I started to put up the electric fence this week and this is an all new experience for me. I have no clue what I am doing and only hoping I don't electrocute myself. It seems fairly easy and not too labor intensive a couple of post and some insulator poles. I have almost got it fairly even and just need to set the post where my gate will be. This is where the pigs are going to go as I have an area I want them to really dig up. I am hoping they eat not only the brush in there but the weeds to. Then I can call them porkarators like Joe Salan does. Paul says's I need to stop reading books because I come up with all these hair brained ideas from all these books I read. I told him I was saving us money and not having to rent a big tractor to till up and clear the area. We not only get an area cleared but we get organic, clean and healthy meat too. Doesn't seem to be a down side to me.
The pigs are doing great and they are actually right now the easiest animals on the property to care for. They happily go about there business all day long of digging and eating and digging and eating. They stay in the pen we have them in until the fencing is ready without a problem. The goat on the other hand keeps landing on the back porch eating my plants. It's Pearl and she is the baby and totally a bad bad bad girl. Her mother Sage is happily out in the far field munching away. Don't get me wrong if she is anywhere close to the grain bins where we keep the chicken scratch, her grain and the pigs food she will knock them over. I will look out and there she is with her head in the bucket.
Markets started this week and went great. The weather was fantastic and the sales although a little lower were still good. I am not sure yet if this economy is going to effect the market this year and I am have hope that it isn't going to be too bad. This year the farm is all the income we have coming in due to Paul's layoff. So I am hoping to be able to eek out a living with it. This year will be a hard and true test. It's all in God's hands and I trust that with whatever comes I have my faith in him to endure.
Blessings
Teresa
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Market Days!
Well the markets have started and we are off and running. Market Day in Durango went great the weather was sunny and the temperature was absolutely wonderful. Getting there was a great accomplishment due to anything and everything went wrong the day before. The county had a water line break just as I was pulling vegetables to rinse. We had to wait all day for the repair to be done so that put me way behind with the vegetable pulling. When the line broke I had bread rising also and bread to make no hand washing no bread making. When the water finally did come on the kitchen aid broke. So then it was no kneading but by hand and there is no way I am kneading 30 loafs of bread by hand. :)
So off to the store in the middle of it all to buy a new kitchen aid. Now I had not planned for this purchase and it was more money than I wanted to spend but bread is a big part of the farm. So I did not not want to not spend the money. Finally bread maker in tow I get home only to see the bad goat with the pigs feed bin turned over and her head in it.
Now Pearl the baby is getting fat and what is it from? It's from her knocking over the bins or crawling through the smallest hole ever into the chicken coop to get at the grain. Pearl is very bad and basically has the run of the farm. She is just so darn cute!
The turkey's have now made there home in the goat's stall so they no longer want to go in the chicken coop at night. It's the goat's pen for them. So now in the one pen are Sage the momma goat, Pearl the baby, 2 little goslings, and 8 turkey's. Poor Sage I am sure she has no idea of what is going on.
The little piglets are as happy as ever in there knew little condo and veranda that Paul built for them. We have purchase the electric fencing so as soon as we get that in the condo will move. I really need for them to clear out some of that North side of the property. So off they go the little grubbers to cultivate, clear, eat, get fat and be happy.
It's Sunday morning and it's so quiet no one is up yet. I love mornings on the farm with the sun just coming up and the dew on the grass. It's a little chilly but I like that. There is no time like morning with it's crisp, fresh, and new day beginning. As I go to sit on the patio and have a cup a coffee, I give thanks for my week. I am thankful I can wake up every morning in this beautiful Southwest country. I am thankful for my family, friends, and neighbors. I am thankful that my lord has blessed me with this life.
Blessings
Teresa
So off to the store in the middle of it all to buy a new kitchen aid. Now I had not planned for this purchase and it was more money than I wanted to spend but bread is a big part of the farm. So I did not not want to not spend the money. Finally bread maker in tow I get home only to see the bad goat with the pigs feed bin turned over and her head in it.
Now Pearl the baby is getting fat and what is it from? It's from her knocking over the bins or crawling through the smallest hole ever into the chicken coop to get at the grain. Pearl is very bad and basically has the run of the farm. She is just so darn cute!
The turkey's have now made there home in the goat's stall so they no longer want to go in the chicken coop at night. It's the goat's pen for them. So now in the one pen are Sage the momma goat, Pearl the baby, 2 little goslings, and 8 turkey's. Poor Sage I am sure she has no idea of what is going on.
The little piglets are as happy as ever in there knew little condo and veranda that Paul built for them. We have purchase the electric fencing so as soon as we get that in the condo will move. I really need for them to clear out some of that North side of the property. So off they go the little grubbers to cultivate, clear, eat, get fat and be happy.
It's Sunday morning and it's so quiet no one is up yet. I love mornings on the farm with the sun just coming up and the dew on the grass. It's a little chilly but I like that. There is no time like morning with it's crisp, fresh, and new day beginning. As I go to sit on the patio and have a cup a coffee, I give thanks for my week. I am thankful I can wake up every morning in this beautiful Southwest country. I am thankful for my family, friends, and neighbors. I am thankful that my lord has blessed me with this life.
Blessings
Teresa
Saturday, May 2, 2009
May is here!!!
May is here and everything is in full swing. All the drips in the greenhouse are in and functioning on a timer. This makes watering much easier and much more effective. Most of the drips are done outside and I only have 2 more areas to finish. That's two more weeks of planting early crops like beets, carrots, and onions and such.
Paul and I prepped a new deep dug raised bed yesterday and I think I am going to try trellis cucumbers in it. It's up by the greenhouse. I have several more raised beds going up there they are a lot of work being I use a deep dig method but I hope they pay off. I really amend the soil using compost and spent deep bed hay the goats and chickens have been on. It's all about sustainability everything gets used.
It's raining today and I have been working in between rain storms outside. My rain collection barrel from the house is working great. I have one barrel full and another almost full and I am going to see how many I can get today. I will use them to water the upper flower and herb beds next to the house. I am also going to set the herb beds up on a drip system so when I am out of rain water I can use the water system more effectively. This is my first rain water collection system so I am not sure how much I can collect or maintain.
Our season is so short here in Colorado it seems sometimes you can't wait to get started. We have to be careful though not to plant out too early. Especially the hot crops like tomatoes and eggplant which are doing great right now in the greenhouse. We installed a swamp cooler in the greenhouse which I got from my friend Linda free. It's doing great at cutting down that mid afternoon heat which is extremely hot. It reached 130 in there last summer so I am hoping to reduce that down this year with the swamp cooler. Paul says's I take better care of the vegetables and animals then him. He said we don't have a swamp cooler in the house but the plants have a swamp cooler.
My first market is next week and I should have Pak choy, gourmet lettuce mix, radish, mustard, chard, tarragon, sage, chives and oregano. Early season here is lots of greens and herbs. I have not planted a mesclan mix yet I need to get that in because I have a cusabi dressing that is great on them.
Time to get back to work,
Blessings Teresa
Paul and I prepped a new deep dug raised bed yesterday and I think I am going to try trellis cucumbers in it. It's up by the greenhouse. I have several more raised beds going up there they are a lot of work being I use a deep dig method but I hope they pay off. I really amend the soil using compost and spent deep bed hay the goats and chickens have been on. It's all about sustainability everything gets used.
It's raining today and I have been working in between rain storms outside. My rain collection barrel from the house is working great. I have one barrel full and another almost full and I am going to see how many I can get today. I will use them to water the upper flower and herb beds next to the house. I am also going to set the herb beds up on a drip system so when I am out of rain water I can use the water system more effectively. This is my first rain water collection system so I am not sure how much I can collect or maintain.
Our season is so short here in Colorado it seems sometimes you can't wait to get started. We have to be careful though not to plant out too early. Especially the hot crops like tomatoes and eggplant which are doing great right now in the greenhouse. We installed a swamp cooler in the greenhouse which I got from my friend Linda free. It's doing great at cutting down that mid afternoon heat which is extremely hot. It reached 130 in there last summer so I am hoping to reduce that down this year with the swamp cooler. Paul says's I take better care of the vegetables and animals then him. He said we don't have a swamp cooler in the house but the plants have a swamp cooler.
My first market is next week and I should have Pak choy, gourmet lettuce mix, radish, mustard, chard, tarragon, sage, chives and oregano. Early season here is lots of greens and herbs. I have not planted a mesclan mix yet I need to get that in because I have a cusabi dressing that is great on them.
Time to get back to work,
Blessings Teresa
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