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Lesley

The Good Life continued....

By Lesley, in The Nesting Box

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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Amidst all the run of the mill feeding and watering etc. we had another 'first' today...............

 

Our first home-grown, home cured, bacon!! Although the first 3 pigs were burchered as pork, we decided to practise bacon curing with a piece of belly pork. This makes the streaky bacon, we couldn't produce back bacon as that part of the pork was butchered as chops.

 

I made my own cure, based on a HFW recipe, and adapted it.

 

Today was the day - we sliced it and tested three slices, one each and one for my son who was working here today - we're all still alive :roll::wink:

 

It was so exciting to slice it and see it looking just like proper bacon - I don't know what I imagined it would look like :roll:

 

I kept a whole piece and have used it in another HFW recipe for tonights dinner - Petit Sale. All the veg were our own as were the bay leaves. Now....... we just need to grow lentils :lol:

 

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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Well .......... there's not a lot to tell, so it may be boring :?

 

We've eaten the bacon - and lived to tell the tale :wink:

We have a large ham curing in brine - using cider from the Farmers' Market.

The two piggies we have left are booked in for their permanent holiday on November 2nd. We were hoping to be able to take them to the abattoir in October but they are very busy, which is good news for the abattoir but not so good for us as we wanted them to go before we took a trip to Anglesey to see my Mum. We haven't been at all yet this year - we need the sea air to blow some cobwebs away.

 

Tallulah, our oldest hen is still poorly, she received a badly pecked vent and is isolated from the others. She's been sprayed with Gentian Violet - it goes with her grey feathers nicely :wink: When she is well, we will put her in with the trio of bantams and see how that goes. She should be large enough to sort out the cockerel :lol: She's heading for retirement now.

 

We've made some progress with the outbuildings. My son has been working here all week and my Dad has been to sort out the electrics. Hopefully, by the end of Monday we will have safe electrics and will be able to move the freezers out of the lounge and back to the freezer room 8) We had to have the drive dug up for the cables so it is nice and muddy now

 

The other room is to be the combined Brewery/Sausage Factory. We have just harvested the hops which were growing at our house so a batch of simple beer will go on as soon as Carl can find time. This room should be finished in time to receive the piggies when they come back from the abattoir. These two will be butchered mainly for bacon and we will be able to start curing the bacon and hams out there and have them ready for Christmas.

 

We have picked lots of crab apples and made jelly with them and also picked blackberries and cooked or frozen them. We still keep discovering things we didn't know we had :shock:

 

The 12 'Dinners' are growing well, as are the Turkeys. We will have to weigh some of them - with the aid of a towel, a carrier bag and Carl's fishing scales - to see how well they are doing. The turkeys are still pretty ugly looking :?

 

The little chicks that we hatched in the incubator are also doing well. Our bantams all look similar and we're hoping that they aren't all cockerels. We're weaning them off heat slowly as we need them to go outside overwinter.

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theherd123 Passionate Poultry Keeper

theherd123

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WOW!!!!! :shock: You have been busy can see why you are desperate to get to your mums for a bit of a break!

 

Saw the piccies of the bacon - looks really tasty! :D

 

Tallulah will hopefully be feeling back on form soon especially with the Gentian Violet spray & grey feathers - does it look like she has had a blue rinse?? :wink::lol::lol:

 

Weighing the turkeys sounds like fun too - rather you than me! :wink::lol: Bet they are still as cute as they looked when i saw them! 8)

 

Did you enjoy the market this morning? I was busy taking Poppy swimming again but i will be at the next one for sure!! :D

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The Dogmother Eggsistentialist

The Dogmother

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Yup, good to see Lesley, Carl and Martin this morning - I only wish that we didn't have to rush off today. We can't make the market on the 3rd Saturday, but will be in Deddington on the 4th Saturday and Stratford again on the 1st in November.

 

Sorry to hear that Tallulah has been in the wars again Lesley. As you say, perhaps she'll be better off in with the barnies.

 

I said to Carl that we'd be happy to help if you need more man power moving the cows.

 

You know what? I can almost smell that bacon 8)

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The Dogmother Eggsistentialist

The Dogmother

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It's on the 4th Saturday every month in Deddington, which is on the Oxford Road between Banbury and Oxford. There aren't any parking restriction sin the village, so you can just dump your car and go. It has some of the same traders as Stratford, but others too. I shall be going if you want a lift.

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ubereglu Golden Egg

ubereglu

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You have been very busy Lesley. Glad the bacon was nice!

 

We went and saw some happy pigs today too, who lived in a gorgeous farm. They're raised for pork under the company, 'Orchard Old Spots'. They also keep 4 geese and about 20 assorted chickens.

 

Then we went to 'Cracknells Farm' and met some chickens, ducks, geese and sheep. The poultry part is meat orientated and all of them seemed very happy.

 

Glad the farm isn't too chaotic at the mo. and it's going well. I really hope Tallulah gets well soon.

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I had to do a search to find out where this thread had gone! I hadn't read the latest update either!

 

You're not boring anybody Lesley - you're living our dream too and we're pleased to share it!

 

:oops: Sorry for speaking on everyone's behalf! it's a bit presumptious of me but I feel I'm on fairly safe ground here. :oops:

 

If you are bored by this thread, say so now!

 

 

 

 

 

Silence!

 

I thought no-one was bored and I'm right. :D:D:D

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Paola Feathery Fanatic

Paola

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I had to do a search to find out where this thread had gone! I hadn't read the latest update either!

 

You're not boring anybody Lesley - you're living our dream too and we're pleased to share it!

 

:oops: Sorry for speaking on everyone's behalf! it's a bit presumptious of me but I feel I'm on fairly safe ground here. :oops:

 

If you are bored by this thread, say so now!

 

 

 

 

 

Silence!

 

I thought no-one was bored and I'm right. :D:D:D

 

I agree :wink:

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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:shock: - thank you all 8)

 

Everything is still plodding along. The electrics will be finished tomorrow and the Brewery/Sausage Factory is looking very different but won't be finished until next week - grey rubber tiled floor and white walls. We bought the two stainless steel catering tables - they will provide worktop, sinks and shelf storage. The plumbing to this room has been sorted out as well.

 

The cats are reduced in number now - Mog went to the vet and had his little op. We put him in the small shed overnight to recover and next morning he shot off and hasn;'t been seen since :? Willow and Peach are both fine after their ops - nice to know they won't be producing more kittens. Willows kitten is a boy - we think - he is now called Ash. We will set the trap again next week and catch him again. We caught him before when we thought he was a girl and 'she' was too small to be operated on. The other kittens don't appear to have survived or have moved to pastures new.

 

Jazz starts her obedience training next week - she is doing quite well but just needs a bit more training than we know how to do at the moment.

 

The cows are still in the barn :( - we are hoping to have the manpower to complete the fencing at the end of next week. We had to wait for Matthew and his co-worker to finish all the Harvest related jobs. As soon as the big paddock is fenced then the cows can go and live there for the winter. They only need a shelter as they are hardy and lived outside all last winter.

 

Once the cows are settled in then we can go and collect the Shetland Sheep.

 

The chickens are all doing well, we've moved the Eglus and houses nearer the gates to each run to make it easier for the winter. We are still getting a dozen eggs a day although a few hens are starting to moult. Ellie (Cream Legbar) has stopped laying as have the two other pure breed hens, the Barnevelder Bantams

 

The turkeys and 'dinner's are getting quite big - we really need to weigh them to see how they are doing. We are going to need more freezer space :?

 

The remaining two pigs are booked in at the abattoir for November 2nd - we won't have pigs again until next May. It will be sad to have no pigs at all :(

 

We are going to Anglesey to see my Mum for a few days - my son is farm sitting. It will be good to have a break, blow away the cobwebs and reflect on just how far we have come in the last 6 months.

 

:shock::shock: 6 months? :shock: It feels like we've been here much longer than that :?

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