Still done nothing

Or more to the point...nothing has been achieved.  I must be doing some things out there surely but when I try to think back and remember it's like "it all looks the same so maybe I really did do nothing"
I know I mowed  bit.  Picked some food.  Pulled a few weeds. 

Since I last posted, 10!! days ago I have had a day away for a birthday party, a couple of half days out the beach but I'm saying a weekend away so 2 days gone.  Had a date day in Bunbury, worked 2 days...That looks better, it seems I have been out more often than I have been home so maybe I am not quite as slack as I was thinking I was.  Maybe.  Still, not enough done over the 4 full days that I was here.

I am away all day today and I don't go back to work until next Tuesday so should be able to get something done out there surely.  I will make a list and post so as to be accountable.  That usually works for me.

Making Soap From Lard. Hmmmm

First get your Lard.  Sounds easy.  Kill a pig, eat the meat, melt the fat.  Tada, Lard!

I'm pretty sure that I have rendered down fat before, albeit 30 odd years ago but I didn't think it was hard to do.  I even read up about the process in case I had forgotten and most of it sounded like what I would do.  And we all know how much fat comes from cooking bacon...(I'm going to start keeping that now too)

The plan was to use the gas stove that we use when camping and do it on a table outside.  I was going to put all the fat in a pot, add a bit of water and boil it away.  When it cools the clean fat would rise to the top and the gungy water would be added to the chookfood.  Easy!  Hmmm,

Apparently I am too tight even for that.  I knew we didn't have much gas left and I felt bad about having it on for what could be hours so I rethunked it all.  I would light the wood fire and do it inside on that.  Yesterday was quite a warm day though but I thought if I waited until evening it would be OK to have the fire going.  So that's what I did.  Lit the fire, put the fat in a pot on top, added water, let it boil. 

Unbag the fat and add to pot.

Light the wood stove ready to start.

It was on the stove for a few hours but by the time I was ready for bed it didn't look like it had melted much but I strained it out into another pot and left it sitting on the bench overnight.

This is after a couple of hours.  Not much happening.

This morning it looked like this.  The fat pieces that are supposed to shrink down and become crispy were soggy pieces of pig fat.  Not good.  I took some of the fat out of the big pot and put it into the electric frypan.  It is sizzling away and I can see that the fat is coming out and pooling in the pan.  I'll give it a bit longer before I decide whether to light the fire or suck up the electricity use and keep it in the pan.  

I did light the fire but I have done a few lots in the frypan where it has melted down quite well and I have been able to pour off the of liquid fat.  I put that fat into a pot , added a small amount of water and set it on the stove.  Brung it to the boil and it is now cooling.
 

Liquid fat from the fat in the frypan.

One pot of liquid is in the fridge and I will see how much solid Lard I get from that once it sets.  There isn't enough room to put the other pot in yet but I will do so when I shift stuff in there around a bit and make a space for the bigger pot.

 I think this is starting to look the way it is supossed to. 







Lard can be bought, already rendered down and ready to go but for me that defeats the purpose.  I want to use more of the animals that we grow to eat and using the fat for soap making  makes sense.  And I don't want to have o buy oils or fats for soapmaking.  We don't fry much here so don't use much oil but I do buy a bottle now and then and it is used but if I can keep a supply of Lard in the fridge or freezer I wont have to buy oil anymore.  Another step to buying less.  Some people make their own lye but if I decide to keep making soap I will buy the caustic soda. 

I know a nice butcher and he says he can get me lots of fat if I want it.  Come Winter time when the fire will be going all the time I will take him up on that offer and do lots of rendering then.  Some Lard will be able to be frozefor the oil replacement but I will also be able to make lots of soap as well. 

March Challenge. Soap from Pigfat.

I'm leaving these to the last week and that is not right.  I will try and post my monthly challenge at the beginning of the month.  No mind changing to make things easier that way.

For March though I am going to make soap using the fat from the pig that we killed.  I have made soap using oil but I think using the fat from the pig is a better use of the animal and it bothers me to waste it.  We do usually feed it to the chooks but if this soap works that will be better I think.  

Fat from animals is what soap is made from so there is no reason that I can't do it too. 

Today I have taken the bag of fat from the freezer and will render it down.  I'm hoping there is enough gas to do this otherwise it will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get more.

Coffee then into it.

Moving Sand

Thankyou for all the comments yesterday and the concern for me. 
When I was thinking about moving the sand I was going to use the big barrow to do the 3 loads but was a bit concerned myself as to how I would go.
As luck would have it the big barrow had bluemetal in it and I couldn't be bothered emptying it so used the *girly* barrow instead.  This one has a weight limit so I couldn't overfill it, not too much anyway.
 

 So the 3 loads yesterday were done without too much struggling.

As a few suggested, I will start off small, do the 3 for a week or so then move on to bigger and more often.  I will get the front yard filled in first as there are lots of low spots from when we shifted the fence and garden.

I have the grandaughter here this morning, the Really Really Free Markets at noon and working this afternoon so wont be home 'til tonight sometime.  I can't see too much being done here but will try for the 3 loads and the 30min mowing.

I have more chickens so need to clean out their nest and get them some clean hay, peas need picking, rat traps need checking and shifting...I need to water a few gardens...
Of course the house needs tidying again but I can't do it all can I! 

Better get stuck into things.  The GD can *help* with the sand and I will mow as soon as she leaves.  Chop chop...what, it's coffee time?  Gosh!  There's always something...


Finally we started.
Girl Power Rulz!!

 Some of us did slack off before the 3 loads were done but hey, that's what life is out here.  Fun and games...for some anyway.

Millipede, found in the sand.

 

Who's the King of the Castle.

After 5 loads we came in for breakfast. 

Time for french toast with organic honey and strawberries.