Squash Pickles!

 I have a neighbor who is always generous with fresh produce, and on a near-weekly basis she brings me overflowing crates of fresh vegetables and fruit. There's only one of me and even as much as I love fresh produce, I have to be creative in finding ways to use or keep it. I peeled and froze the recent gift of 40 pounds of squishy bananas, and I've been enjoying banana bread and smoothies daily. But the 20 pounds of Italian squash? I admit, I was daunted.

I don't dislike squash, but it isn't a favorite. I like it sliced thinly in salad, and I will probably make some zucchini bread. The poultry love it when I dice it and give it to them fresh. But squash doesn't keep long, so I brainstormed. And I'm here to tell you, the absolute best way to use this fresh squash is ... squash pickles!

Unlike most of the women in our rural, ranchy area, I don't can any foods. With my luck, and some severe cases of food poisoning in my past, I'm somewhat untrusting of things that may harbor hidden gremlins that can kill me. But I do love freshly-made refrigerator pickles (and I'm especially fond of pickled red onions, which I learned to make after that wonderful crate of onions arrived). So I experimented. I used the same recipe I use for the pickled onions, and merely substituted thinly-sliced Italian squash. They are irresistible. Try them.

So here you go! 

Squash (or onions, cucumber, carrots, etc.) enough to fill a medium-sized mason jar

1/2 cup red or white wine vinegar. Rice vinegar works well, too.

2 teaspoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

1 couple of shakes of crushed red pepper flakes - if you have a leftover packet from the pizza place, use half

1. Wash (but don't peel) your squash. Summer squash, Italian squash, zucchini - try whatever you've got. Put the prepared squash into a medium mason jar or other glass container.

2. Slice thinly (I used my mandolin slicer). Cut off any blemished or bruised portions. 

3. Dump everything but the brine into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to ensure sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat.

4. Let brine cool enough that it is safe to pour into your jar. Don't let it get cold. If necessary, warm your jar under hot water first. Don't risk shattering your jar with too-hot liquid!

5. Pour your warm-hot brine over the squash. Let it stand for half an hour or so.

6. Close the jar and refrigerate. If your brine doesn't completely cover the squash, rearrange them as necessary after a few hours so it all gets good coverage. Of course, you can double the brine recipe as well.

These will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. Don't dig in too soon - they're best after having time to cure. They're good the next day, and even better three days later. Serve chilled. Be creative -  they're perfect just on the plate but also good in salads or on sandwiches. You can even chop them and use them as a hot dog relish. Flavor-wise these are not quite as sweet as sweet pickles, nor as biting as dills, but a pleasant in-between salty-sweet flavor that holds its own.

If I *were* someone who canned, I'd make dozens of jars of these to enjoy year-round. They're just that good.

These are the Mason jars I prefer - the wide-mouth makes everything easy: 

Wide-Mouth Mason Jars (affiliate link) (Please note:  I may be compensated for purchases made through these Amazon links. Also, thank you!)

If you're making some to take to friends, these mason jars are smaller and just so pretty, and they have a flat area for labels. Make sure you write the use-by date on the label. 

Decorative Mason Jars (affiliate link)

Also, if you go through your first batch fast, like I did, you can re-use your brine for the next batch. Reheat it and pour it over another batch of prepared squash.

Enjoy!

A Predator-Proof Poultry and Garden Frame for Permaculture Enthusiasts

 

The garden structure not long after I moved it to its present location here on the ranch. It isn't quite so barren now but gives you a good look at the concept and layout. 

It started with a series of feathered tragedies. In my previous home, bobcats and coyotes - the emboldened rural / suburban / urban intermix variety of coyotes - repeatedly attacked my little chicken flock, despite my efforts to build strong, safe enclosures. At one point I relied on chain link pens, including chain link flooring and roofing, with poultry netting half-way up the wire. Bobcats reached through the wire above the poultry netting and decapitated my sweet little hens, leaving their headless bodies in the pen. Nice.

