Far Better Farmstead

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here we go: In case you can't tell, the pale cloudy egg on the left is the store bought egg!

"A scythe is great for your back but very hard on your patience" - Patrick at Far Better Farmstead      It all started when it rained 80 inches this summer. Yes, I said 80 inches! Needless to say, I didn't get to put up much hay with my scythe and rake. I did do one good cutting, but should have got 2 or 3 and even the one cutting didn't cover the whole field. As much as I like the scythe, I started wanting a quicker way to cut a small amount of hay.  My fantasy rig is my old 600 Ford tractor with a sickle bar, rake, and old square baler. I sold the 600 several years ago and have regretted it every since. My second fantasy was a BCS or Grillo walk behind tarctor. You can get a sickle for them and many other implements as well. Both options are out of reach of our budget right now, so that's why I call them fantasies rather than options! As I searched around the web, I found out that Sears used to sell a walk-behind tractor called the David Bradley.

Is summer already gone? It is so hard to believe that September is half gone. Despite lots of hard rain, about 75 inches here, our gardens did very well. I have been planning a post on the gardens (and lots of other posts, too) but we have been very busy just enjoying life here on the homestead. Anyway, the one new tool we used this year that really stands out is the Whizbang Wheel Hoe. The picture above was taken after a full garden season of almost daily use. The handles darkened a little from our dirty hands and the blued finish on the blade wore off with use, but the hoe held up wonderfully. How did it perform? Superbly! If you "stir" the dirt with it every other day or so, there will be no weeds. There were times we didn't do that, even for a full week when we went on vacation, and our garden was the most weed free that we've ever had. We still had to use a regular hoe between the plants, but this thing is very quick and easy down the rows.  Herr

I have been wanting to build one of Herrick Kimball's Whizbang Garden Totes (see page 37 of his awesome new book for instructions). However, this time of year we have so much to do that I haven't had time. The girls to have some nice metal baskets for their bicycles and these make a great home-sized garden totes. I use two of them at a time, harvesting into one and then washing into the other. The grating is small enough to catch all the small stuff, but large enough to easily let out the dirt if you place it directly under the garden hose. (Our red pontiacs are starting to get big!) This idea was shared on the Homestead Barn Hop #117 .

I have always wanted to have my own compost. I have read articles, books and different other materials to try and learn how to make compost.  I felt overwhelmed by all the information: mixing the correct amount of greens, container to hold my material, turning, and so on. Composting seemed like so much work.  I didn't really want to put the time, money,and effort into those new task right now.  So I decided not to pursue it at the present time.  Wait until I was more confident on how it worked and had more information and money to start up my compost.   You can imagine my surprise when I discovered compost right on my own property and I had helped to make it happen.

The kids are now about 4 and 1/2 months old. They are fleshing out quite nicely. Unfortunately our buck, Bilbo, didn't make it but the girls are doing well. This is Pippi Pippi again. She has a white ring around her mouth and nose that make her look like she's  always smiling. This is Sadie, the mother. We are currently milking her. It is down to a routine now. Pipi and Maggie together. They are constantly playing.

All danger of frost has finally passed. We have been very busy around the Far Better Farmstead. We have a new goat - a French Alpine! She is about 3 months old and we hope she fits in with our Nigerian Dwarfs. Right now the "pecking" order is being re-established. She is a pretty thing and from good milking stock. Sadie is giving as much as a cup per milking and is doing very well. Our New French Alpine Doe The Buff Orpingtons are a big disappointment - they have yet to lay the first egg and they are about 8 months old. The roosters have matured well but the hens are very juvenile. We do have an older buff, some Black Australorps (my favorite) and we purchased 3 young Rhode Island Reds. We are getting enough eggs to eat and enough eggs to sell for feed so we are still doing very well. The electric poultry net is still doing very well after moving it a few times. The 3 Rhode Island Reds aren't laying yet but the other 5 are paying their own way. The potat

It finally dried out enough by Saturday to plant some things in the garden. Now, believe it or not, there is a frost watch. Our frost free date is normally the middle of April. But then again it has been very cool this spring. We borrowed some buckets from my dad to cover the tomatoes and peppers with. We also moved the laying hens over next to the potato patch because we are going to plant corn where they were. This patch is mowed, so the hens don't like it as well. In this dry spell, I also got the potatoes heeled up. The frost should hurt them too badly. Mother's day was spent at church and with our mothers. All-in-all a very good weekend.

