Woosh!

So,
We are finally getting some rain regularly. Though not the amounts we need to beat back this drought we seemed to have been alloted at least enough to turn the grass back green and to grow it just a little.
Add to that the sale and butchering of a number of sheep-- and we again have breathing room in regards to our pastures.
Currently we have 3 more sheep to move on to another farm, a couple more to go to slaughter and 5 to come home to us at the end of August. That will move us into fall with the total of....17 sheep. Just one more than last year---and he will be a wether. Cute little guy too---perfectly sized to be a wether since he is smaller than usual.
This will be our first year to carry a wether with us. We have debated it many times---but never have decided to keep one. The other day we decided: yeah! we need one for animals that need to be quarantined or to be a friend while a sheep recovers if hurt or any number of other reasons. So...we neutered him. He wasn't happy about it though. We used basically a rubber band that is so tight it will squeeze the blood out of the testicles and they will dry up and fall off. He looked a bit "sick to his stomach" for about 2 days, but he looks fine now (I checked him frequently since I was a bit worried about him).
The testicles have not fallen off yet---but it won't be long.
So now he gets to live a life of companion and fleece animal. Wethers actually give the best fleeces since they are not rams (coarser fleeces) nor are they producing ewes (pregnancy and lambing can sometimes make a fleece not quite the best).

Anyways---as I ramble on about wethers I am reminded just how quickly the "circle of life" moves around. Not long ago I blogged away with time to spare then we came to spring, lambed and moved into summer and it all fell to the side with our endless amounts of things to do. Here we are again---almost time to go to Michigan to pick up this year's new sheep----and then there will be fall shearing (and fall festivals), breeding season and then the wait for lambs (and time to blog and do some of my "own" things). Yes----it sounds long---but it won't be when you add Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the other things we come across in a year. My...how time does fly. And they say children make it seem fast. Well who ever said that never raised sheep :-)

Cheryl: if you are still reading I hope your house is coming along just peachy!

COOL & NAIS update

Just an update to anyone who may have commented to their Senators, Congress persons or even heads of various committees in Congress: As of last Friday the national animal identification system had been separated from the Country Of Origin Labeling that was being addressed in the new farm bill. Knowing which country your food comes is a good thing, needing to tag every "farm" animal even if the person does not own a farm, is a bad thing.
Debate and complete passing is still not completely over yet---so write, write, write to make sure they get the message in Washington. We don't want them to re slip it in at the last minute of Farm Bill approval.
However even if the final Farm Bill had passed and Nais was not attached to it---the fight would still not be over. Mandatory programs (as in Wisconsin and Michigan) are still in on the agenda, so we still have work to do since it is not much of a stretch from "the neighboring state does it" to "we will now do it".
Please check web sites such as Nonais.org and libertyark.org for more updated information and PLEASE----keep sending those letters.

Chicken Combs

After a lengthy absence I have come across something that I wanted to write about: Chicken combs. I know--silly but there you have it.

We have raised chickens many times but never before have we concerned ourselves with breeding. We always just bought replacements since we didn't really care one way or the other about raising any chicks.
However, with the decision to raise Marans (again) and the critically rare Delaware, we decided when we purchased our birds that we would breed our own replacement chicks if possible. So it came as a eye opener to me that when considering my Wyandottes that to have a single comb versus a rose comb---would be a bad thing. I had never heard of that before so I had to look it up. Now I know what a comb is---but I didn't know there where so many names for them. I really never gave it a thought and I guess most of our previous birds have had "common" combs. I had at various places seen birds with different style combs before, but I did have a lack of knowledge in this department. I always assumed I would choose my birds based on body styles, foraging abilities, prime egg laying etc---not the shape of their comb. To be truthful, I would never cull a hen that showed exceptional egg laying and foraging abilities, maybe along with quick growth as a chick if her comb was "wrong". I will though, consider the comb in my future "schemes".

So here is a little chart for everyone to look at and see the various combs chickens have that I found in my search. Quite interesting really, and in the future---I will have to go out and peruse all my birds hair dos to see if they their "combing" is correct.

COMBS

Chickens all have a comb. It is the fleshy protuberance on top of the head of a fowl. The protuberance is larger on the male than female. There are various forms of combs in different breeds. The combs are usually red in color, however, they are purple in Sumatras, Birchen and Brown Red Modern Games and Silkies and purplish-red in Sebrights.

Take a few minutes to learn to identify the various combs that are found on the various breeds and varieties of chickens.

The Buttercup consists of a single leader from base of beak to a cup-shaped crown set firmly on the center of the skull and completely surmounted by a circle of regular points. The cavity within the circle of points should be deep, the texture of the comb should be fine.

The Cushion is a solid low, moderately small comb; smooth on top, the front, rear and sides are nearly straight with rounded corners. It has no spikes.

The Pea is a medium length, low comb, the top of which is marked with three low lengthwise ridges, the center one is slightly higher that the outer ones. The outer ones are either undulated or marked with small rounded serrations. This is a breed characteristic that is found in Brahmas, Buckeyes, Cornish, Cubalayas and Sumatras.

The Rose is a solid, broad, nearly flat on top, low, fleshly comb that terminates in a well-developed tapering spike. It may turn upward as in Hamburgs, be nearly horizontal as in Rose Comb Leghorns, or follow the contour of the head as in Wyandottes. The top surface of the main part should be slightly convex and studded with small rounded protuberances. The general shape varies in the different breeds.

The Silkis is an almost round, somewhat lumpy comb, inclined to be greater in width than length; covered with small corrugations on top and crossed with a narrow transverse indentation slightly to the front of the comb. Sometimes two or three small rear points are hidden by a crest, others are without points. Generally they are considered to be genetically a rose comb changed by a rose comb plus crest.The

Single comb is a moderately thin, fleshy formation of smooth soft surface texture, firmly attached from the beak along the top of the skull with a strong base. The top portion shows five or six rather deep serrations or distinct points, the middle points being higher than the anterior or posterior, forming a semi-oval when viewed from the side. The comb is always erect and much larger and thicker in males than in females; may be lopped or erect in the female. This depends on the breed. The comb is divided into three sections: the front or anterior, the middle and that extending past the rear base of the skull, the posterior or blade.

The Strawberry is a low comb that is set well-forward. The shape and surface resemble the outer part of half a strawberry with a large end nearest the beak of the chicken.

The V-Shaped comb is formed of two well defined horn like sections that are joined at their base, as in Houdans, Polish, Crevecoeurs, LeFleche and Sultans.

To Bad

Here's a story I found about an organic farmer in Va.
Just goes to show you never know where you might encounter chemicals. I will certainly be more careful since I never have considered that the hay I feed my animals might have something like this in it. Inorganic fertilizer maybe---but I have to admit (as I smack my forhead) that I never considered broad based herbicides or terminator chemicals. Eek!

Bitter Harvest In Sperryville

Couple's Farm Falls Victim To Herbicide-Tainted Mulch

By Walter Nicholls

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 11, 2007; Page F01

For farmer Rachel Bynum and her 2-year-old son, Nicholas, the afternoon of June 2 started as an idyllic occasion. For the first time, mother and child harvested vegetables together at the family's Waterpenny Farm in Sperryville, Va. Bynum and her husband, Eric Plaksin, both 33, sell the pesticide-free produce from their 10 acres of fields at farmers markets, through a CSA program and right from the barn.

As she waded into the otherwise healthy-looking zucchini vines, Bynum noticed that many of the plants had an odd windblown appearance with uncharacteristic curling leaves. "It looked like maybe the plants were getting too much water," says Bynum, who has farmed in western Rappahannock County for eight years. The previous night there had been a much-needed rain, and the couple was also using a drip irrigation system, with water pumped from the nearby Thornton River.

As it turns out, the problem wasn't too much water. And the trouble quickly spread to the tomatoes and eggplant. But it would be two weeks before Bynum and Plaksin received the test results confirming the culprit: They had unwittingly poisoned half of their farm fields by using a hay mulch that was contaminated with a powerful herbicide.

For Bynum, who is expecting a second child in the fall, walking about the sloping acreage in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is now "a farm tour of doom."

County agriculture extension agent Kenner Love was the first person brought in to assess the problem. "We didn't expect herbicides because they don't use them," says Love, who has worked with area farmers for 12 years. "I suspected a virus, but there was no yellowing of leaves." He sent samples of the tomato, squash and potato plants from Waterpenny to Virginia Tech for analysis. The results: The plants were infected with a "broadleaf plant growth regulator" -- an herbicide.

But at Waterpenny, they still had no idea where the poison was coming from. Because the affected fields were fairly sheltered, they ruled out drifting sprays from neighboring farms. The farmers zeroed in on purchased hay as the source when they recognized that the plants without mulch were thriving. Hay, which can be one species of plant, such as alfalfa, or a combination of plants cut from open fields, is normally used as feed and bedding for animals, not as a mulch for vegetables. At Waterpenny it was used to suppress weeds and conserve moisture.

Without hesitation, the farmer who sold them 120 round bales said that they might contain hay from fields that were sprayed with the herbicide Grazon. He didn't know any consequences from its use. Grazon, a product of Dow AgroSciences, is sprayed on fields to kill undesirable broadleaf plants; it contains picloram, a plant growth regulator.

Bynum and Plaksin were not aware that herbicides were used in hay production.

Dow AgroSciences spokesman Garry Hamlin points out that the Grazon label states in bold type: "Do not use grass or hay from treated areas or manure from animals for composting or mulching of desirable susceptible broadleaf plants." Selling produce contaminated with picloram, which is not rated for human consumption, is illegal. The company cannot say when the couple can plant again in the poisoned fields without knowing how much residue there is in the soil.

As at all CSA (community-supported agriculture) farms, many different crops are grown at Waterpenny to satisfy customers who pay an annual membership fee for a share of the harvest. And it is unusual for a CSA farm to have herbicide damage because most use organic methods.

"Usually it's a hailstorm that might just kill the broccoli, part of the crop. It would be more common to have a drought or flooding, insect infestation or crop viruses," says Guillermo Payet, president of Local Harvest, a national organization that provides a directory for farmers and consumers to find each other.

Bynum and Plaksin's conservative estimate is that they have lost 12,000 plants with a harvest worth $80,000. Thus far, the un-mulched fields, making up about half of the acreage, do not appear to be contaminated. There will be broccoli, some root crops, beans, onions, garlic and cabbage. Because the fields are separated by 12-foot-wide grassy areas, the likelihood of contamination to the whole farm is low. Planting more tomatoes and melons in uncontaminated fields is still to come this season.

They are working with the hay farmer, who has insurance, to determine compensation for their losses. When word got out in the close-knit farming community, 60 people, including many of the couple's 150 CSA shareholders, started the unpleasant process of removing the 50,000 pounds of wet hay from 3.5 acres. Results from soil tests on the extent of the contamination are still to come.

For this season, they are canceling two months of their CSA deliveries and offering customers a partial or total refund of the full share price of $475 for 21 weeks. For the time being they will no longer sell at the farmers market in Warrenton. But they will continue to sell a limited number of vegetables from the un-mulched fields at markets in Takoma Park and Charlottesville.

Unanswered questions remain about the long-term prospects for the farm. Once all the contaminated hay is out of the fields, they will test and retest the soil for traces of the chemical. "But I don't think we have enough information yet, and we are reading everything we can, contacting pesticide watch groups," Bynum says. "We may have to retire those fields for a few seasons."

Even though farmers have a typically small profit margin, and such a disaster would raise concerns about the farm's survival, Bynum says, "we are not scraping by, and this doesn't mean we'll stop farming."

Plaksin says that without the large CSA program to worry about, "we're looking at this as an opportunity to reevaluate what we're doing. Maybe we should be smaller. And we're learning about things like herbicides that we never knew about before."

Waterpenny Farm produce is available at Charlottesville City Market, First and Water streets, Saturdays, 7 a.m. to noon; Takoma Park Farmers Market, Carroll and Laurel avenues, Takoma Park, Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and at the farm, 53 Waterpenny Lane, Sperryville, Va. 540-987-8567.http://www.waterpennyfarm.com.

Bucket O potatoes

We are now getting potatoes---very nice potatoes at that. Only one so far has been "nibbled" on and we will just have to send our Jack Russell on patrol in that spot more often :-)

Considering that we had a late, late, very bad frost, which nipped back the growing tips, all the potatoes came back fine from under their piles of leaves and went on to produce. We probably won't get as many potatoes as we could or should have because of the frost and then drought---but I am pleased with those we are getting. Very decent size with some "whoppers" for baking. If we had watered them also, I am sure we would have gotten way way more than we will. However---we do not have a well and so we pay to water. My bill for water one month was more than the electric bill for running the a/c in my house---so we quit watering. Considering we were using soaker hoses---we were a bit surprised at the amount.
The potatoes never did get any of that water anyways---purely because we knew watering so much would get expensive (we just didn't realize HOW expensive). We were just trying to get beans, which we had a very large section of, and keep alive the artichokes and tomatoes. No matter though---it didn't work completely. Yes, we have kept things alive---however it is unlikely we will be canning this year. There has only been enough at any one time to eat for dinner that night-- but not to can. Maybe if we get some more rain in the next month a few of the plants may kick in and produce well towards the end---but we aren't really holding our breath.
No matter----we did learn that we love our leaf mulch and will try and con the city into bringing us, and our neighbors, more this next fall for use in mulching potatoes and other garden plants this next year. Underneath some of the areas, the leaves are starting to really break down into some beautiful leaf "mold" that should do amazing things for our soil. With the advent of fall, and hopefully rain, we will till up a few of the spots that got a bit out of hand (too few leaves and too many weeds) and then over seed everything with a fall cover crop. Maybe by the time we have "optimum" rain---we will have the most amazing soil and will end up with a jungle of produce for canning and giving away.
Potato wise we have been lucky here this year. Stuart and Gabrielle in Brittany have been getting more than their usual rain for this year (just like our family in Texas) and their potatoes---along with their neighbors---ended up with scab because of the wet soil that probably never has dried out in between rains. Well, each year is a challenge now isn't it. When you consider my last post, and this years weather--- I don't have to wonder to much about why some people just didn't want to stay being farmers. People should have more respect for farming----it's somewhat stressful. Next time you go to market and buy berries or tomatoes---thank that person for sticking it out. They need a pat on the back once in a while.

One for the freezer

We had a sad night Monday---we had to butcher one of our ewes. For some reason she has never really done very well for us here---even as a lamb. She was born on this farm so we know her whole history and we keep very good records to compare the animals with (this is because I know I have the memory of a gnat at times)
Was she just a bummer to start with? Was it heat? the long term drought? genetics? Is it that we should have supplied more this or that in her minerals? Whatever it is---we finally decided that even if we knew for sure that she will do better by the fall (which we were pretty sure she would)---she could no longer be allowed to contribute to the gene pool. Luckily we had chosen not to sell her lambs. One is in the freezer with her already and the other will be a wether for us to use in situations when we need one to keep another sheep company. He seems well and fine so far---so he can be an experiment in whether or not this passes steadily in genetic lines or maybe is just a "bad match" of parents every so often.
Though I try and "harden" myself to the lambs because you always know some of them will end up in the freezer--- either because they don't sell or they aren't good enough to sell---I had a little trouble with this girl. Yes, I weeped just a bit. But...it is a necessity to cull and only keep those that will do well for us or others and not have lambs that might potentially have problems too. Part of it is raising good animals and part of it is about supplying the meat for ourselves. I have to admit---I have always weeped a bit with the animals. Even sometimes the chickens that I have come to like quite well. So I do wonder at times why I am not a vegetarian. I have tried to be a vegetarian---but I do like meat. I suppose if I lived near a CAFO operation and had to see the care ( or lack ) of the animals----that might have been my catalyst to not eat meat. When on the other hand I am raising them myself, I at least know they had the very best life that they could have had.
One problem we have come across lately is selling our meat. We have run into the problem that there are no longer (must be recently) any NON regulated butcher shops around us. All of them are required to be inspected. Which means that any cow, sheep, pig (farm animal basically) that comes to them to be cut and wrapped MUST be killed in front of the inspector ---by them. However, my issue is that I do not want to take my animals on a trip and pull them out in a strange place and have them stand around in a holding pen to be butchered after they have completely freaked out and been stressed to the nines--by a stranger. I have always felt very strongly that life and death should occur in the place of the animals life. It is the way nature intended it. Animals aren't hauled out of the woods to a processing facility to be butchered under supervision---then later that week the wolves come and pick them up all neatly wrapped.
SO...I have come to a conundrum. How to now sell my meat? Legally---I can't sell it to anyone without that inspection. I could get into huge trouble. Just ask the raw milk people---and they are doing it the "legal" way to start with. I think from now on we will (after this season) set ourselves up with the intention to sell only to those who want, and will, butcher the animals their selves here on our farm. We may have to invest in a station for them to use---with water and a table---but it will be much more "humane" in my opinion than the other way. Besides---if you take them to a butcher that can only butcher on Tuesdays (that is the day the inspector comes) how do you know for sure that you get back your organic animal and not someone else's? Maybe---since not much lamb/sheep is raised around here---I would. But what about a cow or pig? How would I know for sure? Of course---if we killed it ourselves and had him package it---we would still wonder about that, but I just thought I would throw it out there for thought. Since it is something we have wondered about.

As to the issue of packaging the meat, we bought a "food saver" machine. Yes, I know it requires plastic bags to save the meat in. Something I would rather not use--plastic I mean. However---I am horrible at wrapping air free with butcher paper and we loose meat periodically because of freezer burn. So I decided that I would at least invest in the food saver and use it on the larger cuts that are more likely to wait for longer times (roasts are for fall and winter---not the middle of summer) and might become freezer burnt during the wait.
Beyond the problem of the plastic---this thing is neat, neat, neat. After you put in the meat it sucks out all the air and then seals the bag for you. Nice! We had so much fun that we spent quite a bit of time watching it and commenting on how it sounds like a motor cycle. It "shifts" as it does different aspects: like pulling out the air and then sealing the edges etc. It was so fun to do that I was reminded of when we got our first front loader washing machine----it was fascinating watching the clothes go round. Oh the joys of mundane things. To bad I didn't get that much joy out of laundry now :-D

Anyways---hope all are well. We seems to be beyond busy lately---however for some reason there doesn't seem to be a lessening in things to do. Why is that?
Oh yes---we got RAIN finally! Real rain---almost a whole days worth. Amazing :-)

Tiling

Well, as a break from the recent spinning, I am laying out my tile for my kitchen wall. I have "mulled" over exactly how I wanted it to look for a while now and with the counters finished---we can tile. The tile will not only look nice but also cover up the cement water that splashed onto the walls and stained them.
So...though I will probably be a while laying it out AND I decided to order a few more of a few select colors from Mosaic Tile Market....here is a sneak preview of what it will eventually be like. You can get somewhat of an idea of what I am aiming for with these pictures :-) Lots of color!

Have a great 4th everyone! * * * *

Oh yes----we are getting some little bitty rain showers lately. Not enough to grow grass but at least enough to turn some of it back to a light shade of green. More would be greatly appreciated though!

A new idea to consume my time

So recently I decided that I really needed to understand more about spinning. Much more than the person who taught me was able to help me with. I have long wanted to take some "advanced" spinning classes to pick brains (so to speak) and get answers to all the questions I have and a bit of direction too. Unfortunately---they think we don't like to spin in the South and there are not many classes to choose from (that I could find anyways).
One program I thought I might do is the master spinner program through Olds College in Ontario Canada. I do have family near there but no matter that---it is far away. They also periodically have one in Oklahoma---again a distance for me.
So when I stumbled on the Handweaver's Guild of America and their Certificate of Excellence in spinning (or weaving or a number of other things) I sent off for the guide book to peruse and see if it would work for me. The study and work involved is very similar in scope and style to the Olds College program. Most of the work is done at home---in your own time---then sent off to be evaluated. Eventually you pass (I assume anyways :-D) and receive your certificate.
My reason for doing this is that I would like to teach spinning. However---I do not want to be the type of teacher I had who would say "you will get into that later" or "I am not sure" or "it should be in the book I had you purchase from me". I want to be able to "teach" not just offer some mediocre instruction. I like to learn from books and have always had good luck with it but I do understand that not all people favor that style of learning. So..if I say "well look in the book" or "I don't know" basically I have failed them in their quest to better understand this "skill". I mean really--some people learn better by watching than reading. So as a teacher you should both be able to direct them to good manuals and books and also give visual instruction too.
Anyways, besides defining some terms related to a number of things involving spinning wheels, dying, plying and spinning there is a lot of actual spinning of fibers (surprise surprise aye!). Just for the wool section alone I have to have five different breeds of sheep wool supposedly trying to have different "aspects" for each one: A fine wool (I chose merino) a luster wool (wensleydale) a carpet wool (navajo churro) etc. I am also supposed to start with raw wool and wash, card and prep it for spinning myself.
Of course I will use some of my own Icelandic but studying other breeds enables me to understand the different reasons you would choose them over Icelandic because lets face it---no one fiber is perfect for every project. It also helps me understand more about my own fleeces so when I sell them I can help people choose the right one for their project.
Of course wool isn't the only thing to spin. I have to spin cotton, flax, synthetics and some protein fibers that are not wool (think Alpaca or angora bunnies here).
There are also sections to show different styles you can get either through plying techniques or also dying (or both together).
Should be fun---though I think it will probably take a while which must be why they give you a two year period to accomplish it in.
So..here are some pictures of my fleeces that came today.
There is a cotswald lamb to the left, a very crimpy merino on the top right and a pound of wensleydale lamb in my kitchen sink soaking. I will try and keep up with pictures of my progress though I do forget sometimes in my "glee" to be finished with something.
By the way---we have stalled totally on our house as all extra income goes into stockpiling hay for the next year--which is not cheap right now. Eventually we will have more pictures of some progress on the house (hopefully! since it seems never ending sometimes.)

Sort of finished

Here is the shawl I posted about so so so so so so long ago made from one of my Icelandic sheep's fleece.
The problem, and hence the delay in finishing was the lack of yarn to finish the project with. I underestimated the amount needed (oops!) and so I could not figure out how to end it. Should I change color? Try and spin the daughter's fleece to match since the ewe has changed color slightly? Should I try and substitute a different pattern that would require less yarn......finally I just decided to cast off. Fortunately it really doesn't look as if I abruptly ended---though it would have been nicer if it had the whole pattern on it. However, I am glad it is no longer sitting in the room reminding me that: "hey! I am still unfinished over here!"
So now it is blocking and will be finished by tomorrow. The size is actually nice and will still be very functional for me. Overall---I like it. However, I will be more careful about gauging yarn needs in the future. Of course a sweater is always easier since you can make the sleeves a different color and it looks as if you intended it to be that way. A different color border on this type of shawl would have looked...well....a bit out of place I think :-)

Summer door

Finally something to take a picture of that isn't dry and brown looking.
My chickens---with a pictures of a few hens and a number of the roosters above----are now starting to lay eggs. Itty bitty teeny tiny eggs right now. I forgot how small "new" eggs are when a hen first lays--very small. It has been a while since we had young hens so, though we remembered that it worked that way---we were still surprised at the size of them (or lack actually).
Anyways---this weekend they got a new door to their coop. We had realized that the ventilation we provided wasn't working quite as well as it could so we got another salvage door, cut out the glass and panels, and added hardware cloth. Voila! New screened door for improved ventilation. Their "winter door" is stored inside their coop right now and will go back on about the end of October. Lucky chickens---two doors for their house. What more could they ask for? Well, maybe some bugs.
We have noticed that there are a few "pluses" to this drought. Well, I mean if you want to look at it optimistically that is. There are really no Japanese beetles and the ones we do find are very very small---not those jumbo whopper ones. Not many grass hopper or caterpillars to eat our plants. We have absolutely no mosquitoes. I mean---with no rain, no dew and our pond now dusty dusty dry at the bottom (yes, it is completely gone)---there is no place for them to breed. Always a plus not to have mosquitoes right? I also believe based on what I have seen that with the late Easter frost we got--then the drought---that some of the pest cycles are being broken. So next year might be a great agricultural year. Fingers,toes crossed. Prayers sent on their way to heaven. Salt over the shoulder etc etc. Oh yes---rain dances commenced. Anything that might help.
One more thing before I go---our mystery chick from so long ago is actually a Rooster. Yes, the crowing gave him away. AND though he is very attractive he is also mean as a snake----and one of these days when we have more than a minute of time he is going into the smoker. Nasty bird. He follows me sometimes along the fence "talking" to me. I know what he saying too----"come over here and I will kick your behind" That is until I get in there---then he tries to get me from the back. Nasty rooster. We only had one other mean rooster---but the raccoon got him.
By the way a really nice lady named Diana emailed me recently and she too received the same "mystery chick" from murray mcmurray as we did. Here is her web site. They also raise Irish Dexters.

Finally some rain

Finally we got rain! For about an hour and a half it rained here. Not hard, but not one of those paltry little drizzly affairs that leave you with nothing but humid air.
Oh it wasn't enough that's for sure, but who can complain at this point? So far---depending on the exact location of monitoring we are approximately down 16" of rain for the year. With only about 9" overall having fallen on our area. I know---it really doesn't seem like that much but imagine your lawn or garden needs approximately one inch per week. You can get it as say...2 inches one week, skip a week then get some more but however it is it needs to average out to about one inch. So far we have had 24 weeks in this year to split amongst that 9 inches --which does seem to leave us a bit shy of the mark especially when you consider most of our 9 inches was back in the beginning of the year.
We personally haven't had more than 2 separate 5 minute rains in 8 weeks here on our property. That is absolutely not an exaggeration either (unfortunately). Also, to give you an understanding of what we are lacking, the average rainfall for our area is considered to be about 53 inches. Which works out to--you guessed it---about an inch per week.
Now lets consider where our family is in the Dallas/Ft Worth area of Texas and also East Texas. Now East Texas gets a little bit more than DFW which has an annual average of 33 inches. They had in the month of May 20 inches of rain. Yes, almost their entire years worth of rain fell in one month over the coarse of 21 days during that month. AND to make it even more of a spit in the face to us (had to make the water connection here) they have since then received about 6 inches just last week. How dare they? (As if they had a choice right?)
Well, it just goes to show you that no matter where you live or decide to move---the weather can get you every time, any place, any year.

Which leaves us to wonder? Will we be raising animals next year? That is a question I can not answer yet. Fortunately for us we have a great family and our cows now reside in Texas---eating their way through all that grass, waiting for a better year to come back to us. However that doesn't help our grass grow here for our sheep---it just relieves the amount of hay we have to purchase and feed each day. (which by the way Maggie are doing fine thanks for asking) Can one raise animals in an area that perpetually seems to be in a drought? Yes, I know we could cut down to two or three sheep however our pastures are so dried out that we would still need hay and we wouldn't get enough lambs to make the work involved, time and trouble worth it. So soon---we will work very hard to finish our house, sell and find more acreage somewhere else. Enough to buffer us and our animals even in times of extreme drought as we are seeing now. Even if I didn't raise animals the question of whether it is even worth raising veggies begs to be asked. Because really---we all think that when there is a drought that "oh well, city water folks can't water their lawn however we are o.k because we have a well" Wells go dry people---especially in extreme droughts. Lakes, rivers and streams do also--just consider Lake Chad in Africa. It's a pittance of what it was in the 60's.
Wells dry up, lakes dry up, rivers and streams do too. How then do you store and control your water to make the best use of it? Sounds like Austin Texas has a better handle on it than some of the rest of us do. Rain water collection, grey water usage for orchards, xeriscaping, low flow toilets or composting toilets....many ideas to choose from. Now we just all need to get over the idea that we should, and can, turn on the tap, flush the toilet and water our garden whenever and however we want with no repercussions involved. Screw the neighbors---every man for himself right? I think I smell a water war in those lack of rain clouds.

Organic Grains

I came across this article on a family that grows organic grain in The New Farm newsletter (put out by the Rodale institue)

They are the Bluebird Grains Farm and grow organic emmer, hard red and soft white wheat, flax, rye. The article says that they before they even purchase their acreage to grow on they will test their soil for chemicals previously used. They pass by acreage that shows any trace of chemicals from the past ---so their grain must really be about as organic as you can get. So far---they don't make a full living on their farm, a second job is still a must. However---like many of us they hope to eventually turn it into a full time position.

I am going to order some of the emmer so I can try it out. I have never had it so it will be interesting to cook and eat some of it. I like to try different grains every now and then. This year I was to grow amaranth, however it became dry so quickly that I didn't plant all of the things I was going to plant. (Yes, we are still extremely dry---and even though it frequently looks promising for rain we get a 10 minutes soft shower about ever 10 days. Not very "thirst quenching" to say the least). Anyways--maybe some of you will try the emmer too.

Sorry about the lengthy hiatus----I am sure as we get closer to fall I will be more regular however there is much to do this summer and we find ourselves eating dinner regularly at 9 at night lately. Not my favorite time to eat but it does cut down on late night snacking! I will update everything as soon as I can with pictures. Don't go away---permanently anyways :-D

Just Relaxing

Just thought this was a little funny. Excuse the color---my camera was set to "fluorescent" instead of daylight.
Still prayin' for rain here.

A little change

For a while now I have had the following anonymous quote in the side bar of this blog site:

Quote " I have learned in my long marriage and even longer life of 88 years, that worrying is an exercise in futility and does not change a thing. I haven't worried since the Nazis arrested me in 1938 and shipped me off to a concentration camp. I had worried the night before but I decided afterward that worrying is a waste of time and no help at all. What will be will be."



I hate to take it down since I so completely like it (it even made Tim think I was a spry old lady)
However recently I read this one on Liberty Farm and feel that at this point in my life and in my countries history it more profoundly reflects my feelings on various situations that are occurring. So I will replace the above quote with the following one:

Wendell Berry on war:

As a father, I must look at my son, and I must ask if there is anything I possess – any right, any piece of property, any comfort, any joy – that I would ask him to die to permit me to keep. I must ask if I believe that it would be meaningful – after his mother and I have loved each other and begotten him and loved him – for him to die in a lump with a number hanging around his neck. I must ask if his life would have come to meaning or nobility or any usefulness if he should sit – with his human hands and head and eyes – in the cockpit of a bomber, dealing out pain and grief and death to people unknown to him. And my answer to all these questions is one that I must attempt to live by: No.

Funky yarn

O.k
So after seeing the Pluckyfluff web site the other day (I posted about it on May 30th) I decided to try my own hand at some extreme novelty yarn. In actuality this type of yarn was the reason I wanted to learn to spin---though I have not gone quite to the same "place" they had yet (call me a weenie). It's really fun though mixing the colors and wrapping others into it. I mean personally if I needed 10 skeins of exactly the same yarn (example: smooth two ply sport weight) to finish a project I would rather send my wool to the mill and have them do it. However if I need something with slubs, wraps, twists or other novelty things---it's kind of fun to do your own. Even when I first learned to spin and accidentally made all these thick then thin then thick spots----I was never discouraged. Why? Because I LIKED that type of yarn. Now that I have more experience---I can appreciate the difficulty of spinning consistently fine yarn--- however I still prefer the thick/thin/thick/thin "handspun" look. Add two colors to make it variegated or heathered looking and it is even nicer in my opinion.

This time however I decided to use colored and add wraps to it which I have never done. One reason I colored it is that this year I kept some of my white wool for myself. Usually we sell it and keep the natural colors (my preference actually). I don't know if I will use this yarn when its done but it should be neat. I will also spin some "regular white q tip sheep" roving I have--making the roving into a thick/thin/thick yarn--- then ply the two together leaving some twists hanging out and plying some areas more densely than others. Cool huh? I think when it is done it will make a great border for a kids winter hat. Fun and Funky. Perfect for those windy cloudy winter day---a snap of color coming down the sidewalk.

Also, I have been "saving up" for a new wheel for about a year and half and I will soon (hopefully) be ordering it. Part of the reason for not yet purchasing is that I did not know which one I would like---oh yes I tried a number of them but truthfully they are not THAT much different from each other so it came down to the extras or other small details. Anyways as I said---I was procrastinating UNTIL we went to the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival and there was a lady with a majacraft suzie-pro. Yep---that's the one. It has some things that the slightly less expensive don't have and it is not too traditional looking either. I do after all live in a 1960's home and if you have seen some of the pictures of our house on the blog you will realize it is not traditional at all. So I didn't want a wheel that would look as if I were 1880's colonial for sure. I think this one fits the bill and though a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend it has some really nice features. Spinning wheels hold their value extremely well anyways so it's not like buying a new car :-D Drive it off the lot and boom! worth 3000 less than before. Oh yes---I can't finish my new yarn (though I am dying too!) until I get my new wheel. Why? Because the wheel I currently have does not have a large enough flyer to accomadate the bulk of such a yarn as I am making. Yes I could upgrade to a bigger flyer (I do believe I can with the Ashford I have) however---why bother when I am about to purchase another? I'd rather spend the money on extra's for the new wheel.

Anyways--hope all is well with everyone. Dry here still. We did get a very quick (5 minutes--seriously) shower yesterday. Just enough to flare the allergies, make it sticky and tease everyone with the idea of rain. To top it off---it had the audacity to send us a rainbow! Hah!---we don't want beauty---we want rain!

Corporations and Governement---good bedfellows?

This just makes a person sick to their stomach. Taken from a slashdot.org article.


While many people jumped all over presidential hopeful John McCain's
wrong-headed view on network neutrality, few noticed his infuriating
love for Microsoft. "The 70 year old presidential hopeful also said
that he would ask Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to serve on his cabinet to
deal with technology issues if elected. He did not however say what
position Ballmer might be hired in, but did joke that he might consider
him for a diplomatic position, such as ambassador to China."

Isn't that going a bit too far? Is this like asking the great robber baron Jay Gould to help the Government deal with the railroads here and abroad?
How about this little piece taken from another source that just goes to show the problems of corporations being tied to the government in some way:


Although their misbehaviors with the administration and Congress were exposed, the railroad barons of the era were successful in a coup against the Supreme Court. One of their own was the Reporter for the Supreme Court, and they courted Justice Stephen Field with, among other things, the possibility of support for a presidential run. In the National Archives, there are recently found letters from the railroads offering free trips and other benefits to the 1886 Court's Chief Justice, Morrison R. Waite.

Waite, however, didn't give in: he refused to rule the railroad corporations were persons in the same category as humans. Thus, the railroad barons resorted to plan B: they got human rights for corporations inserted in the Court Reporter's headnotes in the 1886 Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad case, even though the court itself (over Field's strong objections) had chosen not to rule on the constitutionality of the railroad's corporate claims to human rights.

And, based on the Reporter's headnotes (and ignoring the actual ruling), subsequent Courts have expanded those human rights for corporations. These now include the First Amendment human right of free speech (including corporate "speech" to influence politics - something that was a felony in most states prior to 1886), the Fourth Amendment human right to privacy (so a chemical company has successfully sued to prevent the EPA from performing surprise inspections - while retaining the right to perform surprise inspections of its own employees' bodily fluids and phone conversations), and the 14th Amendment right to live free of discrimination (using the free-the-slaves 14th Amendment, corporations have claimed discrimination to block local community efforts to pass "bad boy laws" or keep out predatory retailers).

Interestingly, unions don't have these human rights. Neither do churches, or smaller, unincorporated businesses. Nor do partnerships or civic groups. Nor, even, do governments, be they local, state, or federal.

And, from the founding of the United States, neither did corporations. Rights were the sole province of humans.

As the father of the Constitution, President James Madison, wrote, "There is an evil which ought to be guarded against in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by... corporations. The power of all corporations ought to be limited in this respect. The growing wealth acquired by them never fails to be a source of abuses." It's one of the reasons why the word "corporation" doesn't exist in the constitution - they were to be chartered only by states, so local people could keep a close eye on them.

And so....what will we do?

Missed Me

Missed me missed me couldn't even .......well I wasn't hoping for a kiss that's for sure. Rain from Tropical Storm Barry would have been well...

GREAT


But noooooooo it has to hit most of Georgia but not us. What gives here? I am becoming a frustrated feeder and waterer. Feeding hay in April May and June is NOT what I expected to ever have to do in Georgia. Maybe in Texas---but not here. Speaking of Texas----the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and most of East Texas (where we have family) received 20 inches of rain in the month of May alone. Can you believe it?!! Their yearly average for Dallas/Ft Worth is 30-35 inches per year. I'd be a bit annoyed with them however I know they didn't want all that in one month---just like we would like more than that in a whole year.
Well, for you viewing pleasure a few pics of my pasture and pond---well my almost gone pond. Think of us the next time you see moisture---and the next time you think : "Boy, wish it wasn't raining today".

The last picture without pond or cows is the view of my back pasture which has not had animals on it since about 6 or 7 weeks ago. That's how much it has grown. Pretty bad huh.

O.k---sorry about the whining and I do know it can't last forever (or at least that's my hope!).

Oh yeah--thanks everyone about chickens advice and comments----But I now know my culprit is an Opossum (bad little beastie) We just need to trap a relocate the little booger since he seems to have a regular schedule of stopping by our coop.

Pretty cool

So I stumbled on this fiber site called Pluckyfluff and it has the neatest yarns. Really gets the creative juices flowing for sure.
Take a look at their site --- they have some interesting idea, classes, already knitted products and some odd fiber to add as additions to your knitting or spinning projects.

She also has a blog about spinning and knitting so if you are into that---check it out. She also link into some others


knitting and spinning blogs.

Another site to check out is the yarn museum. It has some interesting things to look at. Some not quite as "far out" as the pluckyfluff yarns.

Oh yes let me add this link too: taos sunflower

Running late today---need to water, plant and care for everything. Have a great day!

Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival

So we have made it back from the first annual Middle Tn Fiber Festival. It went very well I thought with the weather really being nice (of course I was hoping for rain here at home while we were gone!).
We met some amazingly interesting people---both customers and other vendors and really had a great time. There were demonstrations, instructions and fiber animals too.
We had a drive of about 3 hours to get to the festival, getting up at 4:30 in the morning and back home at 10:30 pm. which made it a very long day. One other vendor came from about as far as we did: Peaceful Vally farm (no web site on them but fresh veggies, honey, eggs, fiber, flowers and herbs fresh and dried.) They are in Taft Tn.---931-425-6551 Which is near Huntsville Alabama. Extremely nice people---we also took shearing classes with them a few years back. It was one of those "I KNEW I recognized you from somewhere!" situations. Here they are:























One really great vendor there was Jacque Dumas of The Outback Menagerie. She raises angora rabbits---of which she traded me fiber for fiber and I definitely got the better deal for sure (thank you Jacque!) Gorgeously soft soft soft fiber. Magnificent. Jacque is located in Waverly Tn.

Here are some pictures of one of her rabbits (he's a national champ!) and of her interesting electric spinning wheel.





Jacque sells her fiber dyed and not dyed and also breeding rabbits.














Then there was Far Out Farm of Jane and Kim Caulfield (email jcaulfield@vallnet.com) They sell the fibers of their sheep mixed with silk, quiviet, mohair and a number of other fibers. They also sell tussah and another (can't remember name--though it was super soft) silk ready to spin already dyed in luscious colors. My favorite was a blue/green blend called Opal. Gorgeous. Here's there picture:


















The last vendor I would like to mention is Deer Trace Farm. Gary and his wife Carole do fiber (think exotic: camel, mohair, yak etc) but even better is that Gary is an excellent woodworker and makes custom crafted spinning wheels. Very nice people with excellent products. Reach him at deertrace@callnet.com or 931-433-0936 Sorry no picture (!???)

And though I thought my husband took pictures--he thought I did-- so we didn't get many unfortunately.
There were some other vendors---some we didn't meet and some we didn't really talk with much but overall it was an excellent day.
So---Next year: Make plans to attend the Tennessee Fiber Festival near Nashville Tn. Though this one was put together in under 3 months and was a bit small: Next year will be bigger and even better since we now have a whole year to plan it. What more could you ask for than a day of Fiber, Friends and Fun. Such a convenient time of year too!

You better get ready

Remember those tests in school you had to take? You know the ones about how our government works and the three divisions, checks and balances and all that. Well, guess what---they wasted your time.
I am here today to harass whomever might read this. We need to do something. It is becoming imperative.

When Monica Goodling testified before the house committee recently she asked for immunity: not for helping to fire Democratic attorney generals and replace them with Republicans----but for her role in "caging" which is a felony. Caging is where some people are mislabeled purposefully to keep them from voting:

In 2000, I cracked the computer disks (CD-ROMs then) from Katherine Harris’ office showing 56,000 names of voters “purged” from voter rolls as felons who aren’t allowed to vote. In fact, every one — every one — was an innocent voter, though most were guilty of VWB — Voting While Black. That was the 2000 “purge.”

In 2004, it was nearly identical. Except, instead of calling voters “felons,” they called them “suspect” voters, fraudulently using a false voting address. The effect was the same: the voter would lose their registration; or their vote on election day when they showed to vote; or, in the case of soldiers, their absentee ballot would be challenged and tossed.

the above is taken from here

ALL of the above "caged" voters were Democrats. Just a bit strange don't you think?
This is not the first or last article that will mention voter fraud and the current president. However---why doesn't someone research it? Why did the committee that Monica Goodling spoke in front of ask not ONE question of her about what she knew about the caging incidents?? They are the two monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil. Lalalalalalala I am closing my eyes. WHERE is the media coverage on this?


Next topic: how about that all polls show that 70% of Americans want out of the war in Iraq? WHY are we compromising then and giving the supposed leader of the country a blank check----because everyone knows that all the "binding" parts of the compromise are not at all binding. He can do whatever he wants. What the hell are these idiotic representatives doing for us!?


Now this: Supposedly the VP has been, and is, working on the bombing of Iran. This is nothing new---they were moving war ships to the coast of Iran months and months ago. I personally do not want to be in another war. I do not think that it is feasible to get involved in another conflict. Personally---I can understand why the Iranians would want to protect their selves from us and be scared of the leaders of our country---we can't even control them and even though 70% of us supposedly disagree we all sit on our butt and do nothing. Our government has gone crazy. It doesn't listen to us, it is seemingly corrupt, changing laws to suit it's own agenda and yet we DO NOTHING. What the hell is wrong here? This is not the country I thought I lived in. The one that taught me that the majority makes the rules not the theocratic few. See an article here

If we end up at war, even after I write every single representative including the speaker of the house, my husband and I will be marching in Washington. I have NEVER before felt the need to go that far.

Please write your reps, or call them, or email them----just do something please. It has never ever been more important than now.

Two more down

Well, we lost two chickens last night. My fault---I forgot to close the door to the roost. Two roosters though---yeah! Not another hen this time.
It was odd though---one was dead in the chicken yard and another out in the pasture with the sheep. (Maybe Aleda is still trying out those chickens and couldn't get a good bite since sheep only have bottom teeth and no top ones).
However it is: it's odd. The chickens were just "dead" not ripped to pieces or half eaten as you usually find them. Stiff already so hard to tell much. Really not much to see overall.

Opinions on that anyone? Raccoons will definitely rip them apart and I though possums did too. Maybe I am incorrect on possums or maybe it was startled by the sheep coming to see what was going on. The sheep are not scared of the chickens and let them eat with them and roost around them so they would not be nervous of "chicken sounds" and therefor might come to see what was going on. That alone might send a predator away without having done much damage. I guess Mikey needs to come and walk that area for a few nights. We have had him in another pasture recently and he can't see into this one. If he can see the pasture he will usually bark so much, even if he can't get close, that we won't even have wild animals get in the trash or cause any other problems. So obviously he needs to come back and "patrol" to remind all the bad guys that "hey this is our property---stay away and leave our chickens alone!"

They might get a Pyrenees butt kickin' if they don't!

Drought & Desperation

Well,maybe the long term, on going drought is driving the sheep to desperation. I think Aleda, one of my Icelandic ewes (yes, females can be with or without horns) decided she needed to see if there was a back up meal just in case the pastures turn to dust and we can't find more hay.






For those of you wondering: Yes, we are still in a very very bad drought. We have had microscopic amounts of rain and about 1/2 of our pasture is now brown.
Sorry to those who live on the coast but we are hoping to have a hurricane hit and bring us some rain! Unfortunately, hurricanes are one of the ways that we get quite a bit of our yearly rain. For two years now they have pretty much passed us by: last year we got a bit fat zero from any of them. Odd considering how damaging they were to other parts of the country.
Yes, I know it is a weather pattern related to the change from el nino to la nina and back again ---and we should have rain as it finishes---however that does not make the grass grow or the trees quit dying. Bummer huh.

One last thing: yesterday evening we had very very "smoggy" skies. Why? Well, of course the smoke from the wild fires in south Georgia and north Florida. The wind was blowing this way and it was fairly thick (though Atlanta was much worse supposedly) and you could even smell it just a small bit---odd isn't it.

2007 Farm Bill

Now is the time as congress decides what to do with our farm bill for a few more years for EVERYONE to weigh in. Don't know much about farming? That's o.k. Contact your representatives and tell them you expect them to help support small and local farmers since that is one sure way to supply ourselves with safe food. Tell them to quit giving our tax payer money to CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). CAFOs destroy our water, foul the air around the area they are in, and are inhumane and disgusting.

Here is some more information that comes through PASA (Pennsylvania association for sustainable agriculture). By the way: PASA has a very nice sight and offers classes throughout most of the year. They also send a nifty little newsletter to keep you up to date on "wutz happnin" The rest is directly taken from the email:

First, if you are interested in knowing more about the Farm Bill, and specifically some of the positions being taken by the sustainable ag community, you can find a wealth of information at the following website:

www.farmandfoodproject.org

This site details a comprehensive set of policy objectives that were developed over the past couple years by some of our policy partners across the country. It has been endorsed by over 400 organizations, including our own board of directors at a meeting earlier this year. You can also find some information there about how you can get more involved in the ongoing process.

However, a very quick and easy way to get involved it so go to another website, as follows:

www.healthyfarmbill.org

We encourage you to go to this site and follow the simple instructions there for sending a letter to your representatives in Congress...the whole process will take you about 5 minutes! The letter condenses many of the most important points of the Farm and Food Policy Project statement into a convenient format. As you can tell, the emphasis in this case is to generate a large volume of mail in favor of the general policy agenda, so we also encourage you to send a note about this website to your friends and associates who would be interested. It is hoped that the largest impact of this approach will be realized this week and next.

For those of you with an inclination to get more personally involved -- especially you farmers -- we have an excellent option as well. PASA's good friend Kathy Lawrence, who formerly directed the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, is now working with the Community Food Security Coalition on a national Healthy Food and Community Initiative. In a nutshell, the initiative is pushing for a package that includes:

1. Seed funds to support innovative projects that increase profitability for farmers and increase access to healthy foods for under- served markets.

2. Changes in procurement policy to make local purchase easier for school districts and other institutions.

3. Support for distribution (e.g. transportation, processing and marketing) of healthy foods to new markets in ways that ensure maximum return on the food dollar to the farmer.

Kathy is looking for farmers who are interested in these types of policy tools, and would be willing to call their Senators and Representatives to promote these initiatives during the 2007 Farm Bill process. She would be happy to get you more information on these three priority areas, and to talk with farmers about how she can assist you with background info, talking points and timing details so you can weigh-in during this critical phase of Farm Bill debates.

She knows this is an extremely busy season -- and will be careful to make the most of your limited time and vast knowledge.

If you're interested, please be in touch with Kathy directly at klgardensong@hvc.rr.com or
(845) 361-3205.

The process ahead for determining the next Farm Bill will be long and arduous, and believe me, there's already plenty of shenanigans underway in Washington as part of this process. Simply put, not all of the wealthy interests represented in our nation's capitol want to see local and community-based food systems continue to gain the momentum we have recently enjoyed. Your time and effort to communicate your opinion will be well spent, as we only have this opportunity to make a more significant difference once every five years or so. We at PASA will be careful not to overload you with emails on every minute detail of the process, but we also don't want to miss giving you this opportunity to get as involved as you wish to be.



As always, feel free to contact me or others here in the main office if you have further questions.



Take care,


Brian Snyder
Executive Director, PASA
brian@pasafarming.org
(814) 349-9856

Have you met Ron Paul yet?

I have always always considered myself a Democrat. Why? Because of course I am and have been for most of my life, an environmentalist. So based mostly on that, plus a few other small things, I always thought of my self as a "demi".
However as I became older and began to study and understand history because I wanted to not because I had to: I realized maybe I was not what I thought. Actually all my life I have found history interesting and informative when I didn't have to write some stupid report on what major economic products came from Georgia (or pick any state) in the 1800's. However it took becoming an "adult" to realize how really important history is to understanding so many issues that effect us in on this very day.
Now, having studied and understood what and why things are the way they are I realize, oddly enough, that I actually am a Republican. Oh not some stupid radio show host or leader of the country kind of "republican"----but a real follow the constitution, everyone and all states have individual rights kind of republican. With just a small dash of "demi" thrown in for good luck :-D
Anyways--to wind this down---I have found, though not the perfect candidate, the candidate that so far I like the best for President. How could you not like a guy that says it like it is. Not some jerk(s) who wants to play "pretend we don't see" and go on with things like they are as soon as they get elected.

So have you met Ron Paul yet?

I like this story BEST

and also this ONE where he really speaks his mind


I want a change! Not some old man that's kissing the big guy's rear every time something happens (McCain who I actually used to kind of like but not any more). Not some person that, though I somewhat like the voting record of, smacks of an aristocratic family running the country. To bad one didn't have a son---they could have married the two families together and kept on running the U.S for many more years to come. Or even some of the others that don't really seem to know what they are doing and are without any fresh ideas. Give me another Perot. I like it. Nay! I want it. Not some glad handing , I'll kiss yours if you kiss mine kind of President.

Garbonzo Beans

I have grown beans most all my life.
Just about every were that I have lived I have grown beans and then canned or frozen them. Homegrown are of course much better tasting than canned/store bought, though I think that's a given with most produce.
Years ago I stumbled on what I consider the perfect green bean called "emerite filet" (which has become my favorite canning "green bean") but have never found another variety of bush or any other type that I have felt inclined to stick with over and over.
This year since I had so much room----I expanded to grow a number of different types of beans I had never tried before in my search to settle on the "perfect" beans for me. We have both bush and some other pole varieties that we will try. Now don't get me wrong---I will always try different varieties, however I like to have some that I know for sure I will like. I mean if you only grew unknowns you might end up at the end of the year with nothing to can. Or eating things that maybe were only o.k-- instead of perfect.
So this year one of the types of beans I also decided to try growing was garbanzo beans. I really like a fresh humus. You know--homemade with maybe a hint of garlic or other seasonings. Fresh is the operative word here though. None of that store bought imitation humus thank you very much. Whether on pita, on chips,on good bread---no matter the base--- as long as it's fresh. What better way than to have fresh humus I thought than to grow my own "chick peas" as my mother calls them.
My mom has always eaten them in her salad so I have had many years of exposure to these guys.
However-- I have never grown garbanzo beans before so-- was I surprised to see the plant (shown in the above picture) sprouting in my bean bed. I did not know they had those "ferny" style leaves. Their difference really makes them stand out in the bed of bush beans that they are in with.
Since, as I said, I had not grown them before I really didn't know which variety to choose. Not that there are thousands of garbanzo bean varieties to pick from or anything but... ..well anyways, I settled on the heirloom variety named "Kabouli Black Garbanzo" from Kabul, Afghanistan from Baker Creek heirlooms. Interesting I thought in light of what is going on. Supposedly places that are in the midst of turmoil and/or war have trouble keeping hold of their traditional seeds because of the upheaval. A good reason in itself to grow this bean. I hope however, that I like it, and then I can settle on it as a "for sure" pick each year.
So in a few months---humus along with some homemade pitas and a garden fresh salad will be on my table for dinner. What's for dinner at your place? :-D

A little bit more about me (plus a picture)

By the way Tim if you read this: Thanks for picking out a good picture. You didn't even have to chop out my head :-D





Sustainable farming enhances Chickamauga couple’s life
05/18/07
Tim Carlfeldt
Respond to this story
Email this story to a friend

Byron and Monica DeLoach, owners of Small Meadow Farm in Chickamauga, inspect a newborn lamb. (Messenger photo/Tim Carlfeldt)

LISTEN: Monica DeLoach talks about dealing with hay shortages due to the drought (0:42)

Tucked away on a dead-end road on the outskirts of Chickamauga, Small Meadow Farm is a work in progress for owners Byron and Monica DeLoach.

The couple bought their house and 6½ acres at the end of West 12th Street back in the fall of 2004, and they now raise a variety of livestock and have a small garden.

The DeLoaches consider themselves collectors of old-fashioned knowledge. “We’re history buffs, so a lot of our drive comes from the desire to learn what people knew back in the day.”

They moved to the area from Ellijay to ease Byron’s commute to Chattanooga, though he now oversees the computer operations of Ringgold Telephone Co.

They have two children: Alek, 19, is studying to be a teacher, and Torrey, 15, is finishing his first year at Gordon Lee High School. He also likes to help out on the farm.

They wanted to own some acreage for farming, and when they found the land in Chickamauga they quickly moved to buy it.

“We’d live even farther out if we could,” said Byron. “I grew up in the country, so I had plenty to do to keep me out of trouble, remembering being outside most of the time tending gardens and horses.

Not long ago the DeLoaches lived in a subdivision for a time. “Seeing the kids live such sedentary lives really motivated us to get back to the land,” Byron said. “They get more exercise and they get to see where their food comes from.

Monica says that if someone decides that they’re not going to be a vegetarian, “Then the next best thing is to raise your own meat. You know how it was treated, you know it had a happy, healthy life with a sunny field to roam about rather than stuck in an indoor industrial manure pit.”

Along with remodeling their house, the DeLoaches continue improvements to the farm, where they raise Icelandic sheep, Irish Dexter cattle and three heritage breeds of free-range chickens.

“The Icelandic sheep and the Dexters are easy to raise. I can handle all these animals by myself, which is essential if Byron gets called out of town on business,” Monica said. “I can chase down a loose cow or pull apart two rams that are fighting if I need to.”

Becoming profitable

The output of the farm certainly helps with the family budget, and even on their small scale the DeLoaches are hoping the farm will be financially profitable within the year from selling animals and their products.

In their farming they espouse genetic diversity principles which seek to preserve traditional livestock breeds that have become unpopular to commercially mass-produce.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, preferred methods for quick mechanical harvesting or qualities that endure long storage on the way to market has caused the agricultural diversity in the world’s food supply to be greatly reduced in the past century.

“We like to live a little more sustainably, like people did 50 or 60 years ago,” Monica said. “Even now you can’t always run right down to the grocery store and buy the most healthy food possible for you.”

Their garden is all organic and heavily mulched with piles of leaves they arranged to get from citywide collections.

They’ve learned how to spin their sheep’s wool into yarn for making a variety of apparel. “That’s not something that I want to do with all my clothing,” said Monica, “but it’s been a very interesting thing to learn.”

The drought that Northwest Georgia is currently suffering has affected farms both large and small, and with their pastures growing slowly, the DeLoaches say it’s been stressful to find hay to augment their feed supply.

“Under normal conditions we feed hay through the winter up into March,” Byron said, “but this past season we started in August and we’re still feeding hay now.”

Monica said she is thankful to the local hay growers for keeping their prices level despite the drought. “None of them have raised their price beyond what they were selling at last year or even the year before that.”

That isn’t the case in all parts of the country, she said, “And if the prices get too high, we have to butcher our animals before we really want to because we can’t afford to feed them.”

By rotating their livestock through four separate fields, they’ve managed to keep from having to do that. “Once it starts raining regularly again I think people are going to let out a big sigh of relief,” Monica said.

FIBER FESTIVAL--near Nashville

Well! How about that! Someone is trying to start a fiber festival for my "area". Well, it's not actually IN my area, I will have to drive about 3 hours north to get to it, but that will be the closest festival we will probably EVER go to.

It is going to be very very close to Nashville Tn and is going to be titled from this year on the "Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival". It is hosted by a farm named Three Creeks Farm (who raises Icelandics too, but also has some other breeds of sheep.) It is going to be held in Dickson Tennessee on May 26th 2007 from 9-5. How about those apples? Maybe I will see some of you there!

Since we are going we will take our felting batts and some roving that we still have left of course---I mean that is what a fiber festival is about after all. However we will also take some of our sheep so we can show them off. Maybe a ram or two and I do have one ewe without a lamb that currently can go with us. Secret is still not quite up to it---we would be worried about stressing her so soon after her ordeal. Maybe one of the ewes with older lambs.....maybe.

The Festival is also going to offer a few classes and lots of demo's. Over time it should build into something greater with spinning classes and dying classes and weaving classes and.......maybe just like Michigan or Maryland or some of the others! Yippee!

Anyways---hope some of you can come out to join us!