Warm weather and odds and ends

Our heat wave continues here in the interior. The days have been in the twenties and thirties. Because of the unseasonably warm weather we have had to move all of our frozen goods into our back up freezer (and plug it in). Usually we get away with leaving frozen food outside our door for most the winter. We leave the freezers unplugged until it starts warming up, usually March-ish. 

As comfortable as the warm weather is, it is also dangerous. The roads are slippery and the snow on the roof is sliding. The animals are climatizing. The pussy willows are budding - proof below. When the temperatures return to normal, it is gonna feel cold. We still have a couple more months of winter here. This freak warm spell is just a tease. 

In other news, we received our first Azure Standard bulk order yesterday. It felt like Christmas with the kids helping unpack all the goods. Some of the stuff we can get locally but for the most part it seems even with shipping, it is still cheaper to order rather than buy at the store. The shipping was about thirty five cents a pound. We bought fifty pound bags of wheat berries for eighteen dollars a bag and with the shipping we added seventeen dollars, making each bag cost thirty six dollars, saving us twenty dollars a bag compared to what we've been paying here in town - and they are organic. The bulk of our order consisted of organic bulk whole grains, beans and dried peas. Now I just need to order a grain mill so I can use the grains. We did get a few odds and ends including some wonderful dried cherries and dates. With the next order we are going to buy some frozen goods and bulk produce. Today when we stop by the store I'll be checking prices more than usual so that I can come home and compare them to those of Azure Standard. I am excited about being able to get organic produce and ingredients for less money than the non organic equivalent here in town. I'll certainly continue buying as much meat and produce as I can from local farmers, but this time of year there is not much available in the way of local produce.

We just set up our seed starting rack in the hallway. Until I need all the shelves I'll be keeping my dehydrator and sprouter on the rack for easy use. I was given this sprouter years ago and have never used it. I was thinking of what I could do for the chickens to improve on their diet. I've been sprouting in jars and trays for them but never seem to have a constant supply. I think this beast of a sprouter will help. In the next few days I'll be digging out some trays for starting the first seeds of the season.

 

I took the goats out for a walk yesterday. They've been expecting me to get them out since the weather has been nice. We walked up, around and down the driveway. The does were quite spunky, running and bumping into each other, halting now and then to reach and nibble on dried fireweed leaves that dangled above the snow. I picked rosehips that hung limp on dormant branches and fed them to the does by the handful. A few of the girls caught on and started searching them out on their own. Everyone is enjoying the break from the cold. We are trying to make the most of it as we know it won't last.