WEEK #50, #51 & #52: End of the year wrap up

This is the last blog post for 2013.  Winter has arrived and it is a cold one thus far!  We had our first big snow fall for the season with around 28cm of snow, followed by (as is typical southwestern Ontario weather) a big melt which happened just before Christmas.  Here in week #52 we are sitting above 0 Celsius, only to look forward to sub zero temperatures into the new year, followed by what promises to be a long cold winter.

 First real snowfall of the year.  Almost 30 centimetres of snow.

 



We only got out around the yard once in the past couple of weeks and that was to move wood in the freezing cold from one of wood piles so we can use the space for our perennial garden next year that will consist of asparagus and herbs.  We received a few seed catalogues in the mail as well and we will soon be pouring over them with excitement as we figure out what to plant for 2014.

We still have 12 chickens of the original 16. On average we are getting 9 eggs daily.  The chickens seem to dislike the snow and won't even come out when the ground is completely covered.  When we have the occasional thaw we let them out into the yard and they are so happy to be exploring in the yard again.  They even attempted to dust bath.....in the mud.

In this last week we are reminiscing about what we have accomplished as well as what we have learned from our experiences of trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle.  Solar power right now seems to be a long ways away as we can't figure out how to make it work while saving us money.  The prices for solar are going down so perhaps it is not as far away to attain that goal as we think.

Here is a short list of what we should tweak for next year:

1.  Plant everything later in the season.  We still can get frost after Victoria Day as we did this year which does a lot of damage.  Because of this we will propagate later as well in the basement.  As for the strawberries, they need to be covered whenever we have frost warnings.

2.  Plant the rutabaga especially later in the season.  We planted ours way too early this year.  They are supposed to get a few good frosts before they are harvested as to concentrate some of the sugars into the part of the rutabaga we actually eat.  Ours still tasted fine but they were a weee bit too big for our liking.

3.  For crops like the green and yellow beans we planted two weeks apart so we had a while to pick between the two plantings.  Two weeks is clearly not enough as we had a hard time keeping up with picking. Three weeks or even a month between planting seems to be a better idea.

4.  We didn't need the rain barrels this year as we had a ton of rain, however next year could be a lot different so we better hook them up in the spring.

5.  No more pole beans. They were not that great.

6.  For propagating next year we need heated mats.  As well, the plants should be closer to the light bulbs.

7.  No fence is tall enough to keep the chickens in.  Even at around 6 feet high there still is the odd chicken that can get out.  Unfortunately, for the chickens next year they will have to be left in the run while the little plants in the garden grow.

8.  We were pretty lax on preventative spraying for powdery mildew.  Even when it was on our weeds in the fence line we didn't do anything and later took out a big section of our squash.  I guess this is why you plant more than what you need, but preventative spraying might be a good idea.

9.  Plant our tomato plants further apart. They were very close together this year which may have caused some of the powdery mildew issues we had this year. Perhaps this is why they got blight as well.  If we do see early signs of blight next year we should pick those leaves off and burn them.

10.  Japanese beetle traps seem to be effective.  There were more in the traps than in the garden.

11.  Some things pressure can better than others.  Potato soup is one of those items that doesn't pressure can too well.

12.  Take pictures at Thanksgiving to show off all our hard work.

13.  Pick sweet corn as soon as the silk turns brown.

14.  Plant less zucchini (there was so much!!)  Plant more green and yellow beans and more beets for canning.  In fact, we should plant more of a variety overall in 2014.

15.  Water the compost more often.  We noticed when we finally turned it over that it was not very wet at all.

16.  Find reusable canning lids.  If we can find some then we won't be so wasteful throwing out the ones we only use once.

17.  Think of more ideas as we continue our quest to be more self sufficient in the new year.

Here's to 2013.  Let's hope 2014 is even better!

Week #47, #48 & #49: Compost, Chopping, and early Christmas presents

Welcome to the second last blog post.  As we approach winter there continues to be less and less content as you have seen in previous posts. Not much has been happening around here lately and we are actually starting to get lazy with the decrease in daylight upon us.  We were so accustomed to staying outside until 9pm with activities in the garden, or hanging out with the chickens.  Now. in the month of December, the sun sets just before 5:00pm, so that gives us an hour to be outside to do anything at all.  Sadly to say when we now come home from work, usually eat supper, then just watch TV or (in Aaron's case) play computer games, and later go to bed......We sometimes find ourselves getting antsy as we feel like we should be doing SOMETHING constructive.  Maybe we should have some winter projects to do in the house so we won't go crazy this winter.

We had another dead aspen tree fall with high winds during the last few weeks, so we collected and chopped up the wood.  With this tree alone the wood stacked equalled the amount we used for our fire pit this year!  Yeah!

Action shot of Aaron splitting wood from the aspen that fell along our fence line.  Photo by Marianne Balkwill

Our new taller chicken run seems to be doing the trick.  Although Marianne did see a chicken just barely clear the fence, for the most part they are staying in the run itself.  With the occasional freezing cold temperatures we have already had their water freeze solid, so we got them a heated chicken waterer.  So far our chickens don't seem to mind the cold temperatures and when it is below freezing they still enjoy romping around in the yard.  Let's see how much they like it when the yard is covered in snow.

