Monday, July 12, 2010

Oh My, Prairie Flower Farm Is Hatching!



Mrs. Puddle Duck is a Momma!




Hello sweet ladies,

I am so excited to tell you that Prairie Flower Farm is all excited! The animals have not quit talking all over the farm since yesterday morning. Squacking, coca doodling, quacking, clucking, meowing, whinnying, gobble-gobbleing and a whole lot of barking. The news????????

Mrs. Puddle Duck has been having her, BABIES!!!!!!!

CHICKS AND DUCKS! A wonderful combination if you ask me!


I had as delivery date on my calendar for July 11 or 12th for the baby chicks and July 15th -17 for the baby ducks. She is right on time. A little early on the baby duck.This is quite confusing since Mrs. Puddle Duck has Mrs. Americana's 6 eggs that she is hatching along
with her 9 duck eggs.



Yesterday I went out to do my chores before church and along the side of Mrs. Puddle Duck was this adorable little yellow chick. I am so glad it is warm outside. (photo above)

I was afraid that our cats might be naughty, so this little one went in with Mrs. Red. She took the baby just fine. It is just a little bit tinier then the others. I will give Mrs. Red all the baby chicks.




We heard a little peeping going on last night when we checked Mrs. Puddle Duck and a baby duck was also hatching, didn't see it yet this morning. Hope all is okay.



I checked her again this morning. See the little tiny baby chick head? I haven't seen the baby duck yet. Can't wait!!!!!!

So much is going on. My farm girlfriend Gail called just a bit ago and said my other baby chicks we ordered way back were in as well. I can't remember what kind I even got. I will have to ask her. Gail said they were good layers for her, so we are trying them out. I will report on them tomorrow.


We had some of our family out yesterday. Our sons were building deer blinds on their property, so the women and children went to be with and picked sandhill plums.

We found so many, it felt like CHRISTmas. We were again reminded of the
goodness of the Lord, that He thought all of this up at the beginning of time! So He could
bless us with food. He is such a good Daddy to us!

The sandhill plums looked like huge cherries on the tree. We were so excited!!!!!!!!

I just had to show you the pic's. They were so beautiful.


You could grab a cluster in you hand at one time. That is when it is really fun!

Oh my...... if Grandma Jo was here she would been so excited. She went to pick sandhill plums when they were ready every year. It was always her treat to her family. She loved us so much and we all knew it. We always received it for CHRISTmas as a gift. I have carried on her tradition. It was so nummy then and now we are making it and it hasn't changed since! Our family loves it. We have been having problems with frost getting the plums, for some years, but the Lord has given us plenty to freeze and make some jam. The recipe is simple and can be found on a package of Ball Easy Gel Liquid Fruit Pectin.

I do mine a little different then what the recipe tells me on the box. I DO NOT pit the plums.

I put my plums in a large 6qt. cooking pot and fill to the top with water.
I get as much juice as I can.

So, if you are making a batch of jam, have at least 4 1/2 cup plums. Then follow the recipe from the Ball Easy Gel Liquid Fruit Pectin. It is not hard TO MAKE HONEST!!!!!!!!!

If you want to follow our family recipe here it is:

Grandma Jo always said, that you needed to have red and some pink/yellowish plums.
This is what made good sweet with tart taste in your jam. I agree.

Grandma Ethels and Grandma Jo's Sandhill Plum Jam
for each recipe of jam you need:
4 cups juice with pulp
7 cups of sugar
1 package of dry or liquid Ball pectin.

Fill a 6qt. cooking pot full of plums/pit. Fill almost to the top with water. This will get you the juice you need for the recipe. Let simmer until the plums are mushy. Make sure your fire is not blazing. You just want a slow simmer. Same when you are cooking the jam. Always stay there and stir! I have been known to ruin my jam.

I use this kind of strainer You can buy one here. If you don't have this, use cheese cloth. That is very easy to use as well.
Get all the juice and pulp that you can get. Add your sugar to the juice. I like to add 1/2 tea, of butter to reduce foaming at this time. Cook mixture until it comes to a full rolling boil, that cannot be stirred down, over med heat. Add Ball liquid fruit pectin. Continue hard boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary.


This is what my front room floor looks like. I laid a sheet folded in half on the floor. Then I spread the plums all out. If you keep them in the containers that you picked them in they get to hot and ferment.

I sooooooo wish I could send you each a box of sand hill plums.
We checked it would cost about $10.oo just to send it! Why does everything have to cost so much?


When we got home last night everyone was hungry, so we set the momma's and children out to get some basil to make pesto and tomatoes to make our Chunky Tomato Salsa . I have a post from last year that gives my recipe, if you would like to make. Taylor our youngest daughter made up her Famous Penne Spaghetti Bake.

I don't have a pic for this recipe, but thought I would still give the recipe to you. It is so nummy and super easy! Great recipe to make for a family in need!

Taylor's Famous Penne Spaghetti Bake.

1 pkg. of Penne noodles cooked
strain water off.

1 lb. hamburger, fried into little pieces.
Add hamburger to 1 jar of any kind of spaghetti sauce. Tay always doctors the sauce up with a little more italian herbs and 2 cloves of pressed garlic. Start with one layer of noodles on the bottom and then the spaghetti and meat mixture. Do this twice. On the top of each layer of sauce spread mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake until warm in a 350 degree oven.

She also baked some Herb Butter Bread up for us.
Use any kind of bread, hamburger buns or sliced french bread
You will need:

Herb Butter Bread
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 tea. Italian herbs
2 pressed garlic cloves
1/2 tea. garlic salt

Spread over the bread. Shake parmesan on the top of butter. Broil until golden.
This is the best bread. After it is cooked spread a thin bit of pesto and Chunky Salsa on the
top. That makes it even better.

Click here for the recipes for:


It is so nummy!

I know I have a lot on this post. So much to share! Do you have something going on your blog
that we all need to know about? Leave it in the comments for us.


Love you all bunches and lots of hugs from the farm.

Photobucket

15 comments:

  1. Hi Linda..
    Oh...lots of babies at your farm...all cute...animal and human..all though the grandbabies are growing up :) :) Thanks for posting pics. I think it's funny that Mrs. Puddledcuk helped to care for baby chicks and ducklings!!! They're so cute!!!

    I've never heard of a sandhill plum before. You are right. They look like ginormous cherries...now you'll have plenty of yummy fruit to eat.

    Those recipes look good. I'll have to try that Penne spaghetti bake recipe of Taylor's. It looks nice and easy..

    Oh what's going on at my blog? I just made homemade soap over the weekend :) :) :) It was so much FUN....and I live in an apartment. I went over to my friend Julie's house to make it. She did the work and I documented the whole process...we both took turns stamping the soaps!!! I blogged about it yesterday in two parts!!! I'm super farmgirl chic now :) :) :) Thanks for that com pliment you gave me!!!! I treasure that!!!!

    Oh, quick question, the Bible study with Micah and TRessa...I'm really excited about that. Are we supposed to leave comments on BOTH blogs? Or just on Tressa's or just on Micah's?

    Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :) :) :)

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  2. Ooops..that's supposed to be "PuddleDUCK"...is her first name Jemimah? Beatric Potter had a story about a Jemimah Puddleduck!!!!

    more love and hugs for you and your family, Heather :) :) :)

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  3. I think leave both the girls comments. Just copy! They are new to this blogging and any comments or dialogue is wonderful encouragement.

    I have listened to the series before, but am listening again. They are wonderful. Full of lots of wisdom for us all to glean from. You will enjoy! Did you see there is a download with a study. Tressa made up folders for the girls and decorated them. So fun to see the girls grow in their own faith with their Father! The baton is getting passed on. I have prayed for this and He has heard my cry!
    Thank you Heather, for all your encouragement to the girls! Oh and myself!

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  4. Sweet Linda ~ I cannot comment when I am not on my own computer, so I have stopped by today since I have my computer back in action! :) How precious all those babies are!! I *love* the looks of those plums...never heard of that sort before. They look SOOOO good!

    Love to you!
    Camille

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  5. Loved your blog today with all the pictures of the babies! The plums look delicious and the recipes sound wonderful, thanks so much for sharing! God Bless!

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  6. My goodness Linda.. there is always something fun going on at the Farm! What adorable little babies.. just precious. Wonderful recipes... oh my. What gorgeous plums... so many too. Some fine cook'n going on at the farm for sure!

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  7. Thanks for sharing the recipes. I can't wait to try them, especially the plum jam. Take care and enjoy all your babies. God bless.

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  8. Oh Linda..you are always so busy on your farm! Can't imagaine where you get all that energy.. Love all your recipes..and those plums are amazing!! Oh...and those babies are so neat..love them!! Thank you for sharing everything!!

    Blessings........
    xoxo Gert

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  9. Linda, It was so nice to come home from a very busy day and hear about your new farm babies, the beautiful plums and your family working together.
    You are very blessed and have a special way of sharing your blessings with your readers. Thank you so much.

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  10. Wow, that is a lot of plums. How many jars were you able to put up? I love jams and have been trying my hand at it the last two years. Wish we had plums like that around here.

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  11. Hello Camille, So glad you stopped by!They are good plums. We went and picked more tonight. The front room floor has about 18 gallons laid out on sheets. I put up 5 gallons today to put in the freezer for the fall. I so bad want to make some up soon. They are super easy to cook with! Hugs!

    They are so good Apple Blossom!

    You are right Amy, always busy! We got 10 new baby chicks today, that I forgot that I ordered. Cutie, cute!

    Donna, you are so welcome! I hope you enjoy using the recipes.

    Gert, if you saw me tonight you would see a wasted lady! Glad you like the recipes. You will love the taste of all of them!

    Linda E. WE so love to work together as a family. Can't imagine what it would be like if we didn't. Tonight we all went and picked more plums. I am so excited!

    Hi Gail, To 4 1/2 cups of plums which is one recipe I will get 5 pints. I will get a lot of jam! I will share with family and friends. Hope I can sell some also around Christmas time. Wish I could send you some plums! You could come and get some! Smile!

    Love and hugs, Me

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  12. Love those chickens, ducks, and plums! Isn't summertime wonderful!! have fun with the preservation of the plums. It's a lot of work, but always worth it. :-)

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  13. Dear SWEET Linda,
    So many WONDERFUL posts, my head is spinning with delight!!! I have been so busy helping Mama and Daddy pack I haven't been able to make my rounds to my favorites and comment the way I would like to. (Yes, you are one of my FAVORITES!!!!) First off, all the fruit!!!! Just heavenly!!! Peaches and plums, I wish I could come pick fruit with you and your family and then stay and help make jam or pies or... it's endless! I love the pictures of the fruit on the trees~God is so amazing!!! And all those plums on your living room floor~WOW! Love it~LOVE IT! Congratulations to Mrs. Puddleduck, in her honor I read Beatrice Potters Puddleduck book to Anna last night, she was pleased with my selection. :-) And might I add that Mrs. Red is looking quite beautiful~You can tell she is so proud of her fuzzy little chicks. I was thinking about Mrs. Puddleduck and how she has mothered chicks and ducklings... That is what we do as mothers... help one another... I know how much I have been blessed by what you write and share, the Lord wants us to help one another!!! :-) And you help so many by your sweet testimony and servants heart~Thank you!!
    Thank you for your sweet visits at my place...It always brings a smile to my face!
    Love you bunches!!!!
    Carissa
    PS "Nummy" has become a household word here at Stella's. Smile!

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  14. PS If forgot to mention how lovely your table was for dinner and then breakfast with your girls the next morning... What an outreach!! Your mason jar water pitcher is my kind of simplicity! I loved how you talked about keeping it simple.."Teach us to delight in simple things"..I am going to stencil that soon above my kitchen sink. Thank you for noticing the little things and then sharing them with us (The latch with the little pieces of cut steel). I for one think it is a sweet reminder for us who read to take a step back, breathe, and ask ourselves if we have been noticing the little things that God has placed before us.
    You are such a dear!
    Love Carissa

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Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving me a comment. It is so appreciated and it makes me feel like I am making a new friend.

God Bless your day!