New Chickens

Our new chickens just arrived. they are the same breed as the chickens we have so we put a band on each of their legs. this way we can keep track of how old each hen is based on what color band she has. We keep our hens for three years, after this they lay too few eggs to be worth keeping. The bread that we have is called Hy-line. They very efficient egg layers.

We also took our mobile chicken coop out to pasture today and the hens are very excited about the fresh grass.

Working Steers Birthday

Bright and Bold turned 9 months old last Saturday each steer now weighs about 515 pounds!

Cheese

One of my favorite things to do is make cheese.  Making cheese in your kitchen can range from a simple 30 minute process to a complex process that takes the better part of the day. This is a great beginner cheese-making recipe because it requires only two ingredients, ½ gallon of whole milk and ¼ cup of white vinegar. Slowly heat the milk to 190° F, stirring frequently. When the milk reaches 190°F, thoroughly stir in the vinegar. Wait 5 of 10 minutes; you should see the milk separate into curds and whey. Pour the milk through cheesecloth, mix a pinch of salt in, tie the top of the cheesecloth and hang it over the sink to drain for half an hour then transfer it to a container and keep in the fridge.

Sometimes I like to add garlic and chives or maple syrup and walnuts to this cheese when I add the salt.

Potatoes and Radishes

the first of my potatoes came up today and my radishes are much bigger than they were a few days ago!

Chickens

I just found out today that we get to pick up our new chickens on May 24th, I can't wait!

I took this photo of one of our hens last fall. 

Spring Radishes

The first plants have come up in my garden! 

Willow Basket

I made a small willow basket today. I found great instructions for this project at http://www.bushcraft.ridgeonnet.com/basicbasket.htm and it only took me a few hours to make. Considering that this is the first time I have made anything like this, I am very happy with how it came out!

Planting Potatoes

Today I finished planting potatoes in my garden. I planted 4 rows, each row is about 15 feet long. 

Keystone Pipeline Protest

A few weeks ago, with my mom, my sister, and a friend, I set out for Washington DC on an overnight bus to tell President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Unfortunately, our bus broke down five              minutes into the trip so we didn't make it. But we did take a  picture of us with some of our neighbors holding the banner that we had made to bring with us.

Healing Salve

One of the easiest and most useful things that I like to make is herbal healing salve. It is good for scrapes, bug bites, sunburn, dry skin and plenty of other things.

Healing salve recipe:

• 2 cups olive oil
• 1/4 cub beeswax (If possible use beeswax from a beekeeper that you know. The beeswax from the store can have unhealthy chemicals from pesticides that the bees encounter.)
• herbs - the herbs I usually use are yarrow flower, calendula flower, St. Johns wort, and plantain leaf. 

Put the herbs and the oil in a jar and let them sit for about a month. Make sure that the oil covers the herbs completely and shake the jar every day. When the month has passed, pour the oil through a cheese cloth to remove the herbs. Melt the beeswax and mix it with the oil. Pour the mix into small jars and allow it to cool.

Some Changes

Because there is a limited amount that you can post about a young team of working steers, I have decided to to expand the topic of my blog to include the other things that I have been working on. I will continue to occasionally post about Bright and Bold, but I will also be posting about my gardening, art, and other things that I have ben doing lately.

Moving Fire Wood