Again the view from the front porch reflects the changing of the seasons. Long gone are the beautiful colors of the autumn leaves replaced by the freezing rain and snow of winter. Days are filled with providing warm bedding for the animals and clearing ice from their waterers so that they have plenty of non frozen water. The seed catalogs have started to trickle in and I have begun my yearly mooning over the beautiful pictures and descriptions inside each catalog. Christmas cards are mailed and the presents are stacked in the spare room waiting to be wrapped.
The venison is safely tucked in the freezer and O Wise One killed half a dozen turkeys yesterday from the flock of spring hatchlings.
A portion of the meat was ground into ground turkey for chili, tacos and spaghetti.
The breast and loin was sliced into turkey cutlets. Add a salad and a few vegetable sides and these become nice lean winter meals.
The bones become broth that I will can into jars tomorrow. With a storm moving in tonight it will give me something constructive to do while it snows.
And O Wise One's favorite, the legs, will be frozen to eventually go into the smoker.
We have about 10 more birds to be butchered out there but it will have to wait until we eat some more from the freezers because our freezers are still packed full.
I have been babysitting the grandsons several times this week because Fred has had finals all week. She has been taking some college courses online and giving her time to work on her school work also gives me a day or two a week with my grandsons.
I think I am finally getting over my cold but it sure was persistent. Baby O also has had tests all week and is working hard on her schoolwork as well. As I type this tonight I can hear freezing rain hitting the tin roof. Sometime tonight it is supposed to change over to snow. We are all stocked up here though and ready for whatever mother nature may throw at us.
Things have been exceedingly quiet here on the homestead and I hope for all of you as well. We ignore most of the holiday silliness and choose to buy presents early, online or make our own. Christmas dinner is safely tucked away in the freezer and pantry. So as the weather turns bad and the madness that surrounds the holidays increase we simply do as we always do and enjoy the simpleness and serenity of our lifestyle. We keep busy with our farm chores and stay out of everyone's way. I did go to the grocery store a week or so ago and swore I won't go back until after Christmas no matter what! I have plenty powdered milk and several loaves of bread in the freezer. I am making a strategic withdrawal for my own safety and sanity.
Don't know where all that "Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men" went but it aint in the Walmart.
So for now I will leave you all I just wanted to check in.
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
I love reading your updates. How lovely to be so well stocked!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who does Christmas shopping online or makes them. I really try to stay clear of stores this time of year, except for the little ones in our small town:)
Merry Christmas from Canada!
So great to get stocked up like this. Merry Christmas from Missouri
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me about storing staples? Want to buy flour, sugar, and salt in bulk but worry about storing them and the length of time I can store them. Thank you for sharing all this information with us the blogging want to bees.
ReplyDeleteMy flour I store in the freezer either in the bags it comes in or large jugs. Freezing it helps to kill any bugs that may be lurking in it. Sugar I store in large glass jars moisture and bug (ants) proof. Salt can be stored in airtight containers and even put in paper bags and then placed in a vacuum bag and vacuum sealed or placed in jars and sealed with a vacuum sealer attachment for jars to prevent it from drawing moisture. Flour stored in my freezer keeps for atleast a year. If you are not freezing... then wheat stores more long term but then you would have to invest in a grinder and buckets with seals to store the wheat in. I do not store staples long term as in years. I usually have enough on hand for a year at a time. There are many sites that cover storage long term if you are looking at getting into prepping. Katzcradul is a great site on youtube and a personal friend that shares some great knowledge on this subject (prepping long term).
DeleteBlessings CQ
So glad to see your post today...hoping nothing had happened to you guys. I always check your blog as it is the best one out on the net. Merry Christmas to all. vera in Tx
ReplyDeleteWell bless your heart Vera in TX and aren't you full of compliments. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year. I too am just staying home and out of the madness. When I do have to go to the store, I go early, early in the day. It is so nice to have a good stock in the freezer and pantry. We don't as large a stock as you do, but it does very well for us. My girls (Chickens) were very glad to see me when I went out to check on them today! They are still laying well. Thanks again for your blog...I so enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteStay warm
Love the header pic!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you! Do you roast a whole turkey for any of your holiday meals??? I have cooked some tough home grown chickens and worry that my royal palm bird would be unedible. I have cooked the chickens in pressure cooker with good results. Also have canned them. Beth
ReplyDeleteNo I do not roast my homegrown turkeys. We are not fans of roast turkey and for holidays are much more prone to cook a ham or purchase a prime rib. Why because we eat turkey all the time and we like something special for holidays that we don't eat often. And you are right that many times homegrown turkeys can be tough if not butchered extremely young.
