This weeks preps check-in

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And I put this in preps check in because I was prepping to have more goat's milk - and these two babies are doelings - so I've doubled the females in my little herd. My buck is not their father (although my daughter says these two look like they need to go on Maury for dna testing).
 
And I put this in preps check in because I was prepping to have more goat's milk - and these two babies are doelings - so I've doubled the females in my little herd. My buck is not their father (although my daughter says these two look like they need to go on Maury for dna testing).
Congratulations on the doelings!! I love it when I get more does to add to my heard. I am currently milking 4 of my girls, but I have a couple born Oct last year and then 4 more born Feb this year. Fortunately, I have two bucks. . .and yes, I have two separate pastures. One is for my meat goats and the other is for my dairy. I love goat milk, but had to buy a separator to get their cream which I make butter out of.
 
Congratulations on the doelings!! I love it when I get more does to add to my heard. I am currently milking 4 of my girls, but I have a couple born Oct last year and then 4 more born Feb this year. Fortunately, I have two bucks. . .and yes, I have two separate pastures. One is for my meat goats and the other is for my dairy. I love goat milk, but had to buy a separator to get their cream which I make butter out of.
For space reasons, and my own physical limitations, I reached my limit today. I'll probably give one of these girls back to the breeder and keep the other for myself. Three to milk is more than enough. I hope to keep it so I'm only milking 2 at a time. I skim the cream off the top of the milk each day and add it to a container in the freezer. It will make butter one day, now that I know how much it's going to take it's going to be awhile. Mostly, I just like drinking the milk, having it in my cereal and using it in recipes. I will make some cheese one day soon just so I can say I did it. As much as I'd like to be self-sufficient, I can't do it alone and it's just too convenient and enjoyable to go to the Farmer's Market.
 
For space reasons, and my own physical limitations, I reached my limit today. I'll probably give one of these girls back to the breeder and keep the other for myself. Three to milk is more than enough. I hope to keep it so I'm only milking 2 at a time. I skim the cream off the top of the milk each day and add it to a container in the freezer. It will make butter one day, now that I know how much it's going to take it's going to be awhile. Mostly, I just like drinking the milk, having it in my cereal and using it in recipes. I will make some cheese one day soon just so I can say I did it. As much as I'd like to be self-sufficient, I can't do it alone and it's just too convenient and enjoyable to go to the Farmer's Market.
Yeah it does take quit a bit of cream to make butter and milk for cheese. With the leftover whey, you can make Ricotta, but unfortunately you can not save the whey for later use, it has to be fresh. Fresh cheese is very easy to make and does not need a lot of special items like the aged ones do. As for my goats milk, that is mainly what we drink and use for cooking too. I do try to can some for later use, but mainly if we have to supplement a critter. . . goat, pig, dog, etc.

What kind of goats are you milking right now? I am just curious. I have Boars and also a couple Nubians. I do have an Alpine that I bought Oct of last year, but she has still not been breed yet, so thinking that she may be a hermaphrodite which means I probably got screwed out of that money. . .
 
I'm not milking dairy goats, that's for sure. I love my goats and it's the perfect amount of milk for just me. I have Myotonics - Fainting goats. I started a thread under farming about them. You can read all about my fun with them when you aren't milking all of yours!
 
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Garden is comming in pretty good. Its our first year gardening so we are very proud that something grew.

We have pumpkins, peas, a beast of a rhubarb and something that grows but we forgot what we planted. Lol. We will see. Im getting in tonight to pick those nasty weeds.
 
It's so green, I've had for first time in ages 2 days with sun and warm weather
 
tomorrow I'll get a re-supply of .22 ammo,after that I must buy some more 12ga ammo
 
Is ammo as same as hard to find in finland as it is in the states?
My father in law is a dedicated trap shooter and he reloads all of his 12 gauge shells. I helped him a couple of times and it is fairly easy with the right equipment and enough time.
 
it's kinda difficult, all the good shops are spread around Fin so you get something here and something there and when you find a real good bargain the sell it only at the shop and shop is far far away.
but for 12ga there seems to be a good supply, .22lr have had some delivery difficulties, I still have a backorder for 525 pcs of .22lr.

I know that if I did as your father in law reloading ,for that we have shops selling almost everything,but then you'll have to work the red-tape with our police for shells, powder and stuff
 
guess I was just lucky, next day I checked the store they sold empty....no .22lr at the moment from that shop
 
:rolleyes:I've been canning beans for a couple weeks now. Have a pretty good supply of beets, carrots, beans and pickles. I was pretty excited to pick my first vine ripened tomato today! There are loads of green ones, but this little guy was my first this year. Ok, I've heard that size dosent matter?
image.jpg
 
It looks like a cherry tomato. I picked my first cherry tomato just a few minutes ago. I've gotten a few yellow squash but my plants didn't bear much this year. I got a nice bunch of cucumber but I ate them all as I picked them. I've eaten all the peppers off my first planting this year. Now I'm waiting for all the veggies I planted 5 weeks ago to start bearing.
 
Cute little guy Brent. . . I am already sick of canning tomatoes . . .
 
It looks like a cherry tomato. I picked my first cherry tomato just a few minutes ago. I've gotten a few yellow squash but my plants didn't bear much this year. I got a nice bunch of cucumber but I ate them all as I picked them. I've eaten all the peppers off my first planting this year. Now I'm waiting for all the veggies I planted 5 weeks ago to start bearing.
it wasnt a cherry tom. but I planted a bunch of varieties so I need to check my diagram to see what it was. I'm still working out what types of plants do well in my soil and conditions. I hear a good gardener can get anything to grow anywhere. Unfortunately I"m not one of those! I am getting better each year, but I still want plants that take low maint.. On the upside, I think I'm going to get corn this year!!! Ive planted about four yrs in a row, but it never produced. I used chicken manure this year and its almost big enough to pick now.
 
i got there and counted my corn this morning..i up to 75 ears of corn now.im gonna buy the needed ingredient for a garlic and pepper spart that can be used on the plants for keeping insect off of them.and for keeping the wildlife away.like the deer andwild pigs..

anyone ever try this one?
Ingredients and Equipment
The two primary ingredients used to make hot pepper spray are garlic and cayenne pepper. You'll need two medium sized bulbs of garlic and four large cayenne peppers, either fresh or dried. Mineral oil, hot water and natural liquid soap are also required. Mineral oil can be found in your local drug store or hardware store, and natural liquid soap can be found in natural health stores. Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap is one such brand, but any type available may be used.
You'll also need some common kitchen equipment[IMG>, including a blender, cheesecloth, rubber gloves, a pint-sized canning jar with lid for storage and a spray bottle for application. It's best to use a blender that will not be used for food preparation. However, if you don't have a spare blender, make sure to wash thoroughly to remove any mineral oil residue before using again. If cheesecloth is not available, you can use nylon pantyhose to strain the liquid.
Making Hot Pepper Spray
Coarsely chop the four garlic cloves, leaving the peel intact. Place them in a blender with the cayenne peppers. Add 2 tbsp. of mineral oil, 2 cups hot water and 3 tsp. of natural liquid soap. Place the lid on the blender and process on high speed for two to three minutes, or until pureed. Allow the hot pepper spray mixture to stand overnight, which will increase the heat and effectiveness of the solution.
In the morning, put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands. This mixture can irritate the skin, so be careful while handling. Strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth (or nylon pantyhose) into a glass pint-sized canning jar. Secure the lid tightly and store in a cool, dry place for up to 90 days.
Using Hot Pepper Spray
To use, measure 1/4 cup of the mixture and transfer to a clean[IMG> spray bottle. Add about 5 cups of water and shake well to combine. Spray directly onto plants as necessary, being careful not to get any of the liquid on your skin. It's a good idea to wear gloves any time you are handling the hot pepper spray. You can make a larger batch to use in a garden sprayer for larger pest problems. Just stick to the formula above of 1/4 cup of solution to every five cups of water.
 
well,it's official...as of yesterday evening..im now running up the water bill..i had to get out there and water the garden with a sprinkler.in which i moved around to diff locations untill i had the entire garden watered..then did that again this morning.and i'll keep doing that every morning and evening untill i know the grond is wet enough.then cut back to 2 or 3 times awek..
 
I still do my watering useing wateringcans, I'll go from plant to plant, it's alot of work but I get less weeds, yesterday I filled up my waterbarrel, it took a while to haul 250liters of water
 
I've been looking into "wicking beds", with them you don't water on the surface and so get no evaporation which is where a heck of a lot of your water goes. In our dry climate I won't be able to grow anything unless I find a more water-efficient method. The various ponics versions would be ok but they required high(ish) technology to work., something I'm moving away from.
 
i got there and counted my corn this morning..i up to 75 ears of corn now.im gonna buy the needed ingredient for a garlic and pepper spart that can be used on the plants for keeping insect off of them.and for keeping the wildlife away.like the deer andwild pigs..

anyone ever try this one?
Ingredients and Equipment
The two primary ingredients used to make hot pepper spray are garlic and cayenne pepper. You'll need two medium sized bulbs of garlic and four large cayenne peppers, either fresh or dried. Mineral oil, hot water and natural liquid soap are also required. Mineral oil can be found in your local drug store or hardware store, and natural liquid soap can be found in natural health stores. Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap is one such brand, but any type available may be used.
You'll also need some common kitchen equipment[IMG>, including a blender, cheesecloth, rubber gloves, a pint-sized canning jar with lid for storage and a spray bottle for application. It's best to use a blender that will not be used for food preparation. However, if you don't have a spare blender, make sure to wash thoroughly to remove any mineral oil residue before using again. If cheesecloth is not available, you can use nylon pantyhose to strain the liquid.
Making Hot Pepper Spray
Coarsely chop the four garlic cloves, leaving the peel intact. Place them in a blender with the cayenne peppers. Add 2 tbsp. of mineral oil, 2 cups hot water and 3 tsp. of natural liquid soap. Place the lid on the blender and process on high speed for two to three minutes, or until pureed. Allow the hot pepper spray mixture to stand overnight, which will increase the heat and effectiveness of the solution.
In the morning, put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands. This mixture can irritate the skin, so be careful while handling. Strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth (or nylon pantyhose) into a glass pint-sized canning jar. Secure the lid tightly and store in a cool, dry place for up to 90 days.
Using Hot Pepper Spray
To use, measure 1/4 cup of the mixture and transfer to a clean[IMG> spray bottle. Add about 5 cups of water and shake well to combine. Spray directly onto plants as necessary, being careful not to get any of the liquid on your skin. It's a good idea to wear gloves any time you are handling the hot pepper spray. You can make a larger batch to use in a garden sprayer for larger pest problems. Just stick to the formula above of 1/4 cup of solution to every five cups of water.
It would probably be much easier and maybe even cheaper to buy it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Pepper-Wa...6&sr=8-8&keywords=hot+pepper+spray+for+plants
 
I've been looking into "wicking beds", with them you don't water on the surface and so get no evaporation which is where a heck of a lot of your water goes. In our dry climate I won't be able to grow anything unless I find a more water-efficient method. The various ponics versions would be ok but they required high(ish) technology to work., something I'm moving away from.
Maybe you could use something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Watering-Glob...282&sr=8-2&keywords=watering+bulbs+for+plants
 
here's a lil something for the garden and pest control..

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Animal-Pests-With-Hot-Pepper-Spray

i reorganized my sewing kit some what.but still need to work on it some more.

plus my mom got me 6 one handed spring clamps they can clamp on to something up to 1.25 '' thickness

ans 2 quick release bar clamps that can clamp up to 4'' thickness

i tried one of the 1.25 clamps..they do have a good grip on things.
 

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