Feather your Nest Friday, 30th June, 2023.

What a week!  I like having lots to report.  We have arrived at the end of June and mid year.   I continued on with where I left off last week as I still had Parsley to preserve as fast as possible.   As the week went on I kept the freeze drier going.  There were Zucchini to work through which filled two trays.  When I have trays to spare I fill them with a frozen veggie as this creates freezer space and gives a 20 year shelf life!   

The hens are still laying.  I am amazed!  I think all the greens they are eating is helping.  So each day I have collected about eight eggs.   It is not like in the warmer weather when I might get 20 or more a day but it is still good.

I was thinking about how cheaply you can keep a few chickens.  If you have any garden and you cook,  maybe kids who come home with crusts in their lunch box...  every trimming,  scrap, peel, weed, seed... even left over milk or yoghurt...  it is all chicken feed.   I am amazed how many scraps I save up in an average day.   With also the hens free ranging at least a few hours a day I do not need to feed them very much more.  I would like to actually calculate this a bit more specifically but I am thinking they get about a cup of grain each per day.  Also I think in winter when it rains it brings out more bugs and worms which is the protein they need and they prefer protein over seed any day! 

I filled eight trays of Parsley or two full loads in the freeze drier overall... (some at the end of last week and some on the weekend.)

The strange thing to me is that when you pop something freeze dried into your cooking... it instantly is fresh again.  So where dehydrated Parsley would still be good, freeze dried is fresh again instantly when it hits moisture so it looks and behaves the same as fresh produce.   I really am amazed by this!    The colour of the preserving is also lovely so is the scent.

I sat aside a jar each for the girls and packed some up into a sealed food bag to post to a friend.

We had more rain and finished the month with a total of 5.4 inches.  This is awesome for us!  Water is everywhere!  

Tom is very happy about this.  

Doris is to the point of if I turn my head looking elsewhere when I look out my window she is standing there... patiently... waiting for an apple.  

One night we had a storm and it just poured.  It was the middle of the night, pitch dark and over the wind and rain I could hear a cow bellowing.  I knew something was wrong.   Andy headed out early to see what was was up.     Laffie had jumped the fence and was on the wrong side and her calf was on the right side with everybody else.   To look at Laffie she is a fat huge cow and you would not think she could get any part of herself off the ground.  She identifies, though,  as a Gazelle.    To get her back in the gate would normally be simple but now the gate is about a foot underwater and the mud is deep and boggy.    Andy got the tractor,  made it to the gate and then drove Laffie back to her calf,  who was hungry!   So thankful Andy did this as things were so wet and cold and I had heard the bellowing half the night but Andy slept through that part.  

On the coldest and wettest days I did some baking.

I made a few dozen sausage rolls,  honey gingerbread biscuits...

With left over pastry I made cheats Danish pastries.   I just used jam in the middle.

Chloe had inspired these.   I googled easy ways to fold pastries.

Mum gave me a giant frozen turkey breast.  Since it is the weather for a roast I thawed it and made up trays of vegetables.   I had a cauliflower so made cauliflower cheese.

A tray of potatoes.

Carrots, peas and cranberry sauce and gravy.   We had a roast dinner then I used my biggest baking dish and plated up some of each to deliver to Chloe for her family.   I did another single roast meal for a friend out ours who lives alone and another meal for tonight.   I do often freeze these meals as I still feel that a roast dinner is one of the most comforting meals.   They freeze and re heat so well.

There were still leftovers which got used in other ways.

The only start I made on the citrus was to drink an orange or lemon juice everyday with my water and to make a batch of Lemon Butter.

Fresh oranges and lemons really are like sunshine in winter!

The left over lemon peels:

Some went through the dish washer with bi carb soda for a clean.

Some went into a jar with Miracle cleaner and water to make dusting wipes...

Some went into a container of water which I boiled in the microwave and then wiped the microwave out. 

One went into the kettle which I boiled and descaled the kettle.  

Finally,  I finished my silk pillowcases.   I am really pleased with them as I think they make a luxurious and personal gift.  Well,   I hope so.   There are two set aside to keep myself as I do really love the feel of them.   Next week it will be time to start a new sewing project.  

So it was a busy week and I am wanting a quieter weekend and to think over some goals for July!  

How did you build up your home, get ahead and make hay while the sun shines this week?

xxx