April Turned Into July

Yup, it has been awhile! A one woman show has limitations, sad but true, all of it I can not do. That said, I try like crazy anyway. Sooooo, after a record breaking Wet Spring we did manage to get stuff in the ground, and later to market.

The sugar peas surprised me at their longevity and superb quality, note to self: grow more. Pea tendrils are elevating sandwiches, omelets, salads, and whatever is in the fridge. Of course garlic scapes make fast friends at the market table. These ephemeral delights cause some unusual gushing, ooohing and aahhing over their flavor. Lettuce, radishes, beet greens, and carrots all made an appearance.

Failures occured. The first planting of beans were so stunted I pulled them out. Two plantings of spinach were lost, first to leafminers, second to bolting during 2 weeks of mid 90 temps. YUK! Two plantings of carrots were lost to dry weather, I mean bone dry down 6".

The weather is always a priority topic. After waaaaaay to much rain we had burning waves of heat for 2 weeks, complete with suffocating humidity. And NO RAIN!! For several weeks. Nice start to the growing season.

Thank you to all the CSA members who signed up this year-your support is crucial for our little farm. I have the privilege of working with two young women who aspire to farm on their own. Emily who is returning from last season, and Clara; two bright lights of intense quality. They help with weeding, planting, seeding, and just about any task that needs to be done.

I have much to be thankful for, indeed I am.

Where Is Spring????????

I don't know. It slips around here like a cat. Now you see her out of the corner of your eye, turn your back and no sign exists of her former presence. Bullied by freezing rain, soggy soil and COLD, I seed inside. There is only more grey. For one fleeting day the sun appeared along with 78 degrees. Then it was gone.

Mud Sale

They don't call them mud sales for nothing! I promptly got stuck the minute I drove onto the field to park.
All sorts of stuff gets auctioned off. From broom bottoms with no handle to combines.
This little FARMALL A sure got lots of attention. It's perfect for produce with its belly cultivators. I have a great appreciation for these tractors. Not really interested in owning one, I aim to walk behind Halflingers.
OLD OLD OLD!!!
One thing about mud sales.......................tables are full of homemade donuts, pies and other baked delights. It was very cold so 2 kinds of homemade soup were offered. The Ham 'n Bean
was perfection.
Now here is something I seriously coveted. The makings of an Eggmobile right in front of me!!
They say there is a lid for every pot, and judging from the bidding I'd say that is true.
A collection of scales. Ronald said when he was growing up they would weigh hay bales on them and sometimes themselves.
Yes, seeding is underway while the wind howls outside. These flats are destined for the unheated high tunnel. Thick mud is preventing access to our plot, as an E-150 van is worthless in the stuff. We are working hard to stay on schedule, insuring a successful harvest for CSA deliveries. Check our website for CSA details and brochure.

The most recent storm had strong winds and plenty of ice, which brought this tree down on the barn roof. The ridgeline is still intact due to the way it fell, feeling thankful.
We have two hens that lay enormous eggs. The one on the left is 3" x 2"
Here is a preview of what is coming to the farm!! Too cute Angora fiber goats. I have not decided if I will take a doe and her kids or wait until the flock is weaned and then choose. The fleece is called mohair and is pure luxury.
This little sweetheart has been a regular visitor during the months of December and January. She is becoming less shy and playing with our 2 mousers.
Over the last few weeks I have been sorting through boxes of recipes I collected since 1973. One box was very special, having been my grandmother's. Among her recipes were a collection of my great grandmother's clippings and composition book filled with handwritten favorites. Her handwriting was exquisite, especially considering the ink pen she had to use. Penmanship was truly an art back in 1800's. Click on the photo to see better the recipe for cold water soap.
Many little treasures were tucked in among those antique recipes. It was quite common for companies to print up recipe booklets aimed directly at housewives, to showcase their products. Everything from shortening, baking powder, evaporated milk, Velveeta, oil and other staples.
General Electric published a handsome booklet of substantial size for the purpose of convincing the "modern" housewife that she must go electric and get rid of her old fashioned gas range or cookstove.

All this filing of memorabilia made me crave homemade bread.
Dough was slathered with butter, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon. Then I rolled it and cut slices for buns.
One of the best all around hand tools is the bench scraper. It does "101" jobs.
Dough after 2nd rising, ready to divide.

Back In The Saddle!

SNOW and more snow. January has been defined by the stuff. The ducks, geese, turkeys and chickens have been surviving storms with temps in single digits. I keep thinking I will find frozen poultry in the morning. They have a shelter, but I see them hanging around outside most daylight hours.
Ugh, the huge bags of Fertrell organic potting soil was frozen solid under a foot of snow. So unthinking of me to have forgotten to bring it inside before the weather turned. Aaron shoveled it out and dragged it into the house. Thankfully it thawed and we can seed onions and flowers.
Here is another snow lover! Max is like a child, just does not want to come in, even after hours of lounging belly down on the frigid piles. He makes me cold looking at him. Finally, after I can't stand it anymore, I muscle him indoors.
This poor Black Crested duck was found stuck in the ice and snow. Somehow it got wedged between the pen and barn wall. I don't know how long he was caught but he had signs of struggling fiercely to free himself. His bill and wing feathers were rubbed raw and bleeding. I didn't know if he would make it. After 4 days of ICU in the laundry he rejoined his flock.
The original water is in service as I can not keep the lines to their automatic water thawed. There is no electric to the barn or coop. Anyone know of a solar livestock tank heater?
View off the front deck. No matter the time of year, Lancaster county is beautiful.
Ducks and geese in their new fenced area.
Back view.

All sunrises are special. This is the view from the kitchen sink. In only a few moments I can literally watch it rise over the woods in the neighbors field.


We are ready for another season of growing produce. How quickly the weeks pass. May we grow for you? If you are interested check out our website for the 2011 CSA shares.

BUSY!

Not blogging much as I have a blog type website. The 2011 CSA brochure is now uploaded as well as some new pics. Drought and stress are consuming my veggies and me! It has been a rough season. Yesterday it finally rained a fair amount, continuing heavily today through tonight. The wind is howling as I type. Too bad it could not have come sooner, several plantings might have had a chance.

It feels like apple butter time. Maybe tomorrow I will get around to the task. There is just so much other stuff needing attention, downright annoying. If the weather forecast is correct I won't be in the kitchen, at 80 degrees. It has been pleasurable sweatshirt temps yesterday and today. I am not in any mood for 80. Go away.

Reality Stinks

My poor Columbian Wyandotte suffered a horrific injury last Thursday. She got tangled in some trellis netting that I had left on the ground, major guilt here. I was not home at the time this happened. When I did arrive home I thought it odd that my turkey had a bloody beak. There were no signs of anything amiss. After several hours Aaron found the hen. I was so upset and thought that the trellis had ripped her scalp off in her struggle to get free. When faced with an emergency I "just do" and later after the fact crumble. Never had I an injury so awful with any of my children, not even a broken arm. This was horrific and all my fault.

She was still alive, barely. Very stunned and her left eye would not open. What to do, what to do???? She was so traumatized that I did not want to run water over her head. Her scalp was completely gone. It dawned on me that it was the turkey who brutally attacked her, while her neck was tangled. I set up an ICU in the house. But had no idea how to help her. She could not drink on her own. I tried a bit of gatorade in a jar cap. She took a few sips. Her right eye opened but she was so "shell shocked" she did not seem aware of her surroundings.

She survived the night and the next day. On Sunday she was eating wet mash on her own, but I noticed her right eyelid was starting to swell. She could hear, was alert and seemed to be on the mend. Monday her eye was worse. Tuesday she was in bad shape. In retrospect I think if I had got her some antibiotics right away she would have not developed the eye problem.

Several people said to put her down, but when she perked up and improved I felt so hopeful. The thought of killing her was not easy. First off I had only butchered one chicken, and that was using a killing cone. Def not the way to put her out of her misery. I also did not want to cause her any more suffering by botching the job. In the end it was a farmer friend who came and helped. He raises chickens and there is a specific humane way of turning their necks which severs the spinal cord quickly. He was very kind and gentle with her and I saw her suffer no more.

This part of the "circle of life" is one of the most disturbing parts of raising animals. In retrospect I think I should have done it immediately upon finding her.