Well, spring is slowly taking the reins from winter. This week has brought mild temperatures and rain; as result the snow is finally retreating.
I just came in from poking around the yard: Tulips are starting to spear leaves through the ground, my rhubarb is poking up through the dead leaves, garlic leaves are shooting up through the straw and the cold frame appears to be thawed.
The chickens and Miss Maple, the white turkey, were out in the front yard this morning. Watching them I get the distinct impression they too are tired of winter. They reveled in scratching through the dead leaves, mud and sticks on the lawn. Miss Maple tried to take a dust bath, but ended up in a mud bath instead. Still she seemed happy about it. We're surprised she's still with us as there were several times this winter we expected to see her die. She is more hardy than she looks.
Speaking of turkeys, we collected eggs from the mixed flock this week and we have 11 in the incubator. Hopefully they're all viable and we get a good hatch. We'll know a little more in a week and more yet in 28 days.
Spring is coming to the farm. This week Rob started cutting the winter's fire wood. I'm ready to start digging in the garden and get some beds ready for early/cold tolerant plants. Of course I'm hoping to convince Rob to fit in time to help me construct the green house. It's a two person job... but then pretty much everything is these days.
I'm quite looking forward to the season. We have our water collection system up and running, so a dry spell won't be as much of a concern as it has in the past. I'm planning on trying to grow kale this year as well as the normal assortment we plant. Plus more carrots, more potatoes and more onions.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Winter is Waning
It's been a long time since my last post; just one example of how time slips away. This has been a long winter. We got our first snow before Christmas, which is unusual these days. Then it was a winter of deep freeze and extreme thaw. It's been a challenge in the barn yard.
This year we built an insulated box for the big water through and painted it black. The hope was it would hold enough solar energy to keep the water mostly thawed. It might have worked if we had any amount of the sunshine throughout January and February. We had weeks and weeks of endless gray days with no sign of the sun at all. So it was back to plan B, chopping ice out of the opening and filling with hot water. It works fine with only two animals... in future years we may need to look at other options.
We overwintered turkeys this year. A broad-breasted white, two royal palms, a bourbon red and eastern wild. The broad-breasted white, a congenial hen, lost all the feathers on her back and chest around early January...just when the mercury dipped below minus 10 Celsius and stayed there for weeks.
I found a couple sweaters at the second-hand store and adapted them for her to wear. Miss Maple looks stunning in red. The challenge was keeping the sweaters on her. The boys found it very attractive and we finally ended up moving her to the chicken coop because she was getting scratched by their constant attention.
She's only just now starting to show signs of growing her feathers again. We hope to hatch a few turkey eggs this spring and raise our own.
Here are a couple images of the toms; they are quite handsome when they're all puffed up:
Last fall I built a cold frame and planted Mache; a hardy, cold-tolerant green. In January, during one of the mild spells I harvested some and took a couple pictures as well. It was wonderful to have a crisp, fresh green during the deepest part of winter. The cold frame spent a lot of time under snow, so I didn't take advantage of the greens as much as I wanted. I am excited about using to get a jump start on the spring planting season. I expect in a few more weeks I can start some spinach or chard in it.
I already have the seed catalogues out and I'm planning this year's garden. The garlic did well last year and is already in the ground. This year I'm going to try kale as my new crop. I really like the idea of having some cold-hardy greens to eat late into the fall and the early winter. I'm planning on experimenting with row covers and other season extenders.
We take possession of this year's pigs in a month. The meat chickens are already ordered and we're looking at potential mates for Dahlia the Dexter cow, who turned two in February and is ready for breeding.
2014 is shaping up to be another busy season on the farm as we continue to move forward on the path towards self-sustainability.
This year we built an insulated box for the big water through and painted it black. The hope was it would hold enough solar energy to keep the water mostly thawed. It might have worked if we had any amount of the sunshine throughout January and February. We had weeks and weeks of endless gray days with no sign of the sun at all. So it was back to plan B, chopping ice out of the opening and filling with hot water. It works fine with only two animals... in future years we may need to look at other options.
We overwintered turkeys this year. A broad-breasted white, two royal palms, a bourbon red and eastern wild. The broad-breasted white, a congenial hen, lost all the feathers on her back and chest around early January...just when the mercury dipped below minus 10 Celsius and stayed there for weeks.
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| Miss Maple in her red sweater. |
She's only just now starting to show signs of growing her feathers again. We hope to hatch a few turkey eggs this spring and raise our own.
Here are a couple images of the toms; they are quite handsome when they're all puffed up:
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| Royal Palm |
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| Bourbon Red |
Last fall I built a cold frame and planted Mache; a hardy, cold-tolerant green. In January, during one of the mild spells I harvested some and took a couple pictures as well. It was wonderful to have a crisp, fresh green during the deepest part of winter. The cold frame spent a lot of time under snow, so I didn't take advantage of the greens as much as I wanted. I am excited about using to get a jump start on the spring planting season. I expect in a few more weeks I can start some spinach or chard in it.
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| Cold frame in January with Mache greens. |
We take possession of this year's pigs in a month. The meat chickens are already ordered and we're looking at potential mates for Dahlia the Dexter cow, who turned two in February and is ready for breeding.
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| Last year's pigs. Berkshires are extremely friendly and very tasty. |
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Beginning the Harvest
It is a beautiful later summer Sunday afternoon and I am passing the day puttering in the garden and putting food in the larder for the cold days of winter.
I noticed on a walk this week there were still many chokecherries hanging from the branches of the trees around the hay field. I had expected them to be long ago eaten by the birds. However, it has been a bumper year for fruit and maybe because of the bounty there was more than they could eat. Or, it could be they prefer the apples and blackberries. Whatever the reason, I'll happily take the leftovers.
Cole and I took a bucket, and after feeding the pigs, we picked enough fruit for one more batch of chokecherry preserves. Its Rob's favorite. If you haven't tried chokecherry preserves (mine is somewhere between a jelly and a jam) you are missing out. The fruit has a mild spicy flavor which is contrasted by the sweetness of the sugar. It works beautifully on toast or biscuits but it is equally at home drizzled over a mild goat cheese and served on a savory cracker. It makes a nice contrast when paired with venison or used to dip grouse strips in.
The first batch I made was too syrupy, I hadn't boiled it enough. I now know the color needs to turn to a deep garnet red before its ready. If it still shows pink it needs to boil longer. I re-boiled the lot and am much happier with the result.
As I mentioned the blackberries were very good this summer. I've made several forays into the woods and picked baskets and baskets of fruit. We've enjoyed blackberry cobbler, blackberry fungi and blackberry jelly. I played with a couple of different recipes including one with less sugar and no pectin.
I dug some of the early potatoes, picked some beans, pulled a few carrots and plan to cook these for supper. We've enjoyed to the garden. We still have a lot to learn. Some things did really well this year, and other crops - such as beets and Swiss chard were at best -- lackluster. I did freeze both cauliflower and beans.
