tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11654234527943386042012-02-16T11:30:08.275-08:00Corporate professionals by day and farmers by evening and weekend. The trials and joys of balancing work, family, gardening and raising animals in Clark County, WA.Mindynoreply@blogger.comBlogger2181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-43684454273979280152012-02-12T18:48:00.000-08:002012-02-12T19:01:33.228-08:00

Grandma will turn 90 in June. That's a lot of years of living and enough stories to fill two long novels. My favorite stories are the ones from when she was a girl growing up on her family's Ohio farm. We got two gems on Saturday when Jordan and I stopped by for a surprise visit. "We raised turkeys in the pasture to have them ready to sell for Thanksgiving. Around the pasture were trees

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-29122488251657020352012-02-08T19:40:00.000-08:002012-02-08T21:19:18.762-08:00

I just placed my seed order. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. This year there will be a focus on trellises with an emphasis on beans, peas, small gourds and cucumbers. Below are the seeds I ordered from Territorial Seed Co. I left in the catalog numbers for those who order through Territorial Seed Co. and might be interested in these varieties.SQ803/S Bush Baby Squash - small green

Mindynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-33599402642613601322012-02-04T15:13:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:15:04.326-08:00

Two winters ago I saw "biobags" at the store. Lauded as being a non-messy way to move your compost from the kitchen to the heap, I was intrigued. And the bags are biodegradable. Seemed like a great idea. I bought whole box full and used them for about three months. In the spring I moved compost heap onto the garden and found that the bags had not biodegraded. Worse, when Jeremy tried to

Mindynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-32722172147424429802012-01-30T11:49:00.000-08:002012-01-30T15:25:50.856-08:00

This time of year I start to yearn for anything that reminds me of spring. Strawberries come to mind! You can get strawberries now year round in the supermarket. But those are huge, tasteless monstrosities imported from Ecuador. I'd rather not. Fortunately, back in June when the local crop was coming in, we froze a flat of berries. All winter we make strawberry milkshakes on the weekends -

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-52219919367665730842012-01-22T15:06:00.001-08:002012-01-22T15:25:56.057-08:00

I love my bread machine! It was a wedding gift and not something I had registered for; someone just got it for me. At the time I didn't think much of it But in the tens years since I have put the bread machine to good use. Every weekend I make at least one loaf, sometimes two, for the coming week. Here is a great basic whole wheat recipe that can be modified easily.Whole Wheat BreadAdd to

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-19120957769017455292012-01-18T14:04:00.000-08:002012-01-18T15:58:31.618-08:00

This year I've decided to get more acquainted with dried beans. Mostly because they are a perfect food but also because they are cheap! Yesterday was a snow-day and the storm hadn't even hit yet, so I knew we'd be home today as well [I was right]. So I decided to try a new slow cooker recipe. The original recipe is here, but I made some alterations like adding carrots.Beans with Bacon

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-29604625051561969732012-01-17T18:42:00.001-08:002012-01-18T16:19:10.422-08:00

Junior is the nicest ram ever! He is a mix of Tunis, Suffolk and Katadhin and he loves to be loved. When people go on walks they all stop to say 'hi' to Junior and he will coming running from the furthest end of the pasture if he sees he has visitors. Sometimes when we give Junior oats, if he is feeling particularly lonely, he will skip devouring the feed and opt for pets instead.This is all

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-63078472075370581122012-01-15T14:54:00.000-08:002012-01-15T15:13:11.658-08:00

I believe all of George's attitude comes from when she was a little chick and I thought she was a he due to her aggressive behavior so I named her George. Ever since she has been a big huge poop head! Here is an example ...It was after dark on Thursday when I went down to feed the sheep some hay, fill the chicken feeder and lock the chickens in their run for the night. I had on a head lamp so

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-67409802994854334512012-01-11T17:10:00.001-08:002012-01-11T17:45:10.044-08:00

Last fall I made a huge batch of homemade chicken broth and have been using it in everything since. Here is the risotto I made tonight.Thyme RisottoTime = 1 hourServings = 43 T olive oil1 large shallot, diced1 cup arborio rice1 pint chicken brothwater3/4 t dried thyme1/2 t salt1/4 t pepper2 t lemon juiceHeat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced shallot and cook until opaque. Add rice and cook

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-61002229967055387322012-01-05T18:39:00.000-08:002012-01-05T18:50:07.344-08:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving we butchered two lambs. Nearly all the meat, save one leg that we had for Christmas dinner, was ground and frozen. Ground lamb is a great replacement for ground beef in spaghetti or meatballs or meatloaf. Personally, I love lamb burgers. But we reserve burgers for the summer. Tonight we made another family favorite. Moroccan Lamb PattiesTime - 20 minServings -

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-86092227079279494222012-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:002012-01-04T21:25:43.672-08:00

I realize I spend a lot of time talk about eggs. Tonight we called our neighbor to ask if they could watch over the place and feed the animals while we go skiing this weekend. They happily said yes. Lola use to have sheep and misses them, so she loves visiting with ours. They still have chickens and Lola asked if we are getting any eggs. Jeremy said that we were dry for about 6 weeks. We

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-47664032214719082412011-12-31T15:20:00.001-08:002012-01-04T21:14:18.377-08:00

