Welcome to Painted Hand Farm

I know exactly what my crap is worth

2012-01-19T21:45:00.000-05:00

A dollar!

Despite the frigid temperatures today with light winds driving the wind chill factor into the teens, the brilliant sunshine and blue skies beckoned me from office work. Plus, I knew that the frozen ground in the marshland would afford me access to places I had not gone this year without wearing hip waders. A much needed property check was in order.

One thing I have intentionally done with the farm is leave a wide path the entire way around the perimeter of the fenceline--my private bridle path for me and the little red mare (who turns 27 on Monday).

So imagine my surprise when walking down at the far end of the property outside of the perimeter fence on the bridle path I came across a money on the ground. Not just any buck, but one stuck tight in a turd.

I'm a lucky gal to end up with a Quarter Horse who can squeeze a dollar out of crap.

Enjoy the pictures from the rest of my walk.

The transition between marshland and stream bed. Last year I planted a bushel of wild leeks from West Virginia on the little island. Let's hope they get established and bountiful.

Going along on the walk today, the goats enjoy the tender shoots of wetlands grasses that sprouted last week in the balmy 60-degree weather.

This locust tree than blew over in the marsh a few years ago was covered in oyster mushrooms this year from all the wet weather.

The hillside of hardwoods, home to all sorts of wonderful fungi, flora and fauna.

The peaceful little stream that quietly babbling in the afternoon sun.

Mother Nature & Father Time take a toll on all living things.

Fall one day, winter the next.....

2011-11-01T14:57:00.002-04:00

Everyone was enjoying the casual slide into fall weather as the leaves began to gradually change. Green grass still abundant.

Megs on the look-out for any unwelcome rodents in the barnyard.

Looking down the E/W alleyway, fall colors abound creekside.

A gold & ruby browse paddock.

Snow clouds on the horizon.

October 29th and the snow storm is just beginning.

Going out Britton Road on a quick trip to town before the brunt of the storm hits.

The trees on Jumper Road bowing under the weight of a heavy, wet snow. Glad to have all-wheel-drive.

Six inches and still coming down....

Nine inches and still snowing....

Enjoying the lovely aubergine iris bloom I cut before the snow arrived.

A Fall Day Walk About Painted Hand Farm

2011-10-03T17:53:00.001-04:00

It was time to open the gates to the wild browsing areas down by the apple tree and along the creek today. I want to take advantage of the last flush of woodsy brush before winter arrives, although, judging from today's temperatures in the 40's & 50's, it feel as if it will be here sooner than expected.

The goats continue to clear the hillside for the proposed cabin site.

Bango contemplated walking out into the marshland for the lush grass but turned back when she began to sink in the thick mud.

Being lighter in weight than the horse, the goats easily moved out into the riparian area for tender grasses and shrubs.

I took the opportunity to take a walk in the parts of the farm not regularly visited.

This is the area where I planted a bushel of wild ramps last spring in hopes of establishing my own patch of the tasty treat, Allium tricoccum.

I was saddened to see this old snag break. It's where the Bald Eagles hung out during their visit.

Oyster mushroom soggy from the rain. Hoping for another flush.

Decided to take a walk along the creek's path to see what wonders of fall have begun to appear.

The creek is actually the hard stop for this particular browsing area.

Crossing the creek, I headed up into the hardwoods on the hillside.

LOTS of interesting fungi. If anyone can identify any, please comment.

Unfortunately, my conventional farming neighbors don't mind dumping their plastic mulch & used irrigation garbage on my property. Guess I'll have to pay them a visit.

Wonder who lives in this big burrow?

This is at the top of one of the waterways, not on my property. Every time I see it, I wonder if anyone was driving when it went into the ditch.

The headway of the marsh on the farm.

Buttercup browsing in the barnyard paddock. Pax heads over to investigate. Her only reaction to the dog was to fluff up her tail.

Digging deeper into this old house

2011-09-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

Archaeological Adventure at Painted Hand Farm: Part Two

HORESEHAIR PLASTER CEILING REMOVAL

Well, the rest of the ceiling in the living room finally came down. It turned out to be a HUGE job--much, much bigger than I had ever imagined.

I was extremely fortunate (and very grateful) to have some help from a demolition-loving friend. Similarly, he, too, did not realize what an intense project he signed on for and I applaud him for not walking out after the first day. But then again, the tearing down was fun....it was the cleaning up (especially the broken water pipe) that really sucked.

There was a minor mishap that resulted in a break where copper met galvanized piping under the bathroom sink. Fortunately, there was a huge plastic tarp covering the floor and the water cut down on the dust.

Yes, that's the entire living room ceiling on the floor.

I remember my mom talking about how she felt when she saw the gaping hole in her living room when the old picture was torn out and before the bow window was installed. I think this is how she must have felt. Or worse yet, people who have experienced disasters. To think I brought this all on myself.

But as I looked up and saw the lovely beams, my dread passed.

Steve tearing out the last little bit of plaster of the project.

Instead of carrying all the debris out the front door, it was much easier to heft it out the window directly into the bucket of the tractor.

Dust masks, shop vac, brooms and plastic sheeting were our friends. As the cleaning continued, the room began to once again come alive.

Having every piece of furniture out of the room for the first time since moving to the farm in 2000, I was tempted to do a full hardwood floor restoration, complete with drum sander and multiple coats of a finish, but the scope of the original project of tearing down the ceiling had worn me down and I just wanted to get my furniture back into the room and be done with it.

So I gave the floors a thorough cleaning and applied a few coats of commercial polyurethane finish. The floor was gorgeous!

There was, however, one thing I could not bring myself to return to my beautiful living room--the old feather ticking pull-out sleeper sofa I'd had since 1990. It had served it purpose well over the years, but had been shredded and stained by too many animals and it was time to let it go. So it was only fitting that it grace the top of the ceiling's funeral pyre. What a bonfire!

10th Annual Goat Roast

2011-09-08T11:09:00.001-04:00

Wow, has it really been ten years since I sacrificed the first born male goat here at the farm? How time does fly! Ok, so I like to joke about animal sacrifice, but as I continue on this path of raising livestock, I am becoming more aware of just how much reverence comes with consequences of my passion, my calling. We, as a people, have lost sight of what it means to consume meat. People fail to consider that a life form had to give up its existence when they roll through the local fast food drive through and only spend a pittance on some anonymous extruded matter that no long resembles the source from where it came.

And so every year on Labor Day, I continue to pick out some of the choicest animals with which to share with family and friends. There is something primal, soulful, about cooking entire animals for a gathering and I dearly look forward to this day each year.

As usual, Labor Day started out with picking up the goat from the local butcher's walk-in just after my first cup of coffee. Again, I chose to leave on the skin, burning and scraping the hair off the hide. Additionally, this year I left on the head and feet, too. They roasted up nicely and were sent home with my Nigerian friend, Joseph, who I'm most certain will whip up a batch of Pepper Soup.

Next on my to-do list was smoking the two turkeys with apple wood that had been soaking in a brine of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Once the birds were inhaling and the rotisserie was heating up, it was time to turn my attention back to the goat. This year's plan was to stuff the goat with fresh peaches, nectarines, cilantro, ginger and then drizzle with honey.

I've seen a lot of people sew up a belly with a large needle and either thin wire or string. I like to lace mine like a football using turkey trussing pins.

The night before it had poured. The Weather Underground said that over seven inches of rain was on the way. People were calling, texting and posting wanting to know if the picnic was still on. Of course it was. After all, it's not like it's a hurricane like last week. BUT just to be on the safe side, I set up the scaffolding the previous owner of the farm had left behind. It's been sitting in The Ruins (that awful pit behind the house) for eleven years, it's about time I put it to good use.

My friend, Nick came over to help me get the goat on the spit. The goat roast tradition started after I borrowed his family's roaster for a goat after they had their annual family reunion lamb roast that takes place on Saturday prior to Labor Day.

This year I also decided to 'practice what I preach' against high fructose corn syrup and bottled water. Instead, I only served homemade lemonade, ice tea and sangria sweetened with either honey or raw sugar. For water, I set out a big pottery jug filled with ice & fresh well water.

Lots of family, friends, neighbors and fellow farmers. A special thanks to all my friends from DC who made the trek out into the wilds of Pennsylvania.

I don't think a year has gone by where guests bring along friends and I get to meet more wonderful people with whom to share the bounty of the farm.

I think the ultimate compliment is when other farmers join me here to celebrate the foods we pour our hearts& souls into producing.

This year I tried out a new configuration thanks to the overcast skies and impending rain.

The Fish Boxes serve yet another purpose in their lifetime of service. So far they've held commercially harvested seafood, been used as a kid's swimming pool, a hot tub, an irrigation tank, a packing box, feed storage, barbell rack and now tables for drinks & desserts!

Rocky & Amer carving the turkeys. Rain mitigation included setting up the smoker and carving tables inside my horse's stall.

Alex on tortilla duty using the fantastic grill Jonas welded up for me last year. I put the rotisserie right in front of the barn not just for easy access but for all who drove by to see.

The Potter family carves up the goat in addition to bringing along some killer barbecue sauce.

It wouldn't be a picnic without my neighbors sharing in the feast. After all, they've got to put up with the antics of the farm out their front doors everyday.

There's always plenty of interesting and delicious foods shared, especially dessert!

A couple of friends from the city whom I keep well-fed.

Delicious carnage that the pigs polished off after I picked over it.

These three were most interested in when the homemade peach-nectarine ice cream was going to be served so I recruited them to help. They loaded the bucket with ice, salt & water and kept watch over the churning until it slowed down and started gooshing out under the lid. However, they were most agitated when I told them we had to let it rest and set up before serving. They survived and got over it when they were first in line for a bowl.

The critters seem to understand the concept of the picnic and hang out by the barn to visit and get plenty of attention.

Archaeology at the Farm

2011-06-13T20:03:00.009-04:00

Hate is a strong word, but I have HATED the industrial, pressed cardboard ceiling in my living room since the day I moved into my farmhouse. I won't go into the semantics of why it wasn't ripped out before now. Several years ago when it started to sag, I requested its removal. But like everything else at the time, instead of being fixed properly, it was propped up (improperly) with some old iron support stars and glued back (unsuccessfully) into place.

But lately, it's been sagging more & more. "Should I fix it?" I questioned myself. But the answer was obvious. No, I would deal with it when the first tile fell. Not only did the first tile fall, it brought down eight others with it. It was time.

While the ultimate goal is to expose the beams, I was not prepared to deal with tearing out a horsehair plaster ceiling, nor did I want to. That task is delegated to my demo-loving buddy from the city who is more than happy to wreak havoc in exchange for some awesome food. This hole was by far the ugliest blemish on the entire project thus far. Taking out the tiles was fairly easy, quick and painless. It took about an hour with the help of my young neighbor gal who graciously hoofed out the panels by the tote load to a wheelbarrow for transport to the burn pile. (Ladies, can you say another 'farm gals gone wild' bonfire?)
My ceilings have always seemed strangely low and now I understand why. Just removing the cardboard tiles has put another four inches of vertical living space in that room. It's awesome and I can't wait to expose more.

Sure, the runners for the suspended tiles are ugly and so it the vintage silver wall paper, but what's another month or two of this crap?

