Here it is...December 2012

And all is well.

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful, table over flowing with food, laughter and people. We had a great time!

Before carnage of course

I did get nervous this year. I was trying out a 'new' way to cook a turkey and I will say this..it turned out FABULOUS! I say thank you to my friend Johnnie for telling me about it.
Wanna know the secret? Ok..here it is. Don't be shocked and don't be shy to try it (with more then just a turkey)
Then next time you go to the grocery store, tell them you want 'paper' and get yourself a large brown paper sack. Yep..you heard me..a large brown paper sack. Take your turkey (or chicken or roast) and do whatever it is you like to do to your turkey (I injected mine a bit and rubbed butter all over it) and then..slip it nice and comfy down in that brown paper bag. Fold up the opening and staple it closed. Slip it into your roasting pan. Slide it in your preheated oven (not too hight 325 is good) and leave it alone for the required cooking time. (Mine was 4 hours)

You can't peek, so have faith. I fretted all day because the bag keeps EVERYTHING inside. You won't even be able to smell this badboy cooking. NOPE!
TRUST ME..when the time is up and you remove that bird..and open that bag..magic happens! It comes out just as brown and juicy....as you'd always dreamed and hoped your bird would. Try it..you'll like it!

Christmas/Yule is just around the corner! Are you ready? I have two more things to pick up and I'm done! I started wrapping a few days ago and hope to finish up today.

As you can see, I decorated the blog for the winter season..I guess the house is next!

Time to drag out the tree!

Till next time...

TURNIPS! (free no less!)

It's a beautiful day here on our little acre (or so) of comfort. The temps are low, the humidity is still hanging on, and the sun is hiding behind a river of overcast. It's all good though because today..it's TURNIP DAY!

Unfortunately the hubs and I did not plant a fall garden this year, but a friend of mine at work had a family member that seemed to be overun in turnips. Did I turn them down..OH NO NO NO! I met her today and she handed me over a mighty fine picking of turnips..tops and bottoms! (some were already cleaned and ready for the pot even! How cool is that!?)

I culled through the free bounty of greens, putting aside some for us and some for the furbabies (aka: bunnies) See..bunnies love turnip greens. You just can't feed them solely on them, but as an addition to their regular fare..they love them.
Here's proof!

The tops that I sat aside for the bunnies were bundled up, ready to dry for winter use (of course, I gave them some fresh) and the ones for us were washed, added to the prewashed ones and into the pot they went. Some Boston butt end portions rounding out the pot. :)

Can anyone guess what's for dinner??

I saved aside some turnip cuttings and a few of the stem cuttings for the bunnies for later this week as well. I'll wash these and put them in the fridge to keep them fresh. My bunnies are spoiled.

Till next time....
Down on the Farm

Full to bursting!

We've added to our flock again..this time, with rabbits.

We are the proud owners of 5, 8 week old baby rabbits. All are New Zealand whites crossed with Californian. Both.. a large meat rabbit breed. They are adorable and I know the kiddos are just going to love them!!

I will post some pics as soon as I can get some!

And as the title of this post suggest..the house IS full to bursting. Full of preserved food, stocked food and supplies to last us the long winters night through.

The bursting part is the sad part though. Yesterday, I decided it was time to practice with my new 'critter chasing gun'...a small 410 shotgun that I bought for myself to help protect the farm critters from the natural hunters of the wild (ie: bobcats, coyotes..etc)
Now, one must remember that our 'adopted' and rescued Great Pyrenees, Baxter is petrified of gunfire. He runs, bolts the fence, climbs mountains in great leaps and bounds and does whatever he can do to run as far as he can from the sound. (we are supposing that he was shot at many times in his wild and free youth!)

Anyway, we secured Baxter in the house and took the gun to the back of the lot and commenced to 'learning' the ins and outs of this particular model. Midway through the training and practice, hubs stops and says "I just heard a "POP" in the house"...*uhooh!..

We finished up quickly and came inside. Baxter was needless to say, trying his best to escape out the front window of the house, but found himself in a sorrowful predicament. He was stuck. Half on the couch, half off the couch, wedged behind the end table. This is what we saw when we entered the house.

Just open the window george..I'll get outta here!

He looked so pitiful..but all we could do was laugh. We rescued the rescued dog. He continued to tremble and 'hide' for the next 1/2 hour though. He's a mess.
Problem was...:We were so entertained by the stuck dog that we failed to find what may have caused the "POP' that the hubs heard.
Now...come to this morning. It's early early early and Pixie our temporary house guest (read: Son and DIL's cat) was insistent that I check our her food bowl. Alas, I walked into the craft room where I am keeping her dish (away from the other animals so they don't eat it..it isn't working)..and what to my wonderous eyes should appear but a mess that I could not wrap my brain around.
Chaos unbelievable.
It looks almost like a war had gone on in this room, there was even BLOOD on the floor...................wait. That's not blood..that's tomatoes. Wait....................WTH?  (blink blink)

This was how my mind reacted to the chaos.
(sadly..I did not think of taking a pic)

What I had truly found was the "POP" that was heard yesterday. 9 quarts of canned tomatoes were smashed, broken and spilled all over the floor, along with 5 pints of fruit and nut conserve. (all canned by me just two days prior) Skeins and balls of yarn were tossed about harry-carry, paintings and canvases littered the floor. WTH had transpired in here? This was the work of a scare-dy cat dog, named Baxter, who was trying to escape out the window, or into the pantry..anywhere he could to get away from the gunfire.

Egads what a mess. After the clean up, we discovered there were 5 quarts of the tomatoes and 4 pints of  conserve still intact. This was lucky. Still, it is sad to loose any canned supplies ..all the work...I nearly cried. But..now you know the 'bursting' part.  

Ohh the tragedy! But alas..Baxter is still safe (and still a scare-dy cat), 5 jars and 4 pints were still saved, the mess cleaned up and here we are...early morning of another day.

Sir Baxter the Wuss of Sagewood Farm

Welcome to our chaotic farm life! Critters..gotta love em.
See ya next time..down on the farm!