Elderberry jelly

Making Elderberry jelly

Weather was kind of uncooperative this weekend so I decided to do some work indoors.  I grabbed 2 gallon bags of frozen elderberries from the freezer to get ready to make some jelly!  I used the old standard recipe and made 2 batches.  The first batch made 12 half-pints and the second made 11 (although I canned one pint and 9 half-pints because I didn't have enough jars!).  Good stuff.

Old potatoes

I checked out the old potatoes downstairs and was not pleased.  They are not keep too well!  I gathered a couple handfuls up and made some fried potatoes.  I will have to go through them and see if maybe I should can some of them.

They fried up nice!

Funny how much more yellow they look because of the purple ones in there!

Tree cages and trimming new trees

I worked on putting more cages up on the new trees.  I used the remaining of one of the old rolls of fencing and another whole roll of the 3 ft fencing.  I got the new apples mostly done (all but one I think) and some of the new cherry trees.  I can't remember if I did the walnuts earlier or just this past weekend.  Its all turning into a blur!

No pictures of the cages, not terribly exciting and I forgot!

Trimming

I got around to doing some yard trimming and trimming around the old blueberries.   After trimming the blueberries I cleared around the base of the plants.  There are quite a few struggling to survive - maybe 2-3 dead.  I am thinking it might be worthwhile to put some blood meal on them to see if that helps.

I actually took this picture the weekend after I trimmed around these.

Auger Stand 

I also started work building a stand for the auger/post hole digger.  I got the base done.  I made it out of old locust fence posts.  I will try to use only locust for the project, but not sure I have enough of suitable size and quality.

Family Easter and fruit tree planting!

Kale status update

I only have kale planted in the "city" raised bed.  It will provide plenty!   The new kale looks good so far.  The old kale is blooming and going to seed.  We will collect and use for next years kale needs!

"New" kale

"old" kale.  Very pretty!

Fruit trees planted!

I picked up the trees on Friday the 21st and actually got a lot planted that afternoon!  Well, not all fruit trees, there was a couple English walnuts in there too.   I got 15 sour cherries and 1 sweet cherry (they ran out of sour so they gave me one sweet).  I planted two of the sour cherries in the front of the house to replace the two that had died there from last years plantings.  I put the rest of the cherry trees below the hazelnuts on the other side of the stream.

I honestly forgot what I had ordered for the apple trees so I had to dig a bit more than I had anticipated!  I got 7 more honey-crisp and 4 more crab apple.  I also planted 2 apricots and 2 English walnuts.  I wedged them all in!  Whew - getting short on places to plant these trees.

I also took down the electric fence around the orchard since it was getting in the way and I don't think it provides much protection.  I will put cages around the trees for protection from the deer.

Sour cherries

Sour cherries

Replaced one dead eating apple (I don't recall what kind) with a honey-crisp and I also replaced one dead crab-apple.

I put the "extra" crab apples in the front and added the remaining 6 honey-crisp to the other side of the apples.  I also took down the electric fence since it was in the way.

Strawberries and blueberries

I also got 100 strawberries and 12 blueberries from the county.  I planted those in the front patch.  I planted the blueberries Saturday morning and just got them all in as the rain started!  The rest of Saturday we attended Easter celebration with family at mom's place  On Sunday I got up as early as I could and started in on the strawberries.  I put down the black plastic first in case rain started and made things muddy.  I usually do it in that order anyway - plastic down and then plant.  Its a good thing I started early - it rained on me a good bit as it was!  I got them all in though.  Whew.

New blueberries in back row.  New Strawberries in front.  

I got Tristar and Surecrop strawberries this time.

Tractor Supply Company

While I was down in McConnellsburg getting the trees I stopped by the Giant grocery there for some sodas.   Right next to the Giant is a new Tractor Supply Company!  Its not open yet, but soon - I think they said 3 more weeks.  Its a shame they weren't open since I needed to get more fencing for the tree cages.  I ended up going to the Everett TSC for that.  I picked up 2 50ft rolls of 3 ft and 2 50ft rolls of 4ft.  I will use the 4ft for the fence around the front garden and to replace some on the pawpaw patch garden.  The 3ft will be for tree cages.

Trees have arrived! Last spring Snow?

Spring tree order arrived

Picked them up on the way to the farm on Friday.  This years order:  3 sour cherry trees to replace 3 dead ones (turns out that I should have ordered 2 more I think). 100 elderberries, 50 locust trees, and 50 strawberries.  I have no idea why I order so many elderberries and locust.  I could have cut each of those orders in half and been fine!

Anyway, I got right to work and planted the cherry trees where the old ones had died.

One of the 3 sour cherry trees I planted (well, I replaced 3 dead ones)

Then I planted the 50 strawberry plants in the front patch.  Somehow I didn't get a picture of that..  I put them in a row next to the old strawberries.  I had intended to plant 2 rows but evidently I planted them closer together then I did last year?  Well, I have one empty row left in the front patch now - I think I will put onions there.

Next up was to plant the elderberries.  I started by tilling the soil where the big patch used to be. Then I put in the elderberries between the "new" big patch" and the existing elderberry plot.  Then I extended the rows to even things up on the grass side of the existing patch.  All that used up only 50 of the plants.  I also planted grass seed where the garden used to be.  This should be all green with grass by the summer.

Definitely need to put up my electric fence though - deer have been nibbling on the fresh elderberry sprouts.

Next problem - where to plant the remaining 50 plants!  Oh, and its supposed to snow Saturday!

I decided to take down the rest of the road-side barbed wire fence and plant the elderberry plants down near the sheep!

See the white flakey things?  That's snow!

One row in!  That's 25 down...25 to go.  But not tonight - snows coming down too hard, its cold and windy and I am DONE

 Windy and COLD Saturday night .. The next morning:

Spring?  What happened?

Fortunately, early predictions of 1-3 inches were WRONG - thanks goodness!  Things warmed up and work continued.

After digging in the sod for the first row of elderberry plants, i decided that I would till that sod for the next row!

Planting in tilled sod is MUCH easier! Way faster too!  All 50 elderberries in!

Now for the locust trees!  I decided to remove some more of the barbed wire fence at the top of the hill.  I want to remove it all, but time was running short!

Looking out toward the sheep pens from the top of the hill - there used to be fence here - and shrubs, rose bushes, trees...

Looking toward the mountain from the top of the hill (standing about where the corner of the fence used to be).  That piece of fencing you see there is the LAST!

After I removed the fence, I tilled to break up the dirt and roots and even things out.  Then I tilled a section where I wanted to plant the remaining locust trees.  Ohm forgot to mention that about 9 of the 50 locust tress went to replace ones that had died from last years bunch.

I figured to put the remaining trees on the steep section of the hill.  Once these trees get big enough I don't plan on mowing around them!

Just a shot to put things in perspective.  Those are the black walnut trees on the lower right.

The trees are in!  You can't see them very well here - but they are there!

Other things

I did a few other things this weekend too.  Like knock down this dead tree that has been threatening me while I mowed...

I couldn't drag this thing with my tractor - combination of wet soil, no traction and a much bigger tree than first thought!  I will have to go back with a chain saw later.

Tool post grinder

I finally set up my new tool post grinder and did some measuring.  I also figured out how to adjust it for height - very cool!  The t-nut for the toolpost fits perfectly!  Better then the toolpost does in fact!

I set it up and turned it on - it runs!

I only have 2x #2 and a #4 pulley

Inside diameter of the pulleys is .5 inches

A number 2 pulley - I found two pulleys marked number 2...

The reverse threaded end of the motor spindle.  

One #2 is 1.214 inches in diameter

The other #2 is 1.272 inches in diameter!

I will need to get a spanner to remove this spindle - if I ever want to.  Teeth need to be 1.153" apart

With teeth 0.138" in diameter

Grinding wheel spindle diameter is 0.378" (3/8")

The larger diameter on the spindle is 0.635" (5/8")

The belt is about 22"  Its a flat belt. Not sure what to replace this with.

 I will shop around ebay for some grinding wheels and pulleys and belts I guess.

Spindle thread protector - more work 

Brought the ID to 2.121" (just a number between the min of 2.11" and the max of 2.14")

Got the inside threading tool set up.

OMG - thread takes sooo long!  Still not done!  Also, it looks like I have taken off too much in the ID!  How did that happen?

Suffice to say, I am gaining A LOT of experience doing this inside thread!  Broke 3 thread bits, had to re-adjust the compound and cross slide 2 times (at least) because I did not allow for enough room for the compound slide to complete the cut, and I forgot to tighten the quick change tool post once!  Also, the threading tool needed to be adjusted so that I could get a deep enough thread - 8 TPI is a deep thread and that bit isn't able to handle it with out being tilted in a bit...  I think I will learn to cut my own threading bits for future work.