Make your own Mozzarella

What a wonderful day. Mike spent day with family today, due to being laid off again.
After watching the cooking channel, we decided that french onion soup was definately in order for dinner today, since it was cold and rainy out.
Not just any soup, but the kind with a slab of french bread that is smothered in shredded cheese then broiled. OMG good..
Decided if we were gonna go that far to make a gourmet dinner, may as well whip up some cheese. Here is a recipe for those that have access to REAL milk. You can use other but WHY..


How to make this cheese :
The Milk:Make sure the milk you use for this cheese is NOTULTRA- PASTEURIZED--Homogenized milk will work fine.--Fresh farm milk will also work well but we encourage you to try with 1 gallon of store bought whole milk first.--Low fat milk will work but the cheese will be drier and less flavorful
You will need:--A 6 to 8 quart stainless steel pot. Aluminum or cast iron will not work.--A stainless steel or strong plastic slotted spoon.--A two quart microwave safe mixing bowl--measuring spoons--A thermometer which will clearly read between 80 - 120 degrees F.
Prepare your work area:Do not prepare any other food while you are making cheese. Put all food products awayMove all sponges, cloths and dirty towels away from your work surface, wipe your sink and stove with soap and water. Finally use your antibacterial cleaner to wipe down all surfaces.
Process:crush 1/4 tablet of rennet and dissolve in 1/4 cup of cool unchlorinated water and set aside to use later.
Heat this milk to 90F and add 1.5-2 tsp. of citric acid. This will bring the milk to the proper acidity to stretch well later. As you approach 90F you will notice your milk beginning to curdle due to acidity and temp.
When at 90F add your rennet (which you prepared in previous step) to the milk and stir in a top to bottom motion for 30-60 seconds...then stop.
Now turn the heat off (it may continue to rise as high as 105For so)
Let the milk remain quiet for the next 3-5 minutes during which it will form a curd as seen in photos above. A longer set will result in a firmer curd.
Cut the curds into a 1" checkerboard pattern (as in photos above) and then scoop with a slotted sp0on into a heat proof bowl to be used in the microwave. (If the curd is too soft at this point let sit for another minute or so)You will now press this curd gently with your hand, poring off as much whey as possible. Reserve this whey to use in cooking or making ricotta.
Microwave the curd on HI for 1 minute. You will notice more whey has run out of the curd. Drain off all whey as you did before.
Quickly work the cheese with a spoon or your hands until it is cool enough to touch (rubber gloves will help since the cheese is almost too hot to touch at this point)
Microwave 2 more times for 35 seconds each and repeat the kneading as in the last step. Drain all of the whey off as you go.
Knead quickly now as you would bread dough until it is smooth and shiny. Add salt near the finish.
At this point the cheese should be soft and pliable enough to stretch like taffy.
It is ready to eat when it cools. Form it into a ball and drop into ice water to cool and refrigerate. When cold you can wrap in plastic wrap and it will last for several days but is best when eaten fresh.
Option:--A substitution of reconstituted dry milk and cream is very viable and is a great option if you can not find the right type of milk--Lipase may be added to the milk to provide a typical italian cheese flavor--If you want a softer texture, do not let the curd set as firm and work less when draining and kneading.. this will make a moister cheese.
What you may need :
Citric AcidRennet
SaltLipase

Dont throw away the whey, reheat to 195-200 degrees then let sit for 10 mins. pour into cheese cloth and drain, this will be fresh riccotta cheese. I make it every time I do cheese, and freeze till I have enough to make a BIG batch of lasagna for winter. Can toss with some cheese salt, and spices if you like as well.

Fed the left over liquid to the hogs.. wow.. they thought they had died... HAHAHA.. not yet, but soon.....
If you have questions about this recipe, email me and I am happy to help you.

Fibers fit for a King.....

