This Month On The Farm: September 2020

September officially marks the end of summer and I am tomato'd out!  As noted in previous posts, it was a toasty one here this year, as it was for so much of the country, so I am very much ready to move on to the next season.  Bring on the pumpkin spice everything (yes, I am THAT person).

Starting last week our walks around the yard consist of a crisp crunching under our feet.  Our trees are not only changing to their fall colors but are also shedding them quite quickly thanks to some much needed rain.  And so, leaf raking season begins.

I am still toggling between hot and iced coffee, depending on the day.  We've two had days of almost frost and more opportunities are on their way.  I celebrated fall by ordering two new sets of our very favorite flannel sheets from LL Bean.  We replace our well used sheets every few years.  They are expensive but honestly the BEST flannel sheets we've tried.  With the bitter cold winter temps we receive for 5 months of the year, it's well worth it.

Jay also finished building both a food storage pantry space in our basement plus and large pantry shelving unit to go behind the door that leads to the basement.  This has really allowed us to stock up nicely.

Putting Food Up

With the summer garden completed the fall garden is focused on winter squash, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, greens, and beets.  Food preservation is mostly complete.  I planted way too much cabbage so I was able to shred quite a few heads, blanch and then freeze them.  It will be perfect for soups, stir fry's, and unstuffed cabbage casserole.  I've left a few heads in the garden to use up before the first freeze is on the horizon.

I was successful in getting enough green beans for plenty of fresh eating and enough leftover for the freezer.  My goal was a minimum of 20 servings in the freezer and I believe I will make it.  Good thing I planted more late summer!  I was also successful in keeping up with the tomatoes.  I think I only lost 4 or 5 to rot, getting the others either tossed in the freezer for future processing or processed on the date of picking.  We have a ton of tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, and oven-roasted cherry tomatoes for sauce, pizza, pasta dishes, etc.  I'm planning to grow greens into the winter so I haven't worried about getting those put in the freezer.  I've already roasted and froze some pie pumpkins and winter squash.    My husband's favorite stuffed jalapenos are in the freezer along with 10 bags of sliced bell peppers and 4 bags of roasted poblano peppers ready to stuff or use in soups or enchiladas.

Also in the freezer I have some bags of corn, mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots, corn and onions), corn salsa (corn, poblano peppers, and onions) as well as mirepoix (celery, onion, carrots) for soup making.  We have 6 bags of frozen strawberries, 4 bags of frozen blackberries, and 6 bags of frozen shredded zucchini for future baking.  Speaking of baking, we have many loaves of zucchini quick bread, a couple batches of chocolate zucchini cake baked as cupcakes, and quite a few batches of chocolate chip zucchini muffins and zucchini crumble muffins all in the freezer.   Those recipes are so moist that they freeze perfectly.  I've also been making a ton of homemade chicken stock.  We buy whole chickens from a local farmer friend and I cut them up and make stock with the carcass.  I freeze the stock in mason jars for use during soup and stew season.  

Good thing we now have 3 stand-alone freezers!

In the cupboard we have canned pickled jalapeno slices, cucumber relish, salsa, tomato jam, and enchilada sauce.  We dried garlic, onions, elderberries, herbs, and pumpkin seeds, and harvested over 20 pounds of sweet potatoes that are cured and stored away.

In The Coop

Feathers.  Feathers everywhere.  That's what you'll find in the coop.  We have hit molting season so every morning it looks like the Coop Girls had a pillow fight the previous night.  Unfortunately this also means they are laying very few eggs.  In the years past we would have added new girls in spring so they would be laying while the older girls are molting but not this year.  Because we're working on reducing our flock size we won't have younger girls laying during molt season for a few more years.  So, we've increased their protein to help their aging bodies with the change and wait for their new feathers to emerge.

Oliver

Oliver is acting a lot more like Emerson now.  We noticed this about 6 months after Emerson, Ollie's brother/litter mate, passed away almost 2 years ago.  He never used to be interested in food much at all whereas Emerson was obsessed with food.  Well, Oliver is now obsessed with food.  This isn't a bad thing, necessarily, because at least he eats without much effort now.  It's just very funny to see the transition.  Despite him taking on Emerson's food obsession, he's still sensitive and quirky Oliver who requires sticking right by my side, has a dislike of trash cans, shakes when the vacuum cleaner is running, and absolutely detests all white trucks and minivans (both of which the only neighbor that he can see has).

I am taking full advantage of the last of the nice days to keep my sensitive little man preoccupied.  Because he is truly glued to my side all day, I can keep him (somewhat) happy if the temps are relatively warm and there is sunshine on the deck.  So, I lure him outside whenever I can and race to get as much accomplished indoors as possible before the barking to be let in begins.

What I've Been Reading

I've actually had time to read!  I'm so happy since I absolutely adore getting lost in a book.  So my evenings and early mornings were spent with a cup of (herbal) coffee and a book.  The first few books I've read are memoirs about country living or homesteading and I've thoroughly enjoyed each of them.  

So far I've read (affiliate links):  Follow Me To Alaska, by Ann Parker, Woodswoman: Living Alone In The Adirondack Wilderness by Anne LaBastille, Homestead, by Jane Kirkpatrick, Good Husbandry, by Kristin Kimball, Mud Season, by Ellen Stimson, Winds Of Skilak, by Bonnie Rose Ward, The Feast Nearby: How I Lost My Job, Buried A Marriage, And Found My Way By Keeping Chickens, Foraging, Preserving, Bartering, And Eating Locally On $40.00/Week, by Robin Mather, and Flat Broke With Two Goats, by Jennifer McGaha.  

My favorites were Good Husbandry, Follow Me To Alaska, and The Winds Of Skilak (and the follow-up book).

I also read a few fiction books in September.  My favorites have been (affiliate links): The Tourist Attraction, by Sarah Morgenthaler, The Year Of Pleasures, by Elizabeth Berg, and The City Bakers Guide To Country Living: A Novel, by Louise Miller.  I thoroughly enjoyed each of these - the writing styles, the fluidity, the characters and how they were developed, and the stories themselves.

Jackson, my meal planning assistant....

Stews, Soups, And Casseroles, Oh My!

I adore the change of season not only because of the weather but also because of food.  I've started to put soups, stews, and casseroles on the menu and am back to making bread.  These are all comfort foods for me and I happily anticipate making them every year.  Fresh corn soup, roasted tomato soup, veggie stew with biscuits (chicken added to Jay's), chili and cornbread, and oatmeal honey bread for breakfast have all made their way to our table.  

Speaking of meals, I've settled into monthly menu planning which is easiest for me since we are so well stocked up.  You can see October's meal plan (dinner only) in the photo above.  If there are 2 listed then I'm making something different for Jay and I.  You'll also see that I don't mind eating the same thing more then one day a week which also saves me time at dinner prep.  Jay is not a fan so he eats his leftovers at lunch.

What We've Been Making

Our farmer's market has remained somewhat busy as we're still getting quite an influx of locals and tourists.  So many things have changed this year that we have no idea what to expect from one week to the next.  One thing that does stay the same though are our seasonal products, and our fall line is finally out!  It's my absolute favorite group of soaps: Pumpkin Crunch Cake, Apple & Sage, Cinnamon & Raw Honey, Chai Tea Latte, and Pumpkin Cheesecake smell soooo delicious.  We've just made the winter soaps as well which will be available the beginning of November.

That's September around the homestead!

This Month On The Farm: September 2020was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

Creating An Emergency Plan for Your Homestead and Livestock

I just lived through a very close brush with wildfire (with the evacuation zone coming within a mile of the farm). While I loosely had a plan in place, I realized quite quickly, it wasn’t as detailed as it needed to be.

My response to that close call is this blog post on creating an emergency plan for your homestead and livestock, as I figure I’m probably not the only one out there with generalized but kind of loose plans. The following will help us be as prepared as possible should we never need to be in the future.

If you live on a farm or homestead, you’re probably already acquainted with how fast weather conditions can change; a random hail storm flattening your garden, a flash flood filling up your coop, too much (or not enough) rain or sun…the list goes on and on.

While these are issues that come around enough that we’ve all dealt with at least some of them, what about when the problem is much bigger scale: a tornado, a hurricane, a wildfire, flash flooding…are you prepared with a plan should any of the above happen to your homestead and livestock? I realized recently that I wasn’t as prepared as I needed to be.

I encourage you to take some time to read the ideas below and come up with a plan for your own homestead and animals. Prepare for the worst, and for it happening soon. Then it will be one less thing you have to worry about should you need to put your plan into action.

General Preparedness

Regardless of the emergency, making an evacuation plan is the first order of business. If you will be moving animals, consider how you’ll move them, house them in their temporary location, feed them, and keep track of them.

• Make sure all of your animals are property tagged in some way so if they get lost, you’ll have a better chance of finding them and bringing them back home.
• Keep a current list of all your livestock and animals. If any of them have paperwork, make copies of these papers and keep them together in a plastic bag in a disaster kit.
• Make a list of important contact numbers such as: your vet, neighbors, emergency contact people, local animal shelters, county extension service, and other animal resources (i.e. fairgrounds, animal shelters and racetracks often open up for emergency housing of livestock), etc.
• Keep a copy of these lists inside your disaster kit, and also give the information to a friend/family member outside your area for safe keeping.

The cows in our smoky pasture

Moving Animals

If you hope to move your animal in an emergency, make a tentative evacuation plan. How will you transport them? Where will you take them? If you plan to move them across state lines, contact the USDA veterinary services for help and information.

Figuring this out before an emergency will save time and stress in the event that you need to execute the plan.

Leaving Animals

Sometimes moving livestock and other animals isn’t an option. If this is the case, consider the following:

• Do your livestock have adequate shelter? Is it sturdy? Add hurricane straps and other reinforcements as necessary. (If you need to build something, consider doing so on higher ground to help avoid flooding.)
• Figure out a way for you to leave up to a week’s worth of food and water. Don’t rely on methods that require electricity as the power might be down.
• If you have chickens or other small animals that normally stay locked in an enclosure, consider keeping the door open so they can escape should they need to. Make sure they have plenty of roost space in the event of flooding.

Wildfires

Additionally, if dealing with wildfire, consider clearing a defensible space around the pastures and barn to help keep the structures and animals safe.

Firefighters working the fires will try to help rescue as many animals as possible. They might cut the fence to help the animals escape if there is nearby danger. Having your animals marked will help you find and identify them should they run from your property and be lost somewhere.

Preparing for Pets

Each pet should have their own carrier and preparedness kit.  For my cat, Truman, I have a tote with a lid that latches. Inside I have his medications, veterinary contact information, copies of medical records, food and water dish, two weeks’ worth of food, kitty litter, a liter bottle of water, some of his toys and a small soft blanket. The tote can serve as a litter box and easily fits behind the seat in my vehicle for easy loading (and use).

Other items to consider in a kit for your pets:

• Plastic bags for poo pick up
• Leash (and collar)
• Pet tags
• Paper towels

If you need to leave your pets, bring them inside and never leave them chained up outside. Give them access to food and water. Keep them in a room with as few windows as possible (ie garage, utility room, etc.)

Helping Where You Can

After the wildfire that just swept through my community, I learned that there are people everywhere willing to go the extra mile to help in any way they can. People with horse trailers hauled strangers livestock out of dangers way. Others on the outside of the fire zone offered barns, coops, and pastures. Others still, hauled in tons of hay to help feed displaced animals.

If you happen to be nearby but not in the middle of a danger zone, consider how you might help. For me, once the danger had (mostly) passed our farm, I took in 6 young hens that had to be left in an evacuation zone. While doing something like this is obviously helpful to others, don’t underestimate the benefits you get as well. For me, it was being able to do something in a situation where it felt like the bottom fell out of the world around me. Taking care of extra animals that were in harm’s way helped calm my frazzled nerves just a little. It gave me a little something positive to focus on.

Chicken evacuees

You Can’t Overprepare

In the event of an emergency, there’s a lot going on and you have to make lightning-fast decisions. Having organized records, disaster preparedness kits for your livestock and pets (as well as for you and your family), and an evacuation plan sketched out will be of massive help to you when you need it.

The USDA prepared a check list that you might find helpful to help you plan for disaster with your livestock. You can grab it here. https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-livestock-preparedness-fact-sheet.pdf

Having just lived through a near evacuation with my flock and animals, I can testify to the fact that the more prepared you are for disaster, the better. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best.

Creating An Emergency Plan for Your Homestead and Livestockwas originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Quick Bread (with vegan option)

 

I'm still trying to keep ahead of my bounty of zucchini.  I had a few that I wasn't sure what to do with and decided to take our favorite zucchini quick bread recipe (this recipe minus the cinnamon swirl) and add a little cinnamon swirl to it.  It turned out sooooo delicious!  This bread is moist and flavorful as it is, so that extra layer of sugar and cinnamon just adds to the addictiveness of it.  After the first loaf was a success I promptly made 4 more for the freezer.

We don't use a lot of refined sugar these days, preferring dates, maple syrup or honey, however, I do find myself reaching for it on the occasion that I want to make Cinnamon Swirl Yeast Bread, Cinnamon Buns, and now this.  

The vegan option makes a quick bread that looks and tastes almost identical to the non-vegan version. 

Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Quick Bread

makes: 1 loaf

Cinnamon Swirl:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon

Bread:

1/3 cup oil (if using coconut, melted)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk (dairy or dairy-free)

2 teaspoons vanilla 

2 eggs (regular or flax eggs - see below for flax egg info.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 3/4 cups flour (I used white whole wheat but white all-purpose or regular whole wheat works as well)

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini, drained of any excess liquid

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Prepare a standard loaf pan by either spraying it with no-stick oil spray or lining it with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, milk, vanilla, and eggs (regular or flax).  Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour and whisk until incorporated.  Fold in the zucchini with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

Pour roughly half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.  Sprinkle the cinnamon swirl topping on top, as evenly as possible, reserving 2 tablespoons.  Carefully plop the remaining batter on top of the cinnamon swirl, spreading it carefully to make it an even layer.  Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons cinnamon swirl on top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is set.  

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.  Allow to cool 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow to cool an additional 20 minutes before slicing.

This bread is very moist, so it will keep for just 2-3 days at room temperature.  Store it in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, or in the freezer (whole bread or cut into slices) for up to 3 months.

**2 Flax Eggs:  in a small bowl stir together 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed and 5 Tablespoons water.  Allow to sit 5-7 minutes, until starting to gel, before adding to bread batter.**

Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Quick Bread (with vegan option)was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

Super Simple Canned Pickled Jalapeno Slices

We love adding a bit of spice in the form of pickled jalapeno slices to many things.  Pizza, nachos, a sandwich, a burger, and southwest rice are just a few of the things that this handy condiment adds a little extra deliciousness to.

We used to buy jars of these at the grocery store regularly.  And then we found out how easy they are to make, so we now stock the homegrown & home canned version.  This is a simple recipe that doesn't heat the kitchen up too much as the brine only needs to come to a boil and then the water bath processing takes a quick 5 minutes.  A relief on a hot and humid day.

If you are sensitive to hot peppers, consider wearing gloves when slicing them.  

Canned Pickled Jalapeno Slices

Makes: 3 pints

2 cups distilled white vinegar

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons pickling salt

1 pound jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings (no need to remove the seeds or interior membranes, discard the stems)

Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize 3 pint jars and their lids according to water bath canning standards.  

Combine the vinegar, water, and salt (the brine) in a pot over high heat and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, pack the pepper rings into sterilized jars.  Slowly pour the hot brine over each jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.  Using a plastic knife or wooden chopstick, run along the inside of the jar a few times to pop any air bubbles that may be trapped.  Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.  Using a damp paper towel, wipe the rims of the jars and apply the lids and rings.

Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Let jalapeno slices cure at least 1 week prior to using.

Super Simple Canned Pickled Jalapeno Sliceswas originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

This Month On The Farm: August 2020

 

The last two days we've woken to a beautiful chill in the air.  A gentle reminder that fall really is coming.  Somehow we've found ourselves in the last weeks of summer.  The beautiful cricket chirping melody has pretty much stopped in the evenings and the hummingbirds are busily sucking up the last bits of nectar from the flowers and feeders each day.  Moths, butterflies, and bees have not, unfortunately, been plentiful this year but we are seeing and enjoying a handful or so.

