Southern comfort food is all you need.

 

Most my life has been chicken noodle soup from a can.. I learned convenience foods from my parents,  but is was because the both worked and had different shifts so they never needed a babysitter.. occasionally they did but rarely..
Since I'm homesteading and trying to stay prepared for when the SHTF senerio happens, I've found that convenient foods may not be  convenient.. so I'm learning to cook from scratch and yes the food does taste different.. but better for the most part. And I know what went in to it.. I control the salt..
I learning to grow and raise my food and can it or preserve it..
These blogs will be my journey and want to share my trails and errors..
So with that said , I'll now share my chicken noodle soup recipe..

I start by taking 1 to 2 carrots ( I use 1 in mine) and chopping to the size you like
Then same with celery stocks.. ( I used 2)
A small onion then a couple cloves of garlic.. again chop to the size you like.. I like flavor  but not the texture so I use a food chopper..
I saute in olive oil ( which smells amazing)
Then I pour 32 ounces of chicken broth ( I use mine own so I delute half broth and half water..
Get it boiling then add 2 cups of chicken
Add 1/2 tsp of thyme and 1/2 tsp of oregano and salt to tase.. now it's time to add noodles.. I use the wavey egg noodles.. about 10 oz.. when noodles are done add 2 tablespoon of parsley .. all the herds are dried herbs.. double it if using fresh..
Let it set a few minutes 

 Here is the original recipe from my box..

TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES

 
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

 
COOK TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES

The soup is easy, ready in 30-minutes, and has all the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup. To save time, use storebought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken. If you don’t have them all the herbs on hand, use what you do have. Egg noodles are my favorite but another pasta may be substituted and make sure to salt your soup to taste. My family loved the homey, classic flavors in the soup and I love that it it’s ready in a flash. It makes enough to stash half in the freezer for a rainy day or for winter cold and flu season.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2 large carrots)

1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)

1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

64 ounces (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if desired

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

12 ounces wide egg noodles (or your favorite noodles or pasta)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (use storebought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet)

3 to 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional

salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.

Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Note – If you like brothier soup, add additional broth, possibly as much as an additional 64 ounces because as time passes the noodles will continue to absorb broth.

Add the egg noodles and boil mixture for about 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft and cooked through. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay. At the end you will adjust the salt level.

Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice (brightens up the flavor), and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Taste soup and add salt to taste. I added about 1 tablespoon but this will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, herbs, etc.), remove the bay leaves, and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months

 

Spring has sprung here on the farm

I would like to apologize for such a long delay.. I haven't posted since Thanksgiving and not much was happening during the winter..

Now spring is here and days are longer and getting warmer, there's so much to do, with chicks hatching, baby bunnies being born to getting that garden ready..
Daffodils are blooming all over the yard..

I love spring, longer days and warmer weather makes being outside more enjoyable..
   I have babies from my New Zealand does and even though they are super cute, eventually some will make it to the freezer.. I'll sell the rest..

This picture is of comerciL New Zealand. These will be for butchering when they reach 9 weeks old..

Cuteness overload..
These are regular New Zealand and will be sold at 4-5 weeks old..

Getting past the Thanksgiving holiday..

Thanksgiving has came and gone..I didn't blog about it for several reasons.. 1 being that everyone  blogs about it.. Posting pictures of their turkey and side dishes and even of the fancy desserts.. Second reason is I was so busy I didn't have time.. I can think of several more but will just leave it at that.. Christmas is next so I'll be better prepared.

Pictured is of some mini cherry pies I made for my daughter's birthday.. She loves cherry pie but I did have a pie plate so I made mini ones in a muffin pan.. Cut out the hearts with a cookie cutter.. She just absolutely love them..

Here's my little Harley waiting till I get done with my feeding because she knows I'm going to town.

She won't be left.. 

Fall babies and yummy pumpkin seeds..

Last week was awesome.. I was given a sweet surprise.. My silkie hen hatched out some chicks.. It was early in the morning when I went to feed the chickens.. I heard a peep peep.. and seen one baby but she was still sitting on eggs so I knew she wasn't done.. During the day 4 more hatched..but by next morning there were 9 total.. I thought about letting her raise them.

But after a run to town I discovered that 5 were gone.. I thinking the young tomcat waited and snatched them.. So I scooped up what was left and placed in a box in spare room.. I was pretty up set.. Aleast I have the 4.. I'm thinking the black ones are pullets and the light colored one is a roo.

On a more happier note it's fall and that brings more than cooler weather and pretty leaves.. It brings pumkins.. I love pumpkins and always ready when they hit the stores.. I usually carve them and put on the porch with tealights inside. But when you have chickens the run loose that's not an option.. So I open them up and scrape the seeds out and cut the pumpkin into several pieces and give it to all the chickens..

Now what about the seeds... I roast them.. They are such an awesome treat... Salty, crunchy, and healthy..

Here's how I made them..

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

• 2 cups Pumpkin Seeds from 1 Large Pumpkin approx.
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper - optional to taste

Instructions

1. Clean your seeds and rinse them with water
2. Place them in a bowl covered with water and 1 Teaspoon of salt overnight
3. The next day, drain your seeds and dry them up with a paper towel
4. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit
5. Place them in a bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix
6. Place seeds in a sheet pan in one layer
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Mix them every 10 minutes..

Enjoy...

• I give pumpkin to the chickens because they like it and it's a great dewormer..

Molting season for chickens.. Hidden treasures..

November is here and fall is officially showing the beauty it beholds. Even though we are still having warm days with temps near 80, we are have cold enough nights to change leaves from Green to red and gold.. Its makes it nice when you have lots to do outside.                                                                     

Another thing that happens in the late summer and early fall, the molting process of chickens..              

The picture above is borrowed from Pinterest because my hens never looked this rough.. Think it's due to high protein year round.. Not sure.. Never tested the theory..
Have you ever went out to the chicken yard, coop or pens and see enough feathers on the ground that it looked like a major  war happened.. Did you run to count all the hens and roosters to see if any were missing..

 Chickens losing their feathers

Is a natural occurrence.. Its when chickens lose feathers so new ones can grow in..and it happens as days get shorter.. It can be painful and most hens stop laying during molting season..              

An empty nest box. 

That's what I thought was happing to my hens.. I haven't gathered any eggs in a week..                   

This what discovered today... This is where the hens decided to lay..an old wooden carry box.. 21 eggs from 4 hens.. Eggs are at least 5 days old,Im glad I'm still getting eggs..

What can you do to help your chickens during molting season, higher protein, fresh water, and poultry snacks.. Because there are less bugs, mealworms are a helpful sorce.

Little storm damage and pretty escapees..

Life on my farm is awesome.. It has its rewards, it's ups and downs.. Love the way you can smell the rain before it hits... Storms don't scare me and usually sleep thru them.. And I did sleep through the one we had last night..
I went to feed this morning like I always do, and to my surprise all my pretty Orpingtons come running towards me..

I realized that they hadn't escaped their own but the pen was gone.. If was a temporary one so now I really have to get busy on permanent one..

Silver lace Orpington... They are so pretty..

Chocolate cuckoo Orpington.. Love them as well..

New temporary pens.. Maybe these won't blow away.. Wish they could range free but Hawks and coons would get them...

One never knows how bad a storm will be..especially in Oklahoma..

Animals, Animals, Animals...

I really like my animals.. It would be so hard  to sell and I hope I never have to..I have worked hard for them and work even harder to make sure they get the best care..

A white leghorn took over an empty rabbits nest box.. I thought they stopped laying..they just decided to move to new box.

Here is one of my lops bucks..he is the sweetest rabbit.. Love to have the top of his head petted and scratched....

 Good ole munchkin.. Awesome tom cat..likes using my pallets as a scratching post. Munchkin is not afraid of the 3 large.        Pyrenees or or roosters.                                       

Just chilling while I'm a working..this is Daisy, my oldest of the 3 Pyrenees we have as guars dogs.. Very mean at night.. So I don't dare investigate..

This is a very sweet dog too.. This is Piper.. She belongs to my son Christian and at 10 months she thinks she can woop up on anything..pretty sure she was after a skunk last night.. And the she wouldn't give till it was gone..
Fortunely Piper did not get sprayed...

Can't forget my baby..Her name is Harley and yes 

it is an odd name for a girl but I didn't get to bane her.. She was more like a rescue dog and that was already her name.. She was 4 when I was given her and now she is 7. She goes every where I go..          

Thats is some of the animals we have here on the farm. There are lots more but will save them for another story.. Hope you enjoy the pictures and reading about my babies..

Cooler temps, clean rabbit cages, and homemade chili

90s on Monday and 60s on Tuesday, what a temperature change. Guess it's expected in the fall.. I remember wearing a hoodie and still wrapping in a blanket while watching my daughter do her color gaurd routine during half time at the school football game..
Cooler temps also gets me in the mood for homemade chili.. So I'd like to share my recipe..

The ingredients are simple.    

2 lbs hamburger meat.                                    

1 pkg of Williams chili seasoning.                 

1 small yellow onion.                                        

1 can rotel diced tomatoe and green chillies

2 cans of tomato sauce.                                  

Brown the hamburger meat with onion..( chopped)
Drain..
Mix the diced tomatoes and green chillies and
Seasoning..
Pour the cans of tomatoe sauce in then fill each tomato sauce cans with water and pour in the pan.. Simmer on medium for about 30 min.. Use a laddle and dip some into big bowls and enjoy.. You can add cheese, sour cream, or crackers..


Now I'll move on to my next project from outside..
Cleaning the rabbit cages .. It's a nasty job but someone has to do it.. My cages were stacked 3 high with tarp in between to catch the manure.. I separated them and removed the tarp, while trying not to dump it on me..lol. I still manage to get rabbit poop on me.. It's a given not to wear good clothes while working in animal area..
I managed to get tarps in wheelbarrow and getting it dumped on the spot I plan to till for spring.

Clean cages.. 

Tarps are also use as protection from wind and rain.. I am working on more solid shelter before winter. Temps are still to warm for them to be indoors..                                                                      

Now the cages are clean, I'll begin my breeding of the rabbits..
Next I'll make a temporary chicken coop for the free range hens..
Hope you enjoy my story and let me know if you make the chili... How's the weather where y'all are.

Projects getting done on the farm

What an awesome day.. We worked on several projects that needed done.. Since my stud Muffin, Chris, is only home Saturday night and Sunday, he tries to work on the house.. Here he is finishing the ceiling in the closet.. It will be a large walk-in closet..

while he is working on the house, me and Christian is working on the fence.. Every night the Pyrenees get out of the fence and I need them to guard the poultry and rabbits from the coons and possums.. And living in the country, there are a lot of them..   So we are installing a hot wire to keep them in and critters out..                                             

 The Pyrenees know something is up..They are being so good and not even trying to get out...

My son is acting goofy..I told him to smile for the camera.. He does so much for me.

we had a good day.. I have more projects scheduled for this week..little by little we will get them done...                                                

Autumn time on the farm

Well it's Autumn here at the farm.. Autumn is my favorite time of the year, but it's also a busy time too.. 
Since we just move back here, we have no buildings set up for the rabbits and chickens.. They have housing but only the kind that is good for summer.. That's what I will be working on next week..
It's also time to start breeding the rabbits.. Meat rabbits for food and lops and lionheads for sale.. Takes 28 days to have kits.. That's what baby rabbits are called.. 
I'm also expanding my garden.. 3 times the size it is now.. I'll be able to can and freeze more next year plus sell extra in a roadside stand.
So besides thinking of the fun work ahead of me this fall, guess I'll think of the other fun things I like..
I love the cooler weather. I like summer but there nothing like curling up with a blanket and watching a chic flick..  Ready for cute sweater weather.. I love the way the leaves Change colors.. It's not doing that here yet but they are trying..

Below is my son...This was taken last fall.. He would probably kill me for posting this...(we wont tell him)

Yes this are my favorite Fall things..

 I'm still harvesting cherry tomatoes...Still making sauces..

Oh almost forgot the sweet potatoes I harvested.. Yummy                                                            

Saving these for special dinners and Thanksgiving... If I can wait that long...

 Now that its October,I start looking for Pumpkin Patches.. I love roasted pumpkin seeds and carving funny faces in the pumpkins

Why I love living on my small farm

Why do I love living on my small 20 acre farm? That's easy to answer... I love animals, and growing fresh veggies..I love the fresh air and quiet evenings. Some times you can here a black panther holler from the river.. I live about a half mile from a large river, so there is several different types of wild life here. We have deer, ferrel hogs, large wild cats, coyotes, and others, but they dont mess with us although they cross the back pasture.

Here are some of the animals I raise. Rabbits, Chickens, Cats, and Dogs..

I do like the lionheads but they don't to be petted like the hollands do. I also have meat rabbits but will save them for another post.. Same with the other breeds of chickens i have. I will also save my garden for other post..
There is so much i do on the farm that i can't fit into one story...So please follow me as I share my story of my 20 acre farm.

Little about me..

I've all ready posted a few posts of the farm but I thought I'd tell you about this country girl.. Unlike Rea Drummond{A.K.A. the Pioneer Woman, by the way I love her show..) , I'm not an accidental country girl.. I'm a 4th generation farm girl. I didn't grow up on this small farm but I'll live the rest of my days here. I grew up in a very small country town, population of 800, I think.. I spent every weekend, holidays, and summer here on the farm with my 2 brothers and 5 cousins and always had someone to play with. 
My kids have even played with their cousins here.
And I can't wait for their kids to do the same..

farm update

Good morning..
Its been a while since I posted last.. A lot has been happening here on the farm.. We haven't finished the house yet but still working on it.. Added new babies. Brought home 3 more Pyrenees pups abs a dairy barn kitten..

Moving home

When I was growing up I've dreamed of living with my Grandmother on her farm...My dream came true when my Mother decided to sell it and my boyfriend gave me the down payment. That was May of 2012 and in Jan 2017 I'll be turning the electric back on..Why did it take so long?...money or lack of became an issue.
Since Purchasing the house I have been building a poultry farm of rare poultry breeds and now i'
m ready for the change. I need the 20 acres that comes with the house so I can triple my pens and increase my flock.

The house needs some work but i'm ready to
fix it.  it needs some ceiling repaired and new carpet.
I'll track my progress thru this blog.

Bringing home babies. Baby Goats

Babies, babies, and more babies... Baby goats..

There is nothing more fun on a family farm than a baby goat. A baby goat is cute, sweet, friendly and playful

Baby goats are called kids, the same word your parents may use to describe you and your siblings! Mother goats are nannies. Fathers are called billy goats.

.In this post I want to share pictures and stories of my new babies

I loved my baby goats and their mommas and they loved me. I was allowed to pet them and they loved giving kisses.

Wee-Man is one of the bucks I bottle fed. His mom and him went through an auction and the buyer did not want him and I have a soft heart for the orphans.I only bottle feed the orphans. I don't mind the mommas raising their babies.


                                                                                                                                                                      

This Toby. He was also an orphan saved from an auction. When I get them, they are usually 2 days old. It is very important to get them on the bottle right away. This is how the bond with me. Their maaas sounds like they are hollering mam ma.

I have found that regular baby bottles work just fine for bottle feeding and they are much cheaper.

I have had to feed up to 4 at a time and that is a real chore. And it was not fun in the dead of winter.
As spring arrives the babies begin eating grass and feed and less of the bottle.






Here was a complete surprise one winter morning. One of my pygmy
goats had triplets. Oh how cute they are and healthy.

Tripplets are tricky to raise because some times the momma can,t fee thm all and one gets left out. That was the result for one of these and I was sad because I did not catch it till it was too late. Next time I will pull one after a few days and put it on the bottle.
It really happens with the pygmy goats because the are small and don't produce much milk.
 The bottom right picture is mamma and all three babies enjoying a day out.

 

 

 

Below is Possum, our guard dog. She is a Great Pyrenees and she may seam like she is sleeping on the job, but just before sunset you can watch her jump up and go to the four corners of the property barking to let any predator know she's on duty. She stays up all night and she is not afraid of any thing. I watched her chase a few coyotes off.