Applesauce

We harvested all the apples off our little tree, and I used most of them to make up a batch of applesauce.

I wish I knew what kind of apples these are. They are crisp and tart-sweet, and we are guessing something like Pink Lady, Fuji, or Gala. But I have no idea how to find out!

Making and canning applesauce is easy yet time-consuming. You peel, quarter, and core all the apples, cook them down, purée them, and add lemon juice, sugar, and spices if you like. This all takes a long time. Also, I only have one big pot, so I had to make the applesauce, then put it into smaller pots to keep it all hot while I reused the big pot to sterilize the jars and lids and then boil the full jars to seal the lids.

When I finished, it was around 11:00 at night, the kitchen was steamy and dirty, and I was a sweaty, frazzled woman. I had to make dinner simultaneously with canning, so things were extra-exciting. But in the end, I had nine pint jars of delicious applesauce that will keep for a year! I didn't add much sugar and no spices, so it would feature the flavor of the apples. The tartness will go well with meats, too. I can't wait to eat a pork chop with some of this smeared on top. Maybe someday if I feel ambitious I will make pierogi; they are super tasty with a little applesauce and sour cream.

Just recently RC realized we have another apple tree on the property, down near the creek, which is covered in apples. He only noticed it when the apples ripened and turned red. The tree is at least 20 feet tall and choked with brush and other vegetation growing closely all around. Like the other plants producing edible fruit down by the creek (blackberry, blueberry, salmonberry), it could benefit if I clear the area under the canopy and do some pruning. I see a lot of food-producing potential here!

The Coop is Finished!

It's time for the glorious debut of my chicken coop! I just finished it on Saturday, and though I'm not at home for a couple days, RC has assured me that the chickens are doing well living in it. I'm so happy to have completed this project. It's the biggest thing I've ever made, and I did it completely on my own using mostly salvaged materials and paint I already had.

Okay, enough talk. Time for pictures!

I created the coop within the greenhouse by partitioning off this area at the north end of the building. The hardest and most time-consuming part was attaching the sill plate (the pieces that run along the floor) to the concrete. I ended up using wedge anchors, which are basically big bolts you hammer into holes you drill into the floor. When making a wall, you're supposed to construct it all while it lays on the floor, then raise it up, but since I don't have a bevy of Amish brethren to help I just built it in place. The nest boxes fit in between the studs and have hinged lids so I can collect eggs without entering the coop. I also decided to get fancy with the little green trim pieces around the window and a nice shiny green door that I made from scratch! No pre-manufactured pieces for this girl.

Next time I build something, I will definitely use connectors and brackets and such, to keep everything square. As it is, nothing in this greenhouse is square or level anyway, so it isn't such a big deal as it would be if I were making a freestanding structure.

I mixed up this nice sky blue from some leftover white and turquoise paints. Since I had to use salvaged plywood, the walls are clad in many small pieces which I caulked together at the seams. I made the roosting ladder out of some branches, as chickens need variety in their perch sizes to avoid foot damage. The bottom of the ladder isn't attached to the floor so I can lift it up to clean under if necessary. I also cut two chicken-sized doors in the exterior walls. One (near the feeder and waterer) leads to the garden, and the other (near the roosting ladder) leads to the outside, unfenced world. During the winter I'll let the chickens go into the garden, but the rest of the time they will not be allowed so they don't damage our crops!

Here is the chicken door into the garden. The greenhouse foundation was not made properly, so rainwater can just sort of seep right in through this wall. I don't know a long-term solution; the only thing I can think to do is lay some sandbags against this wall, which I will do before the Endless Rains of Winter begin.

Here is the chicken door leading to the outside world (and the compost pile.) as you can see from the rotten cladding near the ground the earth was originally piled up against the wall, but I cleared it all away. The new, red piece replaced a portion of the wall that was so rotten I could put my hand through it. I would like to plant shrubs and such in this area, to provide shelter from flying predators for the chickens and make this area less of a mud pit.

Thanks for checking out my coop! It makes me very happy that it's done and I know my chickens have a nice home which is conveniently located. And now. . . We need more pullets! We have five chickens now, but hope to have a flock of ten. Bok bok!