canning

I'm working on canning the preserves and marmalades I made over the last three weeks. I like to let the stuff accumulate in the fridge, and wait for a day to can that is either cool, or very warm when I know I'll have the air conditioner running, to start the canning pot boiling. The jams last a long time in the fridge but take up too much space, so eventually it all has to be sealed properly to

The chickens are going to be hot today. I guess we all are. It's going to be the last heat wave of the summer, or summer as defined by the school year, since school starts tomorrow. We're processing the birds on Sunday, so I hope they make it until then. When they are large, it's hard for their little hearts to keep up. And, when it's hot and they're large, they are prone to susceptability to

my first cantaloupe

I left the kitchen this morning to enter my second office, and let the screen door bang against its frame. The door is badly in need of repair, and before the fall spiders take it over, Bob will take it apart and replace the screen that came out of its grooves. Your back door is your front door here in Vermont, so what do people think when they see this relic? Few people come up the driveway and

A Femivore bucket list

As a professional woman with one foot in the world of public policy, and one firmly stuck in the mud in my 22 acre farm, I am a proud femivore. I raise chickens, minicows, bees, turkeys, laying hens, and lots of veggies. We are trying to raise as much of the meat we eat as possible -- and what we don't raise we usually buy from a wholesaler who buys mainly native produce. We have a buying group,

damage from the wind storm

Burton Island, VT -- please, please don't go there

Burton Island is a wonderful state park in Vermont, in the middle of Lake Champlain. No cars, just tents and lean-to's and a lot of really nice people. But, it's really hard to get campsites there due to the popularity. So, I'm going to show photos from our trip there this month, but please, please don't ever go there, unless you just want to make a day trip of it.