Preserving green tomatoes...  Interesting recipe I found online.  I sure hope this doesn't blow up her computer or something.  Here's the website:  http://ciaochowlinda.blogspot.com/2009/09/southern-italian-jarred-green-tomatoes.html

I hope that's not inappropriate and I apologize if it is.  Please let me know if it's an issue.  Anyway.  These green tomatoes are set for TWO WEEKS to ferment similarly as you would with sauerkraut (which I really don't care for).  Anyway.  They're greenish, very garlicky, fennelly and I'm looking forward to the THREE GALLONS I made and are in the fridge.  I need to butcher ~4 pigs (no, I won't butcher just part of a pig) and I'm planning on putting some of these in the grind to make sausage.  Should be curious.  And good.  Pepperoni-y and still green.  They're pretty good chopped on pizza...  The one batch I didn't have as much fennel and they taste like green olives.  Yes.  They.  Do.  

The atrium clad in greenhouse panels.  Not the prettiest job, but I'm not a carpenter and do what I can with what I have.  The greenhouse panels cut with a jigsaw fine blade pretty nicely.  Then I just screwed them onto the uprights after notching the tops to fit up into the grooves.  Again, not textbook, but it'll work.  I still have to figure out the hinges and door pulls/closer (I think I've figured it out) but it's much warmer in there already.  I hope to try AGAIN to keep geraniums and such growing over the winter.  I made the rustic flags and since they're on tin, I put them on the front too to help cut down on airflow.  And make it look festive all year long.  I'm fairly pleased so it's all good.

When I go out to feed, I have an entourage.  Seriously.  I do.  I did finally pen up the two smaller pigs as they decided my front yard needed to be excavated.  I didn't agree so into a pen they went.  The turkey was heartbroken as he hung out with them, but he still roosts next to their pen.  They're buds, seems like.  He's a goofy guy and is very pushy about food.  We had some discussions about it and he is now a bit more polite.  Muskovy ducks, guineas, pigs, turkey, cats, chickens, Pekin ducks and Khaki Campbells all seem to get along fairly well... 

In the below pic, the duck in the foreground has spread tail feathers.  She's been sitting on non-viable eggs.  When Muskovy ducks go broody like that, they spread their tail feathers.  Not sure why, probably something to do with protecting ducklings.  Her eggs were no good so I bought the drake (the duck standing sideways that's mostly brown near her) so next year we should have some ducklings.  When Muskovies get broody, they also "peep" quite a bit.  Muskovies are mostly silent as adults except for hissing.  They don't quack like normal ducks - they're kind of not even true ducks - they're more like geese.  They have quite a nice amount of very dark, beef-like breast meat.  All in all?  I like them.  

I've exhausted the supply of relevant pics on this netbook so have to sign out here and sign back into laptop #1 to see what else is available.  Oh, and Teeny Pig is in the foreground with the star on her forehead.  She's Teeny.  

It's always busy here on the farm.  I haven't taken many pictures, but do have some from August I haven't shared yet.  AND I've got some from my cellphone (I upgraded to a 3G iphone and WHAT a difference!).  So, I'll get started and work my way backwards...  I hope all of you are well and your year has gone well. 

This is Emma that I bought last year in milk with Moose the buck (at the right in a white collar).  Moose is less than 6 months old and HUGE.  I didn't name him but the name is appropriate.  His sire was at the farm where I bought him and was extremely beefy, large and graceful.  Oberhasli are or should be deep mahogany brown and he is!  He is gorgeous, friendly and should give me pretty babies from Emma.  I started with an Oberhasli and an Alpine.  The Obe presence has stayed with me over the last 12+ years but Alpines and I were not that impressed with one another.

I have a young Oberhasli doeling that won't be big enough to breed for a while yet so he should be around for a while.  Emma decided he was pretty nifty and was bred within three days.  Oberhasli babies should be arriving in early March! 

The tractor path before all the leaves fell.  The colors don't show very well, but all these maples made the area glow with gold light.  I love seeing the woods in all seasons. 

...and here are some of the logs from my property (even some from this lovely path).  I have a sizable mess but the tops of the trees are also firewood for me for some years to come and my friends who also heat with wood.  Still breaks my heart, but my trees will fund a new roof for my house, funded an older S10 truck, new storm door, hay, etc.  This will be the last year of a shingled home.  I plan to put a shiny metal roof on the house.  It'll reflect heat and should make a big difference in cooling the house. 

When I got the official paperwork, only the walnuts had value.  One of the trees only brought $2.62 for the entire butt log.  I'm heartbroken I tore up my woods for less than $2,000 (the value of the other trees) but I'll know to tell others not to harvest anything else other than walnuts.  The younger trees will grow and I'll replant.  *sigh* 

on to other *sigh* items.  The electric company cleared this area under the highlines.  I understand and approved, but still wince over anything clear cut.  However, I plan to bring up some logs to make MORE planter/bunkers and this time I will plant asparagus in them.  I believe I can use the Ford tractor to STACK them to make a bunker about 1 1/2 foot tall that will be deep enough for asparagus roots.  It should be an excellent place for asparagus and will be decorative as well.  After asparagus harvest, the asparagus is left to grow.  It produces a lovely, 3-5' tall, frondy, feathery top.  Lovely.  Should be a nice backdrop for my existing iris and daylillies that have been overshadowed for years. 

Poblano peppers from my strawbale planter.  I dried most of these after taking out the ribs and seeds.  My fear was that they would be very very hot with the drought.  Nope.  Sweet and wonderful.  When I butcher the 4 hogs, I plan to make sausage again with the dried poblanos ground up in the sausage with other spices.  Probably make a "Sweet Italian" sausage.  Wonderful. 

I had to water every day to keep these going, but the straw bale planter performed well in the drought.  I planted flowers IN the bale, but these peppers were planted in the inside of a cube of bales in rich dirt.  I've already set up another VERY large strawbale planter.  I like them!  Looks like I'll have to replace the bales every year but that's just not a problem... 

I love my new snips.  I found them at the Asia store (a local ethnic grocery - mostly Asian).  Love them. 

And some of the jalapenos I harvested as well... 

A pair of American Guinea Hogs!!!  They were about 3 1/2 months old here in mid October.  They're naturally friendly, grow fairly slowly and top out about 300#.  A little bigger than what I wanted, but perfect in every other respect.  These little things came from Kentucky.  Not registered (American Guinea Hogs are a fairly rare breed according to the American Livestock Conservancy) but still.  Nice looking.  They decided mud was glorious.  Uh huh.  They did.  I'll have to get some new pics.  They've grown quite a lot and filled out A LOT. 

I have access to a pumpkin patch.  About 6-8 acres of leftover pumpkins and culinary pumpkins (Jarrahdales, etc.) for pigs and goats and ME!  I love roasted pumpkin chunks with goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and rosemary & jalapeno olive oil.  It's a lot of work, but they need the fields cleaned and we all love pumpkin!  And yes, I can and do put pumpkin in soap.  Now that I have a truck - an older S10 - I can load a truckload and I have access to a trailer that the truck will pull.  I don't know how much I can get this year - I have a lot of other things I'm doing and it gets dark so early. 

Happy Veterans Day by the way!!!  These are red, white and blue potatoes I grew.  The blue ones are good tasting and the flesh stays blue.  I grew a very limited amount of potatoes, but hope to have more next year.  The blue ones are almost irridescent in color.  My connection to the internet is very slow today so I'll quit while I'm ahead....  I hope to update again this week with more pics and info.  Have a good eveningl!