Rooster Spurs

Spring must be in the air because my turkey gobbler has been fluffed up for a week and yesterday they were breeding! Now that the chickens are laying again soon we will start thinking of setting chicken eggs to hatch.  

But we started noticing that the roosters spurs were getting awfully long and we don't want him hurting his honeys so we decided it was time to take care of the problem. 
 

As you can see he is a big healthy boy with some healthy claws but he is gentle with humans. 

 

If you look in the picture of the hen above you can see that when a roosters spurs get too long they can tear up the back of the hens. If you have too many roosters they can keep the hens backs absolutely bloody. Sometimes I have seen a rooster pick one hen over and over and injure her back as well.    

They also make saddles for hens to prevent this but they can be pricey. I have seen patterns online for making them yourself. But for us we simply remove the spur. 

 

 

It's rather simple. You will need pliers a paper towel and some antibiotic spray or ointment.

 

O Wise One   simply holds the rooster firmly on it's back with his head under O Wise One's arm. He takes the pliers and gently grasps the base of the spur and gently turn or rotate until you hear a slight pop. The hard outer covering of the spur breaks loose and you can simply slip it off. There will be a little blood but not nearly as much as if you cut that. What you are removing is the hard outer cover of the spur itself. It is similar to your fingernails.

 

The part remaining is actually an outgrowth of the leg bone itself and you do not want to damage that in any way. We simply use a paper towel to blot any blood drops that may form on the remaining stump gently and spray with an antibiotic ointment. 

 

The rooster is then isolated from the hens for a week to heal.  Once healed he is placed back with the hens. Doing this once every year or two greatly reduces the damage to the hens backs. The hard outer covering will eventually grow back.   

I have read that some people take hot cooked potatoes and place over the spurs and allow them to remain on the spur for a couple minutes. Once the potato is removed the spur comes off easier. I have not tried this method though. 

We do like removing the spurs so much more than cutting the spurs the way many do. There seems to be much less trauma to the bird and much less bleeding.  

Blessings from The Holler 

The Canned Quilter

Eggs Again!

During the last few months the ladies of the hen house had really slowed down on egg production as the days grew shorter and darker. 

Sunday night we had freezing rain and Monday morning there was a thin layer of ice on everything. Then Monday about mid day it started to sleet. By the afternoon the sleet had quit and the temperatures climbed to the high 40's and the 8 or so inches of snow that have been on the ground for weeks now began to melt.  

Thankfully in the last 2 weeks I am back up to an average of 10 eggs a day from 12 hens. I am so glad because I absolutely can't stand store bought eggs! 

And for lunch .... egg salad made with our own eggs....

And homemade Dill Relish.....

And homemade bread too !!

Blessings From The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Simple Contentment

As time goes by O Wise One and I have developed a contentment for the most simple of things in our lives. The blessings of a warm home on a cold winter day. The smell of fresh baked bread hot from the oven. 

Fresh brewed home grown hot mint tea and locally grown honey.

And a floor full of grandsons to play with. And  DINOSAURS!!

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Lemon Snack Cake

Happy Valentines Day!

In honor of the holiday I thought I would post a little recipe for you. We all know how I love my little 8" snack cakes. Enough to give everybody a little taste yet not a huge cake laying around to tempt those with little will power.

Lemon Snack Cake

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/4 cup butter or margarine melted

3/4 cup milk

Lightly grease 8 inch square baking pan

Preheat oven to 350. 

Combine flour sugar baking powder and salt in a bowl.

In another small bowl combine egg and lemon zest and beat well. 

Add melted butter and milk and mix all well. Combine with dry ingredients and stir well. Some lumps will remain.

Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Cool completely...

Icing

For my icing I simply softened half a stick of butter and then added 2 teaspoons lemon juice and powdered sugar gradually with a fork beating as I go until I had a thick spreading consistency. Spread on cool cake. I refrigerate any leftovers. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Vanilla Flavoring

I've started my next batch of vanilla beans soaking in vodka to use as vanilla flavoring. I like mine really strong so I don't have to use as much so I start it soaking when the jar I am presently using gets about half empty.  I also make lemon and orange extract the same way with my peelings and vodka. If you like to bake this is the easiest way to make your own.   

O Wise One keeps a small bottle of extract out by the rabbit pens during the spring and summer. If he has to handle the tiny babies for any reason he puts a drop or two of extract on the mama rabbits nose. By the time the vanilla scent wears off the human scent left on the babies has gone. 

My grandmother used to warm vanilla flavoring and put in your ear for an earache. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Slow Cooker Pork

As most of you know I love a good crockpot meal. I love the freedom of putting a meal on and getting on with my day with no stirring etc and coming back hours later to a finished meal.  This recipe I make with pork steak and usually have most of the ingredients on hand and many even home grown.  

Hickery Holler Pork Dinner

1 1/2 pounds of pork steak

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 large onion chopped

1 medium green pepper chopped

1 8 oz can chopped mushrooms

1 quart jar tomato sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 pint chunked pineapple (optional)

Cooked noodles

Cut pork into strips. Add olive oil to skillet and brown pork strips and place in crock pot. 

Next combine onions, peppers and mushrooms. I have used both canned mushrooms and fresh mushrooms in this. I use my frozen homegrown onions and my frozen homegrown pepper slices. Our favorite are the red ripe peppers. 

Pour the vegetables over the pork in crock pot. Next I mix all the wet ingredients. One quart of my homemade tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and corn starch. Stir liquid ingredients well and pour over the pork and vegetables. If you want to add pineapple chunks add them at this time. 

This is a great recipe for me to use those frozen pepper strips from the summer.

And my homemade zucchini pineapple goes great in this recipe as a substitute for real pineapple. I usually leave a few jars in larger chunks just for this recipe. 

Now I cook mine on high in my crockpot for 3 hours or until pork is done and serve over cooked noodles. 

Add a loaf of crusty bread for capturing all that good sauce and you have a memorable meal.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Recycling Jars

I get many emails a year from people amazed at the amount of food I preserve each year. It seems like a huge amount of food for a family of 3. What many do not realize is that we eat out of that pantry and those freezers almost every single day. Many times 3 meals a day. Very rarely does a day go by that I don't cook something out of my pantry. Once those jars are emptied they are washed and recycled when possible. I learned long ago that it takes the same amount of storage space for a full jar as it does an empty one. So why not refill that jar before you put it back on that pantry shelf. Now I may not always have enough produce but you would be surprised during the winter months what can be put into your empty jars. 

For me this week it was beans! Just plain old pinto beans. These were purchased dry and cost me $8.88 for an 8 pound bag at the supermarket. They will become the makings of chilli, taco soups, refried beans and casseroles over the next few months. 

That 8 pound bag became 14 quarts and 6 pints of canned beans.  Sure beats buying those little cans of beans at the grocer. So while the snow is blowing I am still canning and restocking my pantry.  

You can find a tutorial on canning beans at the page below

http://hickeryhollerfarm.blogspot.com/2012/01/canning-dried-beans.html

Look around every time you go to the supermarket or get a sales flyer for anything on sale. Carrots are usually marked down this time of year and make great additions to the pantry. Also remember for those of you with a dehydrator that they dry wonderfully and make great additions to soups and baked goods. 

Don't forget that citrus sale around the holidays. I love canned grapefruit in a very light syrup. Try adding oranges and throw in a few cherries for a citrus combo. 

Lemon and orange peelings soaked in vodka make a great lemon extract for baking. 

My excess fruit is frozen  many times when it is coming in faster than I can process it. Once winter sets in is a great time to pull that fruit back out and make an extra batch of jam or jelly for those peanut butter sandwiches or as a filling between layer cakes.

And what goes on sale for St. Patricks Day? Cabbage....

A batch of coleslaw or freezer slaw has been known to happen around that time to get us through the cold weather if we are running low. 

