Autumn

The season of golden inspiration, divine shades of red, and harvest moonlit nights.

   

Regard it Just as Desirable to Build a Chicken House as it is to Build a Cathedral

Hello everyone!

My title for this post is from Frank Lloyd Wright.

 I love farming. Just in case you couldn't tell from the general theme of my blog here. It's what I grew up knowing, and my passion for it flows into everything that I do. I'm slowly gathering up information on my own while I live in town so that one day, I can do what my mom and dad do for the rest of my life!

While doing some research into chicken farming in Canada, I discovered that there are 2,682 broiler farms in Canada. That's a lot of fresh, wholesome, lean protein being produced for all of us to eat! One other interesting thing that I learned today was that British Columbia (where I'm from) ranks as the third biggest broiler bird producing province after Ontario and Quebec. That's quite impressive as well.

Not to mention, it generates thousands upon thousands of jobs for Canadians. These jobs can be direct or indirect. In BC alone there's 3,147 jobs that are related to just the chicken farming industry.

And I love the Chicken Farmers of Canada's mission:

"To build a strong, competitive, consumer-centred Canadian chicken industry that meets the challenges of a changing world, and to profitably grow its position as the protein leader in Canada" 

Being a chicken farmer in Canada is most definitely a consumer-centred industry. I worked in the meat department at a farm market for a year, and people long for the proper education on knowing about their food. We strive to educate people and give them the best product available.


I often take my knowledge about the food industry for granted. Growing up on a farm, and being surrounded by many others, I always knew exactly what went into the food that I ate. I also knew all of the processes for producing food products. So one of my goals now is to pass on the information in a simple way to give everyone a good idea as to what makes their home-grown food so good for them!

A well maintained farm here in Canada thanks to our highly efficient
Biosecurity program. 

Click here for all of the info on chicken farming

The Forgotten Homestead

Decaying wooden planks that extend across a frame like spindles. Splintered glass and wooden shingles. The old farmhouse door is suspended by a solitary hinge. It is an abandoned spot that carries with it years of untold glories. This is spooky. This is beauty.

One of my own photos 

Dirt roads. Dusty fields. Simple things. Tales of hard labour, backbreaking ground, love, life, Jesus and family whisper through the walls. Signs of newer times take up the space between the barn and the house, but the untold stories mingle with it.

This spot can be found on the backroads of Armstrong, BC if you'd ever like to experience it for yourself.

The Rooster May Crow, But The Hen Delivers the Goods.

Good Morning! I discovered this picture on pinterest this morning, and I love it!  

Here are some facts that I bet you didn't know about chickens:

Chickens are the closest relatives to T- rex.

They have a communal way if raising their young when they are in flocks. Different hens will incubate different sets of eggs.

In breeder farms, each chicken can lay 150 to 155 eggs in a cycle! Talk about a lot for one chicken!

Chickens need to eat around 4 pounds of feed in order to produce a dozen eggs.

A chicken's heart beats 300 times a minute.

There are more chickens on this earth than there are human beings.

The average Canadian eats 30kg of chicken in a year.





Learn More about BC Chicken Farmers Here
Check Out Canadian Chicken Here
Find Out About Canadian Chicken Farmers Here

You Stand Out Like a Strawberry in a Bowl of Peas

Make yourself a summertime treat: Chocolate Filled Strawberries. Much better than just being dipped in chocolate! This was inspired from a Facebook post by Lepp Farm Market, a little country store that I used to work at. Talk about a brilliant idea! 

Apple Butter.

The other day, I made some decadent crock-pot apple butter. Pork chops taste so good when they're marinaded in that stuff overnight! Today in my boredom, I looked up some quotes about apples. Here are a few of the better ones that I found:

Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness. 

(Well said, Jane Austen!) 

Almost all wild apples are handsome. They cannot be too gnarly and crabbed and rusty to look at. They gnarliest will have some redeeming traits even to the eye.

(True, true, Mr. Henry Thoreau) 

It is remarkable how closely the history of the Apple-tree is connected with that of a man.

(Another valid point by Thoreau) 

If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.

(This revelation is from Carl Sagan)

Here is the recipe that I used for making my apple butter. It made two mason jars worth of the appley goodness. (One to use for yourself and one to give away!) I made mine with gala apples, and I cooked it overnight, so when I woke up in the morning, our home smelled like fall! 

It can last 7-10 days in the fridge, and you can freeze it! Also, to get a smoother consistency, you can blend it up after you're done making it! 

Crock-Pot Apple Butter

1 Dozen apples, peeled, sliced, cubed

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 TSP Allspice

Cinnamon to taste

Toss apple cubes in sugar and spices. Put water and apples into crock-pot. Cook on low overnight. 

PS: You want to know why apples float? It's because 25% of their volume is air! 

Love Them Locals!

Did you know that one of the definitions for jewellery is: a form of personal adornment that has no other purpose but to look appealing. Humans have been creating these personal adornments for a long time. The word itself is from late Middle English that was a spin off of the Old French term jeulerie. In the past, jewellery has been used as currency. It's been a public display of wealth. Sometimes it carries symbolism with it (such as marital status, and religious affiliation). It could be stored and used up as a wedding dowry.  In other words, jewellery has been a very influential thing in this little world! The oldest piece of jewellery is 75,000 years old! It was discovered in Kenya, where the beads were made from perforated ostrich egg shells.

One thing has never changed over time: us women. our tastes, and how we love it! And one young lady that I know loves it so much, that she has put her heart into creating beautiful jewellery.