Ah, the 'treasures'! There's a big hickory tree a few hundred feet away from the house, yet I found oodles of empty hickory nuts stashed on top of the suspended tiles, along with LOTS of mouse crap and even a dead mouse skeleton.With enough space to get my hand into the void, I was able to shoot a few pictures of what will be exposed when the project is completed. Those are 8' beams which means I will gain a full vertical foot in the living room. Awesome!

The big stink about tearing out the ceiling was always 'you'll expose the wires'. Well, here's the wire. BFD.

Lovely American Chestnut beams.

Come on, is this really all that bad for a few weeks compared to the awesome beauty about to be exposed?

Look at all that space I was missing!

When I was tearing out the ceiling my helper astutely noticed, "You're having a really fun time doing this." Indeed, I was.

Ninth Annual Labor Day Goat Roast

2010-09-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

We did it again! No, that's not the goat we roasted. That's Peaches, one of the first goats here at the farm who started the tradition of the goat roast when we slaughtered the first born male to share with family and friends.

Each year I try to cook the goat in a different style--Mexican, Jamaican, Italian, Hawaiian.... This year I went African. On the advice of my African customers, I left on the skin, singed off the hair, scrubbed off the char and stuffed the belly with peppers, garlic and zatar (spice mix).

The results were phenomenal! No constant basting and the meat was extremely moist and tender.

In addition to the goat, there were two smoked turkeys, beef sausage patties and a ham.

The reason for the Labor Day tradition also came about because the previous Saturday, the Skarlatos family has their family reunion lamb roast and I used their rotisserie before buying my own. Nick & Pan sharing a beer and checking out the goat just after putting it to fire.

Three new guests at the goat roast.

Lots of family and many friends.

New faces & familiar ones.

The neighborhood crowd.

Fellow farmers and market folks.

Friends from D.C. & Shippensburg.

The boys wrap up a long weekend of camping with the goat roast.

No one ever leaves hungry.

Joseph explains to Steve just what is in the traditional Nigerian Pepper Soup he made with the head, feed & offal of the goat.

Steve finds a piece of trachea & esophagus.

One of the many barn kitties finds a new family. He'll be well loved & spoiled rotten.

Luke helps Kaj up the steps after they get their homemade peach ice cream.

Jonas saved the day when we had technical difficulties with the ice cream churn. Lesson learned.

Dessert! The best way to end a great picnic.

PART FOUR: The Soaking Garden

2010-08-07T22:58:00.004-04:00

It's not fancy, but it works. It's kind of like Legos for Adults. When I get it set up the way I want it, then I'll level it off and add some mortar. But for now, I'll continue to play with my blocks, soak in the water tank and shamelessly sun myself.

PART THREE: The Soaking Garden

2010-08-03T23:23:00.004-04:00

A quick dry run to check out the view.

In preparation for Farm Girls Gone Wild night, I spent another full day on the block pile. With more block than I know what to do with, I decided to extend the patio further and add a fire pit.

Now there's room for the table & chairs, the lounge chair and the ofuro. I have a hanging swing in the barn that could probably go under the trees, too. More block still over on the pile so I've started a smaller deck just below the fire pit. Still have the retaining wall to go, too.

When all is done, I'm going to surround the area with day lilies and rudbeckia. Finally, a place to sit, read, relax and enjoy my farm.

PART TWO: The Soaking Garden

2010-07-31T12:08:00.004-04:00

For years, I've hated all those blocks stacked around the garden. And then one day, someone said to me, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!" and then proceeded to start tumbling the columns into the dirt. But what to do with all those blocks?

I really had no desire to haul them far from where they fell, so I decided just to level off an area and set them on a flat area to create a private patio area where I can put patio furniture and my farm-style ofuro.

No concrete in case I ever want to move them. They don't even need to be perfectly even.

Sixty-four 32lb. cinder blocks--who needs a gym?

One pile of block down and one to go. I wonder if I'll find any more 'artifacts'.

PART ONE: The Soaking Garden

2010-07-05T20:49:00.003-04:00

"This is the best view of your farm. Why do you use it as an overgrown storage area for crap you don't use?" And so began the work on what will ultimately become The Soaking Garden (aka: the nude sunbathing garden) since it will host a soaking tub and is cloaked in the privacy of pine trees.

The panels from a fellow farming friend have been stacked there for nearly two years. At first, they were to be the walls for an equipment shed, but now they are slated to be the roofs of pasture shelters. I should be able to get four 8'x16' shelters out of them. Projects for another day.

This will be the view once the compost pile is spread. Lots of unused cinder blocks and a lonely bunny cage. The blocks I can use. The bunny cage will have to find a new home.

The weed whacker made short order of all those tall weeds. Next step is to remove the top soil, lay down hardware clothe and set the block in a platform for the tub, lounger and privacy screens.

The opposite side of the trees looked a bit ratty so I trimmed off all the dead branches. Looking good!

Summer Solstice 2010

2010-06-22T23:28:00.007-04:00

It was a scorcher for the first day of summer. The day was spent moving animals to fresh pasture, filling water tanks and taking some pictures of my piece of heaven on earth.Pax & El Jefe hit the freshly filled water tank before the rest of the herd gets to it.The herd grazing on the shooting range. We use Zero Pollution Fiocchi Ammunition leaving a clean environment for the animals.A colorful thistle before opening. Thistle in full bloom with one very happy bee.

Miss Bango enjoying a lush pasture of clover.The trees are growing. The Human Bulldozer isn't scheduled for a visit until July and I was thinking the overgrown rocks looked kind of redneck until this morning when I saw hundreds of honeybees all over the clover and plantain flowers. Anything to keep the pollinators in business.Momma cat and her barn kitties. Free for the taking. Aren't we cute? Don't you want to take one or two of us home?

El Jefe drooling in the noon day sun while watching over his herd.

Peaches, the matriarch of the herd. She's weaned 32 kids in her lifetime.

A Japanese beetle with its iridescent colors.

PART TWO: The Pretty Garden

2010-06-08T23:30:00.003-04:00

The second half of the Pretty Garden started off the same as Part One, with a layer of wet newspaper and a few buckets of dirt & compost. My new neighbor was cleaning out some perennials she didn't want anymore and before they hit the compost pile, I intervened. The booty was two dozen hostas that needed a home, so it was time to get to work. I also had a bucket of gladiola bulbs in need of planting so the timing was perfect.

With the online posting of this project a friend who lives only a few miles from the farm offered goodies from her garden--more Bee Balm, Purple Cone Flowers and a bunch of other stuff of which I can't remember all the names, but they were all beautiful. I filled the back of the Subaru and it didn't even look like we put a dent in her flower garden.

All unloaded and figuring out what to plant where.

It may look kind of peeked now, but there's an inch of rain on the way tomorrow that should give them all a good soaking. Seeing how much these plants spread, I didn't want to over-plant and had plenty left over which leads into the next project: The Soaking Garden
Stay tuned for a really awesome project!

PART ONE: The Pretty Garden

2010-06-01T09:03:00.003-04:00

Last September I had a visitor to the farm who walked around looking at all the vegetable gardens--the heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, herbs, Asian greens, peppers, hops, sun chokes, etc., but when we got to the end of the tour, I was asked, "Where are your pretty gardens?" Sadly, the only thing I had was the stone garden out front which had fallen victim to neglect and had been recently weed whacked to the ground. Only dried stubble remained. This year I want to completely dig out the stone garden--removing the weeds and replanting with perennials. There were already some perennials in there in serious need of dividing. When a neighbor gave me a bucket full of tiger lilies, I decided that it was time to undertake a project that I had wanted to do for several years--connect the three small round flower beds in the front yard into one large "pretty garden".

One of the workshops I attended this year at PASA's Farming for the Future conference was My Weedless Garden given by Lee Reich. He had a presentation about how they put together a large garden at his daughter's school in an afternoon. Instead of the labor-intensive methods involving sod removal, several layers of wet newspaper were laid down and covered with soil. So I decided to give it a try.

Having a tractor with a bucket made a world of difference. Moving all this dirt and compost with only a wheelbarrow would have really sucked.

The tiger lilies went down the middle as they will be the tallest flowers. On each side I planted Bee Balm, Coreopsis, Rudbeckia, peonies and some fancy day lilies. On the ends, which were existing gardens, I divided and replanted the Coral Bells and left the large bleeding heart and peonies that were already established.

Total time: 4 hours
I'm looking forward to the next phase of the garden which will connect the larger flower bed to the ring around the dogwood tree. I have a friend who has offered me more Bee Balm and Rudbeckia. Then I can move on to spading out all the crap in the stone garden and starting from scratch. And yes, I'll be able to say I once again have "pretty gardens".

GOT WEEDS?

2010-05-31T10:58:00.002-04:00

I sure did!

The Asian Greens garden all weeded and going strong.

The Swiss Chard weeded & mulched. I'm sure that kitty is thinking all this fresh dirt will make for an excellent 'cat box'. Oh well....

Sugar peas will be prolific this year. Looking forward to stir fry and eating them right off the vine.

PASA's Summer Farm Start Dinner 2010

2010-05-24T14:13:00.006-04:00

Doesn't this look phenomenally delicious?

For those lucky enough to get one of the 200 tickets to this event, this was just some of the awesome locally grown foods & drinks available at the Summer Farm Start dinner for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. While the event is open to the public, everyone knows PASA puts on the best dinners around and tickets always sell out quickly.

James Woltman was the Executive Chef for the event. His father, Harry, graciously traveled to many of the farms picking up ingredients.

The event was held at the Milestone Inn overlooking the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg.

The evening was kicked off with beer from Elk Creek and wine from Chaddsford to wash down tasty Pennsylvania farmstead & artisan cheeses. The trout dip with handmade lavash crackers was mighty tasty, too.
Guests enjoyed a variety of dishes...

...such as lasagna and a variety of meats

There were salads galore.
Mushroom Wellington hit the spot.
The potatoes stuffed the the Birchrun Hills Farm blue cheese were my favorite and the ash-coated chevre medallions from Pipe Dreams came in a close second.

PASA Executive Director Brian Snyder introduced Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding to speak to the guests for a few minutes.

You Can't Make Up This Stuff

2010-04-20T22:25:00.000-04:00

Today when Dad called to tell me the Fish Commission was stocking Big Spring with trout and he & his buddy, Ted, were going fishing. Did I want to go? Hell, yes! This is an age-old ritual of following the stock truck of which I had not participated in a very long time. However, seeing that I've been on a steady diet of fresh trout & asparagus of late, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity for catching my limit. That's Dad & Ted at the front of line for a bucket of fish to stock where they pleased.

The day was absolutely gorgeous. The sun! The sky! The stream! The fish! The birds!
Whether he knows it or not, Dad has been doing Yoga for Fisherman for years.

So, to the best part of the day...you just can't make up this stuff, as I said in the title of my post...was some unexpected "fly fishing". "Trouser Trout" has long been a standing joke among our family & friends for many, many years. Ted had his limit. Dad had his limit. I needed one more. Dad walked up stream and soon came walking back towards us. It looked like he was holding his shirt over a trout as if he were trying to hide it. He was, although not because he had one "extra", but because the treble hook in the trout's mouth, it was also firmly caught in Dad's trousers right next to his zipper. The trout flapped helplessly next to Dad's fly as he duck-walked over to his car.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Ted had to get the hook out of Dad's pants without cutting a hole.

Virgin Browse

2010-04-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

Until a few days ago, the goats had never been out on this patch on the farm. Ten years ago, the entire property, save for an acre by the house, was this densely overgrown. There's about a fifth of the land I have yet to browse. This particular area was at the far end and on a hillside down into the wetlands. It is woefully overgrown with invasive, non-native species of which the goats are rapidly clearing.

This is the dent they put in the first area only after two days on the job.

The Latest Project

2010-04-12T22:31:00.000-04:00

Last year I had the opportunity to have a land use professional take an objective look at the farm and offer some suggestions. It took ten years and someone with a PhD in Geography to show me exactly where my property lines are. All I could say was, "Wow! This is all my land?" which was promptly answered with "Yes, so why aren't you using it?" So, this is the plan...
Maximize land use while enhancing the riparian viewshed through the reduction of undergrowth and invasive species using goats.

This project is on a hillside so this is the top of the slope and below is the edge of the wetlands.

Before the electric netting could be run down to the water's edge, a path through undergrowth needed to be cleared.

One of the adjoining properties had recently been sold so now there is surveyors' marking tape making it easier to locate the corner of my land.

The bluebells were in full bloom while I was working and I couldn't resist taking a bouquet back to the house to enjoy.

Once the hillside down to the waters edge has been cleared, there will be a walking path and a sitting area (already have the park bench there) for contemplation, birdwatching, etc. Clearing out up to the stream banks, a small bridge will extend the walking path across the water to the hardwoods. With the removal of the invasives growing along the stream bank, these beautiful flowers will have more opportunity to proliferate. It will also create more nesting habitat for water fowl.

Farewell, my love.

2010-03-13T10:02:00.000-05:00

It's official, my old diesel pickup truck is dead. She laid down and died last Sunday cruising down Pennsylvania's 233 south between mile markers 169 and 170 on the way to Pine Grove.

It was a beautiful day, the warmest of the year so far and friends had invited me to a cabin on Fuller Lake for the afternoon.

The drive up the mountain was gorgeous and I was laughing hysterically to A Prairie Home Companion as Garrison Keillor and his gang parodied Simon & Garfunkel with "The Sound of Chickens". At the crest of the mountain I began to hear a sound, that same grinding clack I'd hear on the Ventura freeway just past the Seward exit back in 1996 when I put a rod through the block. Just like before, as the sound grew louder, the truck slowed down and the engine completely stopped.

Fourteen miles earlier, the odometer had rolled over 478,000 miles. My hopes were to turn 500,000, but alas, it was not to be. I knew she was dead. Speaking of dead, when I went to call AAA and my friends, I was also in a cellular dead zone so I began walking toward the lake. This was perhaps the most disappointing moment of the whole ordeal. Vehicle with hood up and woman walking along side the road...even with my thumb out, I walked for nearly a mile before a family in an SUV out for a hike in the mountains with their kids & dog pulled over. "Women don't walk along the road in the mountains with their purses unless they're broke down," the lady said and they offered to drive me to wherever I needed to go.
So they drove me to the cabin a few miles away at the lake. I met my friends, called AAA, went back to meet the tow truck, sent Big Stinky back to the farm and went back to the cabin to toast the passing of an old friend with good friends.

At the cabin was a Buddha. When I first saw it, I knew what I had to leave for him--the brass hand that had hung from the rear view mirror for many, many years. That old gal had outlasted two relationships, four dogs and three domiciles. I used it while working on ranches, in the oil fields, in the harbor and in the technology industry. She carried me and my loved ones safely across the country to the farm. She was unique, trustworthy and will be dearly missed. Goodbye, old friend.

Fun in DC

2009-11-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's a suckling pig one of the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market customers has on his bike. On the bandstand are the Sweeneys (who were such gracious hosts later in the afternoon) and Rebbie Higgins, our Market Maven. This was my first year of doing this metropolitan market located in Washington DC at 17th & Lamont Streets.

It was an interesting market to attend. One of the benefits of city markets is the diversity of food. On the street in the pig picture is Don Juan's which makes the most deliciosas pupusas salvadoreñas--an extremely tasty treat from El Salvador. Then there is all the phenomenal fresh fruit & veg from all the other vendors at the market. These two colorful brassicas are my favorites!

A farmers market wouldn't be a market without fresh bread. There are TWO bread vendors at Mount Pleasant. Panorama Bread (who is also at Bloomingdale on Sunday) makes the BEST baguettes.

Attwaters' Bakery has a loaf called "Struen" which is my all-time favorite loaf for slicing. Every now & then I'll break down and get an olive loaf.

This was the last weekend of the 2009 market season and friends invited me to stay in the city for the night between Mount Pleasant on Saturday and Bloomingdale on Sunday. After market, I walked a few short blocks to Irving Street.

Little did my friends Luke & the Sweeneys realized they lived directly across the street from each other.

First, it was an afternoon of charcuterie, fresh oysters, cress salad, pink radishes, cheese, bread and assorted accompaniments, including hand-made guava paste, caramelized onions, mustard and some very nice wines on the Sweeney's front porch. Who would have thought the weather to be so temperate and glorious this late into November.

Then it was on to Churchkey and Birch & Barley in the evening. I had the Charred Octopus and Striped Sea Bass, which was phenomenal. But Luke had the duck, which was out of this world and what will lure me back again for my own plate and not just a bite.

Chef Kyle Bailey, you rock!

2009 Goat Roast & Picnic

2009-09-08T09:06:00.000-04:00

Mother Nature smiled upon us again for the annual goat roast & picnic. Despite a 40% chance of rain, the day was gorgeous and family & friends descended upon the farm to feast and share each others company.

My brother-in-law, Glen got to drive the big tractor and the Millers' son, Kai got to 'drive' my little tractor.

As always, every hung out visiting, eating, drinking and being merry.

Jess brought out Big Andy for 'pony' rides.

And Lucky the Pig was in all his glory with the kids.

This was the first time in a few years my family was all together so we took a picture together.

Charles wanted the pork cheeks and he got them.

Judy & Jonas and the Hursts came over the mountain to share in the festivities.

One of our farmers market managers, Luke, trekked up from DC for the day.

Spud is smiling because he's the only one not shucking corn.

The Love Monkeys

2009-08-01T06:23:00.000-04:00

As Catherine Friend so pointedly wrote in her book, Hit By A Farm, "Farming boils down to three things: shit, sex & death." The shit is never-ending. Last week we dealt with the death part when we harvested several calves and goat. Now we're on to the sex part.

Meet Fiesta, a cashmere buck from Bearlin Acres. Given that the Boer goats are native to the arid, hot climate of South Africa, they're not the hardiest here in the northeast. But my meat goat pal, Marge Kilkelly, in Maine has been infusing her meat herd with cashmere. Last year when I dressed out some cashmere buck kids from Bearlin Acres, their carcasses were just as meaty as the Boer cross kids. So in an experimental effort to breed animals that will winter over much better than their desert ancestors, Fiesta has come to service the latest round of open does.

He got to work within 30 seconds of being let in with the open doe herd.

But the goats aren't the only ones getting action. It seems as if each time Emma & her daughter, Gray, come into heat, I'm away at market and don't catch it in time for the "breederman". In an effort to get them both bred to calve next spring, Vincent--a purebred Jersey bull from Carrock Farm--has come for a visit.

Isn't he a handsome fella? Let's hope there's enough dark genes in him to throw me more dark Jersey heifers.

When Good Gets Better

2009-07-23T23:08:00.000-04:00

Any one who buys meat from me knows that I love my USDA butcher, Mr. Horst. Not only does he and his employees do a phenomenal job cutting and packaging my livestock, but they have always treated the animals humanely and respectfully in their final moments. To me, that is extremely important. So, when I took a load of calves & goats down on Wednesday, I went to back up to the loading dock as usual. But in my rear-view mirror I saw the dock hand waving his arms as if I were about to hit something. When I got out to see what was up, he pointed out that they had entirely renovated their loading area. What an absolute pleasure it was to back up to the ramp that had consecutive closing gates so the animals could move backwards into the trailer. There was also a new and better configured scale to easily weigh the animals as they moved into the holding pens (all covered). And right as the animals entered, there was an automatic waterer so any stock thirsty from their haul could get a drink of water. It makes my day when a good thing gets better.

Where there's a will, there's a way

2009-07-07T16:05:00.001-04:00

When I started selling live goats to the ethnic community for their religious and cultural holidays, I was surprised the first time a Bosnian man zip-tied the legs together on the same side and put the goat into the back of his Subaru. But when I came across this image, it was just too good not to share. If that's a young buck, I wouldn't want to keep that shirt, though.

Fourth of July Dinner

2009-07-06T11:09:00.000-04:00

With all the promotion to "eat local" on Independence Day this year and the impetus to declare "food independence", I thought I'd post up what we had for dinner. Since it was a long day of getting Jess to the airport for her trip to Europe and I had to be up at 3am the following day for farmers market, there were no big plans for attending a social gathering and staying up late partying with friends. But July 4th wouldn't be right without putting something on the grill. While getting some market supplies out of the locker in Carlisle last week, I came across a package of bone-in, mega-thick rib steaks from the yak. Oh, what a find! They went on the grill along with some fresh summer squash out of Clint's garden and a few ears of corn a fellow Bloomindale Farmers Market vendor gave me. I slathered it all in Emma's raw milk cultured butter and set it to flame. DELICIOUS!

I don't have the heart....

2009-06-25T18:01:00.000-04:00

...to remove this "fire hazard". It's on a pole away from the house or any other structure. Plus, I cleaned out this nest twice, but she just kept building it. Two fuzzy peeps. Haven't identified the birds yet.

Latest Happenings

2009-06-20T21:24:00.001-04:00

Too much going on. Not enough time. Lots of rain. Everything growing.
Hops vines reaching for the sky with flowers just starting.

Peapods all over the place. Had them with Red Curry Beef in Coconut & Cilantro over Thai Rice Noodles for dinner.

Chicks out of the brooder and on grass. I gave them an egg box to hide in so Megs can't reach through the wire, grab them while they are sleeping and chew off their heads.

Juvenile cockerels inspecting their new digs.

The chicken tractor back at work for another season.

We're Back!

2009-06-04T08:06:00.000-04:00

When the Carlisle Central Farmers Market had the rug pulled out from under its feet back in January, the farmers promised they would return in the spring with a producer-only, seasonal outdoor market to meet the needs of an increasing community who wanted to support local agriculture and feed themselves in a healthy, sustainable way. Yesterday, we fulfilled that promise with the opening bell of Farmers on the Square.

John Penn, son of William Penn and the founder of Pennsylvania, in the 1700's designed the square in Carlisle to have a court house, two churches and a marketplace. Unfortunately, the original marketplace was torn down in the 1950's to make way for a second court house. When CCFM closed, the farmers didn't waste any time organizing a real farmers market for downtown Carlisle. A BIG THANKS goes out to Pastor John and the First Presbyterian Church for providing a wonderful place to have the market on Wednesday afternoons from 3-7 pm. Located on the square, Farmers on the Square returns in the spirit of John Penn's vision.

In addition to the farmers, Farmers on the Square is hosted through the generosity of many community volunteers.

On opening day, there was plenty of fresh fruits & vegetables--snap peas and strawberries being a big hit.

