I previously shared questions to ask as you decide on specific chicken breeds in the blog post titled What Chicken are Right for You. Today’s post takes you on the next step. When deciding on chickens that are for sale, there are 4 different growth stages to choose from, hatching eggs, chicks, juvenile or grow outs, and adult. Let’s examine different reasons you might choose from adult birds, hatching eggs, chicks or grow outs when choosing your first chickens.
Adult Birds: Choosing your First Chickens
There are a few reasons adult birds are the best options for your new chickens. By purchasing adult chickens, you will not need to wait for them to start laying. You will not need to feed them for the 4 to six months prior to beginning to lay. This, also, applies to birds you are raising for meat if they are heritage breeds.
The modern meat bird is ready to harvest as early as 2-3 months. Either way you will not need to invest the time to wait or the money to feed them. Do expect to pay a higher price for adult birds compared to juveniles or chicks to cover the fact the seller has invested the time and money (that you did not) to raise them.
Juvenile or Grow Outs
Some breeds cannot be easily sexed until 2 or 3 months of age. If you do not want a rooster, waiting for male or female characteristics to appear might be the best route for you. If sounds like you, there are still advantages to purchasing a juvenile over an adult.
If your chickens are your pets, you will be able to bond with them as they finish growing and will be able to decide what they are eating. Feed options such as organic, non-GMO, traditional, or even grow your own feed will be up to you. Raising them yourself allows them to have free range time and finish raising them to your standards. This is not to say that you cannot connect with a breeder that feeds chickens in a manner similar to yours, but that makes your search chickens a little more challenging.
Buying Baby Chickens for Your First Chicks
Purchasing chicks can be a bundle of fun. The cute, little fuzzy babies chirping and running around. When they have had enough of that, their little heads suddenly droop. They slowly lay down and sleep. Whether purchased locally or picking up at the local post office the fun of bringing them home and watching them grow up provides a bit of ole fashioned entertainment.
Other Considerations When Purchasing Chicks.
The act of shipping them through the mail can sometimes cause loss of life, even with the best of packing.
There often is a shipping charge in addition to the price of the chicks.
If you choose to stay local with your purchase, you will be limited to the local breeds of chickens for sale.
Chicks need a heat source until their first feathers grow in.
A brooder of some fashion is needed for chicks until they are old enough.
Hatching Eggs: Choosing Your First Chickens
Hatching your own chicks gives children the experience of seeing a new life develop. The lessons learned go a bit farther than sitting down at a desk and reading a science book. The hands on activity creates an environment where seeds of responsibility and discipline can be planted. The best part is watching a healthy chick pop out of its shell.
A word of truth here: As it is in all aspects of life, the genetic imperfections that fill our world may occur. As an example, a chick may not hatch all the way due to improper development. Or one may hatch, but it did not develop properly. This too is an excellent opportunity to teach a child the facts of disappointment and grief. As adults we know these are a part of life, and what a great time to teach a child how to deal with them in a manner that promotes healthy minds.
Best Option Hatching Eggs vs. Chicks?
Hatching eggs are less expensive vs. chicks. Do not expect every hatching egg to produce a chick. It would be an unusual case for all purchased hatching eggs to hatch. I do not always get a 100% hatch from eggs that travel no farther than from the barn to the house. If the eggs are shipped a general rule of thumb is 50% of the eggs will provide you with new baby chicks.
Let's look at the math for a minute. As an example, with shipping and the price of eggs you have $70 into 12 eggs. If you hatch 6 (50%), the price per chick would be $12. If the same breed of chicken cost $15 and you purchased 6 chicks, you would have spent $90 plus shipping. Congratulations you saved money! and had the fun of hatching. However, this is intended only as an example. The hatching result could go either way resulting in more or less chicks. This is where you decide the risk or chance you are most comfortable with.
In conclusion
Knowing your goals and resources will lay a foundation for choosing your first chickens.
Leave a comment, if you found this helpful and share which stage of a chicken’s life you have decided to purchase.
There are many factors to consider when choosing what breed or breeds of chickens are right for your flock. That sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Your Flock. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding what chicken breeds are right for you. You will also find brief corresponding points to aid in making your decisions.
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What are your goals for chickens?
Will your birds be your pets? Some have chickens merely for the food they provide. others enjoy them as a pet.
Do you plan to produce your own food with your chickens? You might want to choose a breed for its egg laying ability. Do you plan to raise them for meat? If so, there are breeds available whose fast-growing heavy muscle patterns make them ideal for eating.
Perhaps you intend to own chickens for both meat and eggs. There are wonderful heritage and dual-purpose breeds who lay a decent number of eggs and are delicious to eat. For example, the Silver Gray Dorkings raised here at CG Heartbeats Farm.
Do you plan to raise chicks? If so, you might want to include a breed known to go broody in your flock. Will you be raising chicks to a breed standard, a backyard Heinz 57 mix, or a little of both? There is no wrong answer, only what you prefer.
Do the breeds you want play well with others?
Some breeds are known to be more aggressive compared to
other breeds. If you choose to own more
than one breed, you will want to purchase breeds that are able to get along
with each other. There will always be a
pecking order among chickens. One hen
will rule the others. There will be one below her in the domination order. Each hen will have a place in the line down
to the lowest.
Do you want more than
one breed?
A flock of mixed breeds can be a beautiful thing. The beauty of a dozen different colored eggs may make the decision for you. Many find joy in seeing blue, green, different shades of brown eggs and even eggs with a pink tint. The diversity of backyard chicken breeds provide a wonderful way to enjoy owning birds.
To vaccinate or not vaccinate is a personal choice based on
several different factors.
Desire to raise chickens completely natural
Comfort level with the risk of loosing some
birds
Desire to have eggs and possibly meat from birds
that were not vaccinated
Allowing for the survival of the fittest
Belief that vaccinating will stop disease from
spreading (It has been proven to slow down the spread in the last century.)
Over all sustainability of the environment.
Loss of money due to loss of birds
Some breeders vaccinate all chicks, some do not, and others
leave the choice up to the buyer. If you
are purchasing older birds and have strong feelings one way or the other about
vaccination, make sure to inquire before purchasing. That goes for any age bird, truthfully.
How many chickens do
you want?
This decision will depend in part on how much land you have available. Other factors include the goals that you have decided on. If you are breeding chickens, chances are you will have more chickens than an average backyard flock. If you live on a lot in town, the number you can have will be limited to the size of the coop that fits in your space. In general, there should be 3 to 5 square feet per bird in a coop and 8 to 10 in a run. If chickens are kept in coop 24/7 the square footage would need to larger per bird.
Understand that this can vary depending on the size and breed of chicken. Still, this gives you an idea to base the number of chickens you want to own. Perhaps you live in the country and want to sell farm fresh eggs locally, you may want 50, 100 or even more.
Will your flock
include a rooster?
Depending on where you live, roosters may not be allowed due to the loud crowing they are bound to exclaim as morning dawns. I personally enjoy hearing my roosters crow early in the morning.
A rooster is needed if you intend to hatch chicks to fertilize the eggs. A hen will lay eggs without a rooster, so if you certainly do not need one for a hen to lay eggs. Will your first
Do you plan to free
range your flock?
Traits of a chicken that does well free ranging include high awareness of predators, ability to fly, and of course scratch and look for food. Some breeds are known to be better as a free-range bird then others.
Another factor that influences free ranging abilities is the environment in which they are raised. If you choose to free range your flock, expect to have some loss of life. The advantages and disadvantages are yours to weigh.
One more thought is that if you have close neighbors with dogs, or even not so close this seems to be another disadvantage to free ranging birds. Even if you choose to keep your chickens in a pen of some sort that does not entire reduce the risk of loss from a predator.
How many eggs do you
consume on a daily or weekly basis?
Different breeds of chickens are known for how many eggs they produce a day. In recent years, chicken breeds have been developed that are known to be the best for laying eggs, (laying highest number of eggs in the shortest amount of time). These often lay best in the first year, but after that the number falls of drastically.
Heritage breeds of chickens tend to lay less eggs each year but have longevity to produce eggs for several years. Does the idea of supporting heritage breeds appeal to you? Or perhaps the desire for large numbers of eggs in a shorter amount of time works best for your goals.
In Conclusion
Know what your goals are. Use these questions to decide what chickens are right for you. Decide what is most important for you. Have fun and try new breeds. Maybe there is not a chicken breed that fits your requirements. If you are up to the challenge, you may decide to create your own breed. I have. See the post titled Introducing the Lemon Flower Chicken Breed. Click below
Chickens offer two readily known assets to a homestead in producing eggs and meat. I have found a third use for chickens here on CG Heartbeats Farm. While I am likely not the first to do so, in this post I share how I have put chickens to work on the homestead.
Humble Beginnings
One of my frustrations early on in this journey was a desire to garden, but no good way to bust up the sod which has a fantastic root system. I wanted to turn parts of the yard into garden space as long as 2 or 3 years. I started looking for little ways to begin producing some of my own food and here is where that journey has taken me so far.
Originally, I used broken buckets to grow sweet potatoes and pots to grow peppers, and tomatoes. The first year I had the best success with the sweet potatoes and from that soil, created a small container garden. I also utilized a part of one the flower beds which for years, I hardly kept the grass at bay. My garlic journey began with 18 cloves of garlic in 2016 with 3 varieties. Fast forward 5 years later, I have around 600 cloves planted in 8 varieties. I no longer use the flower garden. Now I am able to use other areas, thanks to the work of chickens.
Looking Back
As a part of using what I had in the form of dog kennel panels, I set up first one 10 x 10 and an additional 5 x 5 off the side of the 10 x10 pen. These were covered in a netting that we had purchased in a roll and a part of that roll remains. These pens were placed in an area where I wanted to create garden space. In the fall of 2018, the chickens had sufficiently killed off the sod in the 5 x 5 pen.
How did I know this you might wonder? There was almost no visible grass or roots sticking up in this pen. A few stray root tops near the surface along a piece of wood was about all I could see from the surface. Simply put, it had a look of bare ground.
I moved the 3 panels to a different side of the 10 x 10 pen. In this new location, more sod could be removed by the chickens.
Back to the spot where the pen had been. My next step was to take a spade to this area and turn the dirt over. At this time, I also found and removed any remaining roots I could find. There were a few, but certainly not the number that would have been present had I randomly picked this spot in the yard and tried to start digging up the grass. I have done that before when planning grapes and black raspberries and it proved to be a bit difficult for my current physical state.
Sustainable Gardening Ideas
With the ground prepared, I used this area to plant the Music garlic variety and has a mild, sweet flavor that I find pleasing. It has been a bit of a trial for me being the first time I had planted garlic in this area of the farm. Knowing this spot also contained a sandy subsoil same as where I planted garlic before in a garden near the house, I felt confident planting one variety in this location. Adding hay chaff and eventually wood chips are a practice for garlic I am raising. Both could be considered a waste product, but not if I am looking for ways to be sustainable. Since I don’t like weeding and I love the benefits of chaff and woodchips as a method to cover the soil.
Early Spring 2019 the garlic garden in the flower bed
Early spring 2019 the Music variety of garlic is growing nicely in the new bed
Recalling the Spring of 2019
Spring of 2019 rolled around and proved it was indeed excellent
for garlic. It is doing every bit as well as in the other location where it is
planted on CG Heartbeats Farm.
Here the chicken pens are moved to a new location. The patch of dirt is where the pens were previously located.
In March I was itching for the 3rd week of April
to arrive for that was the week I planned to move all the current panels to a
new nearby location. Here the chickens
would have fresh ground and I would have another garden plot. I am finding I like the idea of having different
plots around on the farm instead of one large garden area. I think it adds character, reduces wind and
water erosion, and in time with some flowers mixed in, beauty. It may provide a
way to rotate crops in different areas, a sustainable practice.
Julie is running the roto tiller. She has a growing flower business, Blooms on 800.
I had started heritage tomato seeds indoors and looked forward to planning them outside in this new garden space. My excitement helped energize me for the task. No sooner than the new pens set up we had 5 inches of rain in about a week’s time. That put a damper on the progress.
Help from a Friend
I learned to know Julie last year at while attending the markets. She has proved to be a continued encouragement to me. She had earlier offered to bring her tiller over and work the ground for me, saving me the work with a spade. This past Monday that day finally arrived.
Feeling excited to see the progress made, I proceeded to plant the tomatoes that day. What I cannot share in a picture or quite in words was the smell. I will only say that ground did NOT smell like roses. Julie, in her encouraging way, said, “You will have the biggest tomatoes around.” This in response to my comment about the bad smell.
Now that tomatoes are planted and covered due to the forecasted temps in the low thirties and I will continue to leave the cover on until the weather has warmed. These ‘covers’ are the tops of apple cider vinegar and milk jugs, an example of ways to re-propose materials otherwise considered trash. (#usewhatyouhave) This project has cost me little to nothing. Perhaps even saved me a small amount as it provided a natural food source for the chickens while they lived outside. I did, of course, feed them additional food.