DeleteGood to hear all is well. My goal is to have a stocked pantry one day. I have a little, but its sure not going to get us through the winter.
ReplyDeleteDo you buy Turkey chicks in the spring or eggs to hatch or do you have a pair that provides you with fertile eggs? I think I've read that you have a rooster and hen in the chicken world but don't remember the turkey.
We maintain a small flock containing a gobbler and a couple hens. Every spring they hatch enough small turkeys for us to butcher for our use in the winter. I also maintain a small chicken flock for the same reason with a rooster and about a dozen hens. They provide eggs throughout most of the year and chicks for butchering.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteI've been able to slip into WM and other stores on my lunch hour to do shopping so I've avoided crowds pretty well. Didn't order too much online this year. But I'm with ya'll on crowds... Hate em' and would rather stay home.
Thanks for the reply. I hope you a very relaxing holiday as well as all your followers.
Glad to hear all is well miss your posts. We stay out of crazymart as well as all shopping areas this time of year as well.
ReplyDeleteI try not to go to Walmart after Thanksgiving through the first of the year.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy family and the cozy inside times.
Happy Holidays
I am so with you on that.
DeleteI was so glad to see your post today. It cheered me right up! I read faithfully and have certainly been missing all the great information you provide.
ReplyDeleteDon't know where all that "Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men" went but it aint in the Walmart.
ReplyDeleteHaha.. Boy is that an understatement.. I got a great laugh out of it.. I dont go to WM any time I can avoid it.. Holidays or not.
Wishing you & your family a most joyful season! Blessings!
I love being snowed in through the winter. Cooking is my favorite winter past time. :o)
ReplyDeleteI do though, still love Walmart - even through the holidays. I love seeing friends in town, giving/receiving an encouraging hug, hearing about who's coming to visit during their breaks, seeing people excited to choose gifts for someone special. ect. (though I do most of my shopping online as well!) Walmart is my place to visit & buy a few groceries. LoL
And there are good things happening too, a friend shared with me just last week that she was in line to check out at Walmart. A young mother with a baby was at the register & a young man behind her with my friend 3rd in line. The mom tried paying with her debit card & it was rejected, then she tried with 2 different credit cards, both rejected. She started digging through her purse when the young man paid for her purchases. No impatience or scowls from anyone for her to hurry up or for coming ill prepared. That's in a 'booming' town of 15,000 people & kindness is common here. I love it. Rude things happen as well but for the most part if someone is rude there are more people around saying they must be having a bad day & need someone to be kind to them. I guess we must have all the peace & goodwill here in Arkansas! ;o) We'll try to blow some up your way & you can help spread it around.
Great story! The difference is that I live 30 miles away from the nearest Walmart and travel there only for things that I cannot find closer to home. Thus I rarely run into neighbors that far away from home. If I were in the local post office, bank or small town grocery store in the area where I live I would be more apt to visit with neighbors. Walmart for me is the place to go to find those things I can't find closer to home. It is a superstore but small by comparison to some of the larger ones in cities. It is always terribly crowded and undermanned. All of those things make a huge difference in the shopping experience.
DeleteStay safe and warm in the holler, CQ! Hugs and love from down south where it's ain't much warmer right now. Raining and cold here on the mountain top.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours.
Laura
Merry Christmas to you and your. We are keeping a low profile here as well. Looking forward to our candle light Christmas eve service. I Try to stay out of the madness between Thanksgiving and Christmas by planning ahead and working on things at home during that time.The latest big storm to hit my neck of the woods yesterday was kind of a fizzler. I do love a white Christmas.
ReplyDeletePeggy in Ohio
I've been following your blog since last spring - it's my favorite. For about the last 15 years almost all of my christmas shopping is done online. I wait for the sales & free shipping - then there is not need for me to battle the crowds, use my gas or put the miles on my car. UPS, FedEx, or USPS can just bring it to my door. This also cuts down on any impulse buys.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and I wish you and your family a happy and healthy new year!
I am Brandywine27 from Chicago.
You are right - Peace on Earth and goodwill towards men cannot be found at the Walmart. I am trying to avoid it as well until after Christmas. Had to get a gallon of milk for the kiddos at the gas station this weekend, but it will allow me to avoid it for at least another week or so.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
I've heard that turkey meat gains popularity in Australia. "More than half of turkey consumed (54%) is made up of fresh turkey cuts including turkey mince, sliced turkey and pre-prepared turkey products with marinades." Read more at: http://bs-agro.com/index.php/news/other-countries/23235-australia-turkey-meat-gains-popularity-in-australia
ReplyDeleteI really love your blog. I just love it that you come from the south, I come from Louisiana. A suburb outside of New Orleans. You and husband live how I have always wanted to live. God bless y'all!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete