Wednesday
Linda
Guess I'll have to eat my way out!
Yesterday as we headed out to town, Sonny and I saw this calf belonging to a neighboring farm and just had to stop to take a pic. Hours later when we drove back by he was still eating, but this time he was on the outside.
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Farming, Hay, Homesteading, Off-Grid | 
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Posted by lkjobe
Monday
Sonny
We had an opportunity to get this 1996 Ford F-250 4X4 last week and we decided it was definitely a need and not a want.
The new UTE
Gary, one of the farmers down the road put it up for sale. Although we always had access to John’s truck (Festus) we really felt guilty borrowing it even though they were always willing to loan it with a smile. We quickly put it to use by picking up several cattle wire panels from Tractor Supply and the next day we were cutting firewood rounds and hauling them back to the splitter.
We won’t be driving it much unless we really need it. Seems it really likes the gasoline.
Wednesday
Linda
It’s Thanksgiving Eve here at Pot Hole Farm and things are already hopping in preparation for tomorrow’s off grid feast. The turkey is thawing in the fridge and the menu items are marked off the shopping list. Clarissa and I have whipped up the pumpkin pies and the deviled eggs are sitting pretty on a plate in the fridge. Carol is going to prepare one of the hams we smoked this year and we can’t wait to take a taste.
Duke has been busy pulling out the tupperware bowls from the kitchen cabinet, (the only cabinet he knows he is allowed to play in). He has entertained us with his squeals of delight as he rearranges the throw pillows on the couch, throwing most of them on the floor to be wrestled with like an alligator. Cracker crumbs have been strategically dropped from one end of the house to the other. Well, I guess he figures the dogs need a snack too and who could argue with that. Last year he was too little to enjoy the fruits of Thanksgiving, but this year he will be sitting at the table with the family.
I am hoping that tomorrow is sunny so that we can use the solar cooker. I think we could use it to cook the green bean casserole or at least the yeast rolls. Might as well put it into service to take some of the strain off the gas oven and who knows if its cold enough to start the wood stove we’ll use it to perk the coffee.
All of us here at Pot Hole Farm wish you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.
Tuesday
Linda
I am so sorry that I have not given you all an update about the hams. I have had a few glitches with my computer. Anyway, the hams are all smoked and the smoker could not have worked any better.
John and Sonny hung the hams in the smoker along with a pork tenderloin. They used applewood chips soaked in water in the wood stove to create the smoke and and brought it all up to the proper temperatures. They maintained the temperature between 120 – 130 degrees. Thats fahrenheit not celcius. It took about nine hours to complete the process, and boy did they smell good.
We put a pork tenderloin in the smoker as well and then cooked it in the oven to finish it off for dinner. The smoke flavor was delicious.
Once the hams were cool we wrapped them in seran wrap and they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to year or frozen. We haven’t cooked one yet, but plan on it in the near future.
Hams in the smoker.
Finished smoking
All wrapped up.
5 Comments | Off-Grid | Permalink
Posted by lkjobe
Monday
Sonny
We spent most of Saturday getting Firewood stocked up for the winter. Over the summer we had cut up about 4 cords but have been waiting for cooler weather before we went into full split mode.
Last week Linda and I went over to Johns to pick up my log splitter. It had been hauled up the mountain last February when we ran short on wood and needed an emergency load. No worries, it was tarped up and well protected. We headed up the steep path on the backside of John and Carol’s property… that is until we came upon that oak tree that had fell across the trail. Lucky for us we had the chain saw with us and we made quick work of it and continued to the ridge-top.
More bad news, after un-tarping the splitter the first thing I saw was that it had a flat tire. I managed to lift the axel up enough for Linda to wedge a log under it and pulled the rim off. We hauled it back down and worked on it. After about an hour we just couldn’t get the tire to seal on the rim. We uses a ratchet strap, dish soap but must not have been holding our tongue just right. The next day I picked up a tube and wrapped up that task. Last Saturday, Harold and I got the splitter back home.
Linda and Clarissa even helped us out. Harold and I cut up a couple trees that went down in a farmers field near our place and the girls loaded the Kubota RTV. We spent the rest of the afternoon splitting and stacking. We have put up about 4 cords so far and have about 2 more to split Later we required a few aspirin for the pain.
4 Comments | Firewood, Off-Grid, Solar-Powered, Woodstove | Permalink
Posted by Sonny
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