http://mackhillfarm.com Mack Hill Farming Journal Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:19:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Almost two months ago, the loggers showed up and began our summer project of clearing what we hope turns out to be 15ish acres of new pasture for all of the critters. The plan was to go all the way up and down Mack Hill Road (about 1500 feet) and ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/07/18/land-clearing-and-logging-update/ 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 ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/07/16/sheepie-supplements/ 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 ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/07/15/adhd-farming/ 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 ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/07/12/one-local-summer-week-6/ 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 * ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/07/06/one-local-summer-week-5/ 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 ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/07/04/poor-farmers-round-bale-feeder/ We eat our own pork chops all the time, and man oh man are they ever tasty. Pastured pork is so different from factory farmed pork that I can hardly call it the same thing at all. I like to cook it on the grill with just a little ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/06/28/one-local-summer-week-4/ It often happens this way on the farm -- someone dies and someone is born, both on the same day. 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 ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/06/26/life-and-death/ Last Saturday I brought home our two nucs from Charlie Andros over at Linden Apiaries. I plunked them down and proceeded to check the rest of the hives as well. One of the two packages from Black Cat was doing fine, and I gave it a second hive body. By ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/06/22/buzzing-along/ I made brunch on Saturday extra special this week, trying to incorporate as much stuff from the farm as I could. Frank's working down in Cambridge during the week, poor guy, so I try to make his weekends as special as I can. I picked spinach from the garden, ... http://mackhillfarm.com/2008/06/21/one-local-summer-week-3/