It has rained here - a lot. I mean more than I can describe. The exact area we live gets about 65 inches per year but in the last 2 weeks we have received over 14 inches of rain. That doesn't even sound right. Even 10 miles away, they didn't get half of that. People look at us funny when we tell it. Needless to say, the garden is on hold, I am glad to still have a semblance of a driveway, and I feel something like a fish. We did manage to get our potatoes planted on the Friday before Resurrection Day (I know some of you call it "Good Friday", but I'm not crazy about that term). Anyway, the rain washed through them and uncovered a bunch, but we covered them back up. They are up fine now. We also planted 275 strawberry plants and 25 raspberry canes. We fenced the berry patch to keep out critters. As far as anything else, we haven't planted it yet (not even cabbage, broccoli, or peas). Oh well, every year is different - maybe I can grow them as fall crops.

I love our new electric poultry net. We struggled with major losses from our first crop of broilers this spring. The raccoons had a feast. I have been planning on getting some of this fence, and finally did it. I am really glad we did. It sets up very quickly and the two sections (@164 feet each) fence in a very large area. We are using the farm truck as our redneck fence charger for now. We moved the fence once and if you follow the directions, it works great. We got our fence from  Kencove   - they ship really fast and their prices are cheaper than Amazon for the same fence. I would buy it again any day (and no, we weren't compensated at all for the endorsement) Portable fence set up with our chicken tractor inside Redneck fence charger setup. I crank the truck every week or so.   Of  course I use the truck during the day on Saturdays, but the fence is for night time predators anyway.

We purchased 20 Cornish Rock Cross chicks at our local Tractor Supply 4 weeks ago. They have been in the brooder but it is time for them to go out into the portable coop. The only disadvantage I see of buying TSC chicks is that they only sell straight run. I used to keep an electric light (powered with a really long extension cord) in the pen to discourage predators. At Christmas, I found a set of solar lights and added them to the pen. So now our pastured poultry pen is officially "off-grid"! In about 4 weeks, we will harvest these chickens.  If you haven't watched our chicken plucker video from last year, see it below. We hope to be plucking this first batch of 2013 really soon!

Yes, it's that time again. The weather has been very cool and wet here. I didn't get my cabbage and broccoli started as early as I'd hoped, but it seems like Spring is waiting on me to catch up! I turned the garden spots weekend before last: The tractor is a M-F 270 with Howse rototiller. They both belong to my dad. I used to have an old Ford 600 with plow and disc, but I sold them when he got the big diesel. Mom and Dad live just a few hundred yards away and across the road from us. No, I we aren't "Back-to-Edeners", or even "Organic" (trademark, copyright, rights reserved by big Ag Inc.)  We have been using a modified version of the Mittleider Method for the last 12 years or so and we use no pesticides. I have found that when plants get all their minerals that they are much healthier and pests are not as apt to bother them. I do add back all of the chicken and bunny poop that I can as well as some of the animal bedding. Check out the Mittl

I drove the new/old farm truck to Tractor Supply in Brevard today. It's a funny thing - when I HAVE to drive a clunker and it is all I have, it's not very much fun. But when I am driving a clunker on purpose, joy fills my heart! It was also very funny to be seen by some old friends - I could tell they were feeling sorry for me and thinking I was probably in pretty bad shape for driving a rusty old truck. I just drove on and grinned. I have been so blessed!

Yes! It is possible to make maple syrup down here in the southern mountains! We are so excited and blessed because we didn't think it would work. Anyway, we will post some more pictures later, but here is our sap take from Saturday: Our gathering system is as simple as stainless spiles from ebay, and buckets from the dollar tree: We boiled down about 4 gallons of sap and made 1/2 pint of awesome maple syrup. For Sunday supper we had pancakes with homemade syrup, wild boar sausage, and our own goat's milk! 

 Somehow I stumbled across a post over on The Elliott Homestead through the Barn Hop that I really liked. I thought instead of copying it, I would just post a link. Check this post out: Homesteading & the Big Machine An independent people are very hard to conquer. Dependent people are conquered already.

The weather is a little warmer today at 34 degrees and raining.  I had a very busy afternoon yesterday so I didn't get to pre measure my grain so I had to do that before I went into the barn.  Just as yesterday I also added an apple to the feed.  I am prepared to milk that goat.

