What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Well I obviously wasn't blogging.  I didn’t actually plan to take a blogging break, but somehow I just never got around to getting one done.   I thought I’d catch you up on what I did for my summer vacation, since it is drawing to an end and I’m back to work on Monday.

We butchered 3 of our 5 bronze turkeys, 2 seemed smaller so we are growing them a bit longer.  Last year we also raised them, but being our first year we couldn’t tell how big they were, when we finally butchered them, they weighed 28-32# each.  Yikes!  I wish I could say exactly how old they are, but we just can’t remember when we finally got them.  I believe they are less than 12 weeks old though.  The 3 we butchered were 20# each, which is perfect sized to me.  Raising them organically it cost us $50 each.  Not cheap for sure, but far cheaper than purchasing them, they were selling here smaller than 20# and were $125.

A fox or dog got into our henhouse, and we lost somewhere around 15 birds which was very disappointing.  We bought an electric fence controller to put around the pen, whatever it was just went over the top.  We also butchered 2 of our Barred Rock/mix roosters we were raising for meat.  I don’t have pictures because I wasn’t home when my husband did it.  They weighed about 2.5# each at 12 weeks.   They were just put into the freezer, I haven’t tried them yet.  The rest just seemed too small still, so we are growing them another couple weeks or so.

I picked more blueberries, I now have 7 gallons in my freezer from this year.  The season is pretty much over, they were getting too soft, if I get any more, it will be taking a trip out of town to a higher elevation to pick where the berries ripen behind mine.  I’m happy with 7 gallons though.

We went to the fair yesterday:

We caught it on a wonderful and sunny day, when the fair comes it usually rains all week.  I love the fair, I don’t bother with the rides, and I really don’t go just for the food, although I ate and ate (more on that later).  I go for the agriculture, animals and booths.  

In the land of the midnight sun, we can grow some REALLY big cabbages

I dreamed of having a cow someday

Oh and a pig

Not sure I want sheep, but these girls are sure rocking their awesome coats

Oh I do, I do, I do want a couple of these.  Pleeeaaase!

I picked up some helpful literature from the Cooperative Extention, canning and smoking fish, Highbush cranberries, and Fireweed, I didn't pick up the canning Walrus handout, but found it interesting.  Bet your fair doesn't have one of those?

Where but the fair can you get cool hair extentions and a neon orange hat?

Oh, and the food, I ate Gyros, Kettle Corn, a beer in the beer tent (Hey my step dad's band Grumy Old Men was playing, so I had to you see?)

Oh yeah, and one of these, the best cream puff ever! Yep did I mention today my diet starts.....

I got a lot done, but still have a few things left on my to do list.  My washer belt broke, so until the appliance store opens on Monday, no laundry will be done.  My office is still a disaster and I would like to work on that today.  We haven’t started any wood hauling at all, which is driving my husband crazy (because we need 6 cords before winter) so this week I promised we would get some done, I have some extra days off over next weekend and he's made me promise at least 2 days, maybe 3.  Ugh...  The rosehips and high bush cranberries are ready for picking too.  No matter how much time I have off, there is always more to do....