in your compost

2.  Use as paper mache for crafts-mix with water, flour and sugar

3.  Make your own spa hair treatment-mix egg yolk with water and olive oil

4.  Use the egg whites as leather cleaner

5.  Crush up a few egg shells and place in your coffee grounds prior to brewing-improves the taste of the coffee

6.  Use as decorating paint on cookies and cakes-mix 1 egg yolk with 2 mL of water, add food coloring and decorate your baked goods

7.  Use as glue substitute-the egg whites are quite sticky as they dry

8.  Use as spa facial-helps improve the look of fine lines and puffy eyes.  Can use either yolk or egg whites

9.  Make your own musical instrument-poke small hole (big enough for rice to barely fit through) drain insides, rinse, let dry thoroughly.  Add rice, shake your way to a musical masterpiece!

10.  Place around plants as a protectant from unwanted critters, particularly slugs

11.  Use crushed shells to scrub pots and pans in place of steel wool (just make sure your pots and pans won’t be damaged by abrasive cleaning material)

12.  Good old fashioned game of egg toss (or toss them at your spouse in a comical way to end a fight…or start one)

13.  Poke small hole in bottom of egg, crack shells in two parts (like 1/3 to 2/3 ratio), rinse insides, add soil and use as seed starter container

14.  Use shell as candle mold-poke small hole in top, drain contents, rinse, alow to dry thoroughly.  Carefully pour hot, melted wax in hole, add wick allow to cool and harden.  Crack egg shell and voila-egg shaped candle!

15.  Use in first aid-if you have a particularly deep laceration, apply wet egg whites over laceration, helps create membrane over open area.  Can also use the white membrane in between shell and hard boiled egg.

16.  Poke small hole in bottom of egg, drain, rinse and decorate for some unique trinkets around the house

17.  Go egging…on your own property of course.  This redhead will not be coming to bail you out of jail!

Don't miss any Homestead Redhead adventures, be sure to check out the full blog at www.homesteadredhead.com 

This week off (since my weeks and weekends are reversed from the rest of the world) has gone by entirely too fast.  Working Tuesday night really took away a lot of homestead work time.  I am however beginning to figure out this whole sleep schedule with working night shift which has been a big improvement.  I have been falling asleep to ocean waves on a sound machine app I downloaded and it has been great.  It’s making me crave a trip to the beach though!

For the last two days, I have been doing pretty much nothing but cleaning the house.  Besides the normal house work, I got started on some Spring cleaning.  This meant organizing closets, cabinets, cleaning out my computer, and cleaning other parts of the house that aren’t normally in my cleaning repertoire.  I am absolutely exhausted!  Tomorrow starts my work weekend, so I am grateful to have tonight to rest.

With all of the cleaning I have been stuck inside for the most part, which has been alright since the low last night was in the 20′s.  Looks like that groundhog was mighty wrong this year!  Despite the below freezing weather outside, my seedlings have been growing at a ridiculous rate.  My beans, despite the tiny pots they were transplanted to, have already flowered and are growing tiny beans.

I am surprised they are producing with as little space as they are confined to.  With the extra few weeks of cold, all of my seedlings are outgrowing the greenhouse and the transplant pots.  As any ER nurse knows, you always have a back up plan (or two, or three, or four).  From failed equipment, to lack of supplies, to a patient crashing and there being no help available, it is vital to think creatively.

I decided that since there is no warm weather in sight, it was time to go to Plan B.  This involved taking the seedlings from the greenhouse, that were out of space, and transplanting them to the large containers that were reserved for other plants.  This way they would only be transplanted once instead of multiple times until the weather was warm.  Luckily, most vegetables can grow in containers so they should be happy living out their days in confinement.  I haven’t decided what the extra space in the raised beds will be used for yet.

As of today, only a few plants remain in the greenhouse (strawberries, watermelon, eggplant) and the rest have been moved to containers.  I didn’t move the beans since they are in a fragile time of producing.  I am just going to plant extra bean seeds in the raised bed gardens later.  The plants in containers now are jalapenos, mixed peppers and tomatoes.

I have garlic and viking potatoes growing in containers as well.  The lettuce and cherry tomatoes are fairing decently in the hanging planters.  It’s a bit of a pain to bring in all these plants at night!  

The chickens and pigs survived the bitter cold and were enjoying the sun this afternoon.  Lady-Bug’s belly is growing every day, but no signs of labor yet.

The pig pen crew consists of the pigs, Solstice and Princess (who learned how to escape from the chunnel-hence the reason she is now in the pig pen during the day).  They seem to be co-existing peacefully so far.

Solstice has begun to adjust a bit better to her new home.  She really enjoys spending the day with the pigs.

She was feeling particularly frisky today.

Solstice still comes in at night and Princess roosts with the rest of the flock.  As soon as the weather warms, Solstice, Princess and the chicks will permanently reside in the pig pen.  The old gals are just not tolerant of anyone new so a separate flock will be started with the others.

We are patiently (as patiently as I can anyway) awaiting warmer weather!

