Incubating Chicks

In addition to buying baby chicks from a local farmer, we have also tried to raise our own naturally from our laying hens.  Last year, we tried to be VERY natural, and leave the eggs under our hens, assuming that the chickens would do what it takes to make cute chicken babies.  Not so much.  All we got for that little experiment was rotten eggs.  I guess our hens are deadbeat mothers.

So this year Farmer Seth built an incubator from an old cooler to give the girls a little help.  (I can't explain how he did this, but he found instructions online.  My husband was completely the brains behind this school project.  Obviously).

It was actually pretty awesome...it had a heat source, and a fan, and an auto-shut off for temperature and humidity....but again, I can't explain how any of that works.

You have to mark each egg and turn them over from side X to side O at least twice a day (because that is what hens naturally do).

It takes about 18-21 days for the eggs to incubate.  My kids spent most of that 21 days like this:

Until finally they started to hatch (our rooster is black, so that is why some of the chicks are black):

The kids were just thrilled (and yes, I know their faces are dirty.  Apparently this was a chick-petting emergency and we couldn't pause to wash up):

But the poor chicks kept getting dropped on their heads:

And squeezed (in a loving way, of course):

And dropped (Dude.  This may be my favorite picture ever.  I can't stop laughing):

But they survived to be squeezed another day.  Just don't tell PETA.

Now they are happily living out in the chicken coop with the big chickens.  And only one has met an unfortunate end.  Whoops.

Spring Catch Up

This post is brought to you solely by jelly beans and mini Snickers.  Just thought I'd let you know.

Here's a quick run-down of what we've been up to this spring:

Hubs and I went to South Beach for a few days to celebrate his 30th birthday.  It was beautiful.

We enjoyed the awesome weather that the Midwest had there for a few weeks  (come back summer weather!  We miss you!):

The apple trees have blossomed:

And the pear tree too:

My boy is growing up.

We dyed eggs with friends for Easter:

And had our own sunrise egg hunt with our kids and my brother and sister (that Bunny gets up mighty early around here, friends....like, needed a flashlight early.  And still only beat the kids up by 45 minutes)

I made a bunny cake for Easter, which is not like me at all.  I never do fussy stuff like this.  Here's a secret: there is a special recipe you're supposed to use to make these animal cakes so that it cooks properly.  Otherwise you will have to bake it for HOURS.  Ask me how I know.

And another picture of my boy...

We attempted to get family pictures.  A major success, as always...*wink*.

And Hubs took one last picture of just us girls hanging out after everybody left:

We feel very blessed.

Even if the six of us cannot take a decent picture together without hiring a professional.

Ever.

I hope your Easter was peaceful and lovely!

How a Farmer's Wife Feeds Her Family, Part 1

***Just want to welcome everyone coming over from Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life Large Families.  Glad you stopped by.  If you're new, a good place to start is the Favorite Posts section, down on the right!*****


People email and ask me all the time for advice on dealing with cooking.  They are usually curious if I do once a month cooking, or marathon freezer cooking sessions, or how I grocery shop, or if I use farmers' markets, etc.  The answer to those questions is kind of.  I do indeed cook ahead and freeze ingredients and parts of meals.  I also garden and freeze fruits and vegetables in season, and preserve through canning as well.

Several people have asked me about cooking before a new baby or how to save time in the kitchen with a bunch of kids.  I started to answer some of these emails, but then I realized that I'm not sure my advice on how I run my kitchen is going to be useful to you, if your food priorities are different than mine.

For example, I make a great deal of what we eat from scratch, like bread, hamburger buns, baked goods, yogurt, etc.  If you ask my advice on how I cook ahead, my way of doing things will not make sense for you if your priority is to spend less time in the kitchen, and you currently buy mostly premade food, AND you are happy with the status quo.

My method could save you time if you make the same food choices we do.  So if you do make those things from scratch and wish to continue doing so, my advice may work for you.  Similarly, if your priority is to save money on groceries without couponing like a crazy woman, I can probably give you ideas there.  If your goal is to eat all organic or vegan or gluten-free, I probably can't.  If your goal is to eat more seasonally, I can help you.  If you want to eat as cheaply as humanly possible, I'm not the one to ask.  Make sense?

There are so many things that go into choosing to eat the way that you do.  So before I bombard you with advice that won't be useful, here are three questions to help clarify things:

What are your food priorities?

I have a couple.  The first one is that my husband and I are a bit of food snobs (this is obnoxious, I know).  We don't love casseroles, in general.  We don't use cream-of-whatever soup.  We prefer fresh fruits and vegetables.  We eat things that some people around here consider unusual.  It is important to us that meals taste fresh (I know that seems obvious, but it is a reason why I don't do certain kinds of freezer cooking, etc.  Some things just don't freeze well).  We like to cook and experiment in the kitchen.  This being true, my grocery bill will never hit $40/week like the people who blog money-saving grocery budgets.  That's just not my first priority.  (Which is not to say that keeping the grocery budget reasonable isn't very important around here.  It is).

Next, I want to be prepared to feed my family and others at the last minute.  For me, this means that if my husband calls and says that he needs lunch or something baked for the farm, I can have something (good) ready quickly.  (For the record, Seth has never called and demanded that I cook for the farm.  Ever.  I tend to volunteer).

Similarly, if family or friends stop by, we can invite them to stay for dinner easily and without stress.  Or if someone from church needs a meal for whatever reason, I might be able to help.  I am not suggesting that I make gourmet meals at the last minute, just that I want to be ready and able.

This priority also means that I want to be able to feed my own family easily and quickly on busy days.  Because we live rurally, take-out is not an easy option for us. And delivery is not available at all.  (Seriously.  Nothing.  Coming from the city where we ate delivery about everyday, that little fact blew my mind when I met my husband).

My second food priority encompasses several different things, but in a nutshell, I want my family to eat seasonally as much as possible, for the best price, with as much variety as we can.

Lastly, I prefer to buy (or grow) whole foods and to make as many things from scratch as I can....if it is cost-effective, practical, and it tastes better.  For example, I make most of our bread products.  However, my kids can eat about a loaf of bread per day.  So even though I make bread just about everyday, I also buy bread. It is more expensive.  It doesn't taste as good.  It's not as healthy.  But I just can't keep up with their appetites!  Another example of this is yogurt, which I make off and on.  But it's not cheap enough to be worth making it all myself.  And oh yeah, the kids don't love it homemade.

How do you feed your family now?


In other words, do your actions match up with your priorities?  If not, why?

What changes do you want to make to bring those two things together?


If you are happy with how you eat now, awesome.  But if you would like to save time, eat more homemade meals, make more from scratch, save money on groceries, or what-have-you, pick a goal. My method of doing things may help.  On the other hand, based on your goals, my advice my not work for you.  You can decide.... next time! 

Linking up to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays at Tammy's Recipes