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.
Monday, May 28, 2012
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.
 |
| 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.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Winter and Making Bread
It is January. The Christmas tree and decorations have been taken down and we're ready for winter.
I say ready for winter because it doesn't really feel like winter has started. We've had a few days of double-digit, below-zero weather, but they have been tempered by double-digit, above-zero weather. This week is a case in point. Today temperatures were -8C and the forecast for Friday is for temperatures to be +8C. We've had more rain than snow and certainly no weather for winter sports like skating, skiing or snowshoeing.
Rob and I just returned from a walk around the fields. Already, less than a month after the winter solstice, the days are getting longer. It was still dusk when we returned to the house. Monday night was the full moon.
The mild weather has made keeping chickens relatively easy. They continue to go outdoors for at least a few hours most days. We've had only a handful of days where we experienced their water freezing. We keep a heat lamp over it and on really cold days we fill it with warm water in the morning and again at night. They are producing seven or eight eggs most days.
I made bread on the weekend with help from Jess. It made me wonder if I could use the crock pot to proof the dough instead of sitting it on the back of the oven. A little research showed I could do more than proof the bread, I could actually cook it in the crock pot!
So that's what I did today. On my lunch I quickly whipped up the dough (less than 15 minutes) and then placed it in a heat proof dish raised up inside the crock pot with a little bit of water in the base. I have to say I'm quite pleased with the results. The bread is light and airy. It tastes like my wheat germ was a little old. I'm already thinking of a couple of modifications to try the next time -- molasses instead of honey, seven grain cereal instead of rolled oats and wheat germ. The bread cooked for three hours on high. The only down side is it doesn't really brown.
I don't know if raising chickens and baking my own bread makes me a homesteader or not, but I'm still having fun. The Stokes seed catalog has already come in and I'm already keen to start picking out what I'm planting this year. I really am looking forward to gardening and doing more canning. I love this feeling of self-reliance I even recycled the Christmas tree by cutting the branches off and putting them over the remaining turnips and the garlic I planted last fall.
I say ready for winter because it doesn't really feel like winter has started. We've had a few days of double-digit, below-zero weather, but they have been tempered by double-digit, above-zero weather. This week is a case in point. Today temperatures were -8C and the forecast for Friday is for temperatures to be +8C. We've had more rain than snow and certainly no weather for winter sports like skating, skiing or snowshoeing.
Rob and I just returned from a walk around the fields. Already, less than a month after the winter solstice, the days are getting longer. It was still dusk when we returned to the house. Monday night was the full moon.
The mild weather has made keeping chickens relatively easy. They continue to go outdoors for at least a few hours most days. We've had only a handful of days where we experienced their water freezing. We keep a heat lamp over it and on really cold days we fill it with warm water in the morning and again at night. They are producing seven or eight eggs most days.
I made bread on the weekend with help from Jess. It made me wonder if I could use the crock pot to proof the dough instead of sitting it on the back of the oven. A little research showed I could do more than proof the bread, I could actually cook it in the crock pot!
So that's what I did today. On my lunch I quickly whipped up the dough (less than 15 minutes) and then placed it in a heat proof dish raised up inside the crock pot with a little bit of water in the base. I have to say I'm quite pleased with the results. The bread is light and airy. It tastes like my wheat germ was a little old. I'm already thinking of a couple of modifications to try the next time -- molasses instead of honey, seven grain cereal instead of rolled oats and wheat germ. The bread cooked for three hours on high. The only down side is it doesn't really brown.
I don't know if raising chickens and baking my own bread makes me a homesteader or not, but I'm still having fun. The Stokes seed catalog has already come in and I'm already keen to start picking out what I'm planting this year. I really am looking forward to gardening and doing more canning. I love this feeling of self-reliance I even recycled the Christmas tree by cutting the branches off and putting them over the remaining turnips and the garlic I planted last fall.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas Morning
The sky is brightening and the eastern horizon is tinted with pink. Snow fell on Friday and still blankets the ground. From the kitchen window I watch the early birds, small finches and chickadees, eating at the feeder. They flit from the branches of the evergreens I set up earlier this fall. Five trees form a crescent around the feeder, designed to give the birds protection from the elements and a place to perch as they feed.
In the living room, the windows are painted with the fanciful etchings of Jack Frost; fans and swirls carved in ice crystals on the glass. In the corner is a balsam fir we cut two weeks ago from the "Choppings". Its branches are airy and light leaving lots of room for the dangling ornaments to catch and reflect the glow of the lights.
It is Christmas morning and I'm waiting for Rob to wake up and reflecting on our blessings.
We spent last evening with his some of his family in Riverdale. Tomorrow we travel to Pictou. Today we'll have lunch with Wally, Jen and the kids.
Newman is in the barn crowing. Our flock of hens is giving us between six and eight eggs a day. We're constantly amused by their antics.
I hear stirring upstairs. It's time to start our day...Merry Christmas.
In the living room, the windows are painted with the fanciful etchings of Jack Frost; fans and swirls carved in ice crystals on the glass. In the corner is a balsam fir we cut two weeks ago from the "Choppings". Its branches are airy and light leaving lots of room for the dangling ornaments to catch and reflect the glow of the lights.
It is Christmas morning and I'm waiting for Rob to wake up and reflecting on our blessings.
We spent last evening with his some of his family in Riverdale. Tomorrow we travel to Pictou. Today we'll have lunch with Wally, Jen and the kids.
Newman is in the barn crowing. Our flock of hens is giving us between six and eight eggs a day. We're constantly amused by their antics.
I hear stirring upstairs. It's time to start our day...Merry Christmas.
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