Until next time…

I wanted to interrupt our regularly schedule chicken learning adventure with the debut of our latest project.  As I have mentioned, it has been WWIII between us, the chickens and the family of red-tail hawks that reside in our woods.  I have been searching for a better (and inexpensive) solution and stumbled upon the answer a few days ago.  I came across this brilliant idea from a fellow blogger’s tale of her chunnels (chicken + tunnel).  Her blog can be found HERE.  She had a wonderful idea that is becoming very popular among us chicken folk.  This idea gave me the foundation I needed for Homestead Redhead style chunnels.  Chunnel has become a regular word in our vocabulary this week.

I bought (well actually my sweet husband went out and bought-while I recovered from night shift) 100 ft of the 60 inch welded wire cattle fencing from the feed store.

He also bought a bag of 75 u-shaped ground stakes (what you use to stake bird netting into the ground) and a package of flexible smooth wire.

I spread out the welded wire fencing and cut 5 ft x 5 ft panels.  This was really hard work as I don’t have the hand strength to cut with the tin snips very easily, but I did it!  I ended up with about 20 panels.  I then took a rake and raked all the straw, leaves and sticks out of the way where the chunnel was going to go.  Next, I lined them all up extending from the coop to get a feel on how it would look and proper placement.

This all took a few hours so I decided to wait until the next full day I had to complete the project.

I then cut out a large chicken space in the chicken wire in the base of the coop that would be the beginning of the chunnel.  I made sure to tuck in all the sharp edges so no one would get cut.  I placed the first panel against the new hole and used the smooth wire to sew the chicken wire and chunnel panel together (this idea taken from original chunnel blog-see above).  I then used a few of the u-stakes to stake the ends and middle into the grown.

I took the second panel and set it under the first by a few cm so they are overlapping.  I then sewed those two together and staked the second panel into the ground.  I used the welded wire to help secure any loose space between the panels.  I continued this until I got to the last panel.  Here I used some of the leftover welded wire panels and cut out a section that would cover the end of the chunnel, I secure it to the last panel with the smooth wire.  My intention for the chunnel is to be permanent   There are no access points throughout the chunnel, it is secure.

Princess was the first to try it out.

After looking at it, it seemed like it was missing a little something so I added a hint of camouflage.

I raked up the fallen pine-straw from the woods and spread it around the top and on the sides of the chunnel.  Some areas are more heavily camouflaged than others, I still wanted to be able to see the girls in the chunnel.  I like it camouflaged because it helps hide it from view not only from hawks, but people as well.  From the road, it's not the first thing to draw your attention about the homestead  now that it blends in better.

All in all, this project took about two days (with the excellent help of my niece) and cost about $100 dollars in materials.

I definitely recommend the chunnel for your flock-it’s safe and fun.

Until next time…

As the winter slowly fades into Spring, I have heard quite a few inquiries and questions on keeping chickens.  For the next few blogs, I am going to share some of what I have learned in the last year of keeping these delightful, feathered friends.  I happily welcome any questions or feedback.  The following recommendations are for keeping chickens as an egg source and not as dinner.

Where to Start 

The first place to start is to see if it is legal for you to have chickens on your property.  You will need to find out what zoning laws exist for where you live.  To find this information, you need to look on your city/town’s website, contact city hall, or contact the local zoning office if there is one.  Due to the recent heightened interest in backyard chicken keeping, many cities have become accepting of backyard flocks (yay!).  Most neighborhoods also have their own rules about backyard chickens-check into your homeowner’s association.  Hens are obviously much more accepted in a city setting than roosters since they are quieter.

Gathering the Supplies 

If you have found out you are legally allowed to keep chickens, that’s exciting news!  If you aren’t allowed, it’s time to start a petition to get those laws changed!

A medical word of advice: chickens do put off a dander so if you or someone in your family has a lot of animal allergies, asthma or COPD, make sure this will not aggravate their conditions before you go through the time and expense of getting everything established.

Next is to obtain the necessary supplies you will need over the next few months.  Anticipate spending anywhere from $50-$100 on supplies.  This is the higher average, it is definitely possible to do it for less with more frugal choices.  Chicks need to be kept in a brooder box for several months (if you get day old chicks).  A brooder box is a secure box that houses food, water, a heat lamp and the chicks themselves.  My general rule of thumb is they stay in the brooder box until their chick fluff is gone and they have feathers to keep them warm.  Typically once this happens, it has warmed up outside as well (in our area).  Some people move the chicks out to the coop sooner than later and place a heat lamp in the coop.

The brooder box needs to be a deep box with enough space for the chicks to walk around comfortably.  There are all kinds of ideas for brooder boxes, from plastic swimming pools to wood crates.  We used a large plastic storage bin and cut the inside of the top out and replaced it with chicken wire.  Make sure you have a top on the brooder box because they can find their way out!  In the brooder box you need to have a watering container that is kept full of fresh water at all times.  Make sure you get one that is especially designed for chicks, they are not very smart and can drown in an improper container.  You also want to have a feeder and a heat lamp.  Both of which can be purchased at the local feed store.  Wal-Mart also sells heat lamps near the car/camping section and the bulb will be with the regular house light bulbs.  Chicks are little and unable to maintain a steady body temperature.  We kept the heat lamp on most of the time and made sure it was angled at one end of the box so if they got hot, they can move to the other side.  Just be careful of fire hazards, make sure its not too close to anything flammable, they get very hot.  Here is what we used (with the top off):

There is conflicted feedback on what type of shavings to use with chicks.  The majority of what I read says that cedar chips are toxic.  Just keep in mind that chicks are babies and will likely eat whatever type of bedding you use, so make sure it’s something natural and non-toxic.