Tomatoes planted with room for additional plants, perhaps corn and beans? Notice in this picture I have already added hay chaff to cover the ground. Wood chips will be added, also.
Continuing the Progress
Over the last 2.5 years I have continued putting the chickens to work on the homestead creating additional garden space. I am getting close to creating a garden entrance and fencing a portion of the garden.
Garlic and onions are currently planted in a 10 foot by 36-foot garden where chicken pens sat in 2020. Eventually a portion of this space will be home to an additional row of grape vines.
The garlic and onion garden for the 2022 harvest. Pictured here in the fall of 2021 shortly after planting. This is one of several current garden spaces. Notice I had just started to put hay chaff on.
The vision of the gardens I am creating has developed slowly over the last few years. To be honest, it will likely continue to be modified as time goes by.
I am looking forward to adding flower bulbs against a fence line. Last fall I planted 2 Dwarf Alberta Spruce trees, one in each outside corner of where the fence will be. How are you using what you have?
2021 started on track for my expectations. However, by March my mind had lost focus and motivation to write, by July my ability to garden, preserve and function waned, to say the least.
March and April revealed a dear family member was going to be in battle for their life fighting cancer. As I type these works, the battle continues. The end of June a series of events involving the health and lives of other family members unfolded. From a life-threatening bullet wound to an unrelated death, hospital stays and a tough decision for my aging horse, my energy levels and attention shifted to the people in my life who needed my assistance. The homestead took a back seat, gardens were let go, little food preservation happened. The bare minimum kept the homestead going.
September though the end of 2021 felt as if I was picking up the pieces and putting order back in place. My word for 2022 was going to be structure because I see a great need for structural improvements both physical and in my daily routines. As the last 2 weeks unfolded the word persistence continued to show up. So, while I will be addressing structure in 2022 as mentioned above, my word for the year is persistence.
In a worldly sense the past year might appear as a waste. In a personal and spiritual sense, I grew. My trust in the Lord to provide, my belief and trust in His sovereignty, my faith to follow His direction and belief, He alone is a light unto my path. Growing relationships with those I encountered in the last year have eternal benefits.
In the midst of my struggle, there were additions to the farm and I will mention them below as look back at 2021 on CG Heartbeats Farm.
Horses
In July on a warm sunny morning, I found my 26-year-old mare Rosie down and unable to rise, even when I tried to assist her. Her physical condition had been gradually declining. If I am honest it started around 4 years ago. I knew it was time. My heart ached deeply and I continue to miss her. I felt like a part of my dream was buried with her. However, my love of horses has not disappeared. I continue to have goals and dreams around the majestic equine. Looking back at last year however, I did not do much beyond the daily care and maintenance of looking after my horses. At the close of 2021, 4 horses now reside here at CG Heartbeats Farm, Bo, Drifter, Cider, and Dusty.
Trees
I am super excited to share I was able to plant 16 trees nearer the house in the last quarter of 2021. Two of the seedlings were volunteer starts from the current Crabapple tree. I planted 12 additional flowering trees from the Arbor Day Foundation. The varieties included, Crape myrtle, White Dogwood, Sargent (White) Crabapple, Redbud and Washington Hawthorns. It will be a few years until they are flowering, but I can see it in my mind and I am excited every time I think about it.
After Christmas, I discovered Dwarf Alberta Spruce on sale (75% off) at our local Lowes. We were still experiencing mild weather. I purchased 2 and planted the next day. Now CG Heartbeats Farm has evergreens on the homestead. My heart smiles every time I see snow on the pines, even if they are small trees for now.
Great Pyrenees
Aneta continues to thrive here, barking often during the night and alerting us to any unusual activity. She managed to escape her area a few times. She was always here to great me in the morning. You might remember how she took off in the fall of 2021. She spent much of the year confined. The process has helped her to understand where her home base is.
She continues to be kind with the cats and kittens. I am certain she likes the goats as she spends time with them. I am still working with her to not chase. She doesn’t hurt any of the animals. But her chasing has to stop. I take the blame for not correcting her the first time and subsequent times when she was a young puppy.
I can hardly believe she is almost 2. Her presence on the homestead, bring joy and protection for the livestock.
Nigerian Dwarf Goats, A New Addition in 2021
In the spring, I picked up 2 Nigerian Dwarf doelings with the intention of sending them on to my sister later in the year. Honey and Oakley, as I called them, did indeed travel about 1000 miles to reside with my sister and her family.
Honey and Oakley before moving on to my sisters place.
Those 2 adorable kids were just a start. Over the course of 2021, I added 3 bucks and 5 doe kids. Officially, CG Heartbeats Farm now raises registered Nigerian Dwarf goats. Dixie, Bonney, and Ariel are bred to freshen in April and May.
Peaches joined the CG Heartbeats Farm herd in July of 2021 at 2.5 weeks old.
I am looking forward to drinking milk produced here on the homestead, making butter and who knows what else. Kidding season (or foaling season or hatching baby chicks) brings me joy. The delight I feel at the appearance of new born babies over rides the exhaustion brought on by late night checks and sleepless nights.
Sunny arrived in August and brings us our first *buck out of a 5* doe
If you would like to learn more about each of the Nigerian Dwarf goats, click here.
Chicken Updates for 2021
2021 produced new ideas and plans for the heritage chicken breeds raised here on CG Heartbeats Farm. check out the paragraphs below to learn a few of the details.
Swedish Flower Hens in 2021
I enjoyed hatching various Swedish Flower Hen chicks in 2021. Toward the end of the year I scaled back my numbers. I still have a majority of the same pens. There is a new strategy for my pens. I will add new pullets from a pen back into the pen the came from instead of starting new pens. the Hens in those pens are aging and instead of starting new pens I will be replacing them over the next year or two. A different rooster will be added in time.
A reminder for those unfamiliar with breeding chickens, crossing a hen back on its sire is an acceptable breeding practice in chickens.
Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner
Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner first arrived at CG Heartbeats Farm in 2016. This breed has proved the greatest challenge of all. Truly they deserve their own blog post to share all the details of my journey with them.
For the time being here is a brief update for 2021. The last remaining hen from my original chicks was killed by a possum attack. I have a rooster remaining I hatched from the pair this year. I also lost both Cisco and Clinch. Last spring I purchased “Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner” chicks from a hatchery. I fully realize the odds of getting quality was slim, but I decided to try them. To say I am disappointed is an understatement.
Only one of the chicks looks like it should in color, and size. It is a rooster. The pullets have started to lay. While the eggs are beautiful, they do not represent what true LCN look like. For the next few weeks 2 of the yellowest crossbred pullets are with my LCN rooster, along with 2 or 3 of the best of the pullets from the hatchery. I intend to hatch some of their eggs and see what I get. I am all about using what I have. My preference is to purchase a line of LCN descended directly from German imports. Until I can locate some and purchase them, I will continue to work with what I have.
CrossbredProject in 2021
This group too deserve their own post. If you are new here or not familiar with them, they started out with a black based mille fleur Swedish Flower Hen rooster crossed on Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner hens. I did this to ‘test’ the hens with a rooster I knew was fertile. I crossed the offspring back on a LCN rooster. In the next 2 generations I continued crossing with other crossbreds.
75% Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner and 25% Swedish Flower Hen
My crossbred project continues to impress me. I will be working with them to enhance uniformity in color. I need a name for the breed beside Crossbred project. Want to help me? Leave a comment below or shoot me an email at cgheartbeatsfarm@gmail.com
Silver Gray Dorking
While I did loose a few of the older birds this past year, I raised a few also. I desire to incubate as many eggs as possible and when the weather permits, I will have Silver Gray Dorking hatching eggs for sale. I intend to sell chicks also.
Fruits
Black Raspberries, Concord grapes and apples were the 3 fruits produced and eaten here at CG Heartbeats Farm. I preserved a few of the black raspberries by freezing them. Many were eaten fresh. Same with the apples, I enjoyed eating fresh apples while they lasted. I have not learned how to care for apples with out using chemicals. Thus I only ate them fresh around the spots that even the nice ones displayed. I had wanted to make applesauce, but I did not make it a priority.
Concord Grapes
Delicious memories of savoring the flavor as I ate Concord grapes from the vine produced here creates excitement for the coming work I will do to prepare for 2022 harvest. The grape project has been a 3- or 4-year process and cost me nothing but the waiting and hard work.
My heart swelled with happiness chewing the concord grapes as an occasional snack. The vines are young and I expect they will produce more this year. I thought I had an adequate trellis for the vines. Turned out they needed more height. I am always learning.
Gardens and Food Preservationin 2021
Garlic
Garlic harvest showed me new aspects of the plant I had not encounter previously. Unfortunately, much of the crop was harvested late. Here are a few of the highlights:
The way the different garlic varieties continued to develop seed heads
Varying hardiness of the stalk between varieties
How the same variety grew better or worse depending on which garden plot it was in
Additional garden Ground
The chickens continue their work prepping garden ground. The amount of space I have to garden grew again this year. Check out Chickens on the Homestead to read how the chickens contribute beyond meat and egg laying.
Another important part of gardening here on CG Heartbeats Farm continues to be saving seeds for future use. The intentional act of setting aside the needed produce to collect seeds from what I raised this year continued in the fall. In saving the seeds, I feel not all was wasted.
New Varieties
In 2021 I planted zucchini, sweet corn, 2 new flowers varieties, onions from seed and Amish Paste tomatoes. The rest of what I planted was repeat from years past. As I mentioned above, my gardens suffered neglect this past year.
Farmers Markets
I attended a few markets, but I could not on a consistent basis due my time and energy being pulled in other directions.
Website
Writing too took a back seat in 2021. The times I sat down to put words into sentences, I struggled to organize my thoughts. Few times after mid-February, I had time to catch my breath. The act of writing flowed temporarily. As I look back at 2021, and I have been putting this together for the last week, I find I have joy in writing again.
My view of what the future holds goes no farther than the next step or two. Thank you to all who have stayed for my journey and visited the website when I was unable to write as often as I believed I should.
Fall 2020 comes to an end as I finish up this post. I want to share quarterly progress on CG Heartbeats Farm and future goals with those who like to keep up with the happenings here.
Progress as of Fall 2020
New Garlic Varieties
I picked out 2 new garlic varieties to add to CG Heartbeats Farm this fall from Keene Garlic out of Wisconsin. This coming year, I may have Metechi and Majestic garlic, the new varities, available, based on the amount I save back for seed from the 2021 crop.
Chicken Barn
My parents came a few times this fall for farm work days. We cleaned chicken pens as one of our projects. I find satisfaction in keeping the floor swept indicating a shift in my perspective of my homestead lifestyle.
I notice a confident feeling which has not come easy based on the adjustments I have made over the last few years. All the new projects bring inevitable error as I learn. These have often left me questioning my abilities and, at times, lacking a sense of pride in my daily tasks.
Moved Pullets and Roosters
I moved pullets I raised to replace or add to current pens. You will find new pullets in Pen 8 and Pen 5. I also replaced Rapheal in Pen 6, Shoshone in Pen 5 and Larry in Pen 1.
I will be updating these pages with pictures of the new additions to the above mentioned pens. Be sure to subscribe to CG Heartbeats Farm email list using the form below to learn more about the chickens at CG Heartbeats Farm.
Gardens
I am cheering to have finally removed all of the dead plants from the summer gardens. I used much of the cleared garden space to plant 720 garlic cloves, carrots, and onions. Now onto planning for 2021 gardens.
Set up Bird Feeder
I was gifted a bird feeder and have set it up for winter use. I also added 2 stakes with hooks to display items yet to be decided.
The Container Garden
I added additional dirt to the container garden as I harvested the Sweet Potatoes. I want to create a small hoop and cover this area with plastic. To start plants earlier in the spring.
Tokyo Green Cucumbers
One of my biggest garden surprises this year was the amount of cucumbers produced from only 2 Tokyo Green Cucumber plants. I did not actually count the number of cucumbers harvested, but I canned over 30 pints of both Dill Pickles and Bread and Butter Pickles.
My other big surprise was my fun I had the day I harvested the Sorghum. The smooth feeling of the seed attached to the tassel left me happy. Check out the pretty bouquets I quickly put together. I look forward to adding colorful Sorghum to future creations, as well.
Flax
The pretty flax plants and flowers were enjoyable to view, and I discovered the chickens enjoy eating flax. Flax also adds beauty to a bouquet.
Glass Gem Popcorn
Glass Gem popcorn is always fun to grow for the variety of colors on each cob. Of course, it is fun to eat too. This year the neighboring farmers planted soybeans so I could save seeds for future planting seasons.
Kentucky Red Peanuts
Another plant I enjoyed growing was the Kentucky Red Peanuts. They are currently await processing to actually eat. I need to conduct a bit of research to learn how I want to process them (decisions) and if I will be using processed or un processed for planting next years crop. My guess is to plant unprocessed, but I welcome any thoughts or experience you can share in the comments below.
Goals
Grapes
I was excited my Dad put in a post for me on one of our work days. I will need to add one or two additional posts and wire of some kind for the grapes to vine on. The grapes are another one of my ongoing projects.
I will be pruning vines and starting new grape plants to add to my current (small) arbor.
Move Chicken Pens
In the fall and spring, I move the outdoor chicken pens to new ground. This bare ground from where the chickens lived provides additional garden space. I happily added 2 new outdoor pens this past year bringing the total to 6 pens. The space in which I set the pens is approximately 36 feet by 10 feet.
I will need to decide where I want my next garden area(s) to be established. Currently many of the chickens are living in the main barn in their pens waiting for me to move their pens next week.
I look forward to seeing them on fresh ground and enjoying the remainder of last summer’s grass.
Plant Winter Onions
I have one variety of onions I want to try over winter. They will make early, delicious green onions.
Rooster Harvest
I took 5 roosters in for processing. One is 50 % Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner and 50 % Swedish Flower Hen. The other 4 are Swedish Flower Hen roosters. They will provide a means to create healthy bone broth and food to eat.
Create with Sorghum
I want to add sorghum to grapevine wreaths along with other natural wild vegetation found here at CG Heartbeats Farm.
The task of removing the Sorghum seeds from the tassel I have found to be time consuming. Do you have any ideas on how to remove them? Or how you would use Sorghum in a craft project?
I have made a couple beautiful bouquets.
I took part in a Wreath Tour on Instagram. Here I found inspiration and encouragement for my grapevine wreaths. I would like to craft a few more before the snow flies.
Further my Education and Experience of Training LDG
One fine fall day the fact Aneta has hit her adolescent behavior stared me right in the face. She wears her emotions, her aggravation, fear, and a silly look of crazy adventure plainly for me to observe. Oh, I know just the look. I might have felt the way she looks once or twice in my life.
On this pleasant day, I had already called her back from clearing the woods of a deer she seen. I observed an expression of delight combined with a desire I was unsure of, but soon learned.
She took off into the woods again. I could not see what she was after this time. I followed as best I could calling her name. Through the brush I briefly made out her standing on the edge of the road. “Aneta,” I called again. Nope she was out of sight.
By the time I made it to the road she was no where to be seen. To read more about this adventure with Aneta click below.
In short, I realized a need to become better educated so I may improve my ability to teach and communicate with her. I take responsibility for her success. She is an intelligent pup who has a desire to please.
I found a 4 Facebook groups on training LDG and joined. I started reading to further educate myself. Until I have long term plan, my short term plan is she stays on a leash and we go for walks. I will teach her the command to heel. Further working with her on sit and stay. As she improves on a short leash, I will graduate her to a 20 foot lunge line to test her ability to follow my commands.
In the mean time I am going to educate myself, learning all I can. After all, isn’t that what a leader does.
Move Tree Seedlings
We have several oak tree and crab apple tree seedlings I would like to replant on our property.
Set up Incubation Station
I have an idea for an incubation station to store egg incubators, tools and a place to hatch in the cooler months. It is a vision still developing in my mind and subject to change.
Purchase a Tiller
I am looking for a tiller to add to CG Heartbeats Farm. I intend to continue companion gardening, but would like to till the ground once when I first start using a garden. Once the ground has been worked one time planting stays quite easy.
Fencing
The pasture fences seem to be an ongoing project that takes a back seat to other projects of late. New fence construction, weed and brush removal along old fence lines, and replacing posts all await attention.
Online
Update Breed Pages
I am in the process of updating breed and pen pages. In 2020, I lost a couple of my favorite roosters. It is a part of animals, but I am always sad and dissappointed to loose any animal under my care.
In short, I have replaced Raphel with one of his sons. I found him dead one day. I am unsure the cause. He had appeared healthy prior. The plan was to replace him eventually as a way to breed away from the sprig he presented.
I was most disappointed to find Shoshone had died one day. He had sustained a wound earlier in the summer but seemed to be recovering. Unfortunately, I did not have one of his sons to replace him so for now the new rooster, who hatched from Pen 10, pictured below will attempt to fill his role. I may change roosters for Pen 5 down the road.
I also added two new pullets to Pen 5 who hatched this year from Pen 2.
Pen 11
I created Swedish Flower Hen Pen 11 using pullets from Cherokee’s pen with a rooster from Pawnee’s (Pen 10) I call him Shawnee. They recently started laying eggs I am excited to set eggs from a complete blue based pen for the first time. You may read more about these parings using the link below.
As Fall 2020 comes to an end, my remining days of this year will be spent preparing and planning for 2021, enjoying the holiday season, overseeing the 3 incubators filled with 35 eggs, and counting my blessings from 2020. Look for a post sharing my goals for winter and 2021 in the coming weeks.
I slowly digested Ten Acres Enough by Edmond Morris in the summer of 2018. Reading a few pages while I ate lunch or found I needed to sit down for a break. As I read, I often felt renewed energy and motivation to continue, keep on with the tasks at hand staying focued with the big goals.
The end of 2020 is approaching. I find myself looking back at what I accomplished and what goals I want to set for 2021.
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.
Current horse pasture, but may serve a new function as the year unravels.
I gained a new perspective for the property I live on reading thorough Ten Acres Enough. My view shifted. Instead of seeing it through the eyes of where a horse barn, shelters, and pasture could go, I began to see where blueberries, grapes, and garlic might produce the best.
Click on the picture above to purchase your copy of Ten Acres Enough
The mistaken ambition for owning twice as much land as one can thoroughly manure or profitably cultivate, is the great agricultural sin of this country.
At times, this homesteading journey can feel a bit lonely, but reading Ten Acres Enough I found a kinship with a man and his family now passed. After living and owning a business in the city for 20 years, he fulfills a longtime dream of owning farm ground in the country.
His farm, he purchased in the 1850’s. This is no typo. Nor is the price he paid, $1,000.00 for 11 acres, with a house and barn on it. The land I have is 11.7 acres and believe me the price was well above $1000.00.
I found myself inspired as I read Edmund’s account of creating food and an income to support his family by farming 10 acres of land.
The words he used to share his story have added to my vocabulary. Some I have never heard in this day and age and likely will not.
This book provided me with a new view of our land and produced many new ideas to ponder on. I intend to reread Ten Acres Enough, as I plan for 2021. In the coming months and years I will reference certain practices mentioned though out this book
It takes a man a great while to learn the way of Providence, and to understand that things are better contrived for him than he can can contrive for himself.
I recommend this book to any and all who desire a homestead lifestyle. If you read or have read this book, I would be trilled to hear what stood out to you.
Read what I like and do not like about the Janoel 12 Incubator. I share a few tips I have used to help this incubator work for me.
While I have used different incubators, I have found the Janoel 12 to be my go to incubator right now. To be open here, I have used the Incuview (plastic), and the Little Giant Styrofoam incubator with the addition of a fan. I have listened to others experiences with different incubators. Of course, the price has influenced my personal incubator purchases.
My flock of 3 heritage breeds consists of breeding pens made up of 1 or 2 roosters with 1 to 6 hens. To clarify I do not put one hen with 2 roosters. Due to the smaller pen sizes and my desire to track what chicks hatch from each pen, I like the incubators that hatch a smaller number of eggs. I share this to provide a picture of where I am coming from with my current goals.
What I like about the Janoel 12 Incubator
1. Price
I find it hard to beat for the price of slightly over $50.00, based on what I see available on the market. This incubator has an auto turner, temperature settings can be modified and a display of real time temperature.
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.
Learn more by clicking the picture above.
2. Auto Turner
The auto turner provides room for 6 to 12 eggs. I say 6 because with larger eggs that is about all that fits on the turner. Given the fact I may only have 5 or 6 eggs from a specific breeding pair, this incubator serves an important purpose on CG Heartbeats Farm. I have found a way to place close to 30 eggs in the Janoel 12 incubator. See my Tips for the Janoel 12 Incubator in this post.
3. Bottom Half Cleans Easy
I love the how easy cleaning the bottom of this incubator is. To start I dump out the water and mess. I spray outside with a garden hose. Next, I put apple cider vinegar in the bottom and the amount varies based on how dirty it is. I fill almost to the top with water and allow it to soak for several hours. The mess simply does not stick to the sides or interior bottom. The tray takes a bit of scrubbing with a brush to get the stubborn stuff off. I wipe the legs of the hatching tray with a paper towel. I also wipe the bottom half inside and out to dry it.
Examples include a hatch that started with 14 eggs, 2 were not fertile, at lockdown there were 11 viable eggs and the end result was 9 chicks. In another (1 time) instance, all 10 eggs hatched. I generally have a decent hatch rate with this incubator. There are several factors that influence how well a hatch goes. I will share that the first couple times I used this incubator I was not successful. I needed to determine the right amount of water to add at lockdown and I share that later in this post.
5. 360 degree View
The sides provide a view all the way around the incubator.
6. Adjustable Spacing in the Janoel 12 Turner
The spacers in the turner allows the width of each row to be a custom fit.
7. Durable
The longer I use this incubator, the more I am impressed with its durability. I have hatched in my original incubator for 3 years, gaining multiple batches of chicks each year.
Purchase your own Janoel 12 Incubator by clicking the picture.
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.
What I do notlike about the Janoel 12 Incubator
1. Cleaning Inside of the Top
Cleaning any part of the top requires a screw driver to remove parts. It is simple to take part and put together, but more time consuming due to needing to remove several screws. I do not clean the top every time.
2. Lack of Setting Options
While the temperature is displayed and can be changed, that is the only setting. This model does not provide other settings such as a count down to hatch day, or a setting based on current room temperatures. There is not a humidity reading or a way to automate humidity levels. I have experimented with how much water to add at lockdown, based on the climate here in northern Indiana.
3. Not made in America
I like to purchase products made in America. This incubator
is not.
4. Harder to See
While there is a 360 view of the eggs, the durable plastic has a bit of smoky haze when looking through it or taking pictures. The view is not as clear compared to other incubators I have used or seen used. I have noticed after several hatches the plastic becomes scratched, clouding the view.
Tips for Using Janoel 12
How to fit 20 plus eggs in the Janoel 12 Incubator
If I remove the tray the turner sets on and place in the hatching tray, the Janoel 12 holds 20 to 25 eggs. The eggs need to be hand turned. I try for 6 times a day, but fall short some days. This starts a larger group of eggs. Often when I use this method, I know that it is likely not all eggs will be fertile. If the number of fertile eggs drop low enough after a week, I begin to use the turner. If not, I am committed to hand turning the eggs until lockdown. Either way, I end up with a higher number of chicks compared to only using the turner from day one.
Adding Water at Lockdown
I have found the best hatch results by adding ½ cup to ¾ cup of water at lockdown. The room humidly plays a part in my determination. To date, I use the dry hatch method. I may add a ¼ cup water on day 17 depending on the size of the air cells when I candle. If I do, I would only add ¼ cup to ½ cup more at lock down.
Note the incubator in the picture is not on a level surface. The water level is not equal but this is a general idea of what it looks like.
Maintaining a Hatch
The eggs often become bunched when using the auto turner. Maybe I do not have the spaces set correctly? I am not sure if that is the cause. I check the eggs once a day when they are on the turner and place them in a better spot.
“I like this incubator so well I have three.”
Maria Graber
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.
In Conclusion
The Janoel 12 has been my go to incubator this year. I even purchased a second one in April, to hatch out different batches in. As I said, knowing the chicks correct parentage ranks high for me and the Janoel 12 helps me meet this goal. Is it a perfect incubator? No, but when I consider the small amount I invested in each one and all the ways it serves my purposes. I am excited to use the Janoel 12. I would love to hear your experience with the Janoel 12. Please reach out using the form below to send me an email with your questions or leave a comment at the bottom of this post.
To my recollection, the last time I canned anything was around 20 years ago. As I am producing my own food, canning is one of the homestead activities I want to incorporate back into my life. One family branch has a tradition of eating tomato gravy at Christmas gatherings. I have been blessed with a wonderful crop of heirloom tomatoes. In August of 2019, I decided to make tomato juice for my own consumption and as a base for the tomato gravy this coming holiday season.
List of Supplies
Clean pots
Sharp knife
Scrap bucket
Pan with water
Jars
Lids
Rims
Stomper/Colander
Pan/pot for juice to drain into
Water bath canner or pressure cooker
Ladle
Funnel
Measuring cup
Food Ingredients
Tomatoes
Garlic
Onions
Water
Before I share my personal experience making tomato juice, do you want to learn other ways to begin living a homestead lifestyle? Click this link to learn other ways to start living a homestead live-style.
Prep Tomatoes for Tomato Juice
First, gathering a knife, a pan of cool water, 2 clean pots, a scrap bucket, and of course a five-gallon bucket full of tomatoes, I sat on the front porch of my neighbor’s house and cut up tomatoes.
What I started with
Pan with water. I changed the water once when I was halfway through.
Clean pot to cook the tomatoes in.
Srapes or waste left from prepping the tomatoes to cook.
For the fun of jumping ahead: the result. From a heaping 5-gallon bucket of tomates I now have 6 quarts of tomato juice and 7 pints.
I removed any bad spots and the cores. These large, heirloom tomatoes filled 2 pots. I spent 30 to 40 minutes cutting these up.
One pot of tomatoes ready to cook.
Before I started cooking the tomatoes on the stove, I cleaned
up the jars I wanted to use. My basement
has become dirty over the last few years. So, I cleaned them outside with a
hose, before cleaning them again inside.
Cook Tomatoes
I added a glass of water to the smaller pan, and 2 glasses of water to the larger pan. I realized later I did not need to add that much water. While I have canned food before, tomato juice is a first for me.
The tomatoes are starting to cook down in this picture.
My plan was to work with my friend, but she needed to be elsewhere. I knew I needed to process those tomatoes or I would end up not getting it done. Feeling excited and a bit unsure, I decided I would move ahead one step at a time. I expected her to return home while I was cooking the tomatoes off, however as life happens, she was unable to be there as early as she thought. I looked up online how long to water bath tomato juice.
Ready to make tomato juice.
As the tomatoes cook, I prepared candy onions and garlic to add to the tomato juice. I added two onions and a garlic clove to one of the pots as the tomatoes cooked for an experiment of sorts.
Colander to press cooked tomatoes into tomato juice.
I phoned another friend of mine. I felt a bit unsure. After our chat, I felt more confident. I decided how I was going to add the garlic and onion. I would place one garlic clove and a small onion or a portion of an onion in the jars, for additional flavor. Oops, I realized by that point that I added more water than I needed to. The additional veggies would give the juice additional flavor. Thanks, Dolli!
The garlic sank to the bottom of the jar and the onion floated to the top.
A closer look at the lids and rings I had found new in their
package in my basement, showed me the lids were definitely not fit to use. When the tomatoes were sufficiently cooked, I
ran into town to buy new lids.
Stomp Tomatoes to Make Tomato Juice
Using a large pan and stomper, I set out to make my first tomato juice. I pictured myself pouring the contents of the pan (cooked off tomatoes) into the stomper. I seen myself making a huge mess. Instead, I used a ladle to place the cooked tomatoes in the stomper.
All that remained after one pot of cooked tomatoes was pressed
My mind wonder as I pushed out the juice to the days of my past. I remember making applesauce in my grandma’s kitchen using similar tools. I am quite fond of applesauce. Remembering fond memories of my youth when member of the family would work together preserving food, feelings of nostalgia lurked in my mind. Despite beginning to get tired, I felt excited to be canning again. Canning touches the creative side of me.
Jars
Inside I rinsed and dried 6-quart jars and 7-pint jars in hot, hot water. I allowed them to air dry on a towel. I again used a ladle to dip the juice from the pan into the jars.
When my friend returned home, I ask her, “do you have a faster way to do this?” We laughed as she said, “oh yes, I do. What was I thinking?” That certainly sped up the process. She handed me a funnel and measuring cup. The measuring cup had a handle and a spout to pour out of. Perfect!
With the jars full, I cleaned of the rims of the jars. The things that come back to me as I went
through this process. I remember my grandma using this little sauce pan to heat
the lids before placing them on the jars.
I am quite certain I have that little pan somewhere, or one like
it. For this process, I skipped that
step.
Canning Process
Placing lids and rims on the 6-quart jars that I had cleaned the rims into the canner they went. We used her tap water to fill the canner (water bath). The water almost reached the top of the jars. I waited until the water was at a rolling boil.
I took note of the time and made a metal note of what time the jars would be done. During this time, I continued stomping the second pot of cooked tomatoes. I had enough to fill the 7 pint jars I had cleaned. When the pints were filled, clean and covered with lids and rims. I washed up as many of the dishes as I could.
There was only a small amount of waste from all of the tomatoes that were cooked and stomped. To take a guess, I would say it would not have filled a quart jar. Her chickens would get them for a treat. The waste from cutting the tomatoes before cooking went to my house.
Six quarts of tomato juice ready to be canned.
When the quarts were done cooking, I ran home to get my own canner. Returning, I took the 7 quarts home in that and later that night I canned those. A side note here: I used water purchased in town to process the pints at home. The tap water left a residue on the quart jars. The purchased water did not.
Cool
I removed the quart jars from the canner placing them on a
towel on the counter. I covered the 6
jars with another towel. Some of the jars had already begun to seal. They sat
on my friend’s counter for a couple days until I could get back over to pick
them up.
These 7 pints of tomato juice waiting to be processed.
Storing Tomato Juice
On Tuesday, I stored them in my basement. Here they will sit for future use. The 6 quarts are for making tomato gravy at one of the family Christmas gathering. Yum, I feel hungry thinking about the delicious taste. Have you ever eaten tomato gravy? Leave me a comment below to let me know.
I skipped the part where I write the date on the lids. If I can more, I will go ahead and date them.
How do I homestead and balance 3 diagnosed chronic illnesses? Imperfectly!
Taught high standards and a hard work ethic as a child, letting go of perfection proved heartbreaking at times and freeing at others.
Homesteading lifestyle does not lend to ease and comfort on a regular basis. The rewards of opening a jar of home canned tomato juice, drinking my fill, savoring the flavor, while feeling thankful I know exactly what is in my healthy drink motivates me to take one job at a time.
For the fun of jumping ahead: the result. From a heaping 5-gallon bucket of tomates I now have 6 quarts of tomato juice and 7 pints.
Many steps and a bit of hard, uncomfortable work goes into the delicious drink I canned myself. Planting seeds, weeding, watering as needed, picking tomatoes, and the work of actually processing and canning the juice.
Knowing the reward of healthy food options and a feeling of accomplishment for a job completed keeping me moving when my body aches, my head feels dizzy and I am simply tired.
Get a FREE PDF on how to preserve Stewed Tomatoes.
12 steps complete with pictures.
Get your copy today!
There are days I need additional rest, days the best thing for me is to be up and moving however slow I may be. There are days I feel like I used to. On those days I often become wonder woman for a few hours until reality catches up with me.
Reality
Realty might hit me in the form of a low sugar, or becoming so tired I can. Not. Go. another step. It often appears to come on sudden, but in truth many times I am busy celebrating all I am accomplishing. I miss the signs, or I ignore the tiredness lurking because my focus keeps them at bay. Reality might be a high sugar level for unknown reasons requiring me to rest or extra sleep.
Reality means I do not have the same number of hours available for hard work I used to have. In certain moments it means pushing myself because when caring for animals and raising your own food there are windows of time where tasks must be completed. A time for extra rest will be required for sure when the work is done.
The Hardest Part
The hardest part for me has been letting of my high expectations for outcomes of all I do. One of the good parts? Learning to see and act on what is important on any given day. What has to be done today? Resting when it is done.
I brought home my first Swedish Flower Hens in May of 2016. I drove 3 hours to pick up 13 chicks. Pictured about are offspring of those chicks crossed on others I added later.
I might be a workaholic if my health allowed. If you ask my spouse, I am any way. I may need to take breaks before a task is finished or leave things I want done today, for tomorrow.
A New Direction
The idea of writing and running a website was born only after I realized I could no longer work as hard as I used to. To my belief my number one asset I brought to a job, was my physical strength and stamina. It sent me for a loop when I realized I could not longer push through anything I choose to.
The realization came on over a period of a week or two. I was working at a factory learning a job I would have not had a problem with in the past. Sanding a trailer should not have been out of my range of capability. Instead, I learned I had contracted mono. I was let go from my job with the understanding I had the option to return when (if) my health allowed.
I did not return. Six years later, I do not believe myself capable of doing the work.
Blooms from Ashes
Roses will bloom again, Just wait and see, Don’t mourn what might have been, Only God knows how and when, but roses will bloom again.
~ chorus of song ‘Roses Will Bloom Again’ by Bill Gaither
Recently, I was reminded how events look terrible to us at the time, actually open doors for opportunities we would have never looked for. Loosing my job pointed me in a new direction. I felt lost , my pride wounded. I carried (from God) a belief blooms rise from ashes and good awaited me down the road.
The road meandered slowly bringing me to my current life. I did not immediately decide to start a website or homestead. Such ideas came along over the coming year and a half. Implementation itself continues to this day.
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.
I earned my first income online in 2016 from Swagbucks.
I write to share my journey and knowledge. I homestead to produce more of my own food. I continue to learn how to improve my writing, homestead skills, and earn a bit of money along the way. I strive to keep the genetics of 3 heritage chicken breeds alive. In my newest venture, I am learning about the Great Pyrenees dog breed as I train a puppy.
First day off leash, Aneta
I may be slower these days, but I still find joy in a new challenge. Blogging, homesteading, and creating provide me with ways stimulate a desire to see what lies around the next bend. I have a couple ideas up my sleeve for the remainder of 2020. Stick around to find out what they are.
Are you living life with a chronic illness or two? How do you make the most of your life?
I recently learned of a story telling how a great uncle hauled cucumbers into a local town about 7 to 10 miles from the homestead. Here sat large wooden barrels where cucumbers soaked to be hauled off on the train as pickles.
A picture of the place my great uncle hauled pickles. I wonder if my Grandpa did too.
It must have taken an entire day to drive with horses pulling a wagon loaded with cucumbers almost 10 miles, unload the cucumbers and drive home. Imagine the time involved in hand picking all those cucumbers before somebody in the family needed to spend an entire day hauling a load to town. Yet, in those days it was worth it? Our American society needs were different during that time.
I heard my great uncle had the following to say about hauling pickles:
“He said his Dad was one best pickle sorter and the pickle factory knew it. They always had him unloaded ahead rest of the wagons they knew he always had the best sorted pickle.”
These ‘days gone by’ marked the beginning of the industrialized and global market we know today. While some changes are good, others sadden me. Why does a farmer today need money from the government to survive when he or she produces one of the most important commodities for human life: food?
In our current crisis why does a farmer find themselves reliant on a global economy for income when neighbors need to eat? These same neighbors purchase food that may or may not have even been produced in our own country.
Why Local Farmer’s Markets Today
CG Heartbeats Farm table at a 2019 Market
Here is where I see a huge value in a local farmers market, not only do you support families in the community where you live, you are also able to gain first hand knowledge of practices used to produce the food you eat.
I am not sure how you think about this, but I hate it when I read ingredients on a package to realize there are several that I do not know what they are or why I want to put that inside of myself.
Does it take longer to cook your own food? Maybe, but not always. It is rather, a mind set shift. I would like to use garlic as an example. Until I began raising my own garlic, I always used the dry stuff that came in a shake out container.
Fresh Garlic vs. Dried Store Garlic Powder
Easy to open the cupboard and dump. But not much more work to use real garlic once you have a process in place. Mine looks like this:
It is so easy!
Granted this does involve a few additional steps. Key in this process is a good garlic press. I have tried a few different ones. I highly recommend a quality hand garlic press to help the process go smoothly. The whole process takes me less than 5 minutes.
We just decided that it takes about 5 minuets or less to use real garlic, so what is the motivation behind adding a few more minuets to cooking a meal?
Health Benefits and Flavor
Health benefits first prompted me to start growing my own garlic. I found that it grows well here at CG Heartbeats Farm and most varieties grow rather large.
Using fresh food enhances flavor dramatically. This applies anytime a person uses a fresh food, even home processed (frozen, canned, or dried) over some similar product processed in _______ (Who knows? Fill in the blank.)
These days I find it most unfortunate the difficulty of knowing truly where food came from. A label may only read a location in the United States where a package was distributed from. I feel a disappointed at the lack of disclosure on several different factors of many food options today.
~ M. Graber
5 Reasons for Shopping Local Farmers Market
Here are my top reasons for choosing to shop at local farmers market. We can all utilize our local markets as often as possible.
What reasons would you add to what I listed above? Leave a comment sharing why you find local farmers markets important.
Shop Online at Local Farmers Market
Relevant to our current call to social distance, a new way to shop at local farmers markets has emerged. Online shopping with local pick up. One market in Culver, Indiana uses a web company called Local Line. CG Heartbeats Farm now offers online ordering as a part of Culver Farmers Market. Check it out if you are in or near Marshall County Indiana as this site is for local sales ONLY! https://www.localline.ca/cg-heartbeats-farm
