The first building....

Here is a shed we are putting up out on the farm. It is 8'x10' and primarily will be used for storage. As of right now there are no buildings or electricity on the farm, so we need a home base for tools, supplies, and the generator. Hard to tell from the picture but the shed is on 4"x4" skids to make it semi-mobile. Who knows what it may become one day, a brooder building, a hen house..an on site cabin those late nights at the farm....etc.

Our next step is testing the water in the shallow well which has not been used for at least 10 years. If the water is ok, than we will pump it into our 500 gallon water tank. The tank will be mounted to a trailer frame and become our water wagon from which we will gravity feed water to the chickens and pigs this spring.

Way off in the distance behind the shed, you can see the field that the broilers will rotate through this summer. This is a lower field that is buffered from the prevailing winds.

Not too exciting yet, but we will be very busy with the infrastructure throughout the winter. We plan on keeping everyone updated with pictures as we go.

Persimmon Jam

I live in Houston, but I am not from Houston. I'm not from anywhere in the South. I was born and raised in Ohio and have no idea what to do with a persimmon.

Truth be told, I never knew there was such a fruit as persimmon until a few years ago. I've never tasted one, have no idea how to know whether it's underripe, overripe, or just perfect. I have no idea how to cut it, peel it, or cook it. It's very possible that more than one of my children will taste a persimmon and proclaim, "Mommy, this takes weird."

So what in heaven's name would prompt me to place six persimmons in my grocery cart for purchase last Sunday? Simply because it was one of the few locally produced pieces of fruit at my local grocery market at this time of year. And I am bound and determined to at least give local, seasonal produce a try.

I'm not a true locavore by any stretch. I still buy (gasp) bananas. I don't make my own cheese from goatsmilk produced in my suburban backyard. I have canned goods and boxes of organic, whole grain cereal in my pantry. But I am a firm believer in doing the best you can. I buy locally produced chicken, beef, eggs, honey, herbal teas, and olive oil (who knew Texans made olive oil?). I make my own bread daily. And from now on I am going to give pride of place to whatever local, seasonal produce is available at my neighborhood market.

So what am I going to do with my persimmons? As I write a pot of persimmon jam is simmering on the stove. The beauty of the internet, if any such can be found, is in food subjects. Where to find "clean" meat, how to make the perfect apple pie from scratch, why grass-finished beef is so much healthier for you than grain-fed. And how to pick a ripe persimmon and turn it into a delicious freezer jam.

We'll see how it goes, but really how bad could it be? It's a sweet spread for my homemade bread turned toast. I'm sure it'll be edible at least.

What local foods do you eat?

Here We Go!

We had not planned on starting this winter. However, when I looked into getting started pullets ready to lay in the spring, the only hatchery that I could find nearby used the practice of "debeaking". It is a difficult start to a free range chickens life to only have half of a top beak and possibly even a burnt tougne. We want our chickens to be able to be chickens to the fullest and especially to have the ability to chase and catch bugs, and eat all the grass they want.

So.....in order for us to have eggs to eat and sell this spring, we had to jump to action and get day old chicks. Normally December would not be the month that I would choose to do this, but so be it.

Here We Go!

    

 27 degrees outside....felt like 100 in the car

 Not even 5 minutes and they have found the food and water

    Lucy loves them

   Alison was a little nervous picking them up at first

   Very Curious

  We named this one "Christian"