Life is always an adventure when you live on a farmstead.  Today I got ready as I have for the last few days to milk the goat.  I feel confident that today will be a victory for me.  Sadie is getting more comfortable and I feel more confident.  So what can possibly go wrong?

It is 22 degrees at 6:30 this morning when I trudge out the door toward the barn.  In my right hand I have udder wash.  My left hand holds grain that is pre measured, while my left arm is wrapped securely around my milk pail.  On my head is a head lamp.  Behind me, this morning, are my two, very curious, younger children.  We have one goal in mind... Milk that goat!

Goat milk! The early bird gets the worm, so the old saying goes.  As for me, the early mom gets the milk.  Day two of milking the goat finds me better prepared.  I have fixed the hanging light in the barn so that even the neighbors should be able to see.  And just in case it isn't working correctly, I have one of those handy flashlights that go on your head.  I am definitely going to be able to see what I am doing this morning.  I have the grain pre measured so Sadie won't have to get anxious before I ever get started.

The big day is here!  Sadie, our Nigerian dwarf goat, kidded two weeks ago Saturday.  I have been getting ready to milk her since before the births.  I have read books, magazine articles, blogs, and anything else I could find on how to milk a goat.  But now I must put what I have read into action.

Been to the grocery store lately?  Did you get "sticker shock" as bad as I did? As many of you may know by now, I am always looking for ways to save money. As a Stay-at-home-Mom (SAHM) the way I contribute to the bank account is by not spending unnecessary money. That being said I wanted to share with you one of my biggest money saving products..Laundry detergent.  As you can image with four children, I do a lot of laundry.  I have chosen Monday as my day of the week to do all my laundry.  Yes, I do it all in one day.  I like to have the job done and not have to think about it for another week.  This does require all day and sometimes I have to finish the next morning with the last load but for me, this is the best way to get the job done.  Since one of the chores that my children do is making sure their dirty laundry gets to the wash room and putting away their clean clothes, doing laundry on Monday also makes chores easier for them to remember (kids always seem to "fo

Well our new kids have arrived! Sadie gave birth to triplets! This seemed unusual for a first birth and we are very grateful. The 2 little nannies are black with white and the little billy is white with black. The little billy is much smaller than the other 2 but he is getting up and suckling, so we hope he will be ok. Anyway, a very blessed day on the Far Better Farmstead!

Wintertime is always hard for us. I'm not complaining because we live in the south and, generally, winter is not terribly bad. One year (2009-2010) snow stayed on the ground from December 20 to March 20 but most of the time our winter weather comes in "events" that pass in 3 or 4 days. We still get the blahs. I think the biggest reason is the lack of daylight. It seems like I never see home in the daylight from November to March! Michelle stays home but it still affects her as well.  This year we've had mild weather but also some simple things we're doing as a family have kept us in a better mood. I thought we'd share a few with you: Expectation Sadie, our Nigerian Dwarf is expecting a kid sometime around the end of January. I've heard it jokingly said that the secret to happiness is to always be expecting something in the mail. Well, this kid isn't coming in the mail, but we are excited to be waiting on it! We have put siding on a little shed a

Some of you may have read and saw in my post about  our outdoor wood furnace  that our firewood truck is a little 2wd S-10 Chevy. The S-10 is a great little truck but I have often wished for something a little bigger and also 4X4 so I can get access to the wood up on our mountain. Well, I had an older Camaro just sitting around so I placed an ad on Craigslist. Just a few days later we swapped for a 1980 Ford F250 4X4 with a flat bed. I am so thankful for it because it is exactly what I was hoping to get. It has the 300 6-cylinder engine and a "granny" low 4-speed transmission so it will creep around. I've already had our 8-year old driving it out in the field (yes, train them up in the way they should go!) Anyway here's a pic: Not exactly a yuppie-mobile but perfect for the homestead!

I am a fan of Herrick Kimball from  the Deliberate Agrarian . I have read every blog post at his web site, built a whizbang chicken plucker (see it  here ), and own most of his books. So imagine my joy on Christmas morning when I unwrapped a Whizbang Wheel Hoe kit from Herrick's  Planet Whizbang  web site.  The contents were just some metal pieces, bolts and washers: