no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

We had some chickens for a while but couldn't let them run loose because of the coyotes and fencing them in limited their usability. Our 2 plus acre vegetable garden is fenced so we use some of the neighbors roosters for the summer, after which time they k**l and make chicken soup out of the roosters, leaving only two to be with the hens. We freeze The soup and give it to those people that our church provided "meals on wheels" for, plus saving some for us. Our lifelong friend from whom we got Chaos, the Welsh Terrier, visits often and we take the weekend to visit her and her husband, bringing soup and vegetables, so even the roosters are well used. Welsomer hens are non aggressive, but the roosters are nasty, but they taste good anyhow.

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

That is a whole lot of do it yourself Independence.. admire you a lot..

2 acres, that is a whole lot a carrots.. We used to do huge gardens also, but has been a while.. I am hoping for even smaller this year but find those in the house who think other wise..

all that soup sound wonderful and meal on wheels has long been one of my favorite programs..

The eldest grand daughter volunteered with them for a couple years. in high school..

Pr editors are the dickens..

couple years ago, siting on the porch a red fox ran out and grabbed a hen no more then 30 feet away. off and into the wood before i got to stand up..

Wonderful job you do.. good health and bravo to you all..

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

When we first moved here, the garden was small, but there was always some for a neighbor or someone who needed it. Gradually the plot got bigger as neighbors with small tillers, or hand shovels came and helped and everyone shared in the work and got what they needed from the harvest. Its been that way for years. Already one friend has come with fertilizer composed from their cows or sheep, and added to the goat feces the land is good. It seems that this piece of mountain is one of the few that has enough sun to grow anything except weeds and poison oak. This is one of the few communities where people share the work and the results. And so we all work together and the Lord watches over us.

Wonttakeitanymore

Order from amazon and wait!

son of witless

I know the old timers used wood to evaporate the sap. Point being, that unless you have a large supply of cheap fuel, your profits get used up just in heat. I was self taught, which is not good. I always wanted to work with someone who knew what they were doing. I made a lot of mistakes. I ordered special bags and holders because using buckets and spouts you have a hard time keeping pieces of bark, knats and rain water out of the sap. That worked out, but my chief difficulty was determining when the stuff is done.

I had a gauge to measure specific gravity, but I did not know what I was doing. There is another way if you use a thermometer, because syrup has a certain boiling point. I mostly just went by texture and taste.

The thing is, it is so time consuming, that between working and other things I was never able to dev**e the proper attention to it.

To get back to freezing, sugar is a natural antifreeze. I never tried it, but I am thinking that honey also likely won't freeze in a freezer.

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

You know much more than I do, only experience is the one time try i mentioned.. but It does seem we used a thermometer.. not sure what we looked for but it was to indicate when the sap was sweet..

Yes, it became very dull after the first day of sitting and watching sap boil..

Antifreeze, wonder if it would work on an old guy like me??

son of witless

It works on frogs. I don't know if they are old or not. I get interested in weird things. When my syrup pops failed to freeze I was stunned until I remembered watching a documentary on frogs using the sugar in their bodies to keep their cells from freezing. Humans being an advanced species cannot use techniques that lower animals can.

I think the glycol in regular anti freeze is similar to sugar, which is why anti freeze tastes sweet or so I am told. Of course drinking anti freeze will k**l you by shutting down your kidneys.

With syrup production it is always next year. Next year never comes. It is always this year and I am always doing too many other things. When I do make it, giving it away to other people who think it is cool to get home made syrup is part of the satisfaction. For myself, I try to limit my sugar intake at my age, so other than tasting it to make sure it is right, I don't need to eat it.

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

I think that syrup sickle idea will stay with me for along time..

Strange, the lovely one who lives here has also been harping about the sugar problem of mine.

Only because I am a bit addicted to PB and sugar sandwiches.. I would think that is quite common.

She says I am a pathetic case by myself..

Oh well...

son of witless

Peanut butter and sugar sandwiches are pretty strange, but I can top you. When I was young I used to eat peanut butter and grape sandwiches. To get back to sugar and health, I began using artificial sweeteners in my 40s because diabetes runs pretty strong in my relation. I have never been tested, but I imagine that I am at least pre diabetic. I used to run 5-7 miles per day 35 years ago and that used to burn off the sugar and calories. Now with a bad hip I am good to walk or mountain bike a mile on a good day, 3 days per week. Not so much sugar and calories burned up.

I am pretty good at not eating too many sweets, but an old lady where I work constantly feeds me chocolate. She eats chocolate in enormous quantities, is 75 and shows no ill effects.