Necie

Also...with the price of feed (hay/grain) and the few select animals kept--the price for animals produced next year should be outrageous. Look for it to get worse next year. With the drought in the south last year and the mid-west this year, if there's crop problems next year, no one will be able to afford feed to raise meat animals. Corn here in Indiana is being baled or turned to silage. If it wasn't irrigated, there are no ears. We're finally getting rain...but too late for the corn. Beans will be ok, if they are still flowering. Hoping for a 2nd cutting of hay. Hay prices at sale barn are $8-10 a small square, up from $4-6 last year and $3-5 the year before.

Meat prices should actually be down due to the sell-off. Watch for it. The sales barns are flooded with animals that are too expensive to feed--more supply than demand. Buy when the prices are low. Once the sell-off is over, then there will be a shortage and prices will rise.

I did a search and found this: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=40231&st=0&p=337766&hl=+friendship%20+bread&fromsearch=1entry337766 My recipe is similar to CoM's. For my starter, I mix 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup milk with bread yeast. The batch I have now has been going for about 4 months. Where it says to add 1 cup of each again on day 5 and on day 10, I only add 1/2 cup of each. Then take out 1 cup starter to hold back for next batch before I start my recipe. Otherwise, if you add 1 cup of each, you gotta find 2 friends to pass the extra on to or make extra or whatever. For the variation of flavors: I don't add the cinnamon and I don't *sugar* the pans. Instead of vanilla pudding, you can substitute other flavored puddings--lemon, pistachio, butterscotch, chocolate, etc. ....or... use vanilla pudding and instead of vanilla extract, substitute other flavored extracts--orange, cherry, strawberry, almond, black walnut, etc. I usually use 1 1/2 tsp flavoring extract, instead of the 1 tsp vanilla the recipe calls for. You can also add fruits (drain well), nuts, raisins, etc. Sometimes I do *banana* nut with banana creme pudding and walnuts, or oatmeal raisin. Usually if I use *real* fruit (blueberries, cherries, cranberries), I make the bread in muffin pans. (YUM!) There are so many things you can do with this recipe and since you keep the starter back, you get to start over *fresh* and come up with something totally different anytime you want.

Stuffed Shells Stuffed with spinach out of the freezer from the garden, venison burger, goat cheese (compliments of the *girls*) and eggs from the *ladies*. Even used dried herbs from my *weed* garden for seasoning. Made the sauce with a couple pints of salsa and a quart of tomatoes. DH didn't get his strawberry Amish bread this time. I'm out of vanilla pudding. It takes two small boxes or one large box and all I had was a small box of chocolate and a small box of cheesecake, so chocolate cheesecake Amish bread it is! DH has been putting peanut butter on it and calling it Reese's Sandwiches. He's weird.

Venison Stroganoff Made Amish bread again today. Tried CHERRY!! We kind of had it for desert. DH says he doesn't care for it. Even though he ate a WHOLE small loaf! So he wants me to try STRAWBERRY next time.

Had a couple of left-over potatoes in the fridge, so DH made a small pan of potato soup for lunch. For dinner I made bacon wrapped, stuffed anahiems (stuffing: ground venison and pork; rice; goat milk ricotta) and *mashed* hubbard sprinkled with parmesan. YUM!

Mmmmm....I tapioca pudding. Still left-over Vege Soup here....but...I made venison burger gravy and home-made yeast biscuits for breakfast and DH browned up the rest of the venison and put it in the soup. Pretty darn good on biscuits.

OOOOOOHHHHH! A TUB!! God, what I'd give for a bubble bath!!

Wasn't my idea. Seemed to be a *need*.

(This is an old post and the names are not correct for the posters.) I think there are probably alot of people feeling this way with the state of things nowadays. I know when it happens to me, it is quite the rollercoaster ride. Things will seem to be going ok..then..BOOM! something *bad* to deal with. I think to myself: Why did I let myself get so comfortable....I started taking things for granted and now look what happened.... Yanno...the whole *Blame Game*. Then there's the whole self-pity thing. I think we all do it when things get rough. Why ME?? Then I get MAD ....at myself: How DARE I feel sorry for myself? Don't you know there are people out there with much bigger problems? You should be THANKFUL for what you do have! (all said to myself). So I *toughen up* and *go busy* ...thinking that if I do all the *right* things, then things ought to go *right* FOR me. Then they don't. I finally adjust and deal with whatever problems need dealt with (with a bit of Help) and things seem to go well again. .......for awhile. How about you? Anyone else seem to be going through this more than normal? and

Yogurt--I started with a starter yogurt from the store (must be live culture yogurt). Now I just keep my own in the freezer. I either make a quart or a half gallon at a time. I just put my milk (goat) and starter in the jar and set it on a candle warmer with the lid on loose. Cream Cheese--put raw milk in a gallon jar and let sit in a warm place. Should separate in 24 hrs. Drain cheese into cheesecloth and put into *press* and put in fridge. I check and dump whey daily and add weight if needed until cheese is firm. Sour Cream--I let cheese above ^^^^ set for 48 hrs or more until it has the sourness that I desire, then drain in cheesecloth til consistancy that I want. No need to press. Whey-- ---Ricotta Cheese--heat whey on stove to 180* in double boiler (I just use two stock pots nested together). Add 1/2 cup vinegar per gallon of whey. Let cool a bit and drain in cheesecloth.

Left-over Vege Soup. DH made it the yesterday. Jar of green beans Jar of small whole potatoes Jar of tomatoes Jar of chowder base (has corn, celery, carrots, bacon) Jar of beef broth Out of crackers but I made Amish Friendship bread yesterday and instead of using flavored pudding to make it different, I tried using a different flavoring extract instead of vanilla. Black Walnut! It is YUMMY!

www.columbusfoods.com It's under their 'Soapers Choice'. Where it says 'Click here to order any product from the list'. oooooh....I just looked--it went up a litle--it's $1.17/lb, was $1.00/lb. I haven't ordered it from there in awhile. Local Amish store started carrying alot of oils/butters for soapers, so I've been buying it there for $49.95, plus saving shipping.

I'm surprised about everyone using it for moisturizing. ?? I make soap and everything I've read says that coconut oil can be very drying. ??? I use it in my soap for it's wonderful lathering quality, but not for moisturizing/conditioning. hmmmmm I may try using it more in cooking/eating since I buy it in 50# buckets anyhow. I have a girlfriend who swears there's something wrong with my thyroid. Don't know about that, but I can always use more energy.

Sorry, haven't read the whole thread (will when I have time ). Thought ya'll might be interested in this. Real life wagon traveler. www.wagonteamster.com One of the regular customers at the restaurant where I work met this guy. He stopped and helped him bale hay and spent the night at his place. He brought me in a newspaper with a story about him in it. Really cool. He has a blog on his site about his travels.

"She started to head for the park again and I said nooooooooooooooooooooooooo...the duck will come back if you do that. She then consulted with CL#3 in spanish and I was too upset to try to hear what they said and the next thing I knew, they took a pillowcase, threw said duck inside, and into their truck. They informed me as I stood there sobbing that they were gonna take the duck far, far away and that I would never be terriorized again. I walked into the house, tended my cuts and realized where I had made my first mistake. I shoulda shot the duck to begin with, a week ago. ROFL I'm serious, this is a TRUE story. I just got off the phone with CL#2, who was calling to see if I was ok. I asked her where she had taken the duck, and she told me about a mile away." I don't suppose the cleaning lady lived *about a mile away*? Yup...if you'd of shot him to begin with then *YOU* could've had roast duck for dinner. Bet he was good!!

"Mine!" "MINE, MINE, MINE!!!!" Ooooh--KAY! You can have it for now...but it's MINE...and as soon as you're done with it, *I* get it back!

On Tuesday, Richard said: 'Ya ought to do something with that chicken in the basement fridge. What day did we butcher them?' Me: Uh, I don't know. Tuesday? (my day off) Him: A week ago? Me: Nooo! (hmmm) What day is it? Him: Tuesday! Me: Oh....No, it wasn't a week ago, but I thought we did them on my day off. We butchered chickens and THEN I went to work? Musta been Friday or Saturday. <shrug> Then I remembered that a lady had shown up to buy some pullets while we were butchering. I HAD written that down in my little record book- '5 pullets--$25--March 27'. FRIDAY! SHEESH! So, I figure if I start writing things in here a bit about what I've done for the day, then this can be one more place to go when I think: 'Now, where did I write that down at?' Today...(actually yesterday since it's after mid-night): Jason (DS1-23) and I went to the elevator and got 100# goat feed, 100# rabbit feed, 100# layer mash, 50# barley and a bag of pine shavings. Chicks started hatching last night so it's time to rotate chickens. There's only 4 chicks (14-18 wks old) left in the little coop, so I shut them out in their run and cleaned the coop. Put down some wood pellets and pine shavings and put waterers and a new feeder that Richard made me today IN the coop (usually the food and water are out in the run). Then had to catch the 4 little buggers and put them in, (cuz I guess they were afraid of the new bedding ), and shut them in there. Then Jason and I crated the 23 chicks (7-11 wks old) that were in the large brooder in the barn and put them in the small coop with the other 4 chicks. They will stay shut in there until Saturday, then hopefully when I let them out Saturday morning they will have enough sense to go back in Saturday night. Made some chicken and noodles out of the butchered roosters for dinner for Richard and Jason, then I went to work. Pretty boring day, huh?

Soaping and Goat's Milk Soap (pinned at top of Homemade Memories forum) http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2592 Lots and lots of hidden jewels in this one.

Hi. I'm Denise, but my friends call me Necie. I grew up and lived in SW Michigan for 35 years, but now live in NE Indiana. Big move, huh? I love the Mid-West and guess you could call me a country gal. Was raised farming and have my own little mini farm started. I'm divorced. Was married for 15 yrs and have 3 wonderful kids: Jason (23), Tony (22) and Leah (20). Tony has a girlfriend-Jessie (20) whom I also totally adore (she wants to learn to garden and can and all that fun stuff). I've been in a serious relationship for over 8 yrs..Richard is my bestest friend. We put up with each others nonsense like no one else would. He's a total motor head. Used to drive semi--mostly hauled grain, has a '74 Shovelhead Harley (would LOOOVE to have a Cushman (sp?) motor scooter thangy). Is into chainsaws, lawnmowers, GEESH--anything with an engine and NASCAR (and any other type of racing-I pick on him and say 'If they could figure out a way to put engines on a cow, you'd watch them race.' LOL). I'm a bartender. Pretty boring. Well, til they make me wait tables. When I'm waitressing, they ought to sell tickets and charge admission--real COMEDY show. I'm a bartender. hehe My little farm: Well, it started out with a couple chickens. That's grown. I have somewhere between 50-70. And 44 chicks and 41 eggs in the 'bator. Then I got 4 rabbits. We just butchered 3, but I have 2 juniors and 3 babies, so I guess I have 9. Then I got 2 little doeling goats-Nubians. Bred them to kid in late May or June this year. I just bought my first little buckling, and my goat mentor and I are working on purchasing and co-owning another buckling and I will raise him with this one. Then there's Gracie! The spoiled little pampered princess pooch Rottweiler. She's 18 months old and at this time acting very much the teen-ager. GRRRRRR I just keep telling myself-"PATIENCE". At least she'll grow out of it faster than the human kids. LOL Kagan! I am getting one of Darlene's pups! I am working on the name. Part of it will be Kagan. I want it to mean "King's Gift" or "Gift of the King" or "Gift from the King". Kagan=King. I like Ikram, too. Ikram=gift. Kagan Ikram? Ikram Kagan? I think it is going to be a challenge and very rewarding to raise and train an Anatolian. He is going to be a working dog-guardian of my farm. I have alot of other little hobbies, too. Fishing, gardening, crocheting, wine-making, cooking....oooooooh, all SORTS of stuff. So, I hope my first entry in my blog has kinda painted the background of the picture-my life. Future entries will hopefully paint in more detail. It is a picture that will never be completed-it's a work in progress.

Hypocalcemia http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,21.0.html (copy and paste into address line)

18 Doin' better....but... Ok-prolly gonna ramble here. This time, I tried doing this: http://paraguinparadise.netfirms.com/Dry%20Incubation.htm The first round my chicks died before developing or stuck...I think I opened the 'bator too much at the end (shoulda never had that staggered hatch). I helped one out of the shell and it died. The second round my chicks developed, just didn't pip and hatch like they should have. I think I had my humidity too HIGH. When I cracked the unhatched eggs, they were very *wet*. Chicks prolly drowned. I helped two out of the shell and they both lived. Third Round: I did this 'dry hatch' and everything seemed to be going well. Never opened the 'bator til day 18 to candle and take the eggs off the turner. I'll tell ya...on a positive note...my candling skills are SUPERB! ROFL I took 15 eggs out that candled as unfertile. When I cracked them-YUP-every one had zero (or near zero) development. That left 26 eggs. 18 hatched and out of the 8 that didn't hatch, all were fully developed. Six hadn't sucked up the yold completely and two had, but didn't pip. Today is day 24 and I had the last two hatch today--I think I need to bump my temps up. Helped three out of the shell (including the two today)...so far they are still alive. Anyone up for Round Four??