Our fiber animals seem to know that its going to be a serious winter to contend with.
The alpacas and llama are pushing coat slightly faster than the norm, and the sheep...wow.. they have unbelievable fleece already.
The photo is of our huacaya (wa-ki-a) alpcaca male. His name is Ollie, short for Oliver. He is going on 4 years old and has been with us since he was weaned at 6 months. Ollie is a very gentle fella. He is not regestered due to his larger than most size, and slightly crooked legs. The breeder and vet felt this was a deficiency while in utero. He is currently bred to our Mini Llama, Jazzy, short for Jasmine. she is a beautiful rose grey with the most amazingly soft fiber I have ever felt on a llama, and trust me that's ALLOT of fiber I have fingered thru.
we are hoping to keep her wonderful Llama personality, as well as her beautiful quality of fiber, but hope to add some density to hers with her cria. We are hoping that in July we will have a new addition to the camalid part of the farm. I am STILL washing fleeces and fibers, and have to get it finished soon as I Will be needing to make our annual trip to the processor.
As usual, we will have a blend of fibers from the llama, alpaca and sheep as well as angora rabbit. I personally like the colors of nature, so I always leave the fibers their natural color, and in order to create beauty I blend them carefully to avoid muted or muddy colors.
We do still have some fibers left from last year if you are a spinner or felter or would like to try your hand at a braided wool rug. If interested, drop me a note to totrllamas@yahoo.com.

Turkeys Gobble Gobble that tomato!

They turkeys have been a blast to raise. Such personality for dingy birds.

We purchased 7 birds, and surprisingly enough, we still have 7! We have decided to butcher the 5 belted whites, and save the 2 chocolates for breeding next year. The cost of keeping 2 turkeys through the winter I don't feel Will be too significant, as compared to purchasing poults. We can also get a MUCH earlier start one them. Plus with the demand of turkey poults and the ease of raising them, I am anticipating selling poults or hatching eggs to help them pay for their feed.

We ended up with 4 white toms and one hen, and a pair of the chocolates. Not too bad for picking them when they were so tiny.

They look gimungus when they display, but when smooth, they are only about 8#.

They have been SLOW growers, however. I am HOPING to have them ready for Thanksgiving.

I still have not decided where I will take them to be butchered. I am thinking I had better get to business on that soon.

The photo was a hoot to take, as we had thrown in a piece of tomato and they were chasing the one bird that was carrying it and running like his tail was on fire to keep it away. In the end, he dropped the tomato, and the flock converged and he was forced to share. LOL

If you want comical, definitely get heritage turkeys. And YES they are MUCH different than Broad Breasted Birds. Who are NOT at all active. They tend to be allot friendlier tho, as the heritage breeds are fast and they do fly. Ours could hop out of fence of their pasture, even with their wings trimmed, but they seem content where they are. The photo, also taken today, shows allot of growth but not like those chickens did.

Pigs 8-23-09 Making progress

As promised, we have new updated pics and information on the pigs.

We have, gone thru all but apx. 20# of the original 500# of feed purchased in July.

I go to the elevator and get another 500# tomorrow. They are currently eating at a rate of apx. 55.5# every 3 days. Since we were not convinced with the measuring tape method to figure out weight we are guestamating it. However.. the Wiggly, the female as well as the RUNT, is apx. 75# and Piggly, apx. 80-85#. Wiggly is catching up quickly.

There is a huge difference in body style as well. Piggly, is a very LONG bodied pig. Being part Landrace, they will often have an extra rib length. This is good for a few reasons.

will make apx 6" more length to loins, ribs, and bacon area. However, he is not a BEEFY boy.

He is rather lean, with allot of bone. So there are good and bad aspects to him.

Wiggly on the other hand, looks as tho she didn't get the extra rib genetics, she is much shorter and VERY stocky. She is wide and deep, with short fat hams and much smaller bone.

We will see what the final out come is at processing time.

As close as we can figure now, we will have less than $300 into feed and purchase of pigs.

We do have to deworm them soon. When they hit 100-125# we will hammer them with large doses of garlic and cayenne pepper. We are trying to keep all synthetic/man made drugs/meds. completely out of their system. The only thing thus far they have had is Iron shots when born.

I think if you compare the photos from earlier to the photos taken today, you will agree, they have definitely hit a growth spurt.

This week at WoodSpryte Farm "Reflections"

Photo of an Amish straw field... REFLECTIONS of days gone by...........
Taken by Tiffany Rich August, 2009.

August 22, 2009...

WOW.. where is the time going! Have been starting the canning "season". Did 2 rows worth of carrots. Robert (7) very much enjoyed REAPING THE HARVEST. Each carrot dug was like a personal achievement for him. If only we could all see thru the eyes of a 7 year old again! So much amazement to simple surroundings.. its just refreshing and I hope I never loose that feeling. Each day is total amazement. Beautiful sunrise's that graces our living room in the early morning, stretching its sleepy arms across the fog laden pasture illuminating the the livestock as they peacefully await the warmth of her embrace. or The brilliance of the orange sunset glowing upon the white wool of the sheep, as they eagerly devour the last of the days fresh greens, as the alpaca lay quietly upon the warm grass quietly enjoying the company of the sheep never far away. So... what do people in the city look at? Cement and sidewalks and smog, still makes me curious as to what people see in the confinement of city.

I have met a few new people, with similar interests. Its always fun and exciting and educational to meet new people with new ideas!

Chatted with some old new friends when I dropped off their delivery today. Was so nice seeing them. They are always full of energy and excitement.

I have started a new way of life.. well at least for a while. A little over 2 years ago I was diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer. In September of 2007 had a hysterectomy. Feeling much better, but boy between the surgery, my ONLY daughter leaving home for the army, and the loss of my job, all within 2 week period, my metabolism went haywire.. or maybe should say it just plain went AWAY! went into surgery thin and 3 months later had gained 60#, despite what I do to loose. Then developed psoriasis of the scalp. Spent allot of time recently researching both. Treated the scalp with everything known to man with NO luck.. then started to read up on the garlic I love so much. VIOLA.. made garlic juice and scrub the areas once a day one time a week and its nearly healed up and gone! How is that for WOWING ya with the power of garlic. Began to eat a raw clove once a day as well, no wonder no one visits anymore. Decided to take it to the next step and do a total body detox and change my eating.

I did the detox starting last Sunday, did it for 1 1/2 days, then started a raw food diet. Feel great! RA is feeling much better, but boy am I tired of preparing 2 meals each nite.

Day 5 of the program, has been a positive influence, as I have actually LOST 8#. How exciting.. hoping I can keep it up for at least the 30 days.

I will attempt to get photos and information on the growth of the pigs and turkeys this weekend. We are pretty busy now preparing for winter. Its deworming time for everyone again, time to body score the sheep, and clean the clippers up for crutching.

The new ram and ewe will be joining the flock soon, and preparations for breeding in October are beginning. I am still washing this past springs fleeces, so that I can make the annual trip to Frankenmuth to Zellingers. If you have never been to Frankenmuth, it personally think it should be mandatory for everyone to see at least one time. The colors, smells and shapes are a beautiful site, at least once a year. We usually take a day and have dinner and "window shop".

I find it especially entrancing in the fall with the change of the leaves and the crispness in the air that carries all the sweet aromas thru out the town, and the clattering of freshly shod horse hooves upon the stone streets, and the beautiful lines of the husky carriage horses eagerly awaiting a pat on the neck from the passers by, or even better, the chance to share their view of the town from their highly polished carriages that they tow.

Hope you have enjoyed my "Reflections". If you have any to share please we would love to Reflect with you too..

Happenings..

August 13th, fall is quickly approaching.. I found myself becoming concerned yesterday as the leaves are falling ALREADY!
The pigs are growing rapidly. The turkeys are getting big and we got a second freezer. Preparation for the fall "Harvest" is under way.
I spent a good part of the day yesterday searching for "reasonably" priced garlic seed. Seems garlic is the thing to have! Most are selling for $18.00 a lb! How crazy is that!!!
I have decided to increase the garlic production on the farm. I LOVE garlic.. so took the plunge.
Hoping to plant around 500-1000 plants this year. We will be using MUCH of our organic fertalizer to add the the ground for the garlic. I am anxious for next harvest and the production of some garlic powder. We are also going to be using garlic to worm the livestock with.
Our SUMMER garden is progressing nicely. Not as well as I would like, but getting there. The ground needs work still, which will happen this fall when the hoop house comes down and the BIG daddy tiller comes out! We will also Increase the size of the garden as well.
We have been eating tomatoes since June.. a real treat, thanks to the hoop house. But they are starting to come on really strong now. Should have some to can in just a few days. Our cabbage are OUT OF CONTROL.. HUGE heads, 3 of the 6 are as big as basketballs! NO KIDDING!!
The onions are coming. some are small but have many that this fall will be wonderful. I will be drying many and making into onion powder for winter use. The leeks... not sure about them.
I did pull one early this week and eat it. Its not very big, but WOW.. talk about packing a punch! I suspect I will have many of them to dry as well. Soon we Will be able to set up our farm stand at the end of the drive.
We contacted a NEW butcher for the pigs. They are less expensive but not by allot. They are apx. .06 cents a lb less expensive to smoke the meat tho. They are in Ionia instead other side of Saranac so somewhat closer.
Well that is about all the HAPPENINGS on WoodSpryte Farm...
I am hoping to get a more accurate weighing on the pigs soon so will update when I do.

