Yes! With so many men in the house we should be swimming in wild caught game! But sadly, we have no hunters. My 20yo ds has been invited to hunt with his girlfriend's dad and grandfather, but he won't go. I think he's afraid they'll tease him if he doesn't get a deer.
My 18yo would go, but hasn't found anyone serious about taking him, same with 11yo and fishing. Pig hunting is a huge part of the local culture here, but we aren't close with any native guys.
I have a deer rifle in storage on the mainland, if I get it sent I think the big boys will get motivated to get out there, they like their meat, and I would be willing to deal with the hides myself. I am trying to raise boys who are more self sufficient and reliable than their fathers, but it's not easy!
Maybe we should just learn how to hunt! There are lots of women around here that hunt. I'm going to have to think on that!
I've been wanting to hunt for years (that's why I have a Winchester 30/30 
) but it's the same problem, no one to take me out and teach me... Lots of guys talk, but none I know actually get out and do. It would be different if I lived on land where I could shoot something from my deck as it wandered through my yard, I know I could do that, but here I live in a subdivision and would have to go out into the jungle, or up on the cold mountain, so I don't quite know where to start. But if I ever hear of a women's hunting club, you can bet I'll be there!
Itsasecret - That's an awesome experience and access to chickens. I'm jealous. I'll have to see if there are any local farms that need farm hands on butchering day next year.
Thursday - It's incredible how different store-bought eggs are from the ones you collect in the back yard. Hard to believe they are the same "product". Do you think you save money eating the eggs your chickens lay? I know there is significant startup cost (in effort to build the coop or time), but then I don't know how much you can feed them on kitchen scrapes and yard pecking versus needing to buy good and expensive feeds?
My DH grew up hunting with his family, but in a different state. It's really hard to take the time off and actually pretty expensive to get an out-of-state hunting license. So we're pretty stuck not having game meat each year, and we're sad about it.
I_don't_think_we_have_come_out_even.I_like_the_experience_though._If_we_were_on_a_bigger_farm_and_
were_using_them_as_meat_as_well
_I_think_the_cost_could_be_even.That_is_even_taking_into_consideration_that_hubs_built_the_coop_with
material_we_had_laying_around_so_we_only_had_to_get_a_few_materials.
Is your space bar broken? hehe
I have 20 layers, and I sell them for $3.50 for 6 at our store. I feed them scraps from our kitchen, scraps from the garden (which is much larger than a family garden since I grow veggies for our store) and organic layer pellets which are really expensive. When the birds were in their first laying cycle I made a little money on the eggs, which is great since we eat probably 2 dozen a week. When they molted this fall and weren't laying at all we lost money. So I bet, not counting time, we probably about break even on them. I leave my chickens on the island (we have a weird set up where we have 2 houses and rent one all summer, and move back to the mainland for winter when commuting by boat is hard) tended by neighbors in the winter, and I miss them so much! Spring moving date is whenever this baby decides to be born, as I'm not quite brave enough to do a homebirth on a tiny remote island (yet a least, maybe #4).
I'd say even if the chickens cost money, I'd still keep some just for us anyway, the eggs are SOOOOOO much better there isnt' even a comparison. Right now my chickens are laying so little that the family that is tending them eats all the eggs, so I haven't had any in month, but as the days get longer their productivity will pick up. I miss my orange yolks!
saudade, yeah the space bar on the home computer is broken. lol.
So many good recipes!
We're vegetarian and due to multiple allergies on my side I don't do a lot of major cooking I guess...
Today I made some Tinkiyadi brown rice pasta (celiacs...) and topped it with some vinigarette sauce and it was so good. I cooked in some frozen veggie mix that had broccoli and carrots with a few other veggies.
I made some crock pot red beans and after seasoning them with salt and a garlic pepper spice I mixed it with some rice and again veggies on the side. Tonight I plan on warming up some corn tortillas and making GF burritos with some daiya cheese in them. I may even include some salsa, we'll see.
