practice rabbits

I got these Dutch rabbits from a girl up the street. They were a failed 4H project, and I got them free. Her mother just wanted them gone. They were not living in good conditions really. But, I digress.
I know it sounds harsh to say that these are practice rabbits, but they really are. I'm enjoying taking care of them and looking forward to the meals we will share together. If you are upset about eating animals or meat rabbits at all, please close this window. This is a farm, we eat animals that we raise here. Thank you for stopping by my page.

They have been here almost a month and are still adjusting to their new lives. I bred the only doe to the oldest buck. They had a litter 6 months ago and I have 2 bucks from that litter as well. I am hoping to get a doe from that and line breed them with the bucks. They are not REALLY meat rabbits, but they are meat and I got them for free. So, I'm practicing my handling and breeding techniques on them until I can get the silver foxes like I wanted. It's looking like the investment of getting the silver foxes is going to be pretty great anyways. So, I wanted to prove that this is something I really wanted to do before I spent that much money on it. It's looking like about $140 for 4 rabbits to get started.
But, for now my Dutch Doe is pregnant. (confirmed-she is carrying straw around the cage now. Shouldn't be too much longer.)
Let me introduce you to them.
The first two are the young bucks. The one on the left is black and pretty wild. He doesn't like to be picked up and is still skittish about even being petted. The one on the right is blue and likes to be pet, not particularly interested in being picked up, but will allow it occasionally. They have no names.
I may or may not keep the blue one a little longer to breed. It really depends on when I get my other rabbits.

This is Cassie. The little girl named her and the older buck was already named. So, I didn't pick out these names at all. I don't think I would every name my rabbits these names. 

This is Donald. He is still shedding his winter coat for the year a little bit near his rear. He is 3 yrs old and still a virile buck, since he did the job with Cassie. He likes to be pet. He hops away when he is nervous and doesn't care to be picked up and I don't pic him up too often. He will make a good roaster some day soon. 

For me and Frank right now, just a pound of meat or 2 can make a difference in our grocery budget. We are hoping to save money with this enterprise and have a little fun as well. 

I made 3 cages like this for them initially. The one on top is a nesting box that I made for the doe. She is not interested in using it and takes out all the straw that I put in it for her and sets it next to it. Oh, well. Maybe I put it in a little early. But when she has the kits I'll just move them into the box. Rabbits do not move their young like cats or dogs will. So, once I move them into there they will stay right there. I will get pictures of the new bunnies up here when she has them. 

Stay tuned. 

Introducing Bingley!

First, I would like to say that about a year after my Dad passed away I adopted a wonderful puppy from the pound. (Sprung him from jail!) He and I were best friends. Through boyfriends, marriages, divorces, moves, and new friends he was my constant.
His name was Bear. Because when he was little he looked like a Teddy Bear and stuck his arms out straight when I picked him up.

 He was my buddy through thick and thin. It's hard to think about him not being here with my anymore and it's the end of an era for me. I loved him like a child. In October we found out that he had cancer. They told us at the Vet's office that he would probably not make it to the next year. Well, he and I are so stubborn that he did. We celebrated one more year together. The cancer had spread to his organs. His lungs and pericardial sac filled with fluid so many times it was getting weak from the expanding pressure and subsequent draining.  But, the cancer was not to be bested and in March of 2014 it took him from me. He was with me for 13 years of my life. I will always miss him.

Still, life goes on doesn't it? I got married to a wonderful man(Whom Bear approved of, that was important to me.)  and moved again, to Minnesota this time. I could not even think of getting another dog/puppy for awhile. I just needed time to be alone, or at least dog-less. (DH had a dog that I love too, but it isn't the same and we all know that.)  I love animals. I always have, my Mom always thought that I would be a vet. And for awhile I did think about it, but this part-the letting go would kill me every time.  There is nothing that I can say here that will express how much I miss Bear. I probably always will.

Baron Bear E. Bear of Goose Creek

2002-2014

After 5 months went by I went to look at something that some people had for sale at their house. They had little Lab puppies and some of them were yellow like Bear was. I picked up one and really wanted to get one, but $500? That's a lot of money to me (and my husband.) for a dog. So, I decided that maybe it was time. (I'm really glad that I didn't buy one of their puppies, they turned out to be liars and I don't deal well with that type of behavior. That's another story though.) So, we went to a few shelters and pet stores and looked at lots of dogs and puppies. I won't adopt a dog that I haven't met because you really want to know if your personalities mesh well together. I looked online too at some rescue groups pictures, but they want you to fill out a long form (which I did) and then they want your vet information for all animals you've ever had and then they want to talk to you over the phone and email about why you want a dog and your plans and then they will bring the dog over for you to meet. Well, needless to say that I don't think that's kosher. These are dogs that nobody else wanted, not human babies that I'm trying to adopt!! The process doesn't make sense to me at all. Then they wanted to charge $300-$400 for mixed breed pups! Most of them were not even neutered or spayed yet either. So, I continued to look other places. I found a lady who had an unexpected litter of Siberian Retrievers for sale. They are Lab/Husky mix puppies. They are adorable. I chose one of the males. He is a chocolate colored Siberian Retriever. I named him Bingley. Yes, after Mr. Bingley from Pride and Prejudice. Why? Well, because I already have MY Mr. Darcy in my DH. So, I couldn't name him that!  Although I did toy with the idea of Wentworth for awhile. Persuasion is actually my favorite of her books, but P&P is a close second. (Even though I love them all, and terribly sad she couldn't write longer. Or even finish 'The Watsons.')

But, enough of that. You are here for the cuteness and pictures right??

Me and Bingley on our first day together. (Side note-look how skinny I'm looking! This homesteading is paying off in more ways than one!)

Look at his cute little face. And because he has Husky in him, those eyes are probably going to stay blue. His little white beard. Awww. 

This is Krunchee(DH's dog) and Bingley playing.

Did I mention that they were playing with Kruncheee's toys?? 

Then they got wore out. Krunchee is sitting here like 'I'm being good.'

 Bottle squirrel and Bunny were dragged all over the room. That poor bunny has been though the wringer. And he lost an ear in some playtime fun already.

I didn't mean for this to be a depressing post, but it is true to me and to my life. I know a lot of you have been there too. It's hard. Bingley is still new and adjusting to me and the farm. But maybe one day I can love him like I loved Bear. I know that Bear would want that for another and for me.

Starting out on our farm

Since after the wedding I have been working on the inside of the house. Ok, so I couldn't resist planting some things outside. It was hard to find things that will do well in our zone. We are in zone 4, yet we are really close to zone 3. That has to be taken into account when I'm looking at plants.
I know that there is a lot here, but I haven't had time to blog about all that I've been doing lately. So this is a catch you up to speed post.

I have painted the living room and the wall that is shared by the dining room, the hall way and as soon as I get an extended pole for my roller I will have finished the entryway.(DONE!) I love the color it's like a soft buttery yellow.  It's called 'Moon Dance' by Behr at Home Depot, in case you are interested.

This is our entry way. The door straight ahead is the front door, the one to the left is to the garage, then the stairs go down to the basement. I'm standing at the top of the living room stairs and the door to the right is a coat closet. 

And if you look up from there you will see this large space here. (below) It's a little blurry, but it's all I have for now. 

This is our dining room. I found that hutch at a garage sale for $40. With a little elbow grease, ingenuity, and some new hinges for the top it looks brand new. :D

Our living room. You can just see the stair railing in the far left behind the couch. These couches are super comfy, with springs and goose down pillows. I'm still working on that pillow/blanket thing there. 

I thought I had gotten rid of enough stuff when we were planning the move but, is that ever the case? I'm getting rid of some more things. Mostly things that were replaced by gifts from the wedding and some things that we have multiples of and do not have the space to contain. The only thing I don't like about this house is that there is no pantry. I NEED a pantry in a farm house.  So, what is a country girl to do? Get a hutch of course. (And I'm using some of my basement space for my canning.) Up here in Minnesota they call them 'Curios', which is curious and explains why I could not find many online when I was looking. I really loved the Amish made furniture store in town, but sadly it is out of our price range. Good thing I stop at garage sales.

