Prepping for the Winter Weather

As the cold weather approached, we took many precautions to protect our animals. Back in the Book of Genesis, Our Creator created us and then gave a very specific charge to Man:

Genesis 1:26
New King James Version (NKJV)

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Dominion means 'the power to rule over' or sovereignty.  We take this seriously and see it as a great responsibility.  As a result, we take care of our animals, and in turn, they take care of us by providing milk, meat, and eggs.

Once the chores were done for the evening, I began making sure that all was in order on the farm to ensure that our animals (and us) would be comfortable in the cold weather.  I moved firewood to the back porch, I insulated the chicken tractor with tarps to block the wind and put a bed of fresh hay down for the chicks and animals in the barn.

Peaceful Country Evening

Then I put a fresh round bale of hay out for the cows.  The cows will be burning calories to try and stay warm and they need plenty of energy that they receive by eating hay to fuel their 'heaters.'  A good friend let us borrow his tractor.  This makes the job of putting out hay much easier!

Putting out hay

Ordinarily, we'd roll the round bale out into place and then put a hay ring around it to attempt to thwart the waste.  Cows are notoriously wasteful in eating hay!

Letting the tractor do the work saves time and energy

We've unloaded a bale for the girls to eat on.  Now they are set.

This bale will last the girls for about a week

Now it is time to raid the garden to snag as much fresh produce as we can.  Broccoli can generally weather the cold, but I'm not taking any chances.  I plucked off some of the nice heads of broccoli.  

Broccoli

I filled a colander full and we made a nice Chicken and Broccoli Quiche with some fresh eggs that Benjamin had just come in with.  The addition of some slivered almonds gave the delicious dish a nice crunch. We'll also steam some and then blanch and freeze the rest.

Broccoli for several days

I also picked the very last of our lettuce crop.  This would be history after it froze, so I washed this up and we'll eat salads along with Tortilla soup that Tricia plans to make.

The last of the lettuce

Once all the work was done, it is time to enjoy some good food.  We had jambalaya along with a side of some steamed broccoli and cosmic purple carrots.

Goodness from the Garden

Our animals are taken care of and so are we!