Author Archives: anitasarboradmin

The Music of Peeps

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I have to brag about the new additions to the Urban Acres Farmstead family. 

About 10 days ago I was placed in charge of 4 little fuzzyballs of peeping chicks.  The peeping subsided once they were installed in a straw-bedded crate with water and food and a heat lamp.  Full tummies helped them settle down and take a much-needed nap.

 By the third day, however, they were in need of a deeper crate, and one with a wire top – one was trying to fly to the lip of the crate to make a getaway.  Now, in their second week, they’re ready for another move – to a borrowed indoor coop that will give them some vertical room to test their wings, learn to roost and grow more.

The routine is to change their water, add fresh chick mash, more wheat straw and a half cup of chopped greens.  They seem to prefer parsley, do not care much for brassica greens, and love lettuce as well as bok choy. 

Our chicks are representatives of four different breeds – Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, Araucana and New Hampshire.  I’ll explain a bit about each one.

The Wyandotte coloring is a speckled black and white.  It’s a traditional homestead bird, bred for both meat and egg production.  The silver-laced variety was first standardized in 1883 in the US.   Wyandottes can look heavy due to their feathering.  Eggs are light tan to brown, and they are medium to high egg producers.  A Wyandotte hen can weigh up to 7 pounds.

The Rhode Island Red is a very well-known bird and it was developed for both meat and egg production.  It’s adult color is deep red, and egg color is a light brown.  As a high egg producer, a Rhode Island hen can lay up to 250 eggs a year.   Historically this has been a reliable bird for beginners because it can adapt to extremes of climate.  An adult Rhode Island Red hen can be about 6 pounds.

 The Araucana can grow to 5-6 pounds, and originated in South America (Chile), but the breed was imported to the US in the 1930s. It is a “crested variety” and has ear tufts on either side of its head.  Araucanas are hardy and can handle poor weather conditions easily. They are known as the “Easter Egg” chickens, because their eggs can be tinted blue or green.  Our little Araucana may reach 5-6 pounds when she’s an adult.

Our New Hampshire Red is also a US breed, developed during the early 20thcentury, but became popular in Europe in the mid-twentieth century.  It was primarily developed for egg production.  The eggs are light brown to brown. This chick may top out at about 6 pounds or so.

I’ve found a couple of good references on chickens that are helping to update my knowledge of chicken keeping (since the last time I kept chickens was a good 30 years ago!):

Dr. Joseph Barber (ed.), The Chicken: A Natural History. Lewes, East Sussex, UK: Ivy Press, 2012.

Christine Heinrichs, How to Raise Chickens: Everything You Need to Know. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press, 2013.

Suzie Baldwin, Chickens: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Keeping Happy, Healthy Hens. London, UK: Kyle Books, 2012.

And for chicks:

Jenna Woginrich, Chick Days: Raising Chickens from Hatchlings to Laying Hens. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2010.

 

 

Contentment is….

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Don’t know when I’ve felt so content and peaceful.  Weaving on Rug #2, a combination of deep blue/grey print sheet and a deep rust red.  In the background (thank you Best Buy for new speakers!) I have music playing – of course it’s Nama Orchestra’s Best, a compilation of their folk dance music.  Brings back pleasant memories of folk dancing with the village friends!

Here’s the rug with the first two stripes finished.  Have to call it quits for today – the light is fading and it’s best to weave with natural daylight.

Fabric Destashing Extravaganza!

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Friends, I’m destashing all that fabric that’s been in my closet for the longest time.  All fabrics are from nonsmoking home.  I acquired them with the intention of making clothing for me and my kids when we were active in Civil War reenacting. 

Please email me (anitam48@gmail.com) with a number corresponding to the piece you’re interested in, and where you are.  I will weigh for shipping and send you a PayPal invoice.  Alternatively, if you live in the Dallas area, I am willing to meet you within a 40 miles radius and deliver. 

Individually, the pieces would cost $283.50.  However, if you take the lot, the cost is $200 plus shipping.

Here’s the list:

#1 – Grey melton, wool. I wanted a great coat so badly, and was going to fashion one for those cold winter encampments. 60″ wide, 6 yds.  $5/yd = $30

#2 – SOLD – Grey Linsey/Woolsey – 60″, 2 1/2 yds @ $5/yd = $12.50
This is a piece of a special order woven for Confederate impression.  It could make a pair of pants for a young man who wants to look like his dad.

#3 is a lightweight cotton plaid – dark red, cream and blue. It was going to be a summer-weight dress.  It’s 45″ wide, and there are just over 6 yds.  I’m asking $2/yd so that’s $13 for the piece.

#4 is another plaid – a green and cream cotton, 42″ wide, and there’s about 9 yds in the piece.  This was another dress – probably for my older daughter who looks so good in greens!
At $2/yd that’s $18.

#5 is a lightweight cotton plaid, with red, black, gold and white.  The piece measures 6.5 yds of 45″ fabric.  At $2/yd that’s $13.

#6 is a cotton plaid of green, blue, cream and dark red.  It’s 45″ and  measures 8 yds; at $2/yd it would be $16.

#7 is a cotton plaid of red, black and cream with a green accent.  It’s 45″ wide and just over 8 yds long.  $2/yd = $16

#8 is a cotton plaid of blue and cream with a dark red accent.  It is 42″ wide and consists of two pieces:  One is 6 1/3 yds and the other is 1 yd.  At $2/yd, I’ll say $14.50.

#9 is a plaid of light blue and pale yellow.  I had gotten a pattern for an 1880s day dress and make it up in a darker check.  When I read the documentation of the dress the pattern had been taken from – it was a light blue and pale yellow plaid!  Sure enough, I had it in my closet.  But never made the other dress.    It’s of cotton, 44″ wide.  There are 10 yds in this piece.  $2/yd = $20

#10 is a green floral cotton with large roses, 44″ wide and 11 yds long.  $2/yd = $22

 
 

 

#11 is a small pink on white floral cotton.  It says on the margin, “Concord fabrics 25th anniversary special edition country floral.”  It’s 42″ wide and there are two pieces:  one is 5.5 yds and the other is 1.5 yds for a total of 7 yds.  $2/yd = $14

#12 is a black crepe-type fabric.  It’d thought about making a mourning dress of it, because it drapes so well.  The content is undetermined.  It’s 60″ wide and there are 11 yds in the piece.  At $3/yd so it would be $33 for the piece.  Sorry – the camera shows it as grey, but it is pure black – it must be the texture that is causing the reflection.

#13 is a lovely orange floral cotton.  It is 45″ wide and a little over 7.5 yds.  @$2/yd, that’s $15.

#14 is a small dark red floral on lighter red.  It’s scrumptious.  Cotton, 42″ wide.  There are 4 yds, so that would be $8.

#15 is a light cotton plaid with purplish red as the dominant color.  It’s 36″ wide and there are just over 5 yds in the piece.  I’ll only as $1.50/yd for this one.  That’s $7.50 for the piece.

#16 is a small tan print cotton.  Very subtle and lovely.  It’s 44″ wide, and 7.5 yds long.  At $2/yd that’s $15.  Well, it looks more white – sorry – the tan just didn’t show up well. 

$17 is a brown on brown small floral cotton, 42″ wide.  It’s 8 yds long so at $2/yd that’s $16.

There!  That’s the lot out of that closet!  Again, let me know what you’re interested in (email to anitam48@gmail.com) and I’ll weigh it for shipping costs and send you a PayPal invoice.  Or you could pick it up in Dallas.  If you buy the lot or several pieces, I could even be persuaded to meet you within a 40 miles radius of Dallas. 

Happy sewing!

Anita

Back to Weaving….

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It felt so good today to actually begin weaving again. I fired up the old Reed Cambridge rug loom, taking a while to get the warp on and thread it all up. But now I’ve started a denim rug and it feels so good – weaving is so tactile. And it’s zen…just the next throw of the shuttle, working to keep selvedges even, making sure no threading errors creep in. It’s total focus. Now I need to prepare more denim strips for the next round. Here’s a picture of what I did this morning.

Tales of Bayou, Rescue Cocker

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After visiting with the DFW Cocker Rescue folks at a meet and greet in late April, I went through the very thorough adoption application process. Although my first heartthrob was adopted in the meantime, I went to the special needs/senior dog meet and greet and met Bayou.

Now this little guy is a “senior” at 9 years or so, and has cataracts. But his little tail doesn’t stop wagging and I don’t think he’s ever met anyone he didn’t like!

I prepared my home for him, and worked out an exchange point and time with his foster mom. I’m fostering him for the moment. But I’ve lost my heart.

He looks like a little old grizzled man with bushy eyebrows and a bit of a bushy mustache, bushy hair on top. Here’s his official photo.

We got off to a rocky start, as Bayou and Little Bit (the “tiny” cat) became acquainted, and Bayou learned of his place within the pack. Following are a couple of progress reports I sent his previous foster mom.

6/13/12 The cat and Bayou just stared at each other in the kitchen last evening. Bayou didn’t know what to do with this strange type of dog, and the cat was cautious. Later, as I read in the living room, Bayou was asleep on the couch, the cat sprawled on the coffee table, and the lab in the middle of the floor. Then the cat decided to go over to the side table (on Bayou’s end of the couch), Bayou was startled and jumped, cat freaked, there was a blur, with cat launching off my arm (I have wounds to prove it!), and Bayou on his back yelping. No damage, just scared. He went over to my chair, crying and the lab and I went over and comforted him. The cat has maintained a ghostly appearance, and Bayou seems to be ignoring him. (The cat is about Bayou’s size and is willing to live and let live.) Wasn’t that exciting?! 🙂 So then we went up to bed, and I moved the beagle’s little bed over close to my side of the bed. Ha! When I climbed in, Bayou presented himself with paws on the bed and looked at me. I lifted him up, he cuddled and then went to the foot of the bed and curled up. We did have a middle of the night visit to the backyard, which Bayou announced by not climbing into bed with me again when I got up for my bathroom break. He’s a bit anxious about going out without my standing watching. That’s okay, because it’s strange. He is glue to me now, but learned that the lab also has access to me, when he tried to be non-sharing last night. He just needed some reminders about behaviors in the pack. Meanwhile, he appears to like our filtered water! 🙂 My son loves him. He reminds me of a grizzled old man from the mountains, with big bushy brows, tousled hair and maybe a bit of a beard. He’s so cute!

6/14/12 I sure do appreciate your handholding last night. And your suggestion as to how to handle our little escape artist! I’m also getting another tag for him with my number on it. So I put your suggestion right to use, because I had to run off to church. I went to the door (with treats in my pocket), and he followed eagerly; you could tell he was primed for another foray outside. As I opened the door, I turned to him and said, “Bayou! Stay!” He stopped and looked at me, and the look in his eyes said, “Oh, drat! She knows!” It was so funny. I gave him a treat then and closed the door. Taking that as a hint that he was a kid testing limits, I started this morning with a feeding routine. Everyone had to “sit” while I prepared the meal, instead of crowding in close. Bayou had been rather laissez-faire about that, sort of like he wasn’t sure how to “sit.” He obviously knows sit and stay. He kept getting up, and I’d just make him sit and stay again. Very orderly meal time – same as I would do when I had a third dog (my daughter’s pointer) visit. So basically, the jig is up. I’m in control. (I had control issues with the lab and still do periodically. I’ve found that the “sit” command sort of re-establishes our hierarchy in the pack.) By the way, he and my son seem to be getting along quite well. Not only were they on the couch together when I got home last night, but while I was in the shower and getting dressed this morning, Bayou moved into my son’s bed and didn’t follow me downstairs until he was good and ready! 🙂

He made a trip to the vet (ophthalmologist) yesterday and is deemed a candidate for cataract surgery! He just might be able to see well again! But the cocker rescue group needs to raise funds to cover the surgery. Anyone so inclined can go to Their website at www.dfwcockerrescue.org and make a donation in his name.

Success with Beer Barm Bread!

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I think I’ve got a good beer barm bread now, although I’ll continue to experiment.

Here’s the latest incarnation:

BEER BARM BREAD ÁLA ANITA

I started with beer barm from our brewing class. The resulting bread has a beer-y flavor, with the hops coming through. It pairs well with sharp cheddar and hot chili was also suggested as an accompaniment.

2 c. barm* warmed slowly to 168-170⁰ F. Turn off fire and whisk in ½ c. flour. Let cool to warm (about 70⁰ F.)
Let sit overnight. It should be bubbly in the morning.

Next day add:

1 c. warm water and stir well

Then add:
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dry yeast**
2 c. (about ) flour

Mix well. It’ll probably be a bit soft, but mix it and then cover and let sit for a short while (10-30 min.).

Then knead again lightly for about 1 min., adding flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.

Let sit about an hour, covered.

Then knead again lightly for about 5 min., or until it feels well mixed and smooth. It will be a soft dough.

Lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Make bread into an oblong loaf and place aside to rise for about 2 hours or so – till double in bulk.

Set oven to 475-500⁰F., and get it really hot. I insert a baking stone to help hold the heat.

Sprinkle the top of the loaf with water, then place in the oven.