Yesterday I had a baked potato. I rubbed it down with olive oil and then baked it in the oven for an hour and a half. I topped it with daiya cheese and then put some salsa and spicy brown mustard on it (I know salsa and mustard together sounds weird, but it is so good at the moment.)
I also made a quesadilla with corn tortillas and my cheese.
For breakfast it's usually toast with sunbutter and applesauce on top and then some So Delicious coconut milk yogurt with ground flax seed in it.
Of course I can't forget my frequent egg eating love!
The cheese I get and yogurt isn't the most thrifty, but it's good and I've loved yogurt this pregnancy. It's hard to be really really thrifty with food allergies and celiacs.
I feel you. We have major food allergies, as well, and have to spend a fortune on food. We have to raise our own chickens because my children can't eat eggs if the chickens are fed any soy. It's disheartening, but I remind myself that food is health. How I would love to feed my children raw milk and pure butter and real cheese! We love Daiya, but don't love the price! Do you belong to a food coop? It helps to buy it by the case, if you can keep the case away from your children...lol
I feel you. We have major food allergies, as well, and have to spend a fortune on food. We have to raise our own chickens because my children can't eat eggs if the chickens are fed any soy. It's disheartening, but I remind myself that food is health. How I would love to feed my children raw milk and pure butter and real cheese! We love Daiya, but don't love the price! Do you belong to a food coop? It helps to buy it by the case, if you can keep the case away from your children...lol
Nope, I looked in our area once for a co-op but there isn't any. Fortunately we can get Earth Balance butter for a really good price at the Commissary. Same with Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. I just wish they carried daiya cheese and our tinkiyadi pasta, but the pasta is pretty affordable for the most part. I should see if they could pick up some daiya cheese for me because it would be so much cheaper. Someday maybe when we aren't moving a lot or my hubby leaves the army we can raise our own chickens. That would be so nice!
Rosie, I know I'm a little late chimming in on this, but I have some insight into the costs of raising the chickens once you have them. My neighbor and I bought chickens at the same time, we slowly added to the flock and she didn't. We also fed our chickens loads of scraps (and also things like bread from the local "bread box" where once it's expired they can only sell it as animal food...it's very cheap). We went through about one bag of food per month, which cost about $20, each month. That was with 24 chickens. Our neighbor refused to feed any scraps and went through a bag every week to week and a half. She only had 12 chickens! So it really does depend. At $20 per month, we would get as many as 1-2 dozen eggs a day, so a very good deal, and we had eggs to give to the local food pantry. We also let our chickens free range which reduced the bug population, helped feed them even more, and kept us from having the cost of a "coop". All in all, we enjoyed it and are looking forward to doing it again.
oh, if we could have that many chickens they would totally pay for themselves.
Rosie, I know I'm a little late chimming in on this, but I have some insight into the costs of raising the chickens once you have them. My neighbor and I bought chickens at the same time, we slowly added to the flock and she didn't. We also fed our chickens loads of scraps (and also things like bread from the local "bread box" where once it's expired they can only sell it as animal food...it's very cheap). We went through about one bag of food per month, which cost about $20, each month. That was with 24 chickens. Our neighbor refused to feed any scraps and went through a bag every week to week and a half. She only had 12 chickens! So it really does depend. At $20 per month, we would get as many as 1-2 dozen eggs a day, so a very good deal, and we had eggs to give to the local food pantry. We also let our chickens free range which reduced the bug population, helped feed them even more, and kept us from having the cost of a "coop". All in all, we enjoyed it and are looking forward to doing it again.
Thanks! Yeah, sounds like there are many ways to do it. I love the idea of letting my chickens range in the garden to pluck the bugs (though they'd probably take good ones out too), but it would have to be limited because they would destroy seedlings too. My biggest hurdle is actually my dogs. To have chickens, I would need to construct at least one fence to keep the dogs out in addition to the coop and run. One of my two dogs is crazily prey-driven, and it would take a good long time to get him used to the chickens, if it is possible at all. This is a task I plan to take on in a couple of years. :)
Thanks for the info!
