24 August 2008
Independence Days Update
Summer is a busy time around here!
Planted
Yes! I finally put some stuff in the empty spaces in the garden: Dinosaur Boy helped me in the garden yesterday, and we put in some more radishes (The Reluctant Farmer really likes them, and the first crop didn't do very well), some more carrots, and some lettuce.
Harvested
Oh boy, did we ever harvest!
We pulled out most of the pea plants, as they were coming down with powdery mildew - this seems to happen most years, but we did get a really good harvest from the plants we took down, and a few healthy ones are still out there in the garden. These were all varieties of sugar snap peas. We also harvested a bunch of carrots, some beets, and more potatoes.
Today I went wandering along the back part of the property, and I found saskatoons! Wow! I had no idea we had them growing wild on our property, that's very exciting. I also harvested a bunch of rose hips, and found that the little red berries I see on the ground belong to a plant called a bushberry (sometimes called a dwarf dogwood) and that these are edible. So, I harvested a bowl full of those, too. The Boy picked another bunch of clover blossoms for me ... we left the basket down somewhere low, though, and the bunny got into the basket and ate most of them. Well, at least we had a very happy bunny!
Preserved
We did more dehydrating: the peas we harvested, and their pods. The pods were dried on cookie sheets set inside the barbecue outside, where it is nice and hot during the day - they dried out quite nicely. I then ground them up in the Magic Bullet blender, and we'll feed those to chickens and the bunny over the winter (the bunny LOVES pea pods!).
I also tried lacto-fermentation for the first time: I preserved one jar of beans and one of sugar snap peas (in their pods) in a salt brine. I have no idea how these will turn out, but it is an easy way of preserving things, and I wanted to give it a shot.
I have a bunch of carrot tops outside drying, and we'll probably end up using them in soups or for critter feed.
Prepped
The Reluctant Farmer cleared away the muck and leftover hay from the area behind our shed: we will be building a small lean-to barn on the back of the shed so that we have pens for the milk cow and calf to be separated at night, for the milking stanchion, and for lambing pens to hold expectant mothers, sick sheep, or mamas and their new lambs. It'll also give us a place out of the weather for shearing, treating sick sheep, and all those other jobs that are miserable to do in the wind and rain!
We also did more fencing ... we will be moving the cows to a new pasture as soon as the barbed wire is up, but at least the posts are in!
Managed Reserves
We continue to sort through the things in the basement: The Reluctant Farmer's storage unit is entirely empty now, so that's one less bill on the monthly accounts, and we are finding things of use and sorting and storing for the future. We are also getting rid of the excess: The Reluctant Farmer has managed to sell some things, and that effort will continue.
We have been eating out of the pantry and the garden a lot, and as we find things on sale at the store we do pick them up but we have made it a whole month without a 'big grocery store run'.
Cooked Something New
Lamb! We have had several cuts of lamb, done in different ways, and they've just about all been great. The ground lamb casserole didn't turn out so great, but the roast was amazing, done in the slow cooker with rosemary and cumin and garlic.
Today I made a syrup from the berries I harvested on our land - rose hips, saskatoons, and bunchberries. I cooked them all down in some water, strained through my wonderful jam and jelly strainer from Lee Valley, then heated the resulting syrup with some sugar and bottled it. We can use this to flavour drinking water, as it's not thick enough to use for syrup on pancakes or anything.
Reduced Waste
The trick we tried with the countertop compost bucket easier to work with seems to be a success: I put a handful of the wood shavings we use in the bunny's cage in the bottom, and boy, does the bin empty out easily! Compost is dumped in the garden, to make soil for next year.
Other than that, the usual tricks: reusable shopping bags, feeding leftovers to the various critters here, buying things with less packaging (like from the bulk section where possible).
Work on local food systems
Well, we are certified to sell our lamb to customers, so that makes us a local producer! We have been eating out of our garden, and the person we intend to buy some bison burgers from should have some ready ... that's up next!
Planted
Yes! I finally put some stuff in the empty spaces in the garden: Dinosaur Boy helped me in the garden yesterday, and we put in some more radishes (The Reluctant Farmer really likes them, and the first crop didn't do very well), some more carrots, and some lettuce.
Harvested
Oh boy, did we ever harvest!
We pulled out most of the pea plants, as they were coming down with powdery mildew - this seems to happen most years, but we did get a really good harvest from the plants we took down, and a few healthy ones are still out there in the garden. These were all varieties of sugar snap peas. We also harvested a bunch of carrots, some beets, and more potatoes.
Today I went wandering along the back part of the property, and I found saskatoons! Wow! I had no idea we had them growing wild on our property, that's very exciting. I also harvested a bunch of rose hips, and found that the little red berries I see on the ground belong to a plant called a bushberry (sometimes called a dwarf dogwood) and that these are edible. So, I harvested a bowl full of those, too. The Boy picked another bunch of clover blossoms for me ... we left the basket down somewhere low, though, and the bunny got into the basket and ate most of them. Well, at least we had a very happy bunny!
Preserved
We did more dehydrating: the peas we harvested, and their pods. The pods were dried on cookie sheets set inside the barbecue outside, where it is nice and hot during the day - they dried out quite nicely. I then ground them up in the Magic Bullet blender, and we'll feed those to chickens and the bunny over the winter (the bunny LOVES pea pods!).
I also tried lacto-fermentation for the first time: I preserved one jar of beans and one of sugar snap peas (in their pods) in a salt brine. I have no idea how these will turn out, but it is an easy way of preserving things, and I wanted to give it a shot.
I have a bunch of carrot tops outside drying, and we'll probably end up using them in soups or for critter feed.
Prepped
The Reluctant Farmer cleared away the muck and leftover hay from the area behind our shed: we will be building a small lean-to barn on the back of the shed so that we have pens for the milk cow and calf to be separated at night, for the milking stanchion, and for lambing pens to hold expectant mothers, sick sheep, or mamas and their new lambs. It'll also give us a place out of the weather for shearing, treating sick sheep, and all those other jobs that are miserable to do in the wind and rain!
We also did more fencing ... we will be moving the cows to a new pasture as soon as the barbed wire is up, but at least the posts are in!
Managed Reserves
We continue to sort through the things in the basement: The Reluctant Farmer's storage unit is entirely empty now, so that's one less bill on the monthly accounts, and we are finding things of use and sorting and storing for the future. We are also getting rid of the excess: The Reluctant Farmer has managed to sell some things, and that effort will continue.
We have been eating out of the pantry and the garden a lot, and as we find things on sale at the store we do pick them up but we have made it a whole month without a 'big grocery store run'.
Cooked Something New
Lamb! We have had several cuts of lamb, done in different ways, and they've just about all been great. The ground lamb casserole didn't turn out so great, but the roast was amazing, done in the slow cooker with rosemary and cumin and garlic.
Today I made a syrup from the berries I harvested on our land - rose hips, saskatoons, and bunchberries. I cooked them all down in some water, strained through my wonderful jam and jelly strainer from Lee Valley, then heated the resulting syrup with some sugar and bottled it. We can use this to flavour drinking water, as it's not thick enough to use for syrup on pancakes or anything.
Reduced Waste
The trick we tried with the countertop compost bucket easier to work with seems to be a success: I put a handful of the wood shavings we use in the bunny's cage in the bottom, and boy, does the bin empty out easily! Compost is dumped in the garden, to make soil for next year.
Other than that, the usual tricks: reusable shopping bags, feeding leftovers to the various critters here, buying things with less packaging (like from the bulk section where possible).
Work on local food systems
Well, we are certified to sell our lamb to customers, so that makes us a local producer! We have been eating out of our garden, and the person we intend to buy some bison burgers from should have some ready ... that's up next!
A happy sheep is a tasty sheep
You know, I thought we might have trouble getting the kids to eat lamb that was raised here. They know the sheep by name, and I did think that we might encounter some resistance when "Brownie" was placed in front of them on the table.
Instead, they asked for seconds!
Apparently, a happy sheep is a tasty sheep.
We have been eating lamb out of our freezer for a little while now, and I have to admit, I am pleasantly surprised by both the willingness of our smaller family members to eat animals they knew by name, and by the taste of the meat.
We have tried a variety of the cuts we got from the butcher: ground, chops, and roast leg of lamb. The roast lamb was so tender it fell apart on your fork, and tasted almost exactly like roast beef, with just the slightest hint of a different flavour to it. Dipped in HP sauce and served up with mashed potatoes from the garden, it was a fabulous meal. The chops grilled up beautifully on the barbecue, as did the lamburger - seasoned with onion and barbecue sauce, and served in buns, you'd probably never have guessed you weren't eating cow.
I've had lamb at restaurants in the last year or so, and the taste was indeed fairly mild, as one would expect with grain finished lamb (all lamb that carries the "Alberta Lamb" label has been grain finished, so it's easy to know what you're eating). I was prepared for a very strong lamb flavour in our meat, as we feed only pasture, hay and the odd bit of alfalfa pellets, and grass-fed meat is often a bit stronger in taste than grain fed meat. However, the Icelandic sheep are known for a very mild taste when fed a grass-based diet, and my taste buds tell me it's absolutely true.
There's nothing quite so satisfying as eating a meal that came entirely from your own yard. Roast lamb and mashed potatoes from the garden one night, chops with salad and beans another night ... it's a good feeling.
Eating locally is a good thing. Eating from your own back yard is even better. :)
Instead, they asked for seconds!
Apparently, a happy sheep is a tasty sheep.
We have been eating lamb out of our freezer for a little while now, and I have to admit, I am pleasantly surprised by both the willingness of our smaller family members to eat animals they knew by name, and by the taste of the meat.
We have tried a variety of the cuts we got from the butcher: ground, chops, and roast leg of lamb. The roast lamb was so tender it fell apart on your fork, and tasted almost exactly like roast beef, with just the slightest hint of a different flavour to it. Dipped in HP sauce and served up with mashed potatoes from the garden, it was a fabulous meal. The chops grilled up beautifully on the barbecue, as did the lamburger - seasoned with onion and barbecue sauce, and served in buns, you'd probably never have guessed you weren't eating cow.
I've had lamb at restaurants in the last year or so, and the taste was indeed fairly mild, as one would expect with grain finished lamb (all lamb that carries the "Alberta Lamb" label has been grain finished, so it's easy to know what you're eating). I was prepared for a very strong lamb flavour in our meat, as we feed only pasture, hay and the odd bit of alfalfa pellets, and grass-fed meat is often a bit stronger in taste than grain fed meat. However, the Icelandic sheep are known for a very mild taste when fed a grass-based diet, and my taste buds tell me it's absolutely true.
There's nothing quite so satisfying as eating a meal that came entirely from your own yard. Roast lamb and mashed potatoes from the garden one night, chops with salad and beans another night ... it's a good feeling.
Eating locally is a good thing. Eating from your own back yard is even better. :)
The Health Inspector
When I was growing up, my mom would routinely throw her hands in the air and say "Good heavens! We have to clean this place up or the health board will come and shut us down!"
Given the normal state of housekeeping in my world, this phrase goes through my head fairly often.
The Health Inspector did come to my house this week ... but she didn't shut us down! She must have been willing to overlook the dust bunnies under the couch and the crumbs on the counter, thank heavens.
What she did do, however, was provide us with an official license that permits us to sell lamb directly to consumers.
Who'd like to be the first customer?
We have chops, roasts, ground and rack of lamb! All grass-fed, antibiotic-free, and amazingly mild in taste ... come here and pick it up, or requesest delivery right to your home! :)
Given the normal state of housekeeping in my world, this phrase goes through my head fairly often.
The Health Inspector did come to my house this week ... but she didn't shut us down! She must have been willing to overlook the dust bunnies under the couch and the crumbs on the counter, thank heavens.
What she did do, however, was provide us with an official license that permits us to sell lamb directly to consumers.
Who'd like to be the first customer?
We have chops, roasts, ground and rack of lamb! All grass-fed, antibiotic-free, and amazingly mild in taste ... come here and pick it up, or requesest delivery right to your home! :)
08 August 2008
Independence Days Update
Wow, summer is just flying by! Time already for another update.
Planted
Nope, nothing planted. The spaces I thought might be freed up are overshadowed by other plants outgrowing their allotted spaces, mostly tomatoes. I figure I'll let the tomatoes grow as big as they want - we use a lot of tomatoes when we cook, so I expect I'll be doing a lot of canning later on.
Harvested
More lettuce, more new potatoes, and lots more snack peas. More greens too - more on that in the 'preserved' section below. Oh, we also got the first green beans of the year, and the first carrots.
We have a steady harvest of calendula blossoms, and I've been picking clover and yarrow as I wander around outside.
We also harvested three lambs and a ewe: they went to the butcher on Wednesday, and the resulting meat will come home tomorrow. I'm very excited about this!
Preserved
I did a bunch of research on how to preserve beet greens, and found ... nothing. So, I thought I'd just try dehydrating them and see what happened. I mean, if it didn't work ... well, the chickens would probably eat the results, they eat just about everything. Happily, the dehydrating thing works really well. I just tear up the greens into small chunks, and cut the stems into very short bits, then layer it into the dehydrator. Allowed to sit for several hours, it turns into dry crispy leaves that grind up into a reasonably fine powder that smells like a fresh garden. I have been packing this into a glass jar and will add it to soup and stew as we cook - I figure it can be used much the way you'd use vegetable broth powder. I guess we'll find out.
Prepped
The new freezer is downstairs, as the basement is finally finished (and it's a wonderful thing, too). We have done some fence work, patching up loose spots, and we walked through the unfenced land at the back of the property and did some thinking about the best way to make use of it. Even more of the outside mess has been cleaned up and hauled to the dump, so things outside are looking better and better.
The biggest prep job this past while has been the garden: The Reluctant Farmer used the bobcat to bring over some of the waste hay, straw and other 'animal residue' from the pasture and I've been spreading it out to compost down over the winter and make new beds for planting in spring. I hope to grow the tall things like beans and peas along the fence, and I've set aside a corner of the garden for a fruit tree of some sort, with room for strawberry plants around the base.
Manged Reserves
This would be the big category right now. With the basement finally finished, we are emptying out the storage unit that much of The Reluctant Farmer's household things have been sitting in for the past year. As boxes arrive, we are sorting, organizing, and filtering out what we don't need - but as we do this, we are keeping in mind that the future might not always look like today. I sorted all the spare clothing into boxes: ladies' summer clothes, ladies' winter clothes, extra coats, young men's clothing, kid's clothing, kid's shoes ... all the boxes are labelled and ready to be stacked in a reasonably accessible place once the sorting is complete. Extra dishes are packed away neatly, and will go into the crawl space.
These are the sorts of things that I would have previously gotten rid of, telling myself that if I needed new dishes or new shoes in a year or two, I'd just go out and buy them. Now, however, I have access to storage space and I realize that it's not always prudent to assume that you'll always be able to just run out and buy whatever you find yourself needing. So, if it'll keep, and we can see ourselves (or someone we know) needing it in the future, and we have a spot for it ... we'll put it by for 'just in case'.
Cooked Something New
I did a quick stir fry with some fresh green beans, snap peas and carrots to serve over rice. Not really wildly creative, I'll admit, but it was good, and not something I ever recall doing in the past.
Reduced Waste
Nothing new in this category ... unless you count the fact that I finaly scrubbed out the really nice stainless steel compost bin I had set outside some time last winter when it got unbearably green inside, and now have it on the counter again. This time I put a few of the wood shavings we use for the bunny's bedding in the bottom to soak up moisture and keep things a bit less soggy - so far that seems to be working.
Worked on Local Food Systems
Well, tomorrow night we'll be eating the first of our home-grown lamb ... and we've been eating out of our garden a lot ... but that's about it.
Planted
Nope, nothing planted. The spaces I thought might be freed up are overshadowed by other plants outgrowing their allotted spaces, mostly tomatoes. I figure I'll let the tomatoes grow as big as they want - we use a lot of tomatoes when we cook, so I expect I'll be doing a lot of canning later on.
Harvested
More lettuce, more new potatoes, and lots more snack peas. More greens too - more on that in the 'preserved' section below. Oh, we also got the first green beans of the year, and the first carrots.
We have a steady harvest of calendula blossoms, and I've been picking clover and yarrow as I wander around outside.
We also harvested three lambs and a ewe: they went to the butcher on Wednesday, and the resulting meat will come home tomorrow. I'm very excited about this!
Preserved
I did a bunch of research on how to preserve beet greens, and found ... nothing. So, I thought I'd just try dehydrating them and see what happened. I mean, if it didn't work ... well, the chickens would probably eat the results, they eat just about everything. Happily, the dehydrating thing works really well. I just tear up the greens into small chunks, and cut the stems into very short bits, then layer it into the dehydrator. Allowed to sit for several hours, it turns into dry crispy leaves that grind up into a reasonably fine powder that smells like a fresh garden. I have been packing this into a glass jar and will add it to soup and stew as we cook - I figure it can be used much the way you'd use vegetable broth powder. I guess we'll find out.
Prepped
The new freezer is downstairs, as the basement is finally finished (and it's a wonderful thing, too). We have done some fence work, patching up loose spots, and we walked through the unfenced land at the back of the property and did some thinking about the best way to make use of it. Even more of the outside mess has been cleaned up and hauled to the dump, so things outside are looking better and better.
The biggest prep job this past while has been the garden: The Reluctant Farmer used the bobcat to bring over some of the waste hay, straw and other 'animal residue' from the pasture and I've been spreading it out to compost down over the winter and make new beds for planting in spring. I hope to grow the tall things like beans and peas along the fence, and I've set aside a corner of the garden for a fruit tree of some sort, with room for strawberry plants around the base.
Manged Reserves
This would be the big category right now. With the basement finally finished, we are emptying out the storage unit that much of The Reluctant Farmer's household things have been sitting in for the past year. As boxes arrive, we are sorting, organizing, and filtering out what we don't need - but as we do this, we are keeping in mind that the future might not always look like today. I sorted all the spare clothing into boxes: ladies' summer clothes, ladies' winter clothes, extra coats, young men's clothing, kid's clothing, kid's shoes ... all the boxes are labelled and ready to be stacked in a reasonably accessible place once the sorting is complete. Extra dishes are packed away neatly, and will go into the crawl space.
These are the sorts of things that I would have previously gotten rid of, telling myself that if I needed new dishes or new shoes in a year or two, I'd just go out and buy them. Now, however, I have access to storage space and I realize that it's not always prudent to assume that you'll always be able to just run out and buy whatever you find yourself needing. So, if it'll keep, and we can see ourselves (or someone we know) needing it in the future, and we have a spot for it ... we'll put it by for 'just in case'.
Cooked Something New
I did a quick stir fry with some fresh green beans, snap peas and carrots to serve over rice. Not really wildly creative, I'll admit, but it was good, and not something I ever recall doing in the past.
Reduced Waste
Nothing new in this category ... unless you count the fact that I finaly scrubbed out the really nice stainless steel compost bin I had set outside some time last winter when it got unbearably green inside, and now have it on the counter again. This time I put a few of the wood shavings we use for the bunny's bedding in the bottom to soak up moisture and keep things a bit less soggy - so far that seems to be working.
Worked on Local Food Systems
Well, tomorrow night we'll be eating the first of our home-grown lamb ... and we've been eating out of our garden a lot ... but that's about it.
29 July 2008
There go the last of my marbles...
Well, now I've gone and done it.
I bought a cow. And a calf. And the cow is bred to calve in the spring.
Yes, clearly I have lost the last of my marbles.
Now, you have to understand that cattle scare me. Oh, I like cows in the abstract, and I love it when the man who leases the land across the road brings his cattle out to eat the summer pasture - their lowing and lumbering walk just makes me feel peaceful. I enjoy milk and cheese and beef. However, when we're at the 4-H fairs I go the long way around so that I can keep plenty of space between myself and any cattle - they are just so overwhelmingly large and powerful. The fact that someone's calf always gets loose and there's 1200 pounds of meat on the hoof racing through the aisles doesn't do much to allay my fears.
And then ...
Well, and then I started to think. That's always the beginning of trouble.
The Reluctant Farmer mentioned plans to build a barn on the back of the shed, so that we'd have a place to put sheep out of the weather during lambing season and a sheltered spot for various outdoor things.
This led to more thinking: a barn would be a place to milk a cow. If you have a cow for milking, you have calves for beef. If you have calves and a milk cow, you can do what's called shared milking where the calf nurses freely all day, and you separate cow and calf at night ... so you only have to do morning milking, and if you are away for a day or two, the calf will milk the cow for you meaning that you aren't tied to the farm the way you are in a traditional twice-a-day milking schedule.
And then I found a Dexter cow/calf pair for sale right nearby.
And last but not least, The Reluctant Farmer agreed that this made sense.
Good heavens.
Our new cattle are Dexters. Dexter cattle are very small (under 700 pounds, which is just over half the size of a full grown beef cow) and they are considered ideal for acreages due to their size and efficiency. The cows can sustain a calf while still providing enough milk for a human family as well. You can keep a cow/calf pair on as little as an acre of good pasture, and cows and sheep share pasture really well as they prefer slightly different sorts of grasses and they do not cross-infect each other with the various ailments that afflict livestock.
Our household goes through approximately 312 jugs of milk each year, at four litres per jug, and we eat about 260 pounds of beef annually. A Dexter cow will give us at least 270 jugs of milk each year, and 455 pounds of beef, with the input cost of pasture in summer and hay in winter. We are already outside feeding sheep, and so tossing hay to the cows as well adds very little to what we are already doing. Milking is an added chore, to be sure, but the numbers make the decision obvious: the projected value of milk and meat from this investment (after deducting the annual cost to maintain the cows themselves) will mean more than a thousand dollars off the grocery bill every year. I ran the numbers several different ways, and consistently get that result ... it's amazing.
For that kind of payoff, I think that taming a cow, training her to milk, and donating a bit of time every day to the task of milking is easily worth the effort ... never mind the satisfaction and sheer goodness of having home grown milk and grass-fed beef to put on the table.
So, without further ado I am pleased to introduce you to the newest members of the Apple Jack Creek Farm: Sasha the soon-to-be-dairy-cow, and her steer calf Darth Vader.
Sasha & DarthVader
The great Lord Vader himself, looking regal
Sasha, showing off her figure
I bought a cow. And a calf. And the cow is bred to calve in the spring.
Yes, clearly I have lost the last of my marbles.
Now, you have to understand that cattle scare me. Oh, I like cows in the abstract, and I love it when the man who leases the land across the road brings his cattle out to eat the summer pasture - their lowing and lumbering walk just makes me feel peaceful. I enjoy milk and cheese and beef. However, when we're at the 4-H fairs I go the long way around so that I can keep plenty of space between myself and any cattle - they are just so overwhelmingly large and powerful. The fact that someone's calf always gets loose and there's 1200 pounds of meat on the hoof racing through the aisles doesn't do much to allay my fears.
And then ...
Well, and then I started to think. That's always the beginning of trouble.
The Reluctant Farmer mentioned plans to build a barn on the back of the shed, so that we'd have a place to put sheep out of the weather during lambing season and a sheltered spot for various outdoor things.
This led to more thinking: a barn would be a place to milk a cow. If you have a cow for milking, you have calves for beef. If you have calves and a milk cow, you can do what's called shared milking where the calf nurses freely all day, and you separate cow and calf at night ... so you only have to do morning milking, and if you are away for a day or two, the calf will milk the cow for you meaning that you aren't tied to the farm the way you are in a traditional twice-a-day milking schedule.
And then I found a Dexter cow/calf pair for sale right nearby.
And last but not least, The Reluctant Farmer agreed that this made sense.
Good heavens.
Our new cattle are Dexters. Dexter cattle are very small (under 700 pounds, which is just over half the size of a full grown beef cow) and they are considered ideal for acreages due to their size and efficiency. The cows can sustain a calf while still providing enough milk for a human family as well. You can keep a cow/calf pair on as little as an acre of good pasture, and cows and sheep share pasture really well as they prefer slightly different sorts of grasses and they do not cross-infect each other with the various ailments that afflict livestock.
Our household goes through approximately 312 jugs of milk each year, at four litres per jug, and we eat about 260 pounds of beef annually. A Dexter cow will give us at least 270 jugs of milk each year, and 455 pounds of beef, with the input cost of pasture in summer and hay in winter. We are already outside feeding sheep, and so tossing hay to the cows as well adds very little to what we are already doing. Milking is an added chore, to be sure, but the numbers make the decision obvious: the projected value of milk and meat from this investment (after deducting the annual cost to maintain the cows themselves) will mean more than a thousand dollars off the grocery bill every year. I ran the numbers several different ways, and consistently get that result ... it's amazing.
For that kind of payoff, I think that taming a cow, training her to milk, and donating a bit of time every day to the task of milking is easily worth the effort ... never mind the satisfaction and sheer goodness of having home grown milk and grass-fed beef to put on the table.
So, without further ado I am pleased to introduce you to the newest members of the Apple Jack Creek Farm: Sasha the soon-to-be-dairy-cow, and her steer calf Darth Vader.
Sasha & DarthVader
The great Lord Vader himself, looking regal
Sasha, showing off her figure
28 July 2008
Another Farm First: the Livestock Auction
Today was another first for a former city girl: I went to my first livestock auction! Well, okay, I've been to the 4-H auctions, but this was the regular sheep auction, and the only one in Northern Alberta, as near as I can tell.
We loaded up the auctionees and I headed out around 8 am for the two hour drive to auction. When I arrived, some courteous kids (who appeared to be even younger than The Boy) helped me get into the unloading zone, which is a cleverly arranged set of gates that allows a vehicle and trailer to pull straight through, no backing up required! The sheep were unloaded and herded into a pen, and then the stock yard manager pointed out that I had absolutely no tire left on one of the trailer wheels. Huh! I had felt something go bump but it really felt like we'd driven over a piece of lumber on the road ... I hadn't even noticed the change in driveability. There was nothing but a rim and a few shreds of rubber.
Some nice gentlemen farmers assisted me with removing the wheel and replacing it with the spare, and then it was time for the auction to begin. I chose to stay for the whole thing, as I've never been to one and figured it would be educational.
It was certainly educational. I discovered that the primary buyers at the auction are feed lot owners who pick up lambs (and sometimes older animals) that are ready for finishing, take them back to their farm and feed them grain until they are ready for the market. There's a big commercial lamb processor here in the province that buys most of the market lamb, so I imagine they are working to meet that particular demand.
I saw a llama sell for $10 at the end of the auction, too. Nobody seems to want llamas much anymore, I'm not sure why. I think they can be challenging to manage as they are very big and don't like being handled, so if you haven't got the equipment to restrain them, trimming them and dealing with routine things like foot trimmings and such can be more trouble than it's worth. They do chase coyotes, though, so lots of people keep them for guardians.
Anyway, why was I there? Well, we were selling some of the sheep from our flock who don't fit with our breeding plans: we have a limited number of animals we can keep here on just 6 acres, and we want to keep those who lead us towards the kind of flock we most want. I've been informed that the sheep we most want have horns, as they don't tend to push their heads through the fences as much as the little polled lambs ... and heads through fences lead to weak fences and that means repairs! The Reluctant Farmer's input has been duly added to the breeding plans. :)
So, today we said goodbye to Bruce, the ram who has served us well for a couple of years. However, we had to choose just one ram to keep and Clarence (a ram born last year) won the draw: he throws lambs with better fleece (although slightly slower to grow, perhaps), and we did select two of Bruce's daughters for replacement ewes, and it is best not to breed too closely. Three ewes also went today, ewes who don't have the best fleece nor the best mothering skill: Split, who rejected one of her twins this spring (The Reluctant Farmer adamantly refuses to forgive her for this lapse in parenting), Mama (who temporarily forgot one lamb a year ago, but was convinced to take it back ... and only delivered a single this year, sparing herself any further lectures from The Reluctant Farmer), and Crumb (one of Mama's lambs from last year who is just too different from the direction we would like to go).
At the auction, I was surprised to see Bruce weigh in at 190 lbs, although when I told The Reluctant Farmer, he thought that seemed light after having wrestled Bruce into the trailer this morning in the rain. The ewes averaged 122 lbs, and we got 40 cents a pound for the ram and 30 cents a pound for the ewes ... nothing much, that's about the going rate, but it was enough to leave $125 in our pockets after paying the fuel and the auctioneer's fee.
All in all, I think it's a good way to deal with our excess animals, but it's not the market we'll be targeting. We sent in our application for a food processing permit last week, and hope to sell grass fed lamb directly to customers: there's no premium for grass fed at the auction (lambs that have had grain already sell for a higher price, in fact), but there are plenty of people who'd prefer to eat grass fed lamb ... we just have to find them.
I hear lamb sausage is amazing ... we'll be getting some made up in a couple of weeks! Any other suggestions for the butcher?
We loaded up the auctionees and I headed out around 8 am for the two hour drive to auction. When I arrived, some courteous kids (who appeared to be even younger than The Boy) helped me get into the unloading zone, which is a cleverly arranged set of gates that allows a vehicle and trailer to pull straight through, no backing up required! The sheep were unloaded and herded into a pen, and then the stock yard manager pointed out that I had absolutely no tire left on one of the trailer wheels. Huh! I had felt something go bump but it really felt like we'd driven over a piece of lumber on the road ... I hadn't even noticed the change in driveability. There was nothing but a rim and a few shreds of rubber.
Some nice gentlemen farmers assisted me with removing the wheel and replacing it with the spare, and then it was time for the auction to begin. I chose to stay for the whole thing, as I've never been to one and figured it would be educational.
It was certainly educational. I discovered that the primary buyers at the auction are feed lot owners who pick up lambs (and sometimes older animals) that are ready for finishing, take them back to their farm and feed them grain until they are ready for the market. There's a big commercial lamb processor here in the province that buys most of the market lamb, so I imagine they are working to meet that particular demand.
I saw a llama sell for $10 at the end of the auction, too. Nobody seems to want llamas much anymore, I'm not sure why. I think they can be challenging to manage as they are very big and don't like being handled, so if you haven't got the equipment to restrain them, trimming them and dealing with routine things like foot trimmings and such can be more trouble than it's worth. They do chase coyotes, though, so lots of people keep them for guardians.
Anyway, why was I there? Well, we were selling some of the sheep from our flock who don't fit with our breeding plans: we have a limited number of animals we can keep here on just 6 acres, and we want to keep those who lead us towards the kind of flock we most want. I've been informed that the sheep we most want have horns, as they don't tend to push their heads through the fences as much as the little polled lambs ... and heads through fences lead to weak fences and that means repairs! The Reluctant Farmer's input has been duly added to the breeding plans. :)
So, today we said goodbye to Bruce, the ram who has served us well for a couple of years. However, we had to choose just one ram to keep and Clarence (a ram born last year) won the draw: he throws lambs with better fleece (although slightly slower to grow, perhaps), and we did select two of Bruce's daughters for replacement ewes, and it is best not to breed too closely. Three ewes also went today, ewes who don't have the best fleece nor the best mothering skill: Split, who rejected one of her twins this spring (The Reluctant Farmer adamantly refuses to forgive her for this lapse in parenting), Mama (who temporarily forgot one lamb a year ago, but was convinced to take it back ... and only delivered a single this year, sparing herself any further lectures from The Reluctant Farmer), and Crumb (one of Mama's lambs from last year who is just too different from the direction we would like to go).
At the auction, I was surprised to see Bruce weigh in at 190 lbs, although when I told The Reluctant Farmer, he thought that seemed light after having wrestled Bruce into the trailer this morning in the rain. The ewes averaged 122 lbs, and we got 40 cents a pound for the ram and 30 cents a pound for the ewes ... nothing much, that's about the going rate, but it was enough to leave $125 in our pockets after paying the fuel and the auctioneer's fee.
All in all, I think it's a good way to deal with our excess animals, but it's not the market we'll be targeting. We sent in our application for a food processing permit last week, and hope to sell grass fed lamb directly to customers: there's no premium for grass fed at the auction (lambs that have had grain already sell for a higher price, in fact), but there are plenty of people who'd prefer to eat grass fed lamb ... we just have to find them.
I hear lamb sausage is amazing ... we'll be getting some made up in a couple of weeks! Any other suggestions for the butcher?
My birthday present came!
The Boy had wanted to get me some new work gloves for a birthday present, but he and The Reluctant Farmer could not find any (I wear fingerless carpetners' gloves, in a size small ... they're hard to come by). He asked me for suggestions of a good alternative, and so I sent him to etsy.com to find some pretty rovings. It's so nice to have dyed commercially prepared rovings sometimes for a treat.
So ... these arrived today:
One is Merino, one is Ramboulliet. I've spun a little bit of Merino before, and it was buttery soft, and I've heard nice things about Ramboulliet. They look like fun!
I'll let you know what they turn into.
Quote of the day
Today's bit of wisdom from The Reluctant Farmer:
"You should write a book or two. Then I could quit my job and live off the royalties!"
I laughed.
"You might still have to work, but I'm okay with that."
Apparently he is sensing some resistance to his brilliant plan. :S
"You should write a book or two. Then I could quit my job and live off the royalties!"
I laughed.
"You might still have to work, but I'm okay with that."
Apparently he is sensing some resistance to his brilliant plan. :S
27 July 2008
Eating Locally
I was a vegetarian for several years. Meat just tasted "wrong" - I couldn't stomach it, the smell made me ill, and my health just seemed better when I wasn't eating meat. Before I made the switch to vegetarianism, I'd been eating way too much fast food meat - chicken nuggets, pre-configured frozen meals, and McBurgers. No wonder I didn't feel well.
I had always loved rice and veggies, but as a full time vegetarian I learned to use spices and sauces to make whole meals of the ingredients I had known before in plainer guises. Chickpeas in curry powder over rice, spicy lentil soup, vegetarian chili seasoned with cumin and coriander ... it was delicious. For more than four years I ate no meat at all.
Then, gradually, I noticed that meat started looking good. The smell was appetizing. I knew that a change in diet would need to be made gradually, and I wasn't at all sure that this was a direction I wanted to follow. After all, there are those who say the corn and grain used to feed the beef we eat would be more efficiently (and more justly) used to feed human beings who cannot afford the expense and luxury of meat. There's something to be said about that.
At the same time, I was starting to think about the need to eat locally: the more kilometers your food travels to make it to your plate, the more fuel is used to get it from the source to the destination ... and in a world of increasing fuel prices, 'long distance food' is rapidly becoming more expensive: look at the spikes in rice prices in the last few months. Then there is the moral imperative of reducing one's eco-footprint - that's just one of those things that seems 'inherently good'. Eating locally means encouraging the local market while easing your impact on the environment: so eating locally is a good thing.
Here is where I hit a problem: there is no local rice. It just doesn't grow here. Grain? Well, sure, there's grain ... but not a lot of it, that's a Saskatchewan thing. Chickpeas? I have no idea if those will even grow in this climate. I kind of doubt it. So ... what kind of food is truly local?
Beef.
Alberta Beef. Everyone here has seen the bumper stickers and billboards ... I love Alberta Beef. I have friends who are beef producers: buying from them supports a local business (two, in fact, the farmer and the processor). The cattle travel from the farm to the processor (about 30 minutes away) and back home to a freezer at the farm, where we pick out whatever cuts we want, weigh them on the scale, and pay a flat rate per pound for some of the best beef you could imagine.
So, I started eating meat again and it has worked out well for me. When I'm eating out, I still opt for vegetarian choices most of the time ... I tell people that I only eat animals I know. :) It's not quite true - I don't actually know the animals I'm eating when I buy from my beef producing friends, but I know where they were raised, and how. I know they weren't given growth hormones or fed antibiotics just to make them grow faster.
With our lambs, though, I will really be eating animals I know. Our first lambs will be headed to the processor soon, making the same trip the beef we've been eating has been on. I'm looking forward to tasting meat raised on nothing but grass and hay, animals I truly have known for all of their (admittedly short) lives.
Some people ask how we could possibly eat the animals we've raised and known by name. My answer is this: a happy lamb is a tasty lamb. We know that our sheep were happy here - they had fresh water, and lots of good grass and good quality hay to eat. They were never bothered by predators, as our dogs keep the coyotes at a very respectful distance, and they were not pestered by humans forcing them to eat things they were never meant to eat or stabbing them with unnecessary needles. Sure, they're vaccinated against the common sheep diseases - we don't want any of our animals to get sick - and if a sheep does get sick, they're treated to the best care we can provide. But as a matter of course, they're allowed to just be sheep.
The Reluctant Farmer delivered a couple of lambs to the slaughterhouse a couple of weeks back: they followed him contentedly out of the trailer and into the pen, completely unconcerned and unafraid. The buffalo in the next paddock were stomping and snorting, the cow on the other side was running in circles and bellowing ... but our lambs just stood there calmly looking around. We know the processors make their actual end quick and painless, and so we can be proud of our part in making their lives (and their inevitable deaths) as comfortable as possible.
And then ... they end up on our dinner table, where the love and care we poured into them comes back to nourish our family. How could it get any better than that?
I had always loved rice and veggies, but as a full time vegetarian I learned to use spices and sauces to make whole meals of the ingredients I had known before in plainer guises. Chickpeas in curry powder over rice, spicy lentil soup, vegetarian chili seasoned with cumin and coriander ... it was delicious. For more than four years I ate no meat at all.
Then, gradually, I noticed that meat started looking good. The smell was appetizing. I knew that a change in diet would need to be made gradually, and I wasn't at all sure that this was a direction I wanted to follow. After all, there are those who say the corn and grain used to feed the beef we eat would be more efficiently (and more justly) used to feed human beings who cannot afford the expense and luxury of meat. There's something to be said about that.
At the same time, I was starting to think about the need to eat locally: the more kilometers your food travels to make it to your plate, the more fuel is used to get it from the source to the destination ... and in a world of increasing fuel prices, 'long distance food' is rapidly becoming more expensive: look at the spikes in rice prices in the last few months. Then there is the moral imperative of reducing one's eco-footprint - that's just one of those things that seems 'inherently good'. Eating locally means encouraging the local market while easing your impact on the environment: so eating locally is a good thing.
Here is where I hit a problem: there is no local rice. It just doesn't grow here. Grain? Well, sure, there's grain ... but not a lot of it, that's a Saskatchewan thing. Chickpeas? I have no idea if those will even grow in this climate. I kind of doubt it. So ... what kind of food is truly local?
Beef.
Alberta Beef. Everyone here has seen the bumper stickers and billboards ... I love Alberta Beef. I have friends who are beef producers: buying from them supports a local business (two, in fact, the farmer and the processor). The cattle travel from the farm to the processor (about 30 minutes away) and back home to a freezer at the farm, where we pick out whatever cuts we want, weigh them on the scale, and pay a flat rate per pound for some of the best beef you could imagine.
So, I started eating meat again and it has worked out well for me. When I'm eating out, I still opt for vegetarian choices most of the time ... I tell people that I only eat animals I know. :) It's not quite true - I don't actually know the animals I'm eating when I buy from my beef producing friends, but I know where they were raised, and how. I know they weren't given growth hormones or fed antibiotics just to make them grow faster.
With our lambs, though, I will really be eating animals I know. Our first lambs will be headed to the processor soon, making the same trip the beef we've been eating has been on. I'm looking forward to tasting meat raised on nothing but grass and hay, animals I truly have known for all of their (admittedly short) lives.
Some people ask how we could possibly eat the animals we've raised and known by name. My answer is this: a happy lamb is a tasty lamb. We know that our sheep were happy here - they had fresh water, and lots of good grass and good quality hay to eat. They were never bothered by predators, as our dogs keep the coyotes at a very respectful distance, and they were not pestered by humans forcing them to eat things they were never meant to eat or stabbing them with unnecessary needles. Sure, they're vaccinated against the common sheep diseases - we don't want any of our animals to get sick - and if a sheep does get sick, they're treated to the best care we can provide. But as a matter of course, they're allowed to just be sheep.
The Reluctant Farmer delivered a couple of lambs to the slaughterhouse a couple of weeks back: they followed him contentedly out of the trailer and into the pen, completely unconcerned and unafraid. The buffalo in the next paddock were stomping and snorting, the cow on the other side was running in circles and bellowing ... but our lambs just stood there calmly looking around. We know the processors make their actual end quick and painless, and so we can be proud of our part in making their lives (and their inevitable deaths) as comfortable as possible.
And then ... they end up on our dinner table, where the love and care we poured into them comes back to nourish our family. How could it get any better than that?
Independence Days Update
The blog has been quiet lately ... too much work going on outside! That means I ought to have something to tell you on my Independence Days Update, right?
Right!
Planted
Nope, nothing planted. The spaces I have are still full! I may have room for some more radishes soon though.
Harvested
More lettuce (it's amazing to me how about six little lettuce plants are keeping me in salad); a few more new potatoes (roasted on the barbecue tonight - yum!); beets & their greens (does anyone know if you can preserve the greens somehow ... dehydrated, maybe?); and ... the first snack peas of the year!
A sheep got into my garden and nibbled a lot of the blossoms off the pea plants, so we're a bit behind the curve. It was awesome to have fresh peas while gardening!
I also picked several calendula blossoms, which are drying in anticipation of being made into a calendula-infused oil.
Preserved
The clover and yarrow are now packed into jars for tea, and yes, I labelled the jars!
Stored
Well, I stored clover and yarrow tea ... but to report the same thing in two categories would be double dipping. Can't think of anything else, though.
Prepped
The new freezer has had two coats of Tremclad and now looks respectable enough to come inside. We won't move it in until the basement floor is done, though - no point moving it around multiple times.
Oh, we also acquired a new 'spare' refrigerator. The fridge in the main kitchen is actually a deep freeze, converted to work as a refrigerator via an external thermostat (this is a very energy efficient way to go, and since the main kitchen is in the half of the house that is primarily solar powered, energy efficiency trumps convenience). This deep-freeze-fridge is great, but it's a bit awkward to get things into and out of, and with more of us living here now, we do find that more fridge space is needed. We had acquired a small fridge a few months back, and installed it in the 'bridge' between the two houses ... but it was ailing and indicating that it really was ready to quit. The Reluctant Farmer kept an eye out on Kijiji, and located a slightly larger fridge that we picked up for $65, just in time for the old fridge to finally give out.
We will be moving the old (non-working) fridge out to the shed, where it will serve as rodent-proof storage for feed and other such things. It's useful to have an airtight cupboard outdoors!
Manged Reserves
We cleared away a bunch of wood that was piled up in an unsightly mess outside, and rescued what could be used for indoor firewood in the process. It's all stacked nicely outside the patio doors, ready for cold weather.
Cooked Something New
We haven't been too creative in this category recently ... although I did invent a glaze for the barbecued ribs we had tonight - some red wine that had turned rather vinegary, brown sugar, commercial barbecue sauce, and some ketchup. It worked!
Reduced Waste
We continue to clean up the messes outside ... I'm not sure if this is reducing waste or not, but wherever we can, we do take things apart in ways that allow the materials to be reused. The existing feeders have all been deconstructed (The Boy did a great job) and the lumber saved for the next job. We moved the bus shelter from the corner, and will be taking it apart - the lumber there will be useful for any number of purposes. As we live in the country, we also burn whatever we can, so although burning isn't always the ideal method of disposing of things, it generates ash which I add to the garden, and we try to keep the fire as hot and fast as possible.
Worked on Local Food Systems
I sent in our application for a food handling permit, to allow us to sell lamb directly to customers(processed at the properly inspected and regulated facility, of course, then stored in our new deep freeze). We have gone through the flock list and sorted out who is staying and who is leaving, and tomorrow morning I'll be taking four sheep to the auction. We've been investigating other means for marketing our lamb, and today I updated all my records, consolidating them into a new binder for easier reference.
There's another bit that fits into this category too ... but it's significant enough to warrant it's own post. :) Stay tuned!
Right!
Planted
Nope, nothing planted. The spaces I have are still full! I may have room for some more radishes soon though.
Harvested
More lettuce (it's amazing to me how about six little lettuce plants are keeping me in salad); a few more new potatoes (roasted on the barbecue tonight - yum!); beets & their greens (does anyone know if you can preserve the greens somehow ... dehydrated, maybe?); and ... the first snack peas of the year!
A sheep got into my garden and nibbled a lot of the blossoms off the pea plants, so we're a bit behind the curve. It was awesome to have fresh peas while gardening!
I also picked several calendula blossoms, which are drying in anticipation of being made into a calendula-infused oil.
Preserved
The clover and yarrow are now packed into jars for tea, and yes, I labelled the jars!
Stored
Well, I stored clover and yarrow tea ... but to report the same thing in two categories would be double dipping. Can't think of anything else, though.
Prepped
The new freezer has had two coats of Tremclad and now looks respectable enough to come inside. We won't move it in until the basement floor is done, though - no point moving it around multiple times.
Oh, we also acquired a new 'spare' refrigerator. The fridge in the main kitchen is actually a deep freeze, converted to work as a refrigerator via an external thermostat (this is a very energy efficient way to go, and since the main kitchen is in the half of the house that is primarily solar powered, energy efficiency trumps convenience). This deep-freeze-fridge is great, but it's a bit awkward to get things into and out of, and with more of us living here now, we do find that more fridge space is needed. We had acquired a small fridge a few months back, and installed it in the 'bridge' between the two houses ... but it was ailing and indicating that it really was ready to quit. The Reluctant Farmer kept an eye out on Kijiji, and located a slightly larger fridge that we picked up for $65, just in time for the old fridge to finally give out.
We will be moving the old (non-working) fridge out to the shed, where it will serve as rodent-proof storage for feed and other such things. It's useful to have an airtight cupboard outdoors!
Manged Reserves
We cleared away a bunch of wood that was piled up in an unsightly mess outside, and rescued what could be used for indoor firewood in the process. It's all stacked nicely outside the patio doors, ready for cold weather.
Cooked Something New
We haven't been too creative in this category recently ... although I did invent a glaze for the barbecued ribs we had tonight - some red wine that had turned rather vinegary, brown sugar, commercial barbecue sauce, and some ketchup. It worked!
Reduced Waste
We continue to clean up the messes outside ... I'm not sure if this is reducing waste or not, but wherever we can, we do take things apart in ways that allow the materials to be reused. The existing feeders have all been deconstructed (The Boy did a great job) and the lumber saved for the next job. We moved the bus shelter from the corner, and will be taking it apart - the lumber there will be useful for any number of purposes. As we live in the country, we also burn whatever we can, so although burning isn't always the ideal method of disposing of things, it generates ash which I add to the garden, and we try to keep the fire as hot and fast as possible.
Worked on Local Food Systems
I sent in our application for a food handling permit, to allow us to sell lamb directly to customers(processed at the properly inspected and regulated facility, of course, then stored in our new deep freeze). We have gone through the flock list and sorted out who is staying and who is leaving, and tomorrow morning I'll be taking four sheep to the auction. We've been investigating other means for marketing our lamb, and today I updated all my records, consolidating them into a new binder for easier reference.
