Leave a CommentShare: |
Subscribe
Year Three of making a farm from nothing has begun! Can we still call ourselves new farmers? (I think so. I still feel new. And I’m still dumb! I think that fulfills the qualifications.)
Our farm isn’t new, though. Our farm is old and wise and it frequently laughs at us. This 40-acre property, grown-over and long-dormant when we bought it, was once a vibrant, active farm, full of crops and pastures and life. Abandoned for at least 60 years as any kind of working operation, we were left not so much as a tumbled fence post to reclaim.
Our first-year farm goals included humble basics–build a farmhouse, start a small chicken flock and goat herd, establish a gardening space. I dreamed about fencing in the meadow bottom, but that was a goal far too big for a first-year farm.
Our second-year farm goals were:
1) Fence in the meadow bottom. Check! See our fencing party!
Jack and the sheep have a home.
2) Continue to improve the garden and plant fruit trees. Check! We have all kinds of young fruit trees–apple, peach, pear, cherry, and plum–planted (and most of them survived!). We also planted grapes (Muscadine, Niagra, and Concord), and I’m excited to see how they will do.
While our garden did perform better than the first year (helped by a couple tons of compost and proper tilling), it’s still a work in progress. Even so, I kept plenty busy putting away food thanks to free produce from the farmers market. I canned, froze, and dehydrated like a crazy person. I’ve never put up so much food in my life.
3) Get pigs. Check!
If you haven’t seen the ridiculous “Picking Up a Piglet” video, you simply must go here.
4) More chickens!!!! CHECK!!!!!
I was hoping for regular egg production, too. Up until recently, they haven’t lifted a feather in that regard. For the past month or so, they’ve been laying about four eggs a day. Let’s see….. 40 chickens. Four eggs a day. Yep, we’re doing FANTASTIC!!!
5) Goat babies of our own. NO CHECK.
Clover: “Woman, some day you will learn that you can’t make goals for other people.”
6) Take control of the animals. I place the below photo of me chasing the crooked little hen through my house in evidence:
I don’t believe any further comment is required as to whether or not I deserve a check here.
But this is a brand new year! Anything and everything is possible! Goals, plans, dreams…. It all seems within reach when it’s only January.
Third-Year Farm Goals:
1) MORE CHICKENS. We free-range our chickens, so we do have losses, but beyond that, I can’t resist baby chicks. I also want more ducks. More, more, MORE ducks. I love ducks and I miss our ducks.
And my sweet Jemima Puddleduck is so alone.
2) In keeping with the first goal, I want a second chicken house. I need a second chicken house. I need one chicken house for free-ranging adult chickens, and another for young chickens not yet ready for the big, wide world. I also want a separate duck house to keep ducks safe at night, and a real barn.
Not that I’m asking for much.
3) Continue to improve the vegetable garden and assess the fruit trees and grapes–adding/replacing any as needed. I also want to (finally) replace some things we lost the first year and so are behind on starting–asparagus, blackberries, and blueberries. And I want more roses!
4) Goat AND sheep babies of our own. (Pipe down, Clover! I can TOO make goals for you! And Jester!)
Jester: “Good luck with that.”
Fanta? Sprite? NUTMEG!
I make the cookies and I can take them away!
5) Inside the farmhouse, I want to continue to work on cheesemaking and knitting. I want this to be the year I finally learn to make soap. And I’m going to pick at least one thing off my Dare Debbie list. (I’ll surprise you.)
6) And recently, for some reason, I got a cow bell……….
Hmmm.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on January 22, 2010
2:08
am
4:26
am
5:33
am
Think of all the cheese you could make if you have a cow! I hear that jersey cow’s milk it the richest :-)
5:51
am
6:20
am
6:29
am
Hugs Granny Trace
6:54
am
7:02
am
7:17
am
7:27
am
7:42
am
7:46
am
Oh, I love looking forward to Spring! I just hate to look at the calendar and realize how far away it is!
