Porky The Sick Piggy

Pin It Pin It Porky hasn't been feeling to well. My daughter first noticed he wasn't eating, was vomiting, slobbering when he wasn't vomiting and staggering around. This was all going on during that cold snap we had last week. My father-in-law thought he may have gotten into the poke berries. I'm not so sure though.

I ended up going over on Saturday and got some Vitamin B and Tylan 50 and we gave him a shot of each. Oh the poor guy dry heaved for a good while. By Sunday he was doing better, but still didn't have the energy he should have. I wanted to give him another shot but it was late at night by the time we got home from work that we decided to wait till the Monday morning.

Went out Monday and Porky was back to his old self. I'm so relieved that he's doing much better. I thought for sure we were going to loose our investment!

Thanks to our friends advice we have our silly Porky still with us.

The Recipe Folder

Pin It Pin It Sitting here going through an large folder of recipes my Granny gave me. Some are hand written by her, some by others, I've picked out some of the hand writing as to where they have came from, others are small booklets Granny has saved from here and there and then the magazine clippings and the crumbly newspaper clippings and whole pages. I'm definatly related to this woman. As I've been collecting recipes for 20 years in this same manner. Trying to decide why she saved this and that, as I know she would have never made some of the things. But, other recipes are very distinctive as to what I remember are some of her favorite flavors. 
I can't wait to make some of the recipes for my family. I know they won't be the exact same as if she made them because when something is made by Grannies hands and the love she poured into making them has a total different flavor than someone else's making the same recipe, but I'll be able to pass on the very recipe that she had once made with my stories attached. 
I've sat a many of times at my Grannies kitchen table and sadly to say she's never had the pleasure to sit at mine, YET. I do intend on changing that fact here soon. Some way, some how, I'll get Granny and my Pawey here to make new memories for me to share with my children and grandchildren.
I'm so blessed to still have two of my grandparents still with me today. ♥  I haven't had much of a chance to visit with them here lately. With taking on this new job over the summer it really has limited my free time. I pray that they continue to have pretty good health. I don't want to think of the day that I only have the memories of them. 

I'm teary eyed just thinking about them. 

~ Farm Girl

Winter Piggies

Pin It Pin It Got a call last Thursday about buying some pigs, something we weren't planning on doing. I just haven't been keen on having more animals to feed during the colder months; actually I'm trying to get rid of some extra animals. But, we don't have any extra pork in the freezer. So we ended up talking the in laws into buying a piglet also and splitting the feed cost.

This is only the second time we have had pigs. Earlier this year we got piglets for my sons FFA project. Which he showed and sold at the county fair and he did very well. Guess we are going to get practice for next years fair.

Our little guy has a brother with him so he won't be lonely. Wilbur is smaller than the in laws piglet but is more aggressive. I love watching them argue over the chow. They are so funny. I'm hoping they will fill out fast and nicely so I don't have to worry about feeding into the new year. 

Wilbur on the left, not sure what the in laws have named theirs yet.

These are a york mixed piglets. They have light black markings on their skin. Can't really see it for all their white hair. They are so cute I hope they turn out well. 

I need to get to reading about raising hogs, so that we can raise good quality pigs. 

Happy homesteading 

~ Farm Girl

County Fair 2013

Pin It Pin It It's been over two months since our county fair and with all that has been going on I forgot to post how my canned good did at the fair. At last minute I decided to gather some goodies up and send with my husband and daughter to enter them.

County Fair 2013

First time entering anything into a fair. So I was rather nervous sending items as I wasn't sure what they would be looking for. This is what I sent in and where I placed.

Ham and Bean Soup - Third place

Chili - Second place

Raw Pack Chicken Thighs - Second place

Plum Jam - Second place

Salsa - Second place

Corn - First place

Dandelion Jelly - First place

Cherry Pie Filling - First place

Orange Jelly - First place 

Blue-Barb Jam - First place

Not to shabby for the first time. I actually was totally shocked. There was so many great things submitted. I plan on taking items to the fair again next year I will take different items. If you submitted any canned foods in the fair how did you do?

Keep on canning
~ FarmGirl

Chili Hot Beans

Pin It Pin It I've been wanting to can some Chili Hot Beans for a while now since we eat a lot of chili during the winter. I have finally found the time and a decent recipe that works for me. I wanted to use something along the lines of "Ben's Beans" which is using dried beans without soaking them as I don't have a lot of time on my hands these days. So here's what I have came up with and it works out really great.

Chili Hot Beans

Ingredients per pint jar:
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon onion, diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon jalpenos, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of crushed red peppers
dash of hot pepper sauce (Louisiana)
1/2 cup small red beans (Pinto Beans), rinsed

In prepared sterilized jars add tomato sauce, vegetables and spices, add rinsed beans. Then add boiling water leaving 1 inch head space.

 I give my jars a nice stir to keep the seasonings from clumping up. Clean rims of jars with wet paper towel: affix two piece caps. Process in pressure caner 10 lbs. for (pints) 75 minutes.

If you want to do quarts you will need to double the recipe and process at 10 lbs. pressure for 90 minutes.

Happy Canning

~ Farmgirl