It’s been a challenging year with our vegetable garden. All our summer rain has the weeds growing completely out of control, and as often happens, I simply gave up trying to keep up with them. There just weren’t enough dry hours to get out into the garden, and it felt like a losing battle when I did get out there. Therefore, I did what I could and hoped for the best. Now we'll … [Read more...]
Farm Surprises – Late Bloomer, More Newbies, & Rain, Rain, Rain
It’s been such a strange summer so far! The weather has been all over the place. You may remember we had to send some of our over-eager roosters to another farm; in the end we sent all three including Toni who I had wanted to keep. He was a beauty, but unfortunately, he was kind of the leader of the pack, and they were all just too much for our hens. Since we had decided on … [Read more...]
Peas Please! – First Harvests
Spring vegetables are the best! There is nothing like those first vegetables of the season, and farm dog Luke agrees! Longtime readers have seen how much Luke loves green beans, but I’d say fresh sugar snap peas are a close second if not equal. I love to munch on them myself and put them in salads as well. Next up I’ll be trying to roast some in the oven, … [Read more...]
Farm Drama
Boys Will Be Boys Remember this photo from a few weeks back? Well, not only did Tony (on the far right) turn out to be a rooster, but Brittany became Brett, and Daisy Mae became Davy Crockett. Don’t ask me where I come up with these crazy names, they just pop into my head randomly! These young roosters are becoming quite obnoxious, harassing all the poor … [Read more...]
A Farm Girl’s Finds – One Year Later
We opened in the middle of a pandemic, and we're still going! Over a year ago, three years after losing my job of over 20 years, I was still struggling with “what to do with my life”. Pushing 60 years old, too young to retire, and losing yet another part-time job with no new job prospects, I was at a crossroads. I needed to fight through my depression and frustration and come … [Read more...]
Farm Updates in Photos
Spring is crazy busy as always, so I haven't had a lot of time to take photos or sit down and write stories. It's been raining a lot too, so that doesn't help with the photo taking. We finally got a sunny day so I could get out after work last week and snap some shots of the birds and farm dog Luke! I'm happy to say that the new chickens are integrating with the older … [Read more...]
Our Top 6 Ways to Control Fleas & Ticks on Our Dog
We choose to use only natural preventatives on our Lab mix Luke. I’ve written about this in the past, but I like to keep updated on what we are doing every year. We haven’t changed much since our last post; and while we still see some ticks that happens even with many chemical products too. Considering the controversy around some of them recently, I feel comfortable sticking to … [Read more...]
Spring has Sprung
It feels so good to finally be back out walking on our woods trails consistently! Luke has exchanged his winter coat for getting sprayed with insect repellent. The ticks are out there, though we've only seen one so far. I'm sure there will be more, though things are dry so that could reduce their populations. That would be the only good part of heading into another … [Read more...]
Environmentally Friendly Candles
The importance of which waxes and wicks to use. I used to love making candles when I was a child! Therefore, when coming up with new ideas for products to make for the farm, candles came to mind. I try to keep all the products I make either dog or farm related, and made using natural ingredients, so the best way to tie in candles seemed to be to use beeswax for making … [Read more...]
Waiting for Spring on the Farm
The clocks have sprung forward, and the lengthening evenings tell us that spring is close. Melting snow and warmer days say the same, that is until temperatures plunge down again and we wonder – “is it really so?”! All of us here on the farm are ready - Mom, Dad, Luke, and the flock alike. The humans dream of gardening, green grass, and performing farm chores without having … [Read more...]
So You Want to Raise Chickens?
Since the pandemic started, more and more people are interested in raising their own flock of chickens at home. If you’re an animal lover, you are likely going to get attached to your birds! You think you want them just for eggs? Even my hubby admits that he’s gotten way more attached to ours than he thought he would. Many people think of their birds as pets, I imagine … [Read more...]
A Peaceful Winter on the Farm
In a world that’s been anything but peaceful for the last year, it’s nice to sit back and simply enjoy the peace and quiet of winter here in New England. Even if it is starting to make us a bit stir crazy. February seems to be starting out to be more cold and snowier than December and January were! I closed the shop due to large snowstorms once in December, opened late one … [Read more...]
Smudging with Sage & Other Herbs
“Smudging” is an ancient spiritual ritual used by some Native American tribes and other cultures around the world. The practice of sage smudging – the burning of herbs to purify and bless people and places - is believed to improve your well-being and can provide other benefits as well. It is now not only used by indigenous peoples but has become a New Age custom as … [Read more...]
A New Farm Venture – Hatching Eggs in the Winter
After a rough spring and fall in 2020, with many flock losses due to predators, we were feeling a bit discouraged on the farm. Egg production was way down, and we couldn’t keep up with demand from our regular customers. We decided to stop selling eggs at the farm, and I even had to go to other farms so I could have eggs to sell in my shop! It was too late to hatch more eggs … [Read more...]
Let it Snow! – Benefits of Snow on a Small Farm
The Benefits of Snow on the Farm Even though I’m not a winter enthusiast, it’s always been my thought that if it’s going to be cold, it might as well snow too. Snow is so much prettier than a drab brown and gray landscape! However, beauty aside, there are far more important reasons that snow can be a true benefit on the farm. Benefits for the Birds Neither the chickens … [Read more...]
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