Potatoes in jars also make great fillers and tend to go on sale around St. Patrick's Day as well. 

Or try dehydrating them. They make a great casserole

Rehydrate those potatoes and add some of that leftover Easter ham for a great potato casserole. 

And perhaps the most useful suggestion of all. I have begun filling empty spaces in my canner when I don't enough of something for a whole cooking with jars of water and reusing old lids to store water. I process the jars of water along with my jars of food. Believe it or not I have not lost one lid. I keep this water on hand in case of a pipe break or such. If I lose the seal nothing lost as I will just water the plants with it. It's a great way to use up those old lids. Fill your jars with something and have water in emergency situations. If you need the jars later simply dump them and use for cooking, washing dishes etc. 

Hope this gives everyone some useful ideas!

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter 

Making Garlic Powder

Bottom line if it's empty refill it. My garlic powder spice jars in the cabinet were empty but instead of making a mad dash to the supermarket I looked to my stored food. Hanging in the pantry was fresh garlic so I went through it looking for any that looked as if it might have a blemish, soft spot or discoloration or seem to be drying out. Those cloves were peeled and sliced for the dehydrator. 

For those of you that buy garlic powder from the grocer once you taste it home ground you would never buy it again. It has so much more flavor.

It's really rather simple.....Just dehydrate

Then I ran it through the blender for the consistency that I want. 

Then I sift out the larger pieces and use those as minced garlic. 

The finer stuff I use as granulated garlic. 

Problem solved. I do the same with onions. Have some that are sprouting or getting past their prime. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Winter Woes

Winter had descended upon the holler with a vengeance. Howling winds, drifting snows and brutal subzero temperatures have made life on the farm somewhat miserable. We venture off the farm to battle the snow packed dirt roads only when necessary. Days are spent catering to the needs of the animals that depend on us for their care. Our days are measured by numerous journeys to the pens providing warm bedding, water that is not frozen and plenty of feed and hay. This is the reason that we try to overwinter as few animals as necessary trying to limit ourselves only to breeding stock of turkeys, chickens, and rabbits.

The snow piles from the driveway are starting to pile up and the mail has continued to run all be it  sporadically. The local schools have had several snow days so far. 

  

The big dogs don't seem to even notice the cold but we have been bringing them into the laundry room at night when the night time temperatures fall below zero. O Wise One has had to keep a small trail shoveled through the yard so the scotties can go potty as the drifts are over their head. 

I have been offline quite a bit lately and for those of you that have emailed inquiring things are fine really here in the holler. We have had computer woes of late, Baby O's laptop had to go into the shop due to software issues (virus). So she used mine for awhile then my computer went down also for the same issue. My antivirus which is Norton just seemed to miss these bugs. As of right now my computer is up and running again and Baby's O's is back in the shop for the second time. Due to these virus infection issues I have done very little emailing etc and actually had limited online time. 

As a result of the infections not only have I added additional virus protection but I have made some changes to this blog. For those of you that comment on the blog anonymously you will no longer be allowed to do so. I am so sorry for the inconvenience but last week alone there were almost 1200 anonymous posts made on this blog. All but 2 were spam. All of a sudden I have become the spam superhighway. They do not show up on the blog for most of you to see because they are caught as spam by Blogger mostly and hidden, then I go onto my comments on my control page and manually delete each one.   

If they are not caught by Blogger then I have to go back on each post that has one of these spam comments and manually delete.  That is not only time consuming but many times those spam comments go directly to malware, adware or infected sites.  If you clicked on one of these links on my comments it would take you to an infected site. I work very hard to keep those spam comments off. You will find that if you attempt to comment on this page and attach to another site your comment will never be published. 

I'm sorry for any inconvenience this causes any of you and please don't feel that I don't want to hear from you. You are always welcome to email me personally at cannedquilter@yahoo.com. I try to reply as much as humanly possible to those emails as time permits. 

I am hoping things are back to normal now and I will resume posting regularly.

I have missed you all!

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter