Our little part of the world

Lucy had her calf! Isn't he adorable? He was born last night.

What What an odd week for the weather! I can't remember ever digging long-sleeved shirts and flannel pajamas out for the kids in July.  Romeo Blue, the llama, doesn't seem to mind the downright chilly weather.

We've been, among other things, making comfrey oil and then herbal salve out of local beeswax, comfrey oil, tea tree and lavender oils, and other herbs.  Comfrey's 'olden' name is "knitbone", as it helps to heal not only broken bones but also sprains, strains, and other aches.  It helps soothe arthritis and varicose veins, as well as treating acne, diaper rash, and other skin ailments.  I love comfrey and grow a couple of large plants in my herb garden.  I'll be putting some salve up in the webstore soon if you're interested.  I keep some in the diaper bag and am known to slather it on anything from a boo-boo to a sore bottom to bug bites.

The cooler weather makes my fingers itch to knit so I've been knitting a few soakers for the baby (soakers are knitted wool diaper covers: wool absorbs a lot of liquid before even feeling wet and, as an antimicrobial, only needs to be cleaned every few wearings).  The kids have been clamoring for the season's (ironic as it is still very much summer) first hat, the first pair of mittens, the first socks.  The five year old wants a "warm sweater to keep me cozy".  I shall be very busy keeping up with demand!

The animals are well.  Lucy, the cow, is still pregnant so you are still welcome to come out and feel her little calf kick through her side.  The goats are still pregnant as well although they are starting to look decidedly round!

That's Joni (the blue roan) and Carly (the brown), just eating some hay.

The ducks have started laying eggs so those will be available for local pick up or delivery.  Duck eggs are especially good for baking as they render products light and fluffy.  While they taste much like chicken eggs they contain more albumen  (that's the protein in the white) so they retain more structure when they are cooked (therefore giving baked products more "loft").  The shells are thicker, giving them a longer shelf life, and they have a higher nutrient level than chicken eggs.

But here is the really cool thing about duck eggs--apparently they are sought after by many cancer patients because duck eggs are alkaline (basic) while chicken eggs are acidic.  Since cancer cells can't thrive in a basic environment the idea is, by eating foods that are alkaline, to make the body environment less hospitable to cancer. 

We've got our first batches of goat milk soap done.  We made lavender and patchouli soaps, complete with herbs from the garden. 

Within the next several days we'll be adding more scents, including chocolate mint (have you ever smelled chocolate mint? It's my favorite of the mint family) and lemon balm.

We've also been enjoying beautiful sunrises:

and spinning yarn

and generally enjoying life.  We hope you are as well.

~Sasha

The break in the heat has been good for the animals, although they have been less enthusiastic about the fireworks.  Country living means lots of fireworks throughout the second half of June and the first half of July. 

What are we working on around the farm? I've been working at the spinning wheel, getting yarn ready for this fall's festivals.  There has been gardening to tend to, of course, and yesterday we ran fencing to make the cows' pasture bigger.  The raspberries are ripe and the blackberries will be any time now.  The apples and peaches are ripening on the trees. 

Here are some pictures I was able to snap using my Blackberry, so I apologize for the size.  This is Lucy:

Roselle:

Two of the goats, Joni and Carly:

I hope that you have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

~Sasha

Whew, it's hot out! We've been spending the last few days feeding the bees, doing endless weeding (it seems as if for every weed we pull two more grow in its place), and trying to keep Lucy cool.  Lucy is due to calve in August.  It is a wonderful thing to put a hand on her side and feel a little kick from the calf (if you visit the farm you can do this too).  This time last year I was hugely pregnant (the baby, Sergei, will turn one August 18th) so I can certainly understand Lucy's discomfort. 

Actually, she seems to be handling it better than I did. 

In the cards for today is rotating the pasture that the goats, Sylvia the lamb, and Romeo Blue the llama use.  Two of the goats are pregnant themselves (they should kid in July) so it's especially important that they have access to the best weeds possible (a lot of people think that goats are natural lawn mowers but this isn't actually so.  Goats prefer to eat bramble and weeds; it's the sheep who like to keep the grass cut short).  Luckily, as I've mentioned, there's no shortage of weeds.

Starting next week we're going to begin soapmaking, so if you're interested look for handmade soap to be coming up in the webstore soon.  If there are any scents that you're especially interested in let me know and I'll work on that.

~Sasha

The kids really love helping on the farm.  Alex, who just turned 8 years old last month, is learning how to milk the cows:

We also got our two new beehives, bring our total up to three.  Here is a picture of the nuc boxes sitting on top of the hive bodies:

The one in the middle is our "older" hive, the two on either side are the new ones.  Hopefully by next summer we'll have honey!

As spring swings into summer life becomes more busy for us, as I'm sure it does for you as well.  We're having our first harvests--lots of strawberries, radishes, lettuce, and swiss chard around here.  In the herb garden the lavender and comfrey are blooming and there are tiny grapes on the grape vines.  Near the gazebo the chocolate mint and lemon balm have taken over, making it a lovely fragrant place. 

The kids, secure in knowing that they have dairy cows, are hitting us up constantly to make ice cream.  If you have any delicious recipes please share!

~Sasha

As I walked around doing the chores today it occured to me that it might be interesting to give a glimpse into our farm-related world. 

In the morning I tend to do the 'easy' (meaning least time-intensive) first.  This gives me a chance to check on everyone and make sure that all animals are doing well.  I usually go to the henhouse first and give them feed and fill their waterers.  In the henhouse is the brooder box with chicks, I also feed and water them.  Living in the henhouse are hens, a flock of ducks, a turkey, and a pair of goslings.  There are some free-range birds--a few roosters, a couple of hens, and a pair of guineas--who like to visit the henhouse but prefer not to live there.  In the brooder box are meat chicks, laying pullets (immature female chickens), and a heritage breed turkey poult.

After leaving the henhouse I feed the pigs, who are housed right next to the henhouse. 

Then I head to the other side of the house, near the garden, where the broiler (meat) chickens are in a chicken tractor.  A chicken tractor is a moveable pen that is open on the bottom so that they can fertilize the ground.  Every few days we move them to a new area and, in the future, we're going to put raised garden beds in some of those areas.  I feed and water them and perhaps wander into the garden for awhile to weed or plant.

Anthony has his own order of doing these same chores and they aren't any one persons, just whoever happens to be the first one outside.  The kids often help except with feeding the pigs.  Pigs can be a bit intimidating as they are loud  and pushy when they know they are going to be fed. 

Anthony fills the hay feeders in the cow pasture and the goat pasture.  We make sure all water containers are full and I generally get a bucket of alfalfa soaking for the cows.  Alfalfa boosts cream content so we feed soaked alfalfa once a day. 

Milking the cows is my job.  It's something that I love to do--do you ever just find something that you love to do? Dairy cows are just a love of mine.  Still, Anthony is indispensable as a tail-blocker (we don't tie the cows when milking but one in particular likes to play games with her tail and that thing can sting when it hits you in the eye!) and he carries the heavy milk pails into the house for straining.  He also strains the milk into glass jars and puts them in their ice water bath. 

Then he milks the goats and does the same thing with the goat milk.  He feeds the lamb, Sylvia, and the livestock guard dog, Natasha.

Those are the morning chores! Throughout the day we do little things--making sure there is plenty of water, giving the cows their alfalfa, and so on, but it's just maintenance.  Then in the evening we do it all over again.

I thought this article was very interesting.  I always appreciate when raw milk is discussed in a mainstream setting without "you're going to die of salmonelle/botulism/e.coli/somethingelsehorrible" being the focus. 

Still, it's very upsetting to me that raw milk distributors have to worry so much about being arrested for providing people with a product that they want! There are several times when we're doing a milk "drop" where it seems so ridiculous, keeping an eye out for people who might be watching.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/living-green/articlegreenchan.aspx?cp-documentid=18708415