The Goat Woman

Our cow is also due. Since she wasn’t trained to a halter, we’ve been looking at different ways to make it easier and pleasant for all. Pat and the boys set up a series of fences and gates so she will have an alley way to walk to her pen where she can give birth (she might trick us on timing of course). I’ve read that Jersey babies can freeze in 40 degree weather and get chilled easily. So, Pat’s hurrying to make her a deep bedding box stall so that the baby can snuggle down and be warm when it’s born. (Or move there if she is sneaky on her timing!).

I have been planting seeds for our CSA. We are trying to do several sets of plantings this year. (Last year we lost a bunch of plants due to chickens and didn’t have any to replace them with). We will be doing a lot of our beds in back like square foot gardening beds and will start assembling them next weekend (after the 12th). We will also be collecting all of our compost beds and materials to fill the beds with. Although we’ve been working on the soil in the garden for over 4 years, we have to stop the take over from the Johnson grass. We have to do it naturally and organically and NOT try to dig/sift it out ever again. We will be using the smother technique to a new level. We are adding a lot of beds out front to attract attention – can you imagine what people will say when they see 30 pound pumpkins growing on special trellis panels??? I can’t wait to get pictures!

We are getting the buck paddock ready for the rotovator. We will clean up anything that might be in the pen and spread the composting hay everywhere. Then Galen will come and rotovate it all. We will make mounds and put the 3 sisters garden out there. Corn/green beans/squash – just like was done by our ancestors to save space and to create the perfect growing environment.

We are awaiting the seeds for the hyssop . . . special hyssop plants that bees love that will support the hives even during a time of drought. We need it – with all our neighbors having 100′s of acres of manicured grass – there’s not a lot for our bees to find unless we plant it right here ourselves. We are going to take back the strip of yard that runs along the driveway where our neighbors horses have been for years. We will fill that pasture with several kinds of clover and the hyssop. Along the driveway will be wildflowers for CSA cuttings. By the bees will be bee-friendly flower gardens. Still looking for a few more farms to put some hives on.

Did I tell you that a week or so ago that I was interviewed for The Saponifier Magazine??? The article will be in the March/April issue. I think the interview went well and was very pleased with the  rough draft of the article I was sent to check for errors.

I’m still waiting on hearing from The Artisan Center at Berea . . . January judging time is over – so, I guess the answers could be anytime.

Pat is taking off Thursday – - – we have the final giant white turkeys to do. We’re doing a couple for the freezer and for others . . . but most will end up turkey sausage or ground turkey for the year. Anyone that would like to help – I’m sure we’re starting around 12. We always share with helpers!

We would enjoy having your company for any of our projects if you’d like to come help – and who knows? If you time it right – you might get to see the miracles of birth that happen this time of year!!! (Feb. 13th is when Star is due and the cow is due to calve in Feb/March). Call us or email us if you want to come help and learn how to survive away from the grocery store!

Blessings -

I sure hope you all have much to be thankful for this season! Bypass the negative things happening and your list will grow and grow.
I know mine did when I put aside the worrying and the ugly things swirling around me for a time.

I was thinking of you all while cutting up my white pumpkins from the garden and butternut squash from a dear neighbor’s garden. I will be draining the pumpkin and the butternut squash and they will turn into pumpkin pies and butternut cheesecake on a pecan crust by tomorrow. The weather is cooperating for a lovely fall day with a slight chill in the air.

Last night we got our turkeys ready for our table and a few friend’s and neighbor’s tables as well. It was rather chilly. I didn’t have one small enough for a family that was trying to do the “American” holiday and offered them a very large chicken – but they didn’t understand that that was ok – at least it was for me. I went to Whole Foods website to see if they had a variety of turkeys for people to buy and they did. But what shocked me was their information about “fresh” turkeys – how the government says it’s ok to kill the turkeys in February, keep them at 27 degrees all year and sell them as fresh!!! Oh my goodness! Natural, fresh, what other words can I use to describe the wonderful bounty that has been provided to us here at the farm?
We have several turkeys out there that will be well close to 35/40 lbs it looks like before they are prepared for the freezer/canning or whatever else we decide to do with them. I can’t put them in the freezer right now because of all the frozen milk and frozen chickens that we have! 2 full freezers and 2 over the fridge freezers full to the brim.

After the craft fair season is done you can bet that I’ll be pulling a lot of them out and baking them to ready them for fast food – we call  home-canned chicken our fast food. Make up a bit of bbq sauce, heat the meat in it and serve it on homemade ww/oat rolls – yum! (I guess we’ll be using some of our giant turkey for this too after Thanksgiving dinner). Oh turkey and homemade noodles – I’d better stop – I think I like making the after Thanksgiving food better than the big day’s food!

Well, off to finish up something – I have a lot of soaps that we’ve run out of for the season and have to get them made and ready for you all . . .

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being our friends, family and customers . . . we are so very thankful for you!!!!

Marilyn