Blueberry Jam

 One thing I can do with Mom and my step-dad here is make jelly. It just happens that I'm a little low on jars so I've made rose pedal jelly, and with the food organization, Bountiful Baskets that I buy from, there has been a good deal on strawberries, blackberries, and now blueberries.  

I've always wanted to make blueberry jam. Yee haw, I get to cross one more thing off my Want To Do list. Of course I'll just add two things to replace the one I've done but oh well.



I searched the Internet for a low sugar recipe and found one using Sure-Jell, my favorite pectin. What got me really excited about this recipe was I didn't have to juice the blueberries. I was afraid if I did that I wouldn't end up with nearly as much jam for my dollars spent. It turned out I was able to make two batches. One like the recipe called for and one with 3/4 a cup less sugar.

The first thing the recipe said to do was briefly blend 6 1/2 cups blueberries. It looked pretty awful and I began to wonder what I was doing.
 http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/surejell-for-less-no-60551.aspx




 Then as it cooked it began to turn.

 It doesn't look too purplely but still a whole lot prettier than after blended.

I turn my jelly jars upside down for a while after filling them. Is that what you do?   I haven't tried any of the jam yet.  Mom is in love with the sugery kind and I think I'll like the less sugar one.

I think blueberry jelly on pancakes sounds especially good. Wish our soil was acid enough to grow our own blueberry plants. Alas, our soil doesn't grow anything but grass well.  I guess I'll just have to savor these few jars.

Is It Male or Female?

More and more antelope are moving into town and the surrounding plains as the heat and winds suck all the moisture from the plants and ground. Soon the animals will be in everyone's yards munching on flower beds, gardens, and treasured bushes.

Like the whole west, we too are fighting fires that erupt on a reguler basis. Several right next to town like this one that my husband help to fight with our lone shovel from the corrals. We had just passed this spot by the road and had arrived at the pens to let the does out to be milked when my husband looked up and saw flames racing across the prairie, chase by the wind. The wind that almost always blows. A blessing as it tempers the heat but a curse as it creates a kiln baking the countryside along with my garden that now has to be watered every other day.

I stayed to milk since I could only observe yet I occasionally peeked outside our milking parlor to check on the guys progress for others had joined the battle before the town's volunteer fire department could rally.

On the high plains dessert, where we live, fire trucks are tucked inside barns here and there on ranches, everyone pitching in to keep things under control for towns are few and far between. With over an hour between fire departments and winds that commonly push forty miles and hour or more, a fire can cover a large area in a hurry.

 I knew of one personally where fire fighters were bouncing across the prairie at 60 miles an hour unsuccessfully trying to get ahead of the racing flames. Wind driven fires like that can't stick around long enough to properly burn fence post to the ground but hay stacks and houses, well, they are just too delicious to pass up.

 I feel for those in the western states whose homes are threatened or worse have lost theirs. I pray for their safety as it could  just as easily be us next.

But if you are one of those lucky ones who are on their way to visit our fine state, Wyoming, I want to give you a heads up. Though these Pronghorn Antelope are behind fences, they are not like cattle and being raised. They are not contained but will slip under fences and if they must, jump them. These unique animals roam wild across the prairie and our town.

So you will be really smart, this is a buck. Note the black cheek markings. There is usually a black strip down the forehead to the nose but how much is unique to each animal with the buck's strip being more dominate and darker than the doe's.

In May and June the bucks gather together in bands of approximately 12 males while the does are off
having their fawns in early June. Since the does stay far away from humans during this time, you don't see many fawns until late in the month, about now. While this doe ate, another doe was laying down with her twins and this doe's twins also. They do lots of babysitting for each other.

I've a picture of the doe and fawns but can't make it large enough in this blog so you can see them hiding amongst the grass. I'll keep trying to capture a photo of them when I go to the corrals morning and night so stay tuned.

This website will give you a basic run down about this unique animal.
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/wildlife/pronghorn.html

As for that puffy white hair on her butt, well, it is raised in alarm signifying danger is near. The buck wasn't any further away than this doe when I snapped the picture but he is quite a bit older than  and I'd guess wiser  to the habits of humans. I'm no threat with my camera lens.  

Dairy goat owners, note that udder on her. LOL Sometimes a little does a lot.

Milk, Tomatoes, and Summertime Fun

 What do you do when you have old goat milk?  Mix it with lots of water and pour it on the tomato plants of course. The reason for all the extra milk is of course the lack of time to create buttermilk and butter. What between caring for three munchkins and Grandma Great and Grandpa Great too there isn't a spare moment. But "waste not want not" still applies to the best of my ability. Last year I added old milk to the mulch pile but not directly to the garden so this year I'm giving it a try.

Gary, a friend of Kirk's, says he puts 1 teaspoon of powdered milk in the soil around his tomatoes every year when he plants them. The farmer on the Internet from whom I got this idea of using excess milk on the garden, uses gallons and gallons from his dairy on his fields along with some other nutrient. Wish I could remember which one it is.

Don't have either of these on hand, I'd guess that if powdered milk works, store bought liquid milk should too.  Anyone given it a try?

 As for the rest of the day toady, it was filled with meals and entertainment. The smaller fry thought a tent created with the willow tree would be cool. Not that temperature had anything to do with it. They just wanted to pretend to camp out with their play microwave. LOL The old blanket was too short and even the blue tarp. Yes, Grandma has cut all the lower branches to keep from getting coal cocked when she mows the lawn and now we don't have anything that touches the ground when slung up.

 They still thought they should anchor the tarp's ends as that is just what you would do if you had a real tent.

Then when the late night of sitting on the sleeping bags on the living room floor playing Crazy Eights and Go Fish had caught up with them this wee one gave up and fell fast asleep on Papa's chest.

Antelope, a Recipe, and a Give Away

   Pronghorn Antelope are prevalent in our county. Sometimes you see them every which way you turn. At this time of year the bucks are grouped together and the does are reaching the end of their calving season.

Funny thing is, no matter how often I see them. I still feel it a privilege to live amongst so many wildlife.

Now I'd recommend you head on over to my other blog at http://thecalicobush.blogspot.com/ for a recipe of rose pedal jelly and a project bag give away. Meanwhile, I'll try and catch up on a few things, the house, the garden, the business etc. etc. And I think I'll use that half gallon of goat milk in the fridge that needs used up to mix with water and fertilize my tomatoes. Yes, the calcium and nutrients in powdered milk or fresh milk does good things for the garden, especially tomatoes.  I've put in lots and lots since it is suppose to be a long hot summer.

Goat Appraisal Day

 Linear Appraisal was awesome!!! If you have the opportunity to attend or participate, don't cough, sneeze or hesitate, ru....n. It is a fantastic learning opportunity. If your goats score well, that's a bonus but education is the real reason for the event.

 Well, that and having fun for we can't help but have that when we get together. Our appraiser was soon getting in on our bantering conversation heightening the fun and learning. We came to the conclusion my friend had way too many bucks and needed to cull a few does.

I had the wrong buck for the does I have and he suggested that Anne and I pool our efforts and head in the same direction to get there quicker.

And Kirk and I had to smile really big when the appraiser insisted on going and getting his camera to photograph our buck, Touch of Classic.

He is the largest buck he has ever seen scoring a 37 out of 35 possible points on depth. We figure Touch weighs in over 300 pounds and he isn't fat. He is just a really big boy and has pretty shoulders.  If you need width on a doe, he's your goat and best yet, he's for sale.

What made the day fun was we knew we weren't pulling wool over the appraiser's eyes so we freely discussed the excellent, good, bad, and down right ugly parts of each goat.

This is a little of our banter:

"Oh sorry, you didn't want to judge my behind. Wait just a minute, I'll have hers in view, it's much better."

"Got a paper bag anyone, this head is not presentable in the Nubian category."

"My..., that is a narrow escutcheon. Oh, maybe I shouldn't of said that out loud."

Giggle, "I think he already knows."

We told the appraiser it was like Christmas, and it was. Not sure he believed us but Anne and I have been looking forward to this day all spring.  

 To top off such a wonderful day was this little beauty that came home with us. I saw her shortly after she was born and commented how of the sixteen kids in the pen, I liked her by far the best. It wasn't just the markings either.

And it wasn't that cute look in her eye but her conformation was what drew her to me.  It didn't hurt that I happen to love her momma's conformation too. I can't wait to see how this little girl looks at a year old.

Gardening With Epson Salt

How many of you have gardened with Epson Salt? I haven't until this year. I've been reading about it for the last couple years but you know me, it takes that long before I put ideas to action. There is such a backlog of things to try.

The reminder came when I was in Billings to the doctor with my step-dad and Mom this last Wednesday. We were shopping for medical supplies and I saw some Epson salt for 88 cents. I mentioned the gardening connection to my mom as I added a few boxes to my cart and an older gentlemen, who overheard the conversation, piped up, " I can't believe you know that." He of course doesn't know that my dear friend calls me a walking encyclopedia. LOL I told him I hadn't tried it but had been doing some reading on the subject.

I bought four boxes and now I'm waiting to see the results of my sprinkling it around my plants in the garden.

What's so great about Epson salt. well, read what the following site has to say.

http://www.saltworks.us/gardening-with-epsom-salt.asp

 

Magnesium is beneficial to plants from the beginning of their life, right when the seed begins to develop. It assists with the process of seed germination; infusing the seed with this important mineral and helping to strengthen the plant cell walls, so that the plant can receive essential nutrients. Magnesium also plays a crucial role in photosynthesis by assisting with the creation of chlorophyll, used by plants to convert sunlight into food. In addition, it is a wonderful help in allowing the plant to soak up phosphorus and nitrogen, which serve as vital fertilizer components for the soil. Magnesium is believed to bring more flowers and fruit to your garden, increasing the bounty as well as the beauty of your space.

Sulfate, a mineral form of sulfur found in nature, is an equally important nutrient for plant life. Sulfate is essential to the health and longevity of plants, and aides in the production of chlorophyll. It joins with the soil to make key nutrients more effective for plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Sulfate works in conjunction with Magnesium to create a “vitamin” full of minerals, nourishment and health benefits for your garden

This is only a taste of the article so I highly recommend slipping on over and reading it in its entiretity. I'm not done spreading this wonder supplement yet. I have the fruit trees to do and I'm going to continue giving my tomatotes and peppers a dose throughout the summer. It will be fun to see what difference this makes.

I'm also wanting to use Borax in the garden. Has anyone tried it with beets? I'll tell you all about that experiment I want to try but for now I have got to get some badly needed sleep. Tommorrow is appraisal day. I can hardly wait.  

 Aren't they cute? They are the newest arrivals at the corrals.

 Just a couple days old. Their momma, who will turn one this summer, tucked them inside this piece to a farrowing crate. Pretty smart spot I thought. Then of course their momma is out of old Sue. Sue as in our going on nine year old TOM cat who lost one of his legs when he was just a couple years old and in his wild feral days. He has calmed down a whole heaping bunch since then.

He's smart and tough and my favorite barn cat and the oldest. I've been waiting for years for one of his kittens to survive. Of course I'm not positive one hasn't as the only way I can tell for sure one is his is it looks like him. This little momma is his spitting image except for the gender of course and I hope she makes it a number of years.

 And the other little coming year old female had these three kittens a few weeks ago in the hay shed. She lets me love on them and I move them from time to time as I use up hay bales but she doesn't seem to mind. My mom loved holding these precious little bundles.

This is the barn cat gang minus the first kitten's momma and Purrcy, a cantankerous grey male who limps. The calico licking the male gray and white cat lost her kittens this spring and the black female in the lower right hand corner had all five of her kittens disappear when they were of the age to run about. We'll never know the fate of them as is the story with so many. The thing that puzzles me is where is the elusive Siamese male who shows up now and then to spread his royal jelly. I've yet to catch of glimpse of him.

Meanwhile, I'll continue fighting off Chicory so the cats can get their share of her milk.

Though she'd drink it all if she had her choice. Sometimes I let her. It is just a good thing she can't reach back and suck from the tap. LOL