Category: Tips
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How I Got 15 Meals From a Nine-Pound Heritage Turkey
Thanksgiving is over for this year, and all of the leftover turkey is gone, too (finally). For the last several years, we haven’t had turkey on Thanksgiving. It was because I couldn’t find a locally raised heritage bird. I like the flavor of heritage breeds, and I want to support rare breed conservation. If I… Continue reading
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Freezer Management
One of the hardest things to manage when you use chest freezers for storing sale meats is how to handle the deepest areas. It’s easy to lose track of inventory in there! Fortunately, we’ve discovered a few tricks over the years that apply to anyone with a chest freezer. My secret is this: wine boxes!… Continue reading
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How Do You Ship Sheep?
So, you’ve found yourself buying sheep from across the country. What’s involved in that process? From the time you agree to purchase sheep to the time your new sheep arrive at your farm, there’s a lot to know. The rules vary by state, but you can read about the basics below. Paperwork Every livestock shipment… Continue reading
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98 Degrees, <10% Humidity... What to Cook?
It’s hot, hot, hot! We’ve had no rain, and our temperatures are soaring with low humidity. I don’t want to cook anything inside and heat up the house, but we have severe fire restrictions. No open flames are allowed, so outdoor BBQ isn’t an option, either. Luckily, I’ve just discovered the Instant Pot. I know… Continue reading
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Sheep Coats
Here’s my plan for sheep coats. Coat parts from top left to right: 2 assembled leg pieces, chest piece, chest reinforcing, coat body folded in half. A fully assembled sheep coat. A fully assembled sheep coat from the inside. The chest piece is at the top, girth tucks are on the sides, and leg straps… Continue reading
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Apple iOS 4 Problems on iPod Touch: Update Downgrade Instructions
Well, I stupidly upgraded my iPod Touch to iOS 4 yesterday. Don’t do it! My battery now lasts less than 12 hours, even with wifi off. The advantages of the new OS are not with the hassle, but to add insult to injury, I cannot go back. The first rule of any computer system is… Continue reading
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Ravelympics Medals
I’m nearing the end of my Ravelry Knitting Olympics. I was on two different teams. Team WIPs 2010, with two projects for WIPs – dancing was the first. Sadly, I will not medal in either project for this event. However, for Team Tardis, I’ve medaled in four events with a total of five projects! I… Continue reading
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Quick Note-Taking Systems
A short recap: I needed a faster way to take notes during brainstorming sessions. After reviewing traditional shorthand, LiveScribe, and a few other choices, I narrowed my options down to EasyScript and QuickHand. To get a feel for the two systems, I bought two books off of eBay: EasyScript Express and the QuickHand Self-Teaching Guide.… Continue reading
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Cloak Problems – Need Suggestions
Today, I started laying out the cloak pattern for my 18th-century Black Welsh cloak. Because my fabric is so much narrower than normal, I cut a long piece of muslin to 24 inches to match it. Then, I pieced the cloak pattern together out of that. I cut the muslin and laid it out on… Continue reading
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Jump Starting a Lamb
Lambing is in full swing, and I thought I’d share a trick we now use on all lambs. I milk a bit of colostrum into a syringe case. Ken uses his finger to entice the lamb to nurse, then he squirts the milk into the size of the lamb’s mouth. This does several things: it… Continue reading