tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239975482024-03-07T02:55:09.600-05:00Adventures in FarmingHere are thoughts and experiences I gather along the way as my family and I
attempt to farm on our 5.25 acre property in western Maryland.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-23942427713323997832009-01-27T12:57:00.003-05:002009-01-27T13:15:30.320-05:00Snow DayThe kids are away and I end up with a snow day. I guess that is just how it works out sometimes. Got up, went out and took care of the animals this morning at 4:30 am. We already had about an inch of snow but still planned on going in to work, that is until I went back inside and turned on the news. All the schools are closed in the DC metropolitan area and they are calling for a nasty mix of snow/rain/ice etc. Email the people I was to meet with today to tell them I am not coming in and climb back into bed. Wake up at a very reasonable 8 am, and start my day again. Shoveled out the driveway and was beginning to think I made the wrong decision since we only have between an 1 ½ and 2 inches of snow, only to find out the all the surrounding counties have implemented snow emergency plans -- meaning no one on the roads without snow tires or chains. Guess I made the correct decision.<br /><br />Here are some pictures -- decided to go black and white since it is overcast and the colors didn't show up well anyway.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XMkCprRrp5I9jNHAHJ2d9gqBiqjJtju2X836mqOz0XINGh7h5hGEHLqchL2I01E7nTi2nBWlAhTIDt4_g_-saCsRhoz3wu93pH9Zj1mhQHhY3awq_ri9zIkhJBTDJFkaxXrpZg/s1600-h/IMG_3615.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XMkCprRrp5I9jNHAHJ2d9gqBiqjJtju2X836mqOz0XINGh7h5hGEHLqchL2I01E7nTi2nBWlAhTIDt4_g_-saCsRhoz3wu93pH9Zj1mhQHhY3awq_ri9zIkhJBTDJFkaxXrpZg/s400/IMG_3615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296037011611230002" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Bella hanging out in her stall.<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrUM9GdU616ymooJQ3B4K7RGWzIoe9S-vFH1RAq28R0blFooqlaS3OlBrWriEo0F1cX0xWzdRLYjSdTevZ_axhc4ftMBgpjLGGux78gudUuP7De7Snc0OA_ewTgcEUetdZb-Olw/s1600-h/IMG_3624.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrUM9GdU616ymooJQ3B4K7RGWzIoe9S-vFH1RAq28R0blFooqlaS3OlBrWriEo0F1cX0xWzdRLYjSdTevZ_axhc4ftMBgpjLGGux78gudUuP7De7Snc0OA_ewTgcEUetdZb-Olw/s400/IMG_3624.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296037027211307154" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Inside one of the high tunnels before I cleaned off the snow.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfP7QIggd2DbxGPFnXtTs52mbhk484CCRrZsbtdjd1EOKpcw5anHXyNUrUR_IvTScGD3N-HmXmA-dKjdQc0OimpYKPo9TFNgp5lspakVYKDItFdSU-WuMl76SgJoAkGyb_fIQdQ/s1600-h/IMG_3620.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfP7QIggd2DbxGPFnXtTs52mbhk484CCRrZsbtdjd1EOKpcw5anHXyNUrUR_IvTScGD3N-HmXmA-dKjdQc0OimpYKPo9TFNgp5lspakVYKDItFdSU-WuMl76SgJoAkGyb_fIQdQ/s400/IMG_3620.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296037020144607106" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Maya having some water. She is doing well but unfortunately only two of the piglets made it. I don't think Maya had enough conditioning to support them all so she culled down the numbers.<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwLEpsXVA28tyaxBVifNbXucsjhIH1Te129chbANl0SQsLgDDCX9hZSuN7CT5k8fFNOitmszCn1S4D6vFIf7y0ESQoh2GwQP06YmRzq9s0jXgHn9oHF1xcqOo7UkWsGWXo0xksQ/s1600-h/IMG_3617.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwLEpsXVA28tyaxBVifNbXucsjhIH1Te129chbANl0SQsLgDDCX9hZSuN7CT5k8fFNOitmszCn1S4D6vFIf7y0ESQoh2GwQP06YmRzq9s0jXgHn9oHF1xcqOo7UkWsGWXo0xksQ/s400/IMG_3617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296037015062423138" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The barnyard gang hanging out on a snowy day.<br /></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-46996369809798979032009-01-25T10:03:00.003-05:002009-01-25T10:26:49.185-05:00Winter PigletsJust a quick post so Danielle and the kids, who are on a road trip, and anyone else who is interested can see the new piglets.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirApsmEHaFSI1pqIneXa5ypvDEKQun2dFyxtNK9gw6oYNOuYq2rnok3u_iAIc88pxcNib6jIhK7dv3pRH3nSpXzCInAJ_IHS9J5O2caEGGmvN6bQPYcoT-WmCyNJtpxkQo-bOTug/s1600-h/IMG_3610.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirApsmEHaFSI1pqIneXa5ypvDEKQun2dFyxtNK9gw6oYNOuYq2rnok3u_iAIc88pxcNib6jIhK7dv3pRH3nSpXzCInAJ_IHS9J5O2caEGGmvN6bQPYcoT-WmCyNJtpxkQo-bOTug/s400/IMG_3610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295249117294618674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkXq-NN2CKPOlXQbxAxk405tALQg-8t0p9kQL3VxKHTbzsTwk7p3Wt-CZIZXwvUXHmjQay8Yd4BC0b1ShG6YzU9CE-NJLncsJFFfYlJYAWKLZibh31Wu25kIGPfEmTqJayzJugg/s1600-h/IMG_3609.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkXq-NN2CKPOlXQbxAxk405tALQg-8t0p9kQL3VxKHTbzsTwk7p3Wt-CZIZXwvUXHmjQay8Yd4BC0b1ShG6YzU9CE-NJLncsJFFfYlJYAWKLZibh31Wu25kIGPfEmTqJayzJugg/s400/IMG_3609.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295249114483683906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXlejbLzfq7t_ayxROHQgnNPFUNpwTN6IZA2Sm6E0zjsUjSzXs_4PKaqg_cXmBHKM4BEp-jMqaZdSZrbzq9JxD5YuISXrN7WJ7O32UD03AS223E2vPyJJM6BdR644_vMzRDTq0A/s1600-h/IMG_3607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXlejbLzfq7t_ayxROHQgnNPFUNpwTN6IZA2Sm6E0zjsUjSzXs_4PKaqg_cXmBHKM4BEp-jMqaZdSZrbzq9JxD5YuISXrN7WJ7O32UD03AS223E2vPyJJM6BdR644_vMzRDTq0A/s400/IMG_3607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295249099309950994" border="0" /></a><br />So far we have 3 boys and a girl. Unfortunately, two other pigs didn't make it. One pig must have wandered off and succumbed to the cold while the other was stillborn.<br /><br />We would not have planned for a liter at this time of the year but Big Boy jumping the fence changed things.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-38624744685388056612009-01-21T08:09:00.006-05:002009-01-22T08:40:00.437-05:00Cold Morning ChoresDue to the combination of the Martin Luther King Holiday and Inauguration Day I had an extra long weekend. Actually I was off on Friday as well due to my 9/80 schedule so it was a relaxing 5 days around the farm. I try to do all the farm chores when I am off work since Danielle does them during the week, especially during the winter months since I leave the house before sun up and don't get home until 5 PM.<div><br /></div><div>We have been experiencing quite a cold snap lately which made the morning chores particularly brisk. I am not complaining, since I realize many other parts of the country are below zero in actual temperature and -30° F or more with wind chill, but 5° F for Maryland is damn cold.</div><div><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bQXSFEQ5kDRs3WXiApdGl80ZuFLoR_wbNC0VG0TJtGQqLEBJAE5L-972y6RO06qImewcbZWZ0l3HdV2tMmEsJL9oPAcdHyO4ilyPcrgckGzqGfXktyhuaSJr1AqoMHGG9q7uYg/s1600-h/IMG_3602.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bQXSFEQ5kDRs3WXiApdGl80ZuFLoR_wbNC0VG0TJtGQqLEBJAE5L-972y6RO06qImewcbZWZ0l3HdV2tMmEsJL9oPAcdHyO4ilyPcrgckGzqGfXktyhuaSJr1AqoMHGG9q7uYg/s400/IMG_3602.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293735783532061586" /></a><br />When it is this cold Buddy grabs his morning breakfast, in this case a meaty bone from the previous nights pork roast, and retires to the relative warmth of his straw filled dog house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamEhQwp0gok96kXDXuUeb9EC8ilfaoRBYq7kQxstEgstfdYs5yjsZAu9dyLwpPk578VPoBIufpLeI3hGDgBuAaeDwSL8LKr6QwqpjIGghCSwpdj_QiH-h3MDz4b4tbwpw_cOuFQ/s1600-h/IMG_3587.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamEhQwp0gok96kXDXuUeb9EC8ilfaoRBYq7kQxstEgstfdYs5yjsZAu9dyLwpPk578VPoBIufpLeI3hGDgBuAaeDwSL8LKr6QwqpjIGghCSwpdj_QiH-h3MDz4b4tbwpw_cOuFQ/s400/IMG_3587.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293735755486834722" /></a><br />I tend to give all the animals larger portions of feed to help them stay warm. Danielle also put new straw in all of their shelters at the start of the cold snap.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLmbE3aMo1xtn6ZhVt00oQNRmbOTBY-Ll-5hIuh3lFY-ne1BmYtt9rMjdohe_tDPjazkc7kW_yyeRKgfcQcJP3rl7SocAPnriLLmXjJ8sXlQc0rePN-8jVOINJrilFiS6K8eKVA/s1600-h/IMG_3592.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLmbE3aMo1xtn6ZhVt00oQNRmbOTBY-Ll-5hIuh3lFY-ne1BmYtt9rMjdohe_tDPjazkc7kW_yyeRKgfcQcJP3rl7SocAPnriLLmXjJ8sXlQc0rePN-8jVOINJrilFiS6K8eKVA/s400/IMG_3592.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293735765894384546" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdZTTi2WkZs2RuOmLQNlQ9JmpLgtTqm5y865FdetBibmi4oxQNHJW_j5ltLYmSl4X1b-dSSiZi4T4mI_ZkPgTTX9B6z_UdlgqAnhVfIVlCgj7QBZ_MMpXDktfBVIAFlpAABlXPQ/s1600-h/IMG_3596.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdZTTi2WkZs2RuOmLQNlQ9JmpLgtTqm5y865FdetBibmi4oxQNHJW_j5ltLYmSl4X1b-dSSiZi4T4mI_ZkPgTTX9B6z_UdlgqAnhVfIVlCgj7QBZ_MMpXDktfBVIAFlpAABlXPQ/s400/IMG_3596.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293735768072335986" /></a><br /><br />One of the biggest problems is keeping water available to everyone. We have an electric de-icer in Bella's water trough adjacent to the barn. We have not however found a good way to keep the other animals waters from freezing solid. This leads to twice a day hauling of water from the barn to the animal paddocks, luckily only 50 yards or so. The ice then is broken out of their buckets and the fresh water poured in. The pigs manage to drink or spill all of their water before it freezes so in their case it is just a matter of retreiving their trough from wherever they dragged it to and filling it.<br /><br />Here is an obligatory self portrait of me all bundled up for the morning chores. In addition to my pajamas from the night before I have on a turtle neck, waffle insulated hoodie, hat and insulated coveralls. While I managed to stay relatively warm it was still great to come in by the warm wood stove when I was finished.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeYDc_tlIBCFJDYRPRB-8sAThCckQb2Pe1qS_9INhj9nA-mwENkFLzqiUJ3k0GunrwlhWpIMJ2o0Ogxre44_BdoL0imuSz4bLEzRi9tPQC1XhhzVu_B3L1EbYh-fc5ZtYalxa4A/s1600-h/IMG_3601.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeYDc_tlIBCFJDYRPRB-8sAThCckQb2Pe1qS_9INhj9nA-mwENkFLzqiUJ3k0GunrwlhWpIMJ2o0Ogxre44_BdoL0imuSz4bLEzRi9tPQC1XhhzVu_B3L1EbYh-fc5ZtYalxa4A/s400/IMG_3601.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293735780034490290" /></a><br /><br />Hope everyone is staying warm.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-17848430012055581732009-01-06T07:28:00.009-05:002009-01-06T08:18:33.240-05:00Holiday ReCap<div style="text-align: left;">The Holiday Season was hectic as usual (in a good way) as one can surmise from my lack of posting. The kids really seemed excited by this years bounty, which was heavy on Lego's. We never seem to be able to get enough of those.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 383px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHakPm1gUAWxC28pRz1YncURR7oRYcX9RjnRRBET0Ezqr0Ng1WkJyaPnUypsZaWZSbPQQ19VTGhqnfDtVcAl5yfVncguKzFhBUwOXghOUGSD5vWx-EJxxn__e4IhyphenhyphenTHSp89npKg/s400/IMG_3481.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288164894191398946" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Christmas day was beautiful and we all went for a walk in the pastures to enjoy the sunny weather.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwgM3NRSf01OhrIVmvEHQW7jkYvx8h3l7vCqAw1gdNm1luHkpuxkhhJO3CAfiMfqCnm-yQ7HxhxDZtCWSPyeCr4WPlo2rstVuGOfTkNpS-VWl2xD6Vb1udbYYBjIAhR8qIyKGgQ/s1600-h/IMG_3488.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwgM3NRSf01OhrIVmvEHQW7jkYvx8h3l7vCqAw1gdNm1luHkpuxkhhJO3CAfiMfqCnm-yQ7HxhxDZtCWSPyeCr4WPlo2rstVuGOfTkNpS-VWl2xD6Vb1udbYYBjIAhR8qIyKGgQ/s400/IMG_3488.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288166995191617314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GmTE-WCLqMYLsLyk0WqOWhLGOoedgr2OXq3UO3GfFyJf48V9l3n1VYkKcH3PyybCMB1G2WxvOYsKMD_2el4wn7eqNnYFJYawv2KBy-gnY5So0qVq5xOGIwZej6V3QtCB7SZ99A/s1600-h/IMG_3501.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GmTE-WCLqMYLsLyk0WqOWhLGOoedgr2OXq3UO3GfFyJf48V9l3n1VYkKcH3PyybCMB1G2WxvOYsKMD_2el4wn7eqNnYFJYawv2KBy-gnY5So0qVq5xOGIwZej6V3QtCB7SZ99A/s400/IMG_3501.