French Cut Green Beans

I'm canning french cut Green Beans today.  Of course it's suppose to be 90 degrees today.  Isn't that the way it goes?  I've already done 7 quarts and have another 7 quarts in the pressure canner.

Eggs!

Well it's not really a big deal.  I have been getting anywhere from 3-5 eggs a day.  But since we've had this hot spell, I've been lucky to get 2 a day.  One day I was skunked. Zip, Zero.  Pathetic.  Well today the weather was cooler and I thought I would get at least 5.  I mean how long can they hold them?  Look what I got today......

Nothing to write home about.  Our standard egg from our Buff, Gabby.  But look a new one.  It's GREEN!  I'm stoked.  I think it from our little girl we call Shrek, cause she has green legs.  I don't know for sure.  We got our little hens from a co-worker along with 7 brothers.  Not really brothers and sisters. They bought the eggs and hatched them. They picked a variety but they can't remember which ones were which.  I'm guessing at Shrek laying the egg.  But it's cool nevertheless.  This being her first egg is small....
See it compared to my Gabby's? The other eggs, the lighter colored ones are coming from our Reds.

Now hopefully they won't go on strike because it's getting chilly.

Iced Coffee

Iced CoffeeI

This is the best.  To sweeten it, I use Stevia.  A couple of drops is perfect.  Go to the link above and click on it for the recipe.  This is the second batch I've made and drank almost all on my own.  Of course it took me about a month.  I can't wait to try the Vietnamese Iced Coffee.  It's on the same link.  If you like the website I sent you to.  Watch her on FoodTv Saturday, August 27.  It's Ree's debut.

Garden Update & Misc. Happenings

The last time I posted I was in Montana visiting my family.  Since then, my mom and sister came out here for a couple days.  Because my mom loves to bird watch, so we went to the coast and visited Nestucca Bay National Wildife Refuge, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.  We went to a couple of state parks on the coast.  She had her list of birds she wanted to look for and we found many of them.

We celebrated my birthday and watched the chickens.  We took her to the Woodburn Auction where we sold 6 roosters.  That really made my "girls" happy.

Well the garden has finally come into its own.  I've been canning pickled beets, kosher dills, hamburger dills, freezing broccoli and cauliflower, blueberries and peas.

Last night, DBF picked all the cukes and today, it's more of the same.  Hamburger Dills, Baby Kosher Dills and maybe some Bread and Butter Pickles.  Tomorrow, beets again.  We want enough to last two years.  We don't plan on growing beets next year so I have to can a bunch this year.  I think I can. That's all for now.  Talk to you all later.

Nestbox Giveaway

Nestbox Giveaway Check out this blog for your chance to win a 2-hole nest box completely handmade. All entries must be received by August 6th. Winners announced on the 8th.

Chaos Averted

Wow, There was chaos in our henhouse and has been for a couple of weeks. We got 11 chicks from a friend and of then only 4 turned out to be females. Well the crowing and the procreating was getting to be very cut throat. We had time on Tuesday and took 6 roosters to the auction. Good thing is they sell and you don't have to take any back home with you. We kept one Brama (Long John) for our rooster. From what I've read, they are pretty docile. (I hope). He crows like a sick foghorn but I'm sure he'll master that. The girls are much more settled now. They didn't have a second of peace with all the males in the pen. I had only been getting from 1-3 eggs a day because of the chaos. Yesterday I got 5! That meant all my laying hens except Cleo (she has 3 chicks she's raising) are laying again. Hoorah!

Here are the boys who went to auction.

Water Baby

I'm here in Montana visiting my family. I took my grandkids out for a picnic yesterday at a park I used to go to as a child. They were watering the lawns go we decided to run thru the sprinklers. I think it was about 90 yesterday. My youngest granddaughter Dani loves water. Here she is playing in the sprinkler. I think you can enlarge it. She's there with her brother, Jessee and oldest sister, Rachel. When we came home, we sat outside in the shade. Dani decided she wasn't though with the water and got inside the cooler, ice and all.