Pasture Walk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.