DH and I are going into town later to look at a truck. If we buy it you know that I will blog about it. (Before I fill it up with manure, and maybe after too.) I'm looking to get my fruit trees in the ground really soon so that they can set their roots and start producing for us. I need something out there. It's just weeds and a bunch of poplar saplings right now.

I'm really excited. I've been stuck at the house for about 4 days now. Our car's timing belt broke when DH was on the way to work and it has been in the shop. Thankfully, a few of the guys from work have offered to let him borrow their cars. So, we borrowed one guy's car until Monday and then anthers. Hopefully we can get this truck so we can give it back too.

Canning in the new homestead-2 Pickle recipes for you! Pickle Soup and Mayo Rolls

So I canned some stuff at a friend's house from some peppers she had growing in her yard and didn't know what to do with. I ended up leaving them at her house for her when we moved from South Carolina to Minnesota.
I made Pickled Peppers. They are really good in Mexican foods and the juice is good when making soups. Once I even used the juices to marinate some meat for a roast. It made it more tender than it would have been, as it was a tough old cow. All in all, they were wonderful and I hope she enjoys the remaining jars. I used banana peppers, but you can use any type that you have. I will likely be doing jalapeños next year or even in the fall if my peppers all produce. ( I did plant about 15 plants.)

Pickled Peppers

(I didn't weigh the peppers so I do not know how many I had. I just chopped them all up into slices. But I did 2 batches of this. So we probably had 10-12lbs of peppers.)

Wash and prepare jars for canning. Boil all utensils and jars for sterilization purposes. 

• 4&1/2 pounds of sweet peppers and 1&1/2 hot peppers Or you can use all bananas like I did here 6 pounds total. 
• 6&1/2 C. White or ACV
• 1&1/3 C. Water
• 2/3C. sugar
• 4 Tsp. pickling salt
• 3 whole cloves garlic(I used 3 Tbsp. of minced garlic-previously prepared)

1. Cut all peppers into quarters or slices, if you are using long peppers it looks better. Remove stems, membranes and if desired seeds. (I leave them in because it is where the heat is stronger in peppers) 
2. (If using bells or you quartered the peppers, this does bring out the flavor in some peppers more.) Place cut side down, on a extra large baking sheet,lined with foil. Bake at 450F for 20 minutes. Place peppers in a brown paper bag to cool. Use paring knife to peel off skins. Slice. 
3. In a saucepan combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and garlic. Heat to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. 
4. Place mixture of peppers into hot, clean pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 in head space. Pour liquid over peppers, leaving our 1/2 head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims;adjust lids.
5. Process jars in boiling-water canner for 15 minutes. Remove and cool overnight.

A few weeks ago, in our new house, I also made some dill pickles. I used small pickles from the farmer's market(because I've only been here a month!) and fresh dill. 

I can give you the recipe for this one as well.  My step-sister gave it to me and her pickles are always so wonderful. Plus, there are no food dyes or preservatives in the jars! 

 I made 3-1/2 gallon whole dills, 5- 1&1/2 pint whole dills and 5-1 pint sliced dills. Some of the jars I added a halved Thai pepper for some kick. Those Thai peppers were sold to me at a farmer's market, by a Hmong lady. I didn't know exactly how hot they were, so I ate one. WHOLE! My mouth was on fire and my eyes were watering. Big mistake! Huge! I ate a pickle and it calmed down a little. After that I knew I had to get them for my pickles. But, be warned, they are hot!

  I know I did more whole than sliced on this, but not too many. I had to make 2 batches of the liquid mixture, but I'd say I only used about half of the second batch. I put it in a large jar to use for the next time I pickle. (Use it up, wear it out or do without is my motto here.)

Liquid Mixture for Pickles

3 quarts of water

1 quart of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar as I feel it imparts a better taste)

salt

5-6 whole pepper corns

1 tsp. of chopped garlic

dill seeds or fresh dill heads and dill weed or leaves.(Anything to impart a dilly flavor!)

1. Measure the water, vinegar and salt and put them in a stock pot on the stove. I started on medium and turned it up until the salt is dissolved into the mixture. 
2. They must sit for 2 weeks before you can enjoy them. Use this time to look into what you want to do with all those lovely pickles.(Don't forget the juice!)