Another popular item that sold out quickly were Paul Fisher's chicken halves roasted over charcoal. Unlike many other markets that offer cooked food, these chickens were actually raised by the farmer who also cooked them. Nothing beats a fresh chicken from Otterbein Acres whether you or Paul cooks it.

In addition to our veal and goat, Otterbein's chicken, pork and lamb, JuJo Acres had their wonderful Certified Organic grass-fed Limosine beef.

Swamp Fox brought a variety of fruits, veggies and plants.

Customers had to get their cheese, yogurt & chocolate pudding fix from Keswick Creamery.

Alex and Susan are ready for the customers.

Dickinson College Farm was there with lots of fabulous vegetables and all the positive energy from their students.

Not only was Elaine there selling fresh produce, her CSA customers could also pick up their weekly shares.

Michele was back with her lovely bouquets and wreaths.
For anyone looking for plants for their gardens, shitake mushrooms or hand-made soaps, Three Sisters is the stand to visit.

And some farmers doubled as musicians!

Pasture Walk

2009-06-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

Ed Shank talks about his grass-based farm.
Today, I finally went on a Pasture Walk for the Franklin County Graziers. They are a group of farmers dedicated to grazing animals, be it for milk or meat. Today, we went to Ed Shank's farm--the Shankstead EcoFarm, located at 3854 Old Scotland Road in Chambersburg, PA. The Shanks operate a Certified Organic farm and sell legal raw milk along with grass-fed beef, eggs and chickens.

Shanks have a diversified operation that includes a herd of mostly Jerseys cows for their fluid milk.

Along with a healthy flock of sex-link layers for eggs. Nothing beats an egg from a hen who has been scratching up cow patties!

An idyllic view of South Mountain.

The family's Black Laborador cools off in a stock tank. It was hot & humid today.

Mad Cow

2009-05-22T07:06:00.000-04:00

Mad as in very, very irate that she's been put in the paddock next to (gasp) a pig! Lucky just want's to be friends, but Emma is having none of it. She bellowed for hours until we put her back out on pasture after milking.

Bloomingdale Farmers Market Opening Day

2009-05-21T14:31:00.000-04:00

Remember my initial foray into the DC farmers markets last year at Bloomingdale in front of the Big Bear Cafe? Well, we're back & bigger than before. Check out that sparkling trailer! It was necessary in order to get all of the product into the city using a single vehicle since the truck is already packed four coolers high for Dupont Circle and Takoma Park with all of Keswick Creamery's delicious dairy products.

Although Bloomingdale is small compared to many other of the city's farmers markets, there is still plenty of incredibly awesome food.

Fresh asparagus & strawberries!

Real French bread.

New this year is Chef Stefano Frigerio, owner of The Copper Pot which makes phenomenal hand-crafted sauces, jams and pastas.

New this year, too, is the veggie and herb gardens in front of the Big Bear Cafe.

Viva la Mount Pleasant Farmers Market

2009-05-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

Despite the rain, people turned out in droves on Saturday morning for the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market again. I think one of the reasons they come is to hear all of the incredible music. We're fortunate as our spot is right in front of the bandstand so we have a front row seat to all the events. This week there was a wonderful Mexican folk music group.

They played traditional Vera Cruz folk. Check out what one of the members played. It was the jawbone of an ass and the sound was very unique.

You can here them, too. I only got about seven minutes of this song that went on for about fifteen minutes. A man from the crowd started singing, too.

More Pig

2009-05-12T22:47:00.001-04:00

I'm going to have to change the way I think, thanks to Lucky. You see, I used to think that over the years I have worked for pigs, dated pigs and was even married to a pig once. But all that has changed since this little guy walked out in front of my truck. I am head-over-heels in love with a real pig this time. He rooted in the soft wet ground and beached himself in the center basking in the noon day sun. He's just cute and funny. In the evening when things cooled down, I thought he had escaped because I didn't see him in the paddock or the barn.

But upon closer inspection, I found that he had made a warm, little nest and nestled himself in the straw with all covered except that little, pink snout of his.

Some Pig

2009-05-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

One of my fondest memories from elementary school was my second grade teacher, Mrs. Smyers reading Charlotte's Web. Each day after recess, she would read a chapter to us. It's one of my all-time favorite children's books. Given our neighbors' meticulous attention to their lawns & flower beds, I've avoided adding pork to our list of livestock. But today on my way over to Keswick Creamery to pick up a bull calf I nearly hit this little guy. As soon as I got out of the truck, he came running toward me with his tail wagging. He wandered up to the Witmers' farm so I stopped in there and asked if he was their pet pig. "No, he came over from the Game Lands the other day and has been eating our dogs' food. Someone probably dumped him off," they said. They didn't want him so I loaded him up in the truck and home he came with me. Road Bacon? Who knows. For now, I'm calling him "Lucky".

My Kind of Mowing

2009-05-10T18:22:00.000-04:00

Ralph always complained about mowing and weed-whacking the bank out along the front pasture.

So I finally beat him to the job with some electric netting and the goats.

Even Emma got in on the act.

Thanks, Ashley

2009-05-08T22:55:00.001-04:00

Normally, I wouldn't complain about babies BUT....It had been a terribly long day that started with a farm tour for a class from the Yellow Breeches Alternative School. While bringing Emma up out of the pasture to demonstrate how we milk, she did a little hoppity-hop happy dance and rather ungracefully gave me quite a bump nearly knocking me to the ground. I didn't fall, but I did twist my ankle rather badly.

But I had a schedule to keep so I hobbled along. After the school tour was over, my next event for the day was a beer & cheese pairing at Alibi's in Carlisle. Fortunately, I had been designated the driver so the cheesemaker & his intern did most of the cheese cutting and I was able to get off my feet for a few minutes.

Finally, nine hours after the initial injury I have a chance to sit down, elevate & ice the now very swollen ankle. I brought home a growler of Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale and was about half way through my second pint when Ralph muted the television to talk to me. I could hear that it was pouring rain outside. I could also hear the unmistakable cry of newly born kids. Damn. I stuffed my feet back into my boots and tottled out to the pasture to see who had done this to me. Fortunately, it was Ashley...a good momma. She had kicked out all the other does from a hut and had her twins on the ground, clean and hitting the teats by the time I found them. And there they stayed until the following day when they were moved over by the barn with all the other kids & mommas. A buck & a doe kid. The doe has some really wierd facial markings that make her look more like a rabbit than a goat. I think I'll call her "Bunny".

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market

2009-05-02T21:08:00.001-04:00

Yesterday marked the opening day of market season for me with Mount Pleasant Farmers' Market located in Lamont Park at 17th & Lamont Streets NW in Washington DC. This is the first time I've taken my goat and veal to this market.

Rebbie Higgins (on the left) owns and operates the market. When I first arrived at the market, Rebbie warned me that she had received an email from someone very upset that veal was going to be sold at the market. This is one of the reasons that I really enjoy selling direct to the customer because it gives me the opportunity to educate people that veal can be humanely and sustainably produced just like any other meat. I usually start off the conversation with, "Do you eat ice cream or use butter? If so, then you are contributing to the veal industry in the United States." That's a wake-up call for a lot of people. And then I launch into my explanation of why my veal is different and why they should not feel guilty about eating it.

The plaza was full of vendors selling all sorts of fresh, locally produced goodies. That's our stand on the right with the red & blue coolers. I'm working in cooperation with Keswick Creamery, just like in Carlisle and at Bloomingdale.

There was LOTS of awesome fresh veggies.

And just as important, there were plenty of starts for people who want to grow their own food. I was surprised by how many people were purchasing flats of assorted greens, peppers and tomato plants.

Although they can only be used to purchase fresh produce, I was really happy to see that the market accepted WIC coupons. This is one thing I'd really like to see change with the progarm. People should be able to purchase FOOD with WIC assistance, including dairy and meat. There are so many restrictions which basically forces low income families to choose less healthy items.

In addition to all the fantastic vendors, a successful farmers market includes events that are a benefit to the community. Rebbie lined up a local bike club to offer free bike repair whick was a huge success. I even saw one woman getting a leaky tire on her baby stroller fixed. It was awesome.

Another big plus--great music!

A Day Off the Farm

2009-04-27T16:12:00.001-04:00

It was the first day this year to hit 90 degrees and Ralph talked me into a trip up into the mountains near the farm. We stopped by some mountain creeks in the Big Flat area and then on to Long Pine Dam.

When we first arrived, there was a woman taking pictures of something along the lake's edge. I thought it was a turtle, but closer inspection revealed a frog orgy. These little fellas (I think they're Mountain Chorus Frogs) were singing their hearts out.

And those who impressed the larger ladies got to ride around on their back and procreate.

We hiked to the overlook of the dam and spillway where we had lunch.

As usual, we picked up garbage on our way back down the trail. People can be such pigs. That's Ralph with the first aluminum can of the day. By the time we got back to the truck, we had over a dozen assorted bottles, cans, boxes and bags.

There's a nice little boat launch ramp. Combustion motors aren't allowed on the lake so it's nice & quiet. Lots of kayaks.

What a Trooper!

2009-04-26T09:35:00.000-04:00

As Alex was pitch-forking his way through the winter's bedding pack of the barn's center isle, he looked up at me and said, "I think it's ironic that while most kids are getting cleaned up for the prom, I'm shoveling shit."

No, no...he's not being punished (as in some other teenager I know who occasionally wields a pitchfork to atone for her misdeeds). His choice and he was much luckier than anyone else who, to this point, had to do the dirty deed because now having a tractor with a bucket we no longer have to hoof each wheelbarrow load down to the compost pile, just outside the gate.

Cleaning the center isle is not for the faint-at-heart or weak-at-hand. It gets packed with straw, hay, goat poo, urine and birthing fluids all year long until spring and then it's time to clean it out. I've done it, Ralph's done it (a few times), the Amish kids next door did it the year Ralph broke his leg, AJ Potter did it. It's a necessary evil due to the design of our barn which was built before the days of tractors & skidloaders. If I ever build a barn for animals, I'm going to design it so the area where they are kept is wide enought to get my tractor through so all I'll have to do is drop the bucket and put 'er in gear. Until then, someone will keep pitch-forking.....

Morning Bliss

2009-04-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

There's something majestic about an 1,800-pound draft horse galloping across the pasture in the morning sun. From my office window this morning, I noticed Andy kicking up his heels and taking a good romp back and forth across the lush green pasture, his blond mane and tail streaming in the wind. Never mind that up close he looks kind of ratty--a big bald spot on the bridge of his nose from where the previous owner let the halter grow into his face or his unkempt hooves because he refuses to stand quietly to have them properly trimmed. He's blowing his winter coat right now, too, so there are huge patches of matted fuzz waiting to be rolled off as soon as he can find a rough, dry spot. When he first started shedding, I noticed a sizable yellow spot out in a dip in the pasture. It looked as if someone had dumped a load of sand. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be his rolling spot. Guess I'll break out the shedding blade and help him along.

Babbies, Babies Everwhere!

2009-04-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

We knew that Spot had her kittens two weeks ago. In the morning, she was a walking football, but later that day, she appeared obviously deflated. We hunted throughout the barn--in the hay mow, on the third level, under the lumber pile, in every nook & cranny hoping to find a nest of babies. The search widened to the basement, the sheds, the stock trailer and the front porch. Still no luck. We didn't think we'd see them until they would begin to expand their horizons. As I was sitting on the step up into the barn's center isle giving Delilah her bottle, Spot slipped out from under the wooden ramp up into the barn. She had revealed her hiding place. Sure enough, when I tipped up the ramp, there they were with their eyes fresh open, mewing curiously at the new world to which they had been exposed.

Shortly after the discovery of the kittens, Peaches went into labor. I was going to take her from the main herd over to the maternity ward when she decided she would rather plop right down in the tall green grass and have them on her own terms. Seeing as she's the matriarch of the herd and an all-around great goat, I obliged her. While I worked in the garden, she birthed a buck and a doe, each in excess of ten pound each! Peaches was one of our first goats and these will be her 28th and 29th kids. She and another goat are neck in neck for production. Carlisle will pull ahead if she has triplets this time, however, Peaches is still ahead in terms of kids weaned. Peaches has some dairy goat (Saanen is my guess) somewhere along the way and this batch of kids were born with wattles, the little danglely things on their neck.

Maddie loves the baby goats. Only five more years until she's old enough for 4-H!Emma's little squirt is growing like the weeds he's relaxing in on this warm, sunny day while his momma grazes.
Peach wasn't the only one to have twins. Her daughter, Phyllis also had a buck and a doe the day before.

The buck gets some na-na while his sister relaxes from the stresses of being born next to a shady round bale.

The Hottest Ticket in Town!

2009-04-18T09:22:00.000-04:00

If you like great local food, wine & beer served in a gorgeous setting, this is the event of the season you don't want to miss. Hurry before tickets sell out.

Event Tickets are $50. Partner Level Tickets are $75. Your ticket purchase at either level supports the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture's efforts to build vibrant regional food systems. Tickets purchased at the Partner Level show that you not only appreciate good food and the farmers who grow it, but you also understand the importance of supporting PASA.

You can purchase tickets HERE online or call 814-349-9856 ext. 208

Not a Joke

2009-04-17T09:19:00.001-04:00

I know you're out there. I'm talking about you...the goat farmers who routinely bring their babies into the house. Whether you are dairy goat folks who automatically pull the babies soon after birth or the meat & fiber people who occasionally end up with a bottle baby. I've been to your homes and seen kids in make-shift pens in your dining room, on heating pads in your bath tubs and curled up on the couch next to your husband. There's always an endless stream of pee and little yellow globs with the consistency of a quasi-melted Tootsie Roll that someone invariably steps in and tracks throughout the house. We know that baby goats are mouthier than a Retriever puppy, but not as destructive. Throughout my experiences with house goat bottle babies I found that getting them to pee on a towel was a fairly easy process after mopping up a puddle or two and leaving the towel lay in the general area, but imagine my surprise when I found Delilah using the cats' litter box in my office! This isn't a posed shot and it's about the third time I saw her do it. However, goats urinate much more than cats meaning I have to change it more often and needless to say, the cats are none too pleased.

Sure Signs of Spring

2009-04-14T11:26:00.001-04:00

Easter wouldn't be Easter without the fragrant beauty of Hyacinths. I remember when I used to work at Orners' Greenhouse across the street from my parents' house on East Pine Street when I was a kid. One of my jobs was putting foil on the Easter flowers and taking them over to Richwines' garage across the alley. The garage always smelled so wonderful. Spring wouldn't be spring without daffodils, either.

The pear blossoms are just starting to unfurl, but I hope they stay shut long enough to evade the next bout of cold weather.

We have one house goat--Delilah. Fortunately, it's warm enough to put her in the peep pen so I don't have to follow her around with a towel cleaning up her little puddles.

With spring comes grass, with grass comes grazing and with grazing out comes the portable fencing and charger.

Why fire up the lawnmower when you can turn the first lush front yard grass into milk and butter? Plus, Emma gets to show off her new baby to the neighborhood.

The only disadvantage to grazing cows in the front yard.....

Don't Lick Your Lips!

2009-04-12T19:50:00.001-04:00

Milky Milky Time

2009-04-09T18:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, the 1952 Surge Milker has been serviced with new parts from Hamby Dairy Supply and is ready to go. I kind of think the old contraption is like my truck--parts are cheap and it keeps on ticking. As you can see, I'm down to milking one teat on my two-teated Jersey. Make fun of me all you want, but there's a healthy bull calf in the barn (for the uninitiated, that will bring about 160 pounds of delicious veal) and I'm getting 17 pound of milk (8.33 pounds of milk per gallon) out of a single quarter....do the math. As of today, the milk is good to go "in the tank" as they would say in a regular dairy.

So, just how do I know the milk is ready for personal consumption? Sure, there are LOTS of people who like colostrum, but capilary bleeding...I'm with Mel...that's just plain gross. The bull calves can have the "strawberry milk." YUCK! But what do we have here? All the 'goodies' that go along with good udder health. First, there is the CMT paddle (aka California Mastitis Test). It lets you know when the Somatic Cell Count (SCC) is high by getting 'snotty' when you add the reagent to fresh milk out of the teat on to the paddle. Today, mine came back clean so I'm good to go for drinking, butter, creme fraiche, etc. I credit a speedy recovery from calving to the Udder Comfort, which I pay $25 for a tube. It has essential oils that help reduce inflamation. You know Emma must be special if I spend that kind of money on her udder and I cringe at spending more than $5 for the cream that goes on to my face. Teat dip is another essential for milking, regardless if you are doing one or a thousand cows.

For those of you who are family milkers or want to leave the calf on the cow, this is the difference between the favored teat and those to milk. As you can see, the calf teat is squeaky clean, while there is crud on the the lower and hind quarter. While the calf is on, I'm down to milking a single quarter, but it's worth it.

17 pounds of milk out of single quarter with once-a-day milking. Works for me. By the way, I ran the numbers from Emma's last lactaion. Out of her two functional quarters, I got 6, 136 pounds of milk out of which I made 244 pounds of butter, had fresh milk & cream to drink for nearly 330 days, had significant supply of real buttermilk (pancakes, salad dressing, drinking etc.), made creme fraiche and fed the excess buttermilk & skim milk back to the veal calves to create some awesome meat. Family cows ROCK!!!

What a Weekend!

2009-04-07T13:20:00.000-04:00

The weekend started off with a bang or should I say a gush of amniotic fluid? First, Emma calved on Friday night. Unfortunately, I didn't use sexed semen on her third artificial insemination attempt. I lost in the 50-50 chance of having another heifer. But he's still healthy and cute as the dickens.

Shortly after Emma popped, so did Oreo with a set of twins. I didn't find them until the next morning when they were all dried off and hiding in one of the pasture shelters. Since winter weather decided to return, they are now snug in the barn in the stall next to Emma & her baby.

Saturday it was off to the Dickinson College Local Foods Celebration. This is the 6th year for the event. There is a farmers market during the afternoon and a dinner made from all locally-produced food in the evening. Many of the vendors and customers from the former Carlisle Central Farmers Market were there. The customers were happy to see their farmers, get their food and are looking forward to us returning to Carlisle later this spring without being under the thieving thumb of the Cumberland County Redevelopment Authority.

Melanie, Maddie and Paul set out delicious dairy products from Keswick Creamery.

Diane Wiest from Brushwood Farm has our favorite soap--Patchouli Lime

Our dinner table.

My delicious dinner of local salad greens with Tait Farm dressing, pastured turkey, pastured pork sausage, roasted root vegetables and potatoes and mushroom soup.

And of course, no local foods event in these parts would be complete without a table full of artisan and farmstead cheeses.

Mutt & Jeff

2009-03-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

My two favorite hay-burners in the field--Bango & Andy. While it's true that I prefer to drive full-sized trucks, when it comes to horses, give me a 14.2 Quarter Horse who can move like a cat. The last time I was on anything the size of the Big-A was the year before I moved back to Pennsylvania (1999) when I took my friend, Joyce's fox hunter sport horse out for an afternoon. It was like driving a Monster Truck. Jess likens riding Andy to a freight train because he takes a while to get going, is hard to steer and takes even longer to get stopped. Although, when she has him undersaddle, there's a strange elegance to the old plow horse.

There's nothing 'elegant' about this extremely pregnant Jersey, though, she was hoofing it throughout the neighborhood yesterday given the chance. I (wrongfully) thought that she wouldn't waddle far from the paddock where I put her while I mucked out the maternity ward--no freshing in the pouring rain this year, girlie. Despite her added weight, she headed the whole way down the hill, to where there was a gate waiting to be put on it's hinges. No big deal since there was an entire 2-acre paddock on the other side of that gate. Not good enough. She had to find the other gate at the top of the hill that was also not attached to the brace yet. Then it was back down the hill through the alleyway to the end of the fence row and up the outside, around the perimeter and across the street to the Hoffmans' backyard. Needless to say, while I completed the cleaning project, she was forced to stand tied to the rack in front of the barn. What a naughty cow! Stay tuned for baby pictures. The official due date is April 1st. I wonder how she'll fool me.

The Harbinger of Spring

2009-03-23T14:12:00.000-04:00

The first crocus ready to bloom and the others aren't far behind.Since Ralph had been sweet enough to prepare the garden beds a few weeks ago, I figured that I'd better get something planted in them. To celebrate the arrival of spring, I broke out the hoe & seeds. In the first row, we set up a cattle panel and planted two 15' rows of Cascadia snap peas. Since peas grow up, that left us with plenty of room for other goodies, including Purple Kosaitai, Cima Di Rapa and Kintsai--all international greens.
For those of us who just want a good green salad, we also planted High Mowing Seeds' Gourmet Lettuce Mix, Freckles Romain, Black Seeded Simpson and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds' Siamese Dragon Stir-fry Mix.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

2009-03-22T09:53:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about moving out to the country? Getting your own little acre of land with a rancher and planting a big garden? Here's your chance.

This is a four-bedroom, two bath rancher with a large two-car garage, living room, dining room, kitchen and mud room. It has a full basement and a wood-burning stove.

Our neighbors purchased the log home on a larger lot behind this house. The house is being offered privately for $185,000. In addition to having Painted Hand Farm as your neighbor, on either side are retired couples who maintain immaculate homes and properties. To the rear is an Amish family. It's about six miles either way to the Pennsylvania Turnpike or I-81. Kids go to the Shippensburg School District and the bus stops right in front of the house. Shippensburg University is four miles away.

The garden is tilled and ready to be planted by the new owner. If you are interested, contact Bill or Pam Herb at for more information or images.

A Tale of Two Sausages

2009-03-10T17:27:00.000-04:00

We got our first batch of All-Goat Breakfast Sausage back from the butcher and it was time to taste them side-by-side with pork sausage using the same recipe. The links are about the size of your finger and stuffed in collagen casings so our customers who don't eat pork can also enjoy them.

The first noticeable difference is the leanness of the goat sausage compared to the pork. Goat meat is actually leaner than skinless chicken breast, but contains the same amount of protein as pork. However, fat = flavor so we were hoping for something just as tasty. The links were cooked in identical pans with similar flame settings.
However, the pork sausages cooked much more quickly than the goat and had to be removed from the heat almost a full two minutes prior to the goat sausage cooking the whole way through. The goat sausage did not form as crispy a 'skin' as the pork, but they still browned up quite nicely. For me, a breakfast sausage tasting isn't complete without some farm fresh eggs and toast. When it came down to the tasting, the sausages had similar flavors, but the consistency was different. The pork sausage was more moist compared to the goat which could have easily been mistaken for beef or venison. Both were delicious!

