Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
We have a special Muscovy drake here on the farm. His name is Ellie (short for Elliott), and he hatched a few years ago with a visual impairment. Other than the fact that he doesn’t see normally, he’s just like any other drake…and he needed a girlfriend. Badly. Meet his new companion: Fionnoula.
I previously posted about discovering some volunteer plants that turned out to be cantaloupes. Neat, right? Since these were food plants, I began to water them and mulch around them, hoping the flowers would become fruit. And they did!
Continue reading “Now Growing: Fruits Of An Accidental Garden”
About a half hour before sunrise technically occurs, morning chores begin. In this pre-dawn period, it’s dark, still, and very different from the way the farm feels when it’s light out. Eyes, used to interior lighting, need to adjust to the darkness and sometimes there’s a bit of stumbling around while trying to get bearings.
It’s a special time: wild birds begin stirring, young roosters start to crow, and the landscape is tantalizingly amorphous and mysterious. Sharp edges are softened, noises muted. And as dawn approaches – the glorious, changing colors in the sky, the wondrous event that’s unfolding – it feels like being front-row at a much-anticipated concert…and the star is about to enter the stage. 🌞
A big, buzzing bumblebee was making the rounds among the honeysuckle while I harvested other plants. It visited many flowers, but seemed interested in only a few. A picky bee, it seems!
I’ve been planning a garden for the last couple of years, but have yet to actually set up the raised beds…despite having the lumber to do it. Why? It seems that other projects (interests?) always get in the way and, before I know it, it’s too late in the year to begin. Thankfully, volunteers have been allowing me to practice a bit this year!
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Volunteers And Transformers”
The forecasted storms have rolled in. We got a brief drenching yesterday afternoon, it definitely rained overnight, and the rain ramped up again this morning. Walking out in the downpour to shut the chicken coop door reminded me why rain is so important, in ways we take for granted.