Fire Cider and Numerous Other Things

I think this is one of those things that everyone knows about and I'm a bit behind the times.  I'd never heard of Fire Cider until a friend mentioned it in an email as if I should already know about it.

I looked it up, got a recipe and made a batch yesterday.  I found a recipe at http://mountainroseblog.com/fire-cider/ .

This is supposed to boost your immune system.  It has to set for a month before I can use it, but I'm thinking it might also work for our livestock.  I currently buy a natural immune booster for them.

Since I was on a healthy kick, I started more wheatgrass.

This is a sprouter that I bought over 20 years ago and used it for the first time a couple of months ago.  The wheatgrass tastes great and it's good for us and our cats and our chickens.

I might as well throw everything into this post.  My honey just asked if I'd blogged about his new toy.  So here's a picture.

You can't see it, but there's a grapple hook on the loader and we can haul two large round bales at a time.  Best thing?  The cab is enclosed with a HEATER!!!

Last, but not least, we had a surprise last week...

Praise God, the weather has been warm.  This guy is from a cow we bought last spring and I guess she was exposed to the bull a bit earlier than we thought.  I named the calf Surprise.  He's healthy and jumping around like he should.

Time for a late breakfast.  This is turning into a lazy relaxing day.

Corn Cob Soda

I've been reading about American Pioneers and learning more new things.  The latest? Corn cob soda.  This was used in place of baking soda.

Corncob "soda" A substitute for bicarbonate of soda, used in the South during the blockade. It was discovered that corncob ashes, especially from red cobs, possessed the alkaline needed to raise bread. After they were burned and the ashes collected in jars, water was added. A teaspoonful or tablespoonful of this mixture was then used in bread-making,

 From The Language of the Civil War by John D. Wright page 72.

Something new to try this summer.  Anyone else ever tried this?

Baa-Baa-Baa-Baa-Barbara Ann

I have discovered that I love Shetland Sheep.  I started with my two boys-Marsh and Pooh.

They are hardy with wonderful fiber and besides that, they're cute.
So I went out and picked up a ewe.  She should be bred to lamb in April.  I've named her Barbara Ann.

No matter how I take her picture, it looks like her eyes are popping right out of her head.  Kinda funny looking.

I know there are others out there who have Shetlands and was wondering if I could get any info on this breed.  Should I vaccinate?  How good are they at getting out of fences?  ( I'm a goat person so this is an important one.  :)  )

Can't wait to shear and spin this fiber up.

From Glory Farm

Frankencumber

 

This is the cucumber that I picked from the garden last August.  It's an open pollinated, heirloom type, but I don't remember the name.  I grabbed it and brought it into the house because is was such a fine specimen that I was going to save it for seed and didn't want the frost to get it.   Now it's January and I'm thinking it's time to harvest those seeds.  It's been sitting on my counter the whole time and I'm just amazed that it didn't start turning yellow until a week ago.  Hasn't rotted yet, either.  

On a totally different subject-I was walking back from the sheep pen yesterday when I took a good look at the wheelbarrow in my way.  Last summer I threw empty paint cans in it and then some baler twine.  Well,  then it rained and froze and voila!! a work of art.  :)

Maybe my eye for beauty is a little off.  I guess you just have to be there.

Have a blessed weekend.
From Glory Farm