Thanks! Yeah, sounds like there are many ways to do it. I love the idea of letting my chickens range in the garden to pluck the bugs (though they'd probably take good ones out too), but it would have to be limited because they would destroy seedlings too. My biggest hurdle is actually my dogs. To have chickens, I would need to construct at least one fence to keep the dogs out in addition to the coop and run. One of my two dogs is crazily prey-driven, and it would take a good long time to get him used to the chickens, if it is possible at all. This is a task I plan to take on in a couple of years. :)
Thanks for the info!
dogs,yes.
we_have_lost_5_chickens_to_our_dog.
It broke my heart when my dog half-killed a bunny he caught this summer. I wasn't prepared for it, and my emotions were probably running high (I think I was pregnant). My biggest fear is injury, then having to kill them myself. :( And killing without being able to eat the bird.
Last night we had vegetable beef soup from the freezer that was made with the end of the garden. I added some rolls I got from the free bread day at a local church and a jar of home canned peaches, and it felt like a free meal.
Tonight we will have French toast with more free bread and eggs from our chickens. I still have some apples we picked this falll that are not the greatest for eating fresh, so I will cook those up to top the toast. I'll do some sausage, too.
Tomorrow will be beef and black bean tacos and the rest of the quart of peaches.
Thursday is spaghetti, garlic bread, and green beans or salad.
I haven't done beans and cornbread in a while, so that may happen this weekend.
I like a lot of the recipes at Hillbilly Housewife. There are lots of good bean recipes there that can be made very healthfully with few adaptations. I like that a lot of the recipes are made from staples, so it is a good place to look when you just need something to eat without shopping.
I made this just the other night at my husband's request. We love it. The dumplings sell it to the kids. I use homemade broth rather than water and bouillon if I have it, or else I like Better Than Bouillon. For us this makes 6 adult servings and 2 preschooler servings.
Dumplings
Begin by making the soup. Rinse the lentils under running water. Then place them in a large pot and cover them with 2-quarts of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes. The lentils will be almost tender. Add the vegetables, bouillon, garlic and black pepper. Stir gently and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes more. The vegetables and lentils will both be tender. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it.
Now look over the amount of liquid in the pot. Add enough extra water so that all of the solids are well covered with liquid. They don’t need to be swimming over their heads, but they should be wading up to their waists. Bring the mixture to a slow lazy simmer, not a boil. If the soup boils it will disintegrate the dumplings instead of cooking them up into fluffy, glimmering jewels.
While the soup is simmering, prepare your dumplings. Get out a big bowl. In it combine the oil, egg and milk until they are well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix it up to a stiff batter, like for drop biscuits. Set it aside until you need it.
When the soup is simmering slowly, it is time to drop in the dumplings. Take small rounded scoops of the dough with teaspoon and drop them into the simmering broth, on top of the vegetables. Keep dropping the dough blobs until you have scraped the bowl clean. Now put the lid, or a handy pizza pan over the pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Do not peak. Let the dumplings simmer covered for the full 20 minutes. The thing about dumplings is that they cook partly from the boiling soup and partly from the steam. The steam is what makes them fluffy, and the simmering broth is what cooks them all the way through. If you peak while the dumplings are cooking then they will turn into lumpy, doughy rocks. When the time is up, serve the soup and dumplings as soon as possible. The soup will be thickened and the dumplings will be light and fluffy.
Makes between 4 and 6 servings.
NOTE: If you don’t have any extra eggs, then leave out the egg and replace it with 3 tablespoons of milk. The dumplings will still be good.
This is the lentil taco filling we like. 4 bouillon cubes make it too salty for us, so I use 2 or 3 or homemade broth. We all really like it and don't miss the meat. I have done this in the crockpot or on the stove.
In a 2-quart saucepan bring the water to a boil. As the water is heating, add the lentils, rice, bouillon, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring the whole thing to a nice fat boil. Reduce the heat to low. Place a lid on the lentils and allow the mixture to simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes. The water should be mostly absorbed. You may serve this as it, topped with a little cheddar cheese if desired. Or you can use it to fill burritos or tacos instead. Both ways are very tasty. This is one of Tommy’s favorite foods in the whole wide world.
