Farm Life

Mid July on the Farm

Summer is halfway through. Fall garden ideas are circling around, but it is still nearly 100 degrees out, the pests have taken over the garden, and the humidity is excruciating. Our outside working hours are extremely limited this year as we have 2 littles in tow. It is hot, plain and simple. I had large dreams for this garden season, most of which are not coming to pass. Our tomatoes are being devastated by rabbits. The corn stunted with our cool spring and then got too hot too fast, and our squash got devoured by vine borers. Sometimes those big dreams don't happen, and that is ok. Honestly, it is a bummer. I was looking forward to a bountiful harvest and preserving enough food to get us through winter. Maybe next year? We have had a wonderful cucumber harvest and I have been able to put up several gallons worth of pickles. We have enough tomatoes for salsa, and I'm trying my hand at homemade ketchup. Ketchup is one of Benji's main food groups, so I would love to make it from scratch. We have peppers coming in which I am looking forward to, and we have a few pumpkin plants that look promising. The garden never ceases to amaze me with all it can teach. This year I was praying for abundance, but instead I am learning contentment. To be content with what is, to be ok that my garden isn't great, and our farmstead is not Pinterest worthy. To be real and raw. To deal with the hard stuff. To keep moving forward even if the weeds are 2 feet tall. To harvest what we are able to. To share what we can. To embrace the process of building something great.

In other news, we have been successfully milking Magnolia for the last couple of months. We are home pasteurizing for now. We are getting into a groove with milking her once a day. I am hoping to try my hand at cheesemaking in the near future. Our chickens are producing over a dozen eggs a day. I have learned how to use eggs in so many ways. Homemade mayo is now a staple in our house, a year ago I didn't know how to even make homemade mayo. I have lime preserved some eggs. I plan to freeze some. We sell some and try to give away several dozen to our neighbors a coworkers. Having a constant supply of eggs provides a sense of food security in these unknown economic times, and I am thankful for what God has provided.

A year ago, we weren't even living on this piece of land, and I have to slow down and remind myself of that. It is too easy for me to get lost in the big plans I have that I forget to stop and be content with where I am. To be content with where God has placed us. To be proud of where we are and how far we have come. This has been a big season for our family. A season of change. A season of growth. A season of boundaries. A season of learning who our Father is on a new level. A season of finding our footing as a family of 4. I am hopeful our Fall garden will do well. I am hopeful for what is to come, but ever so thankful for what is. So, here is to the heat of the summer, a disastrous garden, Saturday's at the lake, slowing down, being content, and watching our babies grow.

Happy Summer!

Welcoming New Babies

This week we welcomed 2 new Nubian babies to the farm! Our sweet Magnolia gave birth to twin bucklings. They are adorable, but we don't need any more bucks around, so these little guys will be available for sale in about 8 weeks. We have chosen to let them stay with mom for the first 8 weeks of their life instead of weaning them early. These 2 little guys bring our first kidding season to an end. We welcomed a total of 5 new kids on the farm this season! It has definitely been exciting among everything else we have going on. New life is always a time to pause and give thanks. A brief moment to reflect and stand in awe of the beauty the world has to offer. We had a good year this year and we are thankful for that. Our mama's gave birth on their own and are raising their babies with ease. We haven't had to intervene at all which is how we prefer it. Our little one, Benjamin, has been able to watch and play with the new babies. His favorite past time is chasing the little ones around their yard. It is delightful to watch. As we roll into Summer, we have more goats than we were anticipating, but we really do enjoy them. We are hoping to get a milking schedule going very soon as well. Wish us luck!

Natural Easter Eggs

We love Easter around here. I am finding everything with little ones is magical. We had a plethra of eggs since our girls are producing so well and I decided to try out the natural egg dye this year. I am in LOVE with the results! Now, disclaimer: This is NOT a quick process. The eggs have to sit in the dye for several hours to overnight to achieve the color you are wanting. Plan to make a day of it with the kids OR just do it to make yourself smile. Simple joys are important.

For the blue we used red cabbage, orange/amber color we used yellow onion skins, and the yellow we used tumeric.

Blue:

2 C - chopped red cabbage
1 TBSP - White Vinegar
4 C - Water

Orange/Amber:

2 C - Yellow Onion Skins
1 TBSP - White Vinegar
4 C - Water

Yellow

2 TBSP - Ground Tumeric
1 TBSP - White Vingear
4 C - Water

All you do for color is boil the veggie/seasoning in water and vinegar for 15-20 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Farming with Littles

I'm pretty sure we are crazy. I'm actually convinced we are. In the last year, we have purchased property, built a house, purchased chickens, lost chickens, purchased goats, traded goats, purchased more goats, had goat kids, started 2 businesses, welcomed our second son into our world, and survived day to day life. Oh, did I mention I also work full time outside of the home? Yes, we must be insane.

We have had a home garden in some capacity for the last several years.I grew up with a backyard garden. My mom preserved a lot of our vegetables that we would eat throughout the year. When I was a teenager, prepping and planting the garden was my favorite time of year. I don't know if it was because school was coming to an end, or if it meant summer was near, or if it was just connecting with the Earth in a such a pure way. I just remember falling in love with the garden.

As I have grown up, gotten married, and had children of my own, I have wanted nothing more than to give them a life of freedom. When I say freedom, I mean a life where they are free to roam. A life where they grow up outside in the dirt. Where they learn how to grow their food and where it comes from. We purchased the land we are currently on in May 2022. This year will be our first garden here. We did a surface till yesterday in preparation of planting this week and the reality we will be having a large home garden is coming to fruition. We are planning around 2500sqft of vegetable garden and another 950sqft of cut flowers.

Benjamin, our oldest, will be 2 in April. As part of our parenting journey, we made the decision to be intentional in including him in our everday tasks. He helps us gather eggs every morning and feed goats. He helps empty and load the dishwasher. He loves riding on the mower with dad. As we have been prepping the garden spaces, we have been including him in every way we can. We started transplating sunflowers and Benji was right there wanting to help. Honestly, I was nervous of him helping because I didn't want these lovely little seedlings getting destroyed at the hands of our toddler. Once again, I was blown away by how much he just wanted to learn the process and help mom and dad. Did we lose a couple? Yes. Did he step on a few more? Yep. But, it was worth it to me to watch him learn a new skill. Maybe I got to witness the moment that will initate his love for the garden. Maybe I just witnessed his confidence grow. Maybe he won't even remember this moment, but I will cherish it forever.

Letting him help us with farm chores can be very frustrating. It takes us moving a bit slower to ensure he is able to learn. We have to be diligent to ensure his safety is never compromised. We have to eliminate all distractions and be focused on him and the task at hand. As I just sat behind him and watched his little fingers plant sunflowers yesterday, I was in awe. I was in awe of this little human and his capabilities. I was in awe of his attentiveness. I was in awe of how gentle he was (if you have 2 year olds, gentle usually is not an adjective used). I just want to encourage you if you have littles to let them come along side you in your everyday. Let them learn. Teach them little by little. Challenge them to learn a new skill and then be amazed at what they are truely capable of.

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