Larsen Poultry Ranch - homesteading journey

[Bruce]

Also Ryobi sucks. Hubby bought a Ryobi drill bit set and they have such a stupid design to hold the bits into the case. To try to get the bits out to use them you either need pliers or gloves, or you will cut your hand trying to pull the bit out. Guess what I did?

Bought a different brand of drill bits? Nothing special about Ryobi bits or many others. DeWalt bits come in a nice case

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Bought a different brand of drill bits? Nothing special about Ryobi bits or many others. DeWalt bits come in a nice case

No, kept trying to use these even after I cut my fingers. Just used something to protect my fingers and refused to put the bits I was working with back until I was sure I was done with the project.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Monday I went into the office for Halloween potluck. Tuesday night hubby and I went to see Dave Ramsey's Building Wealth seminar with another couple from church, we had a great time and it was inspiring.

Wednesday morning I started to feel sick, but brought munchkin over to mom's to work remotely as usual, but by the time I got to her house I definitely had a fever and was not feeling good. I alternated napping with trying to get through emails and was relieved when we made it to 5:30. Mom and hubby conspired together and hubby picked us up and brought us home, leaving my car. Definitely had fever and chills at that point.

I spent all of Thursday on the couch under a pile of blankets napping, with whole body aches. Friday was the same except the chills and aches were mostly gone. Saturday felt a lot better until hubby pushed too hard to try to get the front room cleaned up and I crawled back to the couch under a blanket. He did a burn pile and cleared all the brush from the driveway side of the yard from the trees being taken down. Sunday I felt a lot better and we were getting ready for church when I took a Covid test. The dang thing was positive. I took a second one and it was positive too. There goes our plan for the day. Ugh. I was sure I had whatever mom had, she had gotten tested twice and was negative for Covid so I was sure I had the flu or RSV or something like that. Now I feel fine except an intermittent cough. I do have a little stomach upset but I think that is probably the result of not eating Wednesday - Friday; I had no appetite at all and things started tasting weird. Still don't have much of an appetite and food just isn't the same when it doesn't taste like you remember.

To top off today, munchkin clocked me in the face with his water bottle, hitting me in the mouth. My lip has a nice little knot on it now but thankfully it only bled for a little while.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Acorn project: soaked the acorns in the fridge, changing water daily for idk, 2 weeks? Not much visible in the water and when we tried the acorn it was still astringent. Put the acorn meat through the food processor and into glass jars and this is working so much better. I think it should take much less time this way but only fill the jars about halfway with the acorns so it's easier to pour out the water. Also do that part slowly as the finely ground acorn will settle across the top layer. The tall thin jars I put too much acorn in, rearranged after water pour out.

Ready for water pour off

New water added and whole thing shaken. Back into the fridge

Going to do this until water is clear and meal doesn't taste astringent. Then will dehydrate and grind finer.

 

[SageHill]

WOAH - That's a lot of acorns! I have no idea what one does with acorns -- other than keep the sheep away from them. Is whatever you're doing dependent on the type of oak tree they come from?

 

[Mini Horses]

Pigs love them.

 

[farmerjan]

Pigs do not have the problem with the tannic acid or anything in the acorns... Acorn fed hogs, actually have a very good flavor. It was something that old time farmers did.... ran their hogs into acorn/oak forests in the fall, so that they would get that flavor... It is a little of a "sweet" flavor... hard to describe... but they do a very good job of using acorns as a feed. Also, they have a good protein level and are very palatable to hogs.

 

[Baymule]

Acorn project: soaked the acorns in the fridge, changing water daily for idk, 2 weeks? Not much visible in the water and when we tried the acorn it was still astringent. Put the acorn meat through the food processor and into glass jars and this is working so much better. I think it should take much less time this way but only fill the jars about halfway with the acorns so it's easier to pour out the water. Also do that part slowly as the finely ground acorn will settle across the top layer. The tall thin jars I put too much acorn in, rearranged after water pour out.

Ready for water pour off
View attachment 94349

New water added and whole thing shaken. Back into the fridge
View attachment 94350

Going to do this until water is clear and meal doesn't taste astringent. Then will dehydrate and grind finer.

What about straining through a piece of broadcloth?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

WOAH - That's a lot of acorns! I have no idea what one does with acorns -- other than keep the sheep away from them. Is whatever you're doing dependent on the type of oak tree they come from?

Supposedly the different types of oaks have different acorn flavors. I don't think I would be able to tell the difference though.

I may end up straining it, but so far it seems to be working just pouring off the tannin water.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I took another Covid test tonight, and it was positive. Tested the munchkin, and he is positive now too. He's got a low grade fever and is wanting to cuddle.