We eat chicken on average of once or twice a week. Since we have been raising our own chickens (the last 2-3 year) we've always froze most of them whole limiting our chicken variations to baked,
rotisserie, or in the crock pot. After we eat and I pick whatever remaining chicken off I always place the remains (bones) in a
ziploc in the freezer to eventually make up a chicken stock in my my crock pot. I fill my crock with a couple chicken carcasses, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves,
peppercorns & fresh or dried herbs and let it simmer over night. I'd keep some in the fridge for immediate use and freeze the remaining broth. The last batch of chickens Maine Man processed I asked that he would part them out. I had been really craving some boneless
BBQ chicken. He parted out all but 3-4 of 20. I was left with lots of bones so I made up a
humongous batch and
canned chicken stock for the FIRST time ever.
Woooo hoooo. The things that excite me!
Last year was my first year with a pressure
canner. Before I had only processed food that only required open water bath such as pickles & relish. Confessions......I did not even dare eat the first batch of beets that I processed via pressure
canner. The pigs have enjoyed them and nobody has contracted
botulism ;) I think I am ok this year ;) I have also used the pressure
canner to put up green beans for a first. Looking forward to doing a taste test with some of the green beans I've frozen.
This week I am on vacation so I hope to get a few posts in as I have been a little slack lately. We have absolutely NO plans so the week will be spent putting up harvest, planting fall crops, getting the kids ready for school (haircuts, etc..)
Off to pick tomatoes in the hoop house and make some spaghetti sauce. Enjoy your week!
...........Hiding place that is. A few evenings a week I often retreat into my secret spot for a quite moment. Sometimes even accompanied by a cold one ;) for a moment of sanity. This is my view from the hay loft. I never tell when I am going and rarely does anyone come looking for me. I think for fear of being assigned a chore or two, lol!
It was difficult to get a good shot of her but she's always in the door sill working her magic night after night. I tell the kids our barn is Charlotte's paradise. I can remember in my younger years visiting farms and as we toured the barns I would always think to myself, "If I had this place I'd clean it up, dust out all these cob webs and wash the windows a bit." Only now I know why they aren't all shiny clean. If you have a barn that is truly being used for it's sole purpose you probably don't have time. Funny how those webs don't seem to bother me anymore :)
