August 23, 2012

Harvest Time

We are starting to pick items almost daily at this point.  Our late plantings and regular watering are starting to payoff.  This week we seem to have an abundance of patty pan summer squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Amanda and Dan are helping me to preserve some of the harvest.  Yesterday we canned 6 quarts of whole tomatoes, froze 8 pints of tomato sauce (with basil, olive oil, cheese and a variety of herbs), and canned 13 pints of mustard dill pickles.

The Purple Chopstix of Richland Avenue has started purchasing some of our fresh vegetables to go with the eggs they have been buying for several months.

The Aracuna pullets (36) are starting to really lay their eggs (up to 10 a day!)  We purchased them less than a week old in March.  The eggs are small and a beautiful aqua blue.  We will be selling them at the Athens Farmer’s Market for $3 dozen starting on Saturday. They are fed Non Genetically Modified layer feed, with a mix of grit and oyster shells (to keep the egg shells hard). 

Last summer we forgot the oyster shell for a few days and had some eggs laid with out a hard shell.  They were fascinating.

We continue to move the sheep and cows from pasture to pasture to keep from overgrazing the fields from the drought earlier this summer.  It is almost time for another cutting of hay in the two front fields then we reseed with orchard grass this fall, to give an even healthier feed for the animals next year.

The barn renovation planning is moving along with scaffolding up to start getting measurements for all the new building we will be doing.  The current barn has no doors that close on any of the four sides and seems to be built into the side of a hill with one corner being almost 3 feet lower than it’s opposite side…..no wonder it is a muddy mess in the winter!!

If you have any special requests for large amounts of vegetables, for canning or freezing, to be held for you or you would like to come to farm and pick your own give me a call (740-541-4190).  I would be happy to work something out around your schedule. 

This week at the Athens Farmers Market we will be having Squash, beets, kohlrabi, okra, green beans, garlic, cucumbers and radishes.  We will try to remember some of the fresh Sunflowers this week also.  See you at the Athens Farmer’s Market!

August 17, 2012

Life and Death on a Farm

Monday afternoon while Amanda was setting up our new Solar Panels for the portable electric fences she found a dead ewe lamb.    It was in the brush at the back of the pond where the sheep have been getting away from the sun.  I had feared that we would lose a lamb to the coyotes like the previous owner did.  While we are not sure about cause of death, it seems to have been the stress from the heat, nutrition and a rise in the parasites (which is common in sheep and many animals).  We had just recently gotten the medical records from the previous owner for the flock. 

We did some quick research and found out the regulations for disposing of a dead animal on your farm.  Grateful for the front loader of the tractor we dug a deep enough hole and transported the lamb.  After a thorough sterilization of the front loader with bleach, so as not to contaminate any soil, we used some of our older hay and mulch pile to cover it keeping it from smelling and bringing in any carrion.  

It was a late day and we were all discouraged. 

Even Amanda’s roving rooster took out his feelings and bit her in the foot as we finished up the evening chores. 

By Tuesday we did our research and got a vet that was not on vacation to schedule a farm visit to see the animals.  We got some specimens from both the sheep and cattle to check out the parasite count.  Amanda and Dan rigged up a portable chute with extra fencing and by the end of the day the sheep were all caught up on worm medication and had most of their hooves clipped and checked.  Amanda was limping around from a sore foot and rooster bite.

Wednesday we received word that our parasite counts were ok, for both the sheep and cows.  The cows have not had any medications since we treated them when they arrived 18 months ago. Amanda’s foot was on the mend and we felt the mood improving.

Another lamb who had been isolating itself from the herd and even seemed to be on the mend.  We had been really worried about her, she was one of the twin orphans we bottle fed and raised before we got the rest of the flock. By Thursday the lambs were all moved to a new pasture with lots of green glass and did well through the night.   Even the dominant ram seems happy in the new field.  He gave me a nip on the arm and a head butt in the backside Tuesday morning letting me know he was upset about losing one of his girls. I should have been prepared but am still amazed at animal behaviors which seems almost human when you look at the whole picture.

