Peaches and Traveling Chickens

Ah, peaches! Is there a fruit that is quite as fragrant, sweet and delicious as a fresh picked peach? I think not. You might disagree, but this week, peaches rule, with strawberries running a close second.

Last week Barry went to divest the larger peach tree of a few green peaches so the rest of the fruit would grow better.

He came back with a pail of the little round golf balls, which didn't taste much like peaches yet.

What to do with a bucket of green peaches? Well, after much googling and recipe book plundering, I decided on the easiest recipe I could find (and there aren't many for green peaches, I tell ya): Pickled Green Peaches. I used a mix of cider vinegar, sugar and spices. The house smelled great all day. Then I canned up a few jars for later in the summer. I also pickled a few of the small onions from the garden. I really enjoy doing it, and it always reminds me of my mother who canned like crazy every summer. We were eating her jams, pickles, tomato sauce, peaches and watermelon rinds until January.


Chickens on the Move

Last Friday was the Day We Moved the Chickens. Remember Barry had built a chicken tractor for the new laying hens (a chicken tractor is just a movable chicken pen, no tractor required, but a good lawnmower is helpful). So in the morning before letting out the little chickens we hooked up the lawnmower to the chicken tractor and took off through the field to it's new home. We'll move it every week so they have new pasture to mow down, and when they are big enough they'll get the run of the field.


Step one: pull it through the first gate. Oh, don't forget to lock up the dogs or they'll run amuck.










Step two: don't hit the turkey tractor on your way by.












Step Three: Go all the way to where you want to drop it off, then stop.





Step four: Make sure you have enough muscle to haul the outdoor cage area over to in front of the house. Barry loves building things that last. Forever, and ever. This thing is HEAVY!














Step Five: Release the chickens! Oh, and close the door, fast!

They are getting so big, these once small chicklets.









Here is Barry ploughing the field for our potatoes and corn that we have since planted. He loves playing on his tractor. It is a Massey-Ferguson, 1959.









Random photo of Lysander eating the tall grass. I have no idea why he does it. After he eats a few blades he'll pee on the bottom of it. Nice.