January in the Sunshine

The laying hens are in the garden at this time of year. They keep it clean, eat the left over grubs, and fertilize daily! As we clean the stalls out in the barn and deliver it by wheelbarrow full, the hens work it out and spread it around.

Pigs! Now three weeks on the farm and the star attraction for the neighborhood especially on a sunny Saturday. The pigs are enjoying rooting, running, playing, and eating walnuts.

Young hens and Ruby Rooster keep to themselves. There are six hens in the big pasture that should be great egg layers as the days are getting longer. We have 25 laying hens and 4 roosters on the farm right now.

Here is Big Boy! Our tom turkey is about 35 pounds and roams the pasture with the chickens and sheep.

Pigs and their farm friend, Dutchess! The dogs love to play chase along the fence line with the pigs.

We call these turkeys The Brute Squad. These Bronze turkeys are very docile. They roam the property and beg for walnuts at feeding time!

At the end of a sunny day, the pigs are enjoying some squash from the larder! What a treat to have the fog lift and the blue skies and sunshine on a January day!

Beef or Bison Pot Pie

Warm and hearty meals begin with whole foods from the farm and from local farms. Friends of ours raise pastured beef and fellow farmers in the Rogue Valley raise pastured bison...either meat is delicious when it is raised out in the pastures in the farm fresh air and grazing to their heart's content! The London Broil cut of meat is quite tasty and best when slow cooked. We had a 5 pound bison roast that had been slow cooked for about 4 hours in the oven. The shredded meat was super tasty after roasting with garlic, onions, apples, and a few spices.

The meat was shredded and set aside. Next, the homemade version of cream of mushroom soup was made: 1 small onion, chopped fine 1 clove of garlic, minced 2 cups of sliced mushrooms 3 Tablespoons of butter. Saute together first onions and garlic until onions are soften. Add sliced mushrooms and saute just until softened lightly, which is about 2 minutes on medium low heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of flour to vegetables in pan and stir to cover. Add all at once: 2 cups chicken stock and stir Mixture will thicken, Then add 2 cups milk or milk sustitute Stir until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. This smooth and tasty sauce will cover the meat and vegies for the pie. Leave on warming heat until ready to use.

2 carrots, chopped, use 2-3 leftover baked potatoes, chop into small bite sized chunks, 1 left over sweet potato works well too. 1 cup frozen peas Add all to shredded bison. Use a 9" x 13" pan, line with parchment paper. Place meat and vegetable mix into prepared pan and evenly distribute. Pour warm, creamy mushroom soup sauce over meat and vegetables. Place in preheated 375' oven. While the base of the pot pie is getting warm and bubbling, make the herbed cheese biscuit topping: 2 cups flour 1 T. sugar (scant) 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 cup milk Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and stir. Add shortening and with hands mix until flour mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Stir in cheese and seasoning. Add milk and stir. Remove pan from oven and drop biscuit mixture on top of bubbling goodness in spoonsized pieces. There should be enough biscuit dough to cover the top of the meat mixture. Return to oven and bake another 25 minutes.

Be sure the biscuit tops are cooked all of the way through. Check by gently moving the top of biscuit to one side or the other. If it is still gooey underneath, return to oven for a few more minutes. Serve with coleslaw and fruit salad, and family gathered around the table.

Fine Dining on the Farm

We currently have 15 hens on the farm. Yesterday, we very nearly had 14! While feeding the goats some leftover goods from the garden, the hens and I were watching them gobble up some leftover cabbage. Suddenly and out of nowhere, the hens were in complete and utter chaos. Our two farm dogs were there, watching. The goats ran from their cabbage patch. The hens continued in their hysterics and frenzy like never before. I stood right there. Watching and not seeing what swept in so fast. Standing among the hens, on the ground to the surprise of the dogs, goats, chickens and myself was a beautifully marked, Chicken Hawk. Actually, I think the hawk was astonished also! The hens all ran for cover. The dogs inched forward. I watched the hawk from only 15 feet away. Then it flew off to a low branch on one of the walnut trees. The hens were frozen statues of themselves under trailers, in the barn, under the truck, anywhere they could find cover and safety.

The hens were immediately invited back in to the security of the coop for a few days recovery. Normally, they roost in the coop and venture out of the coop and barn for most of the day as they have a full two acres to roam and forage.

Once the coop was made ready for full time occupancy, they were all called in for dinner. Slowly they came. First from the barn. Then from under vehicles and trailers. Finally, the last of the girls made it into the coop with a heavy limp. She was the one that took the full flying force of the hawk in the leg. There was no blood and no broken bone, but the fluff of her feathers told the story of fear. With the young juvenile hawk finally leaving the farm, but hovering close by, the hens will be dining in for a few days.

Today they dined on organic grain, cabbage leaves, kitchen scraps, and seeds served in very nicely scooped out spaghetti squash dishes! The girls really like to know they are given the best dishes around!

We will continue the regimen of grains and fresh vegetation for the next few days. Once the hens have settled into their coop and built their nesting holes in the fresh straw, they are ready to roam again.

In the meantime, fine dining from squash skins, cool fresh water, safety in the coop, and sides of grass hay will help their recovery.

Here is is the oldest hen in the bunch. She is a Buff Orpington, called Beauty.

Here is the one that got away! The Black Beauty with blue green legs, which are the same color of the shell of the eggs that she lays. Lucky, as we will now call her, is an Americana. Life on the farm...

Foggy and Cold

January mornings are now foggy and cold in the Rogue Valley. Lately the fog burns off by noon unless there is an inversion layer. Then the fog can last for days or even weeks. Yesterday it warmed up to 45 degrees. Each day brings newness. Find it!

Great White

Egrets are filling the front pasture grazing and eating the perfect meal for a foggy, white day in January!

They eat fish, frogs, small reptiles, grasshoppers and other insects. At this time of year they are probably munching on the frogs and insects. Whatever their dining pleasure, we certainly are enjoying the view.