If you have never tried lentils and are looking for a way to make them acceptable to the kids, this one is a good bet. Our favorite way to eat it is as a taco filling. If you are having a busy day and don’t have time to cook this on the stove, it can cook in the crock pot on low for about 6 to 8 hours instead or 4 hours on high.
Not a cooking post, but a frugality post. I'm having a struggle about chicken. Whole (factory) chickens are $.89/lb at Costco, organic chickens are $3.99/lb at costco (but I don't trust that they're humanely raised), and our farm delivery has non-organic but humanely raised chickens for $3.59/lb. It's hard to have resolve about buying happy chickens when it's 4X the cost. DH basically says "we can't make that choice right now, buy the $.89 chicken."
:(
Not a cooking post, but a frugality post. I'm having a struggle about chicken. Whole (factory) chickens are $.89/lb at Costco, organic chickens are $3.99/lb at costco (but I don't trust that they're humanely raised), and our farm delivery has non-organic but humanely raised chickens for $3.59/lb. It's hard to have resolve about buying happy chickens when it's 4X the cost. DH basically says "we can't make that choice right now, buy the $.89 chicken."
:(
we can't buy humanely raised stuff, it's just not possible right now. With meat we get whatever is on sale that week. Someday I can make other choices but not today. I just fondly think of the day we will be raising our own happy meat for slaughter.
Mom2sammyjo, I will be trying your lentil and dumplings.
My kids will totally devour veggies in soups or casseroles but won't touch them when put on the plate with a hunk of meat, they just eat the meat. It's not like I am even hiding the veggies. They went to my sisters future in laws for thanksgiving and the lady commented on them liking starch and sweets a lot, they didn't have one soup or casserole the whole time they were there so ate very few veggies. My sister DID tell them they just aren't used to that kind of food. (and all white bread too.lol)
Not a cooking post, but a frugality post. I'm having a struggle about chicken. Whole (factory) chickens are $.89/lb at Costco, organic chickens are $3.99/lb at costco (but I don't trust that they're humanely raised), and our farm delivery has non-organic but humanely raised chickens for $3.59/lb. It's hard to have resolve about buying happy chickens when it's 4X the cost. DH basically says "we can't make that choice right now, buy the $.89 chicken."
:(
I totally hear you on this... it's a struggle for me too, but I have made the choice that chicken, meat and eggs are the things I will not compromise on. So I buy the $3.59/lb chicken and the 99cent pasta (instead of the $3.59/lb on sale organic pasta) and I spend about $3 on a jar of sauce, either Newman's Own natural (not org.) or more recently, Prego Organic; so it's not as cheap as the syrupy stuff in cans, but it's less than half as much as the big organic brands. I buy flats of canned beans and big blocks of cheese from our local warehouse store (I never would have bought the beans and the cheese would have been questionable previously). I also usually buy organic produce if it is something that's imported (apples and onions mostly, I've been doing conventional cranberries and pomegranates) but local produce I look for whatever is cheap and not sprayed or GMO. It's true I barely squeak by on my food budget each month, and the end is often less exciting than the beginning, but I'm at peace with it... I used to be pretty hard core about eating all organic, whatever the cost, but it is not a possibility now. The biggest change in my shopping from my more expansive times is that I do without things like imported cheese, deli meat, shrimp, better cuts of meat etc.
note: milk would also be a non-compromise, but thankfully the milk we get, tho homo&past, is local, pastured, hormone free and low temp past. and is cheaper than anything from the mainland, organic or not. I would like to be able to support my friends who sell milk, but at $15 or more a gallon, I am happy with the readily available "compromise".
Another note: Sometimes I cook dry beans, but since we don't eat alot of beans, often either it's not enough to make the cooking energy expense worthwhile, or I end up composting several servings. I also prefer to make tomato sauce, but I am hopeless with a garden and even local tomatoes are usually more pricey than a jar of acceptable sauce, otherwise I would not buy those things like I do.
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