Garlic

hanging garlic

Home grown garlic hanging in the basement stairway gives me a warm, satisfied feeling of accomplishment.  For me the process lacked the perfection I would have liked. I did not keep the area weeded as well I think I should have. At the end of the growing season I have raised garlic and it is hanging to use. That for this year is going to be what counts.

In todays post, I am going to share what process I followed.  I intend to improve on it next year and learn more.  I am going to look into different varieties.  This was last years plot of garlic after planting.

Plant in October or November or before the ground freezes. Dig a shallow trench to place the garlic cloves in.

One clove will develop into a bulb of garlic.

I cover the ground with hay chaff after planting. This helps slow weeds and give a winter ground cover.  The garlic will send up shoots late winter/early spring.  The cold does not hurt the garlic.

I like to add another layer or two of chaff in springtime and again in early summer to help reduce the weeds. This will decompose and add to the soil fertility.  It also helps retain moisture.

Sometime in July a bulb appeared on the top of the stem.  Ideally, the stem is removed before the stem curves over at the top.  I was late this year.

There are seeds in the bulb that have a distinct garlic smell.  Another year I am going to save the seeds and see what happens when I plant them.  I want to satisfy my curiosity to see if I can.

No harm done though and as soon as the bottom four leaves have turned brown it is time to harvest the garlic.  Hanging the plants allows the oil to run down into the bulbs.  They are grouped by variety, Music, Montana and German.

I picked the largest, nicest looking bulbs to plant from for next years crop.

Prepping the ground before planting took the most time.   Using garlic from this years crop I more than doubled the amount of bulbs I planted.  One growing cycle completed.  Lets see what the next one brings!

I want to give a huge thank you to Carma Kelly of Kelly Creek Gardens for guiding me through the first year of growing garlic.  She promptly answered my questions when they arose.  If you are local to Centreville, MI be sure to look her up for garlic, flowers and other green house finds. Not local? Check out her website for more garlic info.

 

 

Banff National Park

In Canada, Highway 1 runs from Calgary, AB to Vancouver, BC through Banff National Park.  In an effort to protect the wild life from humans and vise-versa a tall fence has been constructed to keep wild life off the highway.  “Natural” over passes have been created so animals can cross from one side of the highway to the other.  Underpasses exist for the wild life, as well, but I did not get a picture of those.

I had never seen an animal overpass in person before.  I was excited and enjoyed the beauty they added.

Each mountain range had its own look.

The Three Sisters

We found a rest stop that allowed me to capture a little of the beauty in Banff National Park.

Along with a place to pull off the road, there were primitive wash rooms.

Here a nice display described the program to help keep the park wild life segregated from the travelers.  A scaled down version of under and over passes gave kids and grown ups alike a place to stretch their legs.

Another picture from our drive through Banff National Park.

We stopped  two places at Lake Louise and town of Banff.  In the town of Banff we ate on the patio of the Waldhaus Pub, viewed the Bow River Falls and stopped at the train station for a few pictures. A treasured tidbit from my Mother came down the tracks, if I may?  In between taking pictures I heard a story about her and her sister from when they were teenagers.  It involved a train track, and Elsie (her sister) who had passed on only 3 weeks prior.  Another precious moment in our day trip to Banff National Park.

Roots and Wings: Music

Beginnings

I believe my love of music began before birth in part passed on genetically.  I traveled in utero when my mom sang in prisons with the Gospel Echos.  As a baby I continued to spent time on the bus rides.  I grew up in a church that sang four part acepella.  As I grew I sang in our junior choir.  Although I did not see it as such at the time, I was given the opportunity to take piano lessons.  I remember sitting at the piano and looking out the window to see my pony.  I could hardly concentrate on what was in front of me.  On that pony, I felt free and could get away from everyone.  Aside from occasionally picking up a guitar, which was my instrument of choice at that time, my focus stayed with the horses.

