Farm work (Whew!)

We have finally gotten so we can work on our land.  The tractor is up and running great.  The Blacksmith has learned to use it and we are off and running.  We had a few glitches with the tractor when we first got it, so it had to spend some time away from home for repairs.  The biggest delay was due to finding parts for it.  But that has been resolved and we are working. 

 

 

 

We have a lot of clearing to do to set up our garden and goat pastures.  We have several piles to burn and it is very slow going.  Now that it is turning fall it will be easier to move all the limbs and trees with the leaves being gone. 

 

 

 

 

These two piles are in the area that we have designated to be our garden area. 

 

 

 

This particular pile that the Blacksmith is tending is in front of the spot where we are going to build our barn.  It is a large flat area just right for it.  Behind it is a ridge that slowly drops down off the mountain that we live on, down to some railroad tracks.  Behind that is a tree farm for the local paper mill.   The open area going down the ridge was cleared by a local pulpwood company, that bought our pines that were on the ridge. 

 

While we were at it the Blacksmith had a chance to pull out his anvil and get it set up to see what he is going to need to get started using it.

 

 

 

And his forge.

 

 

 

Hopefully, we will soon have a pole shed to set this all up under so it will be protected from the elements.

 

Besides working in the yard, I have had two windfalls to come along.  First, there is a business in our town that has a huge black walnut tree that had a huge abundance of walnuts.  We stopped and asked the manager about them and before I could even finish my question, he said for me to take all I wanted.   It took two days but I got six and a half barrels of walnuts.

 

 

 

As you can see the ground was covered with them.  This was the second day of picking.

 

 

 

These four barrels were filled with walnuts the first day.

 

 

 

These in the back of the truck are two and a half more that we got the second day.  We got alot but left alot behind for someone else should they want them.  Now, I need a corn sheller to use to remove the husks.  I know that sounds weird but it works.

 

My second windfall is our neighbor has crabapple trees that are just loaded with crabapples.  Our neighbor told me to get all that we wanted as they were going to go to waste.  So far, I have two buckets of crabapples and plan to make jelly and possibly some jars of spiced crabapples. 

 

 

 

Well, that is enough for today.  Will let you see how the jelly turned out, once I get it made. 

Pressure cooker meal

Hey guys,  hope everyone is doing well.  The other day, I tried something new.  Actually, this will be my third try at this meal.  The first two times, I prepared it with pork chops.  They came out excellent.  This time, I tried it with a beef sirloin tip roast.  Here is how I did it.

The players are

 

 

Sirloin tip beef roast

one cup of water

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

3 or 4 medium potatoes

3 or 4 carrots

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons of butter

salt

pepper

The original recipe did not call for olive oil but I added some to the butter

I also added some garlic powder with the seasoning

 

 

 

peel and chop the potatoes, carrots, and onion to rough bite sized pieces.

 

 

Add olive oil and butter to bottom of pressure cooker.  Now, make sure you are using a pressure cooker, not a pressure canner.  There is a difference.

 

 

 

While the butter and olive oil are heating up on medium high heat, season the meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

 

 

Sear the roast on both sides to seal in the juices.  Remove the roast to a plate for the next step.

 

 

After removing the roast to a plate, add the cup of water and 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Stir a little to bring up the bits that are on the bottom.  Then immediately add the potatoes, carrots, and onions.

 

 

Then add the roast on top of the vegetables.

 

 

Put the pressure cooker lid on top and bring it up to pressure.

Once the weight starts to jiggle (is that a technical term?) set your timer for 15 minutes.

 

 

Once time is up, turn off the heat, reduce the pressure by cooling the cooker off under cold, running water.

 

 

 

Before you open the cooker, make sure all the pressure has been reduced.  My particular cooker has a valve on the handle that will open once it has cooled down enough.

 

 

 

 

Once the pressure is gone, you can open the cooker up and see how it turned out.

 

 

 

 

 

Not bad.

 

Hope you enjoy.  We really like using pork chops with this meal or pork tenderloin slices.  Just do the same thing above just substitute pork for beef.

 





Picture Update

In my last post, I promised some pictures from around the farm to update what is going on. 

This is our entrance to the Krooked Pine Farm.  As you can see our namesake is very visible as you come into the place.  Also, may Ol' Glory always fly above this great nation and our home.

This looking down to the new wellhouse.  It holds our well pump and pressure tank.

 

 

 

Inside of the well house and its heating system for winter.  The heater has a thermostat and tip over safety control.  It has worked great.  With the aluminum backed bubble wrap insulation it sometimes stays warmer than the house. 

 

 

This is our tractor that is coming in handy.  We have a couple more attachments to get, such as, the post hole auger so that we can start fencing our ten acres.  Then we can get our livestock, goats.  YAH!

 

 

 

 

We have a lot of sassafras growing on the farm.  These are a couple of examples.

 

 

Sassafras is a very unusual plant in that it has three different shaped leaves on the same tree.  First you have the three lobed leaf.  Kind of looks like a dinosaur's footprint. 

 

 

Then, it has a leaf that looks like a mitten with one lobe and also has another leaf that has no lobes but just a straight leaf.  You can see both in this photo.  Sassafras can be used for a couple of things.  The roots can be harvested, dried and then used to make a type of root beer.  The leaves can be harvested, dried and ground up for file that is used in Cajun food.   Nice to know that we have it on the farm.

 

Just a little pictorial to update what is going on. 

Thanks for visiting.

 

We are home and off the road, finally.

     Sorry to be gone so long.  Some how along the way, I got locked out of my blog.  But I am back now and ready to catch up on the news. 

    We are finally off the road.  My other half has a new job working locally and I am still looking for something to do to bring in extra money to help to take the pressure off of him. 

    To catch you up on doings around the Krooked Pine, we now have a well.  The well digger had to dig down 160 feet to get good water.  BUT, it isn't all that good yet.  It seems that we have what is known as "clear water iron".  We can wash with it, clean with it, but can't drink it.  If we heat it up it turns red.  If  I make tea with it, it turns the tea black.  If we were to drink it, it would poison us.  Thanks to a Royal Berkey we are able to drink it.  We will have to have a special filter added to the well system to be able to drink it straight from the tap.  Right now, it is a little out of our price range at about $2600 to $2700. 

     We, also, have a tractor now.  My other half is so proud.  It is a Dae Dong, diesel tractor with a loader.  It is so handy around the farm so far. 

     We have started building our rabbit hutches.  After starting the hutches, my other half had to have hernia surgery, so that kinda put on hold our building much of anything so the hutches sit incomplete out at the shop.  Hopefully, we will get to finish soon and go get their occupants. 

     I did some canning last year and some this year.  I put up a large amount of grapefruit marmalade and some orange marmalade.  I put up some pickled okra last year and my other half ate every jar.  This year, I put up quite a few more.  But I had a mistake in these though.  The recipe called for one third cup of pickling salt for the batch of okra that I was working on.  Somehow, I grabbed my one half measuring cup.  To say the least, these are very salty.  O well, lessons learned to pay closer attention.  I also, canned quite a bit of bread and butter pickles and some watermelon rind pickles. 

     Now that I am back into my blog, I will post some pics of the accomplishments we have achieved up to now with my next post.  Til then May God Bless.

Our Christian Walk

     Many times in my life I have questioned God about "Why?"   Not anything else, just "Why?"  I know, it is not my place to question God and his infinite wisdom.  I know, God knows his plans for us.  I know, that God knows why he did not let us have children.  I know, that God answers our prayers, His way.  I know, that eventually I will learn patience and He will give me my answer.   I know, I know, I know.   

     I have read the passages in the Bible for patience and questioning and hurt. 

     I have prayed for my husband to become the head of our home as it is laid out in the Bible.  I have looked back over the last four to five years and have watched as my husband has grown in understanding of God's love.  I have to say that God is answering that prayer and is still working on him. 

     We have been married now going on seventeen years.  Over the last four to five years, it seems that our individual ideas have begun to coalesce into a common idea of  home, building a farm, and preparing for the future.  We have also begun to look for a home church to nurture us in our Christian walk.  We have visited one while we have been home and it looks promising.  We hope it will be a good fit.  The only problem is it being so far from our home, about 20 miles.  But if everything else works, the drive will not matter.

     When we bought our ten acres of land on which to build our home and farm, we dedicated the land to God's glory.  We told God that whatever happened on that land was for Him.  Good or bad.  We will still praise him.  My husband and I, after we signed the papers to purchase the land, stood at the top of the hill at the entrance to our driveway and said a prayer of thanksgiving and asked God's blessings.

     I cannot say that our adventure has been easy.  We are approaching deadlines on building permits.  God has provided for us in our needs and I have confidence that he will continue to provide for us. 

   " My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall in divers temptaions; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."  -James 1:2-4   KJV

     Thank You, LORD for everything you have done for us and for all you will do.  Only through you will all be accomplished.  Amen



    


 

Fresh sausage and dirty rice recipe.

     Now that we have power, I have finally been able to get my cooking skills back up to snuff.  Several months ago a friend of ours offered to raise a hog for us for slaughter so that we would have some pork to go in the freezer.  We took him up on it. We paid for the pig, feed, processing, and his labor.  We had a 320 pound hog and received 210 pounds of pork in return.  We now have a small chest freezer full.  I also got some fat to learn how to render lard.  I can't wait.  But anyway, I digress. 
     One of my favorite quick meals is dirty rice.  Most people make their dirty rice with hamburger meat but I make mine with sausage. When we got our pork back, we received 64 one pound packs of sausage.  Mild breakfast sausage.  It is wonderful.  Just the right amount of seasonings.  Well, for dinner I thawed out one pound of sausage and crumbled it up in a small dutch oven and then browned it.  Drain the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoonful of fat with the browned sausage.  Then, I take a package of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and WIld Rice Fast Cook Recipe and follow the directions on the package for all but the adding of oil or butter.  The sausage fat replaces it. Mix the package contents with the sausage and then add the water and let it cook as it says on the package.  Once it is done, you have my version of dirty rice.  Quick and simple.   Just add a salad or some greenbeans maybe and you have a meal fit for a king.  I added some brown and serve rolls and yum yum. 
     Next time, I will add some pictures but it was all gone before I could take any.   Have a great day. 

Yah! we have power and plumbing

Alright, we are now getting caught up.  We got our plumbing done Monday, Jan 2, 2012.  Only about 3 months late but at this time I am not complaining.  Georgia power is supposed to be out this week to put our power in when the weather is good.  We hope we will only be grid tied for a short time til we can get our solar power figured out.  Here are some more pictures of our home place.  The first picture above is our new storage bench in the master bath.  We used rough looking stepping stones to line the wall and to set on the center section that the candles are sitting on and then used 3 ceramic tiles to fill in.  Then I am going to upholster the 2 lids and paint the sides later on.

Now, this is the krooked pine that this blog is named for.  It is right at the driveway as we come in off the road.  This picture was taken last winter after our big snow. We, hopefully, will be home at the end of the month to try to get our underpinning done and get our driveway entrance poured with concrete.  Then, we will only have our well and waterlines to do and we will be set to get our certificate of occupancy.  Finally.  We might have to get our permits extended one time for a three month extension, though to have enough time to do everything.  The biggest problem is coming up with the money to do so.  When you pay as you go it takes time. Wish our Federal Govenment did everything this way.  We might be in better fiscal shape.  Thanks for stopping by.