The Cole Homestead

Sorry gone so long

I really did not mean to be gone so long.  The past few weeks have been filled with the garden coming due all at once.  There was so much to can!  Green beans, corn, salsa, tomatoes, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, peaches, jams and jellies.  So far the wonderberry jam is my favorite.  And of course we had the hottest weather so far this year.  (Heat indexes over 100)  Now things are starting to slow down a bit and we are getting ready to spend more time schooling as weather and garden allow. My daughter is growing her first pumpkin and she is pretty excited. 

Since the weather is getting to a more "workable" temp we have decided that next weekend would be a good time to butcher chickens.  I have heard that there is a chance of rain so we might have to work around that.  I hope to get about 60 to 70 done then.  That will leave me with 28 layers.  Most of them are leghorns but there are a few buff's to help with the mothering.

So far my experiments with soap are going pretty good.  I have been working on a pure old fashioned lye soap.  My only complaint has been that it tends to "curdle" in my hard water.  I have found that if I dissolve a bit of borax in my lye water before it is mixed with the fats it tends to work a lot better.  I am still learning.

We have also grown and now ground our own wheat for our bread.  My husband bought an attachment for our kitchen-Aid for grinding grain.  The flavor was good before but now it is even better.  Fresh ground wheat make all the difference.

We also invested in a sock knitting machine.  This has been a bit of a problem.  I need to get new needles for it and they can be a little difficult to come by.   I have found a place on the net that still carries the needles I need so I will be purchasing them soon.  I want to make sure that the machine is in good working order before fall.  This is to be one of my major winter projects.  Along with quilting so course!

I must end for now.  this is the only chance I have to work on my sewing while the youngest is asleep.  I hope to post pics of our going ons real soon.

Sorry gone so long

I really must apologize for being gone for so long.  I have been up to my ears in garden.  We planted 4lbs of green beans this year and we are no reaping the benefits.  A bit frozen and the rest were canned.  Boy was that an experience.  This was my first year attempting to can quarts on my glass top electric stove.  (It was free so I can't complain.)  My smaller canner works great on it and so does my water bath canner but my larger canner just won't work.  The sensor wants to shut down every time the canner gets up to temp.  That left my handy wood cook stove.  Not only has the temps been around 90 but we add a wood cook stove to the mix..  To say the least we are tuckered out!  Most of the beans has been put away so the rest in the garden are for fresh use and friends and family.

My Tomatoes are starting to have blooms.  they seems pretty late this year but better late than never.  The wonderberries also are in bloom and I am looking forward to wonderberry jam.  My little girl also pick the first squash of the season and the veggie spaghetti are starting to set on also.

Now that the house is a bit cooler we are working on dresses for my daughter.  I am finishing up the rest of the washable pads, wipes and then I can work on night gowns.  (For those of you that have ordered or requested, they should be out this Friday.  Sorry so late but I think you will all like the new design.)  I have added a large table to my living room for this purpose.  I was having a hard time working then cleaning off for lunch then starting again and then cleaning up for dinner.  I spent more time cleaning up and shuffling.  Not very productive.  This way everything is ready when I have a free moment or two.  Everything works out in the end.

Fresh Green beans

My daughter and I just picked our first batch of green beans of the season.  I have been looking forward to the garden this year for so long.  Everyday since we put the garden in we have been playing the great waiting game.  You weed and hoe and water and wait.  And wait.  And wait some more.  You keep telling yourself how great these foods will taste fresh and how great they will taste this winter.  Then finally comes the day when you can pick them.  Hopefully we will can about 52 quarts.  that is about what we need.  But for now, we are going to eat as much fresh as possible.  We are having round steak, mashed potatoes, and fresh green beans for supper tonight.

Every day my little girl asks if it is time to pick something from the garden.   When the strawberries came due it was very hard to keep her from picking them green.  She explained that the reason why she picked them that way was because "her goats only like green strawberries". Silly girl!  She has also been feeding them mulberries and black rasberries.  Hopefully she will not feed them the green beans!

Spring Planting

I am almost finished with our spring planting.  We still have to put the peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage out.  The have all been started in the house and now just now need to be placed in the ground.  They have been telling us that it was going to rain for 4 days now, with no results. 

WE have also not mowed our lawn.  With gas and diesel prices continuing to rise who can afford it?  What I need is a goat.  We are hoping to get 2 from my uncle.  WE was going to let me have 2 fainting goats that he was getting but his wife decided that they were just too good not to own herself.  That is probably for the best.  I just know that my children would enjoy that just a little too much.  I have a feeling those poor goats would never be on their feet! 

I also wanted to share what great luck I have had with Simmons plant farm that was suggested on Homesteadblogger.  Those were the best strawberry plants I have ever received.  I have ordered from Gurneys and direct gardening and they have all lived but the have not thrived like those that I have received from Simmons plant farm.  I will definitely place another order next year.  This year I planted their strawberries and dewberries.  Maybe next year I will try their asparagus.  With better plants and great prices who could pass it up!

Been planting and I am sore!

I have just barely started planting and I am already sore.  I must be getting out of shape.  Or maybe into a very bad shape.  My husband and I  planted only half of our potatoes last night ( about 70 pounds) and I continued to plant 300 strawberry plants, 10 dewberry plants, 14 Rhubarb plants, and 24 asparagus while the hubby took the kids for a tractor ride. 

