Awesome Visit

The sound of loud mufflers, screeching tires and reving engines marked their arrival yesterday. It's not very often a motorcycle gang arrives at your doorstep. I loved every minute of it! These are some of the most amazing people I've ever met and it was hugs and kisses all around. We had snacks and drinks on the patio and then went on a tour of the farm. It was a blistering afternoon out there. I was so happy to finally be able to show them what I've been up to. Hope they can come back again soon!

Box Delivery Week 8

Here is a peek at the newsletter for this week:

July 25^th, 2014

Week 8

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Cucumber, Bunching Onions, Mesclun, Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Assorted Summer Squash, Radishes

The squash has arrived! Many types including French and Italian varieties are in your delivery this week. Try slicing them up and sauté with a little butter and herbs. The small ones can be eaten raw in a salad or with a dip.

I hope all of you are enjoying a beautiful summer.

Have a wonderful weekend!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Your Farmer,

Amber

Box Delivery Week 7

Here is the newsletter for this week:

July 17^th, 2014

Week 7

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Green Zest, Spinach, Arugula, Cucumber, Bunching Onions, Genovese Basil, Mix of Sweet and Purple Basil and Snow Peas

Basil abounded this week. The Genovese makes a wonderful pesto and the mixture of sweet and purple would be excellent in a topping for fish. Here is my favorite:

Using a sharp knife make numerous slashes across the fish on one side, making sure to not go all the way through. Mix the zest of one lemon and some chopped basil together and scatter it over the fish. Push the mixture into the incisions, really rubbing them in. Then lightly coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Either bake or BBQ until the fish is opaque and flaky. Try not to overcook it as it will become dry and lose a lot of it’s flavour.

The kids and I also loved having a cucumber salad last night out of chopped cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped basil and a light seasoning of salt.

Have a wonderful weekend!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Your Farmer,

Amber

Box Delivery Week 6

Here is a peek at the Week 6 newsletter:

July 11^th, 2014

Week 6

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Bunching Onions, Bok Choy, Radish, Mesclun, Spinach, Cucumber.

Hurricane Arthur hit the farm last Saturday with a bang. Wind, rain and lightning started in the early morning hours and we lost power around 7am. I made my farm rounds leaving the barn doors open about 2 feet to let light in but leave some protection. Surprisingly most of the chickens still came out to experience the storm. The pigs just looked at me from in their little hut once I got up to the field to feed them. So I moved their bowls closer to their doorway.

Thankfully, the plants survived well except for the sweet potatoes and beans which suffered wind burn. It was mostly a wind event for us, frankly I had hoped for more rain.

A few interesting things happened on Monday. “Lightning” (a hen) reappeared with 12 little chicks, very cute. Also I found a small skunk in one of the holes I’m digging for a footing at the greenhouse. I built a little ladder and thankfully it came out later that night. Also, the pigs figured out there was no power and escaped. For some reason I have an amazing talent with animals which even I find surprising at times. Somehow I found them at the far end of the pasture in the 4 foot grass and coerced them back into the pen. A friend loaned us his generator and we juiced their fence. They escaped once more while we were setting up. I certainly got some exercise that day. After I got them in, I sat up there with them until 11:30pm to make sure they stayed as I had to cut the power as it was so loud no one could sleep. I plugged it back in at 6am and thankfully everything was fine. We got power back on Tuesday, late morning.

For this week’s delivery I suggest a stir fry with the onions, bok choy and spinach.

Start with stir frying up some chicken, pork, beef or keep it vegetarian. Once the meat is cooked add in the veggies, adding the chopped up onions first, then the chopped bok choy and last the spinach.

Serve over rice or noodles with soy sauce. Try using some Hoi Sin sauce too.

Have a wonderful weekend!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Your Farmer,

Amber

Hurricane Arthur Part 2

After dealing with the skunk, I noticed a new cheeping sound coming from the barn. Nuts.
Two of my Pheonix hens had gone missing about a month ago and I just knew those darn girls were nesting somewhere. I do not want Pheonix chicks as they are a small breed which lay small eggs. My flock will be solely Black Austrolorps starting this fall, once my young ones start laying. However it's my fault as I kept a Pheonix rooster and he's been doing his business with all the ladies.
Upon entering the barn I found Lightning was back. (She''s the one mentioned in the post Chicken Wrangler). There were 7 little absolutely adorable chicks with her. I went to find the boys and gave them the news. They were so excited!

We set up some chick food and shallow water for them. I insisted to the boys that I was not the chicks mommy, that Lightning was in charge of taking care of them. They only somewhat took me seriously.

I heard more cheeping and found two more chicks in the hay loft. How did they get up there? This brought me to the conclusion I had to go up to the storage shelf up at the top of the barn. That is where I found her nest. She is obviously an ace at hiding as I had looked for her up here before. I found 7 more abandoned unhatched eggs and a mess of egg shells. I gathered them up and decided to give them to the pigs.
The only way I can come up with how she got them down was by making them walk the plank.

They are really light so they must bounce pretty good as all were fine and healthy after falling at least 25 feet. Throughout the next hour I found 5 more chicks both outside the barn and down in the stables. Her chick numbers were up to 12. It was a constant thing over the next few days finding and returning lost chicks to their momma.
Just so you know I made myself stay when I fed the abandoned extras to the pigs. OK that was awful. I firmly believe you have to see the consequences of your actions.

Our power was still out Monday morning with the new estimate of it being restored late Tuesday night. I contacted everyone I knew to find a generator. Thankfully a friend loaned us one and we got the fridge and freezer plugged in again. I had been worried about the pigs fence not being juiced but they were still avoiding it. However at feeding time that night around 8pm I went up and they were gone.
PANIC!!!
Oh my god. How the heck do I find two pigs who have escaped into 12 acres of 4 ft tall pasture adjoining woods? I followed my instincts and prayed they had not gone towards the road. There was no evidence of them in the garden or riding ring so I started calling them and headed off to the back pasture and woods.
How on earth do you call a pig? I mean seriously? I felt like a panicked idiot shouting high pitched "Hey Piggies!"
About two acres away I found them. How did I DO that? I had some feed with me and coerced them back to the pen. Not an easy task. As soon as they were in it was a race to get their fence plugged into the generator. You can imagine my disappointment when I ran back up to find I'd lost and they were gone again! I still don't know how I managed it but I got them back. I swear I was a sheepdog in a past life!
Once they were back in I was exhausted and it was almost 10pm. I could tell after their taste of the promised land they wanted to get back out. Exhausted and overwhelmed I sat up there with them waiting to make sure the fence kept them in.
Always one to try and find the bright side, I saw I had been gifted with a little surprise. For the first time in my life I saw fireflies. They were magical.
At 11:30 I went down to the barn. The pigs had both tested the fence and had had a large spark jolt their noses. They had gone to bed and I went and turned off the generator. It was a risk but I knew I might run out of fuel and the thing was crazy noisy.
6am the next morning I turned it back on and found the pigs happily still in their pen. Thankfully the power came back on late Tuesday morning. Everything was fine except we had to figure out how to prime the well.

Hurricane Arthur was an adventure to be sure and I've certainly learned some lessons.

Hurricane Arthur Part 1

Last weekend Hurricane Arthur hit Nova Scotia. Early Saturday morning I awoke to wind, sheets of rain coming down and flashes of lightning. The kids joined me around 7am to watch the storm at the window which was when we lost power. Hoping for the best we had some cold breakfast and I reminded the boys not to open the fridge or freezer. I set them up with some board games and balloons and I headed up to the barn. 

In a matter of moments I was drenched. I was happy to see my seedlings which I had watered and placed in protection the night before were doing fine. I left the barn door open slightly to let in some light but leave protection from the elements. I was quite surprised when most of the chickens came out to experience the storm. Brave and crazy little birds. 

I trudged up to the pig pasture and saw my two boars staring at me from their hut. I took pity and moved their food bowls over to the entrance way for them. The garden appeared to be handling the storm well except for the plastic over the sweet potatoes. I tore that off and headed back down to the house. I set up a sawdust toilet downstairs and water for washing. Plus due to the wind I patched up a leaking window.

Even without power everything went along quite normally.

Sunday we still had no power with the estimate for it not to come back on until Monday morning. We got some ice for the fridge and freezers and continued using the BBQ. First time I cooked rice and made coffee on the BBQ. I need to get some new camping supplies. 

The storm had passed but it was still windy. I had hoped for more rain and I was becoming a little nervous about having enough water for all the plants. As I was walking up around the barn surveying the damage, something told me to go look in the holes I have been digging for the greenhouse site. Guess what I found?

A little skunk. I immediately went to get the kids. They were excited but uneasy looking down at it. I made sure we all moved very slowly. 

Obviously the cute little guy had fallen in during the storm. I went and made a little ladder for it out of an old board with rope tied around it. It was a little unnerving lowering it into the hole as it kept posturing at me. I checked on it throughout the day and it was still there. I knew it would come out that night as they are nocturnal. Very cute.

Box Delivery Week 5

Here is a peek at the Week 5 Newsletter:

July 4^th, 2014

Week 5

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Garlic Scapes, Green Zest, Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Lettuce, Basil and Edible Nasturtium Flowers.

This week has been hot. Wow! What a shocker it’s actually a summer in Nova Scotia. I’ve had to stop and get out of the fields before lunch and then even at 4pm it’s hard to take. Yesterday it was 35 degrees Celsius in the shade! The animals are all happy and I’m routinely checking on them to make sure they have enough water. The plants are also getting a drench each evening to make it through the heat of the next day. With the Hurricane coming I have held off sowing new seeds until it’s past. No point in having them washed away. Today is Hurricane prep day. Hopefully all of you are ready for the storm. Make sure you have lots of drinking water, candles and ice for your coolers.

This week has an interesting addition to your share: Garlic Scapes.

Garlic Scapes are the flower of the garlic plant. They are a tender and delicious addition to your meal. Simply chop them into your salad or cook them as you would shallots.

A popular recipe is Garlic Scape Pesto.

½ pound of Garlic Scapes (1 of your bunches), chopped

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ tsp lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

Pepper and salt to taste

Place scapes, cheese and lemon juice in Food processor, while blending slowly add the oil. Season to taste.

Fantastic on pasta, meats and cooked veggies.

Have a wonderful weekend!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Your Farmer,

Amber

Growing Turkeys

The turkeys are growing fast and having a ball in their big pen. I'll be putting up some roosts for them this week.  They have most of their feathers now, so they are no longer fluffy. With the warmer temperatures, I have been able to turn off the heat lamp too. They are very cute and I'm pleased to not be hearing a peep out of them. When turkeys are happy they are very quiet, as opposed to chickens.

Pig Move Part 2

So in the early morning it was time. We went up to the pasture with feed and water and I made a few modifications to the fencing. I wanted to make sure I could close the gate asap after I get them in and that all the grass was cleared from the line. We juiced the wire and I started wishing I had bought that tester. Nuts.
I grabbed the wire and it was pitiful, hardly a twitch. Then Navarre grabbed the wire before I could stop him and he and said "Well, there's a little bit. Is that all they need Mom?" My eyes fell on our rubber boots and I quietly said a little expletive and told the boys not touch the wire anymore. I took off my boots and socks and took a breath. I reached for the wire, its a pulse so it doesn't get you right away but when it hit, OMG! Yes, it works!
Thankfully it didn't hurt as bad as when I accidentally touched my neighbours' fence. His is set to keep his bull in, I can still feel the painful arch across my chest from that day. I repeated to the boys, don't touch the wire and put my socks and boots back on.
So now that everything is ready, it's time for the move.
I was so happy to have another adult with me, even though Paul's a city boy, he was willing to help. We went into their stall with a plan, but frankly I was flying by the seat of my pants.
The pigs have gained a lot of weight and muscle since I brought them home. After many failed attempts we managed to lasso the big one "Binoo" around the neck and drag it out. I secured the door keeping the other one in and ran and added a second lasso behind its front legs around the belly. Then I loosened the one around the neck and yelled over the screaming pig "Lets Go!" I was pulling the majorly reluctant pig and he was directing it. The kids were following cheering us on and yelling "Mom! It's pooping!" (Yeah, thanks sweeties. I really need to hear about that right now! Still, I smiled.) I made it halfway up the hill to the pasture when I yelled "Switch" The pig was fighting us the whole way and god it was heavy! I just couldn't pull anymore. Once we reached the pasture we took it to the waiting food. I secured the gate and took off the ropes. He was a little skittish but started chowing down.
"Next!"
We went back down with the plan to do it exactly the same. Why not? However the smaller one "Toopy" is way more... lively. It was certainly a rodeo in there. We were finally able to corner it. Paul got the lasso around the neck as I sat down on it, trying to hold him still. To my surprise I was bucked right off! It was going nuts and doing it's best to be louder than Toopy had been. Bear hugging the pig I wrapped the rope around its middle and yelled "Got it! Out we went. I took the lead line and he took the pull one. Once we got to the hill I knew we were faltering and I grabbed the pull line to help, Binoo fighting us the whole way. We got to the pasture and after making sure he had the pig I ran to drop the gate. The other pig was still chowing down. We got Binoo in, set the gate and I walked over to the grass outside their pasture and collapsed. I couldn't even talk, I was gulping in air.
Never. Never Again. My next pigs will go straight onto pasture, when I can still lift them. So, so tired.

I stayed with them a little while. They were checking things out, digging away. It was so cute to see their little tails wagging a mile a minute. We looked in on them throughout the day. Both are acting extremely happy to be outside. The day was heating up and we kept refilling their water. At one point as I was rubbing them down while they were having a drink, Binoo laid down on the water dish, spilling it everywhere. The sun came out and they were hot. I realised they needed some sunscreen. I started pouring some water on them. They were both oinking away staying close. I then grabbed some mud and started coating their backs and the light skin behind and on their ears. Also the mud would act as a bug repellant. They have some shade behind their little house but with this heat I want to build them a little wallow.
Playing in the mud with them was fun.

I'm so incredibly happy to finally have them on pasture.