Poop, banjo pickers, and turnips

October 29, 2012
In other words, an update:

This past weekend was a busy one in front of the twin cedars. It mostly involved scooping a lot of poop. And I mean A LOT. Almost five gallons of rabbit poop, ten gallons of a beautiful hay and goat poop mixture, and a nice ten gallon bucket of chicken poop. It's amazing what you get from two pygmies, nine chickens, and four little bunnies!

Don't let that make you queasy. Poop, like rain on a garden, is a fabulous thing! When an animal is well taken care of and its diet consists mostly of green material, you end up with some mighty fine, not so smelly, fertilizer. Our goat and rabbit droppings we took straight to the garden. The chicken droppings, though, because of their high nitrogen content, we spread on the part of the garden where there aren't yet any plants. That way it can dry out and become not so potent. 

When all poop was scooped we turned our attention to turnips. In our fall garden so far we have turnips, cabbage, collards, and broccoli. Turnips are pretty much like weed! They were the first to show themselves, the first to get their tall green heads lopped off, and finally, the first to get harvested and neat nice rows replanted. I couldn't believe how fast they grew! For just the two of us we have had plenty, but you can't get enough food to store away! Which is why we went ahead and planted more. 

We pulled up about three gallons of actual turnips and since the greens were looking a tad bit rough, we went ahead and gave Loretta, Lynn, and the Potters (the bunnies) some treats. They were quite thrilled and there wasn't a sign of any greens in either pasture or hutch after about 45 minutes. It's been nice and cold here so the bottoms have been sitting on the porch waiting for yours truly to get out there, peel, chop, and can. Which I am planning to do... some time soon... when I am more motivated... which means that Mister is probably going to have to make me do it in the next two days. 

After all that hard work we were ready for a good yummy lunch. We've been seeing just how long we can put off going to the grocery store. It's amazing what you find in your cabinets and fridge when you really look. How often do we buy stuff, let it ruin, and waste?! 

I subscribe to Southern Plate. Christy Jordan has wonderful recipes and always has a sweet story to go along with each post or some sort of way to show the South in her food. I love it. I've made quite a few of her recipes the last few months, but this one takes the cake. Maybe it's my love of all things vinegary right now, I don't know, but WOW, these were DELICIOUS! It would make a great Octoberfest, football, or Halloween sandwich, are you ready? Just the name makes me love them: BANJO PICKERS. Sorry, we ate them before I even thought about pictures! So, enjoy Christy's original post about them!

 

  

 

Never, and I mean NEVER...

October 17, 2012
... a dull moment. Just when you think things are calm and settling down... the goat gets her head stuck in the gate. 

And then the dog decides to bite said goat on the ear while goat's head is stuck in said gate.

FUN!

You would think pygmies would have a harder time getting stuck in things because they're tiny. Not, Loretta. Like all goats, she believes the grass is greener and the leaves crunchier on the other side.

You still think that, Loretta?

Mmmhmm. Little miss sulked for THREE days after t...
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Bringing my bunny back

October 9, 2012
You know the saying, "Got your goat." You say it when you're upset about something or when something just isn't going right... or some one plays a trick on you. My goat was had today.

Remember my post about having been on Twin Cedars for a full year now? Yeah, I've got plenty to add to that list of things I've learned... I'll save it for year two. So, next September, be ready for another list! 

Today... today... today...

Can I tell y'all about today?

It started off fantastic. Perfect really. It's...
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Tortilla soup

September 29, 2012
It's officially fall and thus officially time to bring out my favorite kitchen appliance: the crock pot. This week, Mister and I were a little lazy and did not go grocery shopping. It's kind of hard to do when he starts evening shift since we know we won't be eating together anyway. So a grocery trip wasn't exactly necessary as we got used to the shift change again. 

The shift change, though, is another reason for the crock pot to make its re-entry into the kitchen scene. It's super easy for m...
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Breakfast for company

September 26, 2012
We have had the pleasure of seeing lots of family this past week and weekend. Not only have we got to see family from Missouri (including the sweetest little niece in the world who I got to see and kiss and squeeze for the first time), Mister's dad and step mom came to stay with us all the way from Minnesota! We had a great visit and were so happy that Mister's parents finally got to see our little homestead for the first time in person. 

So, since we had company, I wanted to fix a yummy break...
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The new place

September 17, 2012
Seriously? I. Have. Been. Pooped. Rather badly, too. Forgive me for not posting in so long. I just know you've all been DYING to know what I've been up to! Heehee. 

Truth is, I've been taking naps. Lots of them. In between naps, however, I do get some things done. This past week the little quail have been enjoying the new home I made for them. 

About a month ago at school someone was going to throw out an old bookshelf. Well, instead of taking up prime real estate at the local dump, I asked if ...
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A year in front of the twin cedars

September 8, 2012
We closed on our house on August 30, 2011. I remember getting those keys and Mister and I calling our family members to tell them the news... then I remember us feeling sick. "Did we just do the right thing?" "Are we going to regret this?" "Can we handle it?" 

Most first time homeowners/newlyweds (although I don't quite see us in the newlywed category anymore) opt for a low maintenance type of dwelling. We had that option. We stared it in the face. We almost chose it. But then we saw 6 acres. ...
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Applesauce!

September 5, 2012
It's been a while... well, maybe only a week, but still. Y'all know how much I love my little blog so it naturally feels longer than that. I have been crazy tired. I mean, a nap a day tired. And naps are easy to take since Mister is on night shift. He's in the bed when I get home, so why not join him? Of course, this has its downside... such as the house being a wreck. A daily nap does not make the house cleaner. Figure that. 

Anyway, my title says applesauce. Back to the topic. This week my s...
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Sausage stuffed tomatoes

August 29, 2012
Remember about a month ago how everything I was making had zucchini in it? Well, since we planted our tomatoes late, we now have an abundance of those delicious, red beauties. Next to a zucchini, a fresh, garden tomato can't be beat!

I had a recipe for sausage stuffed tomatoes that I'd been hanging onto for a week or two. I really wanted to try it, but for some reason or another I just never got around to it... until today. I went out to the garden, found about ten medium-ish tomatoes, and ski...
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Call me crazy

August 28, 2012
Maybe it is crazy to do all this stuff that Mister and I have been doing. Maybe growing your own food, preserving that same food you grew, butchering your own animals, and cooking all your own meals is crazy. But if it is, I really don't want to be sane. I guess the only difference between myself and the people who think it's crazy are the things we buy at the grocery store. 

This past week we added quite a few things to the Twin Cedars. 



Thanks to a former student of mine, her mama, and their ...
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About Me


Heather (Amateur Extraordinaire) I'm Heather, a twenty something that is just starting out in this whole home owning and homesteading thing. My Mister and I moved into our first home in September of 2011. It takes daily hard work to make it a place of peace and rest... I started to say peace and quiet... but if you know us, well, that just doesn't fit. Heehee! I love Jesus, Jane Austen, and Josh. My three loves I found in respective order. If you turn on an Alabama song or old country music I'll sing to the top of my lungs. I love to cook in cast iron, can food from my garden, and take care of all these little homestead critters. Those are just a few of the many things I love in this ol' world. Follow me and you are sure to find out more!

 

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