With eight siblings, behaving like they were the main characters of Saturday Night Live, my mother’s family sang songs of old in beautiful sibling harmonies.  At times accompanied by a guitar,  they would all join in or pair off for special songs.  There were the duets by Mel and Christ, the brothers. Christ and Leah brought the Swiss songs complete with yodeling.  ( I have heard a great rendition by their grandson and his wife in recent years).  Last but not least, was The Hoosieretts, the 3 youngest sisters, one of which was my mom.

The Hoosieretts

My father sang in a gospel quartet for a couple of years.  Attending practice, performances, and studio recording sessions with him as a part of The Good Shepherds Quartet  gave me a look at what happens behind the scenes.

Experience

In high school as part of the FFA, I paired up with a friend and we sang in a few competitions.  The biggest scariest audience was in a small auditorium(not the main one) at the state level.  Being front and center felt nerve-racking to me.

Most of my singing after high school happened in church services and on the back of a horse as I conditioned or trained for whatever event I was aiming toward.  I often entertained myself singing as I cleaned stalls or any other outdoor activity.  I remember making up part of a song as I exercised a specific Thoroughbred race horse, Running from Rosie.

When the occasion presented itself, I would gather with friends and we would have our own jam sessions.  We all moved on in life after a season. At summer gatherings a cousin who lived several hours away decided to put a second harmony to my Moms with me singing lead.   A fun way to spend a few hours together once or twice a year.

Learning of local gospel jam sessions open to the public, my mom and I began attending.  Here, we met Sheila and the three of us began singing together.  She knew more local events to attend.  Through her we practiced and made plans to sing as a part of the Bremen Holy Walk.  For what ever reason, our Christmas songs came together best.  Naturally, when we decided to make a CD Christmas music became the focal point.  As we prepared for recording, I developed the desire to learn to play a fiddle.

Narrowing down 10 songs we were the best at and all agreed on, we entered the studio and the process began.  The time spent creating all aspects of the CD was an education in itself, for me.  I loved every part of it!

Beats that Matter… of music and heart!

 

Bar U Historical Ranch

Located just off of Highway 22 south of Longview, Alberta the Bar U Historical Ranch serves to display the history of ranches in the  Foot Hills of the Canadian Rockies. It is quite impossible to miss this towering cowboy on the corner where you turn west.

My 2016 Alberta visit found me purchasing two books co-written by Hank Pallister. He was raised in Turner Valley on the Lineham Ranch and spent 42 years in service to the Providence of Alberta duties which I will sum up as a brand inspector. Smoke from the Branding Fire and Bulls, Brands and B.S. are full of stories painting a picture of life in the early ranch life of Western Canada.

Early life at the Bar U ranch is described in Hank Pallister’s book Smoke from the Branding Fire.

The buildings that make up the ranch site display what life used to be like for the Western Canadian Cowboy.

I visited the Bar U when attending the Historical Ranch Rodeo.  We entered through a museum complete with a gift shop and concessions.  The gravel road leads down into a valley. This bridge ….

takes you over this creek.

The dirt road leads to other barns and the rodeo arena.

A well constructed wooden alley guides stock into a chute.

A closer look at the chute used to doctor cattle, horses or perhaps brand?  Any thoughts on this?  Please share in the comments if you have insights.  I was fascinated with the pulley system.

Another place to add to my bucket list cause I did not get to explore the stud barn or the foaling shed the day of the rodeo.

Guess I am going to have to start making plans to visit Alberta again!!

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites check out these books on the history of Alberta Ranches available from Amazon


New Chicks

NOTE: This page or post contains affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase I earn a portion of the money you spend at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support.

This week was filled with new life in the form of hatching eggs.  The Swedish Flower Hen broody had 6 SFH eggs to hatch out and the IncuView Incubator held 13 fertile Silver Gray Dorking eggs.

Broody SFH hen: 6 Swedish Flower Hen eggs

Monday night October 23, 2017:  Broody hen 1, Incubator 0.

Tuesday morning she was hiding whatever she had.  I decided to leave her alone.  I could faintly hear at least one chick chirping above the multiple rooster crows.  Another part of a shell appeared in front of her part way through the day

She stayed on the nest all day Tuesday. But one chick appeared in the evening.

   

On Wednesday morning she was off of the nest.