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288166158719904850" style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU6IhcpRCF1vjehOTCPxxUc2pRev53Mm0D-Bu39Xk2s6R4_HQEOFx_ICAW22cNGHMJYHRMoQ54nbDN4wEGP_o4DbPntondnzEpEcqwPwkAD3hW90NcpP2MlUIviAZknMClayjLQ/s1600-h/IMG_3499.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU6IhcpRCF1vjehOTCPxxUc2pRev53Mm0D-Bu39Xk2s6R4_HQEOFx_ICAW22cNGHMJYHRMoQ54nbDN4wEGP_o4DbPntondnzEpEcqwPwkAD3hW90NcpP2MlUIviAZknMClayjLQ/s400/IMG_3499.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288166138368185250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our Tom Turkey was also strutting his stuff in the afternoon sun.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TqPdXP6McmCHirYsEC35LO1NPzH9WRH-uBuXnzW9IUtmhjdransNm32FlUd5mDKcQuXmuwgwI1v8JJg8fkqPjzUXV-2pwErlFauo0jk8yh-m7NHMc_CzQjTMNkF6mu-3rVrchQ/s1600-h/IMG_3517.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TqPdXP6McmCHirYsEC35LO1NPzH9WRH-uBuXnzW9IUtmhjdransNm32FlUd5mDKcQuXmuwgwI1v8JJg8fkqPjzUXV-2pwErlFauo0jk8yh-m7NHMc_CzQjTMNkF6mu-3rVrchQ/s400/IMG_3517.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288167933548092050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather again on New Year's Day and went for a short hike on the Appalachian Trail up towards Annapolis Rocks with some friends who were in visiting. Seeing all the boulders got the kids (and adults) excited to start climbing again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOqEavBx94unwRHJ4owL7N7ZNEcW1uCtaMSLOOZy1zRHgjDHNdQqRekHYLv7uYN547EwsugM4DnNtfkYUuXeE6OdrkQYQNZi8tyNyQvFDD2jybh9HfqotJKG8HDYPBAnFqtHVIg/s1600-h/IMG_3555.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOqEavBx94unwRHJ4owL7N7ZNEcW1uCtaMSLOOZy1zRHgjDHNdQqRekHYLv7uYN547EwsugM4DnNtfkYUuXeE6OdrkQYQNZi8tyNyQvFDD2jybh9HfqotJKG8HDYPBAnFqtHVIg/s400/IMG_3555.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288168745947838434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj599lIfEkxc35lRyVa8lHKAonhasC1BeBPqXaJYfabxkv8wUAoiAU14W64gqFjTAlGYZmh_uC8ViZtiazniO5g-xpFI147v5EUmjDmy9SM3Ss006XmDHAGLudbQjrEiboqZ6pQ/s1600-h/IMG_3558.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj599lIfEkxc35lRyVa8lHKAonhasC1BeBPqXaJYfabxkv8wUAoiAU14W64gqFjTAlGYZmh_uC8ViZtiazniO5g-xpFI147v5EUmjDmy9SM3Ss006XmDHAGLudbQjrEiboqZ6pQ/s400/IMG_3558.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288168753205606546" style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hope everyone had a safe and happy Holiday Season!</div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-79613790560380756582008-10-21T07:05:00.006-04:002008-10-21T07:26:12.465-04:00Fun on the Potomac<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaD-pPnWuFT0VlL9MwaJ8bLWFOtTwIwxA-4_n6Y5g-emwk0QN5xGNed3s7feG6j3GMrS56rE-82jhml82Agl9aiY0KEFAwxS6ug8CG5Bp-Q5DNDWL_ijsJ6rqTrHqab3ld1Mm2w/s1600-h/IMG_3436.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaD-pPnWuFT0VlL9MwaJ8bLWFOtTwIwxA-4_n6Y5g-emwk0QN5xGNed3s7feG6j3GMrS56rE-82jhml82Agl9aiY0KEFAwxS6ug8CG5Bp-Q5DNDWL_ijsJ6rqTrHqab3ld1Mm2w/s400/IMG_3436.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259563530134185986" border="0" /></a><br />We had some great weather this past weekend so the kids and I went down to the Potomac river to do some fishing. The kids like the idea of fishing, and are always amped and convinced that they will catch a fish, but 15 minutes or so into the process and they get bored.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3OnQ5EzmAXtbUsH4aZ6U_Au1hFnRzbxkUE1wo9WUHoCESW4I-whk5K8iHjTUS92XR-ksUK8mRyN-tBe8SGQvDBDNrCSF1eRa6_-JsaoFCbk4P33vSy51zh3ioYdcQ5RrSUxfmQ/s1600-h/IMG_3462.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3OnQ5EzmAXtbUsH4aZ6U_Au1hFnRzbxkUE1wo9WUHoCESW4I-whk5K8iHjTUS92XR-ksUK8mRyN-tBe8SGQvDBDNrCSF1eRa6_-JsaoFCbk4P33vSy51zh3ioYdcQ5RrSUxfmQ/s400/IMG_3462.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259564607824877618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57kY68HsgA1AOio6KtaFpH7uWLJktF6NTnpqVFW1hDQTMmxFH-nkE6IaE6nKfn0mch-eIEfngtbWMdUeR_CEXWG90iAD4LvRKjwOcqGgdANK15EHkpS0AHit-jUALRKO6jhnODA/s1600-h/IMG_3449.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57kY68HsgA1AOio6KtaFpH7uWLJktF6NTnpqVFW1hDQTMmxFH-nkE6IaE6nKfn0mch-eIEfngtbWMdUeR_CEXWG90iAD4LvRKjwOcqGgdANK15EHkpS0AHit-jUALRKO6jhnODA/s400/IMG_3449.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259564620418441810" border="0" /></a><br />It works out well since where we go is adjacent to the C&O Canal so there is a lot for them to explore. They climbed under and on top of the old aqueduct and generally enjoyed exploring the river in the warm sunshine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7h2BTZ1UXtuP6rrccOhnxh0vJcwHV0ZgMCaCu0B4FffuqX2CBXOQOgE4M3Qvn39Wvopqq8E7V4zzPQvviHCWe18dwYfHiLqTJ8L3DXQN7TUvGyRmCwOKCd1XdpOIylqmee99AQw/s1600-h/IMG_3433.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7h2BTZ1UXtuP6rrccOhnxh0vJcwHV0ZgMCaCu0B4FffuqX2CBXOQOgE4M3Qvn39Wvopqq8E7V4zzPQvviHCWe18dwYfHiLqTJ8L3DXQN7TUvGyRmCwOKCd1XdpOIylqmee99AQw/s400/IMG_3433.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259563537729180002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIfO6rJg2JdXC_VPo3VB9Hb8M9jumhO1yoWKis7yGIQ2CO_LqvhbsT3kgitVYsQPisP5wwWm-DS3STOmOqMNUhB9oZNDM6-hgU7u3Oqm2jfIfT9WLJI6aNNxpcH0g7uMuYZ3dmQ/s1600-h/IMG_3434.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIfO6rJg2JdXC_VPo3VB9Hb8M9jumhO1yoWKis7yGIQ2CO_LqvhbsT3kgitVYsQPisP5wwWm-DS3STOmOqMNUhB9oZNDM6-hgU7u3Oqm2jfIfT9WLJI6aNNxpcH0g7uMuYZ3dmQ/s400/IMG_3434.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259563539423557842" border="0" /></a><br />Emily found a nice size crawdad. We brought it home and put it into our small decorative pond, unfortunately it did not make it. I think it was on its last legs so to speak which is why she was able to catch it so easily.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJAqTD7ejJp8bUaYXgh07m4W8vNv3IvLR-jKp0uESZAkpNeNtK4y3SzxeHWx_rrVdLh8-386EDjyH6vw-XagmwQI3vxWIBVdNZcE7A5LhBK1M9o4EaDm1D_wBT1lozZSMjTpHLw/s1600-h/IMG_3461.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJAqTD7ejJp8bUaYXgh07m4W8vNv3IvLR-jKp0uESZAkpNeNtK4y3SzxeHWx_rrVdLh8-386EDjyH6vw-XagmwQI3vxWIBVdNZcE7A5LhBK1M9o4EaDm1D_wBT1lozZSMjTpHLw/s400/IMG_3461.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259566428656943122" border="0" /></a>Of course river fun always leads to going in deeper<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCftY-SH1jeV2JkCUqW0PsVEdsAlGoFDDlSyNrAwvQAdobJA_V17UJLvA5jk_i9Brhb5zUk72Q-tRMRbiiN1R6qLR_UX76TUqMTKLVMg5mCT89bjhZDROWCdTWCRjUCc7y4MmnOA/s1600-h/IMG_3463.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCftY-SH1jeV2JkCUqW0PsVEdsAlGoFDDlSyNrAwvQAdobJA_V17UJLvA5jk_i9Brhb5zUk72Q-tRMRbiiN1R6qLR_UX76TUqMTKLVMg5mCT89bjhZDROWCdTWCRjUCc7y4MmnOA/s400/IMG_3463.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259564609911220114" border="0" /></a> and deeper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5PRc9izNGhZesP4VdedeCCtGB4WK2I3_8KUjZvb5O3QHrXyI0GBxAwDSr5rB6mOttU4Mf_67D2XDpYoE0jwhdOTlD7i1cbw3tFF422Stty15BEdFv410USP_venCjetu0dtCgw/s1600-h/IMG_3455.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5PRc9izNGhZesP4VdedeCCtGB4WK2I3_8KUjZvb5O3QHrXyI0GBxAwDSr5rB6mOttU4Mf_67D2XDpYoE0jwhdOTlD7i1cbw3tFF422Stty15BEdFv410USP_venCjetu0dtCgw/s400/IMG_3455.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259565491468209762" border="0" /></a>Which leads to wet clothes and water filled boots.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-72731153519837009332008-09-04T15:07:00.003-04:002008-09-04T15:19:24.849-04:005 Tons of HayWe got 10 round bales of hay delivered this past weekend. Probably more than we need for the winter but this way we will not have to try to find some when it is least available. <br /><br />The kids had fun jumping from bale to bale until we got them all put up on pallets under tarps.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXxSaH_LGxRmppICvKAhMcqBJlAXw_XvbMwxXDbJQUcM-CqlbbNyI84G5B5o8H7dStpEUPD6LHQ7LL6O3js-NzT2GZqgfb6fQIJkLr2vQ7IAWqkzswEOHtqhByZZ7TH6cssjxcg/s1600-h/IMG_3322.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXxSaH_LGxRmppICvKAhMcqBJlAXw_XvbMwxXDbJQUcM-CqlbbNyI84G5B5o8H7dStpEUPD6LHQ7LL6O3js-NzT2GZqgfb6fQIJkLr2vQ7IAWqkzswEOHtqhByZZ7TH6cssjxcg/s400/IMG_3322.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242246448550404338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-d8sEdp4-5cRRcuJ1BVKvEKG5MmbiwWXrHPpbANgvmOtZMrAJiP8scAb-jSMpjuASpwy24lqBtWQM-yXpAE3KnvJD5u0gHx41MCtDJG0An5b3UGwK2LlAqGgwGkN0gP0cO09SQ/s1600-h/IMG_3321.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-d8sEdp4-5cRRcuJ1BVKvEKG5MmbiwWXrHPpbANgvmOtZMrAJiP8scAb-jSMpjuASpwy24lqBtWQM-yXpAE3KnvJD5u0gHx41MCtDJG0An5b3UGwK2LlAqGgwGkN0gP0cO09SQ/s400/IMG_3321.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242246451292690082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5N_3cOp6qxa9XzlkFHB6Akii5xA6SFJQmrOPjkYoTGFqtQZ1YydfdmE5W8nEmVr-cK5i_ehq7qlPBV89uOFclCjK3wKL5ev7IdXMSSNLPp8yajknR60luyuG0-7X4cAkemA2kw/s1600-h/IMG_3329.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5N_3cOp6qxa9XzlkFHB6Akii5xA6SFJQmrOPjkYoTGFqtQZ1YydfdmE5W8nEmVr-cK5i_ehq7qlPBV89uOFclCjK3wKL5ev7IdXMSSNLPp8yajknR60luyuG0-7X4cAkemA2kw/s400/IMG_3329.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242246455292499874" border="0" /></a>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-49722339410165598682008-08-20T09:00:00.005-04:002008-08-24T10:24:01.165-04:00Butchering PigsAnother skill I have been learning since moving to the farm is butchering of our <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/10/fillet-du-chevon.html">livestock</a>. While we take our full size hogs to a local USDA certified butcher to process I have been culling some of our pigs as <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2008/05/pig-roast.html">sucklings</a> and weaners, since we have more pork out in the field than we need if we allowed them all to go to market weight.<br /><br />I previously butchered two of our piglets, in both cases by bringing them in from pasture to a small pen besides the barn before dispatching them. I only needed to carry the first one a couple hundred feet, from one side of the barn to the other, and since he only weighed 32 lbs this was not much of a problem. The second was after we had already moved them out onto the back pasture, and it was a tiring and humorous (after the fact) struggle to drag that 75 lbs pig up to the barn.<br /><br />Since our pigs are significantly bigger now I needed a different plan. The best way would probably have been to setup an electrified run between the pigs and the barn, sort the pig we wanted into the run then coax him up to the pen. I decided not to do this since the pigs are currently a couple hundred yards from the barn and running that much fencing just to move one pig seemed ridiculous.<br /><br />I decided that I would just drop him in place when I fed the pigs their breakfast. This may sound crass but it turns out that this is how a lot of small scale farmers do things and as I will tell you below his fellow pigs did not seem to care in the least. I selected out our smallest male pig and before feeding them while they were greeting me at the hog panel marked his head with a sharpie. This way when they were going crazy running from food bowl to food bowl to make sure they weren't missing out on something better I would not mistakenly kill the wrong pig. The cull went surprisingly well. I just tossed their food bowls in as normal, grabbed my .22 rifle and walked up to the unlucky pig and with one shot between the eyes he was down. The other pigs did not get spooked by the gun shot nor seemed upset by their fallen comrade. I then grabbed the pig by his hind legs and dragged him out of the pig pen and into the small trailer behind our tractor and took him back to the house. He was hard to get into the trailer and I estimate that he weighed well over 100 lbs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEN1meDvyB07VGTsioepEkCeq2y4hJKbsCDm75Fsmf6V78K1Wp6qDb7Uhj5TGDrIK4f-42S927bMTmZjFsAjQ0mCXx2eEam7h_mPZcX-WeDckLwUT3sfVOgRZL0uhE-cidaiY23A/s1600-h/IMG_3276.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEN1meDvyB07VGTsioepEkCeq2y4hJKbsCDm75Fsmf6V78K1Wp6qDb7Uhj5TGDrIK4f-42S927bMTmZjFsAjQ0mCXx2eEam7h_mPZcX-WeDckLwUT3sfVOgRZL0uhE-cidaiY23A/s320/IMG_3276.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236593926135841570" border="0" /></a>Here is the pig hanging while I scrape the hair off.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The gambrel and hoist I picked up last deer season made it easy to get the pig hung at a convenient working height. I gutted and quartered the pig that day and put it in the fridge to chill and age. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZUhiHXlQ1xqQV5-kTJgWHQ0uKTGiknbOL9NVo0iwGQXRB_M4AE-jABcoNrsfZy470iPLJRuLGwptF9hYdMhpp3kfdK91Q78IoBh-XjGcZk54tj-8ot1MzbQBKvnymeRrJthJ2Q/s1600-h/IMG_3283.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZUhiHXlQ1xqQV5-kTJgWHQ0uKTGiknbOL9NVo0iwGQXRB_M4AE-jABcoNrsfZy470iPLJRuLGwptF9hYdMhpp3kfdK91Q78IoBh-XjGcZk54tj-8ot1MzbQBKvnymeRrJthJ2Q/s320/IMG_3283.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236596536156071746" border="0" /></a>Here is a front quarter ready to go in the fridge.<br /></div><br />Yesterday I began the actual butchering process. To date I have been pulling the tenderloin and cutting off the hams and shoulders into convenient sizes, but have not done much in the way of real butchering. By that I mean cutting the meat into "cuts" that resemble what one would see in a grocery store. I downloaded some <a href="http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatcharts.html">cut sheets</a> from a cool website on barbecuing, so that I had something to work from. I ended up using a hacksaw to cut off the baby back ribs and to make some pork chops from one of the front quarters. This is a case were having the proper tools would be a huge help. I know that real butchers have a band saw to make these cuts and to say I was envious would be an understatement. The hack saw did an adequate job, I used it on Sunday to split the carcass in two, but it was difficult to hold the carcas and cut at the same time. It probably would have been easier if I had partially frozen the carcas to stiffen it some. After cutting the chops from the one quarter I just decided to make a bone in loin roast from the other. When all was said and done we had two fresh hams, two shoulders a couple racks of ribs as well as loin roasts and a bunch of chops in the freezer. Of course two thick chops did not make it to the freezer as they were needed for quality control purposes and were grilled up last night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmOr6m236A6jGTCcJapaHXyf5hdnDNhPPa_4tjBh4chQ6fh6SzsXSMNxuZOmNrND0MpuT-v1OHGTY0uxU_yB6hwuuGUUaYgT36ZYArcjhQ5urV0YgZHQ_Pn2qICkbFhDH7zKZMQ/s1600-h/IMG_3298.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmOr6m236A6jGTCcJapaHXyf5hdnDNhPPa_4tjBh4chQ6fh6SzsXSMNxuZOmNrND0MpuT-v1OHGTY0uxU_yB6hwuuGUUaYgT36ZYArcjhQ5urV0YgZHQ_Pn2qICkbFhDH7zKZMQ/s320/IMG_3298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236604893907343154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-42250354628689084302008-08-11T14:09:00.013-04:002008-08-24T10:27:49.200-04:00Another Farm UpdateThings have gotten away from me again, so this will be another whirlwind update of what I have been doing on and around the farm.<br /><br />Summer is always a hectic time around the farm, crops to plant, weed and harvest; animals to feed, water and move; etc. Every once in a while my real job also gets in the way. Late July I had to go out to Keystone Colorado to give a talk at a nanotechnology conference. Now that does not sound like a bad thing considering how beautiful Colorado is and all, but with CSA deliveries, Emily's birthday (more on that latter) and generally not wanting to be away from the kids for too long of a time, what could be an enjoyable trip turns into flying out Wednesday to talk on Thursday and flying back home Friday morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiY6BbC54fNs16kClMuw64QNKu-5ajU6_Hv_OdbX4ozZm7kTYsFdtGgiOhMkDLti-4Ty5YrYni-ZnaiNjm5oektqL2AT1hdvIbBeRpe5EuFOdHyzozlk5S0_bT29akFyfBOw1p6g/s1600-h/IMG_3196.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiY6BbC54fNs16kClMuw64QNKu-5ajU6_Hv_OdbX4ozZm7kTYsFdtGgiOhMkDLti-4Ty5YrYni-ZnaiNjm5oektqL2AT1hdvIbBeRpe5EuFOdHyzozlk5S0_bT29akFyfBOw1p6g/s200/IMG_3196.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233329099165684946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZuieMsVKp-UZ-sRjFOZ_CWJg08aidJ3QVv3BSWkem2xBVRHxgzUdnFlBT8g7zxp7eL1F6JNDRwl24kx-TePgAaBF__Ft5FR88uEGubB77ftcocU4PXe3KdmWe6wL2bRE2XuYxw/s1600-h/IMG_3193.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZuieMsVKp-UZ-sRjFOZ_CWJg08aidJ3QVv3BSWkem2xBVRHxgzUdnFlBT8g7zxp7eL1F6JNDRwl24kx-TePgAaBF__Ft5FR88uEGubB77ftcocU4PXe3KdmWe6wL2bRE2XuYxw/s200/IMG_3193.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233328744583391698" border="0" /></a><br />On the way back to the airport on Friday I took the scenic route over Loveland Pass and got these photos of the sun coming up over the continental divide.<br /><br />Unfortunately, my original 10:20 am flight home from Denver is canceled and I am re-booked on a 7:30 pm flight. As you might imagine the prospects of hanging around the airport all day and getting in to Dulles airport after midnight are less than appealing. Luckily I am able to connect with the ticketing agent for the 12:10 pm flight and he pushes me up to the top of the waiting list. I physically got the last seat on that flight, last row window seat. This means that I get into Dulles at a much more manageable 6:30 pm and I am back at the farm sometime around 8 pm. The kids are happy since we get to do dinner together and I am happy to unwind.<br /><br />This was particularly important since my oldest, Emily turned 11 in July and we had a pool party/BBQ for her the following day. Danielle roasted up a farm raised turkey from last year and I BBQed up a huge pork shoulder from one of our hogs. There were also deep fried potato chips from our Red Nordland potatoes made to order and great rolls brought down from New Jersey by my parents. All of the pork and at least half of the turkey went, and I think everyone would still be there eating the potato chips if I was willing to keep frying them.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibF1-km8S-SP9AHI0iQHBGN6fPjDPk5_iFDv5SvzOHY8jQS1ADB9FXCjpkBrVy2UNc5SHa62-sNWnctryJKutlBjDtZTfhpq76UECk-Anlsu6XZUkiQbwDVfFycZRp1-hGlU93-A/s1600-h/IMG_3211.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibF1-km8S-SP9AHI0iQHBGN6fPjDPk5_iFDv5SvzOHY8jQS1ADB9FXCjpkBrVy2UNc5SHa62-sNWnctryJKutlBjDtZTfhpq76UECk-Anlsu6XZUkiQbwDVfFycZRp1-hGlU93-A/s200/IMG_3211.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233333658921818130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GRk9RawdQ19yWOgSy3wnB9pCldEJx-X4g-eG_GkoehjP2E7GnxxF7EfMKvIp0ESk8UVndHNVM6WxQY7RFCfdxnzvJ1Bu5jXOdWILnk8th9TbRRryRYhkjkFExJHAl_6gwmeV1w/s1600-h/IMG_3200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GRk9RawdQ19yWOgSy3wnB9pCldEJx-X4g-eG_GkoehjP2E7GnxxF7EfMKvIp0ESk8UVndHNVM6WxQY7RFCfdxnzvJ1Bu5jXOdWILnk8th9TbRRryRYhkjkFExJHAl_6gwmeV1w/s200/IMG_3200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233333808885713778" border="0" /></a>Doesn't she look all grown up with her new haircut!<br />Happy Birthday Emily.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bella (our Jersey cow) is doing well and has seemed to settle in to the routine here on the farm. I am still getting used to how much grass she eats and figuring out how and when to move her to new pasture. She is fairly easy to move in that she respects a single strand of electrified polywire at nose height, but the dance of rotating her with the sheep and the laying hens can get complex. We try to follow Bella with the hens so that they can scratch apart her cow patties and destroy the pathogen cycle. This works ok, but we have not figured out a good way to get her to the upper part of our large pasture and still have a convenient method of watering her. Considering how much water a cow drinks in a day having a close by water source is a must.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3UHnCxeWRLv5GzBmEZuk9JOzMJ5T4HeTC3VgzsDyTpI4FUCb7wnBQAkAfHq-GLVM9ewGk3OX5RggdLQCBBOqK2cIU4sDeaB1ICmPmnmersbnyPH-HxD1OUUayzH8Q54ODyTQIg/s1600-h/IMG_3243.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3UHnCxeWRLv5GzBmEZuk9JOzMJ5T4HeTC3VgzsDyTpI4FUCb7wnBQAkAfHq-GLVM9ewGk3OX5RggdLQCBBOqK2cIU4sDeaB1ICmPmnmersbnyPH-HxD1OUUayzH8Q54ODyTQIg/s400/IMG_3243.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233335987882656770" border="0" /></a>My other continual chore is constructing shelters for the animals. In the picture above you can see some poultry shelters fabricated from cattle panels and tarps as well as the store bought canopy Bella uses for shade. A commenter asked how sturdy the canopy is since her cows tend to rub against anything and everything. At the time I mentioned that it was holding up fine. Well two months later and Bella has broken the canopy and I am now in the planning stages for a permanent run in shelter. At first it will just provide shade but I will eventually put three sides on it to provide some shelter in the winter months.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj10oT1h-_dDnqDnAspEy1YNIcvPhuPCrqJWNvGK3uxhYCwQDNKAT5B62aZysBrLI_fnC-kQi4GzF0Y3z51zNaRks8vWF4yYoCrbM9T-H2UhwQUzS5dYXOBvVPBxPS_MmwKsBSg/s1600-h/IMG_3214.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj10oT1h-_dDnqDnAspEy1YNIcvPhuPCrqJWNvGK3uxhYCwQDNKAT5B62aZysBrLI_fnC-kQi4GzF0Y3z51zNaRks8vWF4yYoCrbM9T-H2UhwQUzS5dYXOBvVPBxPS_MmwKsBSg/s320/IMG_3214.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233338077799043410" border="0" /></a>The kids and I went to our first minor league baseball game. They were so excited to go, they even made a homemade t-shirt to support the Hagerstown Suns our local team. Once the hotdogs and ice cream were eaten and the other team got up 7 to nothing with little more than a hit by the home team the kids thought otherwise and decided they had had enough. This was the in the fourth inning mind you. The highlight of the night was that while walking through the parking lot back to our car a father and son who had been collecting the foul balls gave one to the kids to take home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7Re4jrNd_XhKo2ZCUPlzF8uNufRkJq9B2YHV3joUSS5HDYpslpwRAE1OTgBubkIW6aVTag4h3MNOVElNIuOI-0PwH4q_ZzJdfHQv9blWyeBEHIAaoWd8DUqnnc8IwmBJyX4GvA/s1600-h/IMG_3265.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7Re4jrNd_XhKo2ZCUPlzF8uNufRkJq9B2YHV3joUSS5HDYpslpwRAE1OTgBubkIW6aVTag4h3MNOVElNIuOI-0PwH4q_ZzJdfHQv9blWyeBEHIAaoWd8DUqnnc8IwmBJyX4GvA/s320/IMG_3265.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233339366839863234" border="0" /></a>As I mentioned in a previous post our potatoes have done excellent this year. On top of the 470 lbs of Red Nordlands I harvested 82 lbs of Russian Banana Fingerlings. Corn, my other large crop has not fared as well. The plants themselves have grown tall and strong, however the ears are not getting fully pollinated. Another problem is that someone else is helping themselves to the corn. Lots of ears were pulled off the corn stalks and were lying on the ground after being eaten. The guilty party was trapped this past Sunday. We are in the process of preserving his pelt so that Julia can make something out of it. Originally she was going to make a coon-skin cap for Sam but I am not sure that is still the plan. While we are on the varmint front I was able to get another of the groundhogs who have been raiding our gardens. There is at least one more that I have seen -- shot at and missed in fact. Hopefully the trap or the .223 will take care of him soon enough.<br /><br />Well that about sums up what I have been doing, except that somewhere during all this I managed to get shingles. For those of you that don't know, shingles is the chicken pox virus playing hide and seek in your spinal cord. As it turns out the virus never goes away but just lies dormant until it decides to come out along a nerve and create a skin rash and a large amount of pain. It is not fun but it seems that I have a rather mild case so that is good.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0qGwkbHB9lUYVAXILWT-Hnhi7pM7CxUagdpTKVZ2hejNL-PLhlCNb1wp-xVNONA886MyyZI4_Q2vT_hHMTMDIYUuZbLEr2mg87J3h1gaa9NbVnCpXrkHLY30keqO6-MuJtHRmA/s1600-h/IMG_3259.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0qGwkbHB9lUYVAXILWT-Hnhi7pM7CxUagdpTKVZ2hejNL-PLhlCNb1wp-xVNONA886MyyZI4_Q2vT_hHMTMDIYUuZbLEr2mg87J3h1gaa9NbVnCpXrkHLY30keqO6-MuJtHRmA/s400/IMG_3259.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233344457033168466" border="0" /></a>Even though at times it can be crazy, life on the farm is fun!<br /><br />UPDATE:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnie4gF8IKcKhOL2EGFN76o7m-giZDxiF5mWiafRJtZlFortDrELceH02IiI98dOujXA-66Hd59HKiZwAc4zqmnyeMBrJRqA0VNb94NT-IS5lNudrcqo6qPxW5RTx0jNHGl0iCA/s1600-h/IMG_3275.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnie4gF8IKcKhOL2EGFN76o7m-giZDxiF5mWiafRJtZlFortDrELceH02IiI98dOujXA-66Hd59HKiZwAc4zqmnyeMBrJRqA0VNb94NT-IS5lNudrcqo6qPxW5RTx0jNHGl0iCA/s200/IMG_3275.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236583458190809970" border="0" /></a><br />Finally got the elusive third groundhog. She won't be eating any more pumpkins!<br /><br /></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-26138097428661630002008-07-21T07:27:00.008-04:002008-08-24T10:26:37.157-04:00Long Weekend of Farm ChoresI have switched to a 9-80 schedule at work, which means I work nine hour days but get every other Friday off. This works out well in that it cuts my driving by 10% and gives me more time to spend with the family. It also means that I have more time to tackle the ever growing honey-do list. This past weekend was hot and dry but there was too much to do around the farm to just relax by the pool. Here is a list of the jobs accomplished.<br /><br /><ul><li>Moved the sheep and laying hens to new pasture.</li><li>Refilled piglet water station and water wagon barrels.</li><li>Took trash and recyclables to dump.</li><li>Vacuumed pool.<br /></li><li>Picked up and stacked in barn loft 30 bails of straw.</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n4GIG3jU2u0fi1dDoyaCXZqoRwM-aGlGyn17L0A4dGClHQKND0HA9Z-aTRebAY8PFGumvSSDM_gCUcAp6u9r7WSIFXFn_g-vV6tCRsII7zKah2kDnhf6H_gUS_bVZSnCqjxKWA/s1600-h/IMG_3167.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n4GIG3jU2u0fi1dDoyaCXZqoRwM-aGlGyn17L0A4dGClHQKND0HA9Z-aTRebAY8PFGumvSSDM_gCUcAp6u9r7WSIFXFn_g-vV6tCRsII7zKah2kDnhf6H_gUS_bVZSnCqjxKWA/s320/IMG_3167.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225431254169567314" border="0" /></a><ul><li>Helped harvest oats.</li><li>Dug post holes for dog kennel fence.</li><li>Built lumber loft in barn.<br /></li><li>Harvested and stored in larder 320 lbs of Red Nordland potatoes.</li><li>Shot ground hog in grain test plot.</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hcVKR_jAENL2mjYok2f22ymah-Y8CVs4SLp4_xAmt0PLv2yriQSYNAfbFdIj75WgktnJP251vqHZU4Y2FVfvLDXWoRaCNQ_3rI1KO_haHlbiOrAGUKeWVLnicEvG8hPD21mzWg/s1600-h/IMG_3175.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hcVKR_jAENL2mjYok2f22ymah-Y8CVs4SLp4_xAmt0PLv2yriQSYNAfbFdIj75WgktnJP251vqHZU4Y2FVfvLDXWoRaCNQ_3rI1KO_haHlbiOrAGUKeWVLnicEvG8hPD21mzWg/s320/IMG_3175.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225440274296463794" border="0" /></a><br />Obviously the potato harvest was the most strenuous of the tasks. The kids helped out but lost interest in the hot sun, even though I was paying them $2 for every row of potatoes the picked up. Need to get a photo of the lumber loft. It was a small job with a big payoff since it let me get all the scrap lumber up out of the way. This allowed us to move Danielle's potting bench into the corner that was the scrap wood repository, so now I can pull the tractor or truck straight through the barn. I severely over built the loft so that in the future I can put some floor boards down and it can be used to store hay and straw as well as lumber.<br /><br />Sunday afternoon I was out in the market garden while Danielle was trellising up tomatoes. On the way in we picked some squash and she complained how something was nibbling on the squash and eating the tops of her bean plants. I had seen a groundhog a couple weeks ago in the potato plot but was unable to get him at the time. I setup in the shade of the barn ~100 yards from the market garden to see if I could put a stop to the problem. I was multitasking, flipping ribs on the grill every half hour or so. Upon returning from flipping the ribs I spotted a groundhog in the grain test plot. He saw me as well and scurried off into the cover of some bushes. Ten minutes or so later curiosity or hunger got the best of him and he came back out into the garden. He won't be eating anymore of our veggies, but it is unclear if it is the one that was doing damage in the market garden since they are roughly 50 yards apart. Only time will tell.<br /><br />Finished off the weekend with a delicious Sunday dinner of the BBQed ribs, country home fries made with potatoes, onion and green pepper from our garden as well as raw green beans. It was a tiring but satisfying weekend.<br /><br />Monday after work additions<br /><ul><li>Cemented in dog kennel posts.</li><li>Built bean trellis.</li><li>Reattached roof flashing ripped off by thunderstorm.<br /></li></ul>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-12130469770301232132008-06-27T08:01:00.003-04:002008-06-27T08:06:37.413-04:00Humerous SignHere is a favorite road sign of mine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMqUQckSpcslr3o7qIPD7YD8eHVfhBapBEFwC4YME9RlAbtt6aq1n9ScerzRolrNeJgbakvTGTOaH-zGBw_1koAqNnthNx5JoRr2C6NXRarMkDf8CCA6bnG-YOIHK8oe14Aq70g/s1600-h/Sign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMqUQckSpcslr3o7qIPD7YD8eHVfhBapBEFwC4YME9RlAbtt6aq1n9ScerzRolrNeJgbakvTGTOaH-zGBw_1koAqNnthNx5JoRr2C6NXRarMkDf8CCA6bnG-YOIHK8oe14Aq70g/s320/Sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216530470015595666" border="0" /></a><br />It is located at a merge point for an on-ramp to US 81 South. I find it funny since I always imagine that the top sign came first, then someone decided that the information was not presented plainly enough and added the lower one.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-67107507280015211432008-06-09T07:50:00.009-04:002008-08-24T10:25:04.925-04:00Too Hot to Farm!We have been having something of a hot snap here the last couple of weeks, with temperatures reaching into the mid 90's with the humidity trying to match it. The work doesn't stop around the farm when it is hot.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZLVH_6A7BK8GNC0O2eEAYgZ36UXnW622JoNsOOUmWwlYVKbSaUls_9eerpnh65H15M2iLqt3_Oz77H3M_MFyKNclqFa3dAlV4JeDXHUdp6f6v5d8T0ZivqJJRnXumLjLVonxHw/s1600-h/IMG_3029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZLVH_6A7BK8GNC0O2eEAYgZ36UXnW622JoNsOOUmWwlYVKbSaUls_9eerpnh65H15M2iLqt3_Oz77H3M_MFyKNclqFa3dAlV4JeDXHUdp6f6v5d8T0ZivqJJRnXumLjLVonxHw/s200/IMG_3029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209849366744978098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Barn thermometer.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAb-oORB5c6NSQJl8SvoL4-Cxx9z6kvrlsvmPtvvcAC5JGTslrGTdq1qvQEQ59UG2aMGB943Uz8RqAcX8wgWbSGNDHpe4iRJcZaceRYcreiL_FQRwxaRzOWUjUZjfu46OYologw/s1600-h/IMG_3035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAb-oORB5c6NSQJl8SvoL4-Cxx9z6kvrlsvmPtvvcAC5JGTslrGTdq1qvQEQ59UG2aMGB943Uz8RqAcX8wgWbSGNDHpe4iRJcZaceRYcreiL_FQRwxaRzOWUjUZjfu46OYologw/s320/IMG_3035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212108553122853314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bella is smart enough to get out of the sun.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8pMD12h9FwabCromVjKrFzP7HRjzAgTZ2vBAloGkVD6maFXpAHe6R9Yz9qmwindoWihzLd2BUGPbCOfTtbioF41gt2nqrVYlxgfbERkRdQHOIXL_Oix6qstdUBjXvgV-A1wxow/s1600-h/IMG_3038.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8pMD12h9FwabCromVjKrFzP7HRjzAgTZ2vBAloGkVD6maFXpAHe6R9Yz9qmwindoWihzLd2BUGPbCOfTtbioF41gt2nqrVYlxgfbERkRdQHOIXL_Oix6qstdUBjXvgV-A1wxow/s320/IMG_3038.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212109746926847298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Unlike the crazy farmers. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Here Julia is planting another round of sweet corn.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23rBGJlS5Y6m0fQ4KboTFq08Tjo9ygEBvqNJbMneFXtrlECN9Y5w5M4UtEtVLG9q8e96_XeW3u0nrMu1KLJ3zCp2FQ1HOv3LUeDAsumz49IoVcAeWiTnqRBYLqtjU53Fv4hpG-g/s1600-h/IMG_3045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23rBGJlS5Y6m0fQ4KboTFq08Tjo9ygEBvqNJbMneFXtrlECN9Y5w5M4UtEtVLG9q8e96_XeW3u0nrMu1KLJ3zCp2FQ1HOv3LUeDAsumz49IoVcAeWiTnqRBYLqtjU53Fv4hpG-g/s320/IMG_3045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212112420923189266" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">I hooked up an automatic waterer for the piglets.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjVwrE5q6gAM9qkOZ71hArz3rRZ1-QXYSzI8uJh4o-9iPCDYqIMdQdp01YuNHQqhUcgDyWTnUsaoiX2aaoovDsXKp2rwpgsUJ_QT5lfeI9qMkiCP0xd4FbtJANrCsgNQkWxDx0g/s1600-h/IMG_3053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjVwrE5q6gAM9qkOZ71hArz3rRZ1-QXYSzI8uJh4o-9iPCDYqIMdQdp01YuNHQqhUcgDyWTnUsaoiX2aaoovDsXKp2rwpgsUJ_QT5lfeI9qMkiCP0xd4FbtJANrCsgNQkWxDx0g/s320/IMG_3053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212113755762500786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">But they still enjoy taking a bath to cool off.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUBAg939xGZgKQmEKi4EevQBgt-LV5axkYVTIfXTTpt9828V3uTzNznmpK9ClRjLh-_kwQes9rLyxp-RVSa5f2fqO5nQtz9Phb9FP8aCOyHxMyzxqcbNjzPJeCgrxrXL47ys0qA/s1600-h/IMG_3026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUBAg939xGZgKQmEKi4EevQBgt-LV5axkYVTIfXTTpt9828V3uTzNznmpK9ClRjLh-_kwQes9rLyxp-RVSa5f2fqO5nQtz9Phb9FP8aCOyHxMyzxqcbNjzPJeCgrxrXL47ys0qA/s200/IMG_3026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209854361909113890" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">My new farm hat and lots of water have been a must.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJlD6Id8VHNN2FMeqbQpF_qfWuGrj0ppy2KRbAuEsUxORMd0UroHziAXr-C8hDZm8guJnh63GiTlA1dLa0lOUPpjF5yrjZteRKPuckmKjmolveUH-cQ4hNcGil8xFxSDZvPeHTA/s1600-h/IMG_3044.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJlD6Id8VHNN2FMeqbQpF_qfWuGrj0ppy2KRbAuEsUxORMd0UroHziAXr-C8hDZm8guJnh63GiTlA1dLa0lOUPpjF5yrjZteRKPuckmKjmolveUH-cQ4hNcGil8xFxSDZvPeHTA/s320/IMG_3044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212111078998952578" border="0" /></a><br />The reward for all this hot work -- a fresh ham<br />on the BBQ with some deviled eggs and sauted spinach.<br /></div></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-6071773099328029842008-05-28T09:07:00.006-04:002008-08-24T10:24:40.952-04:00Morning Chores<div style="text-align: left;">This past weekend I took the camera out with me for my morning chores.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqna_D4syW-SqHxv5KQKN0nEmD7XWpEA-lvSXMcXDYbBZo2hfmFxCD1r_Dwgcv4UK1nPeZ86ALfBy1csdX1b4UVS4mY2kPIJHCA4Z9Tlq28LuFOu7FxgkLkEA3ZTcFAqQ9we7iGg/s1600-h/IMG_2892.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqna_D4syW-SqHxv5KQKN0nEmD7XWpEA-lvSXMcXDYbBZo2hfmFxCD1r_Dwgcv4UK1nPeZ86ALfBy1csdX1b4UVS4mY2kPIJHCA4Z9Tlq28LuFOu7FxgkLkEA3ZTcFAqQ9we7iGg/s400/IMG_2892.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205748548583957410" border="0" /></a>The piglets are always anxious for their breakfast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8TItyYhM8vxBfwfNLDrPLM3HPA5pGid31x4Zz2-b72hba8ctVX9aQ7kYPA2cD0bBRlZJIAEU4sQJZl4yWk_52jTyAHJAMoYsOlw8-rV1dtKhkLwQZGQb9WgCYirwzEdG1onMqw/s1600-h/IMG_2894.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8TItyYhM8vxBfwfNLDrPLM3HPA5pGid31x4Zz2-b72hba8ctVX9aQ7kYPA2cD0bBRlZJIAEU4sQJZl4yWk_52jTyAHJAMoYsOlw8-rV1dtKhkLwQZGQb9WgCYirwzEdG1onMqw/s400/IMG_2894.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205748801987027890" border="0" /></a>The red potatoes are coming in nicely, and the goats are enjoying their job of keeping down the brush.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLCsUaM_v61o0rPahMkflGDbCnTuUKlb6hvjXMvKzfQ8QydiM46SXyIgVFSDftFLZ9YzJjdJcYeEybInpL7oP5bRPJkfv-0aWUzD1gZa-EZtxSdfDL8dAprY0-l4HMmZLZr8YIA/s1600-h/IMG_2906.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLCsUaM_v61o0rPahMkflGDbCnTuUKlb6hvjXMvKzfQ8QydiM46SXyIgVFSDftFLZ9YzJjdJcYeEybInpL7oP5bRPJkfv-0aWUzD1gZa-EZtxSdfDL8dAprY0-l4HMmZLZr8YIA/s400/IMG_2906.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205749257253561282" border="0" /></a>The chickens are always on the look-out for something tasty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88PvVeEFI6y_utXZMmLAkHhHt3MwNIsZ7QlU5cvg7sbiz6DGE77ULs04kMXb9jxZYkHmXbVJHK0hW9FPAdvGvZqaLoo0hYobBOGGj1xaJVZ6otUI-bJWi5beaQbzZDgafWQvcTg/s1600-h/IMG_2897.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88PvVeEFI6y_utXZMmLAkHhHt3MwNIsZ7QlU5cvg7sbiz6DGE77ULs04kMXb9jxZYkHmXbVJHK0hW9FPAdvGvZqaLoo0hYobBOGGj1xaJVZ6otUI-bJWi5beaQbzZDgafWQvcTg/s400/IMG_2897.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205749502066697170" border="0" /></a>Big boy is moving slow before his first cup of coffee.<br /></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-6889431829204491342008-05-14T14:59:00.003-04:002008-08-24T10:24:40.953-04:00Pig RoastSince we have more <a href="http://touchtheearthfarm.blogspot.com/2008/03/this-little-piggy.html">piglets</a> than we care to feed out I started the process of reducing numbers this past weekend. We are planning on culling the boys through out the summer and just feed out the three girls to market weight. This was the first time I butchered a pig and it all went fairly well. The little guy was 32 lbs live weight which made home butchering possible. I don't imagine a large pig would be all that much more difficult, but not have the necessary equipment to manipulate a ~250 lb pig means that I will leave the real butchering to the experts. I had planned to roast up the entire pig on the BBQ rotisserie but he was too long to fit. Instead we cooked up the front half. The back half is frozen in two portions and I still need to make sausage from the head and neck meat. I really need to pick up a copy of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Beast-Nose-Tail-Eating/dp/0060585366/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210792650&sr=8-1"><span class="asinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle">The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating</span></span></a><b class="asinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle"> </span></b><span class="asinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle">so that I can find out how to make the best use out of the pigs. I already have a book on </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298/ref=pd_sim_b_title_1"><span class="asinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle">Charcuterie</span></span></a><span class="asinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle"> but need some information on making natural sausage casings and other lost arts.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxx0pQiglDtOVAOg3K3OS9z4gJqGixsfRnjjlbo0KJa92ecTm21zBEEm4aEuqW4weOOYpssmQ8Gm4NwxfQsPpep7PbJ57Lh18SonLI0JHJLn-fiGAxDxXIXw1Y9h80HmxOE4ZoKA/s1600-h/IMG_2829.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxx0pQiglDtOVAOg3K3OS9z4gJqGixsfRnjjlbo0KJa92ecTm21zBEEm4aEuqW4weOOYpssmQ8Gm4NwxfQsPpep7PbJ57Lh18SonLI0JHJLn-fiGAxDxXIXw1Y9h80HmxOE4ZoKA/s400/IMG_2829.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200310918243297938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF2cHV2yu5-tnkHjs7bYW-SxAuRdIFzelITc5Y56hMDCnLEODdvt438m-YFbZADy3ZLm8dgVn7ngEJH1BnHLEgue_0OvqI35uSqF3Fe61wbJS56e5WYUFIdBR9dRvyaaoVPxiGg/s1600-h/IMG_2832.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF2cHV2yu5-tnkHjs7bYW-SxAuRdIFzelITc5Y56hMDCnLEODdvt438m-YFbZADy3ZLm8dgVn7ngEJH1BnHLEgue_0OvqI35uSqF3Fe61wbJS56e5WYUFIdBR9dRvyaaoVPxiGg/s400/IMG_2832.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200310926833232546" border="0" /></a><br />As far as seasoning all I did was make some slits in the skin and stuffed them with garlic. The pork effectivley self-basted as it slow roasted over indirect heat. The pork was the most tender I have ever eaten. The tenderloin in particular just melted in your mouth. My parents were down to celebrate Sam's B-Day a little early and all enjoyed the feast.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-10214924071555067442008-04-21T08:30:00.005-04:002008-04-21T12:58:02.088-04:00Farm Work Catch-Up PostSpring has clearly sprung around here and so have all the farm chores. I am a sporadic blogger at best but like having this as a record so that I can look back to see where we were and to also have an idea of what worked and more importantly what did not.<br /><br />Over the last few weeks I finished hard fencing the perimeter of our property. Now our entire ~4.75 acres of working land is enclosed by field fencing, with a hot wire running along the top. This lets us make better use of our electric netting since we can situate it against the field fence in a semi-circle and clip into the power at will. More importantly if any of our animals escape their individual paddocks (which the goats are particularly prone to do) they are still confined to our property. A final piece of fencing that needs to be accomplished is surrounding the market garden so that any aforementioned escapees do not gain access. I am going back and forth on what is the best way to accomplish this. Field fencing would be the strongest and most durable solution, but would make plowing and prepping the fields more difficult since the tractor would have restricted access. I am thinking about using some of the electric netting since it could be removed and installed as needed but it would be less of a barrier to the animals and would require that I maintain the fence line so that the charger does not short out due to long wet grass.<br /><br />Speaking of plowing fields, last weekend I plowed up the newly <a href="http://touchtheearthfarm.blogspot.com/2008/04/garden-napoleon.html">expanded</a> market garden as well as a new plot that will be planted with a variety of grains. I was able to borrow a plow from my neighbor and modify it to fit my tractor. I always enjoy being able to borrow farm tools, especially ones like a plow that you only need to use for one to two days in any given year. This past week I also ran the disc through both plots a number of times to break up the soil and get it ready for planting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL6a0XXCW386sBONFLHfsBONLvhMWwWHlmymR4gaz325K-FR5JyDoT1dV_jrfMiIP1CROXGLt4UO1QDXbd24rEMfefaNjrVGGWicNOgygOHnnUOOq7bIjd-5bjKcvKsujWgi02A/s1600-h/IMG_2817.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL6a0XXCW386sBONFLHfsBONLvhMWwWHlmymR4gaz325K-FR5JyDoT1dV_jrfMiIP1CROXGLt4UO1QDXbd24rEMfefaNjrVGGWicNOgygOHnnUOOq7bIjd-5bjKcvKsujWgi02A/s400/IMG_2817.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191682533112334194" border="0" /></a><br />Finally on to this past weekend. Danielle cut up 50 lbs of seed potatoes this week so priority number one on Saturday was to get these in the ground as we were expecting rain on Sunday. Julia helped me place all the potatoes in the trenches and even covered one entire row. In all we planted 11 rows each 85 feet long. I still have 50 lbs of Yukon golds and 20 lbs of Russian fingerlings to get into the ground. The giant market garden is not looking so large anymore and the free area will continue to shrink as I get the other potatoes in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZmCuFmVQjy3l5OU95Gj5wqVDdQnyAUqeWJ0nl2QCBO1-6zhc4XqXILyK3pF-rTsH26b0c6GpHBEpexk2lA5ZgOpXY0M-Zh5oyF_YVdGdaUHQv5oyN_8YReiHVJw0hPkOY0EC-Q/s1600-h/IMG_1582.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZmCuFmVQjy3l5OU95Gj5wqVDdQnyAUqeWJ0nl2QCBO1-6zhc4XqXILyK3pF-rTsH26b0c6GpHBEpexk2lA5ZgOpXY0M-Zh5oyF_YVdGdaUHQv5oyN_8YReiHVJw0hPkOY0EC-Q/s400/IMG_1582.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191682541702268802" border="0" /></a><br />Gratefully, the rains came as promised and so far we have received over an inch and a half of much needed precipitation. I know others are barely keeping there heads above water with all the rain this Spring (sorry Woody) but we really needed a good soaking. This will go a long way to help all the new young plants that have started to pop in the last few weeks as well as provide a good watering in for the potatoes and the 50 trees that Danielle planted this weekend. It also provided some time for us to rest aside from rinsing out some recycled water containers with the runoff from our gutters.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-16089585600370836212008-04-02T11:24:00.005-04:002008-04-07T09:01:20.074-04:00Turkey's Out to PastureLast Friday and Saturday Danielle was learning how to <a href="http://touchtheearthfarm.blogspot.com/2008/03/shearing-sheep-with-102-fever.html">shear sheep</a>, so my work crew and I were left to our own devices. Our Narragansett turkeys have started laying for the season and we wanted to get them moved out onto pasture before the hens started to set. We did not want to move them after they were setting since this would likely be stressful on the hens and eggs, and based on last year, moving them after the poults hatched out would be a lesson in futility since the poults are wary of us and quite quick. We definitely needed to move them since our barn yard area needs to rest over the summer to recoup from having all the animals on it, as well as the fact that the turkeys got into the neighbors grape vines last year, something that will not be repeated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztNBnBZUwOldnta7brK9A-QcnE_T66LVO6wQ27Hwh_CzpyfNJsHk9ui1wZjgOWlnsg-ec_DucVI5wfOMf8O5KEMSjTiwpOkY9ECye_8giNflRbz2HGchVKvpVj6ceQ3tWQfvdhA/s1600-h/IMG_2798.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztNBnBZUwOldnta7brK9A-QcnE_T66LVO6wQ27Hwh_CzpyfNJsHk9ui1wZjgOWlnsg-ec_DucVI5wfOMf8O5KEMSjTiwpOkY9ECye_8giNflRbz2HGchVKvpVj6ceQ3tWQfvdhA/s400/IMG_2798.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184672859851292082" border="0" /></a><br />The kids helped me put some sides and a back onto a simple shelter we used last summer to provide shade for the geese. We used some scrap wood I had left over from the basement remodel we have been doing. The crew got a ride on the trailer out to the turkeys new pen with the shelter, electric poultry netting and some straw for a nest. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_0KSpBVqoY6pfVdqc0sdv5ISMzm5XbiFibtEC-FH50-dFhEfbpI4sZaWfq1fUA0aVWARNh1OwW95mGcwEhyFicT0XJ_Ma_4NEDmeqxXja05cES0rInUssVTvtjJIRCmyfoUH8Q/s1600-h/IMG_2801.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_0KSpBVqoY6pfVdqc0sdv5ISMzm5XbiFibtEC-FH50-dFhEfbpI4sZaWfq1fUA0aVWARNh1OwW95mGcwEhyFicT0XJ_Ma_4NEDmeqxXja05cES0rInUssVTvtjJIRCmyfoUH8Q/s400/IMG_2801.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184673310822858178" border="0" /></a><br />We tied the electric netting into the fence I ran last week, giving them a nice sized area to hang out in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qm9WiHUaeKl7J4jnNw8iSKT7-QJg3jMR8mbnm_yq57zPzrcerKVs0NfLWNDUma5jPLwWpfolWc0vb3QO7vkYVLHVAlyfrhKv0qG4FNWSDykgMSG-6ogiXvf-iQ3phi-bkxxwAg/s1600-h/IMG_2804.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qm9WiHUaeKl7J4jnNw8iSKT7-QJg3jMR8mbnm_yq57zPzrcerKVs0NfLWNDUma5jPLwWpfolWc0vb3QO7vkYVLHVAlyfrhKv0qG4FNWSDykgMSG-6ogiXvf-iQ3phi-bkxxwAg/s400/IMG_2804.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184673542751092178" border="0" /></a><br />The hens seem to have found the nest in the corner of the shelter acceptable. We moved out 8 eggs and as of last night I counted 11 in the straw. Not sure if they will share this nest, or if one will lay another clutch once the other sets. I guess as in everything we do on the farm, only time will tell.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-43907023290330143542008-03-25T07:49:00.005-04:002008-04-07T09:04:21.296-04:00Spring Farm WorkSpring brings about a lot of changes and chores around the farm. One of the bigger chores for me was pulling a fence line through the overgrown hedgerow on one side of our property. The previous owners had a fence in there at one time but never maintained it, and every time it became overgrown they would just put in new t-posts. This limited the amount of usable pasture that we had access to and made it difficult to allow the goats to browse the hedgerow since I had no way of containing them on the other side. Starting late winter I began the task of chopping a path through the wild olive, rosa multiflora, Chinese sumac, and honeysuckle that is our hedgerow. The culmination was on Easter Sunday when I was finally able to put in the field fencing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjql6-vc58mcpeSrNO_5p5CR8ZeQhYnJWJ8SUPTxAdkfJU2cnvvW2FgD7inZ2_pSD7UBk404CO56grwMZgAydcLVQy7rnTkkT5SFBBAwbjkIlY5spetQnOR90q2Qcwpt6ptpb42sw/s1600-h/FenceLine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjql6-vc58mcpeSrNO_5p5CR8ZeQhYnJWJ8SUPTxAdkfJU2cnvvW2FgD7inZ2_pSD7UBk404CO56grwMZgAydcLVQy7rnTkkT5SFBBAwbjkIlY5spetQnOR90q2Qcwpt6ptpb42sw/s400/FenceLine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181648215032429954" border="0" /></a><br />It is hard to see here but if you click on the image to enlarge it you can see that the fence line goes through the hedgerow just in front of the larger trees on the hill behind the mobile chicken coop. The weather was beautiful on Sunday (warm but not hot and plenty of sun) and Julia came out and helped me put the finishing touches on the fence. She stood at one end of the last pull and told me where to place the t-posts so that the were in a nice straight line. Jules was a great help and when we were policing up all the tools and getting ready to go in she told me that this was the best Easter ever since she got to find an Easter basket, got a new game and DVD and got to spend time with me. Well I had to agree that it was a pretty great Easter after she told me that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJLk0oH8PGR_1y12MiFKLPKPvfe-NmpZSrM9UMd3ttAiaNyHnKQuxPfhBXxfSTQpDajd2HaealiVkhAzZgTwJ70oohmVTQ7i-VPH746HyMQHqUONExG2o-5a41ukwGqlaNLqvXQ/s1600-h/IMG_2791.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJLk0oH8PGR_1y12MiFKLPKPvfe-NmpZSrM9UMd3ttAiaNyHnKQuxPfhBXxfSTQpDajd2HaealiVkhAzZgTwJ70oohmVTQ7i-VPH746HyMQHqUONExG2o-5a41ukwGqlaNLqvXQ/s200/IMG_2791.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181653386173054354" border="0" /></a>Spring also brings about the start of barbecue season on our farm. For Easter this year I barbecued up a beef brisket for the first time. The whole family is fond of pulled pork so I did more or less the same recipe. First I give it a dry rub consisting of paprika, chili pepper, garlic and salt. Put it on the grill with the coals off to the side and cover with the lid. After 8 hours, periodically turning, mopping with a mixture of oil, white vinegar and tabasco, and adding coals to keep the temperature the meat is done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1TzRliOrMPkQX9nDsnPfe-s23OmB5f0zOCRujjnPsiuTYO510gJ4uzWq_MhchiIFZrcs_a1LvYkdApm5bIkESLKYUqaLAOcmuNKADXXr02SkXGRENL-ERIdElzqIXmV9iJzngQ/s1600-h/IMG_2792.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1TzRliOrMPkQX9nDsnPfe-s23OmB5f0zOCRujjnPsiuTYO510gJ4uzWq_MhchiIFZrcs_a1LvYkdApm5bIkESLKYUqaLAOcmuNKADXXr02SkXGRENL-ERIdElzqIXmV9iJzngQ/s200/IMG_2792.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181653394762988962" border="0" /></a>Since I was in charge of cooking, and was also doing the fencing we ended up having a carnivores delight dinner. The entire meal consisted of the beef brisket, rolls, BBQ sauce and beer. The kids of course got to choose their own beverage but seemed to really like the meat. I am sure it is not the healthiest way to eat and I would not want to do it all the time, but after a long weekend of fencing gorging myself on beef and beer was pretty great.<br /><br />Hope everyone had a good start to Spring.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-10531540503099264692008-03-22T08:21:00.004-04:002008-04-07T09:01:31.127-04:00Full Moon Rising<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxRY315jjwxBkJQKuyykN0qjhgHXFVqmJ3FmyEUKGnTrehPXu_HmQx1FyPJtNx3Ba8hR389qjf1Qy5wStp-YP16w9TVvOXZTB7fSGehqoQXR-b6gf_en_YLvxZ08dBDabQyF1zg/s1600-h/Moon_Barn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxRY315jjwxBkJQKuyykN0qjhgHXFVqmJ3FmyEUKGnTrehPXu_HmQx1FyPJtNx3Ba8hR389qjf1Qy5wStp-YP16w9TVvOXZTB7fSGehqoQXR-b6gf_en_YLvxZ08dBDabQyF1zg/s400/Moon_Barn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180541268816264530" border="0" /></a><br />Here is the view of the moon rising from our back porch. Depending on your religious/historical associations you might call this the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-03-21-full-moon-easter_N.htm">Paschal</a> moon (which is why Easter is so early this year), or the <a href="http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names">Worm</a> moon (so named for the appearance of worm cast in spring).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dmzDu5jQPoPFWC5_cXFWAIKVxctARwEJeYArNOdTYPSvY1E38O8V3kR60AfI1_cKnMKYytNNKysf3IYWgnagt9oUQMn4LAKAIRMQvwoR3cH8AbDyM8MQmsWNlF5_6Z58NVpgwg/s1600-h/Worm_Moon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dmzDu5jQPoPFWC5_cXFWAIKVxctARwEJeYArNOdTYPSvY1E38O8V3kR60AfI1_cKnMKYytNNKysf3IYWgnagt9oUQMn4LAKAIRMQvwoR3cH8AbDyM8MQmsWNlF5_6Z58NVpgwg/s400/Worm_Moon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180541260226329922" border="0" /></a>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-83756539866024354232008-03-10T09:00:00.004-04:002008-04-07T09:01:12.099-04:00Snug as pigs in strawWell that might not be the correct saying, but these little guys and gals seem pretty happy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjBT3B0DP98_20Du2V3ZZmaiGB4XJs0EzvFmO2gr811SVaTmsvrhyNNp1wo9Xdy3T52GrG4eQZeeGNPkinMvokwTQQ9KvahJRNgW-HPbLNDDfWc1I2wIUrvht9jqpsKns3933Bg/s1600-h/IMG_2759.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjBT3B0DP98_20Du2V3ZZmaiGB4XJs0EzvFmO2gr811SVaTmsvrhyNNp1wo9Xdy3T52GrG4eQZeeGNPkinMvokwTQQ9KvahJRNgW-HPbLNDDfWc1I2wIUrvht9jqpsKns3933Bg/s400/IMG_2759.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176099550790144130" border="0" /></a><br />They are our first <a href="http://touchtheearthfarm.blogspot.com/2008/03/this-little-piggy.html">litter</a> of Tamworths here on the farm so we are probably obsessing a little over them. You can see that we have two distinct color variations blonde and red. Danielle thinks that all the blondes are females, but I will request that you all refrain from the dumb blonde jokes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L9QceNWlMWGVJ8jeNHOwsa8hJJ-6jS-kJs1L57ytcVGpqf4JjH2xoxCZZ2kUdS24Ba8GBfvlsxB127OfRKspb96N_NeeZu4uDnkWX6zIzu69YQYjUT-T7Ly39o6KPBMcYBXRUQ/s1600-h/IMG_2763.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L9QceNWlMWGVJ8jeNHOwsa8hJJ-6jS-kJs1L57ytcVGpqf4JjH2xoxCZZ2kUdS24Ba8GBfvlsxB127OfRKspb96N_NeeZu4uDnkWX6zIzu69YQYjUT-T7Ly39o6KPBMcYBXRUQ/s400/IMG_2763.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176102024691306642" border="0" /></a><br />I look in on them when I feed the pigs, since their mama Maya is distracted. Big Boy, the sire is in an adjoining pen and has been foaming at the mouth a number of times when I came near. I guess he is anxious to protect his offspring, which is a good thing, but might make our barrowing of the boys difficult. He calms down when he has food in front of him so we might have to feed both Mama and Papa and see if we can abscond with the boys. Will let you know how that goes.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-87701495685437811942008-03-06T08:48:00.004-05:002008-04-07T09:01:41.642-04:00Spring RainsAfter work last night I took the kids to check out what happens when the Spring rains come. This is one of our fishing spots along the Conococheague Creek. The nominal creek bank is 20 to 30 ft from where the wood posts are. <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/07/gone-fishin.html">Here</a> is what it looks like in the summer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnKu8GMJdUgvg-jFie06I2h5a9aRrJT2mTYGKtuS-zVwKG0QGiVoWsWAnwNsgtakcOh3TJR8QVqf40WAdB6UF5Asp2eLj7iKYg3eFQqJWJbiE2is2yt3xGlOShPEidw5epSaY9g/s1600-h/IMG_2733.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnKu8GMJdUgvg-jFie06I2h5a9aRrJT2mTYGKtuS-zVwKG0QGiVoWsWAnwNsgtakcOh3TJR8QVqf40WAdB6UF5Asp2eLj7iKYg3eFQqJWJbiE2is2yt3xGlOShPEidw5epSaY9g/s400/IMG_2733.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174626055001087954" border="0" /></a><br />When the creek is running normal this waterfall is about 5 feet high. Yesterday there was not much difference in the height on either side.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsWS30MbJK_uOjqAi2Z5ORi7n1o6KNb_orLlFyApDqtp5ajnIa58hjpPRSJC2pvRKkZr6GQLvrMwVGLFvyN7vXH5BpKWWBz0TgG821cXbzrJB765acFp74KjJe4wZFrwcwpbVEA/s1600-h/IMG_2734.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsWS30MbJK_uOjqAi2Z5ORi7n1o6KNb_orLlFyApDqtp5ajnIa58hjpPRSJC2pvRKkZr6GQLvrMwVGLFvyN7vXH5BpKWWBz0TgG821cXbzrJB765acFp74KjJe4wZFrwcwpbVEA/s400/IMG_2734.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174626067885989858" border="0" /></a><br />We watched a number of large tree trunks go over the waterfall before heading back to the house. While this is less than a quarter mile from our house we are a good 100 ft or so higher in elevation, which made the kids feel comfortable that we would not be flooded out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpCZ3r8I2mJXskndFtuBIUIHbOk0rvXa1Ht3PKa7LOGFMhBpkqSfRULaTPqc7gqrWMUnErX_jnkYfXT9cgKxvE8kydcK4V7REGkCdKMmTtyRJjG-8Gaw7U8oGQfFtGgj8MXOydw/s1600-h/IMG_2737.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpCZ3r8I2mJXskndFtuBIUIHbOk0rvXa1Ht3PKa7LOGFMhBpkqSfRULaTPqc7gqrWMUnErX_jnkYfXT9cgKxvE8kydcK4V7REGkCdKMmTtyRJjG-8Gaw7U8oGQfFtGgj8MXOydw/s400/IMG_2737.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174626076475924466" border="0" /></a>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-70749201718117383152008-02-09T11:04:00.000-05:002008-02-09T12:18:17.309-05:00Archive MemeI was doing my best to ignore the Archive Meme that <a href="http://ironwoodfarmproject.blogspot.com/2008/01/twice-tagged.html">Jenny</a> tagged me for, but since I am sick as a dog and spending the entire day sitting on my ass next to the wood burning stove now seemed like as good a time as any. The directions for the meme are at the bottom of the post. I omitted the part about tagging 5 other people since I am anti-social by nature.<br /><br /><ol><li>Family : The best way to celebrate any occasion, in my opinion anyway, is to get the family together and eat and drink to excess. This post talks about our <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2008/01/holiday-feast.html">Holiday Feast</a> a couple of days after Christmas.<br /><br /></li><li>Friends : This would more appropriately be labeled neighbors, but even if they are not close friends good neighbors are great to have. I have been able to borrow a <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2006/03/plowing.html">plow</a> from a neighbor down the road for the last two years, and have been the happy recipient of two old trailers from my next door neighbor which I transformed into a <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2006/04/trailer-fun.html">utility farm trailer</a> and a <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/05/mobile-chicken-coop.html">mobile chicken coop</a>.<br /><br /></li><li>Me : One of my passions is cooking food over an open fire. We tend to grill year round even in the snow and rain. Here is the <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/06/early-fathers-day-gift.html">rotisserie</a> Danielle got me for Father's Day last year. Its funny (given my anti-social admission above) that one of my favorite things is to BBQ up a pork shoulder for a bunch of people, like when we have our Memorial Day BBQ for friends and CSA members. To steal a line from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109445/">Clerks</a> "I hate people, but I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic."<br /><br /></li><li>Something I Love : This one is easy and hard at the same time. Easy since the thing I love most is my wife and family, hard since I don't tend to post sappy blogs. These posts about birthdays (<a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2008/01/julias-birthday.html">Julia's</a>, and <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/09/happy-brithday.html">Dainielle's</a>)will have to do.<br /><br /></li><li>Bloggers Choice : As the name of my blog implies the adventures we get into trying to farm, which are largely the result of us having no prior experience, are the most memorable things that happen on the farm. Here are two posts about learning to <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2006/12/another-thing-i-never-thought-i-would.html">castrate pigs</a> and getting them to the <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/04/when-pigs-fly.html">butcher</a>, which demonstrate this point<br /></li></ol><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Archive Meme Instructions: Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you've written. ... but there is a catch: Link 1 must be about family. Link 2 must be about friends. Link 3 must be about yourself, who you are... what you're all about. Link 4 must be about something you love. Link 5 can be anything you choose. I think this is a great way to circulate some of the great older posts everyone had written, return to a few great places in our memories and also learn a little something about ourselves and each other that we may not know.</span>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-46188356701185054642008-02-02T17:14:00.000-05:002008-02-03T04:25:03.256-05:00Turning Japanese --- I really think soI was in Japan last week for a <a href="http://www.rics.jp/CRESTsympo2008">workshop</a> related to my day job. It is amazing to see how the Japanese use space to its utmost. Parking lots had triple-decker elevator parking devices. One car was stored up in the air, one was at ground level and a third was held underground. The entire unit went up and down on hydraulics like the lift at a garage. (Sorry I failed to get a picture of this.)<br /><br />The other noticeable area that they utilized space optimally is in agriculture. Almost any space between houses, warehouses, stores, basically anywhere there was some flat ground, held a garden. Since it is the middle of winter most of these gardens were pretty bare, but the hoop houses were plentiful and the cabages and onions that were still growing looked gorgeous, in perfectly straight rows with nary a weed in sight. The fields that were farrow had beautiful rich black soil just waiting for the weather to warm enough for spring planting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnn2EWepWaLoGMIFYfjwoos869cqm8lkUqa1zLT8krWt7TPY_2NfqvMaFyPnwdU5kSACSTT7xRooma0L7842X_nBEaSdc8rXcezgWakR9PReHHFMb0HejLGgrAlEQzXEJOGknSrA/s1600-h/JapanHoopHouse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnn2EWepWaLoGMIFYfjwoos869cqm8lkUqa1zLT8krWt7TPY_2NfqvMaFyPnwdU5kSACSTT7xRooma0L7842X_nBEaSdc8rXcezgWakR9PReHHFMb0HejLGgrAlEQzXEJOGknSrA/s400/JapanHoopHouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162515636606012402" border="0" /></a>I also saw vast expanses of rice paddies. They were all drained for the winter but you could see the canal system and pumps that allowed them to be flooded. I apologize for the glare in the pictures, the sun was shining off the windows of a train.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78wUZwAO-CA3ELSBUCjpq6IA3tR1HAkl6fAaDLZqcyL7ZL7zwCNTFqNTF0lYgEhlLoR-WqUC0rYIVWtM69n_HLblMhFFA3qpLGSt9JXazr_xtOOs30B811aKlVnB-8evigloeRg/s1600-h/RicePaddies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78wUZwAO-CA3ELSBUCjpq6IA3tR1HAkl6fAaDLZqcyL7ZL7zwCNTFqNTF0lYgEhlLoR-WqUC0rYIVWtM69n_HLblMhFFA3qpLGSt9JXazr_xtOOs30B811aKlVnB-8evigloeRg/s400/RicePaddies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162520365365005314" border="0" /></a>Tokyo is amazing. It is more Manhattan then Manhattan. Large portions of the city are as billboarded and lit up as times square.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjgxD1B_y4mdzcBQef_UrrJKx_AwlpeGuXvvs8_nbfI8TAJCYeXrT3V1pYpXAk2L-AbqBvHCcReVOKE2TvOBDeLe8z0XaFVVfnm-dcx5c0Hx6VPBSoRlVZ9oIv2IR6FIVfvrjng/s1600-h/IMG_2615.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjgxD1B_y4mdzcBQef_UrrJKx_AwlpeGuXvvs8_nbfI8TAJCYeXrT3V1pYpXAk2L-AbqBvHCcReVOKE2TvOBDeLe8z0XaFVVfnm-dcx5c0Hx6VPBSoRlVZ9oIv2IR6FIVfvrjng/s400/IMG_2615.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162677281995164690" border="0" /></a><br />But there are still signs of the past such as this Kabuki Theater,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_4qBBCRYx1rJrPP7zmOLEigVsxRt5ESZL-DqbkwM0sDg6LiasqFLo8X2rPQtiGaDp7umqvCSE27cz6e5wW9h30vx3x84nePxkKLtXfBBPbJ4DTW7kzMXRZr7PvbzRSKGfVi7AQ/s1600-h/IMG_2617.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_4qBBCRYx1rJrPP7zmOLEigVsxRt5ESZL-DqbkwM0sDg6LiasqFLo8X2rPQtiGaDp7umqvCSE27cz6e5wW9h30vx3x84nePxkKLtXfBBPbJ4DTW7kzMXRZr7PvbzRSKGfVi7AQ/s400/IMG_2617.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162678802413587490" border="0" /></a><br />Buddhist Temple<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBI4PBRb30I1l8izU1ZrrojWmr6ApQvxDgxnakx8WqoJUsOwF0A0vt-1ICg-pUhn5fLKZs2TGC6edlauhDR6XpSKC-YA83KWURRfdzU_xVe-EjLLK33vqGXYnbquxNsTn1Z5Kq6w/s1600-h/IMG_2622.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBI4PBRb30I1l8izU1ZrrojWmr6ApQvxDgxnakx8WqoJUsOwF0A0vt-1ICg-pUhn5fLKZs2TGC6edlauhDR6XpSKC-YA83KWURRfdzU_xVe-EjLLK33vqGXYnbquxNsTn1Z5Kq6w/s400/IMG_2622.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162680949897235538" border="0" /></a><br />and most notably the Imperial Palace.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1gtOdFrFFYtZppKRVsYsCS8obvtqLV9jgToNqIYbPiGq17zlnJ_Or2sTmxQWxnTNDR4B63iGOUYO-7I2Er57Hrxaky3sAAX7zLwVyVZFJNwI8IgxJGKdOgN2OkH5742khOtuJw/s1600-h/IMG_2661.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1gtOdFrFFYtZppKRVsYsCS8obvtqLV9jgToNqIYbPiGq17zlnJ_Or2sTmxQWxnTNDR4B63iGOUYO-7I2Er57Hrxaky3sAAX7zLwVyVZFJNwI8IgxJGKdOgN2OkH5742khOtuJw/s400/IMG_2661.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162678806708554802" border="0" /></a>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-43143134674645647322008-01-23T13:34:00.000-05:002008-04-07T09:02:00.936-04:00Snow DayI was on kid duty Friday so Danielle could go to a <a href="http://www.futureharvestcasa.org/">farming conference</a>. It happened to work out well since we received a couple inches of snow Thursday, not enough to cause Danielle any problems getting to the conference, but enough for the kids and I to have some fun.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSyVEQ0EvDwJXjen970rdV469oEohhC76rcxSG7fdtIdCPE883GIu_MVHqQxQu1EG9JHgjDkmNM0CuOPdh1HRsey-Gdo6c3QGqunI4CjMhWb-HlEB01c25GWZdW2s0uanzMTEog/s1600-h/BundledGirls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSyVEQ0EvDwJXjen970rdV469oEohhC76rcxSG7fdtIdCPE883GIu_MVHqQxQu1EG9JHgjDkmNM0CuOPdh1HRsey-Gdo6c3QGqunI4CjMhWb-HlEB01c25GWZdW2s0uanzMTEog/s400/BundledGirls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158749210297186594" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emily and Julia bundled up to help me with the morning chores.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlmZIm78xRhVkVUg3f30lDbPwCa6SzmHdJAVkDQlb_3BK2LkjMDsx9hEk-oT5XZkN5Mfj_xnt_4o4z2QrqqbdQjebkKihneuTwi1IIWOAg0YzuP2fp2JHcHi4gRKSAFRq3xPd_g/s1600-h/SnowyBarnYard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlmZIm78xRhVkVUg3f30lDbPwCa6SzmHdJAVkDQlb_3BK2LkjMDsx9hEk-oT5XZkN5Mfj_xnt_4o4z2QrqqbdQjebkKihneuTwi1IIWOAg0YzuP2fp2JHcHi4gRKSAFRq3xPd_g/s400/SnowyBarnYard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158749480880126274" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">And here is what the barn yard looked like when we walked out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJ0QRUYkoOthqReOig5W2nu_-Twor6I3RFCT8dy3bSZrvxFN32gzovYDXdRc9VmWI2vmL76VQjbljCcEx5CC_mlbIxJxPzUjPjDNGxnom72vy8huBs9fbAhGYrP5huBJZx7ssFQ/s1600-h/Girls_Turkeys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJ0QRUYkoOthqReOig5W2nu_-Twor6I3RFCT8dy3bSZrvxFN32gzovYDXdRc9VmWI2vmL76VQjbljCcEx5CC_mlbIxJxPzUjPjDNGxnom72vy8huBs9fbAhGYrP5huBJZx7ssFQ/s400/Girls_Turkeys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158749304786467122" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The girls were checking out some bunny tracks in the upper corner of the field, but the Turkeys thought they were playing with them.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZTnfthmwSVpSh4_6tnhyphenhyphen1DCZotlQ8dDMbvMg20hcY40PHNmLJjYllrYfAsB1AaF0ELSBxv9-Ryf2zWlrxQQyFiK0_FlH0PZ4ygL4WiBo3JxwcHXcCJHlM3C8k_pRvlGZaiPswg/s1600-h/IMG_2584.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZTnfthmwSVpSh4_6tnhyphenhyphen1DCZotlQ8dDMbvMg20hcY40PHNmLJjYllrYfAsB1AaF0ELSBxv9-Ryf2zWlrxQQyFiK0_FlH0PZ4ygL4WiBo3JxwcHXcCJHlM3C8k_pRvlGZaiPswg/s400/IMG_2584.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158743867357870290" border="0" /></a>Here is Sisyphus and his sister trying to roll his snow boulder up to the barn.<br /></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-23679705223592085252008-01-14T08:42:00.000-05:002008-04-07T09:04:21.297-04:00Goat CurrySince winter has set in I decided to spice things up by trying some new recipes. As I blogged about <a href="http://mdfarm.blogspot.com/2007/10/fillet-du-chevon.html">here</a> I butchered our Nigerian Dwarf Goat wether earlier this fall. At the time we grilled up some of the <a href="http://touchtheearthfarm.blogspot.com/2007/10/dark-days-eat-local-challenge-week-one.html">tenderloin</a> and enjoyed it, but since then the goat meat has just been sitting in the deep freeze. Not just wanting to do beef recipes with goat I went to the largest cookbook in existence, the web. Typing goat stew into Google brought me to a <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/home/recipes/articles/0221stewrec221.html">Caribbean Goat Stew</a> recipe that sounded interesting. I followed the recipe fairly faithfully except for omitting the tomatoes since we obviously do not have any fresh ones. I could have pulled some frozen ones out of the freezer but I was being lazy. The resulting stew was great (if I do say so myself) but what was even better was that everyone ate it. Now my kids are very adventurous eaters, but I would not have been surprised if they had passed on this meal. The curry gave it a nice kick, but did not make it too spicy for the kids. The funny thing is that everyone liked the meat, it was the potatoes and carrots that were not as well received. They came out as I would have expected and as I have had in other Indian Curries, but Danielle thought it would be better with vegetables cooked separately with a different flavoring. Truth be told she is not much for stew, or mushy vegetables. I knew that she really did like the goat though when she mentioned making the curried meat but with a different side dish later this week. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHUsY5s6WVwR93M_61CUbbMhcegRM4bb1ca0eyYaTETcUV8A0myCkl3JeCgcRJVPQIZ1QEntPbCfNNYjBWnd-PkFtkO7yjkf-6VFUNyyRVjq6EySpQsKjHOiBfQGjdyuH58On4g/s1600-h/GoatCurry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHUsY5s6WVwR93M_61CUbbMhcegRM4bb1ca0eyYaTETcUV8A0myCkl3JeCgcRJVPQIZ1QEntPbCfNNYjBWnd-PkFtkO7yjkf-6VFUNyyRVjq6EySpQsKjHOiBfQGjdyuH58On4g/s400/GoatCurry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155330837186113330" border="0" /></a>I find I get great enjoyment out of my kids eating food that I raised and prepared myself. My dad used to tell me something similar when I was a kid but I did not appreciate it until I had kids of my own. I guess that is always the case.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-31387435111113106772008-01-04T07:45:00.000-05:002008-01-04T09:00:02.902-05:00Julia's BirthdayMy lovely daughter Julia turns 9 today. To celebrate here are some pictures of her over the last year.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsA5RquI3LMvVTpTPdmc7B0CA3NRqxGUlCl4UnfQB_LSdw287PSMgZ4MY6BQ5SAc4eeCb8N0MJiSKh4UJ-DwtHX9BdxigPaPwS5dd5wbYw5Sn0dRbxD35KpANoJCooiywElHg-g/s1600-h/IMG_8305.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsA5RquI3LMvVTpTPdmc7B0CA3NRqxGUlCl4UnfQB_LSdw287PSMgZ4MY6BQ5SAc4eeCb8N0MJiSKh4UJ-DwtHX9BdxigPaPwS5dd5wbYw5Sn0dRbxD35KpANoJCooiywElHg-g/s400/IMG_8305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151604821350872754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Driving the tractor on a warm winter day (January 07).<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oGFgyRpcr5RSHs0kmu4nMgHJvPHWbZqEH8MHmVqeKKv-WrUTTxYlzrjPkfCS30lcwSpcMAuf-nQRN7lp9eNWu0rzN_mGTU9UCvc8hm53rFcB8lMEy_FHA7rffJTb0O5K2q5Awg/s1600-h/IMG_1585.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oGFgyRpcr5RSHs0kmu4nMgHJvPHWbZqEH8MHmVqeKKv-WrUTTxYlzrjPkfCS30lcwSpcMAuf-nQRN7lp9eNWu0rzN_mGTU9UCvc8hm53rFcB8lMEy_FHA7rffJTb0O5K2q5Awg/s400/IMG_1585.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151604829940807362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tilling up the garden (March).<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZPX9g6Kz0ElRmyVREgFjl9zQleMz5lUsbHtxoEGpV2UXHE6zsJaSws-IHqqqnwFfPAO1XUlnph7G70GRxxi92slv8AEVvryNqP7SmR54wgiMLxEsE24qVs1Fmzl6FOlyN9JYPg/s1600-h/IMG_1630.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZPX9g6Kz0ElRmyVREgFjl9zQleMz5lUsbHtxoEGpV2UXHE6zsJaSws-IHqqqnwFfPAO1XUlnph7G70GRxxi92slv8AEVvryNqP7SmR54wgiMLxEsE24qVs1Fmzl6FOlyN9JYPg/s400/IMG_1630.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151604834235774674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Helping me construct the mobile chicken coop (April).<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN38rtroL-20sFZArQL8P4uxmkltl3jPWsoYSbpDyTEX3I6Gl2qnbbdYyipwVI6sMWIOGl8T406PncJ0kfHbwRAERJoFT2fKxVWP60oJPljMgnaM-QUELKiuenVBRHqDj7zpVNOw/s1600-h/Julia_CrabApple.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN38rtroL-20sFZArQL8P4uxmkltl3jPWsoYSbpDyTEX3I6Gl2qnbbdYyipwVI6sMWIOGl8T406PncJ0kfHbwRAERJoFT2fKxVWP60oJPljMgnaM-QUELKiuenVBRHqDj7zpVNOw/s400/Julia_CrabApple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151607071913735906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Swinging in the crab apple tree (April).<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQd9zeHAgPVMvYZcsBw0UdGBr7-B6fbp5C13FdfRr32q7S9K9LPf_YDC5o3T7qF4nTjZuI7M1dGdA75vlRRsm5QmxncPGCtu5fCrGDcGDQQjDJglamXK7AEKaPGuY_uGn6YLBqQ/s1600-h/IMG_1709.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQd9zeHAgPVMvYZcsBw0UdGBr7-B6fbp5C13FdfRr32q7S9K9LPf_YDC5o3T7qF4nTjZuI7M1dGdA75vlRRsm5QmxncPGCtu5fCrGDcGDQQjDJglamXK7AEKaPGuY_uGn6YLBqQ/s400/IMG_1709.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151608076936083186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Riding on the water wagon (May).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLq-H-RrPj3oXxWFTyPGifSd3E45HzgvRZQbWQOcpmAZ7zzs8pkrYTJromUB_-bnpiTfvrjn-TK-K23QOd_f1g7fuUA07OrAio_2zLRPPS4WcsQdkvNI_pU-DqdIfqFgEqozMrIA/s1600-h/IMG_0226.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLq-H-RrPj3oXxWFTyPGifSd3E45HzgvRZQbWQOcpmAZ7zzs8pkrYTJromUB_-bnpiTfvrjn-TK-K23QOd_f1g7fuUA07OrAio_2zLRPPS4WcsQdkvNI_pU-DqdIfqFgEqozMrIA/s400/IMG_0226.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151610241599600386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hanging out with her cousin (June).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b1ard0SSHsqjRRqx5EudXaTs8kcVcRq-gOpGEcUl3qCJUjg1k9zOaWeCUrAJVRgpZr6vRrlDJH4eh24utsEubqr4cpR0v3gX0FicGoulVKFEcNzrascmbDYVi-kr2GjbgZOxow/s1600-h/IMG_2108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b1ard0SSHsqjRRqx5EudXaTs8kcVcRq-gOpGEcUl3qCJUjg1k9zOaWeCUrAJVRgpZr6vRrlDJH4eh24utsEubqr4cpR0v3gX0FicGoulVKFEcNzrascmbDYVi-kr2GjbgZOxow/s400/IMG_2108.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151610958859138834" border="0" /></a>Fishing (July).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyn19xUDU1givUnKVBfJd-5LZ2s2tShfsEXdl3BMUXHRqxLZqiLaGqDqNBaueG4MLbaHFrlwIBFl-TOo9x2Qh9FRRXogOzCqlklFLW9I_QWPeb8rPEpi8cg8isrZ4yEspghNyRA/s1600-h/IMG_2143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyn19xUDU1givUnKVBfJd-5LZ2s2tShfsEXdl3BMUXHRqxLZqiLaGqDqNBaueG4MLbaHFrlwIBFl-TOo9x2Qh9FRRXogOzCqlklFLW9I_QWPeb8rPEpi8cg8isrZ4yEspghNyRA/s400/IMG_2143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151611942406649634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hiking the C&O Canal (August).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjmtkhejJAf3DG0G5rXaFTbOFLlLVRzcYuWxToH-1Mrj9RkBGA_p30Njd1F_IP1cDiMqB0GEKPQ37_PSx0HoOL8V6lzAS5yyQGpwIQtl6Q9uTBoAqsPN0EVmU_11y5-S1GwMcsA/s1600-h/IMG_2198.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjmtkhejJAf3DG0G5rXaFTbOFLlLVRzcYuWxToH-1Mrj9RkBGA_p30Njd1F_IP1cDiMqB0GEKPQ37_PSx0HoOL8V6lzAS5yyQGpwIQtl6Q9uTBoAqsPN0EVmU_11y5-S1GwMcsA/s400/IMG_2198.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151613029033375554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Collecting eggs (September).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n41waqDkRRTpehcJi3fMqOCyjGDOWuofjyooBYPjk5Rj1i2zGxtJQ9mxcPRiAD7320HRpLxn5QUrFtX4hi7BZeBWadpKwaVy2yi1rg81FIHttZK2xOraZjJx9XxYVRz4zWX5Og/s1600-h/IMG_2253.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n41waqDkRRTpehcJi3fMqOCyjGDOWuofjyooBYPjk5Rj1i2zGxtJQ9mxcPRiAD7320HRpLxn5QUrFtX4hi7BZeBWadpKwaVy2yi1rg81FIHttZK2xOraZjJx9XxYVRz4zWX5Og/s400/IMG_2253.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151614695480686418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Kyoshi Warrior (October).<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAKPqtRVCUr9KxWofS56ZAgdJfvGLknzkLhz09g-4r-IzlPfseqzQ6_-SolHj2EZDnhujf7AemYLzUEcUqQXcYVb2M4duphN_U4Na8hMzDyyIuZmdJJ3Ogp14aTfu5_KC0Ydobw/s1600-h/IMG_2262.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAKPqtRVCUr9KxWofS56ZAgdJfvGLknzkLhz09g-4r-IzlPfseqzQ6_-SolHj2EZDnhujf7AemYLzUEcUqQXcYVb2M4duphN_U4Na8hMzDyyIuZmdJJ3Ogp14aTfu5_KC0Ydobw/s400/IMG_2262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128976251654308226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">High atop a load of straw (November).</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJCSlcPVffuPqi5n3soE7ausAReD7wgLiIFbGWBRMaIi2cYKAt0PMhllHFJtDd62exMewSZ-oIWDmVYQtUH7ixHTj07Otq9OdUtrF8STTZULtSiwq4EeInPfs-soNCK-n-TUIBA/s1600-h/IMG_2421.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJCSlcPVffuPqi5n3soE7ausAReD7wgLiIFbGWBRMaIi2cYKAt0PMhllHFJtDd62exMewSZ-oIWDmVYQtUH7ixHTj07Otq9OdUtrF8STTZULtSiwq4EeInPfs-soNCK-n-TUIBA/s400/IMG_2421.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144615135698256002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Farm chores on a cold winter morning (December).<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">For anyone with a slow internet connection I am sorry for all the pictures, but Julia does a lot in a year.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY Julia!!!<br />Love Papa<br /></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div>Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23997548.post-55726013259436193902008-01-02T10:39:00.000-05:002008-04-07T09:04:21.298-04:00Holiday FeastA couple days after Christmas my mother, father, sister and nephew drove down from New Jersey to celebrate the holidays. I took the opportunity to try out, so to speak, one of my new presents. Danielle got me <span style="font-style: italic;">The River Cottage Meat Book </span>for Christmas this year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/River-Cottage-Meat-Book/dp/1580088430/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199288662&sr=8-1"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/River-Cottage-Meat-Book/dp/1580088430/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199288662&sr=8-1"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZaiHRL%2BkL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />This book is a wonderful combination of political/social commentary on food production, cooking theory, recipes as well as gorgeous pictures and humorous anecdotes. It is truly a coffee table book with a message, and being a new farmer/foodie I am all ears. I was already planning to make prime rib since we had some in the deep freeze from last years side of beef, and figured this would be a great occassion to try out my first recipe from the book. I cooked up two prime rib roasts since neither seemed big enough for the 5 adults and 4 children who would be eating dinner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_i8Vz5YXHkt7_raf8E5upWsNnLmgZms-RTbDCvcQYzFftDSL_vQ_SChMXC2yHVSWDKiyHO5v3ndXKmVLXzNuBYd7uLu9OfH6Rk0U9Otg3a0VkbEk8-DmYdJJ18p8KMYzhituyQ/s1600-h/IMG_2517.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_i8Vz5YXHkt7_raf8E5upWsNnLmgZms-RTbDCvcQYzFftDSL_vQ_SChMXC2yHVSWDKiyHO5v3ndXKmVLXzNuBYd7uLu9OfH6Rk0U9Otg3a0VkbEk8-DmYdJJ18p8KMYzhituyQ/s400/IMG_2517.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150910290779371170" border="0" /></a>Fairly simple recipe for the beef, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, cook for 30 minutes under high heat to brown the outside then slow cook until done. Hugh, the author of the book, stresses that all roasted meat needs to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes for best results. Actually, the way he talks about it, you are committing a mortal sin if you don't let the meat rest. So while the meat was resting we took some of the drippings and made some Yorkshire Pudding (also from a recipe in the book). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Tl0iJB99HGQPRsdHNUVwyx72qcvV9y7023vLQOUFHjMXPn4bctSClOClcgvHBaeMWs0yeJ3AEqng_gez4Vgm6r6ArJU-VNagQDTMDwuB-tBNd7rbY9kSpJ5XzjZ22_KV3Ja_kQ/s1600-h/IMG_2521.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Tl0iJB99HGQPRsdHNUVwyx72qcvV9y7023vLQOUFHjMXPn4bctSClOClcgvHBaeMWs0yeJ3AEqng_gez4Vgm6r6ArJU-VNagQDTMDwuB-tBNd7rbY9kSpJ5XzjZ22_KV3Ja_kQ/s400/IMG_2521.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150904926365218434" border="0" /></a>I had never had Yorkshire Pudding so was not really sure as what to expect. There really is not much in Yorkshire Pudding, the recipe called for just flour, milk, water, salt and eggs. It did call for 4 eggs plus 2 more egg yolks which makes it quite decedent. The pudding puffed up nicely as you can see above, and the meat was thankful for the rest.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-s_2pA3kbwM4ayRMFPQGw6bR2v6vR85D1A88LuzYh_bmG0ecxJtEe-KWYD6jNtpN3o8OxIbBYLCmdWM0OkQNR5FeVs6K6QzKvLoO0VaK2OvZk9FjIZ0PCr9Nc7nsxe9-6FZzBDQ/s1600-h/IMG_2522.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-s_2pA3kbwM4ayRMFPQGw6bR2v6vR85D1A88LuzYh_bmG0ecxJtEe-KWYD6jNtpN3o8OxIbBYLCmdWM0OkQNR5FeVs6K6QzKvLoO0VaK2OvZk9FjIZ0PCr9Nc7nsxe9-6FZzBDQ/s400/IMG_2522.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150904913480316530" border="0" /></a>We also had mashed potatoes, gravy, and a green salad from our garden to round out the meal. Below is some of the dinner party.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8-eMT8OVCt-ATt7vte2siBveVGYFX2xMs_E9JsGBlRcdCBUwTc-zqxgZfxCmQjPtWFMgUQfljB4ePTxOEv_YpBu4gQpcOAdcNjTzqyxtsGIhRlK49QvaToVbD-Bw-sm161imKA/s1600-h/IMG_2523.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8-eMT8OVCt-ATt7vte2siBveVGYFX2xMs_E9JsGBlRcdCBUwTc-zqxgZfxCmQjPtWFMgUQfljB4ePTxOEv_YpBu4gQpcOAdcNjTzqyxtsGIhRlK49QvaToVbD-Bw-sm161imKA/s400/IMG_2523.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150904956429989522" border="0" /></a><br />My daughters were dressed up as fairies, and my son was too hot from playing with his cousin to wear a shirt, we have a very relaxed dress code at Chez Kushmerick. My nephew and sister are also in the picture, arguably much more appropriately dressed. Long story short the dinner and company was excellent and too many bottles of wine were consumed, exactly how I like to spend the holidays. The Yorkshire Pudding was a huge success, and based on the way it disappeared I foresee making it again soon.<br /><br />Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday full of good food and friends.Kushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04983430036999389677noreply@blogger.com3