Our honey was checked by the local expert last Saturday at the farm market and pronounced to be of good quality, being low on water content and having pollen in it which is significant.

We have received another half inch of rain this week and with the cooler temperatures the vegetables are looking better and better. 

This week at the Athens Farmers Market we will have squash, beets, kohlrabi, okra, green beans, garlic, cucumbers, and onions.  We will try to remember some of the fresh sunflowers this week also.  See you at the Athens Farmer’s Market!

August 10, 2012

Water and Honey!

What a difference a week can make!  We have finally gotten some rain.  Using our rain gauge here we measured a total of 1.85 inches since last Friday: compared to a total of zero rain for several weeks prior.

The repair crew have arrived and started making some starts to getting some house

and general maintenance done: painting, staining, roof and gutter repairs, fencing repairs and new gates up. 

The cows got to literally go to a greener pasture since we got the new gates in and some fencing. We have been practicing intensive grazing in their last field and it was brown by the time we moved them.  The sheep seem to be ignoring the fresh hay bale we put out for them and continue to stick their head through the fence for all the green they can find.  We will be moving them from the pond area next week.

The big news is we harvested our honey.  We purchased and set up two bee hives in April and spent most of Tuesday collecting and extracting the honey.  Gratefully Amanda only had one bee bite through her costume. (See Pictures!)  Sorry to say while we got plenty honey it will not be available for sale this year ( just for personal use) but next year with two chances a year to gather we should have some to share with our customers. 

An interesting note is that it is the fructose of the honey which makes it taste sweet.  Local honey from hives in your part of the country are said to be extremely beneficial to people with allergies and more.

Another fun moment and always a surprise was finding a praying mantis while watering the porch plants early one morning.  I think it looks a bit like ET!

As for market this week we have picked some of our Red Delicious apples, squash (Patty Pan, Raven, Costa Romanesca, Blue Hubbard and Zephyr), beets, kohlrabi, okra, green beans (Provider),  garlic, cucumbers (Marketmore and Poona Kheera), onions (Alisa Craig),  tomatoes (Peacevine, Cassady's Folly, Orange Banana, Pink Brandywine and Amish Paste) and four types of radishes.  We will try to remember some of the fresh Sunflowers this week also.  As always remember we use no chemical insecticides, herbicides or pesticides.  See you at the Athens Farmer’s Market!

August 3, 2012

Drought on the farm

I have been passing an older couple by the side of the road on my way into town the last few weeks and finally stopped for a chat this week.  They have been coming to fill two water troughs with water each morning  for their Angus herd of cattle.  Apparently their pond dried up a few weeks ago.  Their son owns a beautiful herd of Holsteins and a dairy farm on down the road.  I think I may have a source now for more young steers after I butcher a couple of my “boys” this fall.

We have had to give the four boys (Tre, Par, Even and Steven: two steers and two bulls) another bale of fresh hay this week and also are giving hay to the sheep that have been grazing at the pond.  The ground is so hard and dry the quality of nutrients for them is minimal at best without the supplements.  

The new enclosure for the cows is now finished and we will be moving them tomorrow and next week have electric fencing coming in so we can also move the sheep to somewhat greener pastures.  The solar powered electric fences help keep the animals in and the coyotes out. 

I saw my first coyote in daylight this week on a back road of south Franklin county. If they are this bold now next winter will be tough.  I am still dreaming of a donkey to help to protect my flock.  Jade the Pyrenees can only do so much.

So much for my rambling about the farm…and it’s trials.

Today we have picked summer squash, okra, roma type tomatoes for sauces, garlic, onions, beets, yellow and blue/gold fresh potatoes, and beautiful green beans. (If the beans don’t sale I am canning them myself.  )

Amanda and I will see you all at the Athens County Farmer’s Market tomorrow at 10!