Happy Anniversary!!!!

Happy Anniversary!!

There will be no Blog today due to the fact I am celebrating 13 years of marriage today!

See you all next week.

Ms. Silver

 Ms. Silver

Need some extra happy thoughts. Our matriarch Ms. Silver, woke up this morning not being herself. She is 4 years old and has been pretty healthy, but she is down in the dumps today. So happy thoughts please!!! She is great girl and I hate to see her this way. Thanks!

Looks like I'm starting to Slip a Little

Where does the time go?

There are new items on the "Things for sale" page

I have lost track of time again! The kids started school two weeks ago and it seems like the week is gone before I know it. Again I apologize that I did not get this out on Monday. This is such a busy time of year here on Cranberry Acre. Everything in the garden is getting ready to be harvested and the Season for Craft Shows is getting ready to also Start! Where does the time go?

Our pretty tomatoes are finally coming in so I am able to can some for this Winter. We had only been getting enough in the past few weeks to just have a sandwich or two, but now we are finally able to can some. They are so pretty when they are canned.

We are starting to get our canning shelves full again! 

Last week we had so much rain, but after the rain we were sort of over run with these butterflies. One of them landed on our porch, but most of them were out back in the mud getting a drink. Nature is so pretty, I thought I would try to get a picture to share it's beauty.

No one really got out in the rain much. Most of the time the goats would stand in the barn and wait for it to stop. They would run outside and then when it started again would fight to get back in the barn. Now the front entrance looks like a mosh pit!

Sunshine ( our crooked beaked girl ) is doing great! She has been eating fine and has no problems with the other hens. She is a very sweet little bird and will run to the gate when we come outside. 

The babies this week have figured out how to get into the Orchard! I have figured out how they are doing it, but now have to wait and buy some fence so I can fix the gate area that they use. Right now they are having a blast and have figured out what a grape is. They love grapes!

Still trying to understand why a duck would like a bowl of water to bath in, when she has a Spring to play in? Even when it was raining her butt was camped in front of this bowl taking a bath. I truly have no idea.

Sparkles was found this morning day dreaming. I walked up to her and scared her to death after this picture. I think she was asleep.

I didn't get many sunflowers this year in the garden. It may not have gotten warm enough for them, but here are some that have finally bloomed. None of my giants made it so we will not have seeds this year for the birds or chickens. Oh well maybe next year.

Someone wanted his picture taken this morning. Luther followed me around this morning biting my pants. I guess he wanted to tell everyone hello.

I have been pretty busy these past few weeks with the Farmer's Market and trying to get things canned. Here are some new items that I have been working on and will be at the Market this week. 

Tea Cup bird feeder ( $20.00 )

Vintage glass bird feeder ( $25.00 )

Utility half apron ( $25.00 )

I will have these on my Etsy store soon, but if someone wants to buy them before I get the chance to put them on, then contact me.

Will end the Blog with a beautiful little girl.

Ms. Puffy Cheeks!

Sorry a day late

Just lost track of time.

We had another wedding this past weekend and it threw me off. Plus we have had so much rain I haven't been able to do anything with the garden. I had thought about having Wayne build us an Ark if this keeps up, but the weather man says today is the last day of steady rain. I know we need it, just makes for a hard time with all the garden work that needs to be done.

We had a pretty exciting Monday last week after I wrote the Blog. One of our baby Buffs, AKA Sunshine, was found by the kids with her beak cracked. It wasn't broken all the way through so I was able to push it almost back to it's normal position. So we now have a chicken with a crooked beak. I had cleaned up the wound and she spent the next three days in the laundry room to heal. She is now out with the group having a grand ole' time. She eats fine and seems to be okay with her new fashion statement. The other chickens don't even notice.

Peach Butter

I finally had started to make peach butter this week. I usually, because I'm so busy, start my Peach Butter in the Crock Pot and then move it to the stove to finish and this is what I did this year!

This is what I used to make my Peach Butter, it's so easy really just need peaches and sugar!

For a 4 quart crock pot I usually do two batches of butter at one time, but for one batch, that makes about 4 pints, you will need about:

18 medium sized peaches 

4 cups of sugar

That is it! Very simple. Now for the fun part.

You need to wash and blanch your peaches. Blanch meaning to boil the peaches ( Like tomato preparation, before canning), so you can get the skins off. I am not patient with this and tend to burn my fingers a lot, so be careful. I usually put ice in my water to help cool the peaches so I can get the skins off easier.

This I think is the longest process, but has to be done!

I then add the peaches to my crock pot and add the sugar. If you like spicy Fall flavor stuff, add some spices to it. I always add 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and cinnamon, to my Peach Butter.

Now I usually end up putting this on the setting WARM for about two days and then transfer to a pot on the stove( setting the lowest you can go so you do not burn it), to get the rest of the water out of it. I stir the crock pot and then the pot about every two to three hours.

Once it thickens use a ladle and put into hot pint jars or jelly jars, which ever you prefer. Making sure to leave about a 1/4 inch pf head-space. Adjust the two piece cap and then process in a boiling water canner for about 10 mins. As I said pretty easy.

I am canning mine this morning since it is raining again. 

Sorry that there wasn't much to say today, with the wedding and rain, just was not able to get everything I wanted to take pictures of taken. Cross fingers for next week.

Canning season and weddings!!!!

August is here!!!

 

 

With the coming of August, comes, school starting this Thursday, canning and weddings. How does anyone keep up? Well here we barely are able to keep up with everything. Our garden is spitting great food at us, but I need to start canning it before we loose it all, but with everyone we know getting married these past few weekends and up coming weekends, it's been a challenge. As with every farm, life gets in the way! I still have to get a till in so we can get ready for our late season garden, we will see how that goes!

I was in a wedding this past weekend, so not much got done here around Cranberry Acre. As I said life seems to just get in the way. I also forget how tired and weak I get with such excitement and work. The Lyme disease has a way of reminding you that you are still healing so take it easy. I was so weak the past few days that I almost slept through Sunday. I lost a day recovering, but at least I recovered. We also have another wedding for this weekend, we will see how the farm does without us again.

I apologize that there was no tutorial for canning, this is because I didn't can, so hopefully this week I will be able to put one up of canning tomatoes! I also would love to show everyone our refrigerator pickles. This is a favorite and so easy to do. I promise to do my best with that.

 

This week as I said was a busy one with so much to be doing or that needed to be done, so when we had a very unexpected break in it was sooooo not appreciated. The chickens for at least 2 to 3 months had been going back and forth from the chicken yard to the pasture by this tiny hole in the fence. Well finally the goats noticed.

This sweet and looking so innocent goat , AKA Sparkles, decided that if a duck and a chicken could fit, why not a goat? I didn't have time to get a camera of the action, because we were chasing a goat and trying to save the chickens from the beast that had broke into their quite chicken yard. There were feathers and a goat, everywhere! Goat on top of a table, goat on top of the chicken shelter and yes chickens feathers flying everywhere!!! Anyone who has goats probably has this action playing in their mind. Now also imagine 3 humans chasing the goat, yes it is now funny to hear but at the time I was starting to wonder, if goat would be on the menu tonight.

Yes Sparkle is still here and now I have a patch on the fence until I can by a new section of fence.

None of our feathered babies are happy with the new fencing, we will have to figure out a way to put a door in the fence. One that a GOAT, can't find her way in. If that even exists, we will soon find out.

 

 

It was only a matter of time until a skunk found the eggs. I am glad because that means someone gets to use them. I had debated on just throwing them out, but was hoping an animal would like to have them and it has. Wayne smelled the smelly smell last night and some of the eggs were missing, so putting two and two together, we have a skunk that has found the Breakfast bar.

 

The guineas have moved their nest to under the stairs. Makes for an interesting time when trying to get into the hay loft. There is a lot of hissing and trying to bite your ankles, but seriously under the stairs? I just do not get it.

I swear , nothing is cuter than a baby chick sun bathing. Wyatt snapped a picture this morning of Midget sunbathing, just to darn cute!

 

Lovey the Duck looking for bugs! She is so funny and has been comic relief here on Cranberry Acre. You just never know what the duck will do and sometimes I think she really has no idea what she is doing either.

" Hello Wyatt, take my picture."

 

" Please Wyat..... Take my Picture!!!!!"

 

Oh they so want to break into the Orchard. They absolutely hate it when we are all in there picking veggies and fruit. We have a few break in when I come back from the garden with my hands full, they will duck and run through my legs to get in. I will then throw what I have and chase done the intruder. Never a dull moment with a goat around.

I love these two, Coal and Copper, for two little guys they really keep up with chasing off song birds. We have a family of Sparrows who love to come down and eat with them during feeding time, but these two will have none of that and will chase them until they leave. My attack chickens!

 

Lazy day today, I feel it also, but so much to do today. I wish sometimes I was a goat, Sleep and eat. I want to do that, eat and sleep, but with the list growing larger of things we need to do, that will probably not happen today.