The far north-western corner of the garden is completely overtaken by the pumpkin and squash. These have crowded out the onions, second lettuce and second bean plantings. I'll know better next year and plant these well away from the main garden.
One crop doing better than last year is the tomatoes. I picked five pounds of ripe fruit over the last couple of days and now a simple tomato sauce is simmering on the stove. The house smells wonderful.
The best success story may be the garlic. It flourished and now I have 70 heads hanging and curing in the barn. I can't begin to describe how good it is. The flavor is spicy and pungent, unlike the garlic we buy in the grocery store. My stash won't last the winter but it gives us an idea of how much more we'll need to plant this fall for next year. We'll have it in the ground by late October.
Rob and I built a cold-frame earlier in the month. We filled the bottom with composted manure and I mixed in some potting medium as well. I sowed some mixed lettuce and some Mache (a hearty winter green). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens and how well the food grows. Worst case scenario the chickens and turkeys get a few greens in the middle of winter.
This is such a rewarding time of year. We start to fill the cupboards and basement with the food we've grown or collected and know we'll have plenty to feed us through the winter.
I noticed on a walk this week there were still many chokecherries hanging from the branches of the trees around the hay field. I had expected them to be long ago eaten by the birds. However, it has been a bumper year for fruit and maybe because of the bounty there was more than they could eat. Or, it could be they prefer the apples and blackberries. Whatever the reason, I'll happily take the leftovers.
Cole and I took a bucket, and after feeding the pigs, we picked enough fruit for one more batch of chokecherry preserves. Its Rob's favorite. If you haven't tried chokecherry preserves (mine is somewhere between a jelly and a jam) you are missing out. The fruit has a mild spicy flavor which is contrasted by the sweetness of the sugar. It works beautifully on toast or biscuits but it is equally at home drizzled over a mild goat cheese and served on a savory cracker. It makes a nice contrast when paired with venison or used to dip grouse strips in.
The first batch I made was too syrupy, I hadn't boiled it enough. I now know the color needs to turn to a deep garnet red before its ready. If it still shows pink it needs to boil longer. I re-boiled the lot and am much happier with the result.
As I mentioned the blackberries were very good this summer. I've made several forays into the woods and picked baskets and baskets of fruit. We've enjoyed blackberry cobbler, blackberry fungi and blackberry jelly. I played with a couple of different recipes including one with less sugar and no pectin.
I dug some of the early potatoes, picked some beans, pulled a few carrots and plan to cook these for supper. We've enjoyed to the garden. We still have a lot to learn. Some things did really well this year, and other crops - such as beets and Swiss chard were at best -- lackluster. I did freeze both cauliflower and beans.
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| Cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, beans and carrots from the garden. |
The far north-western corner of the garden is completely overtaken by the pumpkin and squash. These have crowded out the onions, second lettuce and second bean plantings. I'll know better next year and plant these well away from the main garden.
One crop doing better than last year is the tomatoes. I picked five pounds of ripe fruit over the last couple of days and now a simple tomato sauce is simmering on the stove. The house smells wonderful.
The best success story may be the garlic. It flourished and now I have 70 heads hanging and curing in the barn. I can't begin to describe how good it is. The flavor is spicy and pungent, unlike the garlic we buy in the grocery store. My stash won't last the winter but it gives us an idea of how much more we'll need to plant this fall for next year. We'll have it in the ground by late October.
Rob and I built a cold-frame earlier in the month. We filled the bottom with composted manure and I mixed in some potting medium as well. I sowed some mixed lettuce and some Mache (a hearty winter green). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens and how well the food grows. Worst case scenario the chickens and turkeys get a few greens in the middle of winter.
This is such a rewarding time of year. We start to fill the cupboards and basement with the food we've grown or collected and know we'll have plenty to feed us through the winter.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
No More Laughter in the Barnyard
Duck was a survivor from the very beginning. She was part of a clutch of eggs given to us by a friend. We put the eggs in the incubator with chicken eggs and didn’t realize until later that the duck eggs required a longer incubation period. We expected the change in humidity towards the last days of their development would spell the end of the duck eggs, and for two it did. But one beautiful morning we came down stairs and heard the insistent peeps from one of the eggs and Duck was hatched
She was a gregarious creature who lived with the chickens but held herself somewhat apart.
Her most memorable attribute was her laugh. Duck had the innate ability to laugh, and always at just the right moment. A pun by Ian generated a hearty HAH HAH HAH from the bird. Any quip around the barnyard was rewarded by her acknowledging laugh, even from the other side of the yard. Neighbors walking their dogs past would also generate laughter. She found humor in every situation, but it was always timed perfectly – as though she was just waiting for the punch line. Everyone who visited commented on her wry sense of humor and her wit.
Duck also produced marvelous eggs. The shell was like white, translucent porcelain. Her eggs were larger than those of the chickens and the flavor was little deeper, a little richer – like duck herself. I used her eggs to make my first angel food cake and it was light and airy.
She was a fan of the rain and when puddles gathered in the yard she was in the middle of them splashing and playing. As a duckling we would place her in a large tote filled with water so she could learn to swim. As much as she enjoyed the water, she was always in hurry to return to her chicken friends.
Duck loved to walk through the grass shoveling her bill back and forth looking for tasty morsels. She lived a free-range life until this spring, when she and the chickens were fenced into to a spacious park area. But there was no confining duck. She found a way to always get back to where the action was and we’d find her sleeping in the flower bed, visiting the horse and cow, or just sitting in the front yard.
In recent days she completely moved out of the hen house and relocated to the barn with the young turkeys. She seemed to like the freedom and had more leeway to come and go as she pleased.
The barnyard will be a quieter and less jolly place without Duck’s gregarious presence, but we have been made richer by sharing her brief life.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Spring Rush
The farm is a beguiling mistress. She demands our full attention and lots of money. She rewards us with evenings like tonight where I've taken the camera out and photographed lady's slippers, apple blossoms, lilacs and more. Standing in the field and watching the wind move the grass in waves I was filled with a sense of calm and peace. It was a well needed respite as it feels like we have been running flat out for the last few months. Weeks have flown by as we prepared for new arrivals and cut and split next winter's firewood.
The star attractions this season are a quartet of Berkshire pigs and six turkeys.
The pigs required a huge amount of infrastructure. The pen where we housed our first two pigs the first summer on the farm has since been turned into garden space and the barn is now used for the laying flock. This meant we needed to create a new paddock for them. We're challenged here because we're perched on a slab of bedrock; this makes it difficult to drive fence posts. Rob decided to build a tradition snake fence. These take a large number of rails and Rob spent weeks cutting and limbing trees around the property and bringing them to area where we want to run the pigs. At the end of the project we used almost 150 eight-foot rails to build the pen.
My project is six turkeys. I framed in part of the big barn and hung chicken wire to predator-proof their new quarters. Three weeks ago I brought home three Royal Palms, two Bourbon Reds and one Eastern wild turkeys. They are interesting additions and they're already starting to posture. Depending on what sexes we have and how the summer goes, we may try to keep two for breeding next year.
We are raising meat kings again this year. This will be our third summer raising them and we've started 30. We took advantage of having the extra penned area in the barn and moved them in with the turkeys. It has worked out really well. This batch is more active and is already foraging through the bedding. Another week or so and we'll move them out to pasture.
We have new neighbours and we bartered four tractor buckets full of manure for an old chest freezer they were throwing away. The freezer perfectly holds the pig, horse and cow feed and is rodent proof. There's even room for me to keep my brushes for the horse.
We lost one of meat kings this week and one of our layers. Chickens can be hardy and resistant but when one takes it into its head to die, there's nothing you can do about it. They become the most fragile creature on the earth.
Spring is here and summer is at her heels. Tonight's stroll around the fields just reminds me of the beauty lurking just outside our door.
The star attractions this season are a quartet of Berkshire pigs and six turkeys.
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| Pig fence. |
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| Eastern Wild Turkey Poult. |
We are raising meat kings again this year. This will be our third summer raising them and we've started 30. We took advantage of having the extra penned area in the barn and moved them in with the turkeys. It has worked out really well. This batch is more active and is already foraging through the bedding. Another week or so and we'll move them out to pasture.
We have new neighbours and we bartered four tractor buckets full of manure for an old chest freezer they were throwing away. The freezer perfectly holds the pig, horse and cow feed and is rodent proof. There's even room for me to keep my brushes for the horse.
We lost one of meat kings this week and one of our layers. Chickens can be hardy and resistant but when one takes it into its head to die, there's nothing you can do about it. They become the most fragile creature on the earth.
Spring is here and summer is at her heels. Tonight's stroll around the fields just reminds me of the beauty lurking just outside our door.
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| Lilacs in the big field. |
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Sap is Running
We're experiencing a temperate transition from winter to spring and as a result the sap is running. The daytime temperatures are nudging up on the positive side while the night time temperatures are dipping just below zero. I've never tapped trees before. This spring we've decided to put three taps in a few trees behind the house. Since Sunday afternoon we've collected a little under 20 litres of sap. Considering the ratio of sap to syrup is 40 to 1, we can so far expect to create a half litre of syrup.
We froze the first bit of sap we collected and the rest in my stock pot on the top shelf of the fridge. We plan to set up a bonfire on the weekend and start boiling it down. We need to figure out how to support the pot above the fire. We're thinking a rack over a fire pit. But we'll have to look for one.
Rob started cutting next winter's firewood. He's targeting some ash, particularly ones with crooked trunks, he'll cut a bit of birch and some maple as well. It was when he was cutting the maple that he realized how much the sap was running. We have to bring the poplars we cut last spring up to the front field to arrange for getting them sawed.
We heard geese flying overhead yesterday, so I feel like Spring is on its way.
I started this post a couple of weeks ago, so I need to update the sugaring story.
This weekend past I boiled the sap. I made a big fire and burned up a bunch of the brush we've collected from clearing around the barn and run-in. Once the fire we was going well I placed my big canning pot full of sap in the middle of it. Three hours later the water had evaporated and I took the remaining liquid into the the house to finish. At the end of the day I ended up with two 250ml jars of syrup and an immense sense of pleasure.
My seed orders went in the mail today. I have seedlings started in the basement and we're planning on purchasing pigs, meat birds and turkeys this year. It will be a busy place this summer... and I'm looking forward to all the challenges.
We froze the first bit of sap we collected and the rest in my stock pot on the top shelf of the fridge. We plan to set up a bonfire on the weekend and start boiling it down. We need to figure out how to support the pot above the fire. We're thinking a rack over a fire pit. But we'll have to look for one.
Rob started cutting next winter's firewood. He's targeting some ash, particularly ones with crooked trunks, he'll cut a bit of birch and some maple as well. It was when he was cutting the maple that he realized how much the sap was running. We have to bring the poplars we cut last spring up to the front field to arrange for getting them sawed.
We heard geese flying overhead yesterday, so I feel like Spring is on its way.
I started this post a couple of weeks ago, so I need to update the sugaring story.
This weekend past I boiled the sap. I made a big fire and burned up a bunch of the brush we've collected from clearing around the barn and run-in. Once the fire we was going well I placed my big canning pot full of sap in the middle of it. Three hours later the water had evaporated and I took the remaining liquid into the the house to finish. At the end of the day I ended up with two 250ml jars of syrup and an immense sense of pleasure.
My seed orders went in the mail today. I have seedlings started in the basement and we're planning on purchasing pigs, meat birds and turkeys this year. It will be a busy place this summer... and I'm looking forward to all the challenges.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Smells Like... Spring
What a difference a month makes.
The last time I posted we were suffering a cold snap (one of several). This week however feels like we're on the cusp of spring. If I was tapping trees this year I would be starting now. Not that I know much about the process but this week the daytime temperatures are nudging above freezing and the nighttime temperatures are dipping to about minus 10. From what I've read that seems to be just about right for ideal sap flow. We've decided to wait another year as we still haven't set up a outdoor work area where we can boil the sap. Not having a kitchen fan, I don't want to introduce all the humidity to the house.
I can smell the difference in the air. I took the dogs for early morning runs both Monday and today. This is possible because it is now light before seven (another bonus). What snow there is is hard pack and in the early morning I can walk on it without breaking through. There's lots of bare ground and you can smell it starting to warm up. It's earthy and fresh. This morning was perfect -- bright and sunny, crisp and without any wind. If this keeps up we should be able to get the block of ice out of the stock tank and begin using it again. It froze solid earlier in the month... we just couldn't keep up with breaking the ice
It's been so nice I've taken Joe's blanket off for a few days. He doesn't love having it on, so I'll leave it off until the weather turns again. He is already starting to shed.
Dahlia has a thick lush coat and I'm sure we'll soon be seeing her shedding. Her horns are really starting to develop and are big enough to use as handles. They're also big enough to leave a nasty bruise if you don't move out of the way quickly enough. I found this out the hard way the other night and I'm now sporting a three-inch bruise on my thigh. A sound reminder to keep my eye on her and not the dog. On another cow note, Rob believes she may have had her first heat cycle. We'll need to watch and see if we can track as we're thinking of breeding her this summer.
The last time I posted we were suffering a cold snap (one of several). This week however feels like we're on the cusp of spring. If I was tapping trees this year I would be starting now. Not that I know much about the process but this week the daytime temperatures are nudging above freezing and the nighttime temperatures are dipping to about minus 10. From what I've read that seems to be just about right for ideal sap flow. We've decided to wait another year as we still haven't set up a outdoor work area where we can boil the sap. Not having a kitchen fan, I don't want to introduce all the humidity to the house.
I can smell the difference in the air. I took the dogs for early morning runs both Monday and today. This is possible because it is now light before seven (another bonus). What snow there is is hard pack and in the early morning I can walk on it without breaking through. There's lots of bare ground and you can smell it starting to warm up. It's earthy and fresh. This morning was perfect -- bright and sunny, crisp and without any wind. If this keeps up we should be able to get the block of ice out of the stock tank and begin using it again. It froze solid earlier in the month... we just couldn't keep up with breaking the ice
It's been so nice I've taken Joe's blanket off for a few days. He doesn't love having it on, so I'll leave it off until the weather turns again. He is already starting to shed.
Dahlia has a thick lush coat and I'm sure we'll soon be seeing her shedding. Her horns are really starting to develop and are big enough to use as handles. They're also big enough to leave a nasty bruise if you don't move out of the way quickly enough. I found this out the hard way the other night and I'm now sporting a three-inch bruise on my thigh. A sound reminder to keep my eye on her and not the dog. On another cow note, Rob believes she may have had her first heat cycle. We'll need to watch and see if we can track as we're thinking of breeding her this summer.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The Cold Snap
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| Frost on the porch window. |
Our horse and cow have a three-sided shelter and thick winter coats to protect them from the cold. Joe also wears a light waterproof blanket which blocks wind as well. We have a good foot of hay an straw on the floor of the run-in and I've seen Dalhia nestled in there chewing her cud several mornings and evenings this week.
The biggest challenge has been keeping the water ice-free. Thursday morning Rob had to use the ax to cut a hole in the big 100 gallon water tank. We were lucky and filled it last weekend when the temperature was 10+. Unfortunately the plug got knocked loose and overnight all the water drained out. By that point the temperatures had begun to drop and we had to fill it using buckets because the hose and tap were again frozen.
The chickens have a heated waterer and heat lamp in the coop. Overall they have been coping with the cold weather, although a couple of eggs froze this week before we brought them into the house. The hens haven't been foraging much, so several times I've taken them vegetable peelings which they seem to appreciate.
In the house, the hot water tap froze in the kitchen and we finally broke down and turned the electric heaters on. Even though the fire was roaring in the wood stove, the heat seemed as though it was beaten back by the cold seeping in and only the immediate radius around the stove had any warmth.
The wind has finally dropped and today is a balmy -10. I can live with that, but I'm looking forward to a warming trend promised for next week.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Final Mentor
I have been remiss. Earlier this month I took one of the final steps along my road to recovery and I didn't write about it.
The hero's journey has been a long one. Those of you who have walked it with me know it had both highs and lows. But like yin and yang, they pretty much balanced each other out. These days the journey has dwindled to a couple of side trips as I make annual pilgrimages to visit with my two surgeons (mentors), and hopefully there will only be two more of those.
No this side trip was of a different nature. It was the final step of reconstruction and rebuilding the body after tearing it down. I visited my final mentor, the tattoo artist.
The reconstruction happened in two phases. The breasts were shaped and formed using the muscle from my back and saline-filled implants. Several months later the nipples were surgically created. On November 7, I visited Amber at Adept Tattoo on Quinpool Road to have the finishing touches, the cherry on the sundae if you will. She applied pigment to make the "Girls" look as good as new. The side benefit is it covers some of the scaring around the nipple area as well. Now if you were to see me on a topless beach at 15 metres (which I don't see ever happening) you would never know I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction.
I'll admit I was ambivalent about it. It seemed, excessive, unnecessary. But now I'm glad I took this final step. It symbolically closes the cover on that chapter of my life. I can look back at cancer now and say thank you. You didn't defeat me, you made me stronger, you helped me develop focus... but I don't ever want to see you again.
The journey has led me to the path I walk now and I love our life on the farm and I hope you continue to share the rest of the journey with me as I learn how to live sustainably and with joy.
The hero's journey has been a long one. Those of you who have walked it with me know it had both highs and lows. But like yin and yang, they pretty much balanced each other out. These days the journey has dwindled to a couple of side trips as I make annual pilgrimages to visit with my two surgeons (mentors), and hopefully there will only be two more of those.
No this side trip was of a different nature. It was the final step of reconstruction and rebuilding the body after tearing it down. I visited my final mentor, the tattoo artist.
The reconstruction happened in two phases. The breasts were shaped and formed using the muscle from my back and saline-filled implants. Several months later the nipples were surgically created. On November 7, I visited Amber at Adept Tattoo on Quinpool Road to have the finishing touches, the cherry on the sundae if you will. She applied pigment to make the "Girls" look as good as new. The side benefit is it covers some of the scaring around the nipple area as well. Now if you were to see me on a topless beach at 15 metres (which I don't see ever happening) you would never know I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction.
I'll admit I was ambivalent about it. It seemed, excessive, unnecessary. But now I'm glad I took this final step. It symbolically closes the cover on that chapter of my life. I can look back at cancer now and say thank you. You didn't defeat me, you made me stronger, you helped me develop focus... but I don't ever want to see you again.
The journey has led me to the path I walk now and I love our life on the farm and I hope you continue to share the rest of the journey with me as I learn how to live sustainably and with joy.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Ice on the Water Bucket
I don't know where the time goes, but here it the end of October and two mornings this past week the water bucket had a skiff of ice on the surface. Hunting season started Friday, a sure sign that the year is slowly winding down.
We added the summer's pullets to the laying flocking, giving us a total of 18 birds in the chicken coop. I spent two days of my vacation earlier this month cleaning out said chicken coop. There was years worth of detritus in one corner from the previous owners. I took it all out and sorted out what could be reused. I made some new roosts and nesting boxes and then introduced the flock.
It took a few days, but eventually the feathers stopped flying and everyone, including duck, is settling into a routine. Best of all, the new hens and duck are beginning to lay eggs. It seemed all summer we were only getting two eggs a day, after having a steady flow all winter it was a little surprising. Now we're up to about eight a day. Which is great because I've had several people ask about obtaining some eggs from us. In fact at last weekend's municipal election I ran into to two neighbours who both expressed interest. With 18 fowl in the coop I hope get up to a dozen eggs a day.
The duck eggs are pretty and we don't notice any difference in the flavour. She's also a riot to watch. We have noticed she doesn't quack as much now that she's free range. The flock roams all over the yard and down into the paddock where they sort through the hay Dahlia and Joe drop.
I went to a garlic workshop this weekend. It was very informative. Today I planted three varieties of garlic. Hopefully it will all grow and thrive.
We've spent the last week putting the wood in the barn and getting it out from the weather. We've already got a start on next year's pile.
We added the summer's pullets to the laying flocking, giving us a total of 18 birds in the chicken coop. I spent two days of my vacation earlier this month cleaning out said chicken coop. There was years worth of detritus in one corner from the previous owners. I took it all out and sorted out what could be reused. I made some new roosts and nesting boxes and then introduced the flock.