After about 10 minutes, lower heat to 450⁰F., and let bake for another 40-45 minutes, or until loaf browned and sounds hollow when tapped.

* If you don’t have access to barm, you can use a commercial beer with live yeast.

** You can also substitute sourdough starter, but then the bread will need another round of kneading and rising, and rising may be slower.

Experimental Bread Journey

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I took a beer brewing workshop last weekend. It’s in two parts – one last weekend wherein we brewed the beer, and the next will be in a month when we bottle our brew. It was a fascinating process, and I was constantly asking myself, “how would it have been done 100 or 200 years ago?” (Ever the social historian!)

We made two batches and set them aside in a quiet area of the shop. The main gist of my post, though, follows.

The workshop facilitators had already started one batch of beer in order to show us how to siphon from one carboy to another for secondary fermentation. And there, in the bottom of the first carboy, was … BARM!

I asked and so rescued it from being tossed and proudly took it home in a jar. I immediately took two cups of the barm, placed it in a glass bowl, and added a teaspoon of sugar and a cup or so of flour (however much was required for a sponge). I stirred vigorously, then covered it with a clean towel and set it in the (unlit, unpilot-lighted) oven out of drafts. That was Saturday night. Sunday morning I checked on it, and it was still like tired sourdough. I stirred it and added another little bit of water and flour, covered it and set it aside. On Monday morning I checked it, added flour and water and stirred it, then covered and set aside. It’s getting more active. Tuesday I added another teaspoon of sugar along with a bit of flour and water, stirred it and set aside. This morning (Wednesday) it was bubbly. So I added a bit of water and flour and stirred it and set aside. It’s beginning to smell less like beer and more like bread!

The following day, it was bubbly and so I added flour to make it into a dough. I let it rise, but it was dense. Baked it on a stone at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes. I call it my “Monastic Bread,” because it was very dense and tasted strongly of beer, with a hops aftertaste. I’ll make another try with a different method next time.

Dye Day October 2009

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June and I had an incredible time playing with color. We used goldenrod that June had picked that morning, along with cochineal and indigo. We dyed both yarn and silk scarves, with space dyeing as well as immersion dyeing. I even tried my resale shop silk blouse! It turned out a mottled light and medium blue, with the cut edges of ruching taking on a deeper blue. Quite lovely.

We both smelled of smoke, though, as the fire needed constant attention. All in all, a great day!

Goat Milk Soap is Ready

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It’s always exciting when I declare a batch of soap ready. I have to take a bar and try it myself – and this latest is luscious. My skin just relaxes when I use the goat milk soap. I plan to get another batch going this weekend, so I won’t run out again! It’s the most popular so far among those who buy my soaps.

On another note, I decided that “Domestic Arts Emporium” just doesn’t adequately describe my soaps. So….after brainstorming with a couple of friends, we decided a better portrayal would be “Texas Naturals” and then subhead, “Pure Soap”. I think that says it all. So I got the web addy “texasnaturals.net” and filed an assumed name with the State of Texas. That will lock things in. Now to do another website. 🙂 Oh, my, technology challenges raise their heads again. As soon as I get the website functioning, I’ll add a link here.

But the thinking behind the name and “Pure Soap” is that folks buy my soaps because they are gentle on the skin. There are no scents, no added essential oils (some of which I’ve found to be quite irritating to my skin), just pure soap. When I did a little market research in the soap aisle at Whole Foods recently, about 90-95% of the handmade soaps were scented or had some added something, like cinnamon, or citrus, or whatever. I can’t use those, and figure others can’t either.

I’m going to stick with pure soap. It’s not fancy, but it sure feels good on the skin. Guess I’m just too pragmatic! 🙂

I actually got to weave some last weekend. It felt so good to sit at the loom, and concentrate on the next throw of the shuttle. Truly relaxing and meditative. I have so many ideas, though, of things I’d like to try weaving….my old problem comes up – too many ideas and too little time!

Speaking of time….it’s getting away from me now, and so I really, really need to get going.

Progress

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Finished mixing the avocado oil soap this evening. It looks luscious – so creamy. The avocado oil doesn’t fully saponify, so it starts out by being superfatted, and then I added a bit more just before pouring it into the mold. Can’t wait to try it out!

Lots of interest in my “Healthy Natural Soap for Sensitive Skin” at the Art Festival Friday evening and Saturday. A friend who’s a nurse coined the “healthy soap” moniker. I sort of like it.

Too late to write of much more.