( Read more... )

Yesterday we got four inches of heavy wet snow! Snow on May 7th. Someone told me that was a record. I'm not sure if that's for amount or date ( Read more... )

This year we plan to do a couple of different things with poultry than we've done in the past. Every prior year we've just gone to the local hardware/farm store (L&M Fleet Supply) and bought our chicks from them. You pay a higher price, but you don't have to get any minimum number like you do when ordering directly from a hatchery. You can mix and ( Read more... )

We've been having a warm, dry spring, which is pretty unusual weather in northern Minnesota. As much as we are tempted to push the gardening schedule ahead of normal, we have to be tempered by the fact that temperatures are falling into the low 20s as night. But it has been dry enough to till the garden, and also work further on the huge raspberry ( Read more... )

We have four chickens. Two Silver Laced Wyandottes, the one in my icon survived the winter last year and I got a second one last spring, and two Americaunas - one black and silver and one golden. I'd been getting between 2 and 4 eggs a day for most of the winter ( Read more... )

This year we raised eight ducks, and two of them turned out to be female. They started laying eggs about a month ago (in mid-September some time). Then about two weeks ago I found an egg that was the same color as the duck eggs, but about twice as big! Turns out our remaining goose (we butchered the gander some time ago because he was so aggressive ( Read more... )

We didn't get many apples off our own trees this year, but were gifted by friends and neighbors with quite a few. Here was my latest attempt at an apple pie, and I got a little fancy with the crust with my Pampered Chef pie crust tool.

Apple PieThis recipe is straight out of the Joy of Cooking ( Read more... )

The weather here has taken a turn from warm and sunny September to cold and dreary October. So soups and warm bread have been much appreciated around here. This soup is super easy to make, and the bread is dense but flavorful (I love molasses in bread).

Cream of Potato SoupPeel and dice 2-4 potatoes, depending on size of potatoes and how big of a ( Read more... )

I didn't do what I wanted to do today, but I was productive nonetheless. After getting Scott on the school bus (which jump starts our day extra early), Nick and I loaded some mulch that had been sitting in the garage into the back of the truck and headed up to the garden. I started by picking everything that needed it (cucumbers, pickling cukes, ( Read more... )

What do you do with an abundance of zucchini? Make bread, of course!

Zucchini breadMakes 2 loaves ( Read more... )