Check out your local feed store for chick feed options.  You can also purchase feed online, although I never have.  Tractor Supply and Southern States are our local franchise options.  However, we like to support the local feed store down the road.  Make sure you are buying the right feed for the age of your chickens.  There is different feed for each major phase of life.  We chose to keep our chickens natural and hormone free so we made sure our food was sans antibiotics.

You now have all the materials you will need for your little chicks.

The next step is to find and purchase your future egg layers!  Check back for the next blog to continue our chicken learning adventure.

Until next time…

Don't miss the whole chicken talk series, check out the full blog for more info HERE.

Yesterday as I attempted to sleep while the day carried on around me, I was harshly ripped from dreams by Peanut’s soul cracking howls.  This was his oh so subtle way of letting me know my husband had gotten home.  After hubby was settled inside, I slipped back into sleep.  Again I was wrenched from quiet stillness with the persistent gallop of hooves on the wooden deck.  Up and down the stairs was a loud clip-clop trotting and the sound of the adirondack chairs being readily rearranged around the back deck.  Try as I might, I could not shut out this noise.  Next came the ear piercing shrieks of the hawks.  This got my attention indefinitely.  As I clumsily raced down the stairs and out the door, I was greeted by 4 crazy eyed goats munching on the cardboard boxes left on the deck.  The pigs rooting around in the chicken coop with everything half-hazardously strewn around and chickens dispersed around the back half of the homestead.  Love these kind of wake up calls.

As I looked around further, there was a nice Houidini shaped hole in the fence, again.  After wrangling everyone back into their pen and yelling like a crazy person at the skies to scare the hawks away, I began to put the chicken coop back together.  Hubby then arrived back home with materials to repair the fence once and for all (hopefully).  What a morning.

With the stretch of Spring weather continuing tomorrow, there is much to be done.  Our chicken coop for Princess arrived so we will get that set up and show her her new place.  We are hoping to have time to pick up a Silkie buddy for her also.  We also have plans to finish the raised bed gardens, so a trip to the local topsoil supply store is on the agenda as well.  I have been setting the hanging planters with the lettuce and cherry tomatoes on the front porch to soak in the sunshine while I am at home and bringing them in at night.  I have noticed the cherry tomatoes are not doing so well with the transfer, so I am hoping the sun will help renew them. I definitely learned that this year I began planting too early.  Next year I will be waiting until March to begin my seedlings inside. Live and learn!

10 more days until Spring has sprung!

Until next time...

Don't miss any Homestead Redhead adventures, check out the full blog HERE. 

Despite the bitter cold of low twenties over the night, this afternoon (which is my morning) was filled with warm sunshine.  With two night shifts down and one more shift to go tonight, I am a little weary.  The animals, with no obvious concern of my exhaustion level, decided to continue with their escape from Alcatraz campaign that has been the theme this week.

For the last several days, Houidini has been a ring leader in assisting everyone to escape from their safe, large, plenty to do in there pen.  Pigs are the fourth smartest animal in the world, so they say, and I can definitely see why.  There are a few weak spots in the fencing we used.  Our fence was put up in a bit of a hurry so we just used cattle panels staked into the ground and secured on the trees.  Houidini has been able to inevitably discover every possible weak spot and rout his way under them.  This in turn leads Ladybug out, which then attracts Buster (our professional escape goat) to creep down on his knees and flatten his body against the ground and slide under the fence panel.  This bends up the cattle fencing big enough for the larger goats, Bo and Luke, to join the escapades.  Our goat No-Name is much to fat to escape this way, so he is usually stuck cheering loudly from inside the fence.

This morning when I awoke, everyone had escaped.  The pigs were casually munching grass in the yard, while the goats were continuing their tirade in the chicken coop.  The water had been knocked off the hanger, the feed had been turned over and devoured and the ground nesting boxes disheveled and moved around.  Luckily, our animals have never wandered.  They seem to sense the fact they have it very easy here on the homestead.  Since our animals have a food drive the size of Texas, it merely takes a shake of feed for the goats, chickens and pigs to come running.  I can easily lure them back into the pen, which is a blessing.  After sufficiently barricading the hole in the fence with rocks, wood panels, and an old chicken waterer stand, I am hoping this will survive until at least tomorrow when my husband gets home to fix it.

The pigs and the goats are now happily munching on corn securely (at least for now) in their pen.

Until next time…

Don't miss any Homestead Redhead adventures.  Check out the full blog HERE. 

This has been my first week on Baylor shift and it has been fabulous.  Although this week has been busy, it has been so nice to have consecutive days away from the chaos of the ER.  This week my husband and I started P-90x.  Not only are we getting our crops in shape for the spring, but we are getting ourselves in shape as well.  I also made dinner for my parents and in-laws which turned out really nice.  Our menu consisted of Prime Rib, honey carrots, roasted potatoes, croissants, mushroom rice and banana pudding and a chocolate caramel tart for dessert.  Although I wasn’t able to use any of my own crops yet, I look forward to the day when getting groceries simply means stepping out into the yard and harvesting what I need.

My husband and I also visited my grandparents this week, it is always such a blessing to speak with them and eat some of my grandma’s delicious homemade food.  She also passed along a few family recipes.  One family recipe was for cheese souffle, which is from my Grandma Alice, who was my Farmer Grandfather’s wife.  I also brought along some treats for them including homemade butter, fresh eggs and some leftover slices of the chocolate caramel tart.  For those of you that have never made butter, it is very simple and the taste is super creamy.  One really neat thing about making your own butter is you can add additional flavors, like garlic or herbs, which would taste delicious on homemade bread.  Here are a few general instructions on making butter…

Make sure that you are using heavy cream, whipping cream will not work and you will just end up with very whipped, whipped cream.  I typically set the cartons of heavy cream on the counter to help warm them up a tad.  This makes the process faster.  There are several options for the actual act of “churning” the butter.  You can choose to do it in a mason jar, but this involves lots of shaking and upper body strength.  The few times I have done it this way, I put on the song by Outkast “Hey Ya,” for inspiration, and shake the mason jar in up and down motions while the song plays several times.  Although this is very entertaining to watch, it is pretty tiring by the end of all that shaking!

I now make it in a food processor which is faster and easier.  After the cream has set out for 15-20 minutes, I pour it in the food processor, replace the top and push the button.  Hard work, I know.  After around 10-15 minutes, you will notice the consistency has begun to change.  Take a look here,

The point of all this churning is to separate the actual butter (or what will be butter) from the whey in the cream.  The longer you churn, the thicker your butter becomes.  I tend to churn for a few minutes and then scrape down the sides and poke at the clump with a spatula.   This helps squish out the whey as well.  I then do several cycles of the churning and scraping until the butter is formed and thick.

I then carefully pour out the whey from the container.  I do not save this whey, but I know many people do to reuse it in other elements of cooking.  After getting as much whey out this way as I can (squishing it with a spatula and pouring again helps) I take out a blob of butter and flatten it in my hands or on a plate.  The purpose of all this activity is to get as much whey out as possible.  I have found that the wetter the butter, the faster it will spoil.

I also have plastic molds I use to put the butter into and let them drain for 20 minutes or so over a pan to catch the whey.  After you are satisfied that all the whey has been removed as possible, you can salt the butter if desired (just a pinch).  Make sure you spread the salt around evenly (or mix the butter in your hands after salting) so all parts of the butter are evenly salted.  You can also make shapes with your butter or just put them in a container for use.  Keep homemade butter in the fridge in an air tight container or plastic wrap when not in use.  With two little cartons of heavy cream I made a 6×2 inch butter rectangle (which is not pictured) and what is seen below.

Homemade butter has such a rich taste and is not full of all the preservatives and chemicals like store bought butter.

In other news, with consideration of the recent hawk attacks, our girls have only been allowed to free range when we are outside with them.  This has led to hen boredom while they are cooped up.  While I have made sure there is plenty of food and entertainment available in the coop to try and prevent this, they are none to happy about their new arrangement.  Poor Princess has been suffering the brunt of their boredom, and has become a source of even more intense bullying.  They have been keeping her from the food and water as well as pecking the mess out of her.

We have decided that it is definitely time to remove Princess from that coop and get her one of her own.  She will also be getting a new Silkie buddy to keep her company.  If anyone has looked into buying chicken coops, you know how ridiculously some of the coops are priced.  I have found coops anywhere from $500-$6,000.  Ridiculous, I know!  Due to our time constraints, we were unable to build another coop.  We found a reasonably priced small coop on ebay and are looking forward to a happier Princess.

Until next time…

Don't miss any Homestead Redhead Adventures, check out full blog HERE. 

It is finally a clear sunny day on the homestead.  It has been rainy, freezing and altogether dreary.  They are again calling for a wintry mix tomorrow.  However, with the last frost of the season date about a month away, I know winter is well on its way out.

The next few days brings a tough work schedule as I am working two more days this week and one day off with the next day switching to my night shift schedule for several shifts.  It has been a long week already, so I am trying to hold on to a positive attitude through these next few days.

Everyone seemed particularly bright this morning when I stepped out into the fresh air.  The sun shone brightly on the screaming goats and restless chickens throwing themselves into the coop door.  As if I wasn’t already fully aware they are not pleased being in their coop when its obviously not night time.  I brought down several treats for everyone including a leftover sweet bundt cake and raisin bagels.  The pigs thoroughly enjoyed an appetizer of coffee cake before their grain.

The girls scrambled to be the first to partake in the raisin bagels, it typically involves one hen snatching a bite and running for her life while others chase her down.

  

  

  

  

  

  

I love the circular beauty of taking care of animals and they in turn take care of you.

If you have never spent time with a flock of chickens, I highly recommend it.  Not only is it pure contentment for the soul, but it is some of the best entertainment around.  I am constantly cracking up at the big personalities of my hens.  They are all each very unique in their own way and never cease to put on a good show.  Today they were full of poultry sass.

After the hawk attack, the girls have remained very close.  Sometimes they bring closeness to a whole new level.  In our chicken yard there are four lovely, hay filled, quiet nesting boxes to choose from.  Two are located on the ground in dark boxes and two are located in the coop if the girls need a little more privacy.  Over the last few months they seem to constantly rotate which one they prefer.  At one point several months ago we had noticed a huge drop in egg production.  We figured it was due to the change in season and did not think of it again.  However, our productive little poultry had not had a decrease in egg production at all.  I discovered this as I went to clean out the goat houses and found dozens upon dozens of beautiful, weeks old eggs stacked high in the corners of the goat houses.  Lesson learned!

Needless to say, there are plenty of options for private, comfortable egg laying.  However, Gerty and the Barred Rock prefer to lay eggs this way…

I am sure there is no closer bond than laying eggs together beak to tail feathers.

Now this intimate bonding causes quite a ruckus.  While this is going on the other girls are anxiously clucking wildly looking up at the nesting boxes.  Apparently they disapprove.

Lucy is looking into the nest box at this gregarious behavior and clucking her opinion.  Ethel flew to the top of the coop to try and get a better look at the shenanigans below.

These silly girls provide a constant source of delight and entertainment for us as well as delicious fresh eggs.

Until next time…

(Don't miss any Homestead Redhead adventures, view this blog HERE too)

I am often met with surprise that I am “into this farming stuff.”  I am not sure if I should take this as a compliment or an insult.  However, I will be the first to admit my tastes and hobbies are about as varied as they can be.  Perhaps I do not look like or talk like what most people identify as a “farm girl.”  Like most other women, I enjoy little spoils like a pedicure, however rare they may be, but I also thoroughly enjoy the feeling of the earth underneath my bare feet.  While I have always harbored an intense passion for animals, it has been in recent years, as I have completed my transition into adulthood, I have discovered this passion for farming and homesteading.

One big reason I attribute this passion to, is the simple truth that farming blood courses through my veins.  Before Chapel Hill was consumed with shopping centers, banks and paved roads; it was a thriving, rural community.  The land that University Mall sits on, is the original home of my family’s farming beginnings.  Parking lots and trim boutiques have now replaced the stomping grounds of my Daddy’s childhood.

Below are excerpts from an article written by the local paper years ago…

“Since the 1960′s, agrarian landscapes that once prevailed around Chapel Hill have given way to urbanization.  One example is the replacement of the former Conner dairy farm.  The owner of the dairy farm, Luke Conner (1891-1974), was born and raised in Vermont, graduated from University of Vermont in 1917 and married Alice Briggs (1894-1975).

One a trip north, Conner stopped in Chapel Hill, liked the area and in 1929 bought 254 acres of farmland west of town.  A 10 room house costing $5000 was built on high ground on the Conner land.  The Conners were no sooner settled in their new home, than the Depression started.  Conner managed to stay afloat financially during the following lean years by the sale of timber from his land, milk from his dairy and 60 acres of low lying land to a neighbor.

Large crops of hay and corn grown there fed a herd of 20 dairy cows, each named for a movie star.  In 1940, Conner built a large red barn that became a local landmark.

The first segment of the two lane US 15-501 bypass cut through his farm in 1952-53.  That inconvenience along with his older age and lack of farm help contributed to Conner’s decision to retire from farming.

By 1969 the Conner farm buildings and cow herd were gone and the Conners were in a nursing home.”  (article written by Doug Eyre)

This article speaks volumes to my simple, farming heart.  I am extremely proud of the back breaking work and creativity my Great Grandfather showed through those terrible years of the Great Depression.  He had a true self-reliant homestead.  I would have loved to meet him and walk the acres of his farm, quietly relishing in all of his stories of years past and tricks of the trade.

I love hearing my grandparents’ and my Daddy’s stories of the movie star named cows, homemade butter and hot summer days spent working hard.  I can only imagine the quiet heartbreak and hopefully peace, of my great grandfather as he must have walked his many acres listening to the contented moos of the cows for the last time, before coming to the decision that not only was his life beginning to face its decline, but times were irreversibly changing.

Through all the modern hustle and bustle around where my family’s farm once stood in all its simple glory, it is hard to imagine acres of rolling green pastures, a bright red barn and cows lazily grazing in the sunshine.  The times I am passing through this area, I stop my truck, roll down my window, and listen as hard as I can, in hopes of hearing the almost imperceptible crunch of my great-grandfather’s boots as he made his way in the dark of early morning to milk his movie star cows. 

The Conner Farm barn in all its glory. 

The large Conner Farm pond where my Daddy fished as a young boy. 

Another view of the Conner Farm barn. 

I am a HUGE soup fanatic!  The thing is, I'm not a huge fan of chicken soups.  I guess they remind me of being sick.  Anyway, when it comes to chicken soup, this is how I roll.  Thai-style Chicken Coconut Mushroom Soup or "Tom Ka."  I always order this when I go to a Thai restaurant, so this is my make at home version.  It is very soothing on a cold day!

Imagine one of your hens is acting funny.  She is fluffed up, her eyes are closed and she is lethargic.  You notice her sitting on the ground and maybe dragging her wings.  Her tail is down and most likely she is straining or pumping her backside.  Upon closer examination you notice that liquid is dripping from her vent and you may feel an egg-shaped lump.  All signs of an egg bound hen.

Considering the process that a chicken goes through nearly every day to lay a perfect egg, it's no wonder that things go wrong sometimes.  Fortunately, being egg bound is not all that common, and there's a good chance you may never have a hen suffer from it, but it's still good to know the signs and how to treat it. 

An egg bound hen literally has an egg stuck in her oviduct. It is most common in young chickens.  It could be due to a large or double yolked egg that is too large to pass through, genetics or a calcium deficiency. Calcium is needed for proper muscle contraction.  Too much protein in a hen's diet can also cause egg binding.  Other potential causes are internal worms, low quality feed, dehydration or weakness from a recent illness.

You want to handle your egg bound chicken carefully to avoid breaking the egg inside her, which can lead to infection and possible death.  Peritonitis is caused by egg material stuck inside the hen and must be treated immediately with an antibiotic, such as Baytril, and probiotic powder to build up her good bacteria. 

Even if the egg is not broken, the condition must be treated quickly.  An egg bound hen will die if she is not able to pass the egg within 48 hours, so once you have made your diagnosis, treatment should start immediately.

The easiest thing to do is to carefully bring the hen into the house and soak her in a plastic tub in your bathtub. 

Submerge her lower body and vent in warm water with some Epsom salts for about 20 minutes, then gently towel dry her. 

If it's winter or there's any draft, dry her off with a hair dryer set on low heat.  

Then rub some vegetable oil around her vent and very gently massage her abdomen.  Put her in quiet, dark location in a large crate or cage.  A dog crate or bird cage with a towel or blanket draped over it, a towel that has been warmed in the dryer on the bottom, and set over a pan of hot water (or with a heating pad under the towel) with a heat lamp is perfect.  You want to create moist heat. 

Give her some Nutri-Drench and 1cc of liquid calcium.  Then give her some time to herself.  Repeat the soak in the tub every hour or so until she lays her egg.  

As a last resort, a visit to a vet is recommended or, if you can see the egg, you can carefully extract the contents of the egg using a syringe and then gently crush the shell, keeping the fragments attached to the membrane and remove it using vegetable oil squirted in and around the vent.  Antiobiotics is recommended in that case to be on the safe side.

Hopefully this is not a condition you will ever encounter, but if you do, at least you will be prepared.

Back in early May 2009 Crystal and my daddy and I wrapped up work on our first chicken coop. I had been wanting to raise chickens for some time and it seemed like the time was right.

Now folks with a minimalist mindset are familiar enough with reduction. We reduce. We recycle. We repurpose. We refine. And so when it came time to build that first coop I knew I wanted to spend less time at the box store hardware and more time finding materials with as much character as the chickens they would soon house. So I put an ad in the local newspaper asking for reclaimed  wood and other building materials. Within a day or two I was contacted by a gentleman who had recently taken down an old hog house. It had been standing for nearly 102 years as best he knew. Coupled with some 2"x6" lumber picked up at a local jobsite (the woods first life was as batter board for a concrete project), some corrugated metal from a chicken coop buried on the back of the farm, some hardware from a gate that had long since fallen, and some fencing that has been laying around as long as I can remember, we built the "Coop de Ville" - a subtle play on words indicative of a chicken coop located in BarneVILLE, Georgia.

In the course of two years we watched our flock grow to 9 with a production on average of 6 brown eggs a day. I kept it clean oftentimes scraping and spraying it out once a week. We kept them warm in the winter and the shade of the metal, cool in the summer. I couldn't help but to look at that coop and be proud of it. And so now that we are moving to North Carolina it seemed only right to take the coop (and a later built brooding box) with us.

As Saturday morning came we had strategized how we were going to lower the coop four feet onto a NASCAR style trailer, secure it, and get it to North Carolina. Our same team of Crystal, Daddy, and me gathered - this time with my Uncle along with us - to recycle this house yet again. With the use of a hydraulic jack, some 2"x4" poles and a lot of gumption we finished the job in about an hour. Looking at the day now I may be more proud of the fact that we are now using 104 year old wood than I am of anything else. It is what sustainability is about. It is what homesteading is about. It is what stewardship is about. We are taking what we have, doing the best we can with it, and never leaving behind what still has a life ahead!

What about you? Do you have anything on your homestead or farm that it reclaimed or recycled wood that you are proud of? Have you ever moved something a good distance just because you couldn't imagine leaving it behind? Tell me a bit about it. And if you like this post be sure to share it on Facebook or Tweet the link out to your followers! 

