hot tuna
Yesterday was a great day of work to process our chickens. The wife and I had an awesome system down and our work stations went perfect.
We first plucked ( with a plucker) and put all the birds in a tub of ice water.
Second station we cleaned and heat wrapped 10 birds whole.
Third station we halved the remaining 15 birds.
4th station we vacuum sealed 30 halves and all the wings seperate.
We took many breaks in between each station to clean/ sanitize and cool down in the pool.
While it took us mostly all day, the actual work was about 4hrs, not counting cleanup.
In about 12 weeks, we'll do it all over again. 😀

Today I'm going to pick some of my garlic and start the drying process. I will plant some more tomatoes in their place.
My tomatoes are doing great and many on the vine but still always away.
Cukes seemed to pick up a bit.

Oh, we also processed 10 lobsters for freezing and about 200 clams for chowder.
One of these days there will be time to rest on the homestead, lol..

Happy independence day!

Very impressed!  We have done the processing many times ourselves and know what a job it is. Once you have a good system it is a world different though!  We are preparing to help a friend of mine do her first processing this Sunday.  We will take our equipment and teach her and her family the steps so they can then do it themselves later. This first round is Cornish cross (CX) meaties.  So will teach them how to do the plucking route. In the fall she will have a bunch of heavy breed cockerels to process and a second round of CX so will go back and teach her how to skin and pressure can them.  I gave her a couple jars of our pressure canned chicken and her family loved it so she got a bunch of cheap heavy breed males to raise over the summer. (She has a good spot for them to free-range and forage).  She also got 7 or 8 turkeys. I helped her plan out the growth rates so the second CX, turkeys and cockerels should all be ready within a couple week time frame to make it easier for processing. 

Thas awful busy HT.
I'm doing pickles already, got some koosas for dinner tonight. Lettuce and cukes are off tha chain and zukes coming outta my ears already. I pulled about 20 garlic a couple weeks ago, it wasn't ready. Kinda on the smallish and not real strong. Guess the leaves weren't brown enough yet? I'm gonna give the other 80 another week or so. Tomato plants have picked up and look really good as do the eggplants also. The peppers are still shot. Seems to be a common thing around here this season. Everyone I talk to saying the same thing about them. Like I said, maybe too much rain last month? Keep those posts coming. Luv seeing it. 👍💪

Fisherlady, this year we had an awesome system down after struggling the past 6x2.
Absolutely having stations set up properly in order and not jumping to different processes in between was key. Can't wait to get the next batch of chicks in 7 days.
We also compost all the remains.

Ended up picking 200 garlic on Monday and all drying well. I checked a few of the other 200 patch and they are ready, I'm just not yet. They will be fine growing unless we get substantial rains.

Can't find any pre started tomato plants anywhere to put in the empty boxes. I might start summer squash in place and hold out 1 box for greens once the sun gets lower.
My 50 or so tomato plants now are doing well. Expected harvest in August.
My peppers suck..
Cukes are nowhere near potential.
Herbs are daily and being dehydrated.

Fall is soon upon us..
Show your goodness

pensfan1
Thas awful busy HT.
I'm doing pickles already, got some koosas for dinner tonight. Lettuce and cukes are off tha chain and zukes coming outta my ears already. I pulled about 20 garlic a couple weeks ago, it wasn't ready. Kinda on the smallish and not real strong. Guess the leaves weren't brown enough yet? I'm gonna give the other 80 another week or so. Tomato plants have picked up and look really good as do the eggplants also. The peppers are still shot. Seems to be a common thing around here this season. Everyone I talk to saying the same thing about them. Like I said, maybe too much rain last month? Keep those posts coming. Luv seeing it. 👍💪

I guess I should knock on wood...my peppers are doing kind of good so far this year.  Picked a big green bell and a hot Zizzler last night to roast on the grill with the burgers for a nice topping....yum.  Got many more forming, plants look strong and my jalapenos are stacked....   Zukes will be off the chart soon...just picked a couple this past week but many more just about there.  Think I got my last picking of lettuce this week.  Not sure it will come back again...but we have been eating off them for a month now....
 
How many "brown" leaves should you have on your garlic before you pick them?  I read that you should have as many dry/brown as green before you pick.  
 
Still waiting for that first red mater....my mom has already picked a few but she was a couple weeks ahead of me with her tomato plants.

Typically, when the lower 3 leaves on garlic turn brown, they are ready.
Normally, I pick 1 or 2 that have a large stalk and a small stalk as a test.

Garlic doesn't grow well in continued wet conditions and the bulbs will rot.
Remember as well, certain types of garlic develop large or small bulbs so it won't matter how long they stay in the ground , they will only start to split.

Haven't done an official count but all my garlic has been harvested today. There was no advantage to leaving it in ground when it's ready to harvest.
Usually grade it A B C.
I will say it's pretty much all B +.
Very few C , maybe 10 bulbs.
Lots of good big bulbs I'll save a few for replanting. I think these bulbs are 6th generation to me.

That leaves 4 open beds I need to fill this weekend.
Tomatoes are cranking. About 2 weeks I'll be canning sauce.
House work detail this weekend to prepare for chicks on Wednesday.
Off to fun stuff at deer camp next. Gotta start tracking on cameras those antlers.

This was my wife’s first attempt with a raised bed. We had very enjoyable leaf lettuce, but now it seems to be growing skyward in 8-10” stalks instead of replacing the leaves.

Is it done?

Dar, we haven't grown lettuce in a few years but I'm thinking it's served its purpose and lifespan in the temperatures now.

Lots work here preparing for next birds and keeping up with chores.
My garlic count was 296 good bulbs. I gave away 30 prior and have about 30 of Rojas still in ground.
Basically at an estimated 400 planted, I'd say almost 100% return.

Yes, once lettuce starts to bolt its about done. You can still pick that last batch but it'll be a little bitter. Pull it out, wait a couple more weeks and resow. You can have lettuce into September and October.

I got kinda "spooked" about that garlic rotting, so I pulled it. Great return. Some grew bigger than others, but I will have plenty for canning and cooking. I keep the biggest cloves for the fall planting. I planted 2 different kinds of hardneck. I'm gonna do about the same amount again, which was around 100 head. One a great side note, The Big Lake is supposed to be really good for weather and waves the week after next. I'm feeling another vacation coming on. 🐟🐟🐟🎣🎣🎣🛥🛥🛥

Funny how everyone knows when the garlic man's in town.. They are disappearing fast. About 75 off the racks.
It's all cool because I got a trade going on zucchini and squash..
Finally found time to stain my 250' fence we built in April 2021. I only have 1 neighbor but it's that 1 😣
Came out awesome..
A few days rest at the J.O.B. then its back to busyness