Not the kind you have for dinner. This is the kind that develops in the sheep stall as we put down a layer of straw then the sheep go to the bathroom on it and sleep on it and mat it down. So we put another layer of straw down, which they promptly soil up. And another layer of straw goes down. And so on and so on. Until we have a good straw-poo-pee lasagna built up. Next comes the difficult

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-64579693439182982262011-12-19T19:22:00.000-08:002011-12-19T19:36:02.689-08:00

Once canning season is over and the garden is cleaned up. Once the chickens stop laying so much and the lambs are sold. Once the days get very short and the temperatures cool. I loose all motivation to do anything, at all. This is the lost time. When we just make sure the animals have food and water and don't worry about other things that needs to be done. Lost time lasts through December.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-76293123384585929032011-12-10T10:09:00.001-08:002011-12-10T10:31:50.954-08:00

I know it's only December and it's freezing outside. I know I'm suppose to be relishing the down time of winter - not lambing, not planting, not harvesting, not canning. But I'm already thinking about next spring and what I want to plant in the garden.Our garden is huge by many peoples standards, but it's still just a garden. We don't mass produce produce and sell it. We just try to grow

Mindynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-81144968108596287962011-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:002011-12-06T19:29:09.776-08:00

If you have only ever preserved food with a pressure cooker and never actually cooked with it, then you are really missing out. Everyone sings the praises of the slow cooker and not to downplay how yummy a slow cooked meal is, but the pressure cook can double the flavor and knock the time down by a lot - I mean by like hours.My mom grew up with her mom making stew in the pressure cooker at least

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-17134800175237543042011-11-24T20:47:00.000-08:002011-11-26T09:52:33.436-08:00

A couple weeks ago I froze a dozen eggs to preserve them for the winter. The eggs were found inside a large hay bin in the barn. We had no idea how long the eggs had been there, thankfully it's been cold outside; I decided that we should do more than just put the in the fridge with the fresh eggs. So on the advice of a coworker, I froze them - two per custard dish, yolks and all. Yesterday

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-51820451489508784112011-11-23T14:27:00.000-08:002011-11-24T07:40:07.566-08:00

We've gotten about 3 inches of rain in the past 48 hours. We have a little creek that flows across our farm and it drains a small watershed. Today the water topped it's bank in a few place, like by our barn.Jordan checking out how deep the water is.Pretty soon the downspout will be under water.The other place the water is flooding is in the pasture. The creek is pretty channelized here but it

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-17559544788158840122011-11-19T18:02:00.000-08:002011-11-20T08:40:26.399-08:00

Today Jordan I did our shopping for Thanksgiving. It's something I have to do way a head of time because I can't handle the crowds as we get closer to the holiday. Wednesday at the store, people will be stressed and grumpy and it makes me sad. But the weekend before everyone is still in a good mood and courteous and looking forward to the big meal. I had a great conversation today with a

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-62956543737216757792011-11-19T10:28:00.001-08:002011-11-23T20:15:17.382-08:00

Picked up some locally grown whole chickens at Battle Ground Produce to make chicken broth. It's really easy if a little time consuming, but the flavor is so worth it! Here are the directions:Put 3 whole chickens, with the skin on, and the giblets in a very large stock pot. Fill pot with cold water. Add a couple onions, quartered, 2-3 whole carrots and 2-3 celery stalks. Add 2 tablespoons salt, 1

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-41638633532026487212011-11-13T16:42:00.000-08:002011-11-13T20:57:45.971-08:00

A coworker of mine, who has three hens in her Portland backyard, shared a neat idea with me. A couple months ago, when the eggs were still plentiful, I was chatting with Chris about how unfortunate it is that we have so many eggs in the summer when it's too hot to bake and not enough eggs in the winter when I love to bake. Chris said, you should just freeze your eggs. Really?! Freeze them?!

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-3386700509072793532011-11-11T13:47:00.000-08:002011-11-13T20:54:13.667-08:00

I have always been the person who is prepared. At work I went on a site visit and the weather changed and a coworker asked "You don't happen to have extra socks in your car?" And I said "Sure I do." In my car I also have water, granola bars, two blankets, rope, a couple flashlights, a pocket knife - you get the idea. I really do believe in plan for the worst, hope for the best.Winter has

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-25772940205107916272011-11-10T18:11:00.000-08:002011-11-10T18:35:07.114-08:00

It's been a long lull. Ever since I canned my last jar of apple butter and we butchered the pigs. There's just nothing doin'. Add to that that we haven't had any animal escapes, births or sicknesses. We haven't had any intruders - no coyotes or opossums or raccoons. No wind storms, no stream flooding, no freak early snow. And my insane capability of breaking anything in my path or at the

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-90498320846058694342011-11-08T13:51:00.000-08:002011-11-08T14:01:39.136-08:00

We don' t live in the city anymore or even in the suburbs. But when we did, I always had a big garden. If we had decided to stay in the city, I would have chickens and maybe even a goat by now. Of course that is all possible because we use to live in a community that allowed all those things.Cities are making great strides and creating opportunities for people to grow and sell their own food. I

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-25751368435932573432011-11-05T18:07:00.000-07:002011-11-05T19:09:53.582-07:00