Oh the fluffy cuteness of newly hatched Swedish Flower Hen chicks.

I think she did good for a first time broody hen less than a year old.  This hen sat on eggs for 5 weeks at least.  She is being a good momma to her 3 chicks.

IncuView Incubator: 13 Silver Gray Dorking eggs

I found the first pip Monday afternoon shortly after 3 pm.  Oh, I felt excitement.  I always do when an egg pips!  Now this rainy, dreary day had new life written into it.

It was Tue morning about 8:30 am before the piped egg hatched.  There were 3 more eggs piped by this time.

The anticipation and excitement continued for the next day and a half.

As one or two would hatch a couple more would pip.

I kept a close watch and if one was not making progress and it had been several hours, then I helped out a little.  Deciding to help has its benefits and heart aches.  I have helped chicks out finding them perfectly normal.  Some times there is a reason the chick is not making it out on its own.  Those reasons are unpleasant.  More on that in a future post.

Thursday morning I moved the chicks to their brooder pen in the house.  This particular group of chicks will be going to a new home in a few days.

Hatching chicks keeps me young at heart.  I never seem to tire of the beauty of new life in babies.

 

 

Using what I Had

2014 found me feeling frustrated and defeated with my present circumstances….

I knew I was not going back to previous jobs(for a long term solution) working as an equine trainer and manager.  My current health would not allow it. Recovering from a tough onset of Mono while dealing with other chronic illness left me floundering. I found some encouragement in 2015 as I participated in the 2015 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover with Navajo Bo.  As 2016 rolled around I was giving serious thought and prayer to what was next. I strongly desired to raise my own food. I had a few ideas rolling around in my head. Chickens for eggs and meat, my own milk, butter and cheese via a cow, a garden, canning, a green house, perhaps a spring house, and a hydroponic system were some of my farming/homesteading ideas. Somewhere in all that I should be able to find a way to earn an income was my thought.

Using what I had….

​I looked around at what buildings were currently standing on the almost 12 acres.  One was a large chicken barn.  The design did not leave room for creating stalls for horses or cattle.  It was however double walled and even had some insulation were it looked like a previous owner had started to make a shop out of it. 

Chickens became the first project to pursue.  With 3 heritage breeds, they are all a developing work in progress.  I like many qualities of Scottish Highland Cattle for milk, butter, cheese and meat.  I do not have them yet and have strongly considered the American Milking Devon.  Truth is, until I actually own them, there is that possibility I will change my mind.

Chicken Project

Thirteen Swedish Flower Hen chicks were my first purchase in May of 2016.

I have since added Swedish Flower Hens from 3 additional farms to create diversity in the breeding stock.  In the fall of 2016 two more breeds caught my eye, Silver Gray Dorking and Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner.  Both are rather rare and hard to find I discovered but by mid November 2016 I had chicks from each breed.

Fruits and Vegatables

I planted garlic for the first time in the fall of 2016. I also grew Sweet Potatos in buckets during 2016.  I transplanted wild Black Raspberries to create a row of black raspberries. I started some grapes plants from vine cuttings and will be producing concord grapes in the future.  Did you know that in 1849 Ephraim Wales Bull planted 22,000 seeds before deciding on the what we now call the concord grape?  Amazing!  Has me wondering what variety I could develop.

The spring of 2017 found me foaling out mares for an Arab training barn.

The additional work left no time for me to plant and garden in 2017. The exception being a harvest of garlic in August.

I am always on the look out for ways to accomplish my goals with what I have, be it material possessions or personal skills, and building on that to achieve other dreams I have.

One way I helped to finance my chicken project and this website was through Swagbucks.  In 2017 I earned over $225.00.  While not a huge amount, it all adds up.

What ways have you accomplished goals and seen dreams come true using what you had available?

 

Kananaskis Country

The beginning of our day trip in August 2017 to Banff National Park lead us through the beautiful Kananaskis County.   Highway 40 guided us north winding through the Canadian Rockies.

A few times we stopped to stretch our legs and take pictures.

Around each bend a new sight awaited.

Beauty!

Beauty!

