In the other gardens, and all up the vale From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail. Pleasant summer over and all the summer flowers. The red fire blazes, the grey smoke towers. Sing a song of seasons, something bright in all. Flowers in the summer, fires in the fall. Robert Louis Stevenson. I have to constantly remind myself of the life I want to give my children. A different life. A "free-range" life. My "chickens". And don't be threatened. I am not judging what you have chosen for your kids. Really, I'm not. God has given you and your husband wisdom for your children. We must all humbly seek it.
It's sad that I have to write that.
I want freedom for my kids. Before a life that weighs them down.
Responsibilities. Yes, they have a-lot. A lot. They keep living creatures alive for crying out loud. And some think I am too hard on them.
I am.
And then, I am not.
And sometimes (I am ashamed to say) They strive to live up to my demands.
But this is a small example of what I want for them.
Freedom.
Freedom when an autumn day beckons to pack up the books and bring them to the firepit.
Freedom to gather leaves and just BE with nature while others sit at desks.
How many of us know how to "just be"? Freedom to interact with siblings instead of being apart all day long. Freedom to smell the smoke. Freedom to feel the rain come in. Freedom to learn about how not to get burned. Freedom to play "games" with the owl in the tree. Freedom to figure out where he has flown to by listening to his "whoo-whoo." Freedom to sing out loud. Bless the Lord oh my Soul, oh My Soul... Freedom to pray together at random. For Daddy, for Africa, for our friends who don't know Jesus...
I don't mean to say that others don't have these freedoms. But this is how we roll.
The long hot days of summer demand that we eat light and they inspire us to hold on to what we can from our gardens for when the warm weather fades and cooler temperatures are on the horizon.
Canning vegetables is in itself a noble skill for any cook to attain but there is more to be done to store our vegetables than cooking out so much of the nutrition. Now don't get me wrong... I love the art of canning. I covet those homestead blogs with thousands of canned goods lined up in their root cellar. But sometimes I don't want to mess with boiling water, timers and the like. The grabbers, the heat, the vinegar. The kitchen gets SO nasty when your canning all day. By the time I am done I am a hot mess!!!
SOMEday I want one of those wonderful summer kitchens. Sigh.
Fermented food contains bacteria the promotes intestinal health. Plain and simple. In fact, fermented food is some of the healthiest food you can feed your family and it’s about as easy as planting a seed in the ground and watching it grow! Just about any vegetable from your garden will do though you will attain the best results with vegetables like cabbage, zucchini, carrots, onions, cucumbers, beets and chard stalks.
I make these jars for my family and they go absolutely nuts for them! In fact, I have to hold some back or else I can't even get a few bites for myself.
Mix it up so the salt dissolves. And do this in another container as you will first pack the veggies in the jar and then pour the water over the top. You can add dill, peppercorns, etc and use sliced zucchini to cap off your veggies. You want to leave about 1-1 1/2 inch head space. Put the lids on but don't tighten them all the way.
The veggies will start to release their sugars thus creating gas. You want the lids just twisted on but not tightened. You don't want them to explode from pressure! I'm kidding. But maybe I'm not. Leave them on your counter out of direct sunlight. Over the next 12 hours you will see bubbling and all sorts of jazz... you may even hear sounds! The next day give the lids a little opening, you will hear the gasses release. Leave them on your counter for 4-7 days, releasing pressure as needed. Then enjoy them and/or store them in the fridge for up to nine months.
This is an awesome book on the subject...
And it's from French farmers. Fancy that.
My "herd" is finally complete. I've been waiting to introduce you to my sweet goats but today is the day.
We now have four goats on Half-Way Farm, la ferme a mi-chemin. They can now re-produce. I'm calling that a herd. Don't laugh.
It all began last spring when I was DEATHLY ill with the flu (and pregnant). Nothing was working. It was like I was dying. I was in bed for about a week and so I started spending a LOT of time on the Mac-top. I found myself watching YouTube videos about Nigerian Dwarf goats and my subtle interest became a full blown obsession.
I found the WONDERFUL breeder, Beth, of My Own Private Idaho and we set out to find just the right goats to suit our needs here on the farm. I wanted a "fresh" goat and she considered selling me and older one of hers but then decided she wouldn't be a good fit for our milking needs. (She'd never been on the stand). She encouraged me to be patient and start with babies that we would grow to love and just wait a year or so for the milk. The kids and I went out for a visit, held a couple and we were smitten. She called when two were born that she thought would be perfect for us. A brother and sister. Darling. All we had to do was wait 60 days and we could take them home.
That was a long sixty days.
Last 4th of July we brought Coco and Valentino to Half-Way and I became a changed woman.
I don't really like animals.
Or let's just say - I'm not a dog person. That might cushion the blow for some of you. Others may never read this blog again:). But boy, oh boy I've become a goat woman!
Nigerian Dwarfs are sweet little, deer like goats. Their milk has a high butterfat content, they throw multiples (meaning they can have two, three and four kids at a time) and they are perfect for a farm with small children.
Coco and Valentino... oh, let me stop there. I learned while doing a ton of research before buying them that it is customary to pick a theme for your farm when naming your goats and since I am "Parisienne Farmgirl" I thought it appropo to name my goats after my favorite fashion designers. Silly girl that I am.
Coco and Valentino came to love us all quickly. The children singing them "Jesu m'aime" nightly in an effort to tame them was about the cutest thing EVER. We loved on them. Ran them thru the farmyard for giggles and made it thru the horrible winter of 2013/14.
And then I got the fever again.
Not the flu.
The goat fever.
I needed another one. No, scratch that. I needed two more. I needed another darling girl. And I needed me a buck. So I called the wonderful Beth and again, she assessed our needs. Milk making Mommas and a gentle buck for my children to be comfortable around.
Carolina was born first and she came to Half-Way Farm this spring. Carolina's momma (like Coco's) has a FABULOUS udder. Thus meeting our need for milk which we should have sometime this winter.
Carolina is SO precious. We call her "Little Miss Half-Way" on account of that awesome "H" she has on her side for Half-Way Farm!
Buddies.
Ralph was born next and he came to Half-Way Farm about four weeks ago. Ralph's Momma has a HUGE udder. He was one of FOUR kids this last time. And Ralph's sire is kind and gentle and does not jump up on you. Ralph is a sweet as cream. With BLUE eyes to boot! Did I mention boyfriend is HUNG??? Geesh! Go make those baby goats!
We're hoping for blue eyed kids this winter. Pure bred Nigerian Dwarfs bring a great price. Ours weren't a cheap investment. Sure, I could have bought any one of the mangy goats off Craigslist that people were trying to unload but we have a rule here on the farm: the animals have to pay for themselves. By the time my girls are milking and I'm selling two, three, four, five, six kids a year they will pay for themselves over and over again.
I'll talk more about goat care soon (like I'm some expert or something) but I've been dying to show off these sweeties. Pardon some of my evening time photos. Joel and I go out and love on 'em after we get the children to bed.
This is my herd. Someday I'd like about fifteen but this is our practice farm so I'll bide my time with these four cuties!
I typed this up weeks ago trying to set aside time to get some better photographs than what were in my files. Since then my sweet Ralph has died. It was a horrible day for Half-Way Farm and for me in particular. If you followed on Facebook then you know how hard I tried to save him.
I have my eye on a fresh doe with excellent milking bloodlines and another buck but alas, they are NOT in the farm budget right now. She is going to be dried up for breeding in September. No doubt before I can set $ aside for her purchase. Grrrrrr... I want her! I'm so sad, this puts such a kink in my home-dairy plans but if there is one thing you have to practice when trying to create a "homestead" - it's patience. I miss Ralph though. He was so sweet. Sigh.
"Tails Up" (as my breeder says) -Angela, Parisienne Farmgirl
No, I haven't bailed on my wellness series (they will resume again asap) but I have been REALLY sick for the better part of the month. First we got hit with that ebola-esque flu, then we were well for ten days and then SLAMMED with the chest cold from hell. Everyone in the family got over theirs in a timely fashion, 'sept for the prego. By day EIGHT mine had morphed into a painful, painful sinus and ear infection... the doctor I saw actually had pneumonia concerns! (They still want me to come back to check the wheezing in my lungs). Yeap, I actually went to the doctor and for the first time since 1997 I am on an antibiotic. Wow. I am NEVER sick for more than 36 hours, so to have those two illnesses back to back like that for so many weeks-- well, I thought I was going to die :).
Spring is finally springing on Half-Way Farm.
La Ferme a Mi-Chemin.
And we could not be busier. Or more happy. Homesteading is definitely becoming a hobby for the entire family. Joel is finding himself quite the chicken man - he has plans to expand our chicken run and has told me he wants to add to our flock... again.
THE FLOCKS-
Four weeks ago we added to our already 15 chickens by purchasing 5 Black Australorps and 2 Spitzhaubens (a "rare" breed). That was during our round with the flu and as much as we wanted to go the following week for another round of chicks (Blue Cochins!) we could not muster the energy to make the drive.
Then as we were recovering and still a little shaky we got the call that 37 Red Ranger chicks (for meat) were waiting for us at the post office. The fun and to-do list never ends.
THE CROPS-
The Half-Way Potager is in full swing - Back to Eden style. Yesterday, despite my lack of lung capacity we laid down a ton of newspaper and Joel made 6 or 7 trips for mulch to dress the garden. We found a free pile in the town we live outside of so we will be pillaging that at needed. I haven't made official measurements but with my rough guessing it looks like we have about well over2,000 square feet of garden. Five plots in the potager, plus the surrounding beds for edible flowers, decorative gourds, sunflowers, and healing herbs - a huge strawberry patch out back, a large plot way out back for sweet corn, popcorn, green beans, lima beans and pinto beans and a neighboring plot back there for watermelon, squash, cantaloupe, etc.
Yeah. We are trying to grow a TON of food.
THE FARMYARD DAIRY-
We are also working with a goat breeder (Nigerian Dwarf) and are happy to announce that our goats were born two weeks ago. A boy and a girl. We will be picking them up around the end of June. Their names... in true Parisienne Farmgirl fashion will be "Coco" and "Valentino". We really wanted to find a doe that was "in milk" but we have decided to start with babies (and buy a fresh doe along the way if she presents herself). I LONG to make cheese. Come on, homemade Chevre??? Does it get better than that?
THE SWEET LIFE-
As far as "Half-Way Honey" we were a little bummed to put the beekeeping on the backburner til next spring but common sense has to prevail SOMEWHERE. I don't think they make beekeeper getups in "my size". But we can't WAIT to have some hives - we have the perfect spot - so perfect in fact that it looks a little naked already without them sitting there.
THE FAMILY-
The children love it here. They have more responsibilities than ever. But that is OK. We are closer as a family than we have ever been. I don't know why, I never thought we weren't close... but we are closer now. Joel is happier than he has ever been in his whole life - even with the HUGE work load we are both experiencing. I see this longing in him to "homestead" full time. I think he would become a chicken farmer with a CSA on the side if he could. But, this is "Half-Way Farm" and we are getting our feet as WET as possible before we move on the big farm someday.
As far as "styling" the house is... OK. It looks farmy and chic and I haven't devoted a ton of time to styling it. I was too depressed (as mentioned) this winter and now, all I care about is the gardens. But I have don't some darn cute things that I will share as soon as I have a rainy day to keep me indoors.
The grounds still look a little "farm ghetto" as we call it. The barn has these hideous, chipping garage doors, the fence still needs to be painted - I mean, sometimes rust is stylish but not in this case. Again, we have made some cute additions to distract from the fact that really, it's just an old, neglected rental farm. As soon as I get some annuals... hanging baskets, etc. that will REALLY help.
All in good time.
It's very hard for me to sleep at night - my wheels spin so fast and so furious. It's all so exciting.
Oh, and to top it off. My midwife bumped up my due date to August 10th. WOOT-WOOT!
Considering I was 11 days early with the last one I could, in theory, have only 11 more weeks to go.
Oh-my-goodness.
I need a farm-hand.
Here are a couple corny videos of the kids, still week with the flu, getting our meat birds at the post office. It's all such an adventure. I PRAISE GOD they aren't sitting in school all day.
Oh, BTW - Forget schooling on the farm past about April 15th. What a joke. There is just too much to do. Now I know. They will have book reports all summer and will learn a heck of a lot when we butcher those chickens, harvest that food and tend to those baby goats.
