Shower time .
Need a real job.

One of the best things I bought last year was a cast iron camp stove. We do most of our work outside. It really helps keep the mess to a minimum and a little cooler then in the house. As I've shown before, we also have a complete processing table and sink setup for outdoor use .

So where yo start ? My pigs have been finished at butcher. I will pick up tomorrow and start the curing and smokehouse process on bacon and hams on Saturday.
I salt/ brown sugar and peppercorn my hams and bacon for 5 -7 days.
Then they go into the smokehouse at low heat for 5-14 hrs depending. I'll probably smokehouse a few butts and a roast then they get frozen, bacon sliced and frozen along with any other smokehouse meats . All else frozen right away.
Basically I have a weeks worth of meat processing ahead.
Chickens are growing fast. I may slaughter half of them whole sooner than I did last batch and let the rest mature fully.

The garden :
We have exceeded last year on everything except zucchini. It was poor and I may buy a few local. Tomatoes are almost maxed out after this weeks picking. I could get a second yield but I will start to pull them for replant of more spinach and lettuce.
Peppers are cranking and won't be a issue in their location to keep them coming. Green beans out our ears and the second planting is right around the corner to come as well as cucumbers. I'm pretty set on pickles, bread and butter/ dill.
Horseradish never came back this year.
Pretty much after labor day, I'll be clearing garden space and preparing for garlic. Next year's garlic goal is around 300 bulbs.

In the very near future the only reports I'll have to share on this thread will be applesauce and meat chickens harvest. I will prepare my egg chickens plan in the spring.

Happy eating form the fruit of your labor.

Jack, I do have all intentions of seeing you there this year.
Just picked my pigs up from butcher, 2 of 3 were mine.
Just the way I like it, my 3 freezers are packed full of beef , chicken and pork.
The refrigerators are holding 60 lbs of slab bacon and 20 lbs of hams to be cured starting tomorrow.
Not pictured is the chicken or beef freezer.
In 2 weeks I will have most of my garden and farm duties outta the way and will be focusing all out on fishing and hunting.

415 lbs total packaged out of 3 pigs 6.5 months old.

pafisher
HeyRich,are you going to do any fishing? I'll be at Cannons from 9/27 to 10/5

I should be off and at least partially healed ...........

3 sabs cut into quarters and raw frozen. 3 slabs cut and curing. 4 hams curing.
15 pints salsa completed. After next week, I'm very close to pulling the plug on the bulk of the garden. Still have a good 3 weeks left for peppers and greens to continue before frost. New garlic goes in Columbus weekend. 1/2 cow processed arrives Sept 7th
Way to tired...

I feed them on my grains from my local livestock supplier. It's all gmo free. The only other foods are vegetables and some grass. Absolutely no doughnuts or junk food.
My chickens get grains until the last few weeks then I go about 80% cracked corn to but a little fat on them.
I have a 1/2 cow coming soon.
One thing for sure is we won't be buying supermarket foods

Never would have thought. Thanks for the tip, will do.
Just moved the chicken tractor pen. Its always an adventure. Disconnect the water barrel, which usually leaks when reconnected. Put the wheels on, which never seem to be high enough. Connect front to ATV, which never seems to want to pull straight and re stray the bedding area.
Anyway, a 15 minute project turned into 1:15.
I'm learning , even about chicken butter ❤
Getting bored quickly with the garden.
Starting to get overgrown with cucumbers, beans and weeds. Tomatoes are starting their second fruits and I'm not sure I want to wait for the smaller results.
Peppers are confined and no worries .
I'm thinking raking 50% out and just replacing with greens and prepare for garlic.

This upcoming weekend is at our hunting camp to tent, burn big fires and put 12 cameras out.
I do miss this:

Clint S

pafisher
HeyRich,are you going to do any fishing? I'll be at Cannons from 9/27 to 10/5

I should be off and at least partially healed ...........

Jack, I officially have nothing set up as for lodging but I have a small folding cott and can probably figure something out even at last minute.
My date for your timing would be arriving Sunday Sept 29 ( anytime you plan on hitting water) and leaving Monday September 30 when our arms or net is to tired . That may be my only opportunity

So something I learned. Clint or others please comment.
Free range cattle without supplement of grains and corn tastes horrible.
That's what's being offered to me , totally grass fed .
I can see the thought as to taste , you are what you eat right ?

While I have no experience with raising cattle, everything I have read, and was told by my nutritionist when my doc made me go on a diet, is that corn fed beef is really bad for you because of the high fat content, and it is that same high fat content that gives it it's good flavor and mouth feel.  The nutritionist said the best meat I could eat was venison, because even the farm area deer do not get the fat and marbling because they are so active in relation to pastured cattle.  The basic rule was that the better it tastes, the worse it is for you (best tasting part of a pig is the shoulder!).  Why Kale is so good for you!!!

I agree with ya rg. I give my chickens and pigs a higher dosage of corn towards the end to increase fat and marbling in the meat.
When we butcher my deer, most of it is ground. I save all the extra trimmings from my bacon and mix that with the ground venison to about 80/20. Nothing worse than a dry version burger. My back straps are cut into about 8 " sections, sliced open to create a pocket then stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese and finally completely wrapped in bacon.
As Mr Food used to say " Ooh it's so good " !!

A friend, after retiring from the police department, moved to central NY and since has raised feed lot beef.  On occasion he slaughters one for personal use and I've had both ground beef and steaks from his animals which were hay and grass fed.  I never wanted to insult the guy but it was some of the worst tasting beef I have ever had.  You couldn't cut this steak with a samurai sword.  Lol

This bacon is gorgeous. .
10 lbs down 50 to go.
Its prohibiting me from dancing tonight with Lukas or our local fair my my high school band playing but priorities take president