There's another bit that fits into this category too ... but it's significant enough to warrant it's own post. :) Stay tuned!
20 July 2008
Independence Days Update
And for this week's efforts...
Planted
Nada. Nothing. Stuff is growing, why should I plant more? :)
Harvested
More lettuce: I love salad straight from the garden. In fact I have some packed up to take for my lunch at work tomrrow. I also dug up a few new potatoes - totally not caring if I might damage the roots of the existing potato plants, they look very resilient to me. The potatoes were great. :)
Preserved
I noticed a lot of clover growing around here so I picked some to use for tea later. Also some yarrow, presumably for similar uses. It's all drying on the top of the stove. :)
Stored
Big 10 lb bags of sugar were on sale for half price ... so I got two! $5 for 10 lb of sugar is just too good to pass up.
Prepped
I am working on the assumption that 'prepping' includes all infrastructure building efforts.
We did lots in this regard: we found a freezer that was being given away - it is outside awaiting another coat of Tremclad, then it'll take up residence inside, probably as the repository of Lamb For Sale (which has to be stored in a separate freezer from the stuff we eat). We also picked up some useful things from a farm sale - several boards (destined for the barn lean-to we intend to make on the back of the shed, so our sheep have somewhere to go when bad weather and lambing season coincide), two new burn barrels (The Reluctant Farmer had a 'bobcat incident' that squished the previous burn barrel), and a wash tub (for the aforementioned barn).
In addition, we reclaimed the shed as an actual shed: now that the chickens are happily housed in their new portable Coupe de Ville, we were able to deconstruct the portion of the shed that served as chicken coop ... and remove the manure, hay, and assorted other messes that littered the shed floor. The shed is now, once again, a shed ... and we are glad to have a place to store our useful stuff!
Manged Reserves
Well ... I looked in the pantry and thought "I should inventory this stuff". Does that count? We did start a couple of batches of mead and fruit wine, as we do enjoy our evening beverages. They are bubbling away quite happily.
Cooked Something New
We tried a few new recipes this week .... none really 'worked'. Oh, except for The Reluctant Farmer's oatmeal pancakes. They were yummy.
Reduced Waste
Hmm ... not sure what we did here.. our clean up jobs feel like they created more waste. We did move two leftover hay bales to the garden to use as mulch, and we have made at least two dog food meals from dinner leftovers (see the above entry on 'cooked something new'...)
Worked on Local Food Systems
Nothing new here ... oh, well, except that The Reluctant Farmer emailed our relevant governing bodies to find out more about the rules we need to follow if we are going to sell our meat directly. That probably counts.
Planted
Nada. Nothing. Stuff is growing, why should I plant more? :)
Harvested
More lettuce: I love salad straight from the garden. In fact I have some packed up to take for my lunch at work tomrrow. I also dug up a few new potatoes - totally not caring if I might damage the roots of the existing potato plants, they look very resilient to me. The potatoes were great. :)
Preserved
I noticed a lot of clover growing around here so I picked some to use for tea later. Also some yarrow, presumably for similar uses. It's all drying on the top of the stove. :)
Stored
Big 10 lb bags of sugar were on sale for half price ... so I got two! $5 for 10 lb of sugar is just too good to pass up.
Prepped
I am working on the assumption that 'prepping' includes all infrastructure building efforts.
We did lots in this regard: we found a freezer that was being given away - it is outside awaiting another coat of Tremclad, then it'll take up residence inside, probably as the repository of Lamb For Sale (which has to be stored in a separate freezer from the stuff we eat). We also picked up some useful things from a farm sale - several boards (destined for the barn lean-to we intend to make on the back of the shed, so our sheep have somewhere to go when bad weather and lambing season coincide), two new burn barrels (The Reluctant Farmer had a 'bobcat incident' that squished the previous burn barrel), and a wash tub (for the aforementioned barn).
In addition, we reclaimed the shed as an actual shed: now that the chickens are happily housed in their new portable Coupe de Ville, we were able to deconstruct the portion of the shed that served as chicken coop ... and remove the manure, hay, and assorted other messes that littered the shed floor. The shed is now, once again, a shed ... and we are glad to have a place to store our useful stuff!
Manged Reserves
Well ... I looked in the pantry and thought "I should inventory this stuff". Does that count? We did start a couple of batches of mead and fruit wine, as we do enjoy our evening beverages. They are bubbling away quite happily.
Cooked Something New
We tried a few new recipes this week .... none really 'worked'. Oh, except for The Reluctant Farmer's oatmeal pancakes. They were yummy.
Reduced Waste
Hmm ... not sure what we did here.. our clean up jobs feel like they created more waste. We did move two leftover hay bales to the garden to use as mulch, and we have made at least two dog food meals from dinner leftovers (see the above entry on 'cooked something new'...)
Worked on Local Food Systems
Nothing new here ... oh, well, except that The Reluctant Farmer emailed our relevant governing bodies to find out more about the rules we need to follow if we are going to sell our meat directly. That probably counts.
17 July 2008
Knitters Without Borders
If you are a yarn and fibre nutcase like I am, you surely know who Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is ... the Yarn Harlot. She has an awesome blog, is a published author, and goes about introducing people to the wonder and joy of knitting socks.
She is also the person behind Knitters Without Borders .
What on earth are Knitters Without Borders? Well, Stephanie says it better than I possibly could:
I have an aunt (who is a knitter) who turns 75 this week ... and that just seemed like the perfect opportunity to send $75 to MSF ... a dollar for every year.
Join in!
She is also the person behind Knitters Without Borders .
What on earth are Knitters Without Borders? Well, Stephanie says it better than I possibly could:
By any North American standard, I am not a wealthy woman. Still, there has never been a day that I went hungry or wondered where I would put my kids to bed. I choose between my varied and warm clothing in the morning and at least once a week I throw away food that went bad before we could eat it, buying fresh without even feeling a pang of decadence. I have never wanted for anything more than "more" of what I already have. I am... to most of the people in the world, obscenely wealthy...
As are you.
What do I do?
Take the Tricoteuses Sans Frontières / Knitters Without Borders Challenge.
For one week...
1. Each and every time you think about buying something... ask yourself if it is a need (food, water, shelter, medicine or safety) or a want. Be honest. Yarn is not (sob) necessary. Lattes are not necessary. A seventh pair of shoes? Fabulous pair of new jeans? Eating out? Could you skip a haircut? Search yourself and ask, do I need this, or would the money be better spent on someone whose life hangs in the balance?
2. At the end of the week (or sooner...if you don't need that much time to think about it) Donate the amount of money that you didn't need to MSF. There should be no reason why every single person who reads this blog can't find at least a dollar.
If you can afford to knit... you can afford to donate.
I have an aunt (who is a knitter) who turns 75 this week ... and that just seemed like the perfect opportunity to send $75 to MSF ... a dollar for every year.
Join in!
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