Fig Jam

Black figs

Well, it's that time of year...fruits are starting to ripen.  Our local farms had a bitterly cold winter, late spring freeze, and no rain to speak of, fires that continue to blaze out of control. As I write this...it is actually raining real drops.  "You know you are a New Mexican when: you are thrilled about the possibility of rain." My chickens have never seen rain.  I checked on them while it was raining, and they were huddled under their porch.....some had gone into their sleeping coop.  Befuddled would be a good word for it. I put "Irma" the black cochin hen into the sleeping coop.  Furious, she ran out into the rain. Looked at me as if I was the cause, and ran back under the porch with the others. They will be pleased with the cooling temps this afternoon.

The inside of a canning pot. Rack to hold jars upright.

The canning bath pot towers over my largest pots!

Wash figs, then pour boiling water over them for 10 minutes.

The farmers markets have mostly root veggies and greens.  Talk of apricots brought me to one this morning in Corrales, New Mexico. Karen, our neighbor and new friend offered to push me in the wheelchair.  I came home with $5 a pint cherries...not any other fruit to be had.  I'm a practical woman sometimes. :-)  I decided that buying locally  could mean a year without any fruit that wasn't from my garden.  So I will buy from states close by that have had good enough weather to produce fruit.  Trader Joes had tons of figs.  So I bought 6 pounds: 5 lbs. for jam, 1 for eating.

Quartered with stems cut off....your fingers will be purple :-)

After cooking on the stove I put it all in the food processor...smooth.

Add lemon, and back in pan to boil for one more minute

Covered and in the canning bath for 15 minutes.

I looked in my recipes file,  and then went to my Google professor.  Here's the recipe I used eons ago. I suspect I will add a bit of ginger or rosemary to the batch.

2 quarts (about 5lbs) figs, quartered, destemmed.
6 cups of sugar...however I used 4
1 cup of water
1/4 lemon juice w/1 Tablesp. of lemon zest
Spices if you like: ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, orange water, lavender

Put washed figs in large pan or bowl.  Pour  boiling water over them, cover, let stand for 10 minutes.
Destem, and quarter each fig.
Combine figs, sugar, water and cook at slow boil until thick, stirring lots to prevent sticking (about 30 minutes.)  I put them in the food processor, you can use a blender, or mash them.
Add lemon juice and boil ONLY 1 MINUTE.
Ladle into hot jars, and process 15 minutes.  Makes 12 8oz. jars.
If you do not have a canning pot, you can put in your fridge.  They should keep for at least a month.
Great filling for thumbprint jelly cookies, or klachkys.
Enjoy!

Mmmm...we had it on toast this morning.

I ordered a second pot  today from Walmart of all places.  (I told you I was reasonable.) With shipping it was under 25 bucks.  Two will not actually fit on my stove in any configuration to come to a boil, but we have the guest house stove.  There are lots of supply houses online for canning.  Here is one link:
http://www.canningpantry.com/

The rain had stopped by the time I finished writing. However, it's still cloudy, and I'm hoping for more.
Thanks for reading,
Each day is a gift. Open now.
xo,
Suz

Future Peach Pie

Gala Apple Blossoms

Today the nursery that I bought the most expensive tree I have ever bought came to plant it.  I can't say they were tip top, like the guy last year.  They were very surly, and not helpful.   I told them they needed to dig a bigger hole, but they would not comply.  I sent Bob out for some testosterone, but he was as helpful as Buddy our dog.  This peach tree  came in a square 20" crate.  It's an Elberta yellow freestone.

I went around the property watering while they were here.  The 3 apple trees I planted last year are doing really well.  It's officially spring, as our big desert ash in front is spring green.  Strawberries are coming back beautifully.  Now to buy some nut trees, and decide where to plant them.  My onions, spinach, chard, and peas are all up.  This time of year is so exciting to me.  I love to watch everything wake up.

strawberries

peas, spinach, onions, and chard

Yesterday we had a huge wind storm.  As usual tumbleweeds are everywhere.  It was the day my son and friend Ami were coming to work on "Fort Chicken."  I have some crud that erased my voice, and makes me cough, and I feel pretty lousy unless I've taken some Ibuprofin.  So I was not going to work at all.  They all showed up in spite of the weather with 50mph winds.  They put the last piece of chicken wire on the floor of the run.  This meant moving tons of rock again, and sewing the seams together.  Out of love for me they all worked in the inclement weather.  I layed in bed and felt very guilty.  I owe them BIG time.

"Fort Chicken" floor 

They are growing!

The chicks are still being brought into our living room at night, as the temps are 30 degrees, and the winds have been brutal.  All doing very well. Except one seems to have a bad leg...I am keeping an eye on her.  In fact it's almost time to buy more feed.  I lay in bed at night and hear them peeping.  Somehow that soothes me.

Spring green in the desert is extra special.

Buddy guards the new peach tree. :-)

Thanks for reading.
Each day is a gift. Open now.
xo,
Suz

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Shipped

A bantam buff cochin posing.

Saturday when we were  leaving to pick up Ethan from the airport my phone rang:
"Hi, this is Ruth from the Post Office..."
 I think I said: "They're here!"  I had received an email from the hatchery saying they would be shipped yesterday and would arrive Sunday -Wednesday.  So much for autobot email.  I was ready with everything but securing the sides of the coop with wood to keep the temp up.  So we went to the airport, got the grandson and went to the post office. E held the chicks in the box on his lap, peeping the whole way home.

Or son and fiance came over and helped put the wood on the nursery. The chicks sat in the bathtub in their box with a lamp over it suspended from the shower rod.  I got the temp in the nursery up to 95 degrees and in they went.  A few still had their egg tooth. Which is used to peck through the shell, and then falls off.  As we were putting them in, it looked like there were more than 24.  Hmmmm.

A crazy brahma doing the chicken dance :-)

I tapped on the feeder with my finger and they all came up and started eating. Then stuck my finger in the water (which has chick starter in it) and wet a few beaks.  They began to eat and drink like they'd been doing it forever.  Pretty amazing.  As the sun went down we had a hard time keeping the temp up.  So Bob and I opened the patio doors and brought them in the livingroom for the night. Switching out the heat lamp for a smaller bulb.  Lola the cat sat on top, and Buddy the dog posed in front.  There was a lot of staring at this nursery from all the animals.  :-)

nap time 

When we changed the papers in nursery we counted the chicks as we took them out.  27 not 24.  On the invoice in the box I noticed that more Langshan  chicks had been added, as well as a "surprise exotic breed."  There is one chick with zebra stripes on it's back and a buff colored head.  I think it's a Seabright bantam.  It would be my first of that breed. 

Tonight they are back in the living room in front of the patio doors.  In the next few days I will work on making the nursery warmer, so they can stay outside at night.  It's still pretty cold here in NM and they need more insulation.  There is still so much work to do on "Fort Chicken.".  The whole family worked outside today. It was back breaking work moving tons of stones, landscaping cloth, and putting down the chicken wire.  But they all lovingly did it, as they know how happy keeping chickens has always made this mother hen.

Tomorrow night is the "Chick Party."  I am baking chick shaped sugar cookies, and egg dishes.  Good night chickens, and good night to you all.

Good Night

Thanks for reading.

Every day is a gift. Open now.

xo,

Suz

The Chickens are Coming !!

Dominique a rare breed we will have.

In 7 days there will be 25 chicks arriving via Priority Mail.  One of the items on my "list" was to keep chickens again.  I figured out a place I think would work right next to "the big garden".  First, there is already 6' horse fence and shade cloth running for 40'. Second, the shed is about 10' from that. So sandwiched (excuse the term) between the two will be the chicken run.  About 35' x 10'.  When they are grown,  there will be a little door that leads into the big garden. They are good bug and grub pickers.  For now they will stay in the "nursery."

The "Nursery" scrubbed spotless

The "nursery" is actually a rabbit hutch  I put wooden sides on, that is completely locked up ALL the time. They will have a heat lamp, and a very good thermometer that I will check constantly for the first week.  I am keeping the nursery on the patio.  Bob spent hours attaching fencing on the wall around the patio to make it higher.  We have coyotes.  And we have an electric fence that will be electrified every night (which we have to figure out VERY soon!). More on Fort Chicken later.

"Fort Chicken"

Baby chicks can be ordered on line, over the phone, via catalogue.   Day old chicks need no food or water for the first 72 hours. They get sustenance from the yolk inside the egg prior to hatching. This gives them a few days to get aquainted...or travel, as in our flock's case.  The post office usually calls at the crack of dawn to tell me they have arrived.  I have warned my local PO who ships all me Etsy orders to keep an eye out.  I think my post office is as excited as I am! They should arrive with their fuzz on, and start feathering out in a week. I will keep a photo diary and share it with you readers. Below is a link to MurrayMcMurray Hatchery of Buff Cochin Chicks on youtube.  A breed we are getting.

Buff Cochin Chick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuD6is603q0&feature=player_embedded#at=26

Buff Cochin Hen

Ethan will be here when they arrive.  I am hoping he's his Grandma's boy in a chicken way too.  He is an animal lover also. I wish for that to include chickens.  My adult son helped Bob dig post holes and pour concrete.  He too is a big chicken lover.  I look forward to all of us hanging with the peeps very soon.  Adding another generation to my flock. :-)

Box O Chicks

It takes 5 months for them to start to lay eggs.  I could have gotten "pullets" which are older.  However, they do not bond the way day old chicks do.   Tomorrow I will go to all the local feed stores to see what kinds of feed they carry.  Back on the farm I had my feed custom mixed for me.  With this small flock that would be impossible.  Once they have gotten past the critical first month, they will be weaned off of "chick food" and eat table scraps, and some organic chicken feed.

I'm so excited, I can't really express it in words.  We will have a "Chick Party" the day they arrive. I invite neighbors and  friends to come see them and celebrate all this new life.  I promise I will be sharing pictures daily.  Baby chicks have always meant a physical form of hope that Spring brings to me.   It's my favorite time of year.  If you are close and reading this, know you are invited to join us next week.

The Chicken Catalog

Thanks for reading.
Each day is a gift, open now.
xo,
Suz