Turkey shoot

Photo shoot, ha, ha

I tried to get some brilliant shots of the little guys, now around three weeks old, but it is impossible. Twitchy little brats! Oh, I love them-here are some turkey-like blurs:


Steve tacked up the cardboard on the walls of the brooder to provide extra draft protection on the recent 20 degree nights. When I went to check on them tonight, however, they were all roosting up on the windowsill like a row of tiny vultures. Ay, kids, what are you going to do? They can get back down under the heat lamps if they want to, I suppose-you know that's where I would be!
I took a few pics of their moms and dads, anyway. This is our most gorgeous hen, Isabella.



With the turkeys, guineas, and geese-the boys usually get along really well, darn reasonable of them.

Of course, if they are ever naughty, I can simply tell them that Sarah Palin is coming to pardon them!

Nooooooooo!

And, this is Bar Code and Spot, not turkeys, but so handsome.

When life gives you lemons..

Feel a little smug that you got lemons.

I haven't blogged in a while. Honestly, it is hard this time of year, to haul your cranky self out of bed in the morning, in the cold and frost, and try to cram a full day's work in before the sun sets on you at 5:00. Obviously, I am not a winter person.

There is a golden lining to the cloud over my head today, though. Our little lemon tree in the greenhouse has gifted us with 14 lovely lemons (not counting the ones that have already been consumed in the form of whiskey sours). So what does one do with such sumptuous, sunshiny orbs? Why, one makes limoncello, of course.

Thank you, little tree.

One thing about farming the way we do-when you are tired and sore and filthy, and you have been slaving away with snow in your face and cold wind blowing through every dern layer you have on, and your lips are chapped as heck, there is always something to warm your heart. Lemons work. I have a young hen who is just like her mama, who I adore, and that's pretty cool. Things of this nature keep me going. I think if everyone really understood where food comes from, and how it gets to their plates, the world would be a very different place.

We are also still harvesting apples. Apples are such individuals in the fruit world. There are so many different types, and the potential for many more. This Lady Williams apple waits until the winter to ripen.

It is so thoughtful, she waits until everything else is dead and gone, and then makes the best apples you can imagine, a perfect balance of sweet and tart. They are best enjoyed right off the tree, in my opinion.

While I am being opinionated, may I suggest you add Michael Pollan's 'Botany of Desire' to your winter reading list? He explains so well the fascinating history of apples in America. Also, pick up a copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver. I thoroughly enjoyed it, except that I felt she insinuates that chickens are dumb, a popular myth that I wholeheartedly disagree with. But, that is a rant for another day...

I'm feeling good about stuff..

This time of year is hard to beat for sheer spectacle and pastoral splendor. I have been taking lots of pictures, the light is so golden.



I am real pleased about the results of the election. Check this out:

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. & ORLAND, Calif., Nov 05, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- This evening, Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, celebrates a landmark victory for farm animals: the passage of Proposition 2 in California. The YES on Prop 2 campaign was run by Californians for Humane Farms, a coalition headed by Farm Sanctuary and the Humane Society of the United States. This law phases out some of the most restrictive confinement systems used by factory farms -- gestation crates for breeding pigs, veal crates for calves and battery cages for egg laying hens -- affecting 20 million farm animals in the state by simply granting them space to stand up, stretch their limbs, turn around and lie down comfortably. This evening, Farm Sanctuary's President and Co-Founder Gene Baur released a statement on the Prop 2 victory:
"The passage of Prop 2 in the country's largest agricultural state marks a monumental victory for farm animals. This campaign did an amazing job of raising public awareness about the cruel treatment farm animals endure at the hands of an industry that has consistently fought meaningful change for animals. Farm Sanctuary supporters and campaign volunteers have seen California voters respond with reason and compassion agreeing that all animals deserve humane treatment. Today marks a significant change in the way we view and treat farm animals and falls closer in line with public sentiments and values of compassion. We look forward to seeing these confinement systems phased out nationwide."

Awesome! Now, if everyone else will follow suit, I will be so proud. Also, it is time to work on making foie gras production illegal everywhere forever. I am going to work on it.

I think Djali's going to give a stump speech.

Elberta enjoys the flattering Autumn sunlight.

The chickens want to thank y'all for voting!

All Soul's Day

-and it's 70 degrees. The air is full of ladybugs, swooping around. Not that I am complaining, it feels lovely, but it can be very confusing for the plants, especially the fruit trees.

We had more seasonally appropriate weather earlier in the week. Amy and Bea came out for a visit, and we put them right to work!

They helped us break up garlic cloves to prepare them for planting. It is never to early to begin training future farm workers, folks.

We made a couple of scarecrows, as well. This is a dual learning opportunity-it could be that Bea has a future in the fashion industry!

The critters were all a little wary of this tiger, though. Even if it was just a tiny and sweet little tiger.

We got 40 pounds or so of garlic planted and mulched, which was about 600 row feet. The strawberries will be planted soon, and we still have 6 plum trees, and some blueberries and grapes to be planted. Then it's weed, weed, mulch, weed, mulch, mulch, mulch.

Things are at last starting to slow down for us, though. The short winter days are kind of a bummer, but we all need the opportunity for a rest. It is soon time to spend hours by the woodstove, reading books, knitting, looking through seed catalogs and planning for next year, sippin on a whiskey.

We have plenty of outside winter projects to keep us busy. Steve has worked hard on 'renovating' the pastures. They have been harrowed and reseeded in orchard grass, alfalfa, red and white clover, canola, and buckwheat, and I must say they do look fabulous. Now, we need to get some good paddock fencing up so that we can work on our rotational grazing system.

Steve is also planting barley in some of the farther fields. Feed costs are absolutely killing us right now, and they just keep on going up. We plant to cut and bale the barley when the seeds mature, and heap it up in the chicken paddocks. We did something similar earlier in the year with sunflowers and corn. The chickens pick all the seeds out of the pile, and then the vegetative material becomes a hospitable environment for crickets, grasshoppers, worms, etc, all wonderful and delicious sources of protein for the ladies. The critters crawl in the pile overnight, and the hens scratch up their breakfast in the morning. When the pile breaks down it creates a nice mulchy layer which adds to and improves the paddock soil. In certain paddocks, you can walk in, and your feet will sink an inch into the spongy, humusy, rich soil. Delightful!

We are looking forward to next season, and hope to have everything cleaned up, lookin good, and running like a well oiled machine when the light returns in the Spring!