Productive Sunday,

 Fruits of our labor.  It was a beautiful weekend to get things done around the farm.  The much needed rail, while put off things that needed to be done outside, helped with the things needing done inside. 
I spent Saturday cleaning the house and the breezeway.  Gone is the brooder which stank to high heavens.  ( Turkeys poop alot).  The floor is vacuumed and the breezeway orginized.  Sunday was a day spent canning. 

First I had to cut up the beans and then boil them. I think that is the longest part of the canning process. 

I ended up with 14 pint containers of greenbeans.  Last week I bought some cherries on sale.  This week they turned into Cherry Jam. 

This is the book the kids bought me last Christmas when we moved into the house.  This is where I read the recipe for both, canning the beans and making the jam. 

Next week we're going to turn these bad boys into bread and butter pickles.  It's alot of work but then again, it's fun.  The garden is doing great.  We get 3-4 summer squash and zuccini a day.  We have pumpkin growing along with a slew of tomatoes.  They all look like they're going to go red on the same day.   God help me if that happens. 

Well I hope you all enjoy your week.  Remember to support your local farmers market.  You can usually find some great fruits and veggies there.. along with great deals. 

First Fruits.

All of the work is starting to pay off.  I have picked the first fruits of the season.  Green beans are in along with summer squash and zuccini.  Soon there should be tomatoes.  The weeding the watching and the hoping have all paid off.  This weekend I should have enough green beans to start canning.  The winter squashes and the pumpkins are doing fantastic. 
I love tending a garden watching things grow, taking care of things and the harvest.  It's all good.  I can't wait for the corn to come in.  Fresh corn on the cob.  It tastes so much better when you know what went into the growing.  I try to stay as organic as possible, last week I had to spray with organic bug spray to keep the potatoe beetles under control and not lose my crop.  The pesticide was made out of other flowers and such.  It worked really well too.  Soon the cuckumbers should come in, then we can put up some pickles.  I have a ton of tomatoes when they get ripe.  That means jars of speghetti sauce. I love this farm stuff!! Here's hoping you all enjoy the nice weather we're getting. 

I love a small town. Happy 4th.

I love a small town.  With the passing of Andy Griffith, it kind of brings your memories back to the 60s and 70s when he was on TV with The Andy Griffith show and Mayberry RFD.  We live in a small town also, it is so nice to see the community come togther for the common good.  The Library hosted this years 4th of July Parade.  Their goal was to raise monies for the small park that is attached to the library.  It was a small pararde, not more than 10 - 15 minutes long.  But it was the spirit of the parade that made it special. 
At Halloween I was overwhelmed with the amount of trick or treaters that came around.  Now I know why.  The community of this little village is amazing.  There is genuine concern for the community.  Here are some of the pics from he fourth. 

From goats in a boat to the people who respond to our emergencies.  Everyone turned out.  After the parade we had a little BBQ with some of the family and extedned family.  Amy's parents along with my sister and her husband.  Steve and his mother, his sister and her family also joined us. 

All in all it was a good day!  Grilled food, good company along with fairly good weather.  As the day wore on the boys started the fire pit and we annoyed or delighted ( insert either) the neighborhood with some fireworks. 
It was amazing to see a little community come together to celebrate the 4th and support the Library.   It's not Mayberry, that would be a little naive in this day and age, but I think it's about as close as we'll get.

Happy Summer!!

Hello All and Happy Summer. 
It's been a while since I've posted anything.  It's been very busy here around the farm.  We have 15 new chickens and one new rooster.  We've also bought 4 turkeys to raise for the freezer. 

Joshua is almost 10 months old.  Time is just going too fast. 

The garden is in and growing at an amazing rate.   Today I spent the day weeding and planting some late corn and carrots.  It has been perfect as far as rain and sunshine.  I sense there may be alot of canning going on here at Flying Wytch Farm come harvest time.

I've extended the chicken coop to make room for the new girls. 

It's amazing how big they get also.  They should start laying by then end of August.  We should get over a dozen eggs a day when they do.   We have the 4th of July coming up.  Cookouts and fireworks. 
I'm hoping to get back to posting on a regular basis.  Hope you all are enjoying the summer!

New Additions and the first day of spring!

Happy Spring Everyone!!
I hope everyone has been enjoying the last few days!  It has been fantastic weather.  Spring fever for sure.  Lots going on here at Flying Wytch Farm.  Planning the garden, pig pen, goat pen and adding to the existing stock of chickens we already have.  Meet the new girls of Flying Wytch Farm.



My new favorite store is the Tractor Supply Store.  They have everything you need for a mini farm.. or a large farm for that matter.  We picked up 6 NH Reds and 6 Lace Wynodottes.  They are so cute.    We also picked up blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes and strawberry plants.  Along with 2 new friends for Amy and Joshua.

We now have Pete and Wilbur.. two little ducklings.  A little skittish.  Buty they'll get used to people soon.  Next we'll be looking for 3 - 4 turkeys.  Around Mid April we'll be looking for 2 Pigs.  By then it should be time to plant the garden.   The weather has been so fantastic.  It's almost too good to be true.  70's in the middle of March.  Spring has sprung!

Busy Day Applesauce Cake

Here is a quick and easy recipe when your in a rush but you need an elegant and tasty dessert.  Busy Day Applesauce Cake is just the thing. 

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 C applesauce
1/3 C oil
3 Eggs
1 1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Cloves
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan.  Turn onto cake plate, dust with powdered sugar. 

serve.

Being busy here on the farm, we don't always have the time to make it from scratch.  We take advantage of the packaged mix.  This is a delicious moist cake that is easy to make but tastes like it took you all day to make.  Your company will never know.

Getting ready to start the tomato and pepper plants.  Temps are supposed to be in the 60's by the end of the week.   Can't wait for spring!! 

What a nice day to bake a pie.

What a beautiful day here at Flying Wytch Farm.  You can almost touch spring.  You know it is so close.  I decided to bake a pie today.  A squash pie to be exact.  I love squash pie.  My favorite brand is One Pie.  But.... I'll tell you a secret later on. 

I start with a prerolled shell.  It is so much easier.  I know it's cheating... but it's so convienient.    I use One Pie, but in a pinch you can still make a squash pie from a can of pumpkin.  What people don't know is that they mix them all together, squash and pumpkin.  Then they can them under either, One Pie squash or One Pie pumpkin.  So the secret is that you can use a can of pumpkin to make a squash pie. 

Here's the recipe I use.  It's the same one on the One Pie Squash can.

1 Can Squash
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
2 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 cups milk or 1 - 12 oz can of evaporated milk.

Mix the sugar, salt and spices together.  Blend well into the squahs.  Beat the two eggs seperately and add the milk.  Stir well and blend into the squash mixture.  Pour into a 9" pie plate lined with crust.  Pre heat oven bake 20 min at 425 degrees, then 45 min at 375 degrees.

Then enjoy!!  It's been a relaxing day today, cooking dinner, meatloaf and baked potatoes, greenbeans and turnip.  I also made brownies for dessert. 
Take advantage of the cool weekends, before you know it, it's going to be spring and then summer.  We'll be be wishing we had time to bake.

Seed Catalogs are in!!!  Some with good deals.  I'm looking forward to a large garden this year.  My main goal is to have everything on our Thanksgiving table be home grown.  Even the turkey.  I already have the catalogs marked and highlighted with the seeds that I want to grow.  I've got the plans for homemade seed tapes for the little seeds like carrots and turnip.  I'd like to try peas and spinich along with lettuce this year.  Most of all I'm looking forward to having a pumpkin patch.  I would really like to see if Linus was right and see if the Great pumpkin comes to my patch.  It is now 6 and a half weeks away from spring.  February 2nd is coming up on us.  Christians call it St. Bridgets day or Candlemas, Pagans call it Imbolg.  Either way we're halfway through the winter and need to give thanks for that.  Not to forget to mention Groundhogs Day!   We here at Flying Wytch Farm will celebreate the midcycle of winter by having a nice beef stew along with homemade bread.   We will be greateful that spring is almost here!  We will light candles to welcome the lengthening days, and be greatful for each others company. 

Robins come to Flying Wytch Farm

It looks like an early spring, at least we hope.  Today we were looking out the window and there was a flock of cow birds and robins that were eating off of our Bitter sweet bush.  I've never seen robins up this far north so early.   Or maybe I just never noticed.  They were busy eating the bittersweet and drinking melted water off of Scott's cars hood, where he had just pulled in to the driveway no longer than an hour ago.  If this is a sign of an early spring, I'll take it.  Only a few more weeks and we'll wait for the groundhog to give us another sign.  Better get those seeds ordered.

A New Year!!

The Holidays are over.  All of the hustle and bustle that goes along with them has now settled down to a dull roar.  This will be the first weekend since buying Flying Wytch Farm that we hav a chance to just sit down and enjoy the house. 
Our thoughts now are going to planning the garden, setting up the pig pen and getting more chickens.  The seed catalogs are in, pages marked.  We've got winter projects to do.  Organize the barn.   Clean the cellar.  Make a list wth things to do when the weather turns warmer.  Not that we've had such a bad winter so far.  The temps have been pretty good.  The snow has been minimal, the majority of it falling Halloween weekend. 
We've posted pictures of Christmas here at Flying Wytch. The baby had such a good time Christmas morning.  When the last present was unwrapped he turned his head and propmtly fell asleep for a few minutes, giving us time to clean up the paper and get a cup of coffee.  There were no large expensive presents this year.  Mostly just things we needed or small things we asked for.  The biggest present already having been unwrapped and painted and papered and fixed.  The farm was the best present we could have given ourselves.  It's not what you get at Christmastime, it's what you already have that matters.  We have each other and we have the new baby.  So all in all Life is Good.  Things have a way of working out, you just have to believe.  We go into this new year with a new perspective on things.  We took a dream last year, added plenty of patients, a dash of frustration and understanding, a bit of perseverence, alot of hard work, some yelling and screaming, a few moments of hair pulling and weeks of living in chaos.  We were told it couldn't be done.  We were told we could never get this done in this economy.  We did, we pulled up our bootstaps and just believed.  So, if I have one catch phase for the new year it would be " Walk by Faith, not by Sight". It dosen't matter what faith you are, it just matters that you have it.   I hope 2012 is just as good to us as 2011 was.  My other hope is that we appriciate it just as much!  Happy New Year Everyone!!!!