So I sat down with pencil and graph paper and sketched out my dream poultry pen. It would be predator proof - strong enough for zoo animals - and have two separate pens (because there are always a few different flocks in my poultry works) with a garden enclosure between them. Rain on the steel roofs would run off into large stock tanks at either end, and I would use the rain water for the garden. I'd have gates on front and back of the poultry pens, they'd be fully roofed for safety, and there'd be a steel mesh top on the garden enclosure in between to keep critters out and to allow rain water and sunlight in. Since I have peahens in one of the poultry pens, I needed a "loft" on the upper end of one of the pens. 

I had a neighbor at the time starting up his own fence company, and I hired him to build my garden and poultry frame. He used Del Mar panels (very heavy duty, stiff steel mesh panels) and black steel piping, and he followed my plans perfectly. It has been ideal - heavy-duty, convenient, adaptable - and predators have been unable to attack my poultry, although I've found rattlesnakes hanging around the edges of it on many occasions (and I'm pretty sure bullsnakes have stolen a few eggs). 

I'd barely gotten the structure working well when I decided to pull up stakes and move to a remote corner of the state 400 miles away. There was no way I was leaving that beautiful garden and poultry frame behind, so I hired a shed-moving company to bring it with me. I've expanded my flock into the poultry coop and hen-house that was here when I bought the new ranch, so the steel poultry frame houses my peahens on one side and little banties on the other. The garden is still not at maximum effectiveness but I'm getting there!

Should you want to build a similar structure, here are the details and what I've liked and learned from this frame.

The features I love about this structure are the strength of the Del Mar panels. In addition to protecting my poultry, I can hang potted plants from the top and sides. Passionfruit vines (potted) cling to the steel mesh and help shade the other plants and the poultry during summer. I installed a few plant hooks as well so more potted plants can decorate the whole shebang. In the poultry pens, I can suspend feeders and waterers from the top as well. I am easily able to attach roosts to the mesh for the hens.

The water lilies, thriving in the rainwater / runoff tank on the side of the poultry frame, fed by goldfish.

I love being able to harvest rainwater (on those rare occasions it actually, you know, rains here). At present only one of the tanks has water in it, thanks to the drought. That tank has a thriving colony of goldfish and some water lilies in it. The goldfish feed on mosquito larvae and control that issue; their abundant feces feed the water lilies; the water lilies shade the goldfish during the summer; and I use the water in the tank to water the garden, so the plants are fertilized with each watering as well. I am on a well, and water is precious here. I have the runoff hose from the retention tank at the well routed to the goldfish tank; on those rare occasions my well actually pumps too much water, the runoff goes directly into the tank.

I planted an ornamental Passionfruit vine on one side and an edible Passionfruit vine on the other, both of  which produce the most exquisite flowers! Often flowers dangle above me and along the sides of the structure.

I love that the plants are all in containers, since it's harder to grow things in the soil here than in pots. I planted a lot of petunias in the hanging pots and some of the standing containers. Not only are they attractive and fragrant, but the peahens and chickens love eating the blossoms once they fade and wilt.  

I love that deer, javelina, skunks, foxes, and rabbits are unable to get into the garden or poultry areas. I haven't had predators trying to dig under it, despite the very persistent skunks that dug into the other poultry coops. Smaller birds are able to get inside, though. It hasn't been enough of a problem to compel me to install poultry netting all the way around, but that's always an option. I do have wire part-way up to keep baby chicks from slipping through.

I love having steel roofs on the poultry sides of the structure. I know the critters are now safe and have solid shade. I also love having a system of sorts, where I can rake up chicken manure and used straw and easily drop it into a composting container. 

That poultry frame is something of a happy little refuge for me when the flowers are blooming and the plants are producing. The poultry love it; it's peaceful and they know they are safe. I love being able to pluck leaves, fruit, and blossoms from the plants and toss them to the poultry as treats.

