What we've been working on....

Breakfast at 5:30am with Mike

Plum jam, made with honey and no commercial pectin Ummmm, Ummmm

It's cold enough that Mike decided it was time to don on the Reds (long johns) and a flannel shirt. He's enjoying his new job and working out in the fresh air sure makes him sleep good, snore too! LOL!!!!

It's raining and today is laundry day, so.... we'll improvise

Wooden drying rack in front of the wood stove for drying clothes. Jeans and heavy items take a couple of days to dry the rest dry within 10-12 hours. One thing about living a simpler life, sometimes you have to air your laundry right in the kitchen*wink* 

Mike welded up some brackets last weekend and we got all the hoses drained, blown out and hung up for the winter. Another "To Do" before winter item checked off.

The raspberries I transplanted this spring did well behind the garage. I've gotten them all dressed for the winter with composted manure and straw. Praying next spring the really take off and fill in this area.

The strawberries that we transplanted didn't fair so well this summer, but those that did survive and thrive I wanted to protect, so mulched them with straw and leaves for the winter. We'll be praying that the survivors will grow and produce runners, so we can fill in the areas where the others died off.

Closest to the hoop house is our Fall garlic, over 100 cloves planted and the rest are the raised beds we build up this Spring, all dressed and ready for a long winter's rest. I left some millet for the bird over the winter( tall clump standing in the background). I still have my asparagus to cut back and dress for winter, but will hold off until we freeze again.

The garden looks lonely now. There is Kale, Chard and Spinach( the green in front of the hoop house) still in the garden, we are feeding this to the poultry and how they love it! :o)  We still need to dig some of the sun chokes and get them cut back. It seems I always have good intentions of getting all this done, so Spring clean up is lessened, then the time just seems to slip away*sigh*

Stove ash, good garden dressing as well as a good dust hole additive for the chickens and turkeys.

We haven't forgotten the Kraut, in fact it is literally days away from being ready to can. I didn't take any pictures of the skimming process, I thought maybe it might turn some of you off a bit. The skimming is a mix of a sliminess and frothing and isn't in the least bit appetizing. Mike hates the smell and is always glad for Kraut making to be completed, LOL!!!

We also butchered three of the remaining Tom turkeys on Saturday. One of these is sold and the two remaining birds will go into our freezer. Our turkey flock has been downsized for the winter and we'll be downsizing the chickens as well. With feed cost rising and our need for eggs decreasing we'll add several of the older hens to the freezer for soups and casseroles and a few younger ones for fried or baked chicken.

Our weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse by this coming weekend, with temps. only being into the low 30'sF for day time highs and the evening lows into the single digits, Brrrrrr........ Sure glad we have plenty of wood and the animals all have nice shelters and plenty of bedding, food and water. I'm betting, we'll see the stock pot filled with poultry grain mix and water with a touch of molasses and kelp added, cooking on the wood cook stove, Cortney truly spoils her birds*wink*

Starting to think of our Christmas projects and taking inventory of items needed to complete them. So far we seem to have plenty of needed items and if we do come across something, we'll first look at secondhand shops before resorting to buying new. 

I was blessed with some clothes, several very nice pairs of sweatpants( which I love in winter), some really nice sweaters and slacks as well. I think we're all set for winter, just a few last minute details and we'll be ready to hunker in for a long winters rest. I'm looking forward to slower days. :o)

Blessings to you all. :o)