Stumbling my way through this life, cracking one egg at a time.
Garlic scape pesto – fail.
Why?
I didn’t trim them properly, and the result was course, stringy scape-matter that did not blend down into a pleasant product. No manner of olive oil or pine nuts is going to save this mess.
Live and learn. It’ll probably still taste fine, albeit a little chewy. Next year the plan is for a larger garlic crop, so I’ll have more to work with then. Live and learn!
We have had the strangest weather… hot and humid yesterday, to the point that I moved the rest of my rabbits into my workshop, where it stays nice and cool. Rabbits do not do well in the heat. When it started to cool down in the evening, the wind started to pick up, and I received notification that Prince George, just over 100km away, had received a tornado warning!
Where yesterday’s temperature reached over 30C, today is a nice change, currently sitting at about 15C as I write this. Windows are open, and I’m enjoying a gentle breeze as I work on a university course for work (I’m taking a brief break from the math).
Because of the fact that I have a pesky autoimmune disease that makes it difficult to function in heat (hello, heat intolerance), I truly do identify with my rabbits. Hence, why I’ve placed so much importance on the completion of my bunny barn.
With yesterday’s heat, I try to get most of my chores done in the morning, before it heats up too much. After taking care of all the rabbits, and moving the last of the cages into the shop to keep everyone cool, I was pretty much done for the day. At that point, I tend to do a lot of laying low where ever I can find a cool spot. If I can find a good combination of energy and motivation, I’ll get little projects done. The day before, I started a batch of Chive blossom vinegar.
It was a pretty simple process; all I had to do was harvest about a cup of fresh chive blossoms, rinse them and dry them, then place them in a sterile jar. After adding 2 cups of warm vinegar (I used white wine vinegar), I simply had to apply the lid to the jar, give it a good shake, and place it in a sunny window.
If I shake the jar every day for about 2 weeks, I’ll be able to strain the chives out, and have a beautiful pink vinegar for making salad dressings.
Today, I just may use my harvested garlic scapes to make pesto. Almost all the scapes have been picked now… the first few I dehydrated to make garlic powder. With what’s left, I think I’ll be able to make a few servings of pesto to store in the freezer.
I’m a little excited, I’ve been able to harvest several bunches of chocolate mint and garden sage over the last week, so I’ve popped them into the dehydrator. The mint is destined to be become tea, as well as a winter treat for the rabbits (and if this mint continues to do as well as it has, I’ll have an abundance). The sage will be used in seasoning pasta sauce and other savory dishes… if I didn’t already mention it, the sage actually survived the winter and returned this spring, which I found shocking as it hasn’t done that before.
The garlic is bustling along, and the first ten scapes have now been removed and chopped up for dehydrating. Once it’s done, I’ll be able to grind it up for garlic powder.
Nest on the docket will be dehydrating oregano to make another batch of herb-infused olive oil… wouldn’t you know it, I just ran out! The other herbs I still need to harvest once the plants are robust enough are rosemary and thyme…both of these plants are pretty small, and harvesting any amount would be detrimental. Patience is key, I suppose.
Summer, 2024. I had so much to do. Garden with struggling a little with unpredictable changes in weather, but over all, was probably my best yet. Rabbits were thriving, and I was in the middle of planning deck repairs and new hutches.
Until…
Work. You know the place where we go to support our habits? Yeah, that place.
I work in a pulp mill, and I run an assortment of heavy equipment. I love my job. But on August 24th, in the middle of troubleshooting a vital piece of equipment, I stepped down, and turned my left ankle.
Badly.
To the point that I fell to the ground.
Finished my repairs (though screaming through the pain, it’s ok, it’s a very noisy work environment), and ended up at the emergency room an hour later. Avulsion fracture… that’s when the tendon rips a piece of bone right off your ankle.
Six weeks in an air cast, then physio. The air cast aggravated a previous pelvic injury to the point of being in agony 24/7. Clearly, the summer/autumn plans vanished in a puff of smoke.
I did manage to harvest a good haul of potatoes, and the tomatoes were pulled still green, and ripened inside. Not ideal, but it was ok. Still got my zucchini and herbs, though the carrots went feral, as did the beets and chard. Whoops!
Obviously, the deck still needs to be repaired, and new rabbit hutches will happen in the spring. I struggled, but I also learned. A lot.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will my homestead.
PS- rabbit manure is gold. Eight tomato plants yielded over 150 lbs of tomatoes.
I spent the better part of a year researching before I decided on the rabbit breed I wanted to bring home. As someone who aspires to have an urban homestead, I knew I wanted a breed that was hardy, had an exceptional temperament, and grew quickly with good feed to meat conversion.
Granted, I think I had only eaten rabbit once of twice prior to this adventure, but that did little to slow me down.
In addition to the points above, I also wanted something that wasn’t too common, and was a heritage/heirloom breed. Oh yeah, and multi-purpose was another advantage.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 52 breeds of rabbits, in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. I narrowed my choice down to American Chinchilla, Silver Fox, and Champagne d’Argent. Ultimately, I went with the Champagne, after being able to locate an excellent breeder within my province.
Armed with my research, I soon found myself with a pedigreed trio (two does and a buck, each with a 3 generation family tree). That was spring of 2023; and that year we had 12 kits. In 2024, we produced 26.
As part of my goal, a good portion ended up in the freezer, and were later used in soup, stew, stir-fry and more. Some hopped on to new homes, joining new rabbitry breeding programs. The one thing I had not expected to happen, was to show my stock… but I did, and I did well! Further to that, I expanded my rabbitry genetics, and imported fresh stock from the eastern United States.
Of course, it wasn’t without occasional struggles. Sometimes does fail to become pregnant, and extreme weather poses additional challenges along the way. I always strive to do the best that I can in any situation.
I’m very much looking forward to what 2025 will bring with the Ravencroft rabbits. Follow along for updates!
