New Years 2011

When the mid-nite bell rings tonight...
Let it signify new and better things for you,
let it signify a realisation of all things you wish for,
Let it signify a year of courage and believes,
Wishing you a very...very...very prosperious 2011
...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Christmas 2010 ...

We're on the last legs of year 2010, and today is a very special day in our calenders. One to get together and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Lets not forget what this day is really all about. Enjoy the closeness of having your families around you, enjoy having a wonderful meal together.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all
A MERRY CHRISTMAS and A Happy NEW YEAR

Until nexttime
Rina

Food Dehydrator ....

Yesterday we stopped off at Factory Seconds and had a look at the food dehydrators. There was just one model to choose from, a Sunbeam and that was good enough for me, and not to expensive. So now I am a very happy girl. No more not knowing what to do with the fresh produce, nice giving your friends fresh produce but what is the point of growing food and giving it away all the time, and then not preserving it. Preserving in bottles has never really been my thing although I have done some in the past.

I have prepared some veggies, carrots, onion, sweet potato (kumera) and tomatoes quartered. It's still going atm so can't show you the end result. Next I try some herbs. At least I will really be able to do the onions now.

We got hail the size of golf balls ...

Somehow my veggie garden is in tact, only a little leaf damage from the golf sized balls of hail. I had visions of sweet corn pelted to the ground and the new beans which should start bearing soon in shreds but lucky non of that happened here. Could 't get home fast enough to see the damage.



I had only the day before picked the first corn off and steamed it ready with a knob of butter Oh so tasty.



We decided to stay at home, when we had taken the day off from work today and head up to the farm, with more supplies. Tomorrow (Friday)looks to be a lovely day, Saturday onwards rain is forecast again. We're not sure of our holiday plans yet. I would like to spend some time at the property.

My job today is to get those lovely dwarf bananas out of that big pot (infront of the climbing beans)and replant them into individual pots. There are two dwarf varieties in there Draka which has a red skinned and Cavendish. There's bond to be more work so I'd better get of

Todays harvest and update ...

Todays harvest ... not bad what ya think. The beetroot is cooked and bottled already, got 2 bottles full. Golden nuggest, gem squash, cucumbers and motr zucchinni.



Ginger looking after the chickens, she lost her Fred last year and had to make do with Clyde the silky. Yeah his's the daddy of this little one.

Daisy and the chooks ...

This was yesterday's treat, a few corn chips from the packet, Harry and the Matildas thought they could join in too. And NO Daisy is not pregnant, why does everyone keep asking that question lol.



See George's fancy ski boot and the new jeans that had to be cut up the inside leg. I only cut 2 pairs of jeans, one his farm jeans and the new ones. That boot has little valves you blow up and release. So it protects the wound on the outside of his foot. It has been nearly 6 months worth of absese, just glad we finally getting there.

Yesterday we had our first snake we aware of for the season. It was a Red Belly Black and it was in amongst the pumpkins. Out came the weed eater real fast, I promise you. Jellybean was extremely jumpy last week, just a cable or cord and she jumped 6 foot high.

That's it for tonight
see ya
Rina

Rhonda's Bread and Butter Cucumbers.

Can't let these lovely cucumbers go to waste so I remembered seeing a recipe for Bread and Butter Cucumbers over a Rhonda's blog "Down To Earth" They so easy to make I promise you. So pleased with the results.



BREAD AND BUTTER CUCUMBERS
5 medium cucumbers cut into 5 mm slices

350g onions, sliced very thinly

green capsicum and red chilli are optional

50g salt

350 ml cider or white wine winegar vinegar

350g sugar

2 level tablespoons mustard seed

2 level tablespoons celery seed
½ level teaspoon turmeric
¼ level teaspoon cayenne pepper


Slice the cucumbers, onions, capsicums and chilli and place in a bowl, and salt and let stand for 3 hours. Drain, rinse under the cold tap and drain thoroughly. Bring the remaining ingredients to the boil in a stainless steel saucepan and then add the vegetables. Reduce the heat, bring just to the simmer and cook 2 minutes. Pour hot into sterilized jars, making sure the liquid covers the cucumbers and seal.


And here is the finished product. Three jars of cucumber pickles for the fridge.

Tool sale and other news ...

Hey old George did surprise me today, can you believe he serviced the ride on, replaced the oil filter, fuel filter, changed the oil, just needs to replace the air filter he never noted which one he needed so did not buy one. He dropped the cutting deck, washed the whole thing, replaced the belt that jumped off and sharpened the blades. Bugger me dead, I haven't seen him do this much work for a long time, oh he even gave the mower a test run.

He was such a good boy that he had to be rewarded so we went down to the tool sale in Penrith and looked for a new battery for his 18v drilling machine. Lasttime we looked they cost $141-00 each and he just could not get it over his heart to pay that for a battery. Well they were marked down to $99-00 and he was so excited when I said he could have 2 batteries. There must be a motive from my side don't you think, could have something to do with building over the holidays. Tomorrow he plans on helping build a shed which will be turned into a stor room and maybe just tidy the carport up a little. I think it's going to rain tomorrow and he'll be sitting in his lazyboy watching cricket lol.

Once again I have a small list of stuff needed over the holidays, 3 tins of paint for the fence, screws for the building work (done I got 2000 for @220 bargain)20 bags of mushroom compost (done bought direct from the mushroom man) Pick up pink carpet from Mark's place for Rose Cottage, he just wants it gone asap, nothing wrong with it "just pink"
Fill up all the jerrycans and ride on before we leave for a week or two hoidays after Christmas.
I am sure to think of a few otherthings before then.

I have pickles to make tomorrow so I be back with a pic to wet your tastebuds
Have a great weekend
Rina

Questions and answers ...

Cindy from AJ oaks asked when the chooks will be ready for slaughter?
They should weigh about 5 to 6 pounds dressed at 8 weeks, according to Annie Roosters will be a little bigger than the hens,Lots of information over at Annies blog. I helped dunk in boiling water and pluk one rooster and Des chopped the head off and cleaned the insides while I was looking how it's done. Nexttime George will have to chop the heads off a few at a time. If he's to chicken I go get Charlie to help me but then I got to give a few away.So far it's not to much work.

Chris To answer your question ... Meat chooks are for the pot, just like the chooks you get at the shop. You buy the chicks, feed them chick starter for 8 weeks, they grow so fast cause all they do is eat drink and sleep. don't move a lot either I am told and are not good egg layers. They grow so fast their bones are a little brittle and could break easy. (just been told all this and then he wished me good luck, that could mean a few things in my book lol)
Comparing my normal egg laying chooks, their chickens are also raised on the same chick starter but do not grow as rapidly as these chicks. I beleive the meat chooks have been modified to grow that much faster, they eat as much in 8 weeks as the normal chooks would in 6 months.Don't think the hormones are in the food I may be wrongabout all this.
If anyone knows please comment. This is an experiment to see if I can raise them successfully and then into the freezer with them.

Carina I am hoping I am going to be able to slaughter them chooks. Are you offering some help for the day Lol

WendyB it is you I need to send you a pressie still, are you settled yet? You must be exhausted from the trip and then the unpacking.

Meat Chooks are doing great ...

They getting big so fast, just look at them, can you see the difference. I sure did not beleive the man at the hatchery, that all they do is eat, drink and sleep. Oh add catch flies and run around flapping their little wings, trying to escape the crate. It's getting a little small for them so we're going to have to do something about that this weekend coming.

Wow thats a lot of little chookies.