Thanks to all who entered the drawing to win a free copy of our 2011 On the Farm calendar. We hope 2011 shapes up to be a successful year for us all; I'm looking forward to baby chickens, of course! *grin*

I entered each commenter's name into a mug and Alan pulled out one lucky winner ... big congrats to Nebraska Dave!! Get in touch with me Dave, and I'll get your choice of small or standard sized calendar out to you right away! We hope you enjoy spending your year with our calendar.

As always, you are invited to read more about our life on the farm.

Thanks for checking in!

I love photography and am always finding fun things to photograph here on the farm. Last December I went through my photos and put together a special 2011 On the Farm calendar featuring various critters here on the farm, some images from the garden, and even some farm landscapes. The purpose of the calendar was not only for our own home use, but it also made wonderful gifts for the holidays, and we also hoped that sales of the calendar would bring in a little cash that we could put towards caring for the farm critters.

I thought I would offer up a free calendar to one lucky Grit blog reader! If you would like to enter the drawing for an On the Farm calendar, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what you most look forward to in the coming year. I'll randomly select one name from all comments on Friday, January 21st at 10am Central. The one lucky reader selected will be given their choice of a small, or standard sized, 2011 On the Farm calendar.

And well, if you don't win the drawing on Sunday, it's not too late to order up your own copy of On the Farm!

As always, you are invited to read more about our life on the farm.

Thanks for checking in, and happy weekend!

Welcome to “An Evening at the Improv.” The stage is my kitchen, and our guest tonight is stuffed chicken rolls. I hope it doesn’t get heckled and booed off stage before the performance is over.

The girls aren’t what I’d consider the pickiest of eaters (I’ve heard horror stories of worse, anyway), but they definitely each have their quirks. Shelby’s palate is texture driven; if it feels funny in her mouth she won’t eat it. “Funny feeling” foods include, but are not limited to, things like cottage cheese, apple sauce, Jello, tomatoes, and all fruits with the exception of apples and bananas. Strange, but vegetables top her list as favored foods. Shannon is the opposite; she likes fruits of all sorts, but usually struggles with vegetables except for the Big Three: green beans, carrots, and broccoli. To find something they both like can be a challenge. Keith’s roast beef, spaghetti, and homemade chicken noodle soup, they both like. My meatloaf, baked macaroni and cheese, and baked chicken are favorites, too. But I get tired of having the same things for dinner all the time. This winter, I’ve decided I’m going to cook at least one new dish each week.

No, I’m not going to blog about each recipe in some cheap, poorly written imitation of the “Julie/Julia Project.” I am nowhere as ambitious as Julie Powell when she blogged about her experiences cooking the 524 recipes in one year from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And with all due respect to the late Ms. Child, I don’t believe I have the gumption to master the art of anything French except possibly those French Toast Sticks that come in the freezer section of the grocery store. I don’t want to go out and hunt down ingredients at specialty shops to cook. And if the recipe doesn’t have “Quick and Easy” in its title, it will by the time I’m finished. I have never in my life – whether by design or accident – followed a recipe exactly as it’s written.

Every once in a while I find a recipe that fits all my criteria as being an exceptionally good one: it’s quick; it’s simple; no special shopping trips required, and the girls will eat it. “Chicken Roll-Ups” was one I randomly pulled from a stack of magazines I’ve been meaning to get to since last summer; Stuffed Chicken Rolls sounds better to me, so that’s what I’m calling them.

Stuffed Chicken Rolls

I should probably list the actual ingredients and measurements the recipe calls for, because a lot of what I used only falls in the ballpark, and I did not measure anything.

¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
4 ounces smoked mozzarella, cut into 6 pieces about 2 inches long
6 boneless, skinless, thin-sliced chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each), pounded out to ¼ inch thickness
¾ (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

What no vegetables? There’s gotta be vegetables; even Shannon the affirmed vegetable hater expects vegetables. Ok, I’ll chop up some broccoli and roll it, along with the cheese, up into the chicken. Chicken breasts where the only ingredient I didn’t have on hand, but I was going to the grocery anyway and chicken was already on my list. They weren’t thin-sliced, I have no idea if they were 4 ounces each, and neither did I care. Nor was I concerned about them being way more than a ¼ inch think. Because I had a meat mallet!

In my woefully sparsely equipped kitchen without a mixer, a blender, food processor, or any of those other “must-haves” most people own, I somehow acquired a meat mallet. I can’t imagine how I came to own this shiny metal hammer with its dimpled head; I would never have purchased it myself. It’s highly unlikely it was a gift – not like the toaster my brother brought us during one visit, because he got tired of making his morning toast in the oven. Ah, but that was nearly 15 years ago, and I’ve been carrying this meat mallet around through our different moves for probably just as long as we’ve owned the toaster. The only thing I ever remember it being used for was letting Shannon pound her Play Doh into flat, dimpled pancakes with it. Pounding these chicken breasts into dimpled chicken pancakes, I decided I didn’t know what fun I was missing all these years. After the pounding of the breasts (that sounds rather caveman like, doesn’t it? Except I didn’t bellow while I was doing it.), I moved on to the next step in the recipe.