Socks from the Flock

2009-03-09T12:24:00.001-04:00

I'm giving away my holiday shopping secret. Some of my friends & family will recognize these soft and warm goodies that ended up under their Christmas trees last year. The socks are from Bearlin Acres, a small, sustainable family farm not far from us.
My friendship with Linda Singley began several years ago when we met at a regional potluck dinner for PASA. I had mentioned to her that I was interested in acquiring a Tibetan Yak to eventually milk and the next day Linda called me after she spied a yak for sale in the Lancaster Farming News. So now you also know how I ended up with that yak. Over the years our friendship has grown as we've adventured into the world of small ruminant farming and life in general, sharing our knowledge, our triumphs and our tribulations.

In addition to socks, Linda also makes snappy (and warm) hats, hand-dyed roving and yarns and an assortment of other goodies including tanned fleeces from both her sheep and cashmere goats.

Man versus Stump

2009-03-07T08:55:00.000-05:00

When Ralph chopped down the cherry tree last week, we were left with a large stump in the middle of my flower bed. Opting for the easy road, I suggested putting a flower pot on top and planting something that would cascade down over the stump. "That is so redneck ghetto," said Ralph and started formulating his plan of attack against the stump.

Soon he was hard at work with shovels, post-hole digger, ax, pick, breaker bar, sawzall, chainsaw, tractor, muscle and pure determination. While he was working on extricating the remnants of the tree from where it had stood for probably close to a century, the mailman came by and told him he'd never be able to dig out the stump. "By the time you deliver mail tomorrow, this stump will be gone," said Ralph. The mailman just laughed and drove on. The roots were numerous and thick, but Ralph chopped away. As the roots became larger, the power tools came out. Even with the new & improved tractor, the stump proved to tenacious to to be torn out of the ground so Ralph decided to jack it out a little at a time until is was free from the compacted hard shale ground.

I didn't have my camera handy for his attempts of lifting the stump with the bucket. He had the rear wheels off the ground a few times. Even with all the dirt knocked off the remaining roots, the stump proved too clumsy to chain into the bucket and safely drive down the street to George's fill hole. "Put a chain around it and drag it down the street," I said, but Ralph was worried about leaving a dirt trail and damaging the road. "The Amish & Mennonites leave more dirt and damage on the roads around here than that stump will ever do," I countered. So the tow chain went around the stump and the stump went down the road.

What an Idiot!

2009-03-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

It's a windy day. The fields are dry. We live in a township where we can take our garbage to the local landfill for FREE. So, what does our illustrious Hopewell Township Supervisor's son do with his garbage today? He burns it! Yes, it's not bad enough he has to stink up our neighborhood with burning trash, he's also stupid enough to set the field on fire and risk burning down several other houses in the area. Did he bother to call the fire company when it was obviously out of control? Duh! Glad we have some other neighbors with a brain and a cell phone that alerted the fire company.

Here's an aerial image so you can get a better idea just what an IDIOT this MORON is.

Another Good Meal

2009-03-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

After restocking my larder with goodies from Trader Joe's, Common Market, Country Pantry and farmers market, I wanted to make something fulfillingly hot, gooey and chewy. On top of my basic pizza dough, I put fresh chard from Spring Valley Farm, pepperoni, Keswick Creamery fresh ricotta, cappicola, Lioni Ciliegine fresh mozarella, Toigo Orchards' Heirloom Tomato Sauce, topped with Ewe's Dream, a luscious sheep milk pecariono romano from Otterbein Acres. Ralph requested a Mexican flare on top with fresh avocado (I don't even want to know where they came from) and some sour cream from Nancy's Organic.

There's No Excuse

2009-03-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a hundred times....what's there to buy at farmers market in the winter time? This is my idea of "fast food". Spring Valley Farm's stir-fry mixture of winter greens (kales, chards, mustards, spinach), a variety of mushrooms and a few green onions all stir-fried together really quick and a few sea scallops tossed in for good luck (and Ralph). And for dessert...chevre from Cherry Glen, their Monocacy Ash.

Primered & Painted

2009-02-28T15:16:00.000-05:00

In the daylight it's easier to appreciate all the work that was done on the tractor. No more cracked and peeling hydraulic hoses.

Even though the block lacked a soft plug into which a block heater could be installed for firing up the diesel on chilly mornings, Nevin found one that installed into the radiator hose. The old, dented oil filter got replaced, too.

I knew that there was no way Ralph was going to be able to sit on his hands during the wet weather so he drove the tractor down to a neighbor's place who has a heated garage. They got the bare metal dried and etched yesterday. Today they primered and painted.

Kevin does body work and paints so he added some sort of 'secret sauce' to the paint in order to get it to harden up really good. In a few days, Ralph will be turning compost and piling up all the dead trees that came down over the winter.

Ralph and Nevin were practical when it came to the little details like chain hooks. We are really happy with the quality of work done by Nevin. If you have any tractor repair or fabrication needs, give him a call at Wisler's Machine 717-860-9904. He'll fix you right up.

Home, briefly.

2009-02-27T13:59:00.000-05:00

Santa (aka Nevin) brought the tractor home last night complete with newly built bucket from plate steel, four new cylinders, all new hydraulic hoses and fittings and battery cables. The new battery was a Christmas present from my brother (thanks, Dave!). Nevin also fixed the leaky rear seal and added weight by filling the tires. BUT...sadly for Ralph, the tractor was delivered right around dark and the next morning greeted us with rain. There is no way Ralph is going to start scratching earth or pushing over trees with the virgin bucket until it is properly sheathed with at bare minimum, several coats of primer. He was twitching about getting paint on the bucket so he drove it down to his buddy's garage about a mile away where they're drying it off and getting ready to etch, primer and paint the bare metal just so he can go out and stab it in the compost pile.

I Did Not Chop Down That Cherry Tree

2009-02-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

But Ralph & Larry did, and it's a good thing because as you can see from the pictures, there wasn't much left of the inside of the old tree. We knew the tree's days were numbered and tried to extend its life by pruning off all of the dead branches, but when exterminating a nest of hornets in the trunk last summer, we realized just how hollow the tree really was.

With record high winds taking down branches and trees on the farm and throughout the neighborhood, I quit parking my truck next to the old cherry tree for fear it would come crashing down on top. However, where I was now parking in front of the barn also happened to be one of Ralph's favorite working areas. So today when I heard the chainsaw fire up, I didn't think much of it until the sound of the tree crashing to the ground rattled the house. Always thinking two steps ahead, Ralph offered to haul all of the wood over to Larry's house if he would help cut up the tree. Larry is one of the local hard-luck cases who lost his job and lives in a dilapidated trailer on a neighboring farm. He heats his trailer with only a wood stove. This way Ralph could make sure that Larry stays warm and that I get my truck out of his way.

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

2009-02-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

Marylin is hip to the cycle. A nice warm sunny afternoon. The perfect time to stretch out in the straw and give birth to a gorgeous set of twins (buck & doe) under the bright blue sky and a brilliant shining sun. Fortunately, I was on my way out to the main herd to see who was ripe for the maternity ward. Bypass, go straight to nursery. You know, the usual fresh straw, kid-warming barrels, partitions and baby monitor. With the warmer weather, Hershey and her kids stayed in the outdoor maternity ward until now. So across the yard we tromped, babies in hand, mommas in tow.

Tinkerbell's udder told me that she was also extremely ripe and needed to go over to the barn because birth was imminent. She got the luxury suite and was able to birth in the privacy of her own jug. And boy, did she ever deserve it. In less than ten minutes after bedding her down in her own stall, with minimal effort she dropped a set of triplets.

And by the next morning, they were standing and nursing while she continued to clean them. Good mommas are worth their weight in gold.

It Lives Again!

2009-02-17T13:45:00.001-05:00

Ralph came into the house this morning and said, "The good news is the rototiller fired up when I put fuel in the engine. The bad news is the rototiller fired up when I put fuel in the engine." Yes, yes, you know how some guys are about their gadgets. Actually, the rototiller was my gadget until Ralph discovered gardening back in Ojai.

I first used the Sears & Roebuck tiller when I moved to the Ojai Valley in 1988. My riding pal, Joyce Lathan, lent it to me so I could till up the yard at my cute little house on Riverside Road. I grew a variety of tomatoes, peppers, greens and herbs that year. Every year following that (and at all my subsequent domestiles) I hauled Joyce's rototiller over to the house in my pick-up truck and turned my soil for the coming year.

When Joyced moved out of the Ojai Valley, the rototiller became mine. Again, it chewed up virgin ground for a new garden at the trailer in the orchard on Foothill Road until BANG! The engine blew up. By then, Ralph & I were together and you know how he's loathe to let anything go to waste. "All it needs is a little Briggs & Straton engine and it will be good as new," he said.

That evening, the local newspaper advertised that the city was having an auction of all it's old equipment. "I bet there's going to be lots of engines there," said Ralph and we were at the city garage at the appointed auction time later that week.

Sure enough, there sat two landscaping edgers, their blades chewed beyond repair. "Those are the exact same engine that was on the rototiller," pointed out Ralph. Withour bidder number in hand, we were the only people to want the edgers. The city sold them both to us for $5. Back to the orchard we went where Ralph promptly dismantled the equipment, saving only the useful parts. By the next day, the tines on the tiller were again turning.

That's been over ten years ago. The same engine is still on the tiller and it's broken ground for four new gardens here at the farm and continued to power through the soil year after year. And there's still a spare engine tucked away in the barn for the day that this engine gives out.

It's All About Love

2009-02-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. This is my Valentine from Ralph from several years ago--a 50-foot red heart in the middle of the pasture. There hasn't been much snow on the ground this year and if there was, now there are animals in that particular field who would have to investigate. I don't particularly relish the thought of having my heart trampled. But this was and oldie & goody so I thought I'd share what farmers do for their loved ones on Valentine's Day instead of sending chemically polluted roses grown in South America and unsustainably flown to North America or giving diamonds that have been dug from earth-destroying pits using child slaves where the profits continue to fund military dictatorships and political unrest. Let's not even consider the environmental impact of precious metal production. So, what does a guy get a gal who doesn't wear jewelry, perfume or like cut flowers? A card and chocolate, will do just fine, thank you.

Slapped By Mother Nature

2009-02-12T11:35:00.001-05:00

Last night the winds started howling. Some of the strongest winds I've experienced since moving back to Pennsylvania has hit in the last twelve hours--gusts up to 70mph! Of course, it had to happen on a trash night so everyone's garbage cans in the neighborhood were on their sides and the contents are now splattered across the farm and tangled in the browse pastures. While doing chores this morning, the wind was so strong, it was literally blowing hay bales like sausages across the lawn. Bird feeders, wind chimes and anything else that hung from a tree are down. When the wind gusts, the entire house shakes. Last year, Ralph build a couple of new types of shelters using metal instead of wood. He screwed the extension top between the two huts out where the goats are right now, but Jess and I put an extension on the two in the pasture last month for the bull calves and failed to screw it down. When the sun came up this morning, the shelters in the far pasture where on the fence. Had they not been stopped by the wire, I'm sure they'd be in Newville by now. You can see how far the wind rolled them from where the extension lid was left. They held up pretty good. The only damage was the skid on the one that rolled the furthest was broken--not an expensive fix, but a fix none the less. So far there is only one spot where a tree has come down on the fence. It wasn't a big tree and fortunately, it was a "trash" tree (wild cherry). Since we haven't tightened the wires in that section of fencing yet, the worst it did was pop out the top staples on one post. But not all the impact from the winds has proved to be a bad thing. Just ask the goats.

Oh, yummy, yummy, yummy! Pine tree for breakfast.

The New Gals In Town

2009-02-11T21:23:00.001-05:00

It's a sad fact of life. Kids grow up--both goat kids and human kids. Sometimes when the human kids who have spent years in 4-H and FFA grow up, their parents are left with grown goats who have become like members of the family. So when one of Jess's fellow 4-Hers contacted me about my quest for some quality meat goats to supplement my customers' orders, I agreed.

Over the years, I have watched as the goats from their farm were lovingly primped and cared for so they would shine in the show ring come fair, Roundup or Farm Show. Our children helped each other show their numerous breeding stock projects. So it came as little surprise to me when I got home and decided to add four gorgeous does into our breeding herd.

Meet Ears, Lola, Barbie and Annie.

They Just Couldn't Wait

2009-02-09T14:59:00.001-05:00

Given our schedule and the weather, I've always tried to end kidding season by Christmas and resume after the PASA conference. Last year was a disaster due to some clandestine visits to the open doe her from Jessica's show buck while I was away in Burlington, VT earlier in the summer. Kidding season started during Farm Show week which was also blisteringly bitter cold. Nothing worse than having to use a digging iron to chip frozen dead kids out of the mud.

So when breeding season rolled around, I kept all intact males under lock & key until the day came that would ensure kids would not begin to arrive until I returned home from State College. Or so I thought.....

Well, this time is wasn't the buck getting loose. It was a doe. Hershey was the bellwether that the battery charging the electric netting needed recharged. She ended up in the barn with her face in the feed sack. Instead of dragging her back down to the pasture along with a fresh battery I tossed her in the buck pen for a whole 15 minutes thinking what are the chances she's in heat and will actually get bred. And if she does, I should make it home from the conference a day or two before she pops. Yeah...right.

So on Sunday as I was sitting down to brunch prior to heading home my mobile phone rang. "I thought we weren't supposed to have any kids yet," Ralph said. And then he held out his phone so I could hear the telltale sound of a newborn kid. Damn.

Fortunately, the weather had warmed up and the birth of the twins was effortless to an experienced doe with excellent mothering instincts. I came home to a buck and a doe. In another week or two, the real kidding season should begin.

What a Bummer

2009-02-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

You know what this is? It's Painted Hand Farm, Keswick Creamery and Otterbein Acres pulling out of the Carlisle Central Farmers Market. As many of you who follow this blog know, all three of us have been at the market since the doors opened back in September of 2007 selling locally and sustainably produced meat, dairy, produce and baked goods. Between the three of us, we had soft and hard cow and sheep cheeses, yogurt, pudding, eggs, veggies, fruits, bread, grass-fed beef & lamb, pastured chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, pork and goat. Who can forget the Fishers' fresh blueberries, Keswick's creamy yogurt or when Jessica roasted her 4-H goat and sold sandwiches and tacos?

A HUGE THANKS to our loyal and supportive customers. Our business was good enough to keep coming back week after week, but due to politics beyond our control, we are no longer able to sell at the property located at 117 North Hanover Street.

Fear not, however, the farmers will be back come spring with an outdoor, seasonal, farmer-run, producers-only market delivering fresh, nutritious, sustainably-produced local foods to the people of Cumberland County. Stay tuned......

Gaining in Popularity

2009-01-28T12:09:00.001-05:00

Cabrito: young kid goat slow roasted over hot coals. Although this meal is wildly popular throughout the rest of the world, especially in Mexico, it really has yet to catch on here in the United States. Maybe that's a good thing since we're still importing over 700,000 goats a year to meet the current demand in this country.

Today in the New York Times Dining Section, Frank Bruni has a wonderful audio slide show about Cabrito, a new Mexican restaurant in Greenwich Village. "Although baby goat is their signature dish, it's not a particular goaty restaurant." Instead, he believes the name was chosen as a "signal to a certain kind of food lover, a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-eat kind of place."

There is also a written review.
If I lived closer to NYC, you can bet I'd be there feasting on their signature dish and washing it down with artisan tequilla.

Good Food for Exciting Times

2009-01-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

We've also thrown in a little shameless commerce, like everyone else, capitalizing on the upcoming Presidential Inauguration. Traveling to sell their farmstead artisan cheese in Washington DC for the last several years, Keswick Creamery decided to show their excitement by renaming Bovre, one of their signature cheeses, "Bovama" this past weekend. With Jessica attending the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference this week, I covered her spot helping out at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. Although I've worked at the market previously and done other markets in the DC metro area, the vibe in the air was like never before. Alice Waters from Chez Panisse and many other celebrity chefs sampled and purchased cheeses for the upcoming meals they would prepare in the coming days. I think that their choice to support local farmers by shopping at the market spoke volumes as to the overall message the new administration hopes to deliver and instill.

Another reason for going along to DC on Sunday was I was packing more than just cheese from Keswick Creamery. In a cooler were cheeses from Stone Meadow Farm, Fallsdale Farm, Shellbark Hollow, Otterbein Acres, Three Belle Cheeses, Calkins Creamery and Birchrun Hills Farms which were destined for a private inaugural event involving the transition team in regards to agriculture. We met a lot of wonderful people from all over the United States and were able to share a diverse variety of Pennsylvania farmstead & artisan cheeses with them.

Thanks to the generosity of all the cheesemakers when there are events such as these, there was a bit of cheese leftover, one being some of Stone Meadow Farm's incredible Leigh Belle, a Camembert-style bloomy rind cheese. I, personally, think it's a mortal sin for people to consume a good bloomy rind cheese at anything less than room temperature, preferring my paste to ooze languidly as in Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory. Plus, people are often reluctant to cook with brie, camembert and epoisse-type cheeses, which is a true loss.

Armed with a round of this marvelous cheese and several other fresh goodies from the farmers market, I decided to build a memorable meal around a chunk of nice Ahi (yes, the tuna isn't 'local', but it's from Ted's Seafood at the Carlisle Central Farmers Market). Mushrooms from the Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms and Leeks from Creekside Farm were sauteed with my shallots & farmstead butter and then draped over the seared fish. Spring Valley had an interesting winter squash that provided a creamy pulp which was slathered with a dripping spoonful of warmed Leigh Belle. Can life get any better? Yes, for dessert I snagged a pair of Napolians from Boneparte Breads.

Oh, does this ever suck!

2009-01-16T20:09:00.001-05:00

It's cold...really, really freaking cold and it's going to get colder. The wind is blowing which makes it suck even more. If I don't keep enough of my face covered when I'm out doing chores, I get an "ice cream" headache. But if I put a scarf up over my nose, my glasses fog up and then the condensation freezes. One of the only gadgets that's worked so far is a knitted ski mask that was made by my Grandma Meyers years and years ago that I found in a basket of her knitting stuff. The eye hole is too small for my glasses to fit comfortably, though.

Santa had promised me a new bucket, hydraulic hoses and a block heater for my diesel tractor after he got done with the holidays, but unless his reindeer are going to tow it over to his workshop, it's not moving anywhere until the weather warms (hence, the block heater). He's also going to add more weight to my rear end because it's too light. HA! Who would have ever guessed they'd hear me say that. I wonder about the comfort of my animals, but they seem only mildly annoyed. The goats stay in their huts a little longer in the morning. I've decided not to even begin feeding until they emerge from their shelters. The calves, cows and horses are oblivious with their dense, fluffy coats. And the Great Pyrenees are in their element, stretching about lazily on the round bale leftovers in the glaring winter sun.

In order to provide constant access to water, I've consolidated some of the critters because cracking ice sucks. Andy the Belgian now gets to hang with the goats during the day when his water trough became unbearable to crack this morning. The gate has been opened between two sets of bull calves so they can share one heated water tank although we have to separate them come milk feeding time. Emma & Gray have three weaned calves in with them and they are all in a pile sharing their body heat come morning. There's one calf in the barn and he's sharing a bunk with one of our purebred bucks who got a little run-down after breeding season. Across the isle are the young does from last year who can't be out in the main doe herd because they are too young to breed. Next to them is the rehab wing currently occupied by an elderly doe (one of the original herd) who has been a little wobbly. She got a roommate today when I saw on of my favorite yearling does thrashed by an older doe.

The old witch caught the younger goat's leg between her horns and proceeded to toss her head as the smaller doe screamed in agony. I ran to intervene, but the yearling refused to put any weight on the leg. Nothing like an 80-pound neck-warmer for a trek across the farm. Paging Doctor Eric..... The barn kitties are snug in a new load of hay and the old kitties have decided that using a litter box is better than having to go outside under the picnic table like everyone else. And the Cocker, well, as usual, she just craps on the rug.

Why I'm Nuts

2009-01-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

And just what did you do on New Year's Eve?

They say, "The apples don't fall far from the tree." For anyone who has ever questioned my why I am the way I am, now you know.Do a little dance, wear a little hat, get down tonight! (Sung to the tune of the old K.C. & the Sunshine Band disco hit). But before we all got silly, we sat down to a very, very nice New Year's meal. Guess where the meat came from?

Never Again

2008-12-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

Talk about an exercise in futility! Somewhere along the line, I had the bright idea to process all the excess Muscovy ducks milling about at Keswick Creamery instead of having them sent off to the local auction house. They could sell them at the farmers markets in DC. What a great idea.

The first butcher date for the ducks found me flat on my back with a nasty bout of food-borne illness (I thought that tuna roll tasted funny) combined with freezing rain. So a week later, I picked up the processing equipment and headed over to the farm where all hands were on deck for a day of processing.

The plan was to do the excess roosters for stew chickens first and then add the "secret sauce" (vinegar, dish soap & baking soda) to the water in the scalder to do the ducks. You see, since ducks live in the water, their feathers and skin contain much more oil & fats than chickens do making them much harder to process. Much, much harder.

Although we had close to two dozen ducks to process, we gave it up after only six ducks. What a MESS! The only way to effectively get the feathers off of them was by using paraffin wax--basically giving them Brazilian--totally not worth the effort.

So, from now on the ducks will either end up at the auction house or they can get hauled down to Lancaster County where there's a professional processor. Fortunately, Mark had some Troegs' Mad Elf Ale to numb the agony of defeat.

Let the Holiday Feasting Begin

2008-12-23T06:35:00.000-05:00

When I was giving a few folks from the local Slow Food Chapter the unofficial artisan cheesemakers tour of Newburg, one of the people asked if I knew where they could get a goose for the holidays. Although I didn't know anyone personally, we had driven past a farm with a huge flock of geese in their pasture. They also had ducks, chickens and a shingle hanging in their driveway advertising brown eggs.

"Turn in there," I said the driver.
"Why?" he replied.
"We're going to see about getting you a goose."
"Do you know these people?"
"No, but I'm guessing they've just might have geese for sale."

They did and so I met a new local producer, The Shirk family, who at Pecan Acres, raise pastured ducks, geese, laying hens and beef. The Slow Food guy got his goose and I couldn't pass one up either.

It's been a long time since I cooked a goose, so I double-checked on the basic temperatures (450 the first 15 minutes and then 350 for 20 minutes per pound) and then winged it. I started by loosely stuffing the cavity with a few fresh tangerines, Toigo Orchard pears and rosemary. Seasoned only with sea salt and white pepper, the bird went into the oven. Next, I cut up a variety of winter vegetables--yams, crook-neck squash, carrots, fennel and onion, tossing in fresh brussel sprouts and a handful of cranberries before marinating in a mixture of olive oil and white truffle balsamic reduction sauce and roasting on the rack below the goose for a good hour until all the vegetables had caramelized. For the last 15 minutes of roasting, I glazed the goose with tangerine zest & juice, local honey and smidgen of freshly grated ginger. What else was on the table? Freshly baked bread, my farmstead butter, a variety of artisan cheeses from Keswick Creamery and Birchrun Hills Farm and two phenomenal bottles of wine--a 2006 Staatlicher Hofkeller Wurzburg Slivaner Troken Franken from one of the oldest wine estates in Europe and a 2007 Testarossa Castello Chardonnay brought from the central coast of California, by my good friends Nick & Pan who were home visiting for the holidays.

We did a pretty darn good job of picking that bird clean.

Christmas Shopping

2008-12-21T14:09:00.001-05:00

I want to be on this farmers market shopper's Christmas list! What a great idea to give family & friends locally produced products while supporting small farmers and businesses. As we are constantly bombarded in the news each passing day of the economic melt-down and unbridled corporate greed, it's time for responsible human beings to step forward and say "enough is enough". How do we do this? Just like Matt is doing...by supporting our local communities when we spend money, especially our food dollars. So this year for the holidays, instead of buying your loved ones fancy baubles and 'luxury' goods which were probably produced in some third-world country by slave labor, transported thousands of miles and resold at a hundred times their production cost only to line the pockets of faceless shareholders, consider shopping in your local communities. Check out the small family-owned stores in downtowns and forgo the big box discount stores. Look at the label and make a conscious effort to choose Made in the USA. And most importantly, when planning your holiday meals, keep your local farmers and producers in mind. I can guarantee that ham from a pastured pig or prime rib from grass-fed beef will not only be the best you've ever had, but help make the holidays brighter for those have dedicated their lives to bringing sustainably-raised food to your table.

Tails, I Win!

2008-12-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

Volcano was a purebred Jersey bull calf born at Carrock Farm to a heifer who had been given to their herdsman one year as a Christmas gift. The bull grew up next to the herdsman's hacienda on the back forty until he was turned into a steer and turned out with the young heifers to live out his numbered days. When fall came and the pastures grew scarce, it was Volcano's time to make the ultimate sacrifice. But when the herdsman picked up his packages from our local butcher, he left behind a few of my favorite things and I made sure they ended up on my dinner plate instead of the compost pile. So, just what did I get?

The tongue, liver, kidneys, heart and my favorite...the tail! Nothing takes the chill off of a fall day like oxtail braised with vegetables. I added a quart of veal stock, some wine and a pint of heirloom tomatoes put up earlier in the season in a dutch oven and baked for the better part of the afternoon. After removing the oxtail from the sauce, I added some fresh wide egg noodles and topped with Telford Tomme. Jess brought home fresh greens from farmers market and I had baked some chocolate chip cookies with my farmstead butter, eggs from the chickens across the street and some Scharffen Berger dark chocolate chunks. Life is too short to eat tasteless and soulless food.

Culinary Advantages

2008-12-06T21:12:00.001-05:00

It was at the very first PASA pot-luck dinner I attended that I heard someone say, "we may be poor as church mice, but we eat like kings and queens." Given the incredible dinner we all shared that evening, I thought I understood what they had meant. However, it wasn't until I began humanely raising rose veal and going to farmers market that I really understood what they were talking about. Veal sweetbreads, kidney & fries in a tarragon caper red wine reduction.

Just a few weeks ago, a gentleman came up to me at the farmers market and asked if I butchered the veal young enough to get sweetbreads, which is basically the thymus gland. As calves age, the gland shrinks until it eventually disappears. My response to him was yes, however, they never make it to market as they are my 'treat' to myself for all the work that goes into raising the calves. I may not be able to afford dinner out (or more like stay awake) at an upscale restaurant that serves sweetbreads from organically and humanely raised veal, but by golly, I can cook them up right here at home!

That got me thinking about the other 'premium' items that I take for granted. While sweetbreads may be the cream-of-the-crop when it comes to veal delicacies, I realized that there are other items I routinely snag for personal consumption (heart, kidneys, fries & tongue). While I end up with as much as 150 pounds of gorgeous rosy meat cuts and several 5-pound bags of bones per calf, my goodies are in short supply with each calf only providing one or two of each item.

So today when I was rummaging around in the deep freeze, I came across a bag of what others consider offal squirreled away. The heart & tongue went into a pot for poaching the fries, kidneys and sweetbreads before I dredged them in flour and cooked them up in some of my tarragon, shallots and home-made butter. The remaining stock will be the base for my sister, Joan's awesome sausage kale soup I'm going to make tomorrow with some bulk bratwurst (what's left in the auger when the butcher does our links) and fresh kale from Prescott's Patch.

Local Wine & Cheese at Alibi's

2008-12-04T09:28:00.001-05:00

Look what happens when you feature locally-produced products. This is Alibi's Eatery & Spirits in downtown Carlisle on a Wednesday evening and there isn't an open seat in the joint!

Why? Because Adams County Winery and Keswick Creamery had paired their products for a special event. Seating was limited to the establishment's capacity and was quickly filled. The people in Carlisle know great drink & food when it's offered!

Mark Dietrich Cochran, John Kramb and Jim Touloumes are ready and waiting for the crush of local wine & cheese aficionados. The tables are all set and ready to go!Mark, one of the owners and cheesemakers at Keswick Creamery cuts more cheese.

People enjoyed tasting local wines with hors d'oeuves artfully prepared by Alibi's own chef.

A Day in Chester County

2008-12-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I attended a board meeting for the Pennsylvania Farmstead & Artisan Cheese Alliance in Chester County at fellow board member, Susan Miller's Farm. She and her husband, Ken own Birchrun Hills Farm where they milk a purebred herd of Holstein cows. A few years ago, Sue began making cheese from their milk at an unused cheesemaking facility a few miles from their farm at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, an intentional farming community for adults with developmental disabilities.

Many years ago, Camphill Village purchases cheesemaking equipment from Europe, including a large copper cheese vat. The creamery had set idle for years before Sue approached them about renting the facility. However, she soon found how impractical and difficult it was to work with the copper kettle, so she has moved to a stainless steel cheese vat. A batch of Birchrun Hill Blue on the draining table behind the vat.From the cheesemaking room, the wheels are removed from their molds and transferred to the cheese cellar. Who ever built this facility had the forethought to build in a dumb waiter between the make-room and just outside the cellar door. Once in the cellar, the cheeses are ages for a minimum of 60 days since they are all produced with raw milk. This year, Sue expiremented with pressing aromatic hops flowers on to the tops of cheese wheels.
When sufficiently aged, the cheeses are packaged and sold at farmers markets (Phoenixville, Anselma and Head House), at well-known cheese shops such as DiBruno Brothers and to local chefs & restaurants.

In addition to the Birchrun Hills Blue, the Millers also make an Highland Alpine, a sharp nutty cheese and a tomme they call Fat Cat that has a delicious earthy tang with a pear-like finish.

WTF?

2008-12-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, bear with me. I know you're wondering what on earth an image of a discount toilet bowl cleaner is doing on the blog, but I wanted to share with everyone the source of some howling good laughter we had over the holiday. Sure, this looks like an innocuous package, but turn it over....

...and you have the best case of Engrish I've seen in a long time! Yes, I've submitted it to www.engrish.com. Just thought I'd add some humor on this cold, damp day.

Turkey Day 2008

2008-11-27T22:39:00.001-05:00

You've seen the birds as day-old poults and watched them grow since arriving at the farm in mid-June. Since Governor Palin was so kind as to offer the American public a ringside seat for turkey slaughtering, I'll spare everyone the details. But understand that to get them from the pasture to the kitchen required a very long day consisting of loading all the birds into the stock trailer (getting the entire rig stuck in the mud), taking them a few miles down the road to the farm where the automatic plucker is located and then spending several hours in the snow & rain processing, bagging and tagging. This is one of those rare days when I miss living in southern California when it was always sunny and 70 on butcher day. A big thanks to all our customers who purchased their holiday turkeys from us this year. The birds weighed between twelve and twenty pounds, with the majority being 15 & 16 pounders. This is the 15-pound bird I cooked today for my family.
I started out brining it for twelve hours in a solution of 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup Pennsylvania maple syrup, 1 gallon of water, 1/2 gallon of Toigo apple cider, fresh ginger, some juniper berries and a few peppercorns.

Next, I creamed together maple syrup, my home-made cultured butter from Emma the Jersey Cow and some dried rosemary I got from the flower, mushroom & herb people who were next to me at the Bloomingdale Farmers Market the first few weeks I was there. I carefully separated the skin from the breast and pushed the mixture between the two, smooshing it throughout the top of the bird. I slathered the remaining butter mixture on the outside.

This is the bird about half way through cooking. This year I was able to talk several of my customers into taking the feet and using them to make stock. This is the difference a few feet make in the stock. Notice the thick, silky, gelatenous texture. When it comes to making turkey gravy, nothing beats stock made from turkey feet that have been simmered until they fall apart. I do not stuff my bird when I roast it. Instead, I make dressing and bake it in the oven while the turkey is resting. For stuffing, I used a stale baugette, our onions & shallots, celery and locally-grown shitake mushrooms (thanks Jim!) sauted in my butter. It was all tossed together along with a few cups of that rich turkey feet stock and a pint of fresh Cheasapeake Bay oysters, topped with grated Ewe's Dream sheep cheese from Otterbein Acres and baked.
When I was growing up, it seemed like every year my grandma would forget to put the cranberry sauce on the table. That was just fine with me since it was the canned kind and not very appealing. When I began cooking at Wheeler Hot Springs Restaurant many, many moons ago, I was introduced into making real cranberry sauce to accompany turkey. It's quick, simple and so worth it. For mine, I used a bag of organic cranberries, a fresh pear, a handful of local cherries I had frozen earlier in the summer, some minced ginger and a half cup of raw sugar. Some people like to add nuts like pecans or pistachios. Simmer the whole mess until it starts to bubble & spit, stir a few times and put in a serving bowl. Don't refridgerate it since that really detracts from the flavor.

The other lucious goodies included in our Thanksgiving dinner were fresh brussel sprouts and purple carrots with a balsamic & white truffle reduction glaze (a gourmet prize from BB's), steamed brocoli and romanesco, mashed yellow sweet potatoes, a seven layer salad (thanks Mom), fresh biscuts made with the Carpenters' awesome lard and some quince butter I made a few weeks ago. Oh yes, and turkey feet gravy!

Jenga!

2008-11-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, so they didn't all come flying off the back of the truck when Mel took off one, but sometimes that's what I think when we're stacking them high and rolling down the highway. When one does occasionally fly off, however, then it becomes a Freeway Picasso which is actually more like a Jackson Pollack.
Today was our last day at the Bloomingdale Farmers market in Washington DC. I've really enjoyed breaking into the metropolitan market scene. The people are all so nice! I'm really looking forward to going back next season.