Love all the pics as usual!
7:50
am
Thank you for putting thoughts and pictures to my vision of farm down here in Tennessee.
Susan
7:57
am
8:21
am
And yes, you do need more roses!! Check out the rose forums on GardenWeb…they have a forum for Antique roses! That is what I grow, around 200 of them! I LOVE my roses. Roses sooth the soul and the antiques usually have the best scent that will waft across your yard.
I love all that you show us. What an inspiration you are to many, many people!
Deb
8:27
am
8:32
am
8:34
am
http://www.thesage.com/
They have a lye calculator http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php that helps you figure out your own exotic soap recipes — it’s WONDERFUL. They also have a list of the oils you can use with information about the properties of those oils (those that lather, those that moisturize, those that aren’t so great . . .) http://www.thesage.com/catalog/FixedOil.html I love these people.
(Oh, we learned through trial and error — don’t make soup without a good stick blender. You have to sacrifice your stick blender for soap-making only (as well as everything else you use making soap, really) but it makes it SOOOOOOO much easier.
8:36
am
8:42
am
Congratulations!!!
I hope all your dreams come true!
Love that pig nose picture!!!
8:50
am
8:51
am
9:00
am
Congrats on the farm. I have watched the progress and you are my hero. If I could only do half of what you do.
9:02
am
9:09
am
9:24
am
9:25
am
I actually have so much seed, that I’d love to share it. If I can get your contact info, I’ll send it right out.
My husband has banned me from planting more asparagus-he doesn’t like the weird ferns they turn into.
9:33
am
9:34
am
10:23
am
I learned something I want to share, i moved to Northern MN, made a farm friend learned that adding ash to the dirt when planting really improves the crops. So since you have a wood stove save some of the fine stuff and till it in and see what happens!
Love your site and keep on posting we all really need all your great advise and ideas!!
10:26
am
10:27
am
I think you have succeeded and on your way to continually improving your farm.
BTW, I LOVE the piglet picture!!
10:29
am
10:35
am
You’ve inspired me to go back to crocheting (although I’m determined to, in time, become a better knitter) and I’m now more than halfway through a simple set of placemats for an annual breakfast I’m having next month.
I also had to go back and reread the Dare Debbie post and comments. I noticed that quilting came up several times. Sigh. I’ve always wanted to quilt, but a)it’s soooo time consuming and b)I’m not good at big projects that are so repetitive, so I doubt I would finish a whole quilt unless it was a simple tied one (I had an aunt who had a quilting frame hanging from the ceiling and she made me a lovely wedding ring quilt, but I know I’m never going to sit still that long or have a place for a frame). Still, all these comments have got me thinking. I’m going to break the project down and make something smaller, a wall hanging. And I think for sentimental purposes, I’ll throw in some scraps from my kids’ clothing (wasn’t that what the true pioneers did? Nothing went to waste. They recycled old clothing into quilts). So, thank you for the inspiration. Just by being here, I get great ideas from you and all the other readers. Best wishes on getting that barn someday! I know it’s going to happen.
10:42
am
10:45
am
I know the farmland was there but the work and expense involved in re-claiming it has to be beyond belief. Plus entertaining us all with your blog. You leave me shaking my head in amazement.
10:49
am
10:54
am
Consider blender soap for your first foray. It makes small batches, so there is no waste if it does not work out and you can use different scents and additives easily.
I have had great success with this, I think you will enjoy it. I bought a blender at a thrift store to use just for soap. Check out the link below for directions and recipes.
Kate
http://www.colebrothers.com/soap/blender.html
11:03
am
11:11
am
11:21
am
11:30
am
I am so excited you hinted there may be a cow in your future! Boy, would I ever love to hear those stories!
I tried to read your entire sight – but don’t recall reading about your garden plans. Maybe in the future you can share a gardening story w/us – I’d love to hear what you are including in your crop this spring/summer.
Thank YOU, Suzanne, for motivating me so!
Kelly
P.S.> I’m on my way to go order a Miss Clover calendar – I can’t resist the temptation any further! I’m going to show her pictures to my misfit goats and tell them to clean-up!
12:05
pm
A cow? Oh my
The piggy video is a riot
Enjoy your day!
12:10
pm
12:28
pm
12:38
pm
12:48
pm
I don’t know if you have this in the States, but here in Finland we have this webpage (or at least there used to be, I haven’t checked lately) where you can get all kinds native variety of plants or their seeds.
12:51
pm
1:04
pm
We bought our old place in 1993, with the firm intention of fixing up the 100 year old house and living there forever. Well, you can’t live in a 100 year old house that was built by idiots who did not own a level or a square…
Before we tore it down(yes, this does have something to do with trees) — one of the guys working under it to straigten out a 6 inch drop from one side of the back bedroom to the other side crawled out from under the house, covered with mud, dragging an entire tree.
The tree with most limbs still attached had been used as part of the foundation!! He proceeded to beat the tree to death with a crowbar and then put it in the burn pile!! I laughed until I almost fell down. Anyway… like I said, idiots built our old farmhouse. Did I mention termites?
My dh’s way to decide if a tree has to go is this: if you lean on it and it leans with you, it is ready to be cut down and not until then.
1:20
pm
1:51
pm
3:37
pm
I’m seconding adding a light to your chicken house to keep up egg production. I use a heat lamp with a red bulb, the same one I use for keeping chicks warm. I have seven hens, and I still average 3 eggs a day in the winter. If your girls have a warm and bright coop, they’ll keep laying for you!
4:23
pm
4:28
pm
4:57
pm
5:51
pm
The butter, cream & cheese from this kind of cow is orgasmic ~!
You can sell butter from that cow for $10/lb at farmers markets.
You can barter or sell the raw milk for $5/gal
Or $3/ half gallon.
Go visit your local dairy farmer. They are all struggling and would probably sell you a good Jersey cow or bred heifer reasonable.
Lots for sale in our local ag newspaper, so find yours online.
Best of luck with your bovine adventures.
http://www.tailgait.blogspot.com
5:58
pm
You are my favorite farmer. I love your blog, the passion you have for this farm is just wonderful. I hope I find my passion soon. I want to feel the same passion for something that you feel for your farm.
PS I love your staff, even if they are not great layers right now.
Keep up the good work!!!!
7:20
pm
8:58
pm
Anyway. I really love reading your blog. I think you are very brave to go off and act like one of our “foremothers” – most of us don’t have the grit or gumption to do that. You have chosen a real way of life and I hope you will succeed beyond your dreams. It will take time, no doubt. But, my, how your time is decorated with lovely goats and ducks and other experiences that tuck away as priceless memories.
My husband and I left suburbia for the country about 5 years ago. We downsized (well, we got rid of the mortgage at least) because he wanted to retire and we needed a place I could afford if I were to be on my own. I still work in town so I don’t have a lot of daily involvement with the chickens and such. Hey. DH is retired (thanks to my endless, underpaid job) so he feeds the hens, cleans out the chicken houses, and gathers the eggs. Fair is fair. I help with putting up veggies in summer but he does do a lot of that, too. We don’t live off our place and I wish we could. I just don’t know where the cash would come from for taxes, insurance, etc.
Still…I think it is a good thing to get closer to the earth to whatever extent one can. Even though we are not purists we are far more aware of the weather than we were before. We know when frosts come and we are learning every season about what grows well and what is just a pain in the patoot. We have dropped out of the rat race and I’m right glad about that.
Keep up the great work, please. Keep living your dream and posting about it. A lot of us read and sigh and go back to our lives with a bit of a lift.
Thanks. Really. Thanks.
9:57
pm
10:01
pm
8:53
am
6:17
pm
Right now, we have seven nannies expecting. Kidding should start the last week of February. Can’t wait!
2:09
am