Another yearly task that we have been putting off is turning the compost, so we finally got that done and it now looks taller than before we turned it.  This compost will be turned into the garden plots hopefully next fall, however we think we are going to have to make another composter for 2014 as this one is completely full!

Aaron turning the compost.  Photo by Marianne Balkwill

Santa Claus it seems arrived a little bit early this year.  We got some antique garden tools to use next season.  One is definitely a plow, another appears to be a cultivator, while the other two we aren't 100% sure what they are right now........Any ideas?

Cultivator 

Single blade plow

We are thinking this is a hoe of some kind

No idea what the heck this is.  The only thing we can think of is that it is a rotary hoe

Week #45 & #46: First Snow, Trail Maintenance & Yet ANOTHER Upgrade to the Chicken Run?!

We recently had our first little dusting of snow this fall which melted away in a day.  In fact, as I type this blog, we may break a record high for November 17th with severe thunderstorms in the forecast!

After testing out our new and improved chicken run, some of the chickens have still managed to escape.  There is a little space between the top of the door and the horizontal wooden beam above the door that they can go through, while the rooster can fly up and land on the actual beam!  After seeing two dogs in the yard one Saturday morning (and chasing them off the property) we added more wire above the door and above the wooden beam so hopefully no more chickens escape.  We shall see.....

Unrelated to a blog about trying to live a more self sustaining life,  for awhile we have been itching to place up trail signs at the entryways to the small trail that runs through the bush beside the property.  A few years back we bought little markers at the Algonquin Outfitters and now we finally got the chance to use them.  Aaron drilled them onto 4x4x10 posts and with the help a post hole digger, we placed trail signs at three different locations.  There's also a little separate trail in the bush which was perfect for a privy so Aaron built one.  We even have a little sign on the trail to show it's location as well.

The original length of the pole with the little trail marker sign

 

Finished sign at the beginning of the trail.  Not a good photo as it was a dark cloudy day.

 

Call it what you like: A privy, a treasure chest or a thunderbox, this is a luxury when you are back country camping in the woods!

WEEK #43 & #44: Chicken Run Upgrade

The chickens have had it kinda rough the past few weeks.  Everyday while at work we would keep them shut up in the coop and when we got home they only had maybe an hour max (sunset is now just after 5:00pm!) to be outside before having to go back in again for the night.  It was time to fix up their run so they can no longer fly out, and that they can actually be outside and go back in when they please while we are away at work.

We first raised up the height of the door, made a doorway for support, nailed a few more pieces of wood for support, and lastly attached more chicken wire on these supports around the run.  The run is now around 6 feet tall so hopefully they won't figure out (there are ways) how to get out.

Chicken "Fortress"

Everything outside is pretty much done for the year.  Our oats, peas and barley cover crop is coming up now in the garden plots which will be turned in next spring.  We are still eating the bounty of our garden and will be into 2014.  The latest thing that Aaron pressure canned was our potatoes into a potato leek soup.  For Marianne, having acorn squash cut in half and cooked in the oven with some butter and brown sugar makes for the best dessert in the world right now! :D  Along the pea trellis Aaron planted garlic bulbs.

Cover crops of various heights in the gardens

Marianne got a little creative and made a centrepiece for the table from various tree branches, flowers, and grasses from the property. The only thing that isn't real are the yellow flowers to add some colour.

 A fall centrepiece

WEEK #41 & #42:Thanksgiving & No More Garden

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving with their friends and loved ones here in Canada.  We hosted Thanksgiving this year and, of course, our garden took centre stage.  As mentioned in our previous post, we were originally thinking about having one of our chickens instead of the traditional turkey as a meat this year, but with our busy schedules, plus losing four individuals earlier this year, we decided to just have some turkey and ham instead.  Here is a list of what was on the spread on Saturday October 12th. One thing we can't believe we forgot to do was take pictures of the meal for the blog!! ARGHH!!

MADE WITH INGREDIENTS FROM OUR GARDEN:

Pickled Green and Yellow Beans
Pickled Beets
Green beans with garlic and mushrooms (minus the mushrooms and garlic)
Cooked Carrots (minus the butter and salt added)
Chips with salsa and sweet pickled cabbage (minus the chips)
Butternut squash pie (only the butternut squash and eggs were ours)
Garlic Potatoes (minus the garlic)
Sauerkraut for the ham

COMPLETELY NOT MADE FROM OUR GARDEN:

Ham
Turkey
Blueberry Cream Pie (made by Marianne's mom)
Apple sauce (made by Marianne's mom)
Whole wheat Apple Pie (made by Aaron's sister)
Cranberries
Homemade bread
Red and white wine
Beer

There was more than enough food for everyone with a few leftovers to boot!

Our remaining carrots and rutabaga finally got harvested and pressure canned. Our garden is now finished for the year 2013! Yeah!!

Our rutabaga harvest this year.  So many!

Our carrots all picked and pressure canned.

