Originally, the plan had been to use the money from the timber to stump the land as it was cleared. But after two weeks, the guy gave us a bill for $3800 and we sent him packing. There’s no way to afford that, so we’re just going to have to live with the stumps. The land is so rocky and full of ledge that I’m hoping it really doesn’t matter. The stumps will rot eventually, and what sprouts from them will be eaten by the sheep in no time. They are browsers, and love to eat trees.

The difficulty of not having that guy around to stump is that the plan was for him to take the small firewood trees and not charge of for that work, just take the firewood. He didn’t seem to get that, despite it being in the contract, and was charging us for the time to cut them down and haul them. So I’m not sure what we are going to do with all the trees that are left standing after the valuable pine and hardwood has all been taken. What it looks like right now is lots of new logging roads all through the area, leading to small areas of clearing.

The clearings themselves are full of brush and debris from the trees that were removed. I think they plan to push all of that into brush piles, but for now, it is treacherous to walk in there, says the person with two bad knees. (Damn ACLs — I found out from the doctor last week that they are BOTH gone. Arg.) It would be fine to put the sheep in there — they could care less about “good footing”. But the horses need better footing than that, though they do pulverize an area pretty quickly. I just wouldn’t want them to only have that sort of ground to hang out on.

There are tons of tree tops throughout the area, filled with valuable wood. We can pull fence posts out of those, plenty of firewood to last us years, wood for the evaporator for making maple syrup in the spring, and countless other uses. I’ve been wondering about inoculating some of the hardwood with mushroom spores of various flavors. It’s just going to take a lot of time and hard work to get to it all before it just rots. I wish I had the equipment to get some of the green tree tops into where the sheep are now — they’d love to eat those leaves.

Even if this is as good as it gets, I think we’ll just fence the entire perimeter and let the critters in. There should be enough money from the timber to buy fencing, and though we won’t be able to divide it into one acre paddocks, which is the best solution, at least the sheep can browse through all of the forage that is in the wooded areas. I’ll continue to feed hay in different spots, which will seed it, and we’ll see what comes up. As we get time, we can clear out the smaller firewood trees. I’m even thinking of advertising locally for people to come get free firewood if they’ll just take it away. I’m not sure how else we’ll find the time to get it actually cleared.

What I’d been hoping for were fields, you know, actual pasture, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I may be wrong and shouldn’t be judging what the end product will look like, but I’m pretty discouraged right now, to be honest. I have such pasture envy! I mean, I bought a cow (more on her later when we bring her home), thinking we would have pasture to put her on.

Tags

Clearing, Pasture

We had a lamb die earlier this year. (Gracie and George’s ram lamb.) The first quick diagnosis was heat stroke, as it was on one of the hottest and most humid days of the year. But I had a necropsy done on him, and it showed bacterial pneumonia and extremely low levels of copper and selenium.

I’ve been doing BoSE shots when lambs are born, but that clearly isn’t enough. I’ve also been free-feeding kelp to help with the copper deficiency.

I’ve now added 1/4 goat minerals to their sheep mineral mix to help more with the copper, and I am free feeding brewers’ yeast, which has a lot of B vitamins as well as selenium.

I wasn’t sure how to feed the yeast, and was trying to mix it with the grain rations in the morning, but that really didn’t work. The big sheep got much more than the lambs, no matter what I tried. I asked on the ISBONA mailing list, and the recommendation was to free feed, so I did that this morning. I sure hope that is okay because wow is it popular.

The kelp remains really popular as well. They are probably going through a buckt and a half each week, and it hasn’t let up.

Tags

Sheep

Water for all the critters is something that takes up small chunks of time all day long. I must fill water buckets for everyone at least four times a day. I wonder about bigger containers, but the pigs flip theirs so quickly and Albus sits or lays in his that bigger doesn’t help. Since I’m using hoses, it’s just a constant chore. The sheep poop in their water, so bigger doesn’t help there either. In the heat and sun, they are all drinking so much water and I can’t stand to have dishes dry at all, so I’m constantly checking.

The water fowl have a small kiddie pool to swim in, and they get it so dirty that it must be cleaned out every day or it is really gross and stinky. Plus, in this heat, algae grows really quickly too so I hate to skip even a day. All the birds drink from that, too, even the chickens and turkeys. They are quite amusing when I refill it, though. I’m guaranteed a fun show from either the ducks or geese each time. Here is a clip of the silly ducks.

Bjarki thinks the only reason I drag out the hose is to play with him. He loves to have it sprayed straight into his mouth, or up high so he can jump for it. He spends most of the time I’m filling someone’s bucket barking at me to please squirt him NOW! Deez thinks he’s crazy — she runs away and glares at me if I spray her, but he just loves it. I put up a cute short video of him and his water hose obsession over on Flickr, here. We must play that game a dozen times during a typical day. At least it keeps him cool.

Deeza does love to swim in water, however. Since I’ve got to keep them separated right now because she is in her first heat, I’m taking her down to the pond in the village almost every night. There’s a small flock of wild ducks that live at that pond, and I have to watch that she doesn’t try to herd them while she swims. She thinks that is great fun! She’s eating up all of the individual attention she’s getting. (I, however, can’t wait until I can have both dogs together again. What a pain in the neck this is!) I put up a short little video clip of her at the pond on Flickr, too. Here.

We are working on clearing a path down to the swamp right now. I’d love for the ducks and geese to be able to get out on that open water, not to mention the dogs. Heck, the pigs would enjoy a real wallow as well.

Tags

Ducks, Geese, Pigs, Sheep, water

Duck. Oh how I love you with an unholy passion.

We slaughtered our very own pastured duck a couple of weekends ago. I’ve been having them age in the ice box for almost two weeks, so that they’d be really tender, and it seems to have worked. I was worried that they would be tough with all of the running around they did, but no. Tasty and tender. Just absolutely delightful. Can you tell I love duck?!

Last weekend, we took one of them to our favorite Chinese restaurant in Keene (Cherry Garden) and they prepared Peking Duck in three courses for the four of us. That was just divinely yummy.

This weekend, I roasted one using the oven on the grill, which was great. Then today, I used up the left-over duck meat to make today’s lunch. It came out really well.

I made fresh egg noodles with our own farm fresh eggs, of course. I keep trying different types of pasta to make, but sometimes I just want a basic tasty noodle as a background for a dish like I had today, and the standard Joy of Cooking recipe works like a charm.

I didn’t want to over-power the duck, so I kept the veggies on the mild side. A few onions from the garden, a small bell pepper, some garlic scapes, and some black trumpet mushrooms. On the not-at-all-local front, I added a can of coconut milk, some red curry paste and some ginger.

Yum yum and yum. I will definitely do this again.

Tags

Food

I started these braised grass-fed beef short ribs using this recipe. But because I’m trying to use locally available ingredients as much as possible, I adapted it.

* 4 pounds grass-fed beef short ribs
* Coarse salt and black pepper
* 3 cups zinfandel (I used 7 Deadly Zins)
* 1/2 cup maple syrup
* 12 oz home canned heirloom tomatoes from last summer
* 2 cups homemade beef broth (I had some frozen)
* 1 tbsp minced garlic
* 3 sprigs fresh thyme, picked off stem
* 2 bay leaves
* 3 oz canola oil
* 2 cups chopped onion (thinnings from the garden)
* 2 cups baby carrots (thinnings from the garden)
* 2 oz dried black trumpet mushrooms, from last summer (almost out, woe)

Man did it come out tasty. Zin and maple syrup together are amazing. Who knew?!

Creamy kale (from a farm stand I pass when I take Frank to the train) and potatoes from Western Mass. My potato plants are doing well, but I’m not willing to rob them yet.

Tags

Food, Uncategorized

Instead of buying a $300 round bale feeder, I’m going to try using a cattle panel wrapped around it. We’ll see. We cut it down a little, and Aaron and Frank used a Dremel to smooth out the rough bits.

We did the same thing for the sheep, except instead of eating out of the top, they will theoretically eat through the cattle panel openings. As they eat it, I’ll tighten it around them. We covered the top with a tarp.

I hope these work. I need to find ways to save time during the day. It’s taking far longer for the loggers to clear the new pastures than I’d hope.

Tags

Hay, Horses, Sheep

For desert, I made strawberry rhubarb pie with fruit from the farm stand in Alstead. I tried a new to me thing for the crust this time. I used whole wheat pastry flour from King Arthur (so glad that’s within 100 miles of me! I love to visit their mothership) and half vodka and half water. It came out really well. I remembered to shred my butter on a cheese grater, which always helps my crusts come out flaky. I liked the flavor of this crust with the whole wheat pastry flour — sort of nutty in a nice way.

Tags

Food, Uncategorized

Sadly, Misty died today from a ruptured spleen, delivered by a kick from our new male llama. We had let them get to know each other, and didn’t leave them alone until there was no spitting and they were familiar with each other. But he’s a kicker — both Frank and I have hoof marks on our arms from his first days here. I’m so depressed about it. Misty was so neat. Now having lost both her and her sister Mary, I’m not sure I want to have llamas anymore. So much individual personality, and yet their benefit to our farm is intangible. The horses can take the place as guard critters. No one is going to mess with Prince or Pearl. Poor Misty. I’m glad to have known her, and she’ll be greatly missed.

Right after I found Misty, I noticed that Serena had a lamb. She’s a first time mama, and did really well. Had him up and claimed in no time. I jugged them to be on the safe side, but she’s a great mama. I keep thinking we are done with lambing for the year, but because we left Spike in with his girls so long, I guess he eventually settled them after all. This little one is a moorit ram lamb. After her sister had a moorit ewe lamb earlier, I spoke to Mike Kelley to see if Spike carried moorit in his line, and he does. I’m thrilled. Moorit sheep are my very favorite. I’d love to have a whole flock this color. There’s only Lily left to lamb, if she’s going to. She doesn’t look bagged up at all, but who knows.

Tags

Death, Lambs, Llama

One of the two packages from Black Cat was doing fine, and I gave it a second hive body. By the way, it seemed to be doing roughly as well as the nucs I just brought home. I find that a really interesting data point. A local nuc and a southern package will be roughly the same by the fourth of July. The package costs $25-50 less, however their overwinter survival rate has gone into the tank. We’re hoping the local nucs will do better.

Unfortunately the other package was queenless and broodless. I called Charlie about getting a new queen but his advice was that it was too late and I should just shake the bees out in front of the other hives. Well, I did, and pulled out all the frames.

Finally, the hive that overwintered looked better than I have ever seen any of our hives look. I gave it a honey super and a hearty “Well done, girls!” I am pretty sure that this is the earliest in the year that we’ve put a honey super on a hive in the four years that we’ve kept bees. I have high hopes of getting fifty pounds or more of honey from this hive. New Hampshire normal figures are 70-100 pounds of honey per hive. Over in Vermont, they claim 100-150. I’ve always wondered what the difference is.

Friday evening we were sitting in the gazebo and I saw something in one corner of the should-have-been-empty hive body. I checked yesterday and sure enough there was a tiny little cluster, with foragers coming and going. No visible comb or brood, but I can’t imagine how the hive I broke up could possibley stick together without a queen. Since I haven’t actually found a queen in a hive since 2004, perhaps they had a virgin that I didn’t see.

Lisa and I talked over what to do and over the evening decided that we just have to give the critters a chance. As soon as it stops raining we’re going out to take a look at the nucs and if the cluster is still there, give them a home back.

Tags

Uncategorized

I picked spinach from the garden, got eggs just laid by our hens, and through together a really nice omelet. I steamed the spinach with a little butter while the eggs cooked, and then added it to the omelet with some sharp cheddar cheese from Cabot in Vermont.

The bacon is from our own pigs. It is so good! I thought we were out and was sad, but I reorganized freezer camp and found two more packs. Whew! Pastured pork is so unbelievably yummier than feedlot pork.

It’s strawberry season, and I picked strawberries of our own and combined them with some that I got from Bershears in Alstead this week. I made shortbread with my sourdough starter, and whipped up some raw milk cream to top it, sweetened with our own honey.

Tags

Food