Kids, Kids, Kids…

This place is filling up with goat kids. It’s fun. It’s crazy. It’s mayhem. And it’s also wonderfully precious.

So it’s a busy season around here. I am bottle feeding the kids so there is a very tight schedule with all of the feedings. Then there is the milking. And the cheese-making. And the gardening. And our harvests. And then there are the strawberries. Soooo many strawberries. Sooo much milk. And oh so many kids….

Daisy’s triplet kids are now 6 weeks old and they’ve enjoyed spending most of their life outside in their kid pen. This year we built a kid barn called The House Of Kids. We also fenced in a large area to give the kids a pen all to themselves. The kid pen is attached to The House of Kids and they have lots of shade since they’re right up against the woods edge.

The weather has been pretty mild so I got Daisy’s triplets adjusted to being outside since they were 2 days old. They sleep and escape the rains in the kid barn but they love being outside. Like all little goat kids, they really enjoy playtime. They like to run and jump up into the air. And they love to hop up on their little platform. We call it the prissy platform because they like to prance and be prissy up there. And I just love the clicking sound of their little hooves when they’re on the wooden platform.

Vienna had her kids 2 weeks ago — she had 2 little bucklings. They were also introduced to the outside world when they were 2 days old. They’re growing strong and they enjoy being around Daisy’s kids.

Daisy’s triplets are teaching Vienna’s twin bucklings how to eat hay, drink water, and nibble on grain. And, of course, how to jump on chairs and the prissy platform.

Friday, Sienna had her kids — she had twins, too: a doeling and a buckling. So now the House Of Kids has 2 more residents!

Here they are at 2 days old:

This week, Abbie is due to kid. Then Maggeah will have her kids in early August. That’s 5 Nubian does kidding this season, giving us 5 milkers. There are 7 purebred Nubian kids so far with more on the way.

Kids, kids, kids….one of life’s little joys…..

Canning Meals In Jars

Our food pantry is all lined up with jars of home-canned foods that can be turned into a quick, home-cooked meal in short order.  Sitting on our pantry shelves there are jars of chicken, pork, rabbit, and some locally-raised beef. There are jars of broth and soup bases. There are jars of cooked beans and many homegrown vegetables, even pickled relishes, pickles, and assorted vegetables. There are also jars of fruits, juices, vinegars, sauces, jams, & jellies.

With so many home-canned foods in glass jars, we have several places to store our foods. We have the upstairs kitchen pantry and the downstairs pantry which is now a walk-in food storage room.  Both pantries have deep shelves that allow for 3-deep jars to be shelved and with pints or half pints, we can stack them one on top of another.

Some shelves have labels to help me remember what I stocked up on the top shelf!

All shelving is well-supported (we have even added wooden dowels in places) because there is a great deal of weight resting on those shelves!

With all of the home-canned foods in our pantry, I’ve made my own style of ‘fast food.’ And I don’t drive through the Golden Arches at McDonald’s to get my ‘fast food’ — I simply reach for a jar or two on the pantry shelves. For us, a quickly made meal can easily be prepared from some of our home-canned foods.

Some of our meals in jars are used to make spaghetti, made with my tomato and meat sauce, or vegetable beef soup, using cubed chunks of chuck roast, canned beef broth, canned vegetables, along with stored root crops.  Another great meal in a jar for us is Chili which is made with home-grown tomatoes, onions, and locally-raised beef. I add a jar of home-canned beans to go with the Chili and simply reheat it all for a very quick meal that came from home-canned jars. That’s ‘fast food’ made at home and it’s much more nutritious than whatever-it-is that comes from the fast-food joints!

Having a meal straight from the home-canned foods in our pantry is very convenient. Canning meals in jars makes the meal preparation quicker than a start-from-scratch meal.  There are days when these home-canned foods come in real handy. Like when you’re sick or something unplanned occurs. I’m thinking about the time last year when the pigs got out before 5pm and we couldn’t find them. We even went so far as to start driving around, looking for them in the truck. So when there’s a break-in-routine and you can’t cook a meal from scratch, you need to rely on a quick alternative and reach for a home-canned jar of something delicious for the evening meal while you laugh at how the day turned out.

Some of the foods I’ve canned are pureed vegetable soup bases that I’ll add fresh vegetables into for a quick soup. Those are some of my all-time favorite canned foods because the flavor always adds so much depth to a soup and it only took minutes to prepare.

I keep dozens of jars of home-canned beans in the pantries since they are a great addition to a meal as an ingredient, side dish, or with some fresh-baked cornbread.

Some of the meals in jars are meats with sauces, like chili or spaghetti sauce.  I’ve enjoyed making the Ball recipes, including their recipe for Beef In Wine Sauce. Cooking a large batch of food, then pressure-canning it to preserve it, is an excellent way to prepare many future meals for a later date.

And some of the home-canned meats are easy to add into a casserole for a 30-minute bake. Prepare a basic casserole, open a jar of home-canned chicken or pork or beef, and then wait for the meal to cook in the oven. Simple!

I also make condiments like relish, ketchup, and chutney, then preserve them by canning. Each of the condiments become great additions to a meal.

Canning meals in jars takes some up-front time but preserving today’s foods for tomorrow is a frugal way to increase the family’s food storage while also having some meals in jars, waiting to be eaten.

Are you canning meals in jars?

Here Come The Kids!

Friday morning, one of our goats, Daisy, had her kids.  She had triplets, 2 bucklings and 1 doeling. Here they are cuddling together as I dry them off right after they were born:

Daisy was right on schedule at 150 days. The first kid was born head first but the legs were tucked under the body and Daisy was having problems with the delivery. I had to assist with its delivery after waiting almost 30 minutes for ‘nature’ to work properly.

The other 2 kids were born easily, in normal head-first with hoof and leg out.  Now they are 2 days old:

The doeling is such a petite little girl:

I’m especially fond of Nubians — those long white ears are just so darn cute!

Daffodils In The Garden

Daffodils are one of the early signs of Spring. Since they can grow in full sun to partial shade, I plant the bulbs just about anywhere I can put down a shovel! Daffodils are in the perennial beds and along the woods edges on our property. Some clumps are under trees while other clumps grow near daylilies and other perennial flowers.

In early Spring, along with the early blooming Crocus, I look for the early Daffodils. They are the dwarfs with small blossoms. The photo (above left) shows Tete-a-Tete, a dwarf Daffodil (from Division 12). Once I see the dwarf Daffodils bloom, I know that the other Daffodil blossoms aren’t far behind! By having a number of different species planted, the Daffodil season can be extended for more than a month.

Daffodils are very easy to grow and they make excellent cut flowers. Of course, we all know these beautiful Springtime flowers as “Daffodils” because that’s the common name for them. They are actually from the genus Narcissus. And there are lots of them –  at least 25 species and several natural hybrids.

A Daffodil collector could go crazy with them — there are over 13,000 hybrids and it would probably take a lifetime or two to collect the majority of them. Just think of the task of labeling them all!

In general though, we can simply remember the names of the actual hybrids or we can go a step further and learn the twelve divisions of Daffodils. These divisions are:

• Trumpet Daffodil – The cup is as long or longer than the petals with one bloom per stem
• Large-Cupped Daffodil – The cup length measures more than 1/3 of, but less than or equal to, the length of the petals. There is one bloom per stem.
• Short-Cupped Daffodil – The cup length measures not more than 1/3 of the length of the petals. There is one bloom per stem.
• Double Daffodils – Daffodils have a clustered cup and petals. There can be one or more flowers per stem.
• Triandrus Daffodils – Daffodils have blooms that hang like bells. There are usually two or more blooms per stem.
• Cyclamineus Daffodils – Daffodils have a wind-swept appearance. The flower hangs its head. There is one bloom per stem.
• Jonquilla Daffodils – Daffodils have small flowers with flat petals. There are usually one to three blooms on a stem. They are very fragrant. The foliage is narrow, reed-like.
• Tazetta Daffodils – Daffodils have clusters of florets (usually more than three) on a stem. The foliage and stem are very broad. These flowers are very fragrant.
• Poeticus Daffodils – Daffodils have extremely white petals and are noted for this quality. The cup is a small, crinkled disc. Cups most often have a green center, surrounded by yellow, with a red rim. There is usually one fragrant bloom per stem.
• Bulbocodium Hybrids – Daffodils having the “hoop petticoat” form.
• Split-Cupped Daffodils – Daffodils have cups split at least one-third of their length.
• Miscellaneous Daffodils – Daffodils not classifiable by the first 11 divisions. Many are inter-division hybrids.

There is also a 13th Division, being the Species wild variants, and the wild hybrids.

We grow quite a few Daffodils at Wood Ridge Homestead, but we surely don’t have Daffodils from every division listed above!

Ice Follies is a lovely Daffodil and it’s very popular (from the Large Cup division):

One of my favorites is Actinae:

Another favorite of mine is Thalia (Narcissus triandrus) which multiplies rapidly. This pretty Daffodil is also called the ‘Orchid Daffodil’ and it has a nice scent:

Other beauties include these Trumpet Daffodils, Mount Hood and Yellow Trumpet:

Violet Blossom Jelly

When Springtime arrives and the wild Violets (Viola papilionacea) bloom, it’s time to make Violet Blossom Jelly.

Both the wild and cultivated varieties of Violets are edible.  This jelly recipe uses freshly picked Violet blossoms and they are plentiful on our property.

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 cups fresh violet blossoms
• 3 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 package (1 3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 cups granulated sugar

Directions

• Rinse and drain fresh-picked Violet blossoms; place in a large heat-resistant glass bowl or Pyrex measuring cup.
• Pour boiling water over the blossoms. Allow to steep until cool, then cover and allow to stand overnight.
• Strain blossoms and reserve violet liquid. Discard blossoms.
• Measure violet liquid; add enough water to measure 3 1/2 cups (liquid will be blue-green).
• Pour liquid into a large stainless steel pot.
• Measure 4 cups sugar (exactly 4 cups) and reserve.
• Stir in lemon juice and pectin.  Place pot on stove top and bring to full rolling boil on high heat.
• Add 4 cups sugar all at once and stir continuously until sugar completely dissolves. The mixture will turn a reddish-violet (depending upon the color of the Violet blossoms). Continue stirring until mixture comes to a hard rolling boil. Stir exactly 1 minute (use a timer), then remove from heat.
• Skim foam. Carefully ladle hot liquid into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
• Wipe jar rims, add lids and screw rings. Adjust lids, place jars in canner and make sure boiling water covers jelly jar lids by 1 inch or more.
• Cover, bring canning water to a boil.
• Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. (Adjust timing for elevations over 1,000 feet above sea level.)
• Remove from boiling water bath and allow to cool (and ping!).
• When cooled, check seals and refrigerate any jars that failed to seal properly.

Yield: 5 half-pints.

Note: When considering any edible flower as a food source, use common sense — do not gather flowers that have been chemically sprayed or contaminated by animals. And make sure you have no allergies or reactions to any foraged food.

In Pink And Purple Hues

Spring flowers are a month late here in the northern Shenandoah Valley. But Spring has finally arrived and we are really enjoying the flowers because they are everywhere we turn. This year the Daffodils are blooming later than usual because the weather pattern has been so predictably unpredictable.

Everywhere I turn, there is a riot of color — so very fitting for the weather riot we have had. These Grecian Windflowers (Anemone blanda) have been blooming on and off for about 6 weeks because Spring has been so cool.

This cluster of blue-purple bulbs is spreading in and around other perennials now. I believe it may be a Chionodoxa species but I’m unsure because I have no label. Does anyone recognizes this flower?

Spreading Phlox is in full bloom and it looks like garden carpeting.

The ever-faithful Cherry Pop miniature Iris is starting to bloom. I must have a dozen clusters of this Iris scattered throughout the gardens here.

This unknown miniature Iris came from my mother a few years ago and like the other miniatures, they bloom in April.

Last year, I planted a small division of Bleeding Heart (previously known as Dicentra, now renamed Lamprocapnos).  I was so pleased so see the first flowering stalk this morning! Bleeding Heart is happiest in the shade and grows well in a woodland (that sounds like me!), so mine are in the Hosta garden under a Weeping Cherry tree.

And last, but certainly not the least is the crazy-blooming Lungwort (Pulmonaria) which sends forth tiny tubular blossoms in pink and purple hues all within one cluster. It is a unique flowering plant with medicinal properties. Lungwort also prefers shade and a woodland environment.

So often we forget the beauty of our flowering trees when Spring gives us so many blooms from bulbs and other perennial flowers. Presently, the Cherry, Apple, Crabapple, Pear, wild Dogwood, and Redbud trees are blooming. And our Lilac bush is fully budded, ready to open. Having the full color burst of so many flowering trees at the same time is very unusual.

Cherry trees are still blooming, despite the breezes that insist on blowing the petals off.

Some of the apple trees are sending forth their flowers now and the bees have been busy collecting pollen.

The Crabapple blossoms have covered our tree this week and it’s such a bright pink compared to some of the other pink blossoms.

There is such a color party going on around here! And that’s just the pink and purple hues! Take a look at those red Primroses!

Spring is so beautiful….

Yesteryear: Along The Drains Of Sleepy Creek

Jacob Fleece (est. birth 1750 – est. death 1797), my 4th great-grandfather, was an early landowner in Frederick County, Virginia. He immigrated to America from Germany in his youth, along with his parents, and became a Patriot to the Revolutionary War.

After he married in 1775, Jacob Fleece acquired land through family purchases in the 1780s. One parcel of land, 162 acres, was purchased for 162 Pounds from his father-in-law, William Smith, Sr.  Jacob Fleece bought that land in July 1782. Originally, that parcel was claimed by Lord Fairfax but was granted to William Smith, Sr. by Patent in August 1766 from Lord Fairfax. That parcel of land was located along the drains of Sleepy Creek.

That parcel was one of several parcels of land on Sleepy Creek acquired by Jacob Fleece. Another parcel of land Jacob Fleece obtained on Sleepy Creek was located on Wolf Hill on the drains of Stony Lick Run on Sleepy Creek.  That parcel of 127 acres was also originally granted to William Smith, Sr. (in 1776).

Sleepy Creek is an upper tributary of the Potomac River and is one of the mountain waterways in that region of the Appalachian Mountains.

By tracking the old land deeds and probate documents, the fragments of a family’s life begin to emerge. Transcribing the 1798 estate appraisal of Jacob Fleece provided a good summary of his household inventory. The estate appraisal was, in essence, an itemized list of Jacob Fleece’s personal property with an assigned dollar value (in pounds Sterling). Estate documents provide evidence of a family’s household acquisitions during the time of the property assessment.

Studying the estate of Jacob Fleece, clues to the Fleece homesteading lifestyle become apparent. There are no tithable (tax) records showing that the Fleece family owned slaves, so the family performed the bulk of the chores, perhaps with some hired help. The Fleece family was a working family and they owned land that they worked while also producing many of their necessities. Since the Fleece’s in laws, the John Smith and William Smith families, were early settlers who lived in this region from the 1730s, there is no doubt that family relied on one another for support, work, and trade.

Looking over the estate listing of Jacob Fleece, it is apparent that many of the household items are no longer necessary in today’s world. In fact, some of the listed items might be unrecognizable to the casual reader without a history lesson. All listed inventory is typed as it was transcribed, even when spelled incorrectly.  The fact that kitchen and eating utensils are listed shows these items had notable significance in a household.

In this estate listing, what is unfamiliar to you? How does your household relate to the Jacob Fleece household?

• 1 corner cupboard
• 1 table
• 1 bedstead
• 1 spinning wheel
• 4 chairs
• 1 chest
• 1 check reel
• 4 crocks
• 2 keelers
• 1 waterpot
• 3 puter plates and 5 spoons
• 1 puter plate and bason
• 1 tea canister 1 peper box 1 quart & 1 sugar box & 1 pint cup
• 1 frying pan
• 1 Cag
• 1 Churn
• 2 pots
• 1 duch oven
• 1 Copper Kettle
• 1 delf plate
• 1 flat iron
• 1 pot rack
• 1 shovel and piece of Tongs
• 1 pair of Stilyards
• 1 steel coffe mill
• 1 Cloaths Brush
• 1 greater 1 pair of Shears and 3 tea spoons
• 1 chalf bed and cover led
• 1 cover led and chaff Bed
• 1 testament
• 2 flour carts
• 1 Pritting bakers iron
• 2 Wheat Tubs
• 5 Riddles and Sifters
• 20 dress hoops
• 2 bee gums
• 2 bedsteads
• 4 sickles
• 1 salt tub
• 1 old Saddle
• 2 cross cutters
• 1 old womans saddle
• 1 hammer
• 1 looking glass
• 1 Loom 4 pair of geers 4 reeds and other Tacklings
• 4 stitting tubs
• 1 hogshead
• 1 Tub
• 1 iron Kettle and Frameule
• 1 Brindle Cow
• 1 hoe and axe
• 1 cutting box and Knife
• 4 Augurs
• 1 plainbit and roundshave
• 3 drawing knives
• 2 files and 1 pair of comprassis
• 3 chissels
• 1 Log chain
• 1 Large Walnut chest
• 1 dung fork and hook
• 6 knives and eight forks
• 1 chandlestick
• 1 Bee gum
• 1 yellow with white backed Cow
• 1 Brindle cow
• 1 Feather bed 2 pillows and 1 bolster
• 1 fether bed
• 1 Cover  led
• 1 womans saddle
• 1 mans saddle
• 1 spinning wheel
• 1 gun
• 1 walnut Bedstead
• 1 wollen wheel
• 1 Cag
• 1 coopering jointer
• 1 crosscut saw
• 1 pritter platter and dish
• 5 delf plates 1 tea pot 1 can 1 Sugar bowl & 2 Sassers
• 2 Knifes 2 forks and two Spoons
• 1 Bible
• 1 Cover led
• 1 Bolster 4 pillows and cases
• 1 Grive stove
• 1 Jug

Assessed values by the appraiser were not included but each of the cows listed were the most valuable items. Of the household items and equipment, the loom was assessed the highest value.

Today, the area around Sleepy Creek is more populated with several resorts for out of town visitors. Most of the history that has been forgotten or overlooked, unless someone is interested in the history, but the clues are there if you look for them. The areas surrounding the drains of Sleepy Creek are where some members of my family once lived, so I discover and study the old papers. I appreciate learning how my ancestors lived, interconnected with a small community while they raised their families and worked the land.

More than two centuries later, many changes have taken place in America. Family structure has changed, households have evolved, work loads have shifted and changed, and few people own large parcels of land that they work. Even fewer people produce their foods and other necessities.

How has it come to be that our world grew so large and we became so global while forgetting our history and what was important? How did we forget how interconnected we once were?