Big Freeze

The predicted big freeze came and we mostly survived it. We had temps down as low as 16 degrees, and it stayed this cold for a solid week. It even snowed a little on 12-6. Temps rose into the low 40s in the day, which wasn't warm enough to melt the ice in the fountain.

There was plenty of ice at One Mile.

And the ice was pretty thick.

We lost a piece of the main irrigation pipe, but Rick already fixed that. Far as we know, nothing else broke, so it was a good thing we took the time to prepare. One of our preparations was to harvest as many lemons as we could. The tree was loaded!

Rick got out the ladder and helped me pick the top ones.

I scrubbed and cut a bunch for lemon-pickle, or Lempickle. I topped off this jar and filled my whole big crock also.

Lemons everywhere! Hundreds and hundreds! Buckets full!

I juiced and froze some, but my freezer is already full.

So after giving a bunch away, making Lempickle, and freezing two big bags of cubes, I still had a lot of lemons left over.

So I made marmalade. The first batch was a test. For it, I used only lemons, and boiled it with a cheesecloth bundle of the extra seeds and pith. This came out really solid! For the second batch, I decided to add mandarin bits as well. The second batch didn't set up as well and I had to add some pectin, but it came out fine. I think for next time, the proper approach is to add the seeds and pith, and make it in reasonable sized batches. Many recipes say jam won't set properly if the recipe is increased too much. I gave huge containers to both Buddy and Rick and Catherine (each probably 2 pints), kept a similar amount for myself, and canned up another 10 half pints. The marmalade is pretty good, but tart and very intense. As always, I made it as low sugar as possible.

Even though it was a very cold couple of weeks, it was sunny and dry, so we did what we could at the farm.

Sadly, the broccoli didn't fare well. It had already been pretty chewed up by aphids, and the freeze was a severe blow. Last year it fed us all winter, but this year, we may have to be content with what we got before the freeze.

Some of it might bounce back, especially the younger stuff in the middle of the garden. What doesn't will be replaced. I'm already ready to start some flats under lights so I can set out in early Feb. In the background of this pic you can see a bit of the new chicken run. We put up a strand of poultry netting, double high, along the back fence from shed to compost. That gives the chickens a great bunch of area to run around in. We tied strings across the top at intervals to deter the hawks.

Delina's birthday party was Friday 12-6, and coming out from Tres, we got snowed on a little. Isn't this a sweet pic of her and her dad?

The day before was the last performance of Somebody Push X before Keith left town. Doggone him! Now we need a new bandmate.

The band as it was. We had some great times. The band will go on, but it won't be the same. Anybody wanna play Rock Band?