I made Pickle Soup from one of the sliced cans. Here is a link for that, it is outstanding. 

Although, I made it easier(I think) with the following changes. 

Pickle Soup. (Don’t knock it till you try it

I made it in one pot. Started with the onions, added the chopped carrot. Then the water (I added about 6 cups of water and 2 spoonfuls of broth replacer (I use better than bouillon, it really is better!)  I let it heat up the broth to a boil and then added the potatoes. Covered and washed dishes. Once the potatoes were soft I added the pickles and let it cook for 5 minutes or so. I mixed up 2 tbsp. flour and milk/cream mixture and added it to the soup. I stirred and waited for it to thicken up a little. It did not thicken much but a little. If you wanted thick soup, you could cut down the water and add more milk/flour mix. After everything had a chance to simmer together I added the pickle juice. I used more than the recipe called for, but I liked the ‘bite’ of it. (I used all the juice in a pint sized jar) I used my homemade pickles, but I think store bought might be good too, just make sure they are not too soft I think. DH liked it too.

I made whole wheat mayo rolls with it. It was really good. Here is that recipe. My mother gave it to me a while back ago and I make them all the time. I'm not sure if she made it up or found it somewhere. Either way, I've never seen another like it. Plus, you don't have to use up your eggs. It could very easily be made into a vegan recipe. Use rice or soy milk and vegannaise instead. :) Either way, these have become my favorite. I hope you like them too.

Mayo Rolls- Yield 6 rolls

1/4C white flour and 3/4C whole wheat OR 1C. White self-rising flour
(1&1/4 tsp. Baking Powder  Only for using the whole wheat addition or if you are using all purpose flour and need some lift.)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Mayo
1/2 C. Milk

1. Preheat over to 400F
2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Add Mayo and Milk.
4. Stir until it is a uniform mixture. 
5. Spray a 6 cup muffin tin or put butter in each tin. Measure out equal amounts into each tin and put in very hot oven for 20 minutes. 
6. Serve Hot with soup. 

I told DH we were having Pickle Soup and Mayo Rolls. He gave me a weird look, sat down and said, “ I don’t see any pickles or mayonnaise here.” and began to eat.
So, I guess you could just not tell anyone and they wouldn’t know.
It’s a great way to use up EVERYTHING available.
If I would have had any I could have chopped up some meat and threw it in the pot too, but I need it for the rest of the month.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes for pickles, soup and rolls. I'd love to hear about your recipes also.  

Minimalist me

I feel the need to purge. I get this way in spring. I want to remove the old dead things and begin again. Much like the cycle of the seasons. Now that spring is upon us, I feel the need to lighten the load of the house and things that I hold on to in my mind.  Of course cleaning your house is easier than your mind, but I try to work on being a better me.
It also doesn't help that I am playing gypsy right now while I finish my degree. I have moved 4 times this year and it is barely even May yet.
I feel a heaviness in my heart for all the places that I left and all the people who were toxic in my life. Letting go is difficult, but purging the negativity is always good. I have finals this week, but I wanted to write what I was thinking here.
I have everything I own in the back of my car. Or at least I'm trying to have it all fit. I had to get some help to get it to a friends garage and there it sits until finals are over. I will be sorting through it all to decide if it is really necessary to drag it all the way from South Carolina to Minnesota. I cannot wait to start my new life, but first I need to wrap up the old one. I do not feel like there is much to be done but to say goodbye. I will come back to visit some people here, but so many have moved on and I no longer see them. I know in the time of social media and texting that you can still talk to people and I will a little I'm sure. But, nothing replaces that face to face time that you get when you go get coffee with your best friend or find yourself sitting at Denny's at 2am with old friends just talking about life and the world. I will miss you old life, at least a little. But I have to move on and I want to take the best parts of myself with me.
I thought about the minimalist lifestyle and I would love to do it, but I do not like to waste things and I have trouble tossing things out that are still useful. Especially soap and lotions. (Note to people who know me. Do not give me soap as a present, I have too much already that I need to use up. Thanks)

All these things will hopefully lead me to freedom, rest, peace and calm into my crazy world.

Wish me luck in my journeys!