fall in maine

One of the reasons I like Maine, (and I tend to complain about living in Maine a bit, mostly in the winter. It's cold, and too much snow.)  I do like fall here. The colors are amazing, orange, purple, red, yellow to name a few. And the contrast of the blue sky makes it even better. I like to see the colors change and watch when the sun hits them and the wind makes them twirl and dance around the branches until they finally come off and tumble to the ground. The kiddos like to go to my parents house and jump in the leaves. They have great big wonderful maple trees that drop their leaves and are the best to jump in them. The smells change here too, from the sweet scent of the grass to a deep earthy smell. It lingers until the snow flies and covers the barren ground with a nice white blanket of snow. Until that happens and the leaves all fall I like to enjoy the earthy beauty of the trees!

I think it's nice to look at. The view is from our place. Not bad right?!
Have a great day!

maggie pictures

This morning while Little Matt and I were out doing the chores I took the camera out with me. I was able to snap a few pictures. (My camera has been acting up lately. Not really sure why. The pictures have been coming out blurry and unfocused. And often times there is a black spot in the picture. Not a huge black spot, but it looks like smoke or something. Again not really sure why. Maybe it's dying. I think I would be lost without my camera. I tend to take it everywhere, most of the time, unless I forget it!! hahaha! I would like to get one of those fancy ones, maybe next time around I'll get one. I still like mine, and it works, usually!)
Anyways!
It's a cool, damp morning with dew on the ground and a fall chill to the air.  The sun is up, but the clouds are covering it so it looks misty out. I could see it through the feather looking clouds, and tried to get a picture, but it didn't come out nice. The weather has changed back to fall weather, and I turned the heat on to take the chill off this morning. I didn't think a fire would be necessary, just some warm air to warm me up. Burr!
So here are the pictures of Maggie and the broilers like I said last night. No calf as of yet! Believe me when that calf drops I'll be getting some pictures on here! I'm excited for the big day!

I know it's her hiney, but you can see the calf on the side and how big she is on that side!

big mama! i think she's a nice looking cow

looks like this guy is hollering, but he's really just trying to get the fresh grass. he stuck his head out of the wire to eat some. guess it's greener on the other side of the fence! we had just moved them too!

Have a great day!

busy times

It's been a busy month of October for me. Actually since the middle to end of August it's been busy for me. With the garden produce, the canning, home school, and well life, it's been busy. I'm almost done canning for the year and am very pleased and thankful for what got done. It will be nice when I'm all done, I still have some apple jelly and apples to go. I'm gonna try to can some apples that are cut up and see how they taste. Just something different. And freeze some for pies this winter!
Both our gardens are fully harvested and resting for the winter. The fences are down and the lawn is mowed.  Matthew put some manure on one of them and the hens have been out there eating the worms and doing a great job of spreading it around for me! I'd like to get some garlic, (since, someone, ahem, who shall remain nameless tilled it up last fall) planted. We shall see.
We ended up getting 217 bales of second crop hay in this past weekend! The whole field didn't get hayed either! The weather was perfect for it, hot and sunny during the day with no humidity, a slight breeze, and cool nights without the dampness that usually comes this time of year. A bit of an Indian Summer! It's been so nice, I've even just gone out and sat in the sun for a while, just to enjoy it. We had a neighboring farmer come and mow it, we just didn't have time, Matthew has been very busy at the mill. Last year we didn't have extra hay and had to buy it this spring. We had a bit of a wet spring. Now this year we have gotten almost 1000 bales from the field we lease. The chicken manure we put on it last year really improved it! We are thankful for that!
My SIL and her kiddos came over today and we canned the last of the carrots. Just gotta tell you that we got 3 bushels of carrots from our garden this year! NEVER had that many carrots! EVER! So I thought that was cool. I split the last bushel with her, and will give some to a friend of mine. We decided to try with the last 6 quarts to cook them with honey water. We'll see how they turn out. I like to put honey on the carrots once in a while, and thought if they were canned with honey water that maybe that would give it more of a honey taste.
Maggie's due date is tomorrow. So we'll have to wait and see if she calves. I'm tempted to go sit on her. I don't think she'd like that though, and I'm not into cow riding. I'll leave that to the pros! I should get a picture of her to show you how big she is. I'll do that tomorrow if she doesn't drop that calf tonight! Would be nice to see a picture of the ole cow on the blog. Been a while. It's been nice having the last 60 or so days off from milking. I have a feeling when I start milking her again, when Matthew can't, my hands are gonna burn! I'm looking forward to it though! Ha! Now how many women look forward to hand milking a cow and having their hands burn!? She seems to like the broilers that we have and often sleeps near their tractor. Speaking of the broilers, we didn't harvest them. They were too small on Saturday, so we'll see how they do this week. I think because of the heat we've had they have grown. They tend to grow slower in the fall due to the cooler weather. But these guys sure do love to eat the fresh grass we put them on every morning. Maybe I'll snap a picture and stick them on here too! Ugly looking things that they are!
 Here are a few pictures of the haying that took place this weekend. I mean check out that sky! So beautiful!

A couple kiddos running along behind the baler. I'm so pleased at how good it looks. I told Matthew it looks good enough to eat!
Have a good night all!

what's cooking in my kitchen

 I caved and bought some tomatoes. The temptation to make homemade V8 juice was too great. I only had to buy half the tomatoes because I had some given to me and I still had a few of my own home grown tomatoes. I decided that I would give it a whirl. Turned out good too, the kiddos and I thought. Matthew needs to try it. I didn't put in all the sugar it called for either, lesson learned from the tomato juice. The flavor is wonderful, rich, not too salty and not too sweet! I found a few different recipes for it online, and went with the one that would make 10 quarts in a batch (I only got 7, but close enough). I have enough juice to make Pasta e Fagoli six times this winter! That is exciting for me. I know I'm a dork, but it's still exciting! I'll let you know how it turns out. I've shared pictures and the recipe for that before, so I'll just show you and tell you how it tastes!

the veggies, yes I know there is only 7 there. I think the seasoning counts as the rest...unless I forgot one! ha

all cut up and in the pan with all the seasonings and spices!

all cooked and ready for the sieve!

going through the sieve

here it is all juiced and ready to go!

I don't have a "juicer" to run the veggies though, just the above sieve, so it's got a texture to it, but doesn't V8 juice anyways?

all I need is to can it and then store it!! the color is great too!

There you have it! I can't wait to try some soup!
Have a great weekend all!!

harvest day

OK so we have lots of harvest days, but today was a different type. We the kiddos and I - because Matthew was working, - pulled up the last of the carrots, the bean plants and the weeds. I gave a bunch of carrots to my SIL because she has helped me a great deal with canning this year, so that was a small thank you.  We canned 37 quarts of carrots yesterday. I'm not sure how many quarts are left to be canned, but will be glad when they are done.  We also picked all the winter squash and pumpkins too. We are supposed to get a frost tonight, but I think we might have gotten one last night, at least a small one. The weather was really crazy late in the afternoon here yesterday. One minute the sun was out the next it was raining/snowing/hailing and the wind was blowing. It blew so hard it moved our hay wagon several feet! All the animals were staring at it and the kiddos were hollering that it was going to hit the house! Wild wind! When we had tropical storm winds it didn't move, and I don't think we tied it down. I'll snap a picture of how big it is! Then last night it was cold, really cold! Almost bitter, you know fire weather, and then this weekend it's supposed to be in the 80's!! Crazy! I have to admit I'm looking forward to the warm weekend! It's been cold, wet, and windy here. Burrrr...
We have to pull all the other plants that are left in one of our gardens, I'm not concerned about it, nothing is growing. Just will be nice to get it done. This weekend is supposed to be really nice, so we have all weekend to get the gardens cleaned up,  the fences taken down, put away, and the lawn mowed. So nice to get things harvested and cleaned up for the cold weather that is coming. It's nice to sit back and look at everything that has been done over the summer and the fall. That's when I remember what I did all summer and fall, and all spring weeding and tending the gardens! Love the harvest! Not so much crazy about the cold weather, but am glad when all the work is done until the spring with maple syrup, that begins our year of growing and running! Hard work is rewarding for me, and we are trying to instill that in our kiddos. I think they enjoy the work, most of the time, but sometimes it's nice just to goof off!

Oh my! Looks really bad. Weeds are taking over. And the carrots to the left! Yikes!

Ah that's better! The fence needs to come down and the lawn needs to be mowed, but it's weeded!

Disregard the garden in the back  ground, and look at it now! Much better, and the sheep are taking a snooze in the sun!

Winter squash, pie pumpkins, and cabbage. Looks good!

My helpers!

The hay wagon that blew!

