Change of Seasons

We've been having absolutely beautiful fall mornings. Golden sunshine comes over the mountain lightening upon the orange leaves contrasted with blankets of fog in the valleys and crispy white frosts on the ground. We relish these fall days and are outside as much as possible still - cleaning up the children's garden, raking leaves from the maple tree in our yard and collecting all sorts of beautiful trinkets - colorful leaves, acorns, feathers and the like. We are just at the brink of a much anticipated rest as things start to slow down at the farm. Still there are many projects to see to. The projects that we didn't really have time for during the season. These are mostly household chores that need attention and might actually be accomplished now that our time is a little bit more free. And with the school year now in full swing our days will still be full. But we start to shift our attention back to the home and look forward to getting into the groove of fall rhythms.

Down to Earth Summer Camp Part II

What an amazing week at the farm. It was so wonderful to have this bunch of moms (and dad, Evan) and the kids at the farm for the whole week. On day three the children collected rocks from the children's garden, washed them and painted them! The little ones used tempera paints and it was fun to have an all out messy day. Actually we had two great messy days as day four's task was staining our picnic table with beet juice and painting decorations on top of that. But really, where is it more approriate to have messy days than on the farm?

For our final day we focused back on the firepit preparing our finale feast. The children chopped zucchini and put them on skewars and we cooked hotdogs over the fire as well as baked apples! What a feast it was. Here are a random assortment of pictures from the week.

Down to Earth Summer Camp

Yay! Our first ever (first annual?) summer camp is underway. The brain child of our dear friend Rachel, the camp is a small gathering of families working together to give our kids the time to explore the farm a bit, participate in artsy, earthy, innovative projects and also the ever important free space for just being kids. I'm blown away at the collaborate effort of the parents involved and really excited that other kids can spend a good chunk of time at the farm. It really is a special place - and so filled with wonder for the little ones.

Here's a recap of the first 2 days:

Day one: The big activity was building a fire pit (for our big last day cookout). Little hands got down into the dirt, digging, moving earth and rocks with their little shovels and a whole crew of pint sized wheel barrows. The older kids went to pick peas for the day's snack before getting their share of rock moving. I think all the kids would have been in seventh heaven doing this task all morning. But alas...every one needs snack time. A simple game of leading a partner (with eyes closed) to a special surprise rounded out the morning and was followed by a picnic lunch.

Day two: Big kids learned that you could use the sun to cook food! when they made their own solar ovens. Fresh goat milk and eggs were shaken up into a simple custard and left to cook. Unfortunately they weren't ready for lunch, but we can't wait for snack time tomorrow. The Little ones trekked out into the fields to dig carrots for snack time. We dug oh so carefully with our shovel to just wiggle those carrots around gently before pulling them up. The children were really delighted with all their "finds". Our bunny was then treated to a delicious meal of carrots tops. After such a hot and busy morning we all cooled off after snack time in the sprinkler before lunch.

We'll be exploring different places on the farm but our home base is a shady section of recently grazed cow pasture. Lots and lots of pictures coming soon!

Garden Progress

Beatrice is excited that the marigolds are blooming in the children's garden. The garden is coming along nicely and is almost all planted now with pole beans, yellow pear cherry tomatoes, all red potatoes, herbs, flowers, lemon cucumbers, popcorn and broom corn. We're still planning to put in a little carrot patch as well as a bed of mixed greens. We also have some white clover that we are going to seed for ground cover in a few cozy spots.

Baxter in our silo garden inspecting the mint. He's taken quite well to the garden and hasn't scooched over to many plants. He's a big help especially when water is involved. Ah, the mud pies.

Chubby Bunny Children's Garden

I have wanted to do a children's garden at the farm for a couple of years now and finally this year it is beginning to take shape. One of the most wonderful things about farm life is seeing our kids feel at home in the fields. There is a sense of freedom, confidence and wonder in the children as they run along the lanes, help out the farm crew or even just sit in the dirt and dig. It is so great to see so many members bringing their kids to the farm. We want them to feel at home here, just as our own kids do. We are creating the children's garden so they have a special place on the farm they can explore and have a real hands on experience. Children are welcome to help plant, weed, pick cherry tomatoes, taste the different herbs, smell the flowers, hide in the pole beans or popcorn, walk through the sunflowers.... or just hang out. The garden is right behind the barn so kids can check it out during CSA pick up without a big trek into the fields. We hope you'll visit!

Saturday Slow Time

It seems like there is never enough slow time, especially with our growing season about to kick it into high gear with Friday & Saturday markets and CSA harvests, too. So I'm relishing the last weekend before we are market bound (although we do enjoy our markets too). I wish I could say that we were just spending the day playing but we have plenty of household projects to work on. But for some reason a Saturday seems slower and Saturday chores can be fun when you aren't rushing around to do them. Today's shed/garage/barn (or whatever that thing is next to the house) cleaning project was fun, thanks to my dad helping out and interesting - you never know what you'll find in a heap of rubbish, and even a little inspiring - ah, now we can actually store stuff in here - bikes, outside toys etc. instead of having them all over the yard and the porch. My next slow house project is to give some much need attention to our perennial beds and maybe even do a little planting. A kitchen herb garden and some flower starts that we have kicking around the farm.

But for now, back to household chores and supper with friends.

Simplicity Parenting

engrossed in the moment

Beatrice and her new bunny, Butterbean. Finally the farm has a bunny again. While it would great for Butters to live at the farm so all the children could visit and play, we are trying to keep her up at the house - mostly so I am not continuously asked to go to the farm to see her. So for any readers who don't know, we do not live at our farm, but a half mile up the road. Not a terrible distance to walk or bike you might say - but for about 10 months out of the year there is a wetland that floods the road between our house and farm, creating a 6 mile commute. The complexities that arise out of this circumstance are a topic for another time. But here I am getting to my point. Simplicity. I feel like I am ever striving to simplify, simplify, simplify. While living at the farm would be more simple, it just isn't an option so one of the things I'm trying to keep in mind is trying to limit the number of times I get in the car during the day to go down to the farm. Since it is spring and Bea is in school this is fairly easy to do. But I'm already thinking about summer when we'll be there more and more, yet needing to come back for nap, lunch, oh I forgot sunscreen again and I have to make that phone call etc. While this is one example let me step back into the more general picture.

Lately I've been reading Kim John Payne's book Simplicity Parenting which extols the virtues of downsizing our stuff and our schedules in order to give our children the time and space they need to be kids. He writes, "Imagine... appreciating the pleasure of the ordinary." This profoundly struck me, as I watch the children doing exactly that in every moment, the little buddhas that they are. As adults we strive for such awareness instead of multitasking and always thinking ahead to the next project to prepare for or chore that has to be done. And herein lies the magic of rhythm. I think I am setting a good example for the children when I adhere to our family's daily rhythm, but I'm also making my life a lot less complicated by taking out a whole host of variables and choices. It is so freeing! And so I'll keep striving ....

Chicken Hearts or Our Little Omnivore

Okay, I'm not really one for puns but Dan must be rubbing off on me. This post might not be for the faint of heart, nor do I wish to alienate anyone but this was what was happening this week on the farm.

Our good friend farmer Paul came up this week with the last of his old laying flock - eight hens he was going to put into the freezer for stew. Last year we bought a chicken scalder so our apprentice, Alissa, could use it for her pastured-poultry project. We also have access to our neighbor's plucker. This makes the prospect of slaughtering a few chickens a pretty quick project. Dan decided they'd make a morning of it and he could do the 5 or 6 extra roosters in our flock.

But let me back up a bit. After our laying flock was decimated last winter and spring we decided to start fresh. In the summer we ordered 2 batches of layers in the mail from Murray McMurray Hatchery. It is hard to resist the excitement of day old chicks coming in the mail. On the anticipated day of their arrival we wait for the phone call from the post office and rush of, usually first thing in the morning, to pick them up. Beatrice was very attentive to the little chicks and saw that they were settled in and well looked after. She has watched them grow through the summer and fall. Now they are starting to lay eggs and she loves to collect them. Imagine an Easter egg hunt everyday! (Not all of then hens have discovered the nesting boxes yet.) But true to farm life, there is a season .... Beatrice is very familiar with the cycles of life and death on the farm. She's seen chicks and chickens of all ages come and go by predators and the knife. She loves bacon and knows exactly where it comes from. Frequently, she'll be eating a piece of bacon and say, "this is good pig!" Last summer when the day came for Alissa to slaughter her first batch of broilers Bea was intrigued and wanted to see every aspect of the process. It is so interesting to see life through a child's curiosity. Bea is 4 and interested in everything on the farm. She's not squemish or jaded, just open to whatever is happening. In our home we eat meat. We eat the meat that we raise or that our friends raise. Just as we eat all the vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs that come from our farm. She knows where her food comes from. And she has learned that we respect and care for our animals. In fact, we probably wouldn't have the animals at the farm and hence no real meaningful relationships with such animals if we didn't raise them for meat.

So back to this week.... Unfortunately the guys hit some glitches as it took a long time for the

scalder to heat up- the scalder is a big basin of hot water. After the chickens have been killed you dunk them in the hot water for a bit and this loosens the feathers so they can be plucked easilty, by hand or by a plucker. Eventually things got going and the mission was accomplished. No, that night we didn't have chicken. They all went into the freezer. But Dan did bring back some of the hearts and he cooked them up with onions and greens. Beatrice, as game as ever, was ready to help.

Family Cow Forum

Ever wanted to know more about keeping a family cow? Here is a great opportunity to learn about all aspects of keeping a cow from barns to equipment to bovine health. Check out this fun and informative event put on by Motherhouse:

FREE Family Cow Forum on Saturday, February 27. Share stories, tails, ruminations, favorite resources, farm moos, and moore with fellow family cow keepers:

…Home Cow Health Care with Dr. Angela Greco.

…Training Oxen and Their Trainer by Chuck Duncan.

…Building a Dream Barn: Efficient Use of Space by Brigitte Ruthman.

…Panel Discussion of Family Cow Keepers.

MotherhouseMarket.com will have stainless steel milkpails, non-electric yogurt makers, Debra’s favorite fencing supplies, milk filter disks, glass milk bottles, resource books, and udder handy items there for sale.

… 10:00 a.m. – 2:00p.m. at the UCC-Cornwall, CT Parish House. There will be hot drinks and fresh bread starting at 9:30 and a noontime pot-luck lunch. Bring a dish to share and your own place setting. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU"LL BE COMING! by contacting Debra@Motherhouse.us or by calling (860) 672-0229 and/ or get in touch for moore information.

Welcome Back

Well almost a year later, here I am again. I have to say for much of the year I was virtually blogging - in my head - telling you all about the sweet moments that happened. The playgroups that Bea had with her friends last summer were a big highlight which included her first big bike ride on the Copake rail trail and having her buddies come to the farm to pick raspberries and watch us milk Patches. That seems like ages ago now...

But already spring is just around the corner once again. Just the other night it seemed like I could smell the snow melting. Soon we'll be in the greenhouse again soaking up the magnified rays of spring sun and surrounded by the smell of fresh earth.

Baxter is one now, a cherub of a little boy, holding on to his gummy smile. His first teeth are about to pop through. Bea is of course as sweet as ever, loving her little brother and always ready for an adventure.

Patches is actually bred now and due in July. Thanks to a mini-Jersey bull who stayed the winter with us. I have to admit that Dan has become the dairy maid. My grand plans of being in this role have been subsumed first by pregnancy, then caring for an infant along with farm logistics. I actually milked this past weekend for the first time in ages and it felt so good to get back into the farm chores. I spend so much time nursing Baxter and in the first year our nursing relationship really has defined my existence. Ah there's that sisterhood with Patchy. In a month or so we will dry off Patches so she can have a well deserved rest in the last months of her pregnancy. It means we'll be without milk for a while but I suppose that is just a part of eating seasonally.

There really is too much to say after a year long haitus, so I'll just keep this short - a nice brief welcome back. I have a feeling it is going to be a great, big year!