Rutabaga... Easy to grow and yummy when cooked

I planted Rutabaga for the first time.  They did wonderfull!!  They are an easy to grow root crop and the root bulbs are easy to cook.  The goats love them too!!!  I pulled some of mine yesterday to thin them and this is what I got

Now the big question... What to do with them!!!

Okay so I peeled them and then cut them into cubes.  Doused them with olive oil, added some italian seasoning and some garlic salt then put them into the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes and this is what I got

Even the picky kid liked them! 

Johnson Grass in the garden

I had about 2 weeks that because of things going on I did not get out into my garden to weed and with my oldest working she could not come and help me.  Now I have a beautiful garden, if you can find it under 3 foot tall johnson grass!

You can see the stand of grass in the back ground.  I have mulch (wood chips) and cardboard down on about half of it and that has definately helped but there is atill a LOT of grass and weeds.

The trailer is how much grass came out of one row

My daughter is coming over today to get busy on finding the rest of the garden!!!

If anyone has any wisdom in how to battle and hopefully defeat this stuff please let me know!

A new addition to our family

We have a new addition to announce.  This time it is not a beastie although around about age two they are all beasts it seems... LOL

Please meet Joseph (my new grandson) born June 20th 2013,  9 pounds 1 ounce and 20 inches long

Doing Laundry with no machine

I have to admit the SHTF here at my house in my laundry room.  Our washer died (it is a pricey front loader, high efficiency with all the bells and whistles and only 3 years old!!!!) and with no way to immediately replace it I went into survival mode for this matter. It was a good learning experience for my kids and a way to test survival methods before everything comes crashing down!  It is my desire to have a manual wringer washer before that happens...But if I do not get it than I can manage this way!!!

For centuries before a washing machine laundry was done by hand.  Initially it was done by only using the hands and rocks and then the wash board came along.


Washboard image from Bing images

Then came wringer washers, which I wish I had one of!

Wringer washer image from Bing images

Then there is my way of doing it!  A plunger (Cost $5.40 at the local Ace Hardware) and three wash tubs which are re purposed barrels from the local Little Debbie factory (Cost $8 per barrel used 1 1/2 barrels)  Total cost for survival washing machine $17.40




The first tub is wash water with laundry detergent, the second is rinse water and the third is a final rinse with Downy.  I put them on the tailgate of my truck to make it easier on the back and also the black bed helps to warm the water on a sunny day!

3 tubs, you can barely see it because of the sun but I have a 5 strand clothes line right behind where the tubs are

First you put water into the wash tubs, add your soap (The cheap non-HE works best for this or you can grate home made lye soap to use) and fabric softener to the respective tubs.  Put your dirty clothes into the wash water and using the plunger with an up and down motion agitate the clothes well.  Any spots are rubbed out with extra soap and knuckles (wish I had a rub board for that!) Then wring out well and put into the rinse, repeat agitating and then wring and into the final rinse.  After the final rinse wring well and hang on the line.  I wring them out using a twisting motion but it is still very hard to get the water out by hand especially large towels and jeans.  So it would be unwise to put them in the dryer like that as the weight may damage it. Hang them on a line until they are dry.  If you have the convenience of a dryer then when the clothes are just damp you can bring them in and place into the dryer to finish drying and "fluff" them.

And there you have it a way to do laundry without a machine, or power.  I am just thankful that I have a well pump and a garden hose to fill the tubs!!!  It actually only took about 3 hours to do about seven loads of laundry and it would have taken the washer over 7 hours to do all of it, and the clothes are cleaner and smell better.  But the work was tiresome and my 12 year old and I both were exhausted after completing our task!

Mama's and their babes

One of my ducks hatched out 5 babies all by herself.  They are about as cute as can be all following behind her.  I have had to rescue a couple.  One tried to go thru the wire of a cage and I had to save it.  It is too funny to watch her.  Our Great Pyrenees decided to check out the babies and that Momma duck told her just how it was.  A little tiny duck up against a huge dog.  Well the duck won and the dog left!

