Goats, Goats & More Goats

I have been on a goat-buying spree these last few weeks and there's still one to come on Monday. With the goat meat flying out of the freezer at the Carlisle Central Farmers Market and Eid rapidly approaching, when the 4-H kids had 'leftovers' from the local fair and their Round-Up, I offered to purchase some of them. In the process, I've also ended up with a pair that will go in to the breeding herd and a new buck.

You can tell these two boys know what time the dinner bell gets rung around here. Yes, that's an Alpine, but he was intact and unblemished. He'll do fine for a small family's Eid dinner.

With tags in their ears and no brains...errr, I mean testicles...these lucky fellas are destined for individually packaged cuts at the market and two will be the guests of honor at the annual goat roast. And this is Rose. She belonged to one of the younger 4-H kids and I fell in love with her coloring the first time I saw her. She's a meat/milk cross and while a bit on the leggy side for a meat goat and lacking a milking udder, I'm still enamored with her coloring and look forward to breeding her to another new addition: Sampson.

This framey, purebred Boer buck sired a number of kids for happy 4-Hers this year. Looking at his offspring from this past February, they've gained nicely. He will serve well as a meat production buck. After servicing the ladies of Painted Hand, he'll be off to continue a life of love at Dream Thyme Farm in western Pennsylvania.

Hate Mail

NOTE: The day after I posted this rant, the following article appeared in the Dining section of the New York Times.

A Herd Saved From The Brink

I knew it was only a matter of time before some animal rights whack-job sent me a nasty-gram over the fact that we raise veal calves. The following was sent to my home e-mail account from a generic Yahoo account and said:

I can only hope that in your next life you come back as a veal calf.
You're an evil whore, sub-human, devil.  May you be gang-raped, struck with cancer and your children fall to disease and suffering.

Karma makes the world go round.  enjoy it.  nine474@yahoo.com

A group of similar-aged calves raised together. They have room to run, shelter, grass and there are never more than six to a group so no one gets pushed out for food.

Whoa! First, people who lob anonymous online posts and emails such as that are little more than cowards who don't have the 'huevos' to openly and honestly express their opinions. Pathetic is the word that comes to mind. So, to clarify things for Nine Four, let's take a look at how veal calves are raised at Painted Hand Farm.

A newly arrived calf bedded down and relaxed in fresh, green grass.

All of our bull calves come from a local dairy farm that is approximately three miles away. The calves are only transported one or two at a time over a very short distance and not until they are several days old. The calves are typically left with their mothers 24-48 hours after they are born, some that are born out on far pastures are on their mothers for as long as a week. Commercial veal calves are pulled from their mothers within minutes of being born and often transported within the first 48 hours. Many do not receive the first milk, called colostrum, which provides the necessary antibodies for healthy animals. Once at Painted Hand Farm, the calves are grouped according to age. Since we don't raise hundreds of calves at a time (there are 14 out there right now, with one on the way after he gets a good start at the dairy farm), we can devote the best of care to the animals we have. Calves are never put in groups of more than six at a time. That's three 'mommy buckets' per group. And speaking of how we feed them, commercial veal operations generally feed milk out of buckets instead of nipples. "Mommy-buckets" feed two calves at a time.

This is unnatural for the calves and often contributes to health problems. Watch a calf suck from a bottle (or get in the pen with a mob of hungry ones) and you will see that calves produce a copious amount of saliva. The saliva has a number of advantageous properties, anti-microbial and aiding in digestion.

Calves raised on nipples are much more healthier.

More importantly, we pride ourselves on what we feed our calves---NO ANTIBIOTICS, NO HORMONES and NO MILK REPLACER THAT CONTAINS BLOODMEAL AND OTHER UNNATURAL PROTEIN PRODUCTS. We have a family milk cow from who we draw off all of her cream with which I make cultured butter. That leaves lots of skim and buttermilk to supplement the powdered milk replacer that is non-medicated and contains no bloodmeal---only powdered milk. Calves are NEVER fed straight replacer. Additionally, the dairy often has excess milk from fresh cows that can not be put into the bulk tank and would otherwise be put down the drain. What a waste! No tiny, cramped indoor crates on this farm. Lots of room to run in the green grass.

Our daughter worked on a commercial veal farm for nearly two years and this is how those calves were raised. They would arrive on a trailer crowded together from multiple farms from miles and miles away. Often their umbilical cords would still be wet as their trucks made multiple pick-ups during the week. They would be force-fed something she called "Smurf Juice" which was a mixture of glucose and antibiotics. They were put into individual pens in an indoor room housing as many as 300 calves at a time. They were fed cold medicated milk replacer in buckets, along with grain (instant diarrhea, the number one killer of calves). Living in crowded conditions and being exposed to all sorts of bacteria and viruses without the benefit of immunity passed through colostrum, they were often ill and thus, requiring the use of injectable broad spectrum antibiotics such as Mycotil (deadly to humans), Naxel and Nuflor. Raised the way nature intended.

The commercial barn's mortality rate was dozens a week. We've lost one calf since we started raising veal nearly three years ago and it was my fault because I fed him too much rich, whole milk at one time and he bloated. When our calves do develop scours (diarrhea), we treat them with whole-milk yogurt containing probiotic cultures. It always clears them right up.

I think calves are one of the most delicate creatures on the farm. Stress creates an upset that can kill them within hours and commercial operations expect a 10% mortality. So why raise veal? First, they are a by-product of the dairy industry. If you drink milk, eat butter, cheese, ice cream or any other dairy product, you are contributing to the veal industry. Cows need to calve in order to produce milk. Roughly 50% of all animals born on the farm are male and the law of livestock is "if you're male, you're meat". Thanks to sexed semen, many farmers are significantly reducing the number of bull calves born on the farm. Room to roam and grow.

This has resulted in two things---1) farmers have increased income by being able to sell their extra heifer calves as replacements and 2) supply and demand for veal is resulting is a limited supply so the prices increase. Most commercial veal operations today will only use bull calves from larger breeds such as Holsteins and Brown Swiss. Why? Because they will reach 500 pounds in the same amount of time it takes a Jersey calf to reach 350 pounds. Most Jersey farmers opt to ship their calves to open auction to recoup $10-15 for each calf, but with the increasing costs of fuel, many times their shipping bill exceeds the price paid. Some shoot 'em and toss 'em in the compost heap. At least they'll contribute to fertilizing the fields eventually.

When it comes time for our calves to be harvested...yes, they are a renewable crop therefore they are harvested....they are not crowded on to a big tractor trailer double-decker and hauled hundred (if not thousands) of miles to the processor where they are smooshed into crowded, high stress pens prior to slaughter. Instead, they travel in a small stock trailer, no more than three at a time, to a local (less than an hour) abattoir. The holding area is clean, open and uncrowded and I have never seen them use a hot stick (electric cattle prod) to move animals off of the trailer. They are slaughtered the same day they are transported, minimizing stress further.Transported in a roomy stock trailer that is never overcrowded. Yes, that's a goat. The calves are in the front.

Here at Painted Hand Farm we are dedicated to sustainable agriculture. That means maximizing farm profits while continuing to farm in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. I find nothing wrong with taking what some consider a useless by-product, raising it as humanely and environmentally sound as possible and turning it into a safe and local food product.

Processed and sold within less than 50 miles from the farm.

The truth is that people have been eating veal for thousands of years. Go read your Bible and see how many references there are to calves--the fattened calf to celebrate the return of the Prodigal Son. Calves are referenced in Samuel, Jeremiah, Amos, Malachai, Psalms and Isiah, as well. Early Egyptians and Babylonians worshiped bulls and calves, meaning they sacrificed and ate them. So, what's the big difference today when we have a barbecue and give thanks for the meal?

Yummy Summer Fresh Local Food

For me, summer means fresh corn-on-the-cob and sliced tomatoes. Yes, that's some of my home-made butter from Emma's cream slathered on the corn. To go along with my Walleye fillets (thanks to my brother, Dave), I took some of my zucchini relish and mixed in a little mayonnaise to make a quick Tartar sauce. And of course, an ice-cold Troegs' to wash it all down.
Our neighbor gave me the recipe years ago as an idea for something to do with monster zucchini. It's delicious so I'm sharing the recipe.

Gail Hoffman's Zucchini Relish
(I double the recipe and it makes 14 pints)

10 cups unpeeled zucchini, chopped (I run my through the food processor's large hole cheese shredding disk)
3 1/2 cups chopped onion (same disk)
5 tablespoons salt
Mix well in large non-reactive bowl and cover. Let stand overnight. Rinse well under running water and squeeze excess water from mixture.

Mix in
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon mustard seed
2 tablespoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
6 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 whole green pepper, shredded (same disk)
1 whole red pepper, shredded (same disk)
(in this last batch, I also added two red jalepeno peppers, finely chopped with the processor blade)

Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Ladle into clean jars and process in water bath 15 minutes.

Happy Birthday, Joan

For my 5th birthday (actually a week later), I got a little sister. I was allowed to name her and chose my two favorite babysitters--Joan and Elaine. After that year, our birthdays were always celebrated together with the grandparents, aunts & uncles showing up for cake and ice cream. My all-time favorite was the year Mom made us a Barbie Cake with one of my dolls stuck in the center of the cake that cascaded down over her as the skirt of her gown. But with all the candles for both of us, Barbie's hair quickly caught fire and caused quite a ruckus with the adults and lots of tears over a melted Barbie head. Needless to say, I couldn't find a picture of that shared birthday cake.

It's been a long time since Joan and I got to share our birthday cake. When we were kids, I kind of resented having to share, but now I'm looking forward to the next time we get to do it.

Happy Birthday, Joan. With love from your big sister.

A Few Farm Shots

I thought I'd just snap a few random shots of the farm today. The turkeys are getting tugged along on fresh grass and clover. They're about the size of a softball right now. A special thanks to Jill in N.H. who graciously sent me her sash weights for Christmas a few years ago. They're coming in handy all over the place! See the one that helps the coop door automatically close behind us so the turkeys don't get out? The ladies are on fresh browse and loving life. Of course, the first thing they go for is the poison ivy. I love you, but I'm not going to pet you.

I was thinking of Bill & Joan Smith, who have BIJO Boers in Gardners, PA when I took this picture. . We bought our first does from them and many are still productive matrons in the herd. The wide-bodies are Carlisle & Cocoa and in the background standing on her hind legs is Peaches. Between the three of them, they'll put nearly forty weaned kids on the ground. In the livestock business, regardless of species, health and longevity are keys to profitability.

There's fungus among us! When I removed a water tub that was set on blocks, I found these mushrooms and decided to take a picture. (Yes, go ahead and make fun of their shapes.) It's been a wet year at the farm and we've had lots of interesting fungi popping up all over the place.

Eating Well from the Carlisle Central Farmers Market

I am constantly asked by people how to shop and cook meals solely from the local farmers markets. As a vendor who puts in a 12+ hour market day (actually, that's every day on the farm), I'm faced with feeding my family as well as the goats, calves, cows, horses, turkeys, dogs, cats & bunny.

This is an example of a healthy meal with the majority of ingredients obtained at the Carlisle Central Farmers Market.

Grilled Fresh Ahi from Ted's Seafood seasoned with huli-huli sauce (soy sauce, Toigo Orchards honey, our fresh garlic and a few sesame seeds)

Green Bean Salad with produce from the Garden of Edenbo, toasted almonds from Castle Creek, Bovre fresh cheese from Keswick Creamery, our own fresh shallots minced with a spoonful of capers tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Dinner for three: Less than $15 dollars and 15 minutes.

A Hoppy Harvest

Earlier this year, we began hearing about the hops shortages that were affecting the beer-making industry and were especially hard-hitting to micro-brewers and home-brewers. Many years ago when we brewed our own beer, we planted several hops vines of assorted varieties in the perennial garden by the outhouse. By the time the vines were producing, our brewing days had passed. For years, they draped the outhouse and would be cut off and fed to the goats. But this year, Ralph decided to get a legitimate harvest out of the mature vines and installed a trellis.

His vines grew, grew and grew some more.

Harvest time is upon us and Ralph's out there on his scaffolding. The initial plan was to be able to drop the guide wires, but the vines entwined the top rail of the trellis and this is now not possible. So it's up in the air for Ralph. Good thing he's not afraid of heights.

Until they are gone, we will be selling the hops--Cascade & Centennial--from the farm and at the Carlisle Central Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Prize-Winning Garlic

Ralph entered his Elephant Garlic in the Shippensburg Fair and won a blue ribbon. At first, they weren't going to allow him to enter it in the Garlic Division because they didn't believe it was garlic, but a sniff test proved it to be truly the stinking rose.

Look at Ralph's Elephant Garlic!

Anyone who knows Ralph, knows he doesn't screw around when it comes to growing garlic. The book said that giant elephant garlic couldn't be grown in our climate zone. Don't tell that to Ralph! This is one of the first heads he has harvested and it's a little one, weighing in at only 2.5 pounds. Neighbor Bill wants to help with the harvesting and brought his own tools. Bill's son has talked Ralph into entering the garlic in the local Shippensburg Area Fair. I'm sure he'll win a blue ribbon. This week the turkeys left the brooder in the barn and are now officially on grass. It will take a few days before they get the hang of eating greens, but then watch out! We'll have to move the tug-along coop at least twice a day once they catch on. Believe it or not, we are still at zero mortality with this batch. There's one in the group with funny, bugged out eyes and we're guessing he'll be low man on the totem pole who eventually get pecked to death by the others. There's one like that every year.

Speaking of birds, can you believe these are the baby Robbins who hatched only last week? They are feathering out and getting their distinctive orange breast feathers. We have been keeping Megs the Merciless inside otherwise they would have been on the half-shell kitty snacks by now.

We Farmers Eat Well

Two of the most incredible pigs I have ever roasted.

When it comes to eating well, no one does it better than a gathering of sustainable farmers who are dedicated to producing the best food possible. So when Mark Toigo from Toigo Orchards in Shippensburg, PA called me about getting a goat for a picnic, I offered to come out of retirement from years of catering to roast up the goat for his party, which was only supposed to be for a couple dozen of his family, friends and staff.
For anyone who is interested in roasting pigs, goats, lambs, etc., I highly recommend the Kane BBQ Grill. I now have two of them now. Toigo Orchard's reputation for quality fruits and vegetables is known throughout the easter seaboard. They've been staples at the metropolitan farmers markets in the Washington DC area since the 1980's. I knew that Mark would gather up the best of the best for his picnic and looked forward to being a part of it. Fresh apricots, Star-gazer Lilies, salad, breads, cheeses and cucumbers topped with yogurt & dill.

But a few weeks before the picnic, we spoke and he said, "We've got a problem." The problem turned out to be his generosity and the party had rapidly ballooned to 200 people. We were going to need more than just a goat. So we added a pair of smoked heritage turkeys from Painted Hand and a pair of Pigaerators from Polyface. Despite the humid weather and a few brief showers, the evening was a phenomenal success. A feast was laid with local artisan foods including fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, wines and beers. A local band played bluegrass music. The first sweet corn of the season roasted over hot coals.

Tiki torches cast shadows among the guests who ate, drank and enjoyed each other's company. We pretty much picked all the carcasses clean.

But the moment I knew I was among kindred spirits was when the gold lamae, feather boa and funny hat came out. Life is good.

Good Eats from the Farm

In a recent Small Farm Today article, John Ikerd asked farmers to question themselves as to why they farm, noting that the answers would be diverse as the farmers themselves. It only took me a fraction of a second to answer his question: food. On the most fundamental level, I love to produce good food--be it meat or vegetables, I want people to have access to clean, safe food produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and most importantly, food that TASTES GOOD.

I will whole-heartedly admit that the green thumb in this family belongs to Ralph. While I'm content to move portable fences, wrestle goats for foot-trimming, bottle calves, pluck turkeys, milk cows and all the sex, manure & death associated with farming, Ralph's gift is in the care he devotes to his immaculate gardens. Here he is examining the germination rate of the Italian Cuccuzzi patch.

The barn garden--home to a wide variety of vegetables including squash, potatoes, beets, peppers and sunflowers.

Ralph's hops trellis supports a bumper crop of the golden flowers. Home-brewers get ready!

One of my favorite treats Ralph grows are his gorgeous garlics. This year I talked him into including some French Grey Shallots in his Allium patch.

There's nothing like freshly-dug new potatoes! Here are some of the Pontiac Reds. He's getting ready to also harvest the Yukon Golds.

We try to have greens growing from March through December.

While most farmers are content to grow the tried & true staple varieties, we seek out heirloom and unusual varieties, such as these Italian Summer Squash.

With the gardens in full swing, look for all this naturally (organic with a little "o") grown food at the Carlisle Central Farmers Market in downtown Carlisle on Saturdays from 8 AM to 2 PM.

Feathered & Fuzzy Friends

There has been lots of avian action at the farm of late--both wild and domesticated. The barn swallows who have been nesting in Bango's stall for several years now have once again returned to raise their young. While most horse people I know knock down the nests because the birds occasionally poop on their horses, we know that swallows are bug-eaters. What a few spots of poop here & there as opposed to pesky bugs.

The turkey poults are really beginning to feather out. Nearly all their down is gone. Another week and we'll start turning off the brood lights during the day. This has been an extremely hardy batch and we've yet to lose any birds or notice any leg problems.

Today, the Robin's eggs started hatching.

Fortunately for the birds, our latest furry additions are still too young to actively hunt. Ralph is really fed up with the mouse population explosion and is taking no chances. He brought home more kitties. Officially, there are six in the barn, but I could only find five. We're making it a point to handle them daily so it's not a total nightmare when the time comes to vaccinate and spay them. We believe in being responsible animal owners, regardless of whether they are pets, livestock or working animals. Plus, from experience I've learned that a well-fed, spayed female cat is a merciless killer who will hunt for fun which is exactly what we need.