llama/alpaca/sheep beans for sale

We currently have large amounts of llama/alpaca and sheep pellets for sale. 99% of what you get will be llama/alpaca, but we do have some sheep so are bound to get some from time to time.
Being sold for $5.00 per bucket. let me know how much you want, and I will have it ready for you. Bring your own buckets or bags to transport in. This is a great price. If you look on the Internet you will find it for apx $40.00 for 10#. It does go a long way, but we have allot and its produced daily. LOL.. drop me an email with how much you want. Smaller packages are sold and can be shipped. Comes in a 1 gallon bag, and is labeled for use. cost is $5.00 a bag plus shipping.
still a good deal, but obviously the bucket is much better value.
We are located apx. 10 miles SW of Lansing, Michigan.
To place your order.. email me at totrllamas@yahoo.com

LLama Bean Information:

1.8 -1.4 -1.6
Llama Bean Fertilizer is an organic fertilizer and soil amendment consisting of processed llama manure. That's all. No chemical additives.
Naturally odor free, this product smells like dirt.
The benefits to your plants lie not only in the nutrients, but in the rich organic matter (soil amendments) which makes up the bulk of Llama Bean Fertilizer. This humus provides your soil with living earth.
The advantages of 'living earth' include:
~Supports living soil organisms
~Helps dissolve the mineral forms of nutrients from other fertilizers
~Improve water holding properties of soil
~Improves soil to provide aeration
~Protects soils from chemical imbalances
~Releases nutrients in rhythm with plant needs
We call it yogurt for your soil because it increases the viability of your soil, in much the same way that yogurt promotes good intestinal health.
Add approximately one cup of Llama Bean Fertilizer to 2 quarts of potting soil to enhance the vitality of your plants and soil. Use as a top dressing quarterly, to provide a continuous supply of 'living earth'.
The Chemical Analysis of Llama Bean Fertilizer:

Nitrogen =1.77% Phosphorus =1.43% Potassium= 1.56%Calcium 1.4% Magnesium .51% Sodium 652ppm

Potatoes

Back in the spring I had some potatoes from my parents garden that had started to sprout. I didnt want to waste it so cut them up as for see potatoes.
We had a wire pen that we had used for our pot bellie piglet when she was tiny, and a few bales that my son used to us for target practice but we starting to fall apart. We scattered the seed potatoes around on the ground and covered with straw. As the plants grew thru the straw we place anothe layer of straw around up to the height of the plant. The only thing I would have changed would have been location. The pen was already in a shady spot. The plants would have dont MUCH better in the sun. However, we did dig them today. Mostly because of the LARGE amounts of rain we have gotten hammered with in the last few days. I was afraid now that the plants were starting to die, that the potatoes may begin to rot from the wetness.
All we did is remove the straw. under the straw was a gold mine of beautiful potatoes. We harvested apx. 10# of small white potatoes. They were very easy to harvest and in beautiful condition. HAD they been in the sun, we would have allot of potatoes. We will do this again, but already have plan to move the fence. I will post photos of the potatoes as soon as I get a new set of batteries.
We also planted several in a tub. They were very productive but had small potatoes. If you have a large barrel or livestock trough Im thinking you could place in the sun in the back yard and have a decent potatoe crop. Be sure that you provide a drain hole or several.
This was a very fun thing for my son to participate in. There was NO effort involved really and a decent product. HAVE FUN with this one.