It took a few days, but eventually the feathers stopped flying and everyone, including duck, is settling into a routine. Best of all, the new hens and duck are beginning to lay eggs. It seemed all summer we were only getting two eggs a day, after having a steady flow all winter it was a little surprising. Now we're up to about eight a day. Which is great because I've had several people ask about obtaining some eggs from us. In fact at last weekend's municipal election I ran into to two neighbours who both expressed interest. With 18 fowl in the coop I hope get up to a dozen eggs a day.
The duck eggs are pretty and we don't notice any difference in the flavour. She's also a riot to watch. We have noticed she doesn't quack as much now that she's free range. The flock roams all over the yard and down into the paddock where they sort through the hay Dahlia and Joe drop.
I went to a garlic workshop this weekend. It was very informative. Today I planted three varieties of garlic. Hopefully it will all grow and thrive.
We've spent the last week putting the wood in the barn and getting it out from the weather. We've already got a start on next year's pile.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Fall Chores
I finished digging the potatoes today. Overall I'd say we ended up with 25 to 30 pounds. Not bad for our first year and considering how dry it was. I used some of them today in what I like to call my harvest vegetable chicken soup.
I cooked a chicken earlier in the week and tossed the leftover carcass in the stock pot with onion, garlic, carrot and a couple of bay leaves plus salt and pepper. I let is simmer for a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, I drove down to Goucher's Farm Market outside of Kingston, and picked up a sweet potato, squash, onions, celery, garlic and carrots. When I was home again I cut up all the veggies, including a few potatoes and put them in a roasting pan.
Just for future reference, an axe works really well when it comes to chopping up squash.
I poured olive oil over all the veggies and sprinkled them with ginger and curry powder. I left them to roast slowly in the oven for a couple of hours. Once done I strained the bones cooked veggies out of my stock. Added the roasted vegetables (except for the celery which I felt was too stringy) and then used my handy immersion blender to mix up the soup. I tossed in the separated chicken.
Now Rob and I have a seasonal, hearty soup for supper which will be delicious.
Rob spent the weekend working on the woods road connecting the big field to the new property. He's just about through. Meanwhile I trimmed the grass and weeds all along the fence line. We also collected wild apples for the horse and cow.
We certainly got a lot done this beautiful fall weekend, but the to-do list is still long. We have to fix the floor in the woodshed, bring the wood up from the field where it has been drying, cut kindling, fix up the chicken coop and install a couple of windows in it and in general clean up the yard.
Rob wants me to get a coat of paint on the end of the house and he plans to build a new cover for the septic tank. I think we've got enough to keep us out of trouble for a few weekends.
I did take time to take Joe for ride. It was perfect weather for just meandering around the fields and through the woods.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Tomatoes
The rains have come. First we had not enough, now we are bordering on too much.
I picked tomatoes this afternoon, decked out in my rubber boots and Rob's over-sized rain coat.
It was hard to collect enough for any type of cooking purpose as many of them are suffering from blossom rot. The end of the tomato turns dark and starts to rot. My research indicates the cause was likely inadequate water when the fruit was setting. The plant has a calcium deficiency; without the water it can't pull the calcium out of the ground.
Too much nitrogen in the soil will also slow down the absorption of calcium. Given the fact the pigs were in the plot last summer, the nitrogen issue may also be a problem for me.
Next year I'll put bone meal in the planting bed and hopefully we'll have our water management system set up so if it is dry, I can water the plants with water we've collected and saved.
Not all is lost though. Some of the fruit is fine and I was able to pick enough to make a small pot of sauce on this rainy afternoon.
I grew San Marzano tomatoes this year. The seed is from Annapolis Seeds, a local company. The San Marzano is a paste tomato used by the Italians for sauce. I'm making a simple sauce - onions, garlic, olive oil and tomato.
Of course, being the first batch I'm making this year, I totally forgot to take the skins off the tomatoes. Now I'll either have to fish them out of the sauce or puree the whole batch. I'm leaning toward the second idea.
But the smell; well it's divine. I can't wait until supper.
I picked tomatoes this afternoon, decked out in my rubber boots and Rob's over-sized rain coat.
It was hard to collect enough for any type of cooking purpose as many of them are suffering from blossom rot. The end of the tomato turns dark and starts to rot. My research indicates the cause was likely inadequate water when the fruit was setting. The plant has a calcium deficiency; without the water it can't pull the calcium out of the ground.
Too much nitrogen in the soil will also slow down the absorption of calcium. Given the fact the pigs were in the plot last summer, the nitrogen issue may also be a problem for me.
Next year I'll put bone meal in the planting bed and hopefully we'll have our water management system set up so if it is dry, I can water the plants with water we've collected and saved.
Not all is lost though. Some of the fruit is fine and I was able to pick enough to make a small pot of sauce on this rainy afternoon.
Homemade tomato sauce served over linguine and sprinkled with parmesan. Wagner photo
I grew San Marzano tomatoes this year. The seed is from Annapolis Seeds, a local company. The San Marzano is a paste tomato used by the Italians for sauce. I'm making a simple sauce - onions, garlic, olive oil and tomato.
Of course, being the first batch I'm making this year, I totally forgot to take the skins off the tomatoes. Now I'll either have to fish them out of the sauce or puree the whole batch. I'm leaning toward the second idea.
But the smell; well it's divine. I can't wait until supper.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Celebrations
September is an important month for us.
We closed on the farm on September 1, 2010. This weekend marks our second anniversary here; our first as full-time residents. And, I just had my third cancer-free appointment at the Breast Health Centre.
We've always loved the fall. For me, Labour Day weekend always marks the end of the summer, far more than the autumnal equinox later in the month. The days may shorten, but the nights cool, the bugs are fewer and there's still warmth in the sun.
I'm hoping we get rain this week and if we do I'm going take advantage of the late summer sun and try to get some lettuce and spinach in the ground for late season harvest. Wally gave me the frame from his old "garage" and I'm going to cover it in plastic and make myself a green house. I won't heat it, but by virtue of protecting the plants from the frost and cold, I should be able to harvest them through November and December. It will also protect by tomato plants through the early frost, before the tomatoes are ready.
I'm making my second batch of plum sauce from the plum tree growing in the front yard. Rob and I dug up our potatoes this weekend. We don't have lot, my canning pot is full to the brim, but given the challenges of the dry weather and the chickens digging through my garden, we're pleased with the results.
This weekend we dispatched the two roosters and all but four of the cockerels. We also got back to work clearing a road from the largest field to the new property. Hopefully, before the fall is over, I'll be able to ride Joe through it.
Rob checked his camera cards and saw pictures of two does and a nice buck. Hopefully, we'll add one of those to the larder this fall as well.
Rob dug out his bow this week and started practicing and Joe and I went riding twice. Both good workouts each time.
We closed on the farm on September 1, 2010. This weekend marks our second anniversary here; our first as full-time residents. And, I just had my third cancer-free appointment at the Breast Health Centre.
We've always loved the fall. For me, Labour Day weekend always marks the end of the summer, far more than the autumnal equinox later in the month. The days may shorten, but the nights cool, the bugs are fewer and there's still warmth in the sun.
I'm hoping we get rain this week and if we do I'm going take advantage of the late summer sun and try to get some lettuce and spinach in the ground for late season harvest. Wally gave me the frame from his old "garage" and I'm going to cover it in plastic and make myself a green house. I won't heat it, but by virtue of protecting the plants from the frost and cold, I should be able to harvest them through November and December. It will also protect by tomato plants through the early frost, before the tomatoes are ready.
I'm making my second batch of plum sauce from the plum tree growing in the front yard. Rob and I dug up our potatoes this weekend. We don't have lot, my canning pot is full to the brim, but given the challenges of the dry weather and the chickens digging through my garden, we're pleased with the results.
This weekend we dispatched the two roosters and all but four of the cockerels. We also got back to work clearing a road from the largest field to the new property. Hopefully, before the fall is over, I'll be able to ride Joe through it.
Rob checked his camera cards and saw pictures of two does and a nice buck. Hopefully, we'll add one of those to the larder this fall as well.
Rob dug out his bow this week and started practicing and Joe and I went riding twice. Both good workouts each time.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Summer
It is late August and I see by the timeline I haven't updated my blog all summer.
Joe has settled in nicely and we ride several times a week. Alissa Cue of Rohan Wood Stables has been out three times to provide private lessons at the farm and to help Joe and me work through getting to know each other. The last few rides have been very good.
Dahlia, our calf, has also arrived. She is flighty and suspicious, but she's starting to come into her stall at night with a bribe of grain.
Joe seems to think Dahlia is part of his herd and he's always trying to make her graze where he wants to graze. He also chases her sometimes. I expect by the spring we'll have to have separate pastures for them.
Speaking of pastures, it has been a dry, dry summer. We've tried to rotate the pasture by sectioning it off with wire, but the rains have been intermittent and the grass is not coming back as quickly as anticipated. Rob and I are fencing the middle field today in order to provide more grazing area for Dahlia and Joe.
Kelly, Steven and I picked strawberries at Kenny's Strawberries in Kentville. I picked two flats of berries some of which I froze and some of which I made into jam. This weekend past I picked blackberries. Last night I turned those into jam. The woods are full of berries and chokecherries so I expect I'll make more jam or jelly next week.
I picked up local peaches this week and preserved those as well.
Joe has settled in nicely and we ride several times a week. Alissa Cue of Rohan Wood Stables has been out three times to provide private lessons at the farm and to help Joe and me work through getting to know each other. The last few rides have been very good.
Dahlia, our calf, has also arrived. She is flighty and suspicious, but she's starting to come into her stall at night with a bribe of grain.
Joe seems to think Dahlia is part of his herd and he's always trying to make her graze where he wants to graze. He also chases her sometimes. I expect by the spring we'll have to have separate pastures for them.
Speaking of pastures, it has been a dry, dry summer. We've tried to rotate the pasture by sectioning it off with wire, but the rains have been intermittent and the grass is not coming back as quickly as anticipated. Rob and I are fencing the middle field today in order to provide more grazing area for Dahlia and Joe.
Kelly, Steven and I picked strawberries at Kenny's Strawberries in Kentville. I picked two flats of berries some of which I froze and some of which I made into jam. This weekend past I picked blackberries. Last night I turned those into jam. The woods are full of berries and chokecherries so I expect I'll make more jam or jelly next week.
I picked up local peaches this week and preserved those as well.
Canned peaches in a light, spiced syrup.
The garden has been providing some meals for us. It was a constant battle to keep the chickens out of it and they enjoyed meals of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and lettuce. We ate beans, peas, Swiss chard and potatoes. If all goes well I will have a bumper crop of tomatoes to preserve. We may need cover it with plastic to protect it from frost while the fruit ripens.
There is nothing quite so rewarding as knowing you have the skills to provide for yourself. I know this fall will be busy with preserving food for enjoyment this winter with Mother Nature providing lots of wild edibles for our use.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
A Check on the Life Wish List
I don't know when I first realized I wanted a horse. I'm sure if you asked my parents they would say it has been on every Christmas list and every birthday candle wish since the day I first knew what the word meant.
We had horses board at the farm when I was little. In fact one of my earliest memories is being high above Dad as he led me around the pasture on a palomino. When I grew older, my cousin Helen had a pretty little Standardbred. We all learned how to ride on her by racing around the fields riding double. I would go up and muck out the stall just to be near her. And I can tie a western saddle cinch with my eyes closed thanks to all the practice Helen enforced.
I became very good at borrowing horses from the neighbours. And for a brief year we boarded a horse at the farm when I was in my teens. I think Queenie was older than I was and a lot smarter, but I learned a lot from her and was sad when she returned to her owner.
Today, a life-long dream was filled when Joe moved onto the farm. Joe is a 12-year-old Canadian-Percheron with a tail which practically touches the ground. He's saddle and harness broke. I'm incredibly excited to have him here. Cole and I just sat for the last hour watching him eat.
Rob and I have laboured over creating the pasture for weeks. We've cut back brush, pounded posts, nailed insulators and strung wire. Today we connected it all together and turned on the power. We still need to make a few adjustments, but it is done and it will hold Joe in the field.
It's not every day a girl has a dream come true. But today is one of those days. I hope Anne and Fred know how much love and affection Joe will receive. Crystal deserves kudos for helping me find him and Rob, well Rob deserves a medal for helping make this dream come true and for every nail, every post and every foot of wire.
We had horses board at the farm when I was little. In fact one of my earliest memories is being high above Dad as he led me around the pasture on a palomino. When I grew older, my cousin Helen had a pretty little Standardbred. We all learned how to ride on her by racing around the fields riding double. I would go up and muck out the stall just to be near her. And I can tie a western saddle cinch with my eyes closed thanks to all the practice Helen enforced.
I became very good at borrowing horses from the neighbours. And for a brief year we boarded a horse at the farm when I was in my teens. I think Queenie was older than I was and a lot smarter, but I learned a lot from her and was sad when she returned to her owner.
Today, a life-long dream was filled when Joe moved onto the farm. Joe is a 12-year-old Canadian-Percheron with a tail which practically touches the ground. He's saddle and harness broke. I'm incredibly excited to have him here. Cole and I just sat for the last hour watching him eat.
Rob and I have laboured over creating the pasture for weeks. We've cut back brush, pounded posts, nailed insulators and strung wire. Today we connected it all together and turned on the power. We still need to make a few adjustments, but it is done and it will hold Joe in the field.
It's not every day a girl has a dream come true. But today is one of those days. I hope Anne and Fred know how much love and affection Joe will receive. Crystal deserves kudos for helping me find him and Rob, well Rob deserves a medal for helping make this dream come true and for every nail, every post and every foot of wire.
Monday, May 28, 2012
The Smallest Things
About a week ago I was walking around the front yard when I heard the unmistakable buzz of a hummingbird passing me. It took several minutes before I saw the tiny bird, his swift flight taking him from one end of the yard to the other in fractions of a second. I went into the house and dug out and cleaned my hummingbird feeder and mixed up a solution of water and sugar. We're now on the second batch of solution and my solitary hummingbird is joined by a mate, although it is truly difficult to tell if they are matched as he won't let her near the feeder half the time.
For being the smallest birds in the world, they are territorial bullies. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to capture a photo of them for past few days. When they see my reflection at the window they leave the feeder. The other evening, as I was barbecuing towards sunset, I observed them feeding quite heavily. I'm guessing they were fuelling up for the night. The male bird sat on a limb in one of the maples for several minutes before taking a final run at the feeder and disappearing for the night.
Today, Rob is working with a mentor of his own, a local carpenter. They will put up the animal shelter (it arrived Friday). Rob and Wally will act as his assistants. Rob will hopefully learn a few new skills in the process. Once the shelter is in place, we'll finish the fence line, build a holding paddock where the animals can settle for the first few days and make a final pass around the field to ensure there is no grass or brush remaining to short out the fencing. Hopefully within the next month both animals will be on site and all the chickens will be out on pasture.
I finished getting the garden planted. I need to hoe the weeds out of the area where the tomato seedlings will go; I'll probably wait and put them in after the full moon in June (June 4). That should be the last frost. I'm anxious to see seedlings sprouting the garden and to see it start taking shape.
For being the smallest birds in the world, they are territorial bullies. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to capture a photo of them for past few days. When they see my reflection at the window they leave the feeder. The other evening, as I was barbecuing towards sunset, I observed them feeding quite heavily. I'm guessing they were fuelling up for the night. The male bird sat on a limb in one of the maples for several minutes before taking a final run at the feeder and disappearing for the night.
Today, Rob is working with a mentor of his own, a local carpenter. They will put up the animal shelter (it arrived Friday). Rob and Wally will act as his assistants. Rob will hopefully learn a few new skills in the process. Once the shelter is in place, we'll finish the fence line, build a holding paddock where the animals can settle for the first few days and make a final pass around the field to ensure there is no grass or brush remaining to short out the fencing. Hopefully within the next month both animals will be on site and all the chickens will be out on pasture.
I finished getting the garden planted. I need to hoe the weeds out of the area where the tomato seedlings will go; I'll probably wait and put them in after the full moon in June (June 4). That should be the last frost. I'm anxious to see seedlings sprouting the garden and to see it start taking shape.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Spring Has Sprung
The days are long and filled with activity. I'm on vacation this week, but I'm putting in my time on the farm.
On the weekend I went horse shopping with the help of long-time friend Crystal Fullerton. After a disappointing first stop Crystal suggested we stop by the farm of her neighbour. They had a Canadian/Percheron cross for sale. Joe is a stocky boy and after two visits, riding in the ring and taking him out in the cart I decided to purchase Joe. He'll be moving to the farm early in June.
In preparation for Joe and Dahlia (who is waiting for registration information and tattooing) we have been setting up posts, clearing underbrush and stringing a fence line around the front the field. Rob ordered a shelter package from Home Hardware last week and we expect it to arrive any day.
We have chickens. In addition to last year's layers we hatched out nine chicks earlier in the year and they are now on pasture, we have 20 in the back porch (plus one duck) and 11 meat kings. The incubator currently has a dozen duck eggs in it. Within a month they all should be out on pasture. In addition, one of the barred rocks decided she wanted to hatch her own brood. We moved her out to the barn in a protected pen. She had 13 eggs under her. Last week we put a second hen in the pen, the rooster has been a little too friendly with her and her back was scratched. She ended up causing two the the eggs to break. The good news is they are fertilized and life is growing in them.
We've planted six apple trees and three pear trees in one corner of the largest field. The picture is me taking the lawn mower and water to the trees. I mowed around them this afternoon and watered them.
I've also planted two clumps of rhubarb, 25 strawberry plants and over the last few days I got the garden in. Last year's pig pen is now home to a modest-sized vegetable patch. I have so far planted: potatoes, lettuce, beats, beans, Swiss chard, spinach, peas, onions, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, cabbage and carrots. I had to rig up a net to keep the hens out of it after they dug up the first row of peas and half the onions. So far so good, they haven't figured out to walk behind their coop and into the garden.
Everything is lush and green right now. The apple blossoms are out, as are the lilacs. Already, the choke cherry trees are starting to fruit and last year's asparagus plants are poking through the ground (although the chickens keep eating the tips of them.)
Spring is busy and full, and I'm enjoying it to the max.
Friday, March 30, 2012
New Skills
When I started writing I was on a very different journey than the path I face today and I talked a lot about the journey process, a convention used by writers to move a storyline forward. I want to circle back to that idea again.
We each are heroes in our own journeys and we will meet people who influence us while we are on that journey - it may be by their passions, by their position, their actions or how we react to these factors. This week I took part in a cheese-making workshop. It is part of my current journey where I am trying to learn as many agri-based skills as I can. While I can't say for sure yet that I have heard the "call" of the cheese-maker I am intrigued and feel I gained enough knowledge to move forward with the basics -- making mozzarella, for example, is a certainty. I just need to order the rennet and bacteria for the process.
As I wrote in the early days, along each journey we meet mentors, people who share their knowledge and skill. I met more than one possible mentor this week, but I'd like to focus on Margaret Morris of Glengarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply Ltd.
Margaret is passionate about cheese making and sharing her knowledge. Under her guidance we learned how to make mozzarella, Camembert and a reblochon. Three relatively simple cheeses for the home cheese maker with the right supplies. Margaret was patient as she answered myriad questions, and walked us through the steps. The pay-off was sampling the mozzarella at the end of our second day of the session. It's texture was incredibly different than the industrial cheese we purchase in the store. It was chewy and stretchy and there was a tangy bite to its flavor. I could have eaten a whole ball of it myself. Its flavor had me thinking about homemade pizza with tomatoes and basil from my garden.
I was also inspired by Ron Muise, a cheese maker and dairy sheep producer in Cape Breton. He may have been punchy from delivering lambs, but his passion for his business and product still came through. All of the participants had an opportunity to taste his cheese, and while still young, it proved to be wonderful. His talk wasn't all sunshine, raising sheep is a challenge in Nova Scotia and raising dairy sheep layers additional challenges.
Part of the workshop introduced us to the art of pairing wine with cheese and some basics to follow. It allowed us to sample a variety of cheeses (and wines), from different species and following different styles (feta, Cheddars, Goudas and blues).
I'm looking forward to following this new path, and learning more about the process. If it leads to acquiring livestock, well, it may be this is our call, we just haven't heard it yet.
We each are heroes in our own journeys and we will meet people who influence us while we are on that journey - it may be by their passions, by their position, their actions or how we react to these factors. This week I took part in a cheese-making workshop. It is part of my current journey where I am trying to learn as many agri-based skills as I can. While I can't say for sure yet that I have heard the "call" of the cheese-maker I am intrigued and feel I gained enough knowledge to move forward with the basics -- making mozzarella, for example, is a certainty. I just need to order the rennet and bacteria for the process.
As I wrote in the early days, along each journey we meet mentors, people who share their knowledge and skill. I met more than one possible mentor this week, but I'd like to focus on Margaret Morris of Glengarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply Ltd.
Margaret is passionate about cheese making and sharing her knowledge. Under her guidance we learned how to make mozzarella, Camembert and a reblochon. Three relatively simple cheeses for the home cheese maker with the right supplies. Margaret was patient as she answered myriad questions, and walked us through the steps. The pay-off was sampling the mozzarella at the end of our second day of the session. It's texture was incredibly different than the industrial cheese we purchase in the store. It was chewy and stretchy and there was a tangy bite to its flavor. I could have eaten a whole ball of it myself. Its flavor had me thinking about homemade pizza with tomatoes and basil from my garden.
I was also inspired by Ron Muise, a cheese maker and dairy sheep producer in Cape Breton. He may have been punchy from delivering lambs, but his passion for his business and product still came through. All of the participants had an opportunity to taste his cheese, and while still young, it proved to be wonderful. His talk wasn't all sunshine, raising sheep is a challenge in Nova Scotia and raising dairy sheep layers additional challenges.
Part of the workshop introduced us to the art of pairing wine with cheese and some basics to follow. It allowed us to sample a variety of cheeses (and wines), from different species and following different styles (feta, Cheddars, Goudas and blues).
I'm looking forward to following this new path, and learning more about the process. If it leads to acquiring livestock, well, it may be this is our call, we just haven't heard it yet.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
March - Pre-Spring
We are experiencing typical spring weather. If I was a maple syrup producer I know I would be stressing-out right about now and worrying about ice breaking the trees or pulling down the sap lines. From my perspective, the world is glazed in silver. We have had rain, freezing rain and snow in the last 24 hours and temperatures hovering near the freezing point. I walked Cole and Oscar (my brother's dog) after work today. The world was strangely quiet with the sleet falling, except for the trees rattling in a light breeze -- their limbs and branches coated with ice.
In a few more weeks fishing season will be starting. The rivers and streams are already ice-free because it has been such a mild winter.
I recently purchased a grow light and plan to set it up this weekend so I can start some tomato plants in the house. I've made my seed list and we've finally decided were we'll start our garden. This year we'll plow up the area where the chickens ran last summer and we'll use part of last year's pig pen for tomatoes, peppers and green.
We collected eggs from our chickens and hatched them in an incubator. Of the 11 we set we had 10 hatch. One has since died and another has a deformed leg and may yet not survive. A couple are barred-rock and the others are barred-Rhode Island crosses. All are very cute, and it will be interesting to see what they look like when they fledge-out. We'll set another batch in a few weeks. Our goal this year is to double the number of birds we raise for our freezer. We're planning using the same model we did last year using pens in the pasture and moving them every day. If we can find them, we'd like to raise a few heritage turkeys too.
In two weeks I'm taking part in a cheese-making workshop. I had signed up for one last fall but it was cancelled. This is a two-day event taking place in Bible Hill. I'm quite excited and looking forward to the experience.
In a few more weeks fishing season will be starting. The rivers and streams are already ice-free because it has been such a mild winter.
I recently purchased a grow light and plan to set it up this weekend so I can start some tomato plants in the house. I've made my seed list and we've finally decided were we'll start our garden. This year we'll plow up the area where the chickens ran last summer and we'll use part of last year's pig pen for tomatoes, peppers and green.
We collected eggs from our chickens and hatched them in an incubator. Of the 11 we set we had 10 hatch. One has since died and another has a deformed leg and may yet not survive. A couple are barred-rock and the others are barred-Rhode Island crosses. All are very cute, and it will be interesting to see what they look like when they fledge-out. We'll set another batch in a few weeks. Our goal this year is to double the number of birds we raise for our freezer. We're planning using the same model we did last year using pens in the pasture and moving them every day. If we can find them, we'd like to raise a few heritage turkeys too.
In two weeks I'm taking part in a cheese-making workshop. I had signed up for one last fall but it was cancelled. This is a two-day event taking place in Bible Hill. I'm quite excited and looking forward to the experience.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
February - Winter Arrives
We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow covering everything. We went from having almost bare ground to a winter wonderland overnight. So far, the winter has been mild and open, with a few exceptions. We have had more rain than snow and many days on the plus side of zero. Last night's storm was a welcome diversion. The eight inches or so will help insulate the chicken coop, and the main the house for that matter.
Rob used the tractor to clear the barn yard and driveway, while I shoveled paths to the door and the hen house. It took about an hour to clear the yard of snow. We then put on our skis and skied around the fields. It was hard work, but it was lovely to be out and it wasn't too cold. Cole loved it and he's flaked out on a blanket sleeping now.
We been getting an average of seven eggs a day from the hens and this weekend we purchased an incubator and we put dozen aside to see if we can hatch them. We're already looking toward the spring and trying to figure out how many chickens we need to raise for the freezer for this year. We only have half a dozen left from the ones we raised last year.
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| Rob plowing the yard. |
Rob used the tractor to clear the barn yard and driveway, while I shoveled paths to the door and the hen house. It took about an hour to clear the yard of snow. We then put on our skis and skied around the fields. It was hard work, but it was lovely to be out and it wasn't too cold. Cole loved it and he's flaked out on a blanket sleeping now.
We been getting an average of seven eggs a day from the hens and this weekend we purchased an incubator and we put dozen aside to see if we can hatch them. We're already looking toward the spring and trying to figure out how many chickens we need to raise for the freezer for this year. We only have half a dozen left from the ones we raised last year.
The seed catalogs have arrived and I am reviewing my options for the garden. Last year's venture was quite successfully and I am anxious to build and expand on it. We'll plow up an area on the east side of the big barn and the pen were the pigs were housed last year. I plan to grow my tomatoes, peppers, herbs and lettuces there.
In addition to the chickens, we're purchasing a horse this year as well. We're still deciding whether to go with pigs again or try our hand at raising a cow or two.
In another week or so we'll own an additional 20 acres of land. We're in the process of purchasing an adjacent piece. The transaction will add another field and some cut over woodland. We think we'll plant some Christmas trees on some of it.
We also met with a local carpenter to discuss what we need to do to build a small shed for the tractor. We'll cut some trees off the property and have them milled by a neighbour with a portable mill. We have a handful of spruce and several doze poplar ready to harvest. We hope using our own wood will help manage the cost as well. Plus there's is a sense of pride knowing it it came from our property and it is one step close to self-sufficiency.
This is the first time in year's where I haven't felt like winter is dragging on. The lack of storms and the excitement about the spring both make it fly by.
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