Our next big harvest will be coming soon! You'll have to check in often and find out what it is! I will have pictures to share along with a story or two!!
Have a great day all!!

chicken run

Mama Hen has done her job. She has trained her chicks and tended to them beautifully. She defended them with every fiber of her being. I saw it. As a good mama should. She showed them what to eat and how to enjoy a dust bath, eat bugs and food scraps and where to drink. Who to run off and who to run to for help.
I've noticed the past few days how she had been leaving without them, and not responding to them real quick when they would call out to her. She would stand back and watch and see what they did. Then yesterday she officially kicked them out of the nest. She runs them off to eat on their own. She ignores them and will have nothing to do with them. She won't let them roost with her. The babies seemed to be at a loss yesterday too. Plus with the down poring of rain we had they hid most of the day. Then this morning she chased them off so she could eat, and wouldn't let them have any. While I was feeding the other animals this morning I noticed that the chicks were running after me hollering as if to adopt me as the new "mama." I resemble food apparently. So I fed my new babies and they happily ate, and let me feed the other animals. DaLaney was greatly concerned about Mama Hen's attitude to her babies and questioned it. I gently told her that this was her instinct to make them be independent and that they were old enough to take care of themselves. I said that she might want to be laying eggs again, and she knows that this is what she needs to do. Her babies are grown, and that she has done a beautiful job of raising them. Granted they are only 7 weeks old there about. But her instinct had been amazing to watch. She was raised with a light in a box, not by a natural mother. I find it simply amazing how her instinct kicked in and she knew what to do for her babies. I'm simply amazed at creation.
So here is a today picture of my new charges.  I think they are kinda cute, kinda ugly, but I'll keep 'em. At least the hens, the roosters will have to exit the farm. I think there are two roosters. But that is just a guess. I'm hoping for 3 hens that would be really cool!

 I thought this was too funny! This little chick wants my job of mowing the lawn!! hahaha. Actually I think this is one of  the roosters, due to a huge comb and wattles compared to the others is what I'm judging it by. I don't know how to tell the sex of a chicken!

Looking at me expecting something. Like wheres the food? They followed me all over until I gave them some food away from Mama Hen. This is the one that was on the lawn mower.

Here are my little charges. Happily eating the grain I gave them away from Mama Hen. It's been raining for about 3 days here and everything is muddy. Kind of an interesting combo, New Hampshire Red with Silver Laced Whyendott.

Here is Mama Hen. She's wonderful and beautiful in all her mama glory!  I think I will protest a great deal if My Man wants to get rid of her. I kinda have a spot for her now. Maybe it's a mommy thing, I don't know. I hope she starts to lay again, and stays a while longer on our farm. She'll always be called "mama" now.

Have a great day all!!

farm life as of late

Welcome almost fall, and welcome tomato blight. Yuck. Yup we got it, late, but non the less. I'm so disappointed with my tomatoes this year. We had 22 plants and I only got a bushel from them, and then maybe about half rotted while they ripened. Last year we had 18 plants and I got 4-5 bushels. What a let down. I had high hopes of making tomato juice, which I did, and ketchup, which I didn't, well I did but gave it to the pigs. Pasta sauce, which I did, but I cheated and bought some for that. Bummer. And a late chat with my SIL about V8 juice. I had to google it and found some recipes too! Why not right?! So I'm actually wondering if we got the tomato blight and I didn't know it and it just rotted my tomatoes and then slowly killed my plants. Frustrating when you have plans for those tomatoes. Maybe better success next year.
I'll show a picture of my tomato juice. I didn't get any pictures while I made it because my husband took the camera. It's a little sweet, so I think next time I won't put so much sugar in it. Yes I had a recipe and yes I followed it, but next time the sugar will be cut back. I made a triple batch and was lucky to get that because of all the rot on my tomatoes. I only got 6 qts of it, but it should taste good in the Pasta e Fagoli that I make. I don't like to drink the stuff, but my family does. Maybe I'll share a picture of my pathetic tomatoes. I just gotta get my knee high rubber boots on and slop out to it first!!
This weekend was a total wash out. I had such high hopes to get out and mow the lawn, and harvest the garden, but it rained, both days. And rain again today, and tomorrow. Maybe the sun will come out Wednesday!! I might have to hay the lawn at this point. It's been very wet and a little humid.
 One of our pigs went to the butchers Saturday. We have one more to go later this month. Now why did we do that? Well my BIL had 2 pigs and he lost one of his, so we had 2 different appointments, for 2 pigs each and then had to change it to one pig and two pigs at different times! Follow all that? Anyhow!
Our broilers are doing very well. They are strong and healthy and don't seem to have any problems with their legs either. They love the fresh grass we move them to every morning. They are supposed to be harvested next weekend, but we'll see how big they get by then. I think with the cold, wet weather they are not growing as fast. Which is fine, but we do have them sold and we want them to be just right! It's gone by fast too. But we did get them when they were two weeks from Just a Maine Farm Girl. She has a blog that I follow. She had some extras that she sold us. Ours were going to be weeks late due to the hurricane last month, so what a blessing!
The sun decided to come out this afternoon after all! Ah, that is so nice after what seems like weeks without it! Below is my tomato juice, and I have to run because I have plans to go out with the girls tonight, not my girl kiddos, but big girls, some of my great friends!! A girls night!! wwwhhhooooo!!!!
Have a great day all!