BACKYARD CHICKENS

There are hundreds of kinds of chickens out there to choose from. 

We chose Buff Orpingtons and Brown Brahmas for our backyard flock.  These two varieties look great together in the yard- yes I like to match my birds!  

They are quite docile and don't have an aggressive bone in their body. 

They make great mamas if you want to let them hatch out chicks to have a sustainable flock.  Both varieties lay larger  brown eggs and are a good 5-6 lb meat chicken. 

Both varieties mature in about 14-16 weeks and begin laying around this time. If you are raising them to butcher you will want to do so as you see the first egg. 

HARVESTING ALOE

Common household Aloe plants are a great thing to have around in the event of a minor steam burn. All you have to do is snip off the end of a leaf and squeeze out the gooey goodness onto your burn for instant relief.  We found that it's quite easy to harvest the gooey inside for use in other household items like lotions or even to include in a healthy juice.

With a sharp clean knife carefully cut a leaf off as close to the base of the plant as possible.
Trim off the tough jagged edges first.

Place the flat side of the leaf down and carefully slice off the outer layer, much like filleting a fish.  You will want to be sure to remove the yellow layer just under the skin leaving only the clear flesh.

Continue to remove the sides and back in the same manner.  If your leaves are large you can cut them into 4-6" chunks to work with.

Place clear gelatinous flesh in a glass container in the fridge until ready to use.  This can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.