All Cooped Up

Devin ordered chickens.  *sigh*

So that means we're on the hunt for chicken coop designs.  I don't want a run-of-the-mill coop that looks all hickish and tacky, so I told Devin to get his thinking cap on and we'd put together a list of features that we like from various coops around the web.

The Victoriana coop to the right here is super cute, but it doesn't really have any features that I like.  And let's face it, I'm not Victorian in my decor style in the least.  Elizabethan?  Maybe, but Victorian aw, heck no.

Another coop I like the look of, but can't bring myself to emulate is the black plantation style one.  It's stylish for a chicken coop, but it's kinda plain, and really pretty big.  Also, it doesn't have a slide-out bottom that would make cleaning it easier.  And making this process of chickening as easy as possible is really, truly my main goal in the whole process.  Seriously, man.

Another coop that I found to be super well thought out was the Omlet (ha!  cute name, right?) Eglu Go!  This British company thought out a whole lotta fun stuff and that's fantastic and all, but I'm pretty confident that our chickens would bake alive inside that thing when the 120°s come around.  It's the inspiration for a lot of our coop plans though:
We like the slide-out ew-gross-poo drawer and the slide-out egg collection drawer.  We also like that their run has wire that lays horizontally on the outside to keep predators from getting in.  And since our neighborhood is full of stray cats, that's probably a really good thing.  So, we decided that we'll probably incorporate those designs into the look and feel of something similar to this Frank Lloyd Wright chicken coop from Portland, Oregon.

I don't know if I can sell Devin on the siding look or not, but I'm sure trying hard.  The best thing about this design is that it's made so that there can be a garden on the top of it, both serving as garden space (which we totally need because of all of the tree planting that's been goin' on 'round here) and a way to cool the house in the summer for the chicks.  'Cause having plants growing on the roof actually makes the inside temps a ton cooler.  So we'll use those elements to come up with our own coop design. And I like the modern looking gray and white (of course I do, practically my whole house is gray and white) and it aligns itself with the plans we have for the back porch.  Oh yeah, baby.  We totally have plans for the porch.  It's gonna be awesome.


Devin went to Mesa Feed Barn and bought six pounds of chicken starter feed for $2.70 today.  Which is awesome because guess what?  Amazon wanted $12.49 for five pounds.  Woot!


I'm preparing myself for life with chickens.  My urban fantasy?  Ruined.    I'm going to try to treat the little Easter Eggers like pets.  I won't give them names like Dinner, Breakfast, and Lunch like I'd originally planned.  Since the cats are all flowers (how very hippie of us, I know), maybe all of the chickens can be states?  or holidays?  birds of prey? Ah, I don't know.  We'll think of something, I'm sure.

What We're Reading: Shesten - Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin
Devin - Rise of the Black Wolf by J.S. Lewis and Derek Benz

Trees & Legacies

Devin spent the last couple of days planting trees.  Mahan Pecan, Pawnee Pecan, 3 Georgia Native Chinquapin, Methley Plum, Santa Rosa Plum, White Pomegranate, and a Saijo Persimmon.  Oh and berry bushes too: blackberries, raspberries, and tayberries.  So much fun.

Biggest bummer is that the trees came about ten days early so we're not sure if any of them are going to make it or not.  Willis Orchards screwed up and sent them early... of course.  And while most people would be totally excited to get something early, we ordered these on December 2nd and asked for them specifically to not be delivered before January 16th.  So that Devin would actually be home when they came. D. Rama. I tell you.

He also started working on cutting down the mulberry in the front yard.  He really needs a chainsaw.  Like bad.  But our friend Greg is going to come this week and help finish the job.

Tree Inventory:
2 Dwarf Bonanza Peaches

2 Babcock Peaches
2 Garden Prince Almonds
1 Blackjack Fig
1 Italian Everbearing Fig
1 Saijo Persimmon
2 Georgia Native Chinquapins
1 Methley Plum
1 Santa Rosa Plum
1 Mahan Pecan
1 Pawnee Pecan
1 Katy Apricot
1 Tango Tangerine
1 Bearss Lime
1 Dwarf Meyer Lemon
1 White Pomegranate

And on the docket:  2 Apples, 4 Mango, Kiwi, Dragonfruit, Passionfruit, More Berries and possibly grapes.

My project this week was focused on organizing the office.  I'm probably about half-way done.  I might even share the befores and afters with you if I'm brave enough.  The before was pretty atrocious though.  It was super scary.  All that stuff dumped in there from the move and waiting to be organized and gone through.  No fun.

But then...  *insert dun dun dun noise here*  We took a jaunt out to my grandma's house to pick some citrus.  And pick we did do.  Six bags of tangerines, two bags of lemons, and a bag of grapefruit.  Luckily Devin is planning on taking some of the tangerines with him to work.  But, that'll still leave me with 4+ bags to do something with, and I'm NOT making marmalade out of all of them.  {Learned a lesson about that marmalade down there on the last post - I should have cut the rinds up finer.  It was my first attempt at marmalade, so I'll give myself a little bit of a pass, but next time, it'll be a lot finer and not strippy at all.  The flavor turned out well though, so definitely going to keep adding juice to the water.}

My new job at church is all about planning activities for the grown-up women in our church now.  This week was the first one for the year and it was all about legacy.  {not my best work ever, but I did all I could with what I knew I had}

Anyway, some stuff hit home for me at this event.  I didn't come away with a plan on how to establish my own legacy, but on how to pass along a legacy that was given to me.

My paternal grandmother, Faye Robie, died when I was like, eight or something.  It wasn't like I didn't know her.  She lived about a half mile from us, and my brother and I spent a lot of time with her.  A LOT of time with her.  Which was awesome.  And I knew her well.  One of my favorite memories of her was sitting on the back porch shucking corn (for canning) and I was helping and she found a worm... in her bra.  I promptly had a similar experience (but I didn't have a bra, duh, I was too little).  I remember never wanting to touch an ear of corn again.

I remember her canning green beans and pinto beans in quart jars together and how incredibly yummy I thought that concoction was.  I remember her drying grapes on a wooden table to make raisins.  Some of my most fond memories of her - my only real memories of her - revolve around canning and preserving.  Something she apparently did a lot of.  Because I got this comment from my Aunt Shirley on Facebook this week on my tree post.

If that's not an excellent, amazing, and wonderful legacy to pick up and run with and pass along to others, I don't know what is.  I told Devin that after that comment, and after thinking about it for a few hours, it was the first and only time I've ever really missed my grandmother.  I tend to roll with the punches and move forward through loss focusing ahead rather than behind, but in this instance, I had the opportunity to reflect and to see that I am indeed carrying on her legacy.  And that I do miss her.  Gosh darn it, I'm doing something right.  Passing along a legacy that I inherited and was well-established before it came to me.  And I plan to rock the passing along hard core, yo.

But then, when we were out with my so-totally-not-dead maternal grandmother picking citrus, she happened upon some drawers of vintage bakeware/serveware that she doesn't need/want anymore.  So, guess who came home with that booty?  Me.  Inheriting some awesome pieces from the other side of my family.  It's a different kind of legacy... more tangible than the other, but the same level of awesome.


So no matter which way you shake it, I'm legacied-out this week.  But in a good way.


I've been busy this week:

Promised my gma I'd make her a sour orange pie and deliver?  Of course I did.  And yes, that's yummy meringue on top.  Booya.

And I preserved some lemons using salt:

Made Lemon Vanilla Bean Marmalade:

Made Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate thereby creating the Strawberry Lemonade Incident of 2012 wherein the concentrate boiled over during the 20 seconds I stepped away and gave Devin and I about 90 minutes of clean-up.  Lesson?  Learned.:

Made Honey Lavender Lemon Jelly:

With the Honey Lemon Lavender Jelly I made a few changes.  I swapped out 1 cup of the honey for 1 1/4 extra sugar and 1/4 cup water for the mere fact that sugar is free for us and honey is pricey.  I also used 3 tbsp. of powdered pectin in 1 cup of boiling water instead of a liquid pectin pouch - same reason.  Liquid pectin is pricey.  But this turned out totally delicious and I'll definitely DEFINITELY make it again.  My recipe is this:

Economized Honey Lemon Lavender Jelly
1 cup honey
2 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup boiling water
1/8 cup dried lavender flowers
3 Tbsp powdered pectin

1. Using a non-reactive pot, bring the 3/4 cup water to a boil, add the lavender, and cover with a lid. Lower heat and let simmer for 5 min, then remove from heat. Steep for at least four hours. (I did 18 hours)
2. Strain and mesure 1/2 cup of the lavender tea and place in your preserving pot.
3. Add honey, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to your preserving pot.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Boil 2 cups of water.
6. Add pectin to one cup of boiling water (water reduces when it boils, so that's why you boil 2 cups for 1 cup)
7. Stir in liquidized pectin and continue to stir frequently until it reaches a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
8. Boil hard for exactly one minute (boiling longer risks breaking the gel).
9. Remove from heat, stir. Don't worry about the foam.
10. Pour the jelly into your hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
11. Wipe the rims and seal the jar.
12. Process in a boiling water bath for five minutes
The End.

I'm 33 jars through my 156 jar goal and January isn't even over yet.  At this rate, I'll hit my goal by June, but it's more likely that I'll just lax off for a while.  I always start strong on these things.

And... that's a wrap.  I'm exhausted.


What We're Reading:
Shesten - Crossed by Ally Condie {listening}
Devin - The Rise of the Black Wolf by J. S. Lewis & Derek Benz
Website of the Week: Storybird  Basically, it's a way to make an online story book using art collections.  Then when you're done with the story, you can publish it (aka print it) for a fee.  But I think it's fun to just go through and play with it and pick out pictures and make up stories.  You can collaborate as well which makes it awesome.  

A Canning Plan

I've been reading a lot more blogs about canning and home preservation lately.  A lot more.  I've found some really great ones like Punk Domestics and Food in Jars that both inspire me and help me get the produce from the fridge to the jars.

I've noticed through my extensive reading that a lot of people are making plans for what they want to can and put up for the year.  And since I've got my 156 jar goal for 2012, I thought that might be a good idea for me too.  So here goes:

Goal #1 is to check the pantry before buying something canned.  I can't tell you!  Okay, okay, I will.  I've bought applesauce twice since I canned my own pearsauce.  Disgrace, I know.  *hides face*

But I digress.  So here's my wishlist for the year:

Jams/Jellies
✓Tangerine Marmalade
Honey Lemon Lavender Jelly
Lemon Curd
Prickly Pear Jelly
Rose Petal Jelly
Jalapeno Kiwi Jam
Watermelon Jelly
Mojito Jelly

Drinks
✓Lemonade Concentrate
Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Grape Juice

Syrups
Strawberry Rosemary Syrup
✓Tangerine Syrup

Pickles
Carrot Pickles
Pickled Garlic
Pickled Pumpkin
Pickled Asparagus
Cucumber Pickles
Zucchini Pickles
Watermelon Pickles


Pressure Canned
Canned Carrots
Canned Asparagus
Beets
Spinach
Corn
Green Beans

Water Bath Canned
Peaches
Tomatoes - Diced
Marinara Sauce
Pears
Bananas
Mandarins
Tangerines

Dehydrated
Dehydrated Carrots
Zucchini/Squash

Frozen
Basil
Rosemary


Other
Salted Lemons
Dates
Foraged Sea Salt
Vanilla Extract
Pecans

Okay.  That's 42 things.  Is it a realistic list?  Mmmmmaybe not.  But, it's a goal, right?  The jellies/jams are often given as gifts, so that litany's okay.  I always go a little overboard on the pickles, but I think it's fun, so I'm not going to stop.  But boy, I'd better get cookin' (literally) if I want to make all this stuff, right? Aye.

But I did make some stuffs this weekend.  Yays.

 Tangerine Syrup

 Vanilla Tangerine Marmalade

I'd rather be...

... is something I've never understood.  I'm a proponent of BE WHERE YOU ARE.  If I'm home, have no money, and no one to hang out with, I have plenty of things to keep me busy.  Does that mean I wouldn't rather be with my man?  Well, of course I would, but I can be happy just hanging by myself.  I like being by myself.  I like where I am in life.  I am happy here.  And I wouldn't be happier in Turkey, Bosnia, Morocco, Tanzania, or Czech Republic, even though being in those places would be rad.

... here.  Even if I wasn't where I wanted to be in life (and dude, I haven't always been here) I always thought that I was paying my dues, learning my lessons, being educated in life.  And I was happy to go to the school of hard knocks.  Because now?  I've had awesome experiences, learned to love people for who they are and not what they can do for me, and learned to smile at adversity and apply the lessons I've learned through it to my future.  I wouldn't trade that for the world.

... who I am.  I wouldn't trade my trials, my hardships, my hard-learned lessons for anything.  Nothing in the world.  I wouldn't change me, the way I think, the way I love, or the ways I've been used for anything.  I wouldn't trade my parents for any others in the world and am thankful that they minimally molded me into who I am today.

... making myself a better person.  Having goals and achieving those goals.  Running toward something bigger, better, but still consistent with who I am.  Just because I want to improve myself doesn't mean I don't love myself and doesn't mean I'm not happy with who I am.

... smiling.  Because smiling is contagious.  And if I can just force a smile even when I'm down, I know the smile will pick up my spirit and make it sing.

If you'd rather be...

... somewhere else?  Change where you are.  Move.  Make a change.  Find your happy place.  Or learn to see where you are in a different light.  See the desert's beauty, the mountain's majesty, and focus on the beauty that is already where you are and build from there.  There is happiness everywhere, you just might have to pick up and turn over a leaf or two to find it.

... someone else?  Learn to love you for who you are.  Learn to love your quirks, the things that make you different.  Learn to forgive yourself and move forward with goals and faith that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.  You are a child of God.  You rock.  And being you is more important than being cool, sexy, funny, or smart.  Being you is the definition of being awesome, so just be awesome already.

The End.

5 down...

151 to go.  Yes, you heard me right.  One hundred and fifty-one.  For the year.  I'm working on my resolutions.  And one of those resolutions is canning 156 jars for the year.  That's 3 jars a week.  Should be doable.  And yes.  Quarter pints count.  So I started on it last night and made some lemonade concentrate from the lemons we picked at my grandma's house.  I'm grateful for my new automatic citrus juicer that took away SO much of the work!  Yay Cuisinart!  I also made about 2 quarts of sour orange juice last night, but I'm not going to can that.  I'm going to make sour orange curd and make a pie for my grandma with it.  And, with the seven sour oranges I have left, I'm going to make sour orange marmalade.  Should be fun, no?

Lemonade Concentrate
Equal parts:
fresh lemon juice (strain the seeds out, but some pulp is okay)
sugar


Heat lemon juice and sugar together in a pot.  Bring to just a boil.  Ladle into jars.  Process in water bath for 20 minutes.  When making lemonade, depending on taste, add 1 1/2 to 2 parts water to 1 part concentrate.


This batch yielded 4.25 pints from 5 cups juice and 5 cups sugar.
____

Yesterday, Ash and I headed out to the AJ house and did a lot of clean-up and packing of the last little things that were here and there.  It feels good to be on top of that house and to have it ready for Devin to go in and work on it.  When he's done with the renovations, Ash and I will go back out and finish up the painting and the deep cleaning.  It'll be awesome.  I can't wait to get that house rented!

I got a call this morning asking if I would put together and teach a lesson on photography tonight to a youth group at church.  So fun.  Now.  I'm not a professional.  I tinker and have fun.  So I'm looking forward to teaching the rule of thirds and depth of field to these girls and helping them learn how to make a great photo.

That's the update for now.  Maybe more this week, maybe not.  And sorry that there are no great and grand exciting stories to tell.  *sigh*  If only...


What We're Reading:
Shesten - Cooties by Roman Dirge
Devin - who knows at this point?  

Farewell 2011.

2011? Odd year.  Odd years have more downs than ups for Devin & I.  And 2011 was consistent with the trend.  Here's to 2012 - an even year - rockin' the socks off of us and you.

Yesterday I got up and used the persimmon I've had sitting in the kitchen since October to make persimmon bread.

It was yummers, but I used a recipe from another website called Mint Tea & Tagine... found the recipe via Pinterest.  Thing was, it was in metric and weight measurements.  Which was awkward since I've never really made anything by weighing flour.  So, I googled, and tried to figure it out.  And here's the recipe I came up with, based on the other metric one.

Persimmon Bread

1/2 cup persimmon pulp (which was one persimmon for me)
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c + 5 tsp. water

Preheat oven to 350.

Stir the baking powder into the persimmon pulp and set aside for 5 minutes.  Don't worry when you get back to it if it is stiffened and gelatinous.  It's okay.  It's supposed to be like that.

Next, line 2 mini loaf pans with parchment.

Mix sugar, oil, eggs, spices and salt.

Alternate mixing in spoonfuls of flour and stiffened persimmon mixture into the sugar mixture.

Pour into pans.  Mine were about 3/4 full.

Bake for one hour.  Let cool 30 minutes, then remove from pans.

So there's that.  Then today, we went with my grandma out to her place in Gilbert to pick some citrus.  I thought we would get a few bags of citrus and then pick a few pecans and head home.  Two hours later?  I mean, wait.  Three hours later?  Nope.  Four and a half hours later, we were finally on our way home.  Devin scavenged up all the pecans he could find.  Yield?  About ten gallons.  TEN GALLONS!  Oy.  And guess who's going to get to crack them all?  Yeppers.  That's me!

We also got quite a bit of citrus.

 Tangerines

 Lemons & Sour Oranges

Mandarin Oranges

So yeah, I've got some canning ahead of me.  I'm going to make a sour orange pie.  My grandma really wants me to do that, so I will.  And I'm going to try a salty and a sweet method of preserving the lemons.  And the mandarins and tangerines are going to get made into syrup and canned.  

As we head into 2012, I have PROJECTS ahead of me.  And I'm already exhausted just looking at them.  Well, that and the fact that our waking hours have changed from noon - 3 or 4am to 5am to 9 or 10pm.  Aye aye aye aye.  What a shift. 

Welcome, welcome, welcome even year 2012.

What We're Reading:
Shesten - Misfit by Jon Skovron
Devin - Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Merry Catsmas

Top to Bottom:  Sweetpea, Wysteria, Lotus, Snapdragyn, & Hyacynth.  Ho Ho Ho!  Merrrrrry Christmas.  Love,  Devin, Shesten, Pea, Wynk, Lo, Snap, & Cheech.