Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[SageHill]

Sounds like good sleeping weather tonight for you.
Ah yeah - just cut out the bad spots, soooo many want perfect. LOL What I cut out of what I can goes to the chickens! That's bonus chicken feed . I need to get on top of the tomatoes - I think one last week of crazy canning and I can pull most of the plants. Then on to the squash and I need to plant peppers for next year - yeah crazy as it sounds they struggle the first year and I get great peppers on year 2 -- growing here is sooo different from the midwest where I grew up.
Freezer peaches for you - quick, easy and done. Salsa though, and butter --- oh drool!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It would be hard to turn down those peaches for me too. Can you freeze them until you have time to process them?

 

[Weldman]

Wonder if the pigs would eat them?

 

[farmerjan]

May sound crazy, but have never frozen peaches... mom always canned due to freezer space at a premium... so I never have... Can you freeze them with skins on and then slip skins after thawing????
Freezer space is at a premium here too... guess I will see how "bad " they are splitting etc...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

You can!

Found this online:

"To peel the whole frozen peaches has to be one of the easiest kitchen experiences I have performed in a long time. Under the stream of cold water hold the peach for about ten seconds bottom up. Then with your thumbs apply pressure to the skin and pull away from the center. The skin should peel away with minimal effort"

 

[farmerjan]

Thank you @frustratedearthmother . I am going to have to do some rearranging in the freezer... but will have to try them unless they are not near as "damaged" as she said. Guess I will find out in a bit. Might be able to find time to get some in the slow cooker, to start some to make some peach butter tomorrow.
Samples to pack now.
Looks like sun coming up over the trees... 60 to start.

 

[Baymule]

If you have a dehydrator with a solid tray, you could make your own “fruit strips”. Use the cooked down peach butter, spread on solid sheet and dry. It makes great snacks.

I’ve made fruit strips with zucchini and frozen grape juice. Kids loved them.

 

[Mini Horses]

Cost of tree ripe peaches is HIGH dollar. You lucked out!!

 

[farmerjan]

Just a quick post (yeah, you all know my "quick"..... )

Home from testing. Everything went okay... talked to the farmer awhile.... could have gotten home by 8 or so, but it was 9 and just getting dark...

Was a mostly sunny day after all and of course I had to get stuck in the parlor... OH WELL.....

I went and got peaches... 3+ 5 gallon buckets full... they are not quite ripe... There are at least that many more to pick so they are going to call me Fri-Sat or so... AND this is NOT the tree that will be ripening in a couple weeks...


They said they picked at least a 5 gal bucket that had rotted on the tree... and there were some that were half mush still on it that they had missed. There are some that have a split but it is like "healed over" ... I will have to try to get a few low (shallow) boxes to get them spread out in... they will start ripening... but it might give me a couple days to get situated... especially with all that is going to be going on for the next 10 days. I really want to get some stuck in the freezer as they start to come ripe so I can spread this out once things slow down a bit... But I am going to do my best to make the most of them... ESPECIALLY if there are going to be that many more... Some fell off the tree so will have bruises...

I haven't had a chance to get back out in the garden... want to plant a short row of more yellow squash as I think a couple have squash borer in the main part... a couple looked like they were wilting... Would like to see if the broccoli is coming up yet... think it has been 4-5 days??? and some lettuce maybe??? Won't get there tomorrow either by the looks of it...

Dropped samples at UPS on the way through town to test. Got to get these packed, and reports printed for the farm and drop them back off tomorrow when I go to test the other farm since I will be fairly close...

Going to go to bed and get up early to pack the samples.... I have to get bottles in trays for tomorrow... 200; plus get all the brackets changed on the meters... and be there by 1 to set up .... and run down to the cardboard dumpster at the Pilot truck stop and see if I can find some suitable boxes to spread out the peaches so they don't bruise any more from being piled in the buckets.

Ate a tomato sandwich for supper...

DS called just as I got in the door... needed me to look up a calf number... seems that there was a calf on the road and someone called the guy renting the place next to one we have... he went and walked it up the road and got it in his catch pen... it is ours, so DS wanted to know the status, age ... and it seems it is not real big but is still an older one... he asked if he should take it back to the cow, and I said no, take it to doug's farm.... if it is that small, then she is not feeding it very good... and it is 8-9 months.... this is the group of cows, that we put back out with their bigger calves when they were open, from that bull that had the scrotal hernia and only got about 2/3 bred back... so we decided to give them a second chance... weeded out some and kept the better, younger cows... If this heifer calf is that small then maybe that cow needs to go too... Regardless, it is now weaned at the barn whether the cow had already weaned it out there or not. I think there were 4 or 5 that he left there when he brought home the bigger steer calves that we sold a month ago. These cows need to be preg checked... and anyone that is open takes a ride to town... Hopefully they are all pushing 3+ months pregnant... put the bull in there with them in May.... The grass has come back there pretty good so we weren't pushing to move them yet, since we have the ones to go get this weekend and work the calves, and then the 6-8 that he has out back at doug's that have small calves on that were late calving so are being held back to become "fall calvers"... those calves need to be worked through the chute too... Then bring home the ones that are going to be calving from another pasture... BEFORE we were going to do anything with this group of cows... So, they can stay and this heifer will go with the group of heifers at the barn and is officially weaned...

Always something....

 

[Mini Horses]

If I were closer, I'd be "helping" with those peaches . Started digging potatoes yesterday. Today & tomorrow looong work days.