Today I stood in front of the freezer thinking "what shall we have for dinner?" Pork chops with brussles sprouts, cube steak and corn casserole, beef roast with potatoes? Since it's cold and rainy and dismal outside, I have a hankerin' for soup. Split pea it is!Split Pea with Ham SoupServings = 10Time = 1 ½ hrIngredients2 T olive oil1 large onion, diced3 large carrots, diced2 celery stalks,

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-37934453321024278192011-11-04T08:45:00.000-07:002011-11-04T09:31:17.089-07:00

When we bought our house we had a challenge downstairs. The previous owners "finished" the downstairs but before they added dry wall and carpet the forgot a significant step - to seal the concrete. Concrete is not a solid material, it allows moister to travel through it and you have to seal it to protect your house. Since the previous owners were either too stupid or too lazy to take an extra

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-49669672507440591862011-11-02T20:08:00.000-07:002011-11-02T20:27:39.392-07:00

We have a second story, covered back deck. It runs the full length of the house and over looks the garden and two pastures. There is no access from the deck down to the yard, so raccoons or neighbor dogs can't come up and bother us. We love, love, love the back deck and find any reason to go out there. In the sun, we have to enjoy the view. In the rain, we have to listen to the sound of drops

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-52173133344886587552011-10-27T17:55:00.000-07:002011-10-27T18:56:49.401-07:00

She is molting something awful. At this point she looks more like a porcupine than a chicken. But the feathers are filling back in.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-81494319549394394962011-10-23T20:13:00.001-07:002011-10-25T20:15:54.774-07:00

No, really, it is the best soup, ever! My mom came up with this soup and it was a staple of winter meals growing up. It's not only delicious, but full of vitamins and minerals to ward off colds and flu plus it's hearty enough that even my meat-and-potatoes hubby can eat it without a roll and feel full. We made our first batch of the season for Sunday night dinner and we had enough left over

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-77238254639979058202011-10-23T18:13:00.000-07:002011-10-23T18:31:01.951-07:00

Every fall we take trip out to Hoodriver for the Heirloom Apple Festival. It's one of my favorite things visiting all the orchards, even if I have no reason to buy apples.The first stop is always the Apple Valley Store. This old store not only has some of the best jams and jellies I've ever sampled, they make a pear pastry that is worth the drive. It's a whole pear, cored and wrapped in pie

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-44934367070416431152011-10-14T09:20:00.001-07:002011-10-14T09:46:48.803-07:00

This weekend we are having a party for Jordan's 9th birthday. Jordan and I are going to make her cake. We found this fun recipe that uses Pepsi cola as the liquid and sugar. (Jordan's grandma works for Pepsi.) Jordan is pretty excited - soda cake! But making our own cake brings up a problem. Cakes need eggs. You may be thinking, if you have read my blog before, you have chickens so you

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-59026567892301046942011-10-09T12:32:00.000-07:002011-10-14T11:16:01.711-07:00

We sold our lambs Saturday. All three went with a nice lady to a farm down south. She already has some sheep, so they will have friends. And we are now down to a more reasonably sized flock for our 3 acres of pasture. What was interesting is how the buyer transported the sheep.I should preface this with the fact that we have transported animals in odd ways as well. Gladys the cow came from

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-73570959973192848722011-10-08T15:50:00.001-07:002011-10-08T16:08:58.699-07:00

We have an old apple tree in the pasture. We don't know what variety it is - it produces green and red apples with a tart flavor like a granny smith. Also, the tree produces huge amounts of fruit for two years in a row and then produces nothing the third year. The first time it didn't produce we thought maybe there was a late frost we didn't remember. But after the next time, we realized this

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-33641188911541253942011-10-02T18:03:00.000-07:002011-10-04T21:09:55.258-07:00

Is it still considered a chutney if it has only veggies and no fruit? I'm not sure, but even if this isn't a traditional chutney it is delicious! And it is really pretty with all the colors of vegetables. Summer Veggie Curry ChutneyMakes 8 half pintsIngredients10 c chopped summer squash1 onion, chopped1 red bell pepper, diced1 green bell pepper, diced2 medium carrots, chopped1/4 c salt4 c

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-8181777939076641412011-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:002011-10-03T21:27:02.155-07:00

This morning I asked Jordan if she would come down to the garden and help me cut the pumpkins. A big smile came to her face and she said "Mmmm, pumpkin pie." Yep, it's fall.Like everything else, except the rhubarb, we have a meager pumpkin crop this year - 6 total. All sugar pumpkins of course. We buy a couple of the gigantic jack-o-lantern pumpkins from the farmer's market to carve up for

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-70577496654056653952011-09-30T08:08:00.000-07:002011-10-02T11:12:18.471-07:00

I would like to announce that none of the following happened while Jeremy was away for 5 days on a business trip (Note - all of these things have happened previously while Jeremy was gone for a few days and I was left in charge of the farm)1. I did not fall into the oat trough and break it in two.2. I did not break the water spigot and get a blood blister to boot.3. No lambs were born.4. No

Mindynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-81551236237171411162011-09-27T15:29:00.001-07:002011-09-27T16:08:27.947-07:00

Last night Jordan started getting a head ache and the chills. She woke up are 4am with aches and pains everywhere and running a high fever. I made the executive decision to turn off our alarm clocks, give her a children's ibuprofen and hope we could sleep in a bit (no school for Jordan and no work for me). But that also means spending the day cooped up inside the house with a sick kiddo. I'm

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-64090387696896337092011-09-24T15:17:00.001-07:002011-09-24T15:28:13.797-07:00

I love living in the country. Out of every window I see green, not other houses. At night, on the back deck, it's quiet - no cars, no people talking, no dogs barking. Jordan can play outside without adult supervision. It's wonderful. But sometimes I miss a few of the amenities that come with living inside the city limits. Like for instance a wastewater treatment plant.I had just finished

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-75302173323445707762011-09-21T08:03:00.001-07:002011-09-21T08:09:41.039-07:00

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-4821069896184549442011-09-17T18:33:00.000-07:002011-09-17T19:24:13.427-07:00

Again I ask myself, why don't I just buy canned foods at the store? It's cheap and easy. Of course I know the answers by heart. But when I'm 8 hours into processing, I start to rethink my good intentions.Now I sit on the couch with sore feet, a stitch between my shoulders, sweating and ready for bed at 6:35pm. On the plus side, we have 25 pints of apple butter (that's roughly 40 lbs of apples

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-22011133111148561272011-09-17T08:51:00.000-07:002011-09-17T09:10:06.093-07:00

It's that time of year - time to butcher the pigs. It's bitter sweet. Bitter - I really like these pigs. They are funny and nice and really personable. Sweet - Bacon, need I say more. Last night they got a real last super, courtesy of my mom who always saves her compost in the freezer at her condo and brings out treats for the pigs and chickens.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-88835716858152836422011-09-16T15:54:00.000-07:002011-09-16T16:24:32.616-07:00

Feeding the sheep this morning, doing the head count, I realized one was missing. Bo, Notag's boy, was not with the group. A scan of the pasture gave me no clues. Then I saw him, two neighbor's pastures away, pacing frantically along the fence. Well, crap!Question 1) Why does this only happen on weekdays?Question 2) Why does this only happen when I'm in nice clothes?Question 3) Why does

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-8685252388637053432011-09-11T18:56:00.000-07:002011-09-11T19:50:04.804-07:00

Canning from 2pm until ... well I'm still going so I'll have to get back to you on that. Carrots, beans and beets harvested, cleaned, peeled (just the carrots and beets), chopped, packed in jars and processed. Thank god my mom was here to help or I would have passed out in a pile of sweat in the middle of the kitchen. And how come canning day always falls on the hottest day of the summer?But

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-41224121761253558062011-09-09T17:09:00.001-07:002011-09-10T09:24:18.222-07:00

This is what happens when you stand too close to the pig's wallow while filling it.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-25361283607477671552011-09-07T21:12:00.000-07:002011-09-07T21:20:56.862-07:00

I was standing in my bathroom, freshly showered and half dressed, brushing my hair. I had the bathroom window open a crack to let out the steam. Jordan had just gotten out of bed and was getting dressed, asking me what the weather would be like today. Then I heard one of the lambs start to bahh like crazy.Last weekend we moved the ewes and lambs over to a fresh pasture where there is still

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-44062824879841922102011-09-05T20:28:00.000-07:002011-09-05T20:59:31.228-07:00

This is the first Labor Day weekend since moving to the farm that we didn't do any farming. None. We managed to cobble together family and friends to farm sit for us while we went camping.It wasn't all relaxation, although there was some of that. We recently purchased a piece of recreational property on the Cowlitz River. So we spent the weekend surveying the property lines. That meant some

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-30352066397633462372011-08-28T20:59:00.000-07:002011-08-28T21:19:29.010-07:00

It was about 8 years ago when I first grew potatoes. We had had a garden before that, but the garden consisted of four raised beds that provided only about 6 inches of head-space above near solid clay. Not exactly the best potato growing conditions. Then, when I was pregnant with Jordan, we moved into a newer house with a well groomed yard. And so that first summer I grew potatoes, as well as

Mindynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-69047399207995577392011-08-27T11:20:00.000-07:002011-08-27T19:58:23.581-07:00

For the past week we have been only getting 2-3 eggs per day. Considering we have 8 chickens and in the summer they should lay nearly every day, we should be getting more like 5-6 eggs per day. So we have been on the search for where else they have been stashing eggs. The chickens have a large area open to them during the day and many locations that seem secluded enough to serve as a nest. All

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-31768538805461989622011-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:002011-08-24T19:52:52.737-07:00

I belong to a group at work called CityMamas. It's a bunch of ladies, all moms you may have guessed, who work for the City of Portland. We meet monthly and have discussions on topics like making kids internet safe and de-stressing our lives. Good stuff. A lot of our conversations revolve around food, primarily how in the heck to get healthy food into your kids when you have about 2.5 minutes

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-60163313546948309482011-08-22T21:09:00.001-07:002011-08-27T19:54:53.799-07:00

Here are two videos of Sue, Francis's 4 day old lamb, just after we moved them out of the barn.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-83408775538297332162011-08-19T17:15:00.000-07:002011-08-19T19:43:58.080-07:00

We got Francis last February from a farm in the Gorge. She is a beautiful, huge Sulfolk. The weekend we were bringing her home was the same weekend we were moving Notag and Lilly out of Junior's pasture because they were both pregnant. We decided to put Francis in with Junior for a while to see if she might get pregnant. It was a long shot. Ewes come into heat once they are with a ram - it's

Mindynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-36444997743536081792011-08-17T18:21:00.000-07:002011-08-17T22:06:48.934-07:00

Not long ago we lived in a typical suburban neighborhood. We had a largish lot, relatively speaking, and a small garden. And we had one cat named Kitty (original, I know). Kitty got an eye infection at one point and we had to administer drops. Holding down a cat, while keeping her eye open and squirting in a few drops is no small task. In fact is a two person tasks and I would recommend long

Mindynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-40935223789119974382011-08-15T21:20:00.000-07:002011-08-15T21:58:51.096-07:00

Let me start by stating that we did not raise the chicken meat. Why, you ask. Because I'm nervous about taking the plunge into fryers. It seems so intense; wham, bam and you're butchering. I think we're going to try a turkey first and see how that goes. So for the time being, I purchase chicken from Draper Farms who, lucky for me, distributes through my local produce and meat market. Draper

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-18208384638175631512011-08-06T14:08:00.000-07:002011-08-06T14:42:38.999-07:00

By: Mindy BrooksOh, slicer of weeds and protector of back.We were introduced,oh agitator of soil, andI stood tall, gloved handsgripped tight, and scrapedyou between the rows.No more shall I crouch,slouch and contort topick the cheat grass andclover from betweenthe beats and carrots.No more shall I spendhours, shoulders crimson from sun, sweat running into my eyes, to free the radish startsfrom

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-62779077699169770642011-08-03T22:20:00.000-07:002011-08-03T22:24:47.755-07:00

Gave in and started a Brooks Hobby Farm Facebook Page.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooks-Hobby-Farm/152798494766547New blog posts will bubble up there (note the use of the technical term "bubble up", so proud of myself.) There are bunches of pictures there. Plus I just might, potentially add some quip-y thoughts. We'd love for you to *like* us and leave us your thoughts on gardening, farming

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-49903878185961701102011-08-02T18:13:00.000-07:002011-08-02T18:16:49.594-07:00

Behold, the first ripe tomato of the season!

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-18752140577040076072011-08-01T18:49:00.000-07:002011-08-01T22:13:47.302-07:00

This post is not about farming, other than to say what a wonderful farm-sitter we have (thank you Desiree!). This post is about where we went on vacation - Bead Lake, WA.In 1980, when I was 4 years old, Mt. St. Helens erupted and sent a cloud of ash around the world. We were living in Spokane at the time and all I remember of that awesome event was in the middle of the afternoon the ash rained

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-29254244753396338832011-07-21T20:26:00.000-07:002011-07-21T20:38:00.956-07:00

I have complained a few (or more than a few) times about how hard it is to go away on vacation when you own a farm, even a little farm like ours. Someone has to be here, period. Thankfully, four years ago my co-worker said "Sure, I'd love to come watch the farm for a week." Desiree grew up on a ranch, so she is a perfect person to take care of the animals. Plus, living in Portland, she misses

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-16709652042999891042011-07-18T21:18:00.001-07:002011-07-18T21:38:37.466-07:00

This year's garden improvements have been focussed on preventing competition. We chose the some of the larger competitors - moles/voles, birds and deer. That is about 0.5% of the total competition for the garden harvests. But we figure slow and steady will win the race for food. Right?I already posted about our creative use of leftover PVC to create the strawberry cover. Within about 2 hours

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-6497102422842463802011-07-17T07:48:00.001-07:002011-07-17T09:42:25.381-07:00

On Tuesday we came home to an open gate. Anyone who has livestock will agree, that an open gate is a bad thing. Fortunately, this particular gate only fences in the chickens. And chickens do always come home to roost. All eight of them were out and about. Three were down the driveway pecking around the roses. Two were in the shrubs behind the house. And the others were MIA (but I figured

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-24959222558381536022011-07-13T19:02:00.000-07:002011-07-13T21:11:15.727-07:00

This is a cute little song about free range chickens. I'd like to point out, in case it's not completely obvious from the video, chickens are actually omnivores and have a varied diet including grass, bugs, nuts, berries, kitchen scarps (if they are lucky). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bactTPjpenwI think the phrase should be changed to "You are what you eat ate." The healthier the animal, the

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-38936453597397082852011-07-12T17:49:00.000-07:002011-07-12T18:08:32.076-07:00

I have a split personality when it comes to rabbits. (Dr. Jeckle) On one side, I think bunnies are cute and cuddly and I don't want them to be hurt. (Mr. Hyde) On the other side, if a rabbit is in the garden and nibbling on my veggies then there's trouble. Jeremy has chucked a full soda off the back deck at a rabbit. He missed, but I was honestly hoping he would hit it. I would shoot a

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-34891605058813870642011-07-11T21:05:00.000-07:002011-07-11T21:08:59.921-07:00

During the warm, summer afternoon, everyone needs a nap - even the week old lambs.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-14024823721724267812011-07-11T17:56:00.000-07:002011-07-11T21:04:43.375-07:00

Saturday afternoon started out lovely. Desiree, our farm sitter, came over to run through the motions before we go on our annual vacation to the lake. She brought her two kids Riley and Julian. I'm not sure what it is about the basic act of gathering eggs, but kids just love it. Riley grabbed two that had been laid that morning and proceeded to carry both around as we visited the other

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-2964815183394776722011-07-10T21:02:00.001-07:002011-07-10T21:08:12.205-07:00

Our pigs like to play. When we add new straw to their bed, they grab it and throw it around. They run through their wallow and splash water everywhere. They bark and chase each other around the pen. Usually when these moments of pig-joy happen I don't have my camera on me. But tonight, when Jeremy was clearing some brush and put a few branches in the pen, I had my camera ready.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-87863814902024949122011-07-09T18:12:00.000-07:002011-07-09T18:21:21.224-07:00

We moved the lambs, and moms, from the barn to the pasture. All were very excited to be out in the open and on fresh grass.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-14502229621227085362011-07-02T08:44:00.001-07:002011-07-02T09:59:19.177-07:00

Jeremy and I love our back deck - we can't get enough just standing out there an looking. Sun, rain, snow, day time or night time, we are out there. Last night before we went to bed, midnight-ish, we went out on the deck to look at the stars. There was a lot of bahhing coming from the barn, which unusual for the middle of the night. I went down to investigate.As I opened the barn door I saw

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-58454242149421673902011-06-29T19:32:00.000-07:002011-06-30T07:30:35.287-07:00

I blame it on the rain. Ever since we started raising sheep and had our first birth in the rain, which resulted in two deaths, we have pushed back breeding later and later in the season with the hopes of lambs being born on the green pasture in the warm sun. And every year, no matter how late we push breeding, the lambs are born in the rain. This year is no exception.Usually by late June /

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-39424237651009539862011-06-26T19:50:00.001-07:002011-06-28T21:05:23.858-07:00

There are a few of foods that just scream summer. Potato salad, freshly made not the gooey stuff from the deli counter, is a standard summer dish at our house. Watermelon, hot dogs, lemonade, corn on the cob - Mmmmm. Another one for me is baked beans.Baked beans are so simple to make from scratch and taste way better than anything from the store. Plus homemade has much, much less much sodium

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-58833878239435972122011-06-25T17:21:00.000-07:002011-06-26T09:04:15.936-07:00

We have cinder block and gravel stairs that lead from the lower, back door down to the garden. Since we typically have to stop by the barn on the way to the garden, we very rarely use the stairs. So over the past five years they have grown in with weeds, to the point that you couldn't tell there were stairs at all.The grand plan for the back of the house is to pave under the deck and build a

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-58228511311531430192011-06-23T18:36:00.001-07:002011-06-23T18:57:21.070-07:00

I was standing on the back deck, waiting for the BBQ to heat up and enjoying the scenery. The garden is finally showing green shoots. Two hummingbirds were flitting around the rhododendrons. And to make it better, I was sipping a nice Merlot. And then I saw it - chickens headed for the garden.Typically the chickens are prevented from getting to the garden by a huge gate we keep closed during

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-56194337607919614962011-06-21T21:00:00.000-07:002011-06-21T21:33:12.925-07:00

It is amazing the wealth of new, exciting information I come across daily. I'm literally bombarded with information. From news papers to blog updates to the new Time Magazine app for my smart phone. One of my favorite topics to pepper my brain with is food. Food in all forms - growing it, shopping for it (is there a farmer's market between my office and my home) and of course cooking it. I

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-71301623717634700402011-06-15T19:24:00.001-07:002011-06-16T18:11:40.914-07:00

There is something really nice about watching pigs eat. No guilt, no manners. Pure enjoyment and total satisfaction. Tonight, Sammy nearly jumped out of the stall when she smelled the slop. But this wasn't just any slop, this was some high-end slop. Last night I attended a catered work event. At the end of the evening the purveyor of the feast told everyone to take some food home. I said

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-29396791296089050962011-06-14T21:24:00.000-07:002011-06-15T21:25:34.368-07:00

We have an artificial pond in the front of our house. Honestly, it wasn't a selling point when we were looking at the place. It was over grown with weeds. The previous owners had decorated the edges with all manner of garden-gnome-like statues and benches and scattering of kids' toys that were left out from the day before. It was an omen to how the rest of the house would look - I have never

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-13912896244169324662011-06-12T18:43:00.000-07:002011-06-12T18:46:18.788-07:00

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-68375642759498451142011-06-11T17:22:00.000-07:002011-06-15T21:28:55.017-07:00

It's finally getting warm and the ewes are two weeks from giving birth, which means it's sheep shearing time. Last fall we bought electric clippers for about $150 (on sale). I got the best one Wilco had - the one the clerk said would gut through any thickness of wool. We didn't have an occasion to use it since the weather was getting cool and wet. It got stored in the barn until spring.A

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-57777650087225488182011-06-10T18:56:00.000-07:002011-06-10T19:14:26.203-07:00

Went down to feed the animals this evening and noticed that Pearl, the friendly hen, was in the pasture with Junior, the ram. Very strange.First of all, the chickens are relegated to the "orchard" and although George, the mean hen, frequently gets out onto the driveway, mostly the hens stay in the orchard. Both the sheep and the chickens and the pigs have access to the pole barn. So I think

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-38139695180461594262011-06-06T17:44:00.000-07:002011-06-06T18:24:35.840-07:00

In the move "Babe" the mice say "Sheep are definitely stupid" and would have to agree.Today I came home from work, Jordan and I change our close and headed down to check on everyone and feed the sheep. We've been checking more frequently because lambs are due this month and Notag has utters showing. We also shifted the sheep around to different pastures and get some of the lush grasses eaten.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-16161832881778141742011-06-05T19:20:00.000-07:002011-06-05T20:08:36.929-07:00

When we move to the farm, I had the desire to raise heritage breeds. Our animals would be unique, not the standard run-of-the-mill breeds you see at the fair. And I'd feel good that we were helping to preserve a breed that might go away with industrialized agriculture. So the first sheep we got were American Blackbellies.American Blackbellies are a hair sheep, which means they shed - no

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-36736467989756138732011-06-05T18:32:00.000-07:002011-06-05T19:19:04.240-07:00

It started a few years back, when my Mom brought strawberry starts from her house in Spokane, WA to our farm. We made a small patch in the upper corner of the garden and planted the berries. For the past four years the garden has grown by about 5ft each year and the strawberries have expended to fill much of that space. However, we didn't keep them in rows and the result was that last summer

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-43324441239629296882011-05-31T20:12:00.000-07:002011-05-31T21:20:29.320-07:00

We just got back from visiting my best friend and her family in Dallas, TX. Actually, they live in Lantana but unless you are from that area you'd have no idea where Lantana is. The trip was much needed for many reasons.First, Jana has been my best friend for the past 30 years. We met when her parents were looking at buying the house next to ours and Jana was sitting in the front yard

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-7870408259798617012011-05-25T17:37:00.000-07:002011-05-25T20:22:16.810-07:00

This morning we drove down to the barn to conduct our normal morning chores. I fed the sheep oats while Jordan tossed scratch to the chickens and pigs (yes, the pigs like chicken scratch). Then Jordan opened up the chicken run to let them out and I counted, as I always do to make sure that we are starting out the day with the correct number of animals. But this morning I only counted seven

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-38509207222802084652011-05-23T18:20:00.000-07:002011-05-23T21:31:18.454-07:00

My laptop has become like a cat. I sit down on the couch and it's on my lap. No matter what I'm planning on doing while on the couch - watching TV, reading a magazine, knitting - the laptop is always there to keep me company. And the actual cats hate that the laptop gets priority. Sometimes Rosa tries to take over and run the show - as you can see from the picture.Last week, my laptop started

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-37109170461771888272011-05-15T16:52:00.000-07:002011-05-20T16:13:16.085-07:00

It takes so much time to make food from scratch. I mean, a whole lotta time! Between work, swim class, homework and family time, when exactly are we to cook? It's really no surprise that no one takes the time to make things like crackers that you can just pick up at the store. There are so many options for convenience food to choose from - flavors, textures, colors. However, I do choose to

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-15764642751207642142011-05-15T08:41:00.001-07:002011-05-15T19:17:30.309-07:00

There are two rules of thumb around here when it comes to the optimal time to plant the garden:1. Get the garden planted no later than Mother's Day.2. Don't plant until the snow is gone off the foothills. The first rule is based on our short-ish growing season; mid May to mid September. Vegetables that take a long while to mature - corn, pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash - need to be started

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-29207945592129621352011-05-10T18:19:00.000-07:002011-05-10T19:09:07.171-07:00

I'm holed-up with the flu. I came down with it yesterday at work. The day started OK, but my throat was scratchy and annoying. I should have known something was wrong, but I ignored it and kept working. On the walk from my office to car to go home the fever hit, followed by shakes that made driving in rush-hour traffic a bit nerve wracking. By the time I got Jordan from after-school-care the

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-12091824233178683682011-05-06T18:28:00.001-07:002011-05-06T18:39:46.499-07:00

George, our hen, has been escaping every day. When we open the gate to the run, all the hens head out. George runs down to the orchard, which is where the gap in the fence is (or I should say, where the gaps in the fence are). Problem is that once she is out, she can’t figure how to get back in and therefore can’t get back to the coop where the nest boxes are.Tonight Jordan and Jeremy went

Mindynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-23080832666652681772011-05-06T16:44:00.001-07:002011-05-07T17:07:02.904-07:00

My most recent posts have all been about cooking. Not gardening, not farming - cooking. But that doesn't surprise me much. I love to eat. And this spring has been the wettest and coldest in a long, long time. There is no point in putting seeds in the ground - they'll mold instead of germinate. And the animals are suffering from neglect since we don't want to spend lots of time standing in

Mindynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-60177126320603825392011-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:002011-05-03T21:12:05.075-07:00

Why, oh why is it so hard to make good whole wheat bread?! I make a killer half-whole-wheat, half-white bread. No that's not every other slice :-) it's 1 1/2 cups of each flour. The result is a light textured, moist bread. I can add currants, nuts, throw in a banana and it still comes out great. But when I try to go with all whole wheat flour, my loaf always collapses and turns out crumbly;

Mindynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-84823707512508026362011-05-01T17:18:00.000-07:002011-05-01T21:43:02.071-07:00

For the second time this spring the weather got up to 70 and the sun blessed us all day! Time to BBQ hamburgers! Big question: What meat to use? We have ground beef, lamb and elk; all three of which make delicious burgers. My favorite is elk burger, mixed with Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, salt and pepper, and topped with the traditional tomato, lettuce, dill pickles, mayo and ketchup.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-43628193085454366892011-04-28T19:18:00.001-07:002011-04-29T07:44:47.417-07:00

The other night I was at Jordan's swim class, watching her make a grand attempt at the butterfly stroke, when I overheard a couple women start talking about cooking. I have built in radar for the words "cooking", "baking" are "gardening". A little alarm goes off and I zero in on the conversation. So naturally I started eves-dropping.They were talking about berry crisp recipes. One woman was

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-39566091556835895592011-04-23T17:17:00.000-07:002011-04-23T20:32:57.289-07:00

Mother Nature has blessed us with the first over-70-degree day of the season! Many chores have gone undone during the longest, coldest, wettest spring in memory (and I'm including memory of the "old timers"). It is hard to bring oneself to clean the chicken coop in the driving rain. Or to trim blackberries when it's 45 outside. Plus, I'm just plain lazy when it's chilly and raining and there

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-204243187099153162011-04-21T19:02:00.000-07:002011-04-21T19:34:53.656-07:00

You may think, well duh! Don't pigs like everything?! They are walking garbage disposals, aren't they? Actually, the first couple of pigs we raised not only weren't big fans of carrots, they actually hated the carrots enough to leave the peelings behind in the slop trough.Those first two pigs were named Porky and Sammy. They were great animals. Friendly and funny and energetic. Porky and

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-68719674560810873082011-04-16T16:14:00.001-07:002011-04-16T16:25:07.126-07:00

Today we brought home two Berkshire pigs - one male and one femail. They are about 12 weeks old and weight about 25-30lbs each. They are still getting use to the new surroundings, but seem to like the run and fresh grass. Here are some pictures and video clips -

Mindynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-41587679199903555812011-04-16T09:13:00.000-07:002011-04-21T20:03:24.110-07:00

Watching TV the other day I saw a commercial for Fosters Farm Chicken. One of their promotional lines was "Always corn fed." I thought, "Well, that's a stupid marketing line." Before raising chickens, I had no idea what they ate. My only exposure to feeding chickens was through movies. I picture the scene in Cinderella when she, signing beautifully, skaters corn kernels for the chickens and

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-45148206088910640482011-04-07T19:13:00.000-07:002011-04-10T08:19:34.624-07:00

This might take a little while to tell, so I'll give away the ending right now... We got new honey bees and successfully moved them in to their home! Ok, now the long version -Last year, in April, we got a box-o-bees. It was a cold, rainy day when we put them in the hive and it didn't get warm for many days after that. Not knowing much about raising bees in the Pacific Northwest, we had

Mindynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-25358563065797276842011-04-07T19:12:00.000-07:002011-04-08T09:30:21.893-07:00

Yep, it snowed (and hailed) in April. Unbelievable! I was at work when it all went down so unfortunately I don't have any good pictures to share - you'll just have to take my word for it. There is little this unseasonably cold and wet weather affords us other than frustration and the desire to get the hell out of Dodge for a sunnier location. I am very jealous of my friends in Dallas, TX with

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-51285668066185206812011-04-04T17:59:00.000-07:002011-04-07T20:22:16.381-07:00

Last fall we extended the garden by about six feet and using a newly acquired technique called "lasagna gardening." It's a no-dig, no-till, simple way to create a garden or, in my case, make one bigger. If you are asking yourself, what the heck is lasagna gardening, here's what you do:1. Pick a location with good sunshine. It doesn't matter if the area is covered in grass or bark dust or

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-35476021241246600932011-04-03T09:43:00.000-07:002011-04-03T10:01:45.574-07:00

Lilly was acting very strange last night. Lilly is beautiful, three-year-old ewe who gave birth to "Mr. Speckles" last spring (picture to the left). She is a good mamma, proving lots of nurture to her lamb. She befriends the other sheep who Notag tends to pick on. And she has squishy, puffy cheeks that she likes to have scratched.Last night we came out on the back deck around 9pm and she was

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-27600714148086654372011-04-01T18:01:00.000-07:002011-04-02T15:30:23.910-07:00

They have been locked in the coop and run for three days now. This morning I opened the gate to the run and they all made a break for it. George went a-runnin' zig-zag across the orchard as fast as her little legs could go! This evening we thoroughly checked all the nooks and crannies in the barn and didn't find a single egg. We'll see how the weekend goes before declaring victory.

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165423452794338604.post-27129116230783611472011-03-28T21:19:00.000-07:002011-03-28T21:47:39.608-07:00

Over the past week or so there have been less eggs in the nest boxes. I thought that the unseasonably cold, cloudy and rainy weather may have caused the chickens to slow down production. I'm not sure if that actually happens, laying picks up and then slows down again, or if it's just hours of day light that trigger laying. But then we figured out what has been going on. Over the weekend

Mindynoreply@blogger.com0