HEADING BACK TO TOMATO PROCESSING AGAIN

HELLO & Welcome to GARDEN DADDY here at the urban farm! For the last two days I have harvested another large batch of tomatoes. It appears that I am heading back into the kitchen to process more sauce for the freezer for winter soup mix and sauce. Not complaining by any means. In fact, quite looking forward to the cold weather to come now. I have been able to put back some good bit of frozen product of green beans, corn, some squash, snow peas from early spring, and tomato sauce. At least this gives a basis for some good winter soups, fresh-frozen vegetables and some savings from the grocery store and of course the envy of some neighbors when I take them some vegetable soup or some good hearty minestrone! I am thinking of trying a late green bean crop even now with all the heat we are still having to get a little more to eat now and for later. And of course a fall crop of snow peas for the cooler weather and then maybe a few greens then as well....planning anyway, depending on how long the tomato crop lasts.

Still waiting on the new pullets raised from day old chicks to start laying. There is one of the Welsummer pullets that is really showing her comb and wattles now and her ear color is starting to turn as well and hopefully it should not be too long till she will start laying now and others soon to follow. I have shared with you that I had two standard Cochin pullets and they are somewhat slow to mature so I do not expect them to start laying until on into September at least. In fact it will probably be September I imagine before any of the new "girls" start laying. These type of birds are a little slower to mature and so taking longer to begin laying. My plan for next spring is to get some of the Cornish Rock X chicks that will be so fat and large by about 6 or 8-weeks old that they cannot even hardly move and get them ready for the freezer...I am thinking maybe around 25 or so early in the spring. My middle brother and I have talked about splitting the flock for each of our freezers if I will raise them...I say no problem. Then if these new pullets are not the layers of the egg color I am looking for from them, then they will go the way of a poultry club swap sometime and be replaced back with what I have already decided if the need arises, a whole flock of Wyandottes, either Golden Laced or Silver Laced. Remember, I had them last year and they were excellent layers even all winter.

SORRY....I just stopped posting and looked at the IDEAL POULTRY site for fall availability dates and now the thought comes I might like some good, non-medicated & steroid-free chickens for the freezer. For all you poultry keepers out there, they can be ready to "dress" at around 6-lbs in around 6 to 7 weeks. It would not cost much, some high protein/high fat broiler feed and with this time of year so warm still, not much heat in a brooder and with supplement from garden refuse, cost would be minimum. Jumbo Cornish Rock X ("X" means cross or hybrid) broiler flock photo below (not mine of course)...notice they put more energy into growth and not much in feathering, etc. And they grow so fast they often have trouble even walking and moving. Grow, baby, grow!

I will leave you today with our ongoing urban farming affirmation in mind as I think more about this late summer/fall broiler idea....hmmm, let's see, by the first week of October for sure I could be dressing out a freezer FULL of chickens...hmmmm: "URBAN FARMING: ONE EGG AT A TIME!"