“Heat oven to 350. Coat a 13-by-9-by-2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.” For those of you who don’t have numbers on your oven dial because you’ve scrubbed them off in a fit of cleanliness when moving into your house, 350 degrees is about half-mast on the dial. Don’t ask how I know this; I just do. Half-mast though, I figure is appropriate – a symbolic gesture of mourning considering some of the stuff that comes out of my oven.

“Place flour and unseasoned bread crumbs in separate shallow plates. Beat eggs in a medium-sized bowl.” No plain bread crumbs; mine had Italian seasoning – no difference as far as I’m concerned.

“Place a piece of mozzarella on one short end of each chicken breast and roll up tightly. Tuck loose ends in.” Shoot, when I glanced at the recipe ingredients before going to the store, I could have sworn it said “Swiss cheese”. We already had Swiss, and it was already pre-sliced, shaving about a minute off the prep-time. I decided this might qualify the recipe into the “Quick and Easy” category.

“Coat each chicken roll with flour, dip in the egg and roll in the bread crumbs. Place seam-side down in prepared dish.” Messy fingers; of course the phone rang. Sometime between “Hello” and getting goo on the phone receiver and in my hair, I realized I’d forgotten to add the chopped broccoli before I rolled the chicken. I made a mental note to just toss it with the pasta later on.

“Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in parsley, thyme and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Pour mixture over the chicken rolls.” To me, this seemed like a totally wasted effort. The bread crumbs were already seasoned; I sprinkled a little paprika on the chicken to make it look pretty. One and a half sticks of butter?! I could feel my arteries clogging at the thought. A few blobs of butter on top of the pretty paprika-ed chicken rolls saved my family’s arteries, and also saved me from having to wash another pan.

“Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.” I covered the dish with foil so it didn’t become dry; given my rough guess on what temperature my oven was actually set, I didn’t want the chicken to have the texture of compressed saw-dust. Shelby would never eat it then; saw dust, I’d guess, is on her list of “funny-feeling” foods.

“Pour wine over the chicken and bake for an additional 25 minutes.” What wine? Darn it, somehow I missed this one on the ingredient list too. Rummaging through the cupboard and fridge, I came up with a few white wine-like colored substitutes: vodka, white balsamic vinegar, and draft hard apple cider. I opted for the cider, pouring approximately 1/3 of the bottle over the chicken, and slugging back the rest.

“Meanwhile, prepare angel hair pasta following package directions. Drain and place in large serving bowl.” Meanwhile, while continuing the phone conversation, getting the goo off my fingers, the phone, and every other thing I’ve touched since the dipping step, helping Shannon with homework, letting the dog out, and opening another bottle of hard apple cider, I prepared the vermicelli (I didn’t have angel hair pasta) with relative ease without even once glancing at the package directions. (Eye-roll.)

“Remove chicken from baking dish and place on serving platter. Season with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pour butter-and-wine mixture from baking dish over pasta and toss with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.” No salt; I rarely cook with it. Amend to read butter and hard apple cider mixture. This was also when I would have added the broccoli ... had I not forgotten it again. Good stuff that hard apple cider.

Despite the way this looks in the photo (blame it on poor lighting, a cheap camera, a lack of photography skills…and maybe a little bit too much hard cider), it was actually delicious. The girls even asked for seconds. The great thing about this recipe is its versatility. I can imagine the chicken filled with mozzarella, baby spinach and mushrooms; chopped fresh tomatoes would be tossed in the pasta. How about using cheddar and Monterey Jack inside the chicken, and serving it with fresh salsa. Ooooo, fontina and sun-dried tomatoes! Havarti and red peppers! Fresh sweet peas, and baby carrots! Provolone or asiago!

The possibilities are endless. And any of variation, of course, would go well with draft apple cider.

We got started a little late with this year’s laying flock … I don’t remember the exact date, but it was at the end of spring. We needed to start over this year because our independent minded chickens took to roosting in the pine grove last year, much to the coyotes' delight. Actually, they were safe in the trees, but they were easily startled, which caused them to fly to the ground at the sight of a coyote and into the waiting jaws of the trickster himself.

It would be accurate to say that we were bummed about that chain of events, but we also know that coyotes need to eat too. So this year, we enclosed the flock in a portable electric net. They roosted in the mobile pen (I built as a modification of this plan), which was located inside the net. Surprisingly enough, we didn’t lose one chicken to anything, and the netting helped the dogs get used to watching chickens rather than chasing them.

Now that we have staked a firm claim on this formerly uninhabited farm, the coyotes give us wider berth. Our dogs taunt them some, but so far they have agreed to keep a healthy distance. I recently moved the chickens into a semi-permanent pen that’s about an acre in size. We surrounded it with welded wire that’s 4-feet high and topped that with a single strand of electric. When we installed the welded wire, we took care to give it good ground contact … not even Woodrow the Cairn Terrier has been able to squirm under the fence.

As winter approached, we were just a little blue that we hadn’t had any fresh eggs from the flock yet. And then it happened. Last week, one of the Welsummer hens began delivering some of the most beautiful and delicious eggs we have had all year. Kate says that they poach perfectly. I just marvel at the bright orange yolks, firm whites and yummy flavor. I also think the copper-colored shells are absolutely beautiful. For more on the joys and benefits of home-grown eggs, check out this article.