Springtime at Three Lil' Acres

Well spring has arrived in startling fashion here in Western NY, and we're double-timing it trying to keep up. Over the past two weeks we've planted:
~Two apple trees
~Two pear trees
~Two Plum trees
~A sweet cherry tree
~Two heartnuts(one a seedling, one grafted)
~Three PawPaws
~One seaberry(more on the way)
~One Elderberry bush(more of these on the away)
~2 blueberry bushes
~50 willow starts(for a living fence)
~100 strawberry plants(two different varieties)
~25 asparagus plants(all male, so all will produce spears)
~25 red raspberry plants

We've also transplanted the peach tree, peashrub, cranberry and gooseberry to more suitable locations. Still to come are more seaberries, more elderberries, a corkscrew willow, and a buartnut.

Yes, we're planting like mad! And thankfully we're almost done with the permaculture additions for the year.

Last weekend was a busy one. I took Friday off, and it was devoted to the strawberry tower. After losing most of our strawberries(and plants) to deer and rabbits last year, when Mike found a plan for a strawberry tower, we were both gung ho to go that route this year! