The Menu

 What am I going to eat this winter?

Mindy had to calve this year, live and healthy, to save herself.  This is her fifth year at our farm, 6 years old, and the first time she's produced.  Most farmers would have disposed of her long before now.  She just calved, she's off the menu.

The other option we had planned was to put Toothless on the menu this fall.  He was supposed to be big and mean at 2.5 years old, so after breeding season, he was supposed to go on the menu.  He is getting bigger, but his temperament is pretty good, except when one of the girls is in heat.  He stays in the pasture, and he's fathered 3 calves.  So, while he may taste delicious, he really seems to be worth keeping.  His daughters won't be ready to breed until 2015, so I don't need to get rid of him yet.

We also have a replacement bull issue.  Steaks only fathered one calf, Sharlotte, at 1.5.  Murphy or Monsoon, whichever I keep as Toothless' replacement, will only be 1.5 next fall.  Old enough to technically get the job done, but I really don't want to go back to a one calf year.

I could butcher whichever one of them I decide not to keep, but they're not that big yet, which seems kind of wasteful.

The girls are also off schedule.  Dorie should rebreed for another spring calf, but Nelly could be bred now, after losing her calf, making for a very early baby next year, along with Mildred who may be knocked up for January.  Toothless never tried to get back to her after that first incident, and she hasn't shown any signs of estrus.  And now with Mindy calving in August, she shouldn't be rebred for a few months.  If we butcher Toothless, Murphy or Monsoon won't be old enough to take care of business. 

I could buy a steer or yearling bull to butcher.  But I paid a lot of money for Steaks.  And honestly, he didn't taste that great.  He wasn't bad.  But he wasn't Casper.  Even though Toothless is a Holstein cross, he's a whole lot sleeker, solid and muscled than Steaks ever was.  Steaks arrived scrawny and never really put on any weight.  There are no feed lots around here, so I expect anything I buy to be grass fed, but still, there was something just not right about him.  I don't think I want to spend that kind of money just to put something in the freezer that may or may not meet my standards.

I could get lucky at the auction and find another pig for a steal.  I truly feel bad for whoever brought her in, they sure didn't get what she was worth.  She did feed us well though.  But that brings me back to the same issue I had in the spring- no pig pen.  And I'd need to let a pig live here at least a month, just so I'd know there were no drugs in her system.

And of course we have the meat birds.  They'll provide many meals this winter.

I didn't buy a moose tag this year, after losing Dad.  I could still buy a calf tag, but I don't think I'm emotionally ready to go moose hunting.  And of course, that doesn't give us any guarantees.

Bear season just opened.  I do have a tag.  Still no guarantees.

Grocery store?  What a concept.  I could buy meat this winter.  Oh!!  I COULD buy meat this winter.  There's a bison farm not far from here, and every time I drive by it I think I should really go and talk to them and give it a try.  This could be the year.

And then there's still partridge season coming up too.

For now, I guess I'll start by taking inventory of the freezers.  I'm late getting them cleaned out this year anyway!

What happened To Fall?

Last October I was butchering turkeys, getting firewood, canning, and winterizing the garden.  All things I still need to do this year.    I sure hope this doesn't stick.  It's awfully deep for a first snow though.  Almost two inches...

In other news, I'm still canning.  Down to the crabapples- probably two batches left to do, and any odds and ends I buy.  I'm just doing my canning/recipe posts on my recipe page now, The Country Kitchen, rather than here and a shorter post there.

I'm also writing a fictional little blog, Wendy's Colony, about what I think we would do if the apocalypse started now.  It's a fun writing experience, and it makes me think about things a little differently.

It's also moose season.  We only have calf tags this year, so I guess my heart really isn't in it.  I'd rather be bird hunting.  Especially since Smitty is now The Best Dog Ever!  From day one my boy has shown me he has all of his Grandpa's instincts, and so many more.  He doesn't have his Grandpa's stomach though- not yet anyway.  The girls are thankful for that, as they get a treat when we get back.  If I could just convince him to bring the birds to me, instead of just pinning them to the ground.  Honestly though, at 4 months I wasn't expecting much more from him than to go for a quad ride, so I am super excited for the future.

Here's hoping for a bit of Indian Summer before winter really sets in.  I still have lots of work to do.

Summer Class

The Bigs are both in for the one-stop weekend PAL and Hunter Ed course.

 They both passed the PAL today. Hunter Ed tomorrow. Awesome.

Meatless Mondays versus Raising Meat

I was up at some ridiculous hour the other  morning, and decided to go look up some videos on youtube (because we have crappy satellite internet with a 200MB/day cap, except from 2am to 7am.  If you want to do anything fun online- games, videos, music, etc- you have to get up in the middle of the night around here).  Anyway, I came across this documentary, Meat the Truth.  I don't know how to imbed videos, but hopefully the link will get you started.  If not, just search youtube.

Again, not a lot of new to me info, but still thought provoking, and worth watching.  As a general rule, when folks start talking about vegetarian or vegan diets, I just do the smile and nod.  Whatever.

We have a running joke around here, that we are raising carnivores, except for #2, who we like to call 'the rabbit'.  When #1 and #2 were little they'd each eat half their supper, then sit and whine.  You could literally switch plates between them, and they'd both be happy.  The Carnivore and The Rabbit.  Times have changed, and I no longer have to pull teeth to get #1 to eat vegetation, or #2 to eat meat, but their preferences are definitely still obvious.

So I'm watching the movie, and I get it.  I get the whole 'vote with your fork' concept.  I understand the issues with 'factory farms'.  But that's not my life.  Not even close.

And then, "You can't call yourself an environmentalist if you eat meat".

I am insulted.  I am annoyed.  I am really pissed off.

It's like those carbon foot print calculators that you can find online.  No consideration for heating your home with deadfall versus live trees versus oil.  No consideration for not even owning an air conditioner.  No consideration for growing your own food.

I have a big family, I have a big car, I have a huge carbon footprint.  End of story.  No consideration for the attitudes I instill in my children.  No consideration for at least 95% of their needs (clothes, toys, furniture) coming second hand.  No consideration for my car sitting in the driveway constantly for all but 1 or 2 days a month.

So, yeah, throw this at me too.  Why not.  I eat meat.  I am not an environmentalist.

I raise meat.  Not in any way remotely similar to factory farming.  I live in an inhospitable environment for growing my own food, and yet I garden.  Most of my summer is spent in the garden, for very little return.  Raising meat is much more natural in my environment than growing tomatoes.  My animals will eat the grass, the weeds, and the bugs.  I will not.  And not one of my critters drinks any where near as much water as 'they' say is required.  I have no manure overflow issues.  We call that stuff fertilizer.  The cows even walk around and spread it for us.

By 'their' theories I should give up on the chickens and the turkeys, whom I currently have to buy grain for, and eat strictly home raised, grass fed beef.  But I digress...

I do buy a bit of meat from the grocery store.  I don't ask where it came from.  I don't want to know.  Because in the back of my head, I already know.  But it's very little, compared to the whole of our diets, that it's probably doing more harm to me than to the planet.

So what if I stopped.  What if I just stopped buying grocery store meat cold turkey.  What if we ate only what we raise and hunt.   I could be a better environmentalist.

But I'm still insulted.

trees

For the past week,

this is where I've been.

Sitting in the woods,

Staring at trees. Between trees. Under trees.

Waiting. Watching.

No moose yet.

Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving in Canada is in October.  The 11th, this year.  We used to celebrate with the Americans at our house.  Hubby would usually be working for Canadian Thanksgiving, but home for the American holiday.   One of the joys of being a truck driver.  The past few years he's had both off.  Thanksgiving is the first day of moose season.  We go hunting.

Last week he asked what I wanted to do for Thanksgiving this year. !??!  Oh, that's right.  His family, who never used to celebrate ANY holidays, is in the area.  So I'm supposed to celebrate with them now.  NOT.  Years ago, before we started hunting, I planned a simple turkey dinner Thanksgiving.  I invited my mom & s-i-l, since my dad & brother were gone moose hunting.  And I invited my in-laws.  They accepted.  Until the day before.

My b-i-l, who we've had a complicated relationship with over the years, decided to be an ass and guilt the in-laws into not coming.  It was against their religion.

A simple turkey dinner.  Nothing religious.  Just turkey.  But because the day matched the calendar for a non-religious holiday, it was against their religion.  Ok.  Whatever.

Last year, since the in-laws came to live with us- Pop in the trailer, Ma in the nursing home- we included them for Thanksgiving.  I through a turkey in the oven and left the kids instructions to peel potatoes, & watch things while we were out hunting.  Very simple.  Still a pain in the ass.  Missed the afternoon hunt.  It's moose season.

So, no, I hadn't made any plans for Thanksgiving.  When he asked, I was thinking, have you lost your mind?  Why would I do that?  I told him we could celebrate American Thanksgiving.  Or, really, we could do it now. (Last week).

The more I think about it, the more I think that's the way it should be.  Thanksgiving is a Harvest Celebration.  We just had frost.  Harvest season is here.  Thanksgiving should be in September in the north.  Turkeys are on sale in this weeks flyers for .99/lb.  Apparently the farmers & the grocery stores agree.  I just bought two pumpkins.  They agree.  Now, if only I was organized enough to come to this conclusion earlier, I could have planned for this weekend.  As it is Friday now, I think I'll plan it for next weekend.  So there it is, Harvest Fest will be October 2nd at my house.  You bring the yams.

Weekly Wrap Up: The Morning After The Frost

Yes, frost last night.  I'm sad, but not bawling my face off miserable like last year.  20 days later, and a good, warm growing season.  We had a good run.

Cucumbers- started late & after the horse trampled them.  Still did well.

Sparta Tomatoes ripening on the vine.

Cherry tomatoes.  Don't you just love how my plants are all monstrous?  Lol.  

A few we got to eat.

I covered about 6 tomato plants, so we may get a few more ripe ones yet.  We plucked the rest of the dead plants out and ended up with about 7 gallons of green tomatoes.  Green tomato salsa time.

Corn that I planted last year decided to make an appearance.

Including this oddball that really took off. 

Even two tiny ears on there.  Not sure how it managed to get pollinated.  It must have been really determined.

We are actually too far north to grow corn.  We're in a 2A growing zone, which is too short of a season, and not enough heat days.  So  it really is a wonder!

4 little heads of cabbage in all. 

A little pumpkin.

The smallest pumpkin plant, with the earliest pumpkin already turning orange.

Asparagus really springing back to life.

The biggest of the strawberry plants.

 I was very proud of my little garden when I took these pics.  Surprised with how well it all fared, despite my lack of attention, crummy soil, not getting enough planted, the goats, the horse...  Our best year yet, since we moved to the north.  There is hope for the future. 

This morning it's looking rather bleak and dismal.  Frost means it's time to dig up the horseradish, and start searching the woods for rose hips.  A few more gardening chores to be done still.

I finally found out what the stupid purple flowers are!  I was watching youtube videos about permaculture, and there it was...  Unbelievable!   Comfrey.  Organic gold.  Who knew?  So instead of trying to kill it now, I guess I will let it grow back to it's overzealous self, and then chop it down for fertilizer next fall.  I'm going to keep the tarps in behind the asparagus patches though, just so they don't get over crowded again.  So the question remains...  How is my soil so crappy with comfrey growing, and tons of manure?  What were the people before me doing???  I think they must have sprayed it with round up or something.  It's just too weird.  More hope for the future.

I transplanted the two apple trees that I had started from seed into the bit of wood behind the house.  Also dug up the last of the rhubarb from it's original location and moved it up there.  I'd like to transplant the black currants into the same area.  For now I'm going to leave the rest of the apple trees where they are, off the side of the garden.  They're pretty well established there, and I don't know how the forset gardening idea will work out yet.

I picked my tobacco and hung it in the work shop.  Online sources say it could be anywhere from 2 months to 6 years to air cure.  Simple enough.  Let it hang until it smells good.

Wednesday was the opening day of partridge season.  I've got two.  The first was an accident- I hit it with my car.  I stopped and picked it up anyway.  The second was hard to get.  I kept missing.  Badly.  Really badly.  I took 11 shots at one bird who was kind enough to sit in the middle of the road long enough for me to do it.  Not a hit!  I'm not that bad of a shot, really.  Dad decided to take a look at my gun for me, and found my scope was seriously out of whack.  All fixed up now.  One shot, and the second bird was mine!  Hopefully the rest of the season turns out well.  Waldo did an excellent job of running to fetch that bird too.  I'm very proud of him.  The first day was pretty miserable for him, with all of those gun shots, and no food.  I hadn't thought to bring any snacks for him.  We gun break a dog by firing a cap gun while they eat when they're pups.  Thus, loud bang = food.

The kitchen table is back in the kitchen.

I pickled beets.  Lots of beets.  32 jars, I think, but will do a proper count later.  Most of them were from my Mom's garden.  We dug ours up, but they were the size of golf balls, while Mom's were baseballs & bigger.

I made batches of grape jelly & strawberry jam, both with store bought produce.  The strawberries were on sale for $1.50/lb.  The same price as the pick your own place, (which was sold out before we ever got there) and I didn't have to pick them!  Imported from the U.S., of course, probably picked with slave labour, ridiculous food miles...  I should be ashamed, I know, but the fact is I would have either bought these strawberries, or paid three times as much for strawberry jam, with all of the same issues.  Hubby, the weirdo, only eats strawberry jam, despite all the delectable choices I offer him.  The grapes were better, Ontario grown.

A small batch of dill pickles, with my own cukes, and dill from the farmer's market.  I was in the city on Saturday, so I stopped in to see.  It's kind of funny.  No, it's really not.  There's this old man who has been at the farmer's market each year that we've lived here, and probably many years before that.  He's probably the one who's kept the market alive all these years.  He doesn't have a lot, but he brings what he has, and keeps it running.  His prices are fairly reasonable, too, as farmer's markets go.  Well, There are these new people.  A whole mob of them.  Tons of veggies.  Big, beautiful veggies.  Pretty, laminated signs.  Handing out flyers about the local food movement.  Their prices are through the roof!  Wow.  And people are flocking to them.  What's wrong with this picture?

Choices and selection are great.  More vendors are good.  More farmers are awesome.  But why do I feel like we're somehow cheating the old man?  I bought my dill from him.

The boys sailed all weekend.  Two very early morning trips into Timmins.  No sleeping in on the weekend.  I told them on Wednesday, Parade night, not to bother even thinking of walking out of there with plans for this weekend.  And if anyone plans to wake me up tomorrow, they had better be saying good bye, because they're moving out.  I need to recuperate from the school schedule.

School is going good for #1.  The homeschoolers haven't really started any book work yet.  They're learning from #1's homework.  #3 is also making great improvements in reading, since he finally spent his birthday money on a new computer game.  I love how they teach themselves when they really want to know.  He's read the equivalent of a novel in the past two weeks.  If I asked him to read a novel, he'd be freaking out- that's too much, that's too hard.  Oh, but learning the game, that's ok!! 

A good, busy week.  Time for a rest!