I wish more humans were as protective of their children.  If so we would not need child protective services!

The rooster and Guinea started fighting too close to her babes and she broke up the fight. 

Aren't critters great? 

A milestone 10,000 page views!!!

I started this little blog almost a year ago for a couple reasons.

1. I enjoy writing
2. I enjoy imparting knowledge in hopes of helping or enlightening others
3. The ads help pay the bills when you click them.
4. I enjoy hearing from others in the form of the comments

Well my little blog has reached a huge milestone.  10000 page views.  I took the screen shot above when it only needed one more click to get it.

So I just want to say Thank You for reading my blog.  Keep the comments and questions coming.  I will try my best to answer any you might have.  And a BIG Thank YOU for clicking our sponsors adds and checking them out.  That helps keep the lights on! for us and them!

Have a great day and Happy Spring...

TTFN---  TaTa For Now

A Garden to feed 9 for a year. Hallelujah it is planted!!!

The weather here in Arkansas has been absolutely CRAZY, I mean really??? Snow on May 3rd???  So my garden is later getting set out than usual.  Yesterday evening we got the last of the seeds planted.  I have left to buy some herb plants and get them set out but other than that it is done.  I still have room for about 4 more rows and my friend wants some mustard greens so that may get set out if she brings me the seeds. (we do not eat mustard greens).  I may also plant a couple more rows of dry beans. 

Between my daughter and I we have 9 mouths to feed.  Which means we have to have a HUGE garden if we do not want to go to the store.  I also have many critters to feed  and some of it to is for them.

We still have to get the rest of the mulch down.  We go to a neighboring town and get mulch.  It is chipped up wood and here is the great thing.  It is only one dollar for a truck load!  Good Bye weeds!!!!

Between canning, root cellaring, freezing and dehydrating we should be able to preserve enough to last a year, God willing.  If there is no drought, floods or grasshopper plagues we should be good.  My ducks will be sent to the garden to eat bugs as soon as all my seeds and plants are well established.

Here is what we have (remember each row is about 70 feet long):

7 rows of potatoes
1 row of garlic
4 rows of green beans
1 row of peppers
1 row of tomatoes
1 row of sweet potatoes
1 row of dry beans
1 row of cucumbers
4 hills of zucchini
1 row of okra
1/2 row of honeydew melons
1/2 row of cantaloupes
1/2 row of Acorn squash
1/2 row of butternut squash
1 1/2 row watermelon
4 rows of corn
2 rows of radishes
2 rows of sweet peas
2 rows of turnips
1 1/2 rows of beets
1/2 row of rutabaga
2 rows of carrots
2 rows of lettuce
2 rows of spinach
2 rows of onions
1 row of broccoli
1 row of cabbage
1 row of pumpkins
5 hills of yellow squash
1 row of sunflowers

I think that is it!!!  Anybody want to come and learn how to can and preserve everything in a couple months???? LOL

All of these plants/seeds are heirloom non GMO.  This means that they are healthy and we can save the seeds for next year.  This way our garden will cost much less.  Right now to plant all of this we have about $75 invested plus we will have about $15 invested in mulch.  Last year 1 row of potatoes produced about 100 pounds of potatoes we have 7 times that and are expecting about 500-700 pounds of potatoes.  Enough for both families to have potatoes all year.  Since we do not have a root cellar we will be digging cairns to preserve them.  We will do the same with the winter squash.

Savings on potatoes alone: Yukon Golds are $4.96 for 5 pounds at Wal-Mart.  I spent $10 on 100 pounds of Yukon Gold seed potatoes.  If we get 500 pounds of Yukon golds that would be about $500 to buy them at Wal-Mart savings is $490 dollars.  More if we end up digging more than 500 pounds of them!!!  I think that is a BIG savings myself and that alone makes the garden worth it!!!

My oldest daughter has been an immense help.  I could not have done it without her.  But this garden feeds her family also.  This is how families are supposed to be.  Instead of bickering and fighting it is much more productive to get together, work together, pray together and love each other!