Moving Ahead in the New Year

For the last four years I have maintained a blog about our farm here on blog spot. The feedback that I have received from my peers, family, and on-line community is what has kept it alive.  Recently I was asked to join the bloggers at Bangor Daily News. I am excited to say I accepted the offer and will embrace in this change reaching out to more like-minded fellow Mainers.  Cheers to a New Year!

I will continue to do a couple posts here linking to my new site but it would be best if you bookmarked this new link:

http://achornfarm.bangordailynews.com

TIMBERRRRR!!!

A couple weeks ago the whole gang including Dolly went on a mission to cut a Christmas tree off the back forty.We spotted the perfect one for us!Then our hero, Maine Man cut it down!

Much more fun then going to buy one. The remains will be used as firewood. 

Thankful for the land we have and all that it provides for us.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to all!

Making beef stock

I have been making chicken stock for quite some time.  There is no comparison to the store bought watered down stock that you can purchase at the supermarket.  Like anything homemade is always best.  Since we just butchered out first beef critters I had them save me some bone for soup stock….and I made some.  Easy Peasy!

Place bones in a crockpot  (soon I hope to be cooking it on my wood cook stove….HINT, HINT Maine Man), fill with water, add a large onion, couple carrots & celery stocks, couple bay leaves, several peppercorns, salt, and dried or fresh herbs.  In the summer I use what I have fresh and in the winter I often use an italian blend that my cousin made me.

I let it cook all day or night on low, let it cool, strain with strainer and cheesecloth into a half gallon canning jar, refrigerate.  Skim the fat off the top and either use immediately or freeze in gallon size bags.  You can also can it as I’ve done before with chicken stock.  But, I’m a lazy food preserver and prefer to freeze anything I can.

Makes the BEST soup EVER!

My girl’s thoughts on the animals

Each week the kids are expected to do a writing prompt.  We started out the year following the directions in the book.  It assigned the kids a given topic and they wrote about that specific subject in their journals.  Then the kids talked me into giving them  prompts that I came up with.  That worked for a while but know we’ve evolved to something I think works best.   The kids make up their own prompts.  They write about things they are most interested in sharing at that given moment.  Their writings are longer and fueled with more passion.  The sweet thing about homeschooling is that as my kids say “you can break the rules” in order to do what you works best. 

I couldn’t resist sharing this one.  Written verbatim(spelling and all)

What are the animals you have?  Why do you enjoy them?  And out of all your animals wich five Do you enjoy Best?  And what do you Dislike about them?

I have tons of animals.  I have Ducks, chickens, Dogs, Pigs, rabbits, cats, a goat, and………..a lizard!  I enjoy the ducks Because they swim, they have very cute Ducklings, sometimes they will walk in staright lines, they Don’t eat the garden, and they eat a lot of Bugs.  I Dislike the Ducks beause when  they have Duckling they really won’t let you get withen 5 or 10 feet of them but if you Do she  will chase you like a mad woman.

I enjoy the chickens beause they lay eggs to eat or hach.  I Dislike the chickens Beause they eatthe garden, most rosters are mean and ours it pretty mean so when you get near his heans and he is loss you better run!

I like the Dogs beause they will lick you, they will let you pat them, they will scare of a lot of things like racons, skunks, and more that are in your front yard at night, they will run with you, and they will play with you.  I Dislike the Dogs or should I say Dog beause 1 of my Dogs will shake nonstop for hours and hours on end when it tunders and lighnings and will keep you up at night.

I enjoy the pigs Beause 1 I caught at my last pig scrable I could every do, they root up places for gardens.  they eat leftover food that we Don’t eat, and they are very organised if they are inside (wich only my pig is inside).  I Dislike the pigs well I should say the two outside beause they litterly live to be feed and are very sloopy. 

I like my rabbits beause they are sooooo cute, they live like…….on there on there own meaning they find there food and water, and they are so fluffy!  I Dislike the Bunnys beause they bit, scratch, and they won’t let you pick them up.  I like the cats beause there nice, beautiful, And the will catch rodents.  Dislike the cats beause they kill flying squils wich are pretty rare in Maine. 

I like our goat AKA Dolly beause she will eat anything(littly). she’s furry, and fun to play with.  I Dislike Dolly AKA the goat beause she is hard to walk beause sometims she won’t follow you. 

And I love our lizard AKA levi beause he is wonderful, nice, will just hang on you, he eats a lot of things, he’s friendly, and……………….theres nothing to Dislike about him! 

That is what I think of all the animal but the five I really love are………………………………………………………………………………………………………The cats!  The Dogs!  The Goat! The Rabbits!  And The…………………….LIZARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that’s all!