Our little boy is only 2 but already enjoys the tractor.  He is so content just to sit on daddies knee and put put around the yard.  The only time he throws a fit is when it is time to get off.  Our little girl is a different story.  She has never licked the tractors.  She would always hide behind my skirt and cover her ears.  Well, this time she saw brother go for a ride and she thought "Hmmm, I wanna do that"  so she had her first trip on the tractor.  She seemed to really enjoy it too!

It is supposed to rain till Sunday so there is not much I can do in the garden so I will try to concentrate on getting the house into a fit state.  We are planning a party for my grandmother on Sunday since her birthday is May 1st and mothers day is shortly there after.  With gas prices as high as they are we try to combine events in our family for those that live a bit further off. 

Garden update

I thought that I would share an update about our garden.  So far most of the plants have been started.  The only seeds that did not germinate were the soapwort.  I tried these twice so I must be doing something wrong.  Not quite sure.  Maybe they need special attention.

Most of my seeds this year came from www.rareseeds.com  I Have been so impressed with others have been saying about em and there selection is amazing!  Plus these are heirloom seeds and seeds from around the world.  When I looked at the category for red tomatoes ( yes there are separate cat for each color of tomatoes) there were 66 different varieties.  Amazing!

One type we ordered just to try were called German red strawberry.  Here is the description: Big, flavorful 1 lb fruit are shaped like a giant, red strawberry. These beautiful tomatoes are loaded with a rich, sweet flavor. With only a small amount of seeds and juice, they are great for canning and sandwiches. This superior tasting tomato is a family heirloom from Germany.   That sounds just what we need.  Here's a pic

Other type that we ordered was a grape tomato.  So many of my extended family loves these so I thought that I would order a start.  They are called Principe  Borghese.  I have no idea how to pronounce that but they look great!  Here's the description a pic.  The Italian heirloom that is famous for sun drying. Small 1-2 oz. grape-shaped fruit are very dry and have few seeds. They have a rich tomato taste that is wonderful for sauces. Determinate vines yield clusters of fruit in abundance, perfect for selling in fresh markets and making specialty products. We offer pure Italian seed. 

I also ordered more wonderberries.  I thought these would look great on my front porch in a few pots.  I also want some for the garden and for family.  These are supposed to be very easy for kids to grow.   

This weekend I plan on starting the cabbage and broccoli.  I hope I have room!  Hope every ones gardens are doing well!
 

Seeds, Seeds, Seeds, Everywhere!

I have started Some of my seeds for spring.  I normally start 3 different groups at 2 week intervals.  The first planting is wonderberries, asparagus, sweet peppers, and Rhubarb.  Also most of my herbs.  So far I have started 216 plants.  The next group will be Tomatoes.  Not all 72 of these will be for me.  Some will go to my Uncles and others to my Grandmother.  Then comes my favorite plants.  Broccoli and cabbage.  I just love cabbage.  I am looking forward to corned beef and cabbage.

I have recently started my corned beef for the year.  It will have to sit a few more days then we can start to can it up.  Corned beef and cabbage is one of those foods that I could eat everyday.  Not that my family would enjoy that Haha!. 

My only concern for the garden at this point is water.  It seems that most of this winter the garden has been under both water and snow.  We are also planing on expanding the garden and make a few new gardens.  I am so glad that we got that new tiller last summer.   We are also going to plant a few more apple trees, cherry trees, apricot trees and a few more grapes.  WE are planning on dropping a few trees in order to make best use of this space for the new gardens. 

We are also planning on getting a few goats.  As of yet, this is still just a hope.  The only certainty is the chickens and guineas.  Chickens should come in April and the guineas should come in June.  That is fine with us since my daughter has been saving for guineas for some time now.  She is still carrying the catalog around and points them out to anyone that will hold still.  My husband was a harder sell when it came to the guineas.  He had heard that they talk all the time and was not very sure if he liked that.  Then he heard that they like to chase down snakes.  Well I'll tell you, he is all for it now! 

I am going to try to write more as soon as I can.  I am trying to get most of my sewing caught up but I left my serger at my mother in laws and when it came back to my house the end that plugs into the wall was completely destroyed.  I am so glad I married a man that does electrical and electronics for a living!

Garden plans

I have now decided on a final plan for our gardens this year.  I went to www.plangarden.com to help me "see" what I was doing.  I normally plant a 1/4 acre of sweet corn, 1/4 acre of sunflowers, and 1/4 acre of potatoes.  I also plan 10- 40 foot rows of green beans, and 4 rows of peas.  I also raise Asparagus, Strawberries, and rhubarb in a separate area.  My main garden is actually one of the smaller ones but that is the one that needs the most attention and the most variety.  I will have 51 tomato plants, 38 cucumber, 14 vine peaches, 32 cabbage, 60 peppers, 4 10 foot rows of carrots, 8 10 foot rows of onions, 40 broccoli plants, 12 wonderberries ( This in my first year trying these) a 35 foot row of summer squash and areas of Lettuce, leeks, parsnips, and turnips. 

I recommend the palngarden website to anyone.  They have really helped me lay out my garden in the past and keep track how each plant is doing.  Every year I try to can a bit more since it seems that the family is always growing and have more put away for a rainy day.