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Erin
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I'm not so sure this a good idea. I don't know much about chickens, so I can't say for sure, but I do know that using a laser pointer to "play" with dogs or cats is very dangerous. It can not only cause permanent damage to their eyes, it can also ...
We here at Stonebranch Farm have a tip for any one with fowl. We have found that the best way to herd our chickens is to use a laser-pointer. Point it near them and they freak out. It is much easier to put them up at night now! It is very importan...
I've also learned that instead of digging around in my squash plants, if you soak the whole plant with the water hose it's easier to suck up squash bugs. They don't like getting wet so they come up on the leaves. In response to Cornelia, Our vacuu...
This is kinda gross but have you heard of bug juice repellent? Since insects emit pheromones when distressed, organic gardeners will take all the bugs they vacuum up and put them in a blender....grind them up and add water... then spray that back ...
For squirrels? A bigger vacuum! :) Interesting Erin...this is a great idea. So how do you keep from sucking up stuff you want to keep - like the young plant and the soil?
This year we added a new weapon on the pest-control front. It seems to me that a gardener is also a soldier against bugs, birds, squirrels, and countless other things. I'm sure there are easy ways, such as pesticides, but to this farm that's a di...
This year we were blessed by an increase in our livestock. My aunt, who is a second grade teacher, hatched out seventeen chicks as a classroom project and gave them to us. We are always grateful for free chicks! A few weeks later my aunt called ...
Comment Wall (3 comments)
- At 10:31am on September 15, 2009,
Erin said…
- Here is one of my favorite poems:
Rosemary
"FOR the sake of some things
That be now no more
I will strew rushes
On my chamber-floor,
I will plant bergamot
At my kitchen-door.
For the sake of dim things
That were once so plain
I will set a barrel
Out to catch the rain,
I will hang an iron pot
on an iron crane.
Many things be dead and gone
That were brave and gay;
For the sake of these things
I will learn to say,
"An it please you, gentle sirs,"
"Alack! and "Well-a-day!"
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
- At 10:14pm on August 19, 2009,
Carol said…
- I am going to try to go to the class this fall and get started on putting some barrels out. It has always been on my list of things to do around here.
I am ready for fall and some cooler weather so I can get more done out there to get ready for next year.
- At 7:19pm on August 17, 2009,
Carol said…
- Sorry I am so slow to respond to your comment. That was quite a storm but everything here survived okay. I was scared to hear how loud and quick the wind picked up but the rain was welcome this time of year!
We could use a little rain now, maybe some of those tropical storms will send a little our way.
The Texas Agrilife Center (formerly Texas A & M Agriculture Research Center) in Richardson is holding a Rainwater barrel class, $40 bucks with everything included. There are a couple coming up on the schedule this month and one more in October I think.
Are you growing your blueberries in the bog garden? I have killed several blueberry bushes in the last few years. I have one in a pot doing not much more than surviving.
Stay Cool!
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- What Kind of HOMEGROWN are You?
- 100% Homegrown
- A bit about me:
- I manage a small farm.
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- Empire of the Sun
- My latest DIY project:
- Two quilts, one granny-square throw, and a knit heart-warmer.
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Another handy tool!
We here at Stonebranch Farm have a tip for any one with fowl. We have found that the best way to herd our chickens is to use a laser-pointer. Point it near them and they freak out. It is much easier to put them up at night now! It is very important that our chickens get locked up in their houses at night, because the coyotes and other animals who have easy access to our place (we are backed up to the woods and near a river). I have to say I wasn't thinking that it would work, but I went out in t… Continue
Posted on October 19, 2009 at 11:50am — 1 Comment
A Handy Weapon
This year we added a new weapon on the pest-control front. It seems to me that a gardener is also a soldier against bugs, birds, squirrels, and countless other things. I'm sure there are easy ways, such as pesticides, but to this farm that's a dirty word. So what do you… Continue
Posted on August 6, 2009 at 2:55pm — 3 Comments
Chicken Tractor
Posted on June 30, 2009 at 1:32pm —
It pays to be a pack-rat!
Posted on June 8, 2009 at 12:18pm —
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Staff Recipes: Roasted Heritage Breed Turkey
Even though my Thanksgiving will be a party of two, I like to prepare for the possibility of ten! When I heard Wendy was getting a Lilac turkey from Wells Tavern Farm in Shelburne, Massachusetts I jumped on board for a bird.Wells Tavern has raised about 30 of their turkeys for fresh Thanksgiving birds. They are selling heritage breed birds that have had access to pasture throughout the spring and summer, eating natural Vermont grain and scratch feeds – with no antibiotics or added hormones. The turkeys are kept in large fenced pastures, which allows them to naturally scratch and forage, and provides them with protection from predators.
Wendy has been talking about her delicious turkey for a while now, and I am excited to see if I can find success with my first attempt at making Thanksgiving dinner.
Here is her recipe from last year:
Whether fresh or frozen, bring the bird to room temperature before cooking.
Cover the breast with a piece of brown paper cut from a shopping bag, rub it with cooking oil, and tie it in place with cotton string. Alternatively, soak a piece of cotton cloth in unsalted oil, such as corn oil. Remove the covering about 30 minutes before the turkey is done so the breast will brown.Roast heritage turkeys in a hot oven pre-heated to 425F-450F and cook until an internal thigh temperature of 140F-150F is reached. Don't let the tip of the thermometer touch the bone. (Note: The USDA recommends turkeys be cooked to 160F-180F, but these temperature will dry out a heritage turkey. Heritage birds are much more free of disease and bacteria, unlike commercially-raised birds, and do not need extreme temperatures to make them safe for consumption).
Truly the thought of cooking at such a high heat terrified me but it worked out great. We had a 17lb turkey that cooked in 1 1/2 hours.
Cook any stuffing first and put inside the heritage turkey before roasting. Due to the reduced cooking time, stuffing won't become fully cooked. Alternatively, try adding a quartered orange, apple and/or pear inside the cavity instead of stuffing.
Let the roasted bird rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
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