With the garden cleared, it was time to turn in some chicken manure from the local mushroom farm and plant some cover crop (peas, oats and winter rye).  So the chickens wouldn't go out and eat it all, we locked them in the coop for a week.  Needless to say, they were not impressed. One project we are going to have to do before the ground freezes is to raise the fence up higher so they can no longer fly out while we are away at work.  We have been leaving them inside the coop for so long now that we can tell they don't appreciate it and would rather be outside while the weather is still comfortable.

With some spare time on our hands now with the garden completely done, the following weekend after Thanksgiving we went away on a little road trip which included camping a night at The Pinery Provincial Park where we got to meet up with Marianne's sister and brother in law. It was definitely a chilly weekend though with temperatures just hovering a few degrees above freezing at night.  Frost is for sure a reality now as the days are getting shorter with sunrise just before 8:00 am and sunset around 6:30pm.  YIKES!!

Besides the canned jams and pears, everything on these shelves and in the crates are ours from our garden.  Hopefully next year it will be even better!!

Week #38, #39 and #40: Camping and Cleanup

It is finally Fall and everything seems to being slowing down rapidly here on the farm.  During the last three weeks we ripped out the rest of our corn and fed it to the chickens, rototilled and planted a cover crop of peas and oats in another garden plot, and actually managed to get away for a week of backcountry camping and canoeing in Algonquin Provincial Park. 

Campsite at Philip Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park.  We left from the Brent launch onto Cedar Lake on September 22nd and spent the nights on Catfish Lake, Burntroot Lake, Hogan Lake, Philip Lake, Radiant Lake and Cedar Lake. The trip was a lot of fun!

Our chickens are now laying 10 per day no problem.  Aaron knows a few people at his work place that will buy them so hopefully that will cover the cost of their food.

With our last remaining peppers (habaneros and Hungarian Hot Wax) we made hot sauce, along with a hot pepper powder. The habaneros are very very hot!  We also saved the seeds for next year.  Aaron also acquired some ghost peppers complete with seeds for next year.   Ghost peppers are 500% hotter than habeneros!  It will not take much to spice our meals next year if we can grow these crazy ghost peppers.

After skimming the skins and seeds from the top of the pot that we made our hot sauce in, we dehydrated it and used a Mortar and Pestel to crush the habanero/Hungarian wax pepper remains into a fine powder that is in this shaker.



We have a few remaining projects to hopefully get to in the last 12 weeks of the year which includes harvesting our last carrots and rutabaga, finishing the rest of the cover crop, making the fencing around the chicken run higher, and maybe building a cold store in the basement.

Next weekend we are celebrating our harvest by hosting Thanksgiving dinner that will feature many of the delectable delights that we have been blessed with this year from our hard work.  We were thinking about having one of our chickens instead of Turkey, but we decided with our busy schedules there wouldn't be enough time.  We just bought a large precooked ham instead. 

Week #36 & #37: Squash & Sweet Corn & Sauerkraut...YEAH!

Happy Fall everyone! Well, according to the calendar, fall doesn't start for another week, but in nature the season is well underway with birds migrating south, while in our area wagons full of field tomatoes are a common sight as they make their way to Heinz and other processing plants.  Elsewhere in the county, apples are now weighing down their trees, and grapes are ready to be picked for wine along the Lake Erie north shore.

Here at home we cut all of our Acorn and Butternut Squash off the vines.  Some of the Butternut Squash we discovered had gummy stem blight, while some of the Acorn Squash had a lot of squash bugs on them.  The squash bugs are just a nuisance and we brush then off, however the gummy stem blight gives our butternut squash reptilian like skin. The blight can be carried over in the seed and our squash seeds are from last year when Marianne's Gramma and Mom had squash, but they said there was no sign of blight.  Perhaps, like the late blight in the tomatoes, the wet summer created the perfect conditions.

Some of this year's harvest of Acorn and Butternut Squash.

 



Gummy Stem Blight on Butternut Squash

 



Speaking of the late blight, we removed the old tomato vines and burned them as it is not recommended to turn them over in the soil as the blight can survive overwinter.  Regardless, we will not be planting tomatoes or potatoes in that plot anyway in 2014.

We picked some sweet corn and BBQ it.  The texture is dense but it tastes very good. It probably would have tasted better a week ago when it was younger, but we were hoping the corn would keep growing bigger as the ears were really small.  This was not the case.

 Nothing says "SUMMER" better than sweet corn with salt and butter. YUMMY!

We finally ate some eggs this week.  They taste absolutely incredible and are a lot better than store bought eggs. We are starting to get seven a day now! 

The sauerkraut that has been sitting in the basement for over a month now has now been placed in jars and pressure canned.  It is a nice side to have with sausages.

Things are starting to slow down more as we approach the middle of September.  Once the corn is done, we just have the rutabaga, along with the occasional pepper and carrots left to pick.  Oh, wait...There is one more thing out there that we forgot to mention for the last few weeks. At the beginning of the season we planted edename (edible soybean)plants and we noticed that out of the 25 seeds we planted, only 3 plants came up.  What ever happened to those plants?