I love it when people follow the desires of their hearts, and this wonderful young lady that I attended high school with (she graduated one year before me) is well on her way to turning her dreams into reality. She has combined her outstanding artistic creativity into a business. It's called: LeShelle Designs. It is a "sisters-in-law" jewelry designing thing of beauty. Both Michelle and Leni Schroeder make unique, beautiful, and personal designs out of mainly local, British Columbia lampwork beads and Swarvoski crystals. Talk about AWESOMENESS!


Let me give y'all a little background information about why I love this girl's stuff so much. I'm a very very VERY picky jewellery picker. I love jewellery, don't get me wrong, but at the same time whenever I see a piece of jewellery, I can almost always find something that I would like to change on it. While looking through all of Michelle's Facebook page, I discovered a piece that I absolutely fell in love with. There was nothing that I could possibly want to change on it. A miracle, yes. Yes indeed! So, of course I had to buy it, and now share all of the goodness with the rest of you!


These ladies have created beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, jewelry sets, bookmarks, and cellphone charms that have so much character. They've also done custom jewelry based on customer ideas and they've even done custom pieces for weddings! How special would that be?

My Garden Pond Necklace. Unfortunately, my camera doesn't do this piece justice, so make sure you check out Michelle's Facebook page pictures under the "sold" category to see what it's all about! I love that this necklace does up from the side. It makes it so easy to put on by myself. 

I absolutely love my Garden Pond Necklace. Everyone who sees me wearing it comments on how pretty it is.....I have my eye on the Pinecone necklace for this fall....

So check out her Facebook page, and like it if you like what you see! You can also click on the link above (LeShelle Designs)and purchase her gorgeous little works of art via Etsy.

Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Down Where I Was Born Was Heaven On Earth

The Sun Sets Low,

And the Stars Shine Bright.

You Either Lived on a Farm,

Or Wish You Did.

Jesus Always Walked Close by Our Side.

Where I grew Up, We Rode In Trucks.

That's Us,

Haulin' Hay in the Field With The Radio On.

And That's Us,

Headin' Straight Into Town When The Work Was Done.

With Our Tailgates Down in the Parkin' Lot,

With Mud on the Tires When It Rained A Lot.

Where I Grew Up, We Rode In Trucks. 

-Luke Bryan 

Grain Bins 

Handprints to last a lifetime 

The Barn 

Free and Easy Down This Road

I'm back! (Finally, and with a good post!) Here are some of the highlights from our Armstrong, BC trip. 

The land is beautiful up there, and it is definitely God's country. This is one of my favourite places in the entire universe, and even though I have never lived here, it its my home. 

We took my mom and dad's trailer along and we stayed on our friend's property. These friends of ours also own a custom farm operation. The drive up didn't look too promising, since it rained most of the way up there, but after that, we had blue skies and 35 degree-plus days up there. 

It was perfect. the view from one side of our trailer was all fields, and the other view was of all of the equipment at their yard. I was happy, and David was very happy! We were also staying up there during prime cutting time. It was incredible to see (and work on) such large scale farms, and huge parcels of land. 

 We spent an entire day out in Sorrento, BC raking up huge fields. The one field only had two outside rounds down in it (it was 160 someodd acres) and it took us an HOUR to rake up the two rounds. It was so much fun. I even did a little raking that day. The song "Flyover States" by Jason Aldean was in my mind that entire day. I know I live in Canada, but the message still covers any beautiful place! 

We also did a lot of day trips. We spent time in the old part of downtown Vernon, where they have an awesome bookstore, and this amazing restaurant called The Palace. They serve up the most delicious, ethnic East Indian food that I have ever tasted! In the newer part of Vernon, we discovered this place called The Bulk Barn. They have every single thing that you could imagine in bulk there. Baking stuff, candy, nuts, chocolate...you name it! The best little marked that we checked out was the DeMille's store in Salmon Arm, BC. They carried local products, and they all looked so delicious. David knows some people who live out in Enderby, so we also did a few drives out there. The water was still exceptionally high in Grindrod and Enderby. I got to visit my sister store out in Salmon Arm as well! It was very neat to see! 

I took a lot of barn pictures, but those will show up in a collection some other time! I want to dedicate a whole separate post to them! 

Our truck hauling the trailer. We were stopped in Merrit, BC. I really had to go to the bathroom! 

The view from the trailer 

FENDT 

The BEST ever ethnic East Indian food in old downtown Vernon, BC. 

Driving to Sorrento, BC. 

Salmon Arm, BC. 

Entering Salmon Arm, BC. 

Somewhere in the small town of Tappen, BC. The rake is ready to go! 

Chillin' on a dirt road.....

The huge dairy that we spent the day at. 

Like Tatoos on this town

Raking begins! 

The buggy and chopper behind us 

Such sweet alfalfa! 

Just as free....free as we'll ever be....

Break 

I took a lot of pictures. 

I decided to stay outside for a bit and take some pictures

Raking the upper fields by the barn 

Fence line 

Beauty. 

We worked until the cows literally came home 

Alfalfa leaves 

Wildflowers and a gate 

Even their weeds are pretty up there! 

I was goin' out with my boots on. 

Stirring up dust. 

My sister store in Salmon Arm. 

High waters in Enderby, BC. 

More high waters

Water where it shouldn't be! 

More water! 

A cute red barn

An old brick house in Vernon, BC. Looks like a plantation home! 

Oh the ponies that were up there! 

The best store ever! Candy everywhere! 

The most delicious European caramel wafer bar I've ever had. 

Round bales. It took them four days to work this field. 

Golden. 

Individual shot. 

Alfalfa and wheat. Just starting to turn gold. 

Loading up a piece of machinery that sold. 

The hubby tying it down. 

He's goin' out with his boots on too! 

Beautiful.