Snow Garden: Digging fresh carrots and leeks on New Year’s Day is probably not something most people who live in the upper Midwest ever think about, let alone believe possible. However, my ‘hard-core other-half’ schemed a way to set up a small, temporary hoop-house (kind of like a small, plastic covered greenhouse) during the fall to enclose an area where we had some late season carrots growing. He dreamed of heading outside one day during winter, when the rest of the world, or at least our small peninsular county, was sitting under snow and ice, and digging some fresh veggies. An unseasonably warm fall and early winter along with our small hoop-house led to just such a success. When everyone else was probably sitting inside watching the Rosebowl, my ‘hard-core other half’ was out digging carrots in the hoop house and then leeks from under the straw mulch. They may not have been huge, but they were fresh and flavorful and they filled our week with freshness unknown to most in the first week of the New Year. And with that, we added more to our root cellar to carry us toward the next growing season.
Farm Grown Meals of the Week: This week we comforted ourselves with rich and savory meals, partially or entirely grown on the farm. On New Year’s Day, we indulged in nachos (OK, we used Organic tortilla chips from Costco) made from ground venison burger, storage onions, homemade salsa (compliments of Grandma!), organic black beans and shredded cheddar cheese(the last two, store bought). It’s a super easy meal and it made for a fun movie night! The highlight of the week was an oven roasted chicken (one of our pasture raised, organically fed broiler chickens) infused with a whole bulb of garden grown storage garlic and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper, with sides of oven roasted fresh picked winter carrots and leeks, and oven roasted sweet potatoes (store bought since we didn’t grow them last summer) and storage garlic. Using the remnants from our roasted chicken, we then made a homemade chicken noodle soup using storage onions and frozen parsley, celery (store bought) and fresh picked winter carrots. Our last big meal of the week included a new recipe, venison hamburger soup (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/hamburger-soup/, with modifications of course!). We added sweet peppers, green beans, and corn (frozen from our summer garden) along with storage onions, potatoes and garlic and fresh picked winter carrots. A fresh batch of chevre (goat cheese) made from milk from our Nigerian dwarf goats added a great touch to several of our lunches this week as well! We are always thankful for our fresh and continuous supply of milk and eggs on the farm!
For the animal lovers……..
The Grazers: The unseasonably warm fall and early winter allowed our beautiful goat herd to access pasture much later than normal for this time of year. Access to pasture allows our goats to get extra vitamin D from the sun and to exercise, all of which helps maintain a healthier herd in winter. Breeding season has been underway for several weeks and we are excitedly heading toward our 2016 kidding season (kids = baby goats!). We still have a few does (female goats) in milk that supply all our family’s needs for drinking milk, and yogurt and cheese making. We are so thankful for all that our does provide to us and we do all that we can to keep them in good health all year long.
Our Feathered Friends: Several of our egg-laying chickens (otherwise known as ‘layers’) have undergone an annual molt recently. Molt means that they lose most of their feathers and replace them with an entirely new set, beautiful and shiny. During this time, which also coincides with the shorter day-lengths of winter, the birds usually take a break from laying eggs. In small family flocks, all the birds may actually stop laying eggs at the same time, and this might last a month or more! Thankfully we have a pretty large flock here at Emerald Acres (over 60 chickens and 2 turkeys currently!) and we have several that are newer layers, so we are still getting some eggs from our girls every day, which are available for sale fresh from the farm! Our girls are fed exclusively organic feed and allowed to range to their hearts’ content each day. While the birds don’t stray far from the safety of their home building on the coldest of winter days, they have a lot of room to move around and bask in the fleeting winter sun to meet their needs for a healthy, happy life, each and every day.
For the animal lovers……..
The Grazers: The unseasonably warm fall and early winter allowed our beautiful goat herd to access pasture much later than normal for this time of year. Access to pasture allows our goats to get extra vitamin D from the sun and to exercise, all of which helps maintain a healthier herd in winter. Breeding season has been underway for several weeks and we are excitedly heading toward our 2016 kidding season (kids = baby goats!). We still have a few does (female goats) in milk that supply all our family’s needs for drinking milk, and yogurt and cheese making. We are so thankful for all that our does provide to us and we do all that we can to keep them in good health all year long.
Our Feathered Friends: Several of our egg-laying chickens (otherwise known as ‘layers’) have undergone an annual molt recently. Molt means that they lose most of their feathers and replace them with an entirely new set, beautiful and shiny. During this time, which also coincides with the shorter day-lengths of winter, the birds usually take a break from laying eggs. In small family flocks, all the birds may actually stop laying eggs at the same time, and this might last a month or more! Thankfully we have a pretty large flock here at Emerald Acres (over 60 chickens and 2 turkeys currently!) and we have several that are newer layers, so we are still getting some eggs from our girls every day, which are available for sale fresh from the farm! Our girls are fed exclusively organic feed and allowed to range to their hearts’ content each day. While the birds don’t stray far from the safety of their home building on the coldest of winter days, they have a lot of room to move around and bask in the fleeting winter sun to meet their needs for a healthy, happy life, each and every day.
Our Furry Companions: Our beautiful snow-dog, Tula, a Great Pyrenees, watches over her flock of chickens and herd of goats every day and night. Not only is she excited to meet each visitor to the farm, but she enthusiastically greets each day, rain, snow, wind or shine, to watch over the farm, and we love her dearly. Our newest and much loved family member, Little Rosie De, an English Sherpherd puppy (otherwise known as the Old Farm Collies from the early 1900s-known as all-around farm dogs) is both a wonderful playmate and companion to our Tula and our family. Little Rosie De is learning the rules of the farm and what her roles will be in helping with the chickens and goats. She has big paws to fill, but she is smart and energetic and on her way to being an important part of the family and farm.
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