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Another “it seemed like a good idea at the time” farm lesson

29 Aug

We’re going to do some Before and After pictures here so that when Spring comes around next year we can refer back to our “lesson” lest we forget.

BEFORE – BEFORE: Nothing fun here, just work, work, work. The door to the hoop house in the back? Yeah, there’s an example of measure once, cut – never mind.

Springtime 2013: Pre-weeding, Pre-raised bed preparation and Pre-planting.

Springtime 2013: Pre-weeding, Pre-raised bed preparation and Pre-planting.

BEFORE: Weeded, planted and off to a nice start! However, our folly this year (and every year) is over crowding the beds. We just get so excited for our summer fruits!!! And the plant starts and seeds are so small…

Can't you just taste those ripe tomatoes and squash already?  Can hardly wait!!!

Can’t you just taste those ripe tomatoes and squash already? Can hardly wait!!!

We even gussied up the front of the greenhouse area and painted the old door, so we could just hang out and relax. Cuz that’s what farmers who milk goats and work full-time do, they hang out and relax.

Almost like, a destination!

Almost like, a destination!

AFTER:

image

Since we are no longer pig farmers, this is not really what we would consider a wildly fortuitous, fabulously abundant crop. More of a pain in the neck, really. Although the smaller zuchettas taste great sliced thin and cooked as the pasta in a pork sausage lasagna with chèvre, goat mozzarella and marinara (marinara from last year, mind you as this years crop of tomatoes had a little – ahem, competition for sunlight).

Squash lasagna with pork sausage, chèvre,  goat mozzarella and marinara.

Squash lasagna with pork sausage, chèvre, goat mozzarella and marinara. Prior to cooking.

So what to do, what to do. The goats are NOT interested in eating this forage. did I mention there are no pigs around?

A  local artist's impression of the fact that there are no more pigs on the property.

A local artist’s impression of the fact that there are no more pigs on the property.

One of my good friends who I actually met through Craigslist (bartering goats for pigs, what else?) has pigs. He, and his pigs are the lucky beneficiaries of this forest of Zuchetta in addition to numerous buckets of whey from cheese making.

The other day, I was talking to the artist who rendered the pig picture above and she told me that when she grows up and purchases her own farm, she is going to raise pastured pigs. Wow. I guess dairy goats might be too much work for our budding farmer who is calculating having stout fencing in place, lots of silly greenery abundance and gallons of whey (read: free pig food) at her disposal from her parents that don’t do a very good job of remembering “lessons” on the farm. Momma didn’t raise no fool.

Sunflowers, planted by goats.  Who tossed their dinner bucket on the ground, which included black oil sunflower seeds.  Maybe they are more work than pigs.

Sunflowers, planted by goats. Goats who tossed their dinner bucket on the ground, which included black oil sunflower seeds. Maybe they ARE more work than pigs.

Follow your heart and intuition

4 May

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
~Steve Jobs

goat edition

Farming chores and animals wait for no-one, for if we are the least bit off schedule it gets LOUD around here! The chores must be done whether it’s raining, if it’s too hot, if it’s too cold, if we don’t feel well or even if we want to “pretend” we are suburbanite’s again with lazy unscheduled weekends.

We did that the other weekend actually – pretended that we had an unscheduled stretch of about 8 hours on a Sunday. We had Brunch at 55 South and then back to Puckett’s in the Fork to hang out with friends, then back to our place to hang out with more friends…

Then we SCRAMBLED to finish our chores, including the evening goat milking, the feeding, the waters, the nightly animal welfare checks, dinner had to be made, lunches for school and work the next day, the laundry, the dishes…

Every once in a while we steal a day away from the farm and though fun and carefree, it brings us back to the purpose, serenity, beauty and balance we derive from being home with the animals on our farm, our retreat – where we have followed our hearts and intuition.

Tiramisu and Macchiato with kids

We are phasing out the porcine element and bringing in the Dairy Caprine element! Now that takes COURAGE! Something we would never attempt without Dr. Woordard’s oversight and expertise.  We have taken our time adding the right goats, searching for the best milking bloodlines we can find.  Although we love all breeds of dairy goats and cherish our Saanen and Oberhasli does (amazing milkers as first fresheners giving us a gallon+ each, daily), our hearts are with the Nubian breed.  Our search for Nubian bloodlines has brought us to the Saada, Goldthwaite, Six-M-Galaxy, POTF and Pruittville herd names.  We will strive for large capacious, elegant does that are gorgeous and have long level lactation’s with milk, milk and more milk!

Dr. Jamie Woodard, DVM may be reached at Woodard Equine Services, (615) 512-3557.

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