August was full of heat and humidity, like a thick wool blanket you just can't shed.  It's been the same story our entire summer this year, which is unusual for these parts.  Except for the last week.  We did have a nice reprieve during the last week.  The garden was the only thing on our homestead that actually appreciated this summers weather.

I find it most difficult when it doesn't cool overnight.  I love a cool bedroom and, while the a/c allows for that, it's just not the same.  I also have to remind myself that it's only for 3 months out of the year.  Every year gets easier for me to keep this in perspective and begin to enjoy the season of life we are in and all that comes with it.

If the occasional weather cooldown doesn't give us a signal that fall is coming, then the chickens certainly do.  Their egg laying is starting to lighten as their bodies begin to anticipate a fall shed of their feathers.  Between their fall molt and their increasing ages, I anticipate a lot less egg production going into next year.

Garden Re-Cap

Our garden did really well this year.  I'm sure it was partly due to all of the attention it finally received from me but also partly from the good soil we've been building.  We still have some work to do with the soil, but I think we're getting close.

The whistle pig took out almost all of our greens, broccoli, and cauliflower early on but once I replanted, we had a really nice array of veg.  The cucumbers were the only thing that struggled this year and I've never had issues with them in the past so I'm not sure what happened.  The fruit set late and we haven't received too many, which actually, I guess isn't a bad thing. 

The dozens of chipmunks living on our property have enjoyed the garden as well.  I see bits of veg laying about as they taste test things daily.  I do wish they would remember from one day to the next what they do/don't like so there isn't so much waste.  The chickens are happy with this, however, as they are the recipients of any perfectly ripe and beautiful veggies featuring bite marks.

We were lucky enough to get more tomatoes then we'd anticipated so we will not need to purchase any from a local farm for preserving.  We also harvested enough poblano peppers and almost enough jalapeno peppers this year.  We will, however, need to purchase more bell peppers (for freezing), a few dozen jalapeno peppers (for stuffing and freezing), a couple of bags of corn, and quite a few apples (for applesauce, dried apple slices, and apple pie filling).

Going into September we're still harvesting tomatoes, eggplant, melons, all types of peppers, green beans, cucumbers, cabbage (I still have 16 heads left to pick), kale, swiss chard and lettuces.  Almost ready is a new batch of summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi (only 3 left), swiss chard, kale, misc. salad greens, beets, carrots, and herbs.  Potatoes and sweet potatoes should be ready this month as well.

Putting Food Up

We've been canning and freezing quite a bit of garden overflow this month.  

In the freezer we have oven-roasted tomatoes, oven-roasted tomato sauce, whole tomatoes, green beans, strawberries, corn, shredded zucchini, roasted poblano's, mirepoix, carrots, peas, pesto, and greens.  

In the cupboard we have jars of tomato jam, crushed tomatoes, relish, and pickled jalapenos.  I also have dried many of our herb excess and dozens of onions are cured and stored in our basement.

Once we receive more regular cooler days I will be using frozen tomatoes to can tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, and salsa, and frozen strawberries to can strawberry jam.

Getting Things Done

I shared last month that we were coming along with our to-do list.  Well, we ended up adding a couple more items.  A conversation about an idea we'd had a couple years ago to make storage available behind our basement door for excess canned goods turned into my husband dreaming up a new storage unit idea for the basement that he volunteered to build.  He also offered to make me a cutting board specifically for bread with some of his wood scraps.  So they were added to the list!

Hearty & Delicious Sourdough

I crave bread in the fall and winter.  Partly, I think, because I begin making soup regularly (and I enjoy soup even more when accompanied by a big hunk of crusty bread) and partly because it's just cold weather comfort food for me.  I'm going to try to make the majority of our bread products with sourdough this year.

I'm working on a new starter.  Because I don't tend to make much bread in the summer I use up my starter at the beginning of the season and switch to this no-knead bread for any of our roll or bread needs.  I decided to start it back up again a couple of weeks ago and had come across (affiliate link) this book by Mary Jane Butters (of Mary Jane's Farm).  She actually gives recipes for regular and gluten-free flours as well as a lot of bread and other recipes for using the discard.  I haven't been able to make bread with mine yet (it's almost 2 weeks old) but will share my thoughts about the starter and recipes once I'm able to make them. 

Cobble Hill Farm Soap

The business has been very steady over the past few months and while our summer business has been cut in half, we are grateful for half.  We remind ourselves that many don't even have that.  As I mentioned in the past, we are enjoying this slower pace that this year has unexpectedly brought and making the most of it.

To Stockpile Or Not To Stockpile

So have you decided to stockpile some necessities going into fall?  We are being a bit more mindful of it this year and making sure we have ourselves pretty much taken care of for a few months.  We always have freezers full of meat, veggies, fruit and such as well as fairly stocked cupboards, but we will include more pantry staples and toiletries this year as well.  In our area freezers themselves are scarce, there's still hoarding of some grocery store items (and we still have limits on items at a few of the stores), and, of course, there's concern going into fall because no one knows what it will bring.

This Month On The Farm: August 2020was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

A Taste Of Fall And This And That

 

I am a lover of all things fall.  I can appreciate summer, for a while, but my goodness do I get antsy for the cool and crisp days.  We had exactly 2 days in the past week, that while they weren't technically cool and crisp, were without that dreaded humidity and featured nights that dropped into the low 50's.  

It was wonderful.

I made good use of those 2 days too by running the ovens to roast the bushels of ripe tomatoes I was storing, just waiting for such a day.  It's even rumored that we shall have another day or two of those spectacular days this week.  And I can't wait!  Oh how I would love to make freshly roasted tomato soup with some of this week's harvest.  

I meant to share this post last week, while enjoying said beautiful days, but it didn't get typed until now.  A few days each week I intend to sit down and start my day, coffee (herbal, of course) in hand, enjoying the beautiful pre-dawn scenery and typing a blog post.  And yet, it hasn't happened.  All summer long.  

Summer has a different feel to it, doesn't it?  I don't know why, but sitting and typing, coffee in hand, doesn't appeal to me in summer as it does in fall and winter.  Plus there's the garden.  I enjoy starting my summer mornings there.  I tell Ollie, after he's had a proper breakfast and nap, of course, that it's time to harvest.  He gets up and heads to the door, ready to assist.  While I make the rounds collecting veg and pulling up newly emerging weeds, he rolls in the bits of sunshine he finds.  Then he goes about sniffing around the perimeter while I finish up.  

This is our routine.

After garden harvesting he's ready to move on to other things so I return him to his perch on the deck and then I can water if needed.  Laundry is done early as well so it has time to be hung on the line to be dried by lunchtime, and orders are packed and shipped.  It's a glorious pace.

I've also been making time at least one day per week to preserve all the veggies we harvest but can't possibly eat before they go bad.  There's truly nothing more exciting then seeing your cupboards and freezer filling up with fresh veg grown and preserved by you.  The tomatoes, though, are at this point out of control.  I finally waved the white flag and began throwing them in the freezer.  It's just too hot to properly process them, so I will freeze them until we have more then one day of reprieve from the heat and humidity.  At that time I can whip them up into delicious sauce for canning or freezing as well as crushed tomatoes that are used almost daily throughout winter.

today's bounty

I am blueberry-less.  Yup, we are without blueberries.  Can you believe that we completely missed blueberry picking season this year?  How does that happen???  We typically pick at a farm down the road.  Somehow we had our dates way off and by the time we said "oh, we need to go berry picking next week" the season was over.  I am told it was partly due to there being such a demand of pick-your-own this year that many farms picking seasons ended early so I guess it wasn't completely our forgetfulness.  Anything outdoors is getting quite a surge of people.

I know that there could be some blueberry picking still available somewhere around us but I must say, we are quite particular about our blueberries.  The farm down the road from us has the most consistently large and sweet blueberries, so those are the ones we pick.  I purchased a couple of quarts from another farm after finding out the picking was over at our favorite spot and they were just too sour.  Too tart to eat fresh but they will work perfectly in pie.

So that's the second thing I need to make on the rumored cooler day.  If it arrives.

I've also been trying to fill our freezer with the excess garden bounty.  Green beans seem to be a struggle.  Not because of a crop issue, rather, a husband issue.  A husband who LOVES fresh green beans and wants them with every single dinner.  I've made a promise to grow even more next year.  And he's promised to enjoy some of the other veggies from the garden instead of JUST green beans.

Bethany a.k.a. Turkey Neck

Have I mentioned that we have too many chickens?  This is a saying that is announced pretty much weekly by one of us.  It is always accompanied with head shaking from the person saying it, having just witnessed some crazy coop girl antics.

As an example:

Last week, one of the mornings when I was letting the chickens out, the hen we've been referring to as "Turkey Neck", rather than her actual name of Bethany, came rushing out full of her usual grouchiness.  The nickname is the direct result of her sporting a neck almost completely void of feathers.  Why is that, I bet you're asking.  Well, Miss Turkey Neck, er, Bethany, is so darn grouchy toward her flock sisters that they peck incessantly at her to get her to stop and it seems the only feathers they can grab many times are those on her neck.   

Anywhoo, on this particular morning Turkey Neck came rushing out full of her usual grouchiness.  Well, I thought it was her usual grouchiness.  Instead, what I didn't realize was that her grouchiness was amped up quite a bit and she demonstrated this by chest bumping every single chicken she got close to, daring each of them to fight back.  

Needless to say her wish finally came true and one of the other girls had enough and began chest bumping back with even more determination and power.  I broke it up and sent Turkey Neck back into the coop.  A bit later she came out, still wearing grouchy pants, and started up the same nonsense again.  So, I picked her up and brought her back into the coop.  I talked to her while she paced and hummed as though she were quite annoyed at the audacity I had in stopping each of her attempts of starting a brawl.  Clearly I was ruining her day.  So when I let her out again she (finally) went off on her own venture, looking for bugs rather then a fight.  I've said it many times before and will say it again, this is the strangest group of chickens we've ever had.

I made my way back to the house and, you guessed it, announced "we have too many chickens".  Jay shook his head and knew some kind of craziness had just gone down.  Indeed it had.

A Taste Of Fall And This And Thatwas originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

SUPER Delicious Chocolate ZUCCHINI Bread or Muffins (Vegan)

 

We are still getting plenty of zucchini and my fall plants are now starting to produce while my summer plants still have a bit more fruit left.  As you can imagine, our meals are centered around zucchini and tomatoes right about now.  And our desserts are full of zucchini too!

I LOVE chocolate so this version of zucchini bread (or muffins) is my absolute favorite.  It's more fudgy and rich then the Chocolate Zucchini Cake and one little piece cures your chocolate craving in a jiffy.  And, like our non-chocolate version, it freezes beautifully as well.

A quick note on the recipe.  If you've never made baked good without eggs, you may be a bit hesitant.  Yes, you can add eggs (see note below the recipe) but it really is good without them too.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

SUPER Delicious Chocolate Zucchini Bread or Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins, 12 regular-size muffins, or 1 loaf of quick bread

1/3 cup neutral oil (i.e. grapeseed, canola)

1/4 cup milk (non-dairy or dairy)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt (non-dairy for vegan)

3/4 cups granulated sugar -or- 1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I have successfully used white whole wheat flour as well)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini

3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks of chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line one 12-cup muffin pan or one 6-cup large muffin pan with paper liners if making muffins, or, if making quick bread, spray a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper (for a lighter option).

In a large bowl, combine oil, milk, applesauce, yogurt, sugar/maple syrup, salt, vinegar, and vanilla.  Whisk to combine.  Add in the cornstarch, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk together by hand until lump-free.  Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips/chunks.

If making bread, pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake 40-45 minutes, or until top is set (no longer jiggly).

If making muffins, fill the muffin cups almost all the way to the top.  Bake 20-25 minutes for regular-sized muffins or 25-30 minutes for large sized muffins, or until the muffins spring back slightly to the touch.

Store at room temp, in an air-tight container up to 4 days, or freeze (for muffins, freeze on a cookie sheet and then put in freezer-safe bag or container) up to 3 months.

**If you are looking to add eggs for a non-vegan version, omit the 1/2 cup of applesauce and add in 2 large eggs.**

SUPER Delicious Chocolate ZUCCHINI Bread or Muffins (Vegan)was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)