Beauty!

There are various parks within Kananaskis Country.  In Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, we pulled into a parking lot, a rest area we thought.

Instead, we learned of a day hike into a mountain meadow.  We discussed how wonderful that would be.

My mom wasn’t up for it. We did have our destination planned to Banff National Park specifically to see Lake Louise.

Bighorn sheep were moving along the highway after we left the trail head and parking lot.

Isn’t this baby adorable?

Driving through Kananskis Country I knew I wanted to return and explore, hike, camp and ride horses.  My bucket list seems to be growing with every new place I visit.  Have you ever visited Kananaskis Country?  Would you like to?

 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Misfits

Misfit #1

A few weeks ago I shared that my growing Silver Gray Dorkings were struggling with Coccidiosis.  I ended up with one that is coming along nicely.  He has been getting stronger and proving how quick he can be.

He resides in my office in a card board box at night and….

has an outdoor pen during the day.

A few days ago it was too rainy to be outside. He escaped his box and by the time I went to put him back he had made himself at home on a fiddle case.

He does do a nice job of blending in.

Misfit #2

The broody Silver Gray Dorking (SGD) hen that was given the hatched chicks has struggled to rejoin the flock.  She had been penned in a separate cage with in the SGD pen.  Since allowing her to rejoin the flock she has been treated badly by one of the other SGD hens.  Now, she too is in need of special accommodations.

She has been pecked repeatedly by the other hens in spite of my best efforts to provide multiple food and water sources for her and the other SGDs.  Time to make some changes.

She spent the day in her own outside space, next to the grow out cockerel.  She is an observant hen.  A large bird flying overhead had her attention.  She cocked her head over to the side intently eyeing the sky til it was gone.

 

Integration

In my mind I would like to allow them to share the same pen both inside(the barn) and out.

Day 1 ~  AM : I put them in the same pen and sat down to watch.

The young cockerel was hiding under his shelter and cautiously exited to drink water.  The hen who had been happily eating became bent on pecking at the little guy.  So for today, they will go back to separate pens next to each other.

 

PM:  I put the SGD hen into the same outdoor pen as the growing SGD.

Day 2 ~ AM:  I will call this successful.  They are not exactly best friends but no one is being hateful either.

I am undecided if they will become a breeding pair.

Waldhaus Pub

Our day trip to Banff National Park included a stop in the town of Banff. Travel along for a visit to the Waldhaus and enjoy a meal on the Pub patio. We found our way to a parking spot down along the Bow River after driving through town.

My heart called me to hike up a path leading to a restaurant located on the side of a hill.  I am not sure I have the words describing the beauty but it smelled of sage and the distinct smells one only finds higher up in the mountains.  I took a deep breath and felt the excitement brought by exploring new places.

The trail led up through a wooded hillside coming out about halfway between the back side of the Fairmont Hotel and above the Bow river.  It opened to a view of the Waldhaus restaurant.

Following the side-walk and stairs I continued on my short hike, downward now toward a meadow and a shallow mountain river.

I hiked along a tributary to the Bow river that ran near the base of the Waldhaus, soaking in the smell and sounds of flowing water.  Peace filled my soul.

Meeting up with my Mom and sister back at the parking lot I found a growing desire to eat on the deck of the Waldhaus Pub.  A decision I have NOT regretted for a minute!!!!

We strolled along a paved road upwards all the way.

A local golf course tees off the 15th hole half way between the patio and the river.

Many new to us items listed on the menu had us delightfully considering our options.   Rosemary spatzle and pretzels with beer mustard and bacon butter…..Delicious!!!!

Enhanced by our by the beautiful views and smell of sage and pine,

we decided on a sweet treat.

Of course coffee served in huge pub style cups complimented the sweetness.

Take a moment to relax and enjoy.  Sounds of the river running over the rocks below play a background melody.

 

Our view across the patio showed the back side of the Fairmont Hotel up on the hill.

A different direction

 

The next treat came in the form of a visitor on the meadow below

A close up as this beautiful creature decided to bed down for a nap.

We could not leave without exploring the inside of Waldhaus Pub.  Wow! The view from one of the windows was frame worthy in itself.  (My Mom’s artistic eye)

One final look down the valley

Our hike back to the car led to the discovery of a trail leading straight upwards to an out cropping with a bench sitting on it.  I could not be denied the challenge.  Up I scrambled to a most beautiful view of Bow falls.  With both my sister and I exclaiming over the sight, my mom was not about to left out!!  .

I watched in disbelief, awe, and a bit of concern as my 75 yr old mother worked her way up the vertical trail.  Now how was she planning to make it back down?  I love my Moms spirit and spunk!!!  A quick hike back towards the Waldhaus found a slightly safer and shorter way to lower ground.  It was still rather steep.  Taking baby steps sideways with my Mom in between us, all three of us held hands and carefully worked our way down. I couldn’t resist a quick wave and grin towards the windows of the Waldhaus.  What a funny picture the three of us must have been, inching our way down the hill. Memories that bring a smile to my face.

I must say a huge ‘thank you’ for my sisters guidance at this stop in our journey. Did you enjoy the visit to the Waldhaus Pub as much as we did?

Growing Sweet Potatoes in a Bucket

My Mom, seen my sprouting sweet potatoes on the counter and exclaimed, “You know you can grow sweet potatoes from these”?  She had given them to me, purchased locally to her house.  I had not eaten them all. Intrigued, I ask her for more details. This is how I began growing my own sweet potatoes.

She clued me in to the procedure. Showing me how to twist off the sprout at its base, she said, “If you stick them in water they will grow roots like crazy and make sure you keep adding water”.  Excited to see this process for myself I set up two glass jars.  I since learned there is also another way to start sweet potatoes. One can place a cut section of a the potato in water and it will grow both roots and a vines.  This too would be planted in soil to grow sweet potatoes.

I set them near a window to allow them access to sunshine.  Over a period of several weeks I did indeed have a sweet potato plant ready to place in soil.

I started some in smaller pots of dirt before moving to a permanent growing pot.   Unless the weather has not warmed enough to safely leave the plants outside, I would recommend planting directly into the container or ground where you will be growing the Sweet Potatoes.

I learned through a FB group that sweet potatoes could be grown in buckets.  One of my goals, as I began exploring how I was going to live a homestead lifestyle, was to use what I have.  Remembering I had saved cracked water buckets, I happily located them. Some had cracked from water freezing in them and others had not survived the pawing of a horse.  They were going to be perfect for allowing the soil to drain.

For soil, I went to what was left of a horse manure pile from several years past.  Bits and pieces of decomposing shavings left among the decomposed manure created a small amount of aeration.   How cool!  What was once horse manure was now a nutrient rich soil available for me to grow food in.  Ah Ha!  The horses do have a part in this homestead.  They are producing potting soil.

Once planted, regular watering(if there is not adequate rainfall) and keeping the weeds picked out are the only needed work til harvest.  These plants grow a rather large leaf base so after they are big enough the weeds are less of a concern.

My first year growing sweet potatoes I did not know what to expect at harvest.  When the weather was forecast to be below freezing in a few nights I knew the growing season was coming to an end for the potted plants. The beauty of raising potatoes in pots is dumping them to harvest the potatoes.  No digging!

I remember looking at the top of the bucket, seeing some potatos and hoping they were big enough.

I also recall turning the bucket over.  Much to my delight I found my worry had disappeared for all I could see through the crack across the bottom of the bucket was one large sweet potato!

I was impressed with the size of the sweet potatoes.

One of the best parts of this process was that I had produced food with out spending any money.  While not everyone can initially start for free, there are ways to start with only a small investment.  Anyone can raise sweet potatoes even if living in an urban environment.  Every year save some potatoes for sprouting for the next year.  This is one way to produce food, with the health benefits of eating local food, for minimal to no cost.

I cook them wrapped in tin foil, baked in the oven until soft(about an hour) and topped with salt and real butter…um, YUM! Of course there are many recipes for sweet potatoes, but this option meets the requirements for my current health challenges. What are your favorite sweet potato recipes?

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites