Well we are learning some lessons the hard way!  We bought 2 bushels of apples from a local farmer the first week of November.  I talked to them about how to store them for the winter and made sure I bought apples that were good for wintering.  I stored them just as the orchard suggested.  I was so proud of myself and so excited to be enjoying local apples all winter long.  Well Mother Nature threw me a curve ball.  The temperatures for November and the beginning of December have been so mild that all my apples have started to go bad.  Apple sauce anyone?  I have been canning apple sauce, drying apple rings and baking.  These are all wonderful things, but not the fresh, crisp apples that I was looking forward to in February.

This weekend I was able to start a hot composting pile.  The pile was started on Saturday and the temp in the pile is already

December is a time of year when money is tight for everyone and our family is not different.  We are running low on money as well as chicken feed.  I am hoping to find a local brewery that has some brewer grains that they would like me to take off their hands.  I have made a few phone calls today with no luck, but I still have hope.