What I don't love? I designed it for the hotter, harsher summers / moderate winters of the area I lived in before. It's significantly colder and extremely windy down here in the south-eastern corner of the state where I am now. The open mesh is not suitable for our winters. That meant my banties needed more protection from the elements, so I assembled one of those pre-made poultry house kits inside the banty-side of the structure. They are perfectly comfortable now. I still need to reinforce the sides somewhat with some sort of solid siding, though, before the winter comes. We get a considerable amount of snow and it just blows right in and covers the poultry pens. I am considering putting up plywood that's attached by quick-links and snaps so I can remove it when late spring comes - sort of like storm shutters but for my poultry.

The new hen house I added to provide more protection for the chickens from the harsh winters we get here. The steel trash cans to the rear hold chicken feed and potting soil.

 

I had the structure built in two phases: first, the garden and one poultry pen to the right of it. I had a door on either end of the garden section, but only a front door on the poultry pen. When I had the second pen (for the peahens) added on, I was smart enough to have a door on either end. I dearly wish I had that rear door on the original poultry pen so I could add a larger run for the hens. At the old house, I opened their door during the day and they had a run in front of the structure. Here, that's not ideal because of the layout of my garden and poultry area. I recommend having those doors built in on both sides, all the way around. 

As I mentioned, I'm still not done getting the "right" containers in the garden section, and I do want to have more hanging planters - including inside the poultry pens. I initially also had potted plants in the peahen enclosure, and would like to do so again, so the birds can enjoy a more naturalistic habitat. I primarily use steel stock tanks (old ones with rusted-out bottoms) as planters. They're large enough I can plants several different types of plants in each. I am also currently using an old wheelbarrow and some small and medium-sized pots for various plants as well. I'd like to revamp the entire thing so I am using space more efficiently, hopefully using a tiered system of pots on one side or, better, a wall-mounted unit - perhaps something like these. (Affiliate link: I may receive compensation for items purchased through this link.) Wall-Mounted Pots for Plants (affiliate link)  I first saw these at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and was immediately smitten. They used them for a succulent wall, but I will fill them with alternating edible and flowering plants - including plenty of strawberries. Since they will back up to the poultry pens, all plants will need to be safe for the birds - that means no garlic or onions within their reach.

The succulent wall at Tucson Botanical Gardens, using self-watering wall-mounted pots. Impressive!

My future plans (or maybe dreams) for the structure include landscaping the areas around it with benches, a firepit and wood-fired oven, walkways and hand-made stepping stones with stone mosaics (I'm currently working on those!); planting some birdhouse gourds that will vine across the top of the garden structure; and bringing my compost roller to the rear of the structure for convenience. 

Copyright (c) 2024 by Marcy J. Miller * All rights reserved * No part of this content, including photographs, may be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the author * Links to this page, however, may be freely shared, and are appreciated! * Thank you for stopping by!

Easy and Affordable DIY Goat Shelter

 

This is Virgil.

Despite being in the desert, the winters here in Cochise County are harsh. The winds are violent; what precipitation we get is generally snow; and temperatures regularly drop into the teens. Last year, I watched the thermometer drop to 13 at one point. This may be scorn-worthy to those of you in the northeast or even in Arizona's mountains, but this was all new to this lifelong desert rat. I needed shelter, and quick, for my two goats. They'd destroyed the little shingled lean-to I'd made them when moving here, so they needed something much sturdier to withstand their silly fits of goat rage. And ... it needed to be affordable. A friend who is a professional carpenter was kind enough to give me an estimate on a solidly-built permanent shelter that would have been a Goat Mahal; there's no way I could afford the price tag. I'm not skilled enough to build it myself, so I had to improvise. 

A few things about goats: They love to climb. Their shelter, depending on breed and individual animal personality, must take this into account. You can either give in to their goaty ways and design something that also serves as a climbing platform, or you can foil them with height and location. I didn't want them using the top of their shelter as a diving board for escape, so I made it high enough they can't get on top.

They love ramming things. More on that later; keep it in mind when selecting your own building materials, anchors, and foundation / platform.

They poop indiscriminately. 

In addition to goat peccadillos, I had to account for our high wind and desert sun. I needed something heavy enough that I wouldn't have floaty goats during our windy season (from January to December). I wanted the floor to be off the ground somewhat to minimize wood rot and to prevent high water / snow from building up inside. That layer of air also helps prevent cold, damp interiors. I wanted it small enough that they were cozy during the cold season, with a fairly low ceiling. It had to be durable enough for goat idiocy, and it had to be portable enough that I could move it by myself.

So I brainstormed for a while and looked at endless pics and plans of goat shelters online and in my library of DIY and husbandry / homestead books. Nothing seemed to meet my specific wishes. I drew plans out repeatedly; I would never have been able to build the site-built shelter I desired. Finally, it dawned on me: shipping crates. Eureka! I decided on a 48" x 48" cube of a shipping crate. It was available through U-Line, but first, I wanted to see if I could spend locally. I contacted Tucson Container Corp., 90 miles from me, and asked for an estimate. It came in at under $600 for a heavy-duty plywood container. I was off to the races! Within a week they had my shipping crate custom-built and ready for pick-up.

Future goat shelter, loaded and on its way home.

As luck (and a little foresight) would have it, the 48" dimensions fit perfectly inside my 3/4 ton truck bed. Pro-tip: Keep your transportation needs in mind if you opt to use this method of goat-sheltering. I saved a couple hundred dollars on shipping by picking it up myself. Of course, I could have relied on a stock trailer or flat-bed trailer for pick-up, but this was the most convenient method, and the size made it possible.

One huge benefit of the shipping crate concept is the crates have slots at bottom for forklift / tractor use. I cannot rave about this enough if you, like myself, rely on your tractor for heavy lifting. Once I arrived at home, I slapped the forks on my tractor and easily removed the crate from the truck. In addition, the palette-style base means the floor is already elevated from the ground as I'd desired.

Note the fork slots at bottom. 

I set the crate on a palette so I could easily paint it from top to bottom. Now I was ready to paint and customize it.

I primed it first with a good-quality primer (Kilz). I followed that with a Behr exterior paint in a pale yellow shade. 

Once I had the exterior painted, I removed the end-panel from the crate. I primed and painted the interior. 

Now it was time to fashion a weather-proof steel roof to attach on top of the existing wood roof. I had some leftover corrugate roofing panels. Again, the tractor came to the rescue: I used the forks as a sawhorse so I could cut them to size. I bought a handy-dandy metal cutter attachment for my drill from Amazon (seen in the first of the photos below). It was great on the flat portion of the panels, and probably would have been a breeze if the ridges had been rounded rather than squared off, but it was a challenge on the sharp corners of these panels. I opted for aviation snips to handle the ridges, and relied on the metal cutter in between. Here's a link to the metal cutter attachment (affiliate link: I may receive a commission for purchases made through this link, and I thank you!) DeWalt Metal Shear Attachment (affiliate link) These cutters, by the way, are a godsend for cutting wire mesh such as chicken wire and hardware cloth. I wish I'd discovered them many years ago.

I used self-tapping screws - the kind with pre-attached rubber washers - to affix the metal panels to the wood. This would minimize the moisture that would seep through the screwholes. Note that there is slight overhang on each end of the roof. I added a horizontal 1x2 on one end to cant the metal panels slightly so rain would run off to the outside of the goat pen and not pool.  

Now, with the roof installed, I set the end-panel I'd removed aside and used a piece of 3/4" composite board to cut a half panel for the open end. I happened to have a piece already available; the 48" dimensions made that easy. I then installed the newly-primed and painted new 24" x 48" panel on the left-hand side of the opening using drywall screws. You can configure your door in a variety of ways, or simply leave the end open, but I wanted the goats to have as much protection from cold wind and blowing rain and snow as possible. I will repurpose the heavy-duty 48x48 panel I removed for another project. Note the brace I installed on the bottom left-hand side for extra strength against goat idiocy. The panel is slightly larger than the entry way for extra coverage.

 

With the half-door in place, I added a piece of interlocking thick rubber stall mat to the bottom for a little extra comfort for the beasties. It didn't cover the entire floor but it was handy and required no cutting or modification. 

You can find a variety of these mats at Tractor Supply Company or you can use Amazon. Here's an link for your convenience (again, I may receive compensation for purchases through this link). Rubber Stall Mat (affiliate link)

Now my little project was largely completed. I was running out of time before inclement weather was expected, so I used several bags of rock-hard Quikset that had been, sadly, exposed to rain as blocks for a foundation. I then used the tractor forks to move the completed shelter from my construction area to the goat pen. 

With the goat hut in place, I bedded the floor with straw for the little ingrates. You may wish to extend the horizontal brace at bottom left all the way across to keep shavings or bedding in; having it open, though, allows you to more easily rake or sweep the hut out.

I was really pleased when the snows hit knowing my two goats, Lily and Virgil, were sheltered from the elements. They love their little hut and hang out in it throughout the summer as well. Best of all, it isn't made from used palettes. I know, I know: You People LOVE building things with palettes, but I hate them. The best thing I can make from used palettes? A bonfire.

Other ideas and potential mods: I originally planned on cutting a window into one side and attaching a drop-down closable shutter for inclement weather, but simply ran out of time before the storms. If I were to do so, I would make a 12" hole opposite the door end (for best ventilation) at the appropriate height for the goats to look out. They enjoy sticking their silly heads through things, so I wouldn't enclose it with mesh, but if you want their silly heads kept in, use 1/2" hardware cloth stapled on the inside. 

I'd also planned on adding decorations of some sort to their little house, but I never did find the "right" ornament. I suspect I'll eventually run across something, or may paint flowers on the side. If you decorate your goat house, remember they'll eat just about anything - so avoid the silk flowers. It *would* look cute with a window and window box (which could be used as a feeder), though - perhaps with flowers painted onto the wood above the feeder box. Something like these crates could be used, also, although the rapscallions would be likely to bash them with their silly heads. Reminder: I may receive commissions from purchases of these and other items through this link. Wooden crates (affiliate link)

If you want your shelter to be suitable for your goats to climb on, I'd suggest leaving the metal roof off and attaching the front panel as a ramp of sorts. You might want to reinforce the roof with another layer of plywood that allows rain to run off rather than pool between the 1x3 braces. You could, if you are enterprising and have skills, even attach a second shipping crate on top, which would be adorable. It'd be like little goat cubbies. 

Other uses for shipping-crate shelters: Had I had this brainstorm long ago, I would have purchased shipping crates for hen houses and other animal shelters. The heavy-duty crates are far more sturdy than the Chinese-made crap that is sold for backyard chicken coops. You could easily install roosts, nest boxes, and vents. Hinge the front door and the hen house will be predator-proof. I recently bought one of the adorable, crappy, Chinese-made hen houses and assembled it; the work involved was far more tedious and laborious than what it took to customize my goat house, and the end-product was far, FAR less sturdy and appealing. 

Got calves? Hogs? Capybaras? You can substitute this for calf-huts or other shelters. It'd even make an awesome doghouse for your big livestock guardians. Feral cats? One of these, with separate cubbies or shelves inside, would keep them out of the cold and rain. 

I can also visualize a shipping-crate playhouse for kids, or even a shipping-crate tree-house. With some more engineering, it could become a cold-frame or, with a larger crate, a greenhouse or potting shed. When I picked up the crate, my contact at Tucson Containers told me he could have customized some of it in advance since all of their crates are custom-built. Keep that in mind if you buy one from a local vendor. 

So there you have it: a cozy, sturdy, customizable goat shelter that was actually a pleasure to put together. I like the looks of it more than the poly / plastic ready-made calf huts that are available, and it would seem to me much more comfortable inside. Because it's wood, it won't be as uncomfortable for them in the hot weather, either. Being portable, you can move it as needed, or sell it when you've tired of those pain-in-the-butt goats, or re-purpose it for the hen house I mentioned. You may also avoid requiring a building permit for it, if you are in an area or HOA that is strict on such matters.  

Got questions? I'll see if I can help you out. 

Copyright (c) 2024 by Marcy J. Miller * No part of this content, including photographs, may be reproduced without the express permission of the author * Links to this page, however, may be freely shared, and thank you for doing so. * Most of all, thanks for stopping by!