Garlic Powder

So far I have done up 2 small batchs of garlic powder. oohhhh what a beautiful treat.
I have seen different ways to do this, I put the peeled garlic cloves in my food processor and ground them till tiny. I then spread this, (sorta like a garlic paste) on a non stick dehydrator sheet and placed in the dehydrator at a low temp. Left the last one over night and it was complete in the am. took out broke into small piece's and place in my herb grinder.
I got a good SNOOT full when I opened it up. I then placed it into a wire rabbit ear sifting basket and sifted it. not many chunks left. what was too big I re ground. then placed in a used but now empty garlic bottle, removing the label to make room for my own. This is garlic like you have NEVER had in a powder!
I do think I'm going to try a different method tho. I noticed allot of the garlic oil left behind in the food processor when grinding. I am going to SLICE the next batch and dry and see if it makes any difference. I think it may, by just keeping MORE of the garlic oil in the garlic.
Next years garlic crop will be MUCH bigger. Look out China.. here come the garlic loving Americans!
Since I planted over 100 red and white onions as well as leeks, I plan to dry some of them and make into powder too. I think this could become a nice little hobby that could make some money in the long run.

Slaughtering and Butchering by Dynah Geissal Issue #23

Slaughtering and Butchering by Dynah Geissal Issue #23

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Hog UPDATE

HOLY WOW..
Talk about a growth spurt! The pigs are now apx. 10 weeks/71 days old. The last week has proven a HUGE in the growth department. They are now eating 55.5# of feed a week. Cost per bag works out to be $8.66. So while it SOUNDS like allot of food, the cost is still not absorbent. The growth however is amazing. We were slightly concerned with the growth but was assured that when they hit their growth spurt it would make up for it and then some.
We also feed them a quart of raw whole cow milk once a day. By mixing in with some of the feed this really makes them eat. We have also noted that since the co-habitation of the geese, they have grown. The geese tend to spend allot of time eating, thus frustrating the pigs, who then run them off and eat and eat and eat. This may be a contributing factor to the growth.
Found a wonderful site on the net. I have added a link to this below. The article can be a little graphic for those not used to dealing with this type of issue. However there are no ugly pictures. He is very respectful of life and makes sure to explain how to "take care of things" in a quick humane manner. The part I enjoyed the best is the recipes.
a very useful site.

Harvesting Garlic

Today I harvested ALL of the garlic. 116 plants. I spent nearly 3 hours sitting cleaning the garlics.
I will enclose a photo in the next day or so of the total harvest. I would say there is apx. 20# total. We are once again in Garlic Heaven!

Garlic and garlic scapes

Well.. fall is approaching quickly and a true sign is the ripening of the garlic. We have been picking garlic now for about 2 weeks. Having several varieties, they ripen at different times.

We started out by purchasing TOP quality garlic to plant. Planting time is (in Michigan anyway) mid October. If you can plant by the light of the moon its best. When you are ready to plant there are a few things I have been told work best. My garlic is awsome with large tasty cloves.

SO.. start out with a head of garlic. Keep it in tact until just before preparation for planting.

24 hrs before planting, seperate the cloves. Leave in the skins. soak in water for 24 hrs you can adjust this to your schedule but you get the idea.

Then just before planting.. dip each clove in rubbing alcohol or a strong vodka. Garlic cloves can harbor tiny UNWANTED micro organisms in the skins. This quick DIP (30-60 seconds) will kill those little buggers that may just decide to FEED on your crop before harvest.

You should already have your spot prepared. I have grown in a raised bed, but if you mound your dirt you can do the same thing. The idea is that garlic does not like to be wet. Watered but doesnt like its feet in the water all the time. this will result in soft, moldy heads of garlic.

Add LOTS of natural organic compost to your dirt. We use llama/alpaca poo. They are HIGH in Nitrogen which garlic seems to enjoy.

PLANTING:

I use a large stick.. just slightly larger than the garlic clove. punch into the ground, place 1 garlic clove into ground, pointie end up and cover. Do this every 4-6" until you have used all your seed. water slightly, just damp but NOT wet. and lightly mulch. I used grass clippings and leaves we raked in the yard. In a a week you will see these little green plants POPPING thru. YEA you have garlic. HA if it was only that easy! NOW its time to wait.......and wait...... and wait...

Dont worry too much about them they are tuff little critters. Mine often are sticking 4-6" out of the november snow. No worries.. they will be JUST FINE..

so you go to the house and HIBERNATE for the next few months. Meanwhile... the garlic tops have dissapered beneath the snow and you more a less forget about them.

In the spring.. they will be one of the FIRST green plants to pop! they grow rapidly.

Keep the garlic weeded.. this is a MUST.. you can use mulch to keep the weeds down, or weed by hand. Personally I use lettuce. The two plant very well together, and I find it keeps the pests out of my lettuce. so inbetween you will see the lettuce. (see photo below)

a few weeks later you will see these little curlie things stickout out of the top of your garlic. What the HAY is that thing.. Well my friends ... that is a SCAPE! a wonderous little peice of garlic that is rarely used and is wasted. What a sin! This is a gormet delight.

Pinching these SCAPES off the plants is actually a GOOD thing for the plant. This is basicly the garlic FLOWER. if left on, the plant will send energy to this and not as much to your bulb. By removing it.. well the bulb gets bigger.

WAIT>.. don't throw it away! omg.. there are many things that can be done with these little treasures.

they are similar to a garlic flavored scallion. you can roast them, grind them, bake with them, saute them.. you name it. I do allot of dehydrating. I'm gonna try that NEXT year and see if I can preserve some of that goodness for cooking with Thu the winter.

in this post is a photo of roasted scapes, with potatoes, red pepper and onion. How kewl is THAT!

So Get out there... order your garlic, and prepare the soil for the best taste treat of the century.

For those of you that have livestock.. garlic is an excellent dewormer for ALL farm animals. It is impossible to overdose with, and instead of killing the worms with chemicals, it makes the living environment UNSATISFACTORY to live in, thus resulting in the death of the worms, but also difficulty to repopulate. If you can worm, put in dry lot or stall for a day or two then put on pasture its best. also rotation of the pastures is good if you have the option. We are going to all garlic to worm our sheep, llamas, alpacas and pigs. I have NOT tried on chickens or other poultry. if you have information on this please post for us.

If you have questions about growing garlic, purchasing garlic or use of it as a dewormer, please contact me.

Heritage Breed Turkeys

We also added some Heritage breed turkeys to the growing list this year.
we have 5 Beltsville whites, and a Pair of Chocolates.
The Beltsvilles are going to the freezer, however the chocolates are so beautiful, we have decided to keep the pair and breed them for spring. Hoping for lots of hatching eggs and poults.
We will be hatching as soon as we begin to get eggs in the spring of 2010, and Hope to offer fertile hatching eggs as well. The Chocolate turkey is a fairly rare and difficult to find turkey.
The toms average around 22# and the hens around 12-15#. They are NATURAL breeders and fully capable of flight, and they know it too! We raised them in a small dog kennel in the pasture until they were big enough to not disappear thru the fence. They are let out daily to free feed in the pasture and the woods surrounding. They return to their safe place every night. I will attempt to get photos of the birds again.. however they really move quick and i end up with blurry photos every time.

Well we tried to get in to the Amish to process our meat chickens, and they had no room for us. would have been nearly 2 weeks after what we needed. spent 1.5 weeks trying to reach them as well. SOOOO we took a chance on Fowlerville Processing plant. I have to say we were VERY happy with the results! chickens came back clean and tagged with OUR color. They do charge for keeping necks and giblets so we didnt do that, and they charge for cutting them, So we had them left whole and cut when we got home.The insides were clean, in most cases even the kidneys were gone. found an occasional tracha peice, and maybe a pin feather or two.We did find one that looked like they popped the gizard or stomach, just alittle discoloration so we rinsed it. Otherwise very nicely done. Just thought I would share with every one. Also to those that may be interested, Most of our birds went 1/2-1 ounce under7# (dressed)we got them as day olds on April 15. Put them in a brooder for 1.5 weeks then in a large pen in barn until 4 weeks old. at 4 weeks we put them on pasture along with all the food they could eat for 12 hrs. and a 7 gallon waterer.We initially purchased 3 bags of 24% which lasted about 4 weeks. We then went down to 20%.we started out with 4 bags of the 20% and had to purchase 2 more bags. toward the end we were going thru a 50# bag every 4 days, and close to 7 gallons of water a day. they ate alot of grass, bugs and such in the pasture too and walked around quite a bit. we placed the food and water in different SHADYplaces daily so that they had clean area to sit.We butchered on June 11th, we lost one 3 days previous I think probably to flip.HE WAS HUGE.so they were 4 days shy of 8 weeks.so a total of 450# of feed, the out come with feed, purchase of chicks (Vantress Whites)and processing came $1.91 per pound of PROCESSED chicken. we threw one right in oven when we got home, as we were splitting with parents and had 21 birds so when they came to help cut birds we had the 21st one roasting. The flavor was UNBELIEVABLE! Juicy and fresh tasting. they are a bit tougher than the PEN raised birds that are full of CRAP, plus they did walk around alot. But the difference is not that noteable. We are all gonna do it again next year and likely do a few more. we started with 25 and 21 made it to the processor. NOT too bad. Oh and we used kolombach feeds, which I strongly recommend for any of your livestock needs. We are considering doing hogs next year too, has anyone got a break down of cost like the chickens?hope this post is helpful to someone.Tiffany

Farm Fresh eggs available

We have farm fresh eggs available for $2.50 dozen. Most are xtra large and some being jumbo. Due to theft problems of both money and eggs we are not able to sell at the road as much as previous. Currently have several dozen eggs. Mostly brown some green.

Our chickens are fed an antiobiocic free steroid free feed. They have free access to the woods, yard and pasture. We do not use pestasides on our property.

Other Happenings on the Farm

We have had a wonderful summer so far this year. We sold our herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats, and I do miss them ALLOT. However with our jobs they way they are, and the economy the way it is, we had to make some decisions about the way the farm is run.

#1. If it does NOT pay for its self~it goes

#2. If it does NOT pay for its FEED~it goes

Pretty strict guidelines...

So since we were not milking at the rate we used to the goats were sold.

The alpaca, eat very little and have made me about 20% over the cost to keep them with fiber sales. NOT allot but none the less.. they are carrying their weight.

The Sheep~Have been some changes there. We had sheep for some time, and sold due to PERSONALITY conflicts. IE: I hate skittish wild sheep! We FELL into Finns some time ago, helping the little old guy down the road with bottle babies. Last year we KEPT 2. A Ram and a Ewe. The intentions were to put them in the freezer, BUT the FIBER..OH THE FIBER! plus being bottle fed, I really don't think they ever made their growth potential.

We evaluated the pair. Both being very correct other than size which was NOT genetic factor. We allowed a breeding to occur. On May5th, our MAY was born. A beautiful little ewe lamb. She was xactly what we had hoped for with the breeding. Her fiber is VERY thick and dense. extreme curly coat. Added bone, Length of loin and back and a rapid growth rate.

Of course she was a single. I did not shear the sheep in the fall, recommended for finns.

May and her mother remain on the farm and we traded the ram for a a black and white merino/shetland X. She was a very sweet sheep considering the breed, but it came down again to items #1 and #2 above.

She was a twin, her sister did lamb this spring, she did not. Keeping with the RULES. she at best can give me 2 lambs a year. they are slow growers, and heavy in the grease for the fiber. I decided to sell her and stick to the Finns.

Since, I have made the purchase of a registered black and white finn ram and a solid brown registered finn ewe. Both will be joining the flock with a few weeks.

The ram, out of a litter of 5 and the ewe a litter of 4, both promising for heavy production.

We will have 3 ewes going into the breeding season and with ANY LUCK AT ALL..

we will have several lambs available in the spring. The average production for finns is 3-4 lambs per kidding. Fed properly, they can feed 3. That would provide me with 9 lambs available. We will of course put a couple into our freezer,and the remaining ones will be offered for sale for either freezer, or breeders or fiber. Registered or unregistered, colored and white will be available! We hope to re coupe our costs within the first 2 years!

GARLIC

in 2008 we ordered garlic seed.. this year is proving to be a bumper crop! I will have some available to the public soon. We just picked our first crop of Northern White Porcelain. These are LARGE heads of garlic with several large cloves per head. If you are interested in garlic please contact me before its sold out or

EATEN..I accept pay pal and will ship.

Price will be $5.00 per pound. SORRY SOLD OUT OF GARLIC One head of garlic will provide several garlic plants. I will send growing instructions with them. Use of a raised bed is the best way I have found for growing garlic. Garlic is easy to grow, and very rewarding. Can be stored for several months depending on the variety. We have several varieties and will be adding more next year. In the photo above you can see the raised bed, and the garlic growing. This was taken in Late May or Early June. I planted lettuce in between the garlic rows. This provided a natural weed barrier for them both, kept pests out of the lettuce and I didn't loose all that space. Before planting your garlic with OTHER plants.. be sure to check, because some plants just do not do well together. We do allot of COMPANION planting, but you can totally ruin your gardening if you do it wrong.

pig pictures

As promised.. here are the current photos of the pigs. Taken Aug. 1st, 2009. As you can see, they have grown quite a bit since we got them. We have had them for LESS than a month in the photos.

Our pigs are a Landrace/Durock cross. You can see in the photo the LONG levelness of the back.

Also a benefit of this breed (Landrace) is they actually have an extra rib compared to other hog breeds. This is beneficial for the reasons of Longer loin, longer ribs and more bacon. They don't get as HAMMY as some other breeds, but who really needs a 24# ham anyway. These should provide a nice 12#-14# ham per side.

UPDATE: we have just added our 3rd 55.5# bag of feed to the feeder. There will be some inaccuracy due to the fact that we just put 5 geese in the pen as well. They are eating the feed, but not at a huge rate. however, it is causing competition for the pigs, thus causing THEM to eat more. They are still not considered FAT pigs. To judge this, look at the pigs Jowls (under their chin) if this is becoming very fat and jiggly or if the pig is forming a fat hump at the back of the neck, remove FULL feed and feed allotment of feed per day. Ours are still a little young for this. They are very active running around all day, building up those hams. They spend allot of time GRAZING on clover flowers in their pasture, have their Bathroom spots as well and have dug a wallow.

pigs August 1, 2009

It has been a while since I posted re guarding the 2009 pig project.
The pigs are growing at a enormous rate right now. We did make a slight mistake with the feed.
We purchased a 15% feed from a local feed store, as we felt the pigs were too little still to go out and have the 500# made up at the mill. They did NOT like the pelleted form of the feed and took forever to complete it. I finally decided to just go ahead the purchase the feed. so call the mill in am and picked up 500# of fresh ground corn,soy ect feed for the pigs. WHAT a difference. since going on that feed apx 3 weeks ago they have gone thru 2 bags of feed. The bags are 55.55# PER BAG apx. so they are putting it down. We continue to give the whole cow milk. However switched it around some. I used to feed it in the am, but noticed more AGGRESSIVE behavior in the am than in the pm if fed the milk then. I think they were coming out in the am, hungry from sleeping all nite and just ravenous. So we have switched to feeding it at nite. We have tried to keep them on a fairly REGULAR schedule. They seem to thrive on routine as I have heard before.
The pigs (affectionately named Piggly & Wiggly) still have not figured out the nipple drinker. so I dug a hole in the ground in front of the barrel when the nozzle was placed, and I stuck a bucket in the ground.
each morning I dump the bucket in their wallow, creating a nice muddy mess for them to play, lay and root thru. Robert and I (my son) sit down there for sometimes 30-45 mins. in am just watching them play in the mud. It really is quite comical. we dump the water 2 times a day filling the pail which is just above ground level 2 times a day, at least for now.
I did find a formula for weighing the pigs. However, I really don't think it is very accurate at their age. have to look into it a bit more.
Yesterday we also gave the pigs some new playmates.
We put the geese in the pen with them. This has created quite a quandary for Piggly and Wiggly.
The geese, who have been solely on pasture, had to finally be put with feed. Here in Michigan we have not had allot of rain and pastures are NOT doing well. The most COST effective way to fatten the geese was to put with the pigs and let them eat. Well eat they have... they have chased the pigs RIGHT out of the feed... I do see the pigs in MORE often now tho. we will continue to monitor the situation to be sure they are getting ample food. 2 of the geese.. the oldest 2 leave tomorrow to go to a friends. she has a large swampy//pond thing in her pasture she is gonna put the geese into to clean up some of the bugs and larva. They will LOVE it there and I will only have 3 LOUD mouths to feed instead of 5!
New pics of the pigs to come soon.