It's incredibly hot out. And humid. It's rarely humid in the north, but this year we're into our fourth week of heat and humidity.
The garden is spotty and disappointing. Given the heat it should be growing like crazy. The greenhouses are doing well, but outside is slow growing. The weeds of course, are growing like crazy. We pull them for the birds every day- a fresh layer of weeds to cover the floor of the turkey shack every night.
We continue foraging for weeds and fiddleheads. It's too hot for puffballs now. I start a batch of dandelion wine. I skimp on the sugar, so it won't be very strong. Rhubarb is up, although not much appreciated without flour and a ton of sugar. The boys much on an occasional stick. I start a batch of rhubarb and dandelion wine. I make a small batch of dandelion syrop, blending it with the birch syrop for sugar.
We dig dandelion roots and dry them for coffee. Husband appreciates them more now, much stronger than my other tea weeds alone. He even digs some himself when he's out and about. We try to dig for roots farther away from the house, keeping the dandelions in the yard for greens.
We're cooking outside on the fire pit now. We don't have to cut the branches as small, and are able to use a lot of twigs as well. Cooking doesn't entail much. We planted the remaining potatoes, carrots and beets for seed. Meals are just a jar of canned meat and whatever weeds we foraged that day, mostly dandelion, occasionally lambs quarters. We're all in the habit now of munching as we go as well, eating dandelions as we pick, and chewing on grass and clover.
The perennial bed comes to life, and I start cutting and drying chives, and some flowers and plants for medicine and tea. I wonder if I can make tinctures with wine. I make plantain/comfrey salves with tallow. I plant calendula, bedstraw, bergamot, cicely and some other herbs. I gather stinging nettle and make vegetable rennet.
We rotate the cows through the pasture every three days. It's not enough to allow each section proper rest, but it helps. The horses spend so little time in the pasture that we just leave them up at the barn. They're usually in the side yard, or the garden yard, or at someone else's house. They graze as they go. The goats roam around loose, as always. We never could keep them fenced in. They never wander far though.
Sanya's horses were out behind the pasture one morning. Brother and Sil chased them off.
We work on fencing the edge of our property, down the side of the logging trail to the creek. Hopefully that will keep the horses out, and eventually we'll let the cows out to graze. We cut thin poles and nail them to the trees, a crooked little fence. We keep the tree tops and branches for firewood. The Littles saw through the branches with the hand saw. The basement fills slowly.
Brother and Sil take down their add a room tent and frame it in with logs. They frame all the way around the trailer, putting the roof up over both. They cut logs for the sides and chink it in with clay. Poles for the roof are covered with the vinyl tent. They soon have a solid little cabin with the drafts all sealed. They build a bigger chicken coop beside the cabin, with a trap door/window between them. They can heat the chicken coop with the woodstove next winter.
They fence in their growing yard and garden. They need to protect their garden from their free ranging chickens, and the cows that will be grazing through soon.
Mom's roof leaked last winter, so we all work together to build her add a room and put a new roof on over the trailer. She has enough lumber to frame in the walls, and press board to cover them. The roof is covered with poles, then tin. There's only enough tin to cover half of it. We have to scrounge for more materials elsewhere.
We nearly fill Mom's woodshed with the tree tops and branches we cut for the roof. We move the woodstove into the add a room. We frame in the windows and build an archway in the trailer wall where the windows used to be. It needs insulation and interior walls, but it'll give Mom more space and hopefully keep the roof dryer.
The first two banties to go broody both hatch their chicks, 18 little fluffballs between them. We move them from the brooder boxes to the floor in one of the pens. We pick weeds for them every day for two weeks, then let them out to free range.
Week after week, the other banties hatch their chicks, and we move them first to the floor, and then outside. One of the missing hens from outside returns with a clutch of chicks as well. Two are still missing.
Husband takes ten chicks to the farmer who gave us the calf. He finds out the farmer couldn't drive his cows to Diego's. They all scattered through the bush. Most came home within a few days, but there are still a few loose. He also caught a couple of horses that were roaming free.
We shoot a fox going after the chickens one afternoon. I cut the meat into small pieces and put them into five gallon pails with holes in the bottom. I hang the buckets from the fence surrounding the turkey pen. The flies lay their eggs on the meat, then the maggots hatch and fall to the ground, providing the birds with a tasty treat.
Husband takes more parts off the tractor and delivers them to the fellow who builds cutters. He stops and chats with the new neighbours on the way home. Their names are Mel and Arlene, and the kids are Tommy and Ben. They've built a small lean-to, set up a tent, put in a large garden, and have fenced off the area. They've caught one of Sanya's horses that were in the garden before they fenced it. They considered butchering it, but for now have it tied to a tree. Husband offers them a dozen chicks if they'll continue working on the fenceline down that side of the property to the creek.
Lisa and Sally fence in their garden and a new chicken pen. They dry and store weeds and grass for their chickens next winter.
Once all of the banties are out of the chicken coop, we clean it out and start drying and storing weeds and grass as well. We clean out the hay lean to for grass storage. We clean out the loft in the barn.
We accomplish much in the longer days, without screens and such to occupy our time.
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Day 90- Garden Thoughts
Three months without power and it's crazy ass cold outside! I think our day time highs are in the -25°C range, and the nights are in the -40's.
Husband never 'got around' to building a windmill, not that it would help much now anyway, since there's almost no wind- just cold, cold, cold! He did add 15 batteries to the battery bank, taken from cars off the roadside. He's also installed a series of car radiators around the kitchen, livingroom and our bedroom. He wrapped the woodstove with copper pipe, then connected waterhose to run between the radiators. It helps a lot.
He found another mini solar panel in an abandoned car, and hooked it up to the battery bank. We're still only using the batteries to run the furnace fan for short spurts, but every little bit helps. We sealed off the upstairs- the boys are camped out semi-permanently in the livingroom. Husband collected a few alternators, pulleys, and gears, so if he ever gets motivated to try the car alternator windmill he should have what he needs to build it.
The Bigs wander around daily with the calking gun, filling in drafts we never knew we had before. The Littles have been doing chores- it's the only time they go outside lately- and if they don't go outside I might have to kill them. We're all cranky from being cooped up, but the little two fight and argue all day long. Board and card games have lost a lot of their appeal, with everyone trying to find a little spot to get away from each other. On a positive note- everyone is reading these days!
I sorted through my seed stash and started tomatoes and peppers. It's a little earlier than I normally start them, though only a week for the tomatoes. I had a good supply of store bought pasta sauces, tomato juice, and tomato soup going in to this winter. Next winter we might still be on our own, so that's a whole lot of gardening and canning we've never depended on before.
We're eating out of the freezers almost exclusively now- no sense opening jars when anything that's left in the next few months will have to be canned. Beans, beans, the musical fruit, lol. There's not much variety for veggies in the freezers.
I've started canning some meat as well- ground beef and stewing meat, just a canner load per week. I wasn't going to, as we could probably use it all up before spring, but then what? I'm not sure I'm ready to become a vegetarian or rely on what we can hunt or catch through the summer. It's easier to do the canning now, while the fire's heating the house and the snow is providing the water, than to try butchering in the spring and having to can it all. Looks like Mindy will be safe 'til next fall. At any rate- I've got about thirty meals worth of meat canned now.
Which brings up another worry. Canning jars. I've gotten a few extras from the flea market, maybe an extra case or two. I wasn't counting them, because I always bought extra jars whenever I found them. This is different though. I won't be able to freeze summer greens or beans with no power. Everything will have to be canned. All of those tomato products I normally buy come in their own cans. This year they'll be taking up jar space. Jars that I don't have. Jars that I probably won't be able to get.
Which really makes me rethink the garden and the menu. We need to grow more of everything, but we really need to grow more of what will store without processing. More cabbage- which can stay in the garden until after it freezes. More squash and pumpkins, that keep well. More root veggies. Do dry beans count as a veggie? My beloved green beans, which I'm so tired of right now, will be few and far between next winter. And of course, those veggies aren't the easy seed savers either, which will make the following winter even more scarce.
All in all, we're doing ok. I just hope we get hydro back soon.
Husband never 'got around' to building a windmill, not that it would help much now anyway, since there's almost no wind- just cold, cold, cold! He did add 15 batteries to the battery bank, taken from cars off the roadside. He's also installed a series of car radiators around the kitchen, livingroom and our bedroom. He wrapped the woodstove with copper pipe, then connected waterhose to run between the radiators. It helps a lot.
He found another mini solar panel in an abandoned car, and hooked it up to the battery bank. We're still only using the batteries to run the furnace fan for short spurts, but every little bit helps. We sealed off the upstairs- the boys are camped out semi-permanently in the livingroom. Husband collected a few alternators, pulleys, and gears, so if he ever gets motivated to try the car alternator windmill he should have what he needs to build it.
The Bigs wander around daily with the calking gun, filling in drafts we never knew we had before. The Littles have been doing chores- it's the only time they go outside lately- and if they don't go outside I might have to kill them. We're all cranky from being cooped up, but the little two fight and argue all day long. Board and card games have lost a lot of their appeal, with everyone trying to find a little spot to get away from each other. On a positive note- everyone is reading these days!
I sorted through my seed stash and started tomatoes and peppers. It's a little earlier than I normally start them, though only a week for the tomatoes. I had a good supply of store bought pasta sauces, tomato juice, and tomato soup going in to this winter. Next winter we might still be on our own, so that's a whole lot of gardening and canning we've never depended on before.
We're eating out of the freezers almost exclusively now- no sense opening jars when anything that's left in the next few months will have to be canned. Beans, beans, the musical fruit, lol. There's not much variety for veggies in the freezers.
I've started canning some meat as well- ground beef and stewing meat, just a canner load per week. I wasn't going to, as we could probably use it all up before spring, but then what? I'm not sure I'm ready to become a vegetarian or rely on what we can hunt or catch through the summer. It's easier to do the canning now, while the fire's heating the house and the snow is providing the water, than to try butchering in the spring and having to can it all. Looks like Mindy will be safe 'til next fall. At any rate- I've got about thirty meals worth of meat canned now.
Which brings up another worry. Canning jars. I've gotten a few extras from the flea market, maybe an extra case or two. I wasn't counting them, because I always bought extra jars whenever I found them. This is different though. I won't be able to freeze summer greens or beans with no power. Everything will have to be canned. All of those tomato products I normally buy come in their own cans. This year they'll be taking up jar space. Jars that I don't have. Jars that I probably won't be able to get.
Which really makes me rethink the garden and the menu. We need to grow more of everything, but we really need to grow more of what will store without processing. More cabbage- which can stay in the garden until after it freezes. More squash and pumpkins, that keep well. More root veggies. Do dry beans count as a veggie? My beloved green beans, which I'm so tired of right now, will be few and far between next winter. And of course, those veggies aren't the easy seed savers either, which will make the following winter even more scarce.
All in all, we're doing ok. I just hope we get hydro back soon.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Day 22- Kitchen Organization
Either I'm up really early, or everyone else is really sleeping in this morning. It's still dark out, but that doesn't mean much at this time of year. The wall clock is stuck at 3:45. When the battery starts to die it can't seem to push the hands up and over the twelve. I have more batteries, but I don't know what time it is. I'm sure I've been up for over an hour already though.
I drink my tea and read a bit. I can't seem to get into this book though. Nothing else in my pile has grabbed my interest either. I suppose I could make another trip to the library today, but I don't really think that would help. I'm pretty sure it's me, not the books.
I give up on the book and go in the living room. I start clearing off my desk. Might as well sort through that pile of unopened mail, file and put away the bills, and whatever else has taken up residence there. I sort, file, toss, tidy and declutter for awhile before Husband gets up. My desk is clean for the second time in five years. Tidying it up usually makes me forget where I put things. Husband gets his coffee and watches me for a bit. I shove my computer, printer, keyboard and monitor as far as I can to the back of the desk.
"What are you going to do with the desk?", he asks.
"I don't know. It gave me something to do this morning though." I start sorting through stacks of old disks. There's a bunch the boys haven't used in years. I've been meaning to put some of them on the fence posts around the turkey and chicken pens. They supposedly ward off some sort of predators. I suppose I could still use them for that. I stack the rest of the disks neatly on the shelf. Usually when I tidy disks they're scattered all over the place again within a couple of days. This time they might stay tidy for awhile.
The boys get up. I decide to make bannock for breakfast. I found the recipe scribbled on a piece of paper while I was cleaning. I had meant to try it awhile ago. I need lard to fry it in. I put the pot of bear fat back on the stove. In the excitement of the rain and butchering the turkeys I haven't finished rendering it. Once warmed up I should be able to strain off enough for breakfast though. The rest of the fat will take a day or two of constant cooking to render all of the lard.
I mix up the bannock ingredients and let them rest. I get the turkey off the freezer from yesterday. I put it on one of the side grills just slightly overlapping the stove. A pot of potatoes and a vegetable would be nice for supper, too. #1 gets potatoes from the basement and helps me peel. #2 goes out to the garage freezer and comes back with a bag of beans. He puts them in a pot on the counter. Then he drains the liquid fat from the pot into a metal bowl. It's more than enough for the bannock, so after pouring some into a cast iron pan, the rest is left to harden on the counter.
Once hot, I fry the bannock up, and we top it with jam. It's not too much of a change from pancakes, but any bit of a change seems good at this point.
After breakfast Husband and the Bigs go out to work the horses. Today they want to hook Samson to the cart and see how he does. Knightmare is finally getting the hang of the reins. Shiloh is lead broke, so #2 gets a feed bag with some sand to start adding weight to her back. Just a couple of pounds, so she can get used to it. Husband and #1 give Samson a quick work out with the reins and the stone boat, then hitch him to the cart. He's bigger than Tori and the cart actually fits him better than her. He takes to it eagerly- a little too eagerly. Wheels move much faster than skis. Overall he does well, but he'll need to work on taking it easy.
They drive him up to Sanya and Roam's place. We haven't checked on them in a while anyway, and Husband wants to know if he was broke to pull before. Sanya greets them as they pull in. She's in the ring working with one of her horses. Roam comes out to chat. They traded all but 10 of their horses to the Hutterites for hay. They kept their expensive stud, two brood mares, four well broke horses, and three yearlings. Sanya plans to trade the yearlings as well, but knows they'll be worth more after training.
They're doing fairly well. They have an artesian well, so getting fresh, clean water is easy for them. They offer to let us fill our barrels there, rather than having to filter water from the creek. Their food supplies are holding out ok. They don't have enough to last through the winter, but they're planning to visit the Hutterites once one of the yearlings is ready to trade.
Sanya had been working with Samson, but had just started him on the stone boat, so she's surprised to see that he's already pulling the cart. She's impressed with how well he's doing.
While Husband and the Bigs are busy, the Littles and I walk to Mom and Dad's. I bring the clock with me so I can reset it. They're surprisingly not squabbling so much now. I think they're out of denial, and have accepted that this is how things are going to be. They've cleared out a lot of electric appliances, making room for their non-electric counterparts. Between their camping equipment and things they've just always kept, they seem to be doing ok. I give them a couple loaves of bread and tell them to come over when they run out instead of waiting for us to bring them some.
Dad has built an outdoor shower off the end of the deck. Basically a camping shower bag in a little shelter. They have to heat the water for it on the stove still, but it works. Their food supplies are holding out ok, but I notice they've got a list started on the counter. Eggs, sugar, peanut butter. I need more chickens. Four hens are not enough to supply every one with eggs.
We walk back home, where Husband and the Bigs are waiting for lunch- which of course I haven't planned. We've ate sandwiches for lunch almost every day for years, with an occasional pot of soup, or bowl of potato salad for a change. Feeding people three meals a day without any convenience foods is simply exhausting.
I decide to open a couple of jars of soup and heat them. The freezer food should be used first, in case of a thaw, but I just can't keep up. At least supper's planned for tonight.
Husband asks what I want to do for the afternoon. We still need firewood. There are dishes stacked all over the kitchen- again. The Littles haven't had any lessons in weeks. I want to curl up and have a nap.
Husband takes the boys out to cut and pile firewood. He leaves me in the kitchen to deal with the food and the mess.
I start a pot of water to boil for dishes. I slide the turkey over a little further onto the stove. I drain more fat out of the pot into the bowl. It hasn't started to harden yet, so I set it outside on the freezer. I grab a couple more stock pots from the shelf above while I'm out there. I clear all the dishes off the counter, and put the pots in their place.
I start an assembly line for the stove. Potatoes and beans are already waiting to cook for supper. Doggy Stew pot to cook overnight, as it's become the routine to put it on before bed. I clean the cast iron pan for breakfast, set a bowl inside of it, a spatula, wash the hand mixer, and put it in as well.
Lunch tomorrow. I place an empty stock pot next to the pan. Soup. I go downstairs to get more potatoes, and notice one of my squash has a soft spot. It'll need to be cooked. I'm not ready to start baking pies, so it will be cut and chopped into soups and stews. Maybe I'll freeze some.
Back upstairs, I cut it up and put about a third into the stock pot for lunch tomorrow. A couple of chunks in the doggy stew pot. The rest goes into the small roasting pan to cook for later. Between the squash and the beans, that's two winter veggies that won't be saved for winter. I've been slipping on picking weeds too.
I take the dried weeds off the plant stands and stuff them into jars. Then I go out to pick more. I add some to the doggy stew pot and the soup pot for tomorrow. Supper tomorrow will be turkey rice casserole. I get out another roasting pan, chop up a couple handfuls of weeds and toss them in. Ok, everything is planned for tomorrow. Except bread. There won't be any room to put the oven on the stove to bake tomorrow. I start two batches of bread. They can bake after supper. Problem solved.
The dish water is boiling, so I clean out the sink and pour it in. After a marathon dishwashing session, things are starting to look better in the kitchen. I roll out the bread. This isn't so bad. I just need to get organized like this every day. Ha.
I grab some paper and an old calendar and start planning meals. Supper's are easy. I divide the beef yield by 250 days- about 8 months. 49 roasts, 1 every 5 days. 12 stews- 1 every 20 days. 11 meals of steaks- 1 every 22 days. I work my way through the list. I add in the turkeys, balogna rolls, partridge, etc. I soon have nearly every supper planned until June.
Now for lunches. Lunches are harder. Soup of course, it's easy and filling, but we tire of it so quickly. Turkey salad sandwiches for a few days after cooking turkey. Leftovers of any type, really. It's hard to plan for leftovers with most things though. Macaroni salad for a while, until we run out of pasta and cheese. Chili. Sloppy Joes. It might not be too bad. I only write in a couple of months worth of lunches. If I start a 'new' pot of soup every 4 days, and add more water, leftovers, weeds, and veggies to it, there should always be something ready for lunch.
I decide to cook and can some beans. They'll be easier and quicker to work with that way. I get out another stock pot and start dumping beans into it. It's a combination of white northern beans, black turtle beans, and kidney beans. I fill the pot with water to soak overnight.
It's about time to get supper ready, so I slide the turkey further onto the stove, and put the potatoes and beans on to cook. I give the floors a quick sweep. Things are looking much better, and I feel much less stressed.
I check on the rendered fat, and it's hard. I lift it out of the bowl and dust the crumbs off of it. I break it up and put it in an old coffee pot on the stove to melt. I wash the bowl out, then drain the fat from the pot into it and put it back on the freezer to cool. I go to the basement for old pasta jars to put the rendered fat into.
Husband and the boys come in. They help with the turkey, mash the potatoes, and make gravy. I pour the fat into jars and set them on the counter to cool. I put the oven on top of the stove and pop in the first batch of bread.
We eat supper, then switch the bread. I divide the leftover turkey and chop it up for tomorrow's turkey rice casserole and a bowl of turkey salad. I put them in the entrance way on the freezer. They'll be cool enough there. The boys go in the living room to play monopoly. I put the doggy stew on to cook overnight, and then decide to put the beans on as well. They'll just simmer, but it should work. Once the kitchen is tidied back up I head to bed with a book.
I drink my tea and read a bit. I can't seem to get into this book though. Nothing else in my pile has grabbed my interest either. I suppose I could make another trip to the library today, but I don't really think that would help. I'm pretty sure it's me, not the books.
I give up on the book and go in the living room. I start clearing off my desk. Might as well sort through that pile of unopened mail, file and put away the bills, and whatever else has taken up residence there. I sort, file, toss, tidy and declutter for awhile before Husband gets up. My desk is clean for the second time in five years. Tidying it up usually makes me forget where I put things. Husband gets his coffee and watches me for a bit. I shove my computer, printer, keyboard and monitor as far as I can to the back of the desk.
"What are you going to do with the desk?", he asks.
"I don't know. It gave me something to do this morning though." I start sorting through stacks of old disks. There's a bunch the boys haven't used in years. I've been meaning to put some of them on the fence posts around the turkey and chicken pens. They supposedly ward off some sort of predators. I suppose I could still use them for that. I stack the rest of the disks neatly on the shelf. Usually when I tidy disks they're scattered all over the place again within a couple of days. This time they might stay tidy for awhile.
The boys get up. I decide to make bannock for breakfast. I found the recipe scribbled on a piece of paper while I was cleaning. I had meant to try it awhile ago. I need lard to fry it in. I put the pot of bear fat back on the stove. In the excitement of the rain and butchering the turkeys I haven't finished rendering it. Once warmed up I should be able to strain off enough for breakfast though. The rest of the fat will take a day or two of constant cooking to render all of the lard.
I mix up the bannock ingredients and let them rest. I get the turkey off the freezer from yesterday. I put it on one of the side grills just slightly overlapping the stove. A pot of potatoes and a vegetable would be nice for supper, too. #1 gets potatoes from the basement and helps me peel. #2 goes out to the garage freezer and comes back with a bag of beans. He puts them in a pot on the counter. Then he drains the liquid fat from the pot into a metal bowl. It's more than enough for the bannock, so after pouring some into a cast iron pan, the rest is left to harden on the counter.
Once hot, I fry the bannock up, and we top it with jam. It's not too much of a change from pancakes, but any bit of a change seems good at this point.
After breakfast Husband and the Bigs go out to work the horses. Today they want to hook Samson to the cart and see how he does. Knightmare is finally getting the hang of the reins. Shiloh is lead broke, so #2 gets a feed bag with some sand to start adding weight to her back. Just a couple of pounds, so she can get used to it. Husband and #1 give Samson a quick work out with the reins and the stone boat, then hitch him to the cart. He's bigger than Tori and the cart actually fits him better than her. He takes to it eagerly- a little too eagerly. Wheels move much faster than skis. Overall he does well, but he'll need to work on taking it easy.
They drive him up to Sanya and Roam's place. We haven't checked on them in a while anyway, and Husband wants to know if he was broke to pull before. Sanya greets them as they pull in. She's in the ring working with one of her horses. Roam comes out to chat. They traded all but 10 of their horses to the Hutterites for hay. They kept their expensive stud, two brood mares, four well broke horses, and three yearlings. Sanya plans to trade the yearlings as well, but knows they'll be worth more after training.
They're doing fairly well. They have an artesian well, so getting fresh, clean water is easy for them. They offer to let us fill our barrels there, rather than having to filter water from the creek. Their food supplies are holding out ok. They don't have enough to last through the winter, but they're planning to visit the Hutterites once one of the yearlings is ready to trade.
Sanya had been working with Samson, but had just started him on the stone boat, so she's surprised to see that he's already pulling the cart. She's impressed with how well he's doing.
While Husband and the Bigs are busy, the Littles and I walk to Mom and Dad's. I bring the clock with me so I can reset it. They're surprisingly not squabbling so much now. I think they're out of denial, and have accepted that this is how things are going to be. They've cleared out a lot of electric appliances, making room for their non-electric counterparts. Between their camping equipment and things they've just always kept, they seem to be doing ok. I give them a couple loaves of bread and tell them to come over when they run out instead of waiting for us to bring them some.
Dad has built an outdoor shower off the end of the deck. Basically a camping shower bag in a little shelter. They have to heat the water for it on the stove still, but it works. Their food supplies are holding out ok, but I notice they've got a list started on the counter. Eggs, sugar, peanut butter. I need more chickens. Four hens are not enough to supply every one with eggs.
We walk back home, where Husband and the Bigs are waiting for lunch- which of course I haven't planned. We've ate sandwiches for lunch almost every day for years, with an occasional pot of soup, or bowl of potato salad for a change. Feeding people three meals a day without any convenience foods is simply exhausting.
I decide to open a couple of jars of soup and heat them. The freezer food should be used first, in case of a thaw, but I just can't keep up. At least supper's planned for tonight.
Husband asks what I want to do for the afternoon. We still need firewood. There are dishes stacked all over the kitchen- again. The Littles haven't had any lessons in weeks. I want to curl up and have a nap.
Husband takes the boys out to cut and pile firewood. He leaves me in the kitchen to deal with the food and the mess.
I start a pot of water to boil for dishes. I slide the turkey over a little further onto the stove. I drain more fat out of the pot into the bowl. It hasn't started to harden yet, so I set it outside on the freezer. I grab a couple more stock pots from the shelf above while I'm out there. I clear all the dishes off the counter, and put the pots in their place.
I start an assembly line for the stove. Potatoes and beans are already waiting to cook for supper. Doggy Stew pot to cook overnight, as it's become the routine to put it on before bed. I clean the cast iron pan for breakfast, set a bowl inside of it, a spatula, wash the hand mixer, and put it in as well.
Lunch tomorrow. I place an empty stock pot next to the pan. Soup. I go downstairs to get more potatoes, and notice one of my squash has a soft spot. It'll need to be cooked. I'm not ready to start baking pies, so it will be cut and chopped into soups and stews. Maybe I'll freeze some.
Back upstairs, I cut it up and put about a third into the stock pot for lunch tomorrow. A couple of chunks in the doggy stew pot. The rest goes into the small roasting pan to cook for later. Between the squash and the beans, that's two winter veggies that won't be saved for winter. I've been slipping on picking weeds too.
I take the dried weeds off the plant stands and stuff them into jars. Then I go out to pick more. I add some to the doggy stew pot and the soup pot for tomorrow. Supper tomorrow will be turkey rice casserole. I get out another roasting pan, chop up a couple handfuls of weeds and toss them in. Ok, everything is planned for tomorrow. Except bread. There won't be any room to put the oven on the stove to bake tomorrow. I start two batches of bread. They can bake after supper. Problem solved.
The dish water is boiling, so I clean out the sink and pour it in. After a marathon dishwashing session, things are starting to look better in the kitchen. I roll out the bread. This isn't so bad. I just need to get organized like this every day. Ha.
I grab some paper and an old calendar and start planning meals. Supper's are easy. I divide the beef yield by 250 days- about 8 months. 49 roasts, 1 every 5 days. 12 stews- 1 every 20 days. 11 meals of steaks- 1 every 22 days. I work my way through the list. I add in the turkeys, balogna rolls, partridge, etc. I soon have nearly every supper planned until June.
Now for lunches. Lunches are harder. Soup of course, it's easy and filling, but we tire of it so quickly. Turkey salad sandwiches for a few days after cooking turkey. Leftovers of any type, really. It's hard to plan for leftovers with most things though. Macaroni salad for a while, until we run out of pasta and cheese. Chili. Sloppy Joes. It might not be too bad. I only write in a couple of months worth of lunches. If I start a 'new' pot of soup every 4 days, and add more water, leftovers, weeds, and veggies to it, there should always be something ready for lunch.
I decide to cook and can some beans. They'll be easier and quicker to work with that way. I get out another stock pot and start dumping beans into it. It's a combination of white northern beans, black turtle beans, and kidney beans. I fill the pot with water to soak overnight.
It's about time to get supper ready, so I slide the turkey further onto the stove, and put the potatoes and beans on to cook. I give the floors a quick sweep. Things are looking much better, and I feel much less stressed.
I check on the rendered fat, and it's hard. I lift it out of the bowl and dust the crumbs off of it. I break it up and put it in an old coffee pot on the stove to melt. I wash the bowl out, then drain the fat from the pot into it and put it back on the freezer to cool. I go to the basement for old pasta jars to put the rendered fat into.
Husband and the boys come in. They help with the turkey, mash the potatoes, and make gravy. I pour the fat into jars and set them on the counter to cool. I put the oven on top of the stove and pop in the first batch of bread.
We eat supper, then switch the bread. I divide the leftover turkey and chop it up for tomorrow's turkey rice casserole and a bowl of turkey salad. I put them in the entrance way on the freezer. They'll be cool enough there. The boys go in the living room to play monopoly. I put the doggy stew on to cook overnight, and then decide to put the beans on as well. They'll just simmer, but it should work. Once the kitchen is tidied back up I head to bed with a book.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Day 16- Construction
Days are getting shorter, and everyone seems to be waking earlier and earlier. My quiet time in the morning gets shorter and shorter. It's ok though, with the busy days we've been keeping it's nice to have the time to talk, just the six of us. We drink coffee and tea, and #2 makes pancakes. It'll be another long hard work day, so we won't be breaking for lunch.
It froze last night, there is a thin layer of ice on the rain barrels. I check the freezers, but there isn't much change there. It seems that they insulated against the cold somewhat. I prop them open to catch the early morning chill. My water bottles for the cooler have frozen some, so I put them in the freezer and set out more bottles.
The Littles do chores, I close the freezers and check the smoker, and then we all head over to Brother and Sil's to start construction, except Husband. He gets the horse cart ready and heads to northern neighbour's. It's been more than a couple of days, and we haven't checked on them. He might even bring them back to help with construction.
We get to the camp and everyone is up and about. The girls are cranky. They don't like walking to the outhouse in the morning, and they hate sharing the tiny room at the back of the trailer. Tonight, hopefully, they won't have to. Once we rip off the tented extension, we really need to get the lean-to built. They'll only have propane for heat until the woodstove is back in place, and it won't last long.
#2 and I start cutting logs while Brother, Sil and #1 take down the woodstove and tent. The girls and the Littles move everything back out of the way. The Bigs dig post holes once the ground is cleared, and Brother and Sil put the posts in. The frame is up in a couple of hours, another 12' X 36', essentially turning their trailer into a double wide.
Husband joins us. Diego* and Nira* are doing well. They got a bear the other day, so they're busy butchering. They dug an outhouse, and they've been hauling water from the creek. Nira's been working with the ponies, and Diego has built a little cart for them. They're hoping they'll be able to travel in a couple of days.
We cut and place logs for the walls all afternoon. The Littles have a grand time filling the chinks with clay. The door frame from the tent is recycled onto the new structure and the woodstove is put in place. We cut poles for the roof and alternate them over the shelter and the trailer. This will give them a peaked roof to combat the heavy snowfalls to come. We cover them with the tent and a couple of tarps. At the end of the day everyone is exhausted but the structure is finished. Brother, Sil, and the girls will have another busy day tomorrow building shelves and bunks, piling the trimmings for firewood, and figuring out what to do about the dirt floor.
Back at home I check the smoker and add more wood to the fire. #2 cuts a branch off one of the cherry trees for me to use as flavouring. The roasts smell pretty good, and have shrunk some, but they don't look anything like jerky, so I'll keep them in at least overnight again. The Bigs do chores.
We splurge and cook a big pot of spaghetti for supper. We're all hungry, and haven't had such a filling meal in a long time.
It froze last night, there is a thin layer of ice on the rain barrels. I check the freezers, but there isn't much change there. It seems that they insulated against the cold somewhat. I prop them open to catch the early morning chill. My water bottles for the cooler have frozen some, so I put them in the freezer and set out more bottles.
The Littles do chores, I close the freezers and check the smoker, and then we all head over to Brother and Sil's to start construction, except Husband. He gets the horse cart ready and heads to northern neighbour's. It's been more than a couple of days, and we haven't checked on them. He might even bring them back to help with construction.
We get to the camp and everyone is up and about. The girls are cranky. They don't like walking to the outhouse in the morning, and they hate sharing the tiny room at the back of the trailer. Tonight, hopefully, they won't have to. Once we rip off the tented extension, we really need to get the lean-to built. They'll only have propane for heat until the woodstove is back in place, and it won't last long.
#2 and I start cutting logs while Brother, Sil and #1 take down the woodstove and tent. The girls and the Littles move everything back out of the way. The Bigs dig post holes once the ground is cleared, and Brother and Sil put the posts in. The frame is up in a couple of hours, another 12' X 36', essentially turning their trailer into a double wide.
Husband joins us. Diego* and Nira* are doing well. They got a bear the other day, so they're busy butchering. They dug an outhouse, and they've been hauling water from the creek. Nira's been working with the ponies, and Diego has built a little cart for them. They're hoping they'll be able to travel in a couple of days.
We cut and place logs for the walls all afternoon. The Littles have a grand time filling the chinks with clay. The door frame from the tent is recycled onto the new structure and the woodstove is put in place. We cut poles for the roof and alternate them over the shelter and the trailer. This will give them a peaked roof to combat the heavy snowfalls to come. We cover them with the tent and a couple of tarps. At the end of the day everyone is exhausted but the structure is finished. Brother, Sil, and the girls will have another busy day tomorrow building shelves and bunks, piling the trimmings for firewood, and figuring out what to do about the dirt floor.
Back at home I check the smoker and add more wood to the fire. #2 cuts a branch off one of the cherry trees for me to use as flavouring. The roasts smell pretty good, and have shrunk some, but they don't look anything like jerky, so I'll keep them in at least overnight again. The Bigs do chores.
We splurge and cook a big pot of spaghetti for supper. We're all hungry, and haven't had such a filling meal in a long time.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Day 10- A Trip To The Potato Man
I'm up early. Or still. I didn't sleep much last night. I stoke the stove, start coffee and tea, and then start a batch of bread. I pour myself a cup of tea- it'll be the last one with honey. I wonder why I never went to the local apiary myself. I always meant to, to see if they had larger jars or better prices than what the grocery store carried. But then, I also enjoyed the convenience of buying it from the grocery store, and the best way too show them that was to keep buying it there. Except now, I don't know where they are and I can't call for directions. I know they're somewhere near the potato man. It would have been good to make two stops on one trip.
Husband gets up and pours himself a coffee. He puts his sugar in, then hides the canister at the back of the cupboard. He sits down at the table and sees the empty honey jar. "So I suppose this means I'm going to have to start sharing my sugar with you."
I laugh. "Yeah, unless you want to go on a wild goose chase and find me some more honey." He looks over the jar. Just a rural route number, no road address.
"Why didn't you ever start a beehive?", he asks.
I just stare at him. "Seriously?" He starts to laugh.
"What? My super woman afraid an itty bitty bee's going to kill her..." He's roaring now. I can't help it. I laugh too. I had thought about getting a hive, but I am allergic. The bumbles are better suited to our climate and less likely to attack me, so I never pursued it. Though in all honesty, the bees get a bad rap. I've never been stung by a bee- it's always the wasps and spiders that put me in the hospital.
There's a tap at the door and the dogs go wild. I think they're edgier since it's so quiet now without the constant hum of all the hydro sucking appliances. Husband grabs two of them and I get the door with just Smitty as my guard. To my surprise, it's Brother and Sil. They join us for coffee, and I sneak them some sugar but tell them not to tell.
Brother is going with Husband for potatoes. He wants to try calling the girls again. Sil wants me to take her for a walk and teach her the weeds. Mom and Dad still aren't concerned about how long this is going to last for, but Sil knows we could be in it for the long haul. She's extra uncomfortable not having any food storage here. We're discussing my storage when Nira and Diego come in. Nira's surprised that Sil wants to forage and store whatever she can find. I think having Sil in on the conversation helps Nira to see the light. Sil keeps telling her how lucky we all are that I've been feeding my family weeds for years. Most people don't know what to look for.
The boys get up, and the kids come in. There are too many people in my house. I leave #2 to organize breakfast, and show Nira how to cook again. I go out to the garage to cut and wrap some beef.
Casper's only been hanging three days, but my mouth is watering. The meat is so much thicker and heavier than Steaks' was. It smells divine. I split the hip and cut down one quarter. I almost drop it. He was a big boy. Dorie sure did a fine job!
I start cutting the meat off the bone. The rump is big enough for at least six roasts, eight if I really want to stretch it. I cut the legs into stewing beef. I look over the pile of meat. By pre blackout prices, a roast should be worth a bit more than a bag of potatoes. I decide to send them with 7 roasts and 2 packages of stewing meat. I tuck the rest of the meat into the freezer. I take the bones in the house.
The kids and the Littles are gone when I go in. There are plates everywhere, and most still have bits of pancake on them. It amazes me how wasteful city people are. At least I don't have to worry about what to feed the dogs today. Everyone else is finishing their pancakes. The blueberry sauce is empty, and they've started a jar of elderberry. #1 must have picked it.
I put the bones in a stock pot, then filter the water off the stove to fill it. #1 gets me a couple of carrots and an onion from the basement. I know this is breaking my own rules, but the stock will make several meals to come, not just today's. I chop the carrots, then change my mind about the onion. I go out and pick a few chives instead. I spice it with rosemary, thyme, and garlic, and set it on the grill. #2 hands me a plate of pancakes. He and I sit down to eat. I'm annoyed that he's still cooking, but Nat has finished her pancakes.
Husband, Brother and Diego go out to get Tori and the cart ready to go. #1 finds and loads a couple of garden forks and several feed bags, in case they have to dig. Husband hasn't thought of anything worth trading, other than food. They load the meat I had wrapped. The cart is almost full. I send #2 out with a few jars of jams, a small bag of carrots and a blanket to cover it all. He saddles Knightmare. He'll ride alongside the cart. I tell him to put the saddle bags on too, just in case. The men get their guns. There's only room for 2 on the seat, and one in the cart. Someone will have to stay.
#2 says, "Let's ask southern neighbour for an extra horse." That's not a bad idea. I give Husband all of the paper cash I have saved, except $20 in small bills, just in case. We say goodbye, and they head out, with #1 walking along. If they can't borrow a horse, he'll walk back home.
They find the neighbours putting the last of their hay out. They tell them their plan and ask to borrow an extra horse. Sanya tells them they can keep one if they're willing to feed it. She picks one of her favourites for #1. She also decides to join them. She rides one of her horses that's also broke to pull, just in case Tori can't handle the trip. Roam saddles two horses, and leads a third from the barn. He figures they can't feed it anyway, they might as well try to trade it for potatoes.
It's 42 kilometers to the next small town, so it's a pretty quiet ride for a while. There are few houses alongside the highway, and most look abandoned. The worst they encounter for a long time are cars abandoned on the road that they have to work their way around. Most of them have smashed windows and have obviously been rummaged through, probably people looking for food. They shoot a few partridge on the way.
After about an hour later, they are hit with the stench of rot. They can see the crows up ahead. They expect to find roadkill, but as they approach a house on the side of the road, they see people have been shot. There are three near the road and a fourth near the house. They are about to stop when the door opens and a woman with a gun yells, "Keep moving!" They wave and continue, guns cocked.
They reach Littletown after two hours. People are out and about chatting, kids are running around playing. Things look normal, until they arm themselves. Several men walk out to the road. They're wary, but calm. They chat about the blackout, supplies, survival. The people here have banded together, and most are doing fine. Husband tells them our village is ok too.
Brother asks if the payphone is working. It is. He calls the girls. There's still no answer. They continue down the road.
It's almost another hour before they reach the next village. It looks like a major city from days gone by. This area is mostly a Hutterite community. They're doing well. The country store is still open, though it's lit by lanterns and has no feed. Husband stops in and looks around. He buys a small oil lamp for $7. #1 spots my honey on a shelf. Husband grabs two jars. It's another $20, but he figures it's worth it. The man at the counter tells him the apiary is part of the community, so the honey is always there for sale. He also says they're still processing chickens down the road, if we have money, we can have meat. We aren't worried about meat.
Diego looks over the woodstoves for sale. These are serious wood cook stoves, with serious price tags. He asks if they would consider trading for one, since our money is all locked up in the bank. The man scratches his chin for awhile. "It would have to be a big trade", he says, "like a couple of cows or horses".
Roam jumps in and tells him he has a horse with him that he was hoping to trade. The man calls someone else out of the back to go and see the horse. Outside they settle on a price, not in cash, but in goods. Roam and Sanya discuss a variety of things they need, but the big question is how to get them home. They tell the men about their other horses, and no hay. The men ask where they are, and agree to trade horses for hay. They'll deliver it and take the horses they want with them. Sanya is happy her horses will be fed, and she won't lose them all.
They continue on their way to the potato man. It's only another half hour up the road. No one is around when they get there, and they see bullet holes in the sign. The men call out to the house and fields but nobody answers. Then Husband yells, "We have food to trade or money to buy!" A curtain moves in the window and they can see the potato man peek out. Husband pulls the blanket back, and lifts a package. "Beef!", he yells.
The potato man and another man step outside with guns. "The beef is probably rotten!" He yells. Husband tells him we slaughtered our cow just three days ago and wrapped the meat this morning. He takes one package to them and opens it so they can smell it. "That's not rotten. That smells good!"
They start to discuss a trade, but the potato man has been robbed several times. He has no fuel for his equipment, and most of his crop is still in the field. He agrees to let them dig the potatoes themselves. They decide that ten bags of potatoes are a fair trade for all of the beef, jams and carrots. He tells them where to dig and welcomes them back any time.
It takes a couple of hours to dig and fill the ten bags of potatoes. The cart is overloaded. Tori is already sore and tired, so Sanya switches her horse on the cart. #1 trades horses with her. He's lighter, so it will be easier on Tori. They cover the potatoes with the blanket and Diego sits on top of them for the ride home. There's really no hiding what's under the blanket though.
When they reach the Hutterite village, Husband decides to go back to the store. He asks the man about live chickens. We lost all of ours to foxes this year. The man from the back takes him to a farm in his buggy where Husband pays $20 for 4 hens and a rooster. He doesn't have a cage though, so he cuts some air holes in a feed bag and hopes they make it home ok.
Back on the road they pass some people headed south. One of them is bleeding. They watch the cart of potatoes go by, but don't try anything with everyone holding guns.
In Littletown they are wary, not wanting their haul to be raided. The men come to the road to chat again, and ask if the potato man is ok. They've made several trips there themselves. They chat about the Hutterite village. A boy notices the chickens in the feed bag and gets upset.
"They shouldn't be in there like that!", he says.
"We don't have a cage.", Husband answers. The boy runs off and comes back with an old laundry basket. It's cracked in several places. "Put them in here", he says. They transfer the birds, and put the feed bag on top. He gets some string so they can tie the feed bag over the top. Husband thanks him profusely, telling him he was worried about the birds making it home.
They talk about the city to the south. There haven't been any visitors from there, and the townsfolk think any who have left the city headed south. Not many people head that way and return though either. Most people come from the north, hungry and desperate. They had to shoot at a group earlier in the day that tried to break into a house. Husband tells them they probably passed them, and one was bleeding.
Brother decides to try the phone again. There's still no answer at his house. He tries calling a friend, and is surprised when he answers. He is relieved a moment later, when he is talking to his daughters. Friend went to their house. He has an old truck that's still running, and wanted them to travel north to his cottage together. Things are crazy in the cities. He found the girls home alone. They loaded up all of Sil's canned goods, sleeping bags, hand tools, and winter clothes for everyone. They've been in Friend's village for days. Friend wants to leave after dark and travel through the night. He thinks he has enough fuel to make the trip to Huntsville. This will put the girls several hours closer to us. He gets the phone number for the cottage and tells them to take the rotary phone with them.
They leave Littletown and head for home. The rest of the trip is uneventful, except for shooting a few more partridge. They leave Sanya and Roam with one bag of potatoes and bring the rest home, along with the horse #1 had been riding.
We're all relieved when they're back at home. It's been a long, worry filled day. I am thrilled to see the chickens. We will have eggs again! I am not taking any chances with these- I put them in the basement for the night.
Brother tells Sil and the rest of us the news about the girls. Mom and Dad are here too. Dad thinks he can get our old diesel truck running, and he should have enough fuel to get to Huntsville and back. He'll have to put his farm fuel tank in the box. They decide to work on it in the morning.
The Bigs put the horses back in the pasture. Everyone helps unload potatoes. Nat is upset that all of the potatoes are going in my cold room. I tell her until she digs a root cellar that's the only place that makes sense.
We clean the partridge and I slice them up. I put them in the cooler tonight, we will feast tomorrow.
When everything is unloaded, Husband brings me the blanket. It's much heavier than I expect. He smiles as I unwrap it and discover the honey. This is so much more than I was expecting. I start to cry, cause, you know, sometimes I get girly like that.
This morning, after the men left, we women went on a weed walk. Nira and Sil are both quite confident about which weeds are safe to eat. Back at the house, Sil helped me roll out bread. She wanted to learn how to make it, so we started another batch. Then we rolled it into bread bowls. We canned several jars of beef stock, and made a big pot of beef soup for supper, with a variety of weeds, a few potatoes, the carrots from the stock, and all the meat off the bones.
We light a fire outside and sit around it eating and talking for hours, listening to the men's tale of adventure. The kids are all enthralled by the story telling, listening intently. It's like a pirate story for them. I think we better make time for 'school' for all of them.
We talk late into the night. Sil and Nira ask about how to build a root cellar. Mom and Dad tell them about root cellars they had when they were kids. I suggest they start digging right through the floor of their camps, so it'll be accessible through the winter.
We talk about the woodstoves and doing a trade. Two cows would leave us with only 1, the calf, and our bull. That's too steep of a price. Dad's pretty sure he can rig something together for Diego and Nira anyway.
We all go to bed well fed, calm and more content than we have been in a long time.
Husband gets up and pours himself a coffee. He puts his sugar in, then hides the canister at the back of the cupboard. He sits down at the table and sees the empty honey jar. "So I suppose this means I'm going to have to start sharing my sugar with you."
I laugh. "Yeah, unless you want to go on a wild goose chase and find me some more honey." He looks over the jar. Just a rural route number, no road address.
"Why didn't you ever start a beehive?", he asks.
I just stare at him. "Seriously?" He starts to laugh.
"What? My super woman afraid an itty bitty bee's going to kill her..." He's roaring now. I can't help it. I laugh too. I had thought about getting a hive, but I am allergic. The bumbles are better suited to our climate and less likely to attack me, so I never pursued it. Though in all honesty, the bees get a bad rap. I've never been stung by a bee- it's always the wasps and spiders that put me in the hospital.
There's a tap at the door and the dogs go wild. I think they're edgier since it's so quiet now without the constant hum of all the hydro sucking appliances. Husband grabs two of them and I get the door with just Smitty as my guard. To my surprise, it's Brother and Sil. They join us for coffee, and I sneak them some sugar but tell them not to tell.
Brother is going with Husband for potatoes. He wants to try calling the girls again. Sil wants me to take her for a walk and teach her the weeds. Mom and Dad still aren't concerned about how long this is going to last for, but Sil knows we could be in it for the long haul. She's extra uncomfortable not having any food storage here. We're discussing my storage when Nira and Diego come in. Nira's surprised that Sil wants to forage and store whatever she can find. I think having Sil in on the conversation helps Nira to see the light. Sil keeps telling her how lucky we all are that I've been feeding my family weeds for years. Most people don't know what to look for.
The boys get up, and the kids come in. There are too many people in my house. I leave #2 to organize breakfast, and show Nira how to cook again. I go out to the garage to cut and wrap some beef.
Casper's only been hanging three days, but my mouth is watering. The meat is so much thicker and heavier than Steaks' was. It smells divine. I split the hip and cut down one quarter. I almost drop it. He was a big boy. Dorie sure did a fine job!
I start cutting the meat off the bone. The rump is big enough for at least six roasts, eight if I really want to stretch it. I cut the legs into stewing beef. I look over the pile of meat. By pre blackout prices, a roast should be worth a bit more than a bag of potatoes. I decide to send them with 7 roasts and 2 packages of stewing meat. I tuck the rest of the meat into the freezer. I take the bones in the house.
The kids and the Littles are gone when I go in. There are plates everywhere, and most still have bits of pancake on them. It amazes me how wasteful city people are. At least I don't have to worry about what to feed the dogs today. Everyone else is finishing their pancakes. The blueberry sauce is empty, and they've started a jar of elderberry. #1 must have picked it.
I put the bones in a stock pot, then filter the water off the stove to fill it. #1 gets me a couple of carrots and an onion from the basement. I know this is breaking my own rules, but the stock will make several meals to come, not just today's. I chop the carrots, then change my mind about the onion. I go out and pick a few chives instead. I spice it with rosemary, thyme, and garlic, and set it on the grill. #2 hands me a plate of pancakes. He and I sit down to eat. I'm annoyed that he's still cooking, but Nat has finished her pancakes.
Husband, Brother and Diego go out to get Tori and the cart ready to go. #1 finds and loads a couple of garden forks and several feed bags, in case they have to dig. Husband hasn't thought of anything worth trading, other than food. They load the meat I had wrapped. The cart is almost full. I send #2 out with a few jars of jams, a small bag of carrots and a blanket to cover it all. He saddles Knightmare. He'll ride alongside the cart. I tell him to put the saddle bags on too, just in case. The men get their guns. There's only room for 2 on the seat, and one in the cart. Someone will have to stay.
#2 says, "Let's ask southern neighbour for an extra horse." That's not a bad idea. I give Husband all of the paper cash I have saved, except $20 in small bills, just in case. We say goodbye, and they head out, with #1 walking along. If they can't borrow a horse, he'll walk back home.
They find the neighbours putting the last of their hay out. They tell them their plan and ask to borrow an extra horse. Sanya tells them they can keep one if they're willing to feed it. She picks one of her favourites for #1. She also decides to join them. She rides one of her horses that's also broke to pull, just in case Tori can't handle the trip. Roam saddles two horses, and leads a third from the barn. He figures they can't feed it anyway, they might as well try to trade it for potatoes.
It's 42 kilometers to the next small town, so it's a pretty quiet ride for a while. There are few houses alongside the highway, and most look abandoned. The worst they encounter for a long time are cars abandoned on the road that they have to work their way around. Most of them have smashed windows and have obviously been rummaged through, probably people looking for food. They shoot a few partridge on the way.
After about an hour later, they are hit with the stench of rot. They can see the crows up ahead. They expect to find roadkill, but as they approach a house on the side of the road, they see people have been shot. There are three near the road and a fourth near the house. They are about to stop when the door opens and a woman with a gun yells, "Keep moving!" They wave and continue, guns cocked.
They reach Littletown after two hours. People are out and about chatting, kids are running around playing. Things look normal, until they arm themselves. Several men walk out to the road. They're wary, but calm. They chat about the blackout, supplies, survival. The people here have banded together, and most are doing fine. Husband tells them our village is ok too.
Brother asks if the payphone is working. It is. He calls the girls. There's still no answer. They continue down the road.
It's almost another hour before they reach the next village. It looks like a major city from days gone by. This area is mostly a Hutterite community. They're doing well. The country store is still open, though it's lit by lanterns and has no feed. Husband stops in and looks around. He buys a small oil lamp for $7. #1 spots my honey on a shelf. Husband grabs two jars. It's another $20, but he figures it's worth it. The man at the counter tells him the apiary is part of the community, so the honey is always there for sale. He also says they're still processing chickens down the road, if we have money, we can have meat. We aren't worried about meat.
Diego looks over the woodstoves for sale. These are serious wood cook stoves, with serious price tags. He asks if they would consider trading for one, since our money is all locked up in the bank. The man scratches his chin for awhile. "It would have to be a big trade", he says, "like a couple of cows or horses".
Roam jumps in and tells him he has a horse with him that he was hoping to trade. The man calls someone else out of the back to go and see the horse. Outside they settle on a price, not in cash, but in goods. Roam and Sanya discuss a variety of things they need, but the big question is how to get them home. They tell the men about their other horses, and no hay. The men ask where they are, and agree to trade horses for hay. They'll deliver it and take the horses they want with them. Sanya is happy her horses will be fed, and she won't lose them all.
They continue on their way to the potato man. It's only another half hour up the road. No one is around when they get there, and they see bullet holes in the sign. The men call out to the house and fields but nobody answers. Then Husband yells, "We have food to trade or money to buy!" A curtain moves in the window and they can see the potato man peek out. Husband pulls the blanket back, and lifts a package. "Beef!", he yells.
The potato man and another man step outside with guns. "The beef is probably rotten!" He yells. Husband tells him we slaughtered our cow just three days ago and wrapped the meat this morning. He takes one package to them and opens it so they can smell it. "That's not rotten. That smells good!"
They start to discuss a trade, but the potato man has been robbed several times. He has no fuel for his equipment, and most of his crop is still in the field. He agrees to let them dig the potatoes themselves. They decide that ten bags of potatoes are a fair trade for all of the beef, jams and carrots. He tells them where to dig and welcomes them back any time.
It takes a couple of hours to dig and fill the ten bags of potatoes. The cart is overloaded. Tori is already sore and tired, so Sanya switches her horse on the cart. #1 trades horses with her. He's lighter, so it will be easier on Tori. They cover the potatoes with the blanket and Diego sits on top of them for the ride home. There's really no hiding what's under the blanket though.
When they reach the Hutterite village, Husband decides to go back to the store. He asks the man about live chickens. We lost all of ours to foxes this year. The man from the back takes him to a farm in his buggy where Husband pays $20 for 4 hens and a rooster. He doesn't have a cage though, so he cuts some air holes in a feed bag and hopes they make it home ok.
Back on the road they pass some people headed south. One of them is bleeding. They watch the cart of potatoes go by, but don't try anything with everyone holding guns.
In Littletown they are wary, not wanting their haul to be raided. The men come to the road to chat again, and ask if the potato man is ok. They've made several trips there themselves. They chat about the Hutterite village. A boy notices the chickens in the feed bag and gets upset.
"They shouldn't be in there like that!", he says.
"We don't have a cage.", Husband answers. The boy runs off and comes back with an old laundry basket. It's cracked in several places. "Put them in here", he says. They transfer the birds, and put the feed bag on top. He gets some string so they can tie the feed bag over the top. Husband thanks him profusely, telling him he was worried about the birds making it home.
They talk about the city to the south. There haven't been any visitors from there, and the townsfolk think any who have left the city headed south. Not many people head that way and return though either. Most people come from the north, hungry and desperate. They had to shoot at a group earlier in the day that tried to break into a house. Husband tells them they probably passed them, and one was bleeding.
Brother decides to try the phone again. There's still no answer at his house. He tries calling a friend, and is surprised when he answers. He is relieved a moment later, when he is talking to his daughters. Friend went to their house. He has an old truck that's still running, and wanted them to travel north to his cottage together. Things are crazy in the cities. He found the girls home alone. They loaded up all of Sil's canned goods, sleeping bags, hand tools, and winter clothes for everyone. They've been in Friend's village for days. Friend wants to leave after dark and travel through the night. He thinks he has enough fuel to make the trip to Huntsville. This will put the girls several hours closer to us. He gets the phone number for the cottage and tells them to take the rotary phone with them.
They leave Littletown and head for home. The rest of the trip is uneventful, except for shooting a few more partridge. They leave Sanya and Roam with one bag of potatoes and bring the rest home, along with the horse #1 had been riding.
We're all relieved when they're back at home. It's been a long, worry filled day. I am thrilled to see the chickens. We will have eggs again! I am not taking any chances with these- I put them in the basement for the night.
Brother tells Sil and the rest of us the news about the girls. Mom and Dad are here too. Dad thinks he can get our old diesel truck running, and he should have enough fuel to get to Huntsville and back. He'll have to put his farm fuel tank in the box. They decide to work on it in the morning.
The Bigs put the horses back in the pasture. Everyone helps unload potatoes. Nat is upset that all of the potatoes are going in my cold room. I tell her until she digs a root cellar that's the only place that makes sense.
We clean the partridge and I slice them up. I put them in the cooler tonight, we will feast tomorrow.
When everything is unloaded, Husband brings me the blanket. It's much heavier than I expect. He smiles as I unwrap it and discover the honey. This is so much more than I was expecting. I start to cry, cause, you know, sometimes I get girly like that.
This morning, after the men left, we women went on a weed walk. Nira and Sil are both quite confident about which weeds are safe to eat. Back at the house, Sil helped me roll out bread. She wanted to learn how to make it, so we started another batch. Then we rolled it into bread bowls. We canned several jars of beef stock, and made a big pot of beef soup for supper, with a variety of weeds, a few potatoes, the carrots from the stock, and all the meat off the bones.
We light a fire outside and sit around it eating and talking for hours, listening to the men's tale of adventure. The kids are all enthralled by the story telling, listening intently. It's like a pirate story for them. I think we better make time for 'school' for all of them.
We talk late into the night. Sil and Nira ask about how to build a root cellar. Mom and Dad tell them about root cellars they had when they were kids. I suggest they start digging right through the floor of their camps, so it'll be accessible through the winter.
We talk about the woodstoves and doing a trade. Two cows would leave us with only 1, the calf, and our bull. That's too steep of a price. Dad's pretty sure he can rig something together for Diego and Nira anyway.
We all go to bed well fed, calm and more content than we have been in a long time.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Day Four
The dogs woke me up. It's early. Really early. It's still dark outside. They're barking at something. I let them out, but I see nothing. Everyone else is still sleeping.
I pour myself a glass of apple juice, thankful that tomorrow morning I will have tea. I could have tea today, outside on the fire pit, but I'm too lazy (and scared of the dark) to bother with it. Today husband and the boys will get the woodstove reinstalled in the sunroom, and tomorrow I will have tea.
I go to the basement and check the fire. There are still some hot coals- what time is it? I give them a stir, add some cardboard and kindling. Hopefully it'll catch. Lighting a fire without the fan is such a pain.
I let the dogs back in. They're wet. It's raining. I won't be going hunting this morning. I will stay home and can.
I look in the fridge. It's not really cool, but not warm either. I'll need to clean it out. There are lots of leftovers. I start opening containers- goulash, lasagna, cabbage rolls, potatoes. I chop them, mix them all together, then add a bit of water. I pour them in a casserole pan and cover it with tinfoil. Lunch. There are two packages of mushrooms that need to be dealt with. A bowl of turkey bones that I had planned to make stock with. Broccoli, celery, apples, milk. I decide a nice cream of broccoli soup would be good for supper, and I'll can cream of mushroom soup. I could do cream of celery as well, but I still have some in the cold room. The celery will keep for a while in the cold room. At this time of year it's like a big walk in fridge. I start chopping veggies.
As the boys get up, they discover a pile of stuff from the fridge, and a mountain of dishes spread across the table. I send one after another downstairs to the cold room with things to be kept down there. I tell them to drink milk for breakfast, it won't keep. I send one to the freezer with his arms full of freezer stuff from above the fridge. Most of it has started defrosting. I hope it's cool enough out to refreeze.
Husband gets up. He's cranky without coffee, but I pour him a glass of apple juice and tell him the sooner he gets the stove installed, the sooner he'll get coffee. He takes the Bigs out to get started. About an hour later, they have it installed. They had to take out the platform from the old stove, it was too small and the new stove doesn't need the extra height. I get a fire started, then get the camp coffee pot from the trailer. I fill a pot with water and put it on top of the stove as well. That's pretty much all of the usable space, with those two items. There might be enough room to squeeze in one more small pot. We're going to need to extend the surface area if there's any hope of canning, heating water and cooking.
Husband looks over my campfire grills, and disappears in the garage. I hear him start the generator, so I take my phone and flashlight outside to charge. I debate whether to find an extension cord to plug in the freezer, but he comes out and shuts the generator back off. So much for that. He's welded two of the grills together to sit over top of the stove, extending the sides. They won't work for cooking, but they should be warm enough to keep water heated. I mention to him that I'm going to need some sort of oven as well, to bake in. He gives me a look, and I just smile and say, "Coffee's ready."
The boys are fighting again when we go back in the house. I send #1 and #3 out to do chores, #4 to put away clean dishes, and #2 to check the fire in the basement. When the Bigs have finished, I send them to the add a room to get the wood rack, then all of them to get firewood to fill it. That keeps them busy for a while. I set up the grill over the stove and move the pot of water to one side, and put my canner on the other. I set the casserole pan on the stove, along with my tea pot. I'll have tea today after all.
After the tea boils I slide the water pot back onto the stove, and it too is soon boiling. I wash dishes, starting with my soup pot. Then I put the turkey bones, some carrots, celery, onions and spices with enough water to cover, back on the stove to make stock. I continue washing dishes. The dishwasher is soon overloaded with clean dishes. It's been nothing but a dish rack for years now anyway, since it doesn't work.
The boys come in, and I send them out to find buckets. We're going through water awfully fast, so we had best take advantage of the rain. First I tell them to make sure all of the barrels in the pasture are up against the chicken coop wall to collect water off the roof. I tell them to bring the barrel from my forest garden up to the house and put it under the rain gutter by the sunroom, then put 5 gallon pails under all of the other gutters and find something to go under the garden shed, so it'll be closer for the turkeys. "One of the barrels in the pasture has been leaking. Bring it back to the garage, maybe Dad can fix it."
Husband goes out to the garage. He returns some time later with the top half of the leaky barrel cut off. #1 carries in a piece as well. He tells me to move my soup pot, and I do. He sets the half barrel on top of the stove. "How's that?", he asks. The piece #1 had was a door, and they have built me a little stove top oven.
"That should work.", I smile. I take it off the stove and set it on the floor. I put my soup pot back on. They go back outside.
Throughout the day I have to alternate soup and boiling water on the stove top. I remove my canner- it heats up much faster than I expected, so I leave it sit on the floor beside the stove. It won't take too long to get it hot enough to can with later, once the stock is done. That frees up some space, so I grab the doggy stew pot and start some stew. That should make the pups happier. Luckily we had some dog food when the power went out, since it's been so unstable, but they really aren't fans of the stuff. The doggy stew is going to have to be heavy on the veggies (dandelion, potato peels) for awhile, to stretch the rice out. I use water from the spring for it. It's been boiled, but I'd really like to filter it as well, especially if we have to drink it.
It rains most of the day, and we're lucky enough to fill several buckets of water. When the rain lets up Husband and I decide to go for a bird run. His quad won't start. I'm not surprised. It's newer, an automatic, computerized. He borrows #1's quad. I take my trailer, a bucket, empty pop bottles, and a chainsaw. We only get one bird, but we get sand, a load of firewood, and water from the creek. We'll have to do a lot more combined trips like this.
Back at the house, I take the boys out to the garden. The turkeys have cleaned out almost all of the remaining veggies, leaving only the weeds and corn stalks behind. I wish I could let them out to free range, they eat so much at this stage. It wouldn't be safe for them though. I've already lost a bunch to foxes this year. The Bigs raise the sides of the greenhouses for me. I want the snow to go inside through the winter so they won't be so dried out next spring. Then they put the rototiller back in the garden shed. They pull out the pea fences and move them over against the garden fence. The Littles and I gather up garden stakes, pots and tools. Everything is put away for the year. Now it's ready for husband to bring over composted manure to cover the new hugelkultur bed. I hope the tractor will start.
It's been a long, but productive day. We're all tired. We go in the house. I check the turkey stock. It's ready. I slide it over, and put a cast iron pan on the stove. I need to fry up the mushrooms. I take the doggy stew pot off, and the boys take it to feed the dogs. I put my canner back on the stove to heat. I strain the stock from the turkey bones. Once the mushrooms are fried, I add them to the stock, along with some salt, and bring it back to a boil. A short while later the cream of mushroom soup is ready to can.
The boys have finished chores, and I have the cream of broccoli soup ready in another pot. I put it on the stove beside the canner. Supper will be ready soon. There's still a bit of milk left, so I tell the boys to drink it with supper. I get two large pots of rain water ready to go on the stove once the canner is done, more dishes to wash. The boys put away clean dishes and set the table. I put the first pot of water on when the soup comes off the stove, and the second when the canner is finished.
After supper, I wash dishes again. There's plenty of hot water, so I tell the boys it's bath night. They pour two buckets of rainwater in the tub, and then the hot water. I start another pot boiling for warm ups. It's a shared tub, cleanest to dirtiest, but it makes them all feel better. I splurge and have a bit of a clean bath with the water left in the pot. Husband washes up after me.
We stock the stove, close the dampers, and add another large pot of water to heat overnight. It's time for bed.
I pour myself a glass of apple juice, thankful that tomorrow morning I will have tea. I could have tea today, outside on the fire pit, but I'm too lazy (and scared of the dark) to bother with it. Today husband and the boys will get the woodstove reinstalled in the sunroom, and tomorrow I will have tea.
I go to the basement and check the fire. There are still some hot coals- what time is it? I give them a stir, add some cardboard and kindling. Hopefully it'll catch. Lighting a fire without the fan is such a pain.
I let the dogs back in. They're wet. It's raining. I won't be going hunting this morning. I will stay home and can.
I look in the fridge. It's not really cool, but not warm either. I'll need to clean it out. There are lots of leftovers. I start opening containers- goulash, lasagna, cabbage rolls, potatoes. I chop them, mix them all together, then add a bit of water. I pour them in a casserole pan and cover it with tinfoil. Lunch. There are two packages of mushrooms that need to be dealt with. A bowl of turkey bones that I had planned to make stock with. Broccoli, celery, apples, milk. I decide a nice cream of broccoli soup would be good for supper, and I'll can cream of mushroom soup. I could do cream of celery as well, but I still have some in the cold room. The celery will keep for a while in the cold room. At this time of year it's like a big walk in fridge. I start chopping veggies.
As the boys get up, they discover a pile of stuff from the fridge, and a mountain of dishes spread across the table. I send one after another downstairs to the cold room with things to be kept down there. I tell them to drink milk for breakfast, it won't keep. I send one to the freezer with his arms full of freezer stuff from above the fridge. Most of it has started defrosting. I hope it's cool enough out to refreeze.
Husband gets up. He's cranky without coffee, but I pour him a glass of apple juice and tell him the sooner he gets the stove installed, the sooner he'll get coffee. He takes the Bigs out to get started. About an hour later, they have it installed. They had to take out the platform from the old stove, it was too small and the new stove doesn't need the extra height. I get a fire started, then get the camp coffee pot from the trailer. I fill a pot with water and put it on top of the stove as well. That's pretty much all of the usable space, with those two items. There might be enough room to squeeze in one more small pot. We're going to need to extend the surface area if there's any hope of canning, heating water and cooking.
Husband looks over my campfire grills, and disappears in the garage. I hear him start the generator, so I take my phone and flashlight outside to charge. I debate whether to find an extension cord to plug in the freezer, but he comes out and shuts the generator back off. So much for that. He's welded two of the grills together to sit over top of the stove, extending the sides. They won't work for cooking, but they should be warm enough to keep water heated. I mention to him that I'm going to need some sort of oven as well, to bake in. He gives me a look, and I just smile and say, "Coffee's ready."
The boys are fighting again when we go back in the house. I send #1 and #3 out to do chores, #4 to put away clean dishes, and #2 to check the fire in the basement. When the Bigs have finished, I send them to the add a room to get the wood rack, then all of them to get firewood to fill it. That keeps them busy for a while. I set up the grill over the stove and move the pot of water to one side, and put my canner on the other. I set the casserole pan on the stove, along with my tea pot. I'll have tea today after all.
After the tea boils I slide the water pot back onto the stove, and it too is soon boiling. I wash dishes, starting with my soup pot. Then I put the turkey bones, some carrots, celery, onions and spices with enough water to cover, back on the stove to make stock. I continue washing dishes. The dishwasher is soon overloaded with clean dishes. It's been nothing but a dish rack for years now anyway, since it doesn't work.
The boys come in, and I send them out to find buckets. We're going through water awfully fast, so we had best take advantage of the rain. First I tell them to make sure all of the barrels in the pasture are up against the chicken coop wall to collect water off the roof. I tell them to bring the barrel from my forest garden up to the house and put it under the rain gutter by the sunroom, then put 5 gallon pails under all of the other gutters and find something to go under the garden shed, so it'll be closer for the turkeys. "One of the barrels in the pasture has been leaking. Bring it back to the garage, maybe Dad can fix it."
Husband goes out to the garage. He returns some time later with the top half of the leaky barrel cut off. #1 carries in a piece as well. He tells me to move my soup pot, and I do. He sets the half barrel on top of the stove. "How's that?", he asks. The piece #1 had was a door, and they have built me a little stove top oven.
"That should work.", I smile. I take it off the stove and set it on the floor. I put my soup pot back on. They go back outside.
Throughout the day I have to alternate soup and boiling water on the stove top. I remove my canner- it heats up much faster than I expected, so I leave it sit on the floor beside the stove. It won't take too long to get it hot enough to can with later, once the stock is done. That frees up some space, so I grab the doggy stew pot and start some stew. That should make the pups happier. Luckily we had some dog food when the power went out, since it's been so unstable, but they really aren't fans of the stuff. The doggy stew is going to have to be heavy on the veggies (dandelion, potato peels) for awhile, to stretch the rice out. I use water from the spring for it. It's been boiled, but I'd really like to filter it as well, especially if we have to drink it.
It rains most of the day, and we're lucky enough to fill several buckets of water. When the rain lets up Husband and I decide to go for a bird run. His quad won't start. I'm not surprised. It's newer, an automatic, computerized. He borrows #1's quad. I take my trailer, a bucket, empty pop bottles, and a chainsaw. We only get one bird, but we get sand, a load of firewood, and water from the creek. We'll have to do a lot more combined trips like this.
Back at the house, I take the boys out to the garden. The turkeys have cleaned out almost all of the remaining veggies, leaving only the weeds and corn stalks behind. I wish I could let them out to free range, they eat so much at this stage. It wouldn't be safe for them though. I've already lost a bunch to foxes this year. The Bigs raise the sides of the greenhouses for me. I want the snow to go inside through the winter so they won't be so dried out next spring. Then they put the rototiller back in the garden shed. They pull out the pea fences and move them over against the garden fence. The Littles and I gather up garden stakes, pots and tools. Everything is put away for the year. Now it's ready for husband to bring over composted manure to cover the new hugelkultur bed. I hope the tractor will start.
It's been a long, but productive day. We're all tired. We go in the house. I check the turkey stock. It's ready. I slide it over, and put a cast iron pan on the stove. I need to fry up the mushrooms. I take the doggy stew pot off, and the boys take it to feed the dogs. I put my canner back on the stove to heat. I strain the stock from the turkey bones. Once the mushrooms are fried, I add them to the stock, along with some salt, and bring it back to a boil. A short while later the cream of mushroom soup is ready to can.
The boys have finished chores, and I have the cream of broccoli soup ready in another pot. I put it on the stove beside the canner. Supper will be ready soon. There's still a bit of milk left, so I tell the boys to drink it with supper. I get two large pots of rain water ready to go on the stove once the canner is done, more dishes to wash. The boys put away clean dishes and set the table. I put the first pot of water on when the soup comes off the stove, and the second when the canner is finished.
After supper, I wash dishes again. There's plenty of hot water, so I tell the boys it's bath night. They pour two buckets of rainwater in the tub, and then the hot water. I start another pot boiling for warm ups. It's a shared tub, cleanest to dirtiest, but it makes them all feel better. I splurge and have a bit of a clean bath with the water left in the pot. Husband washes up after me.
We stock the stove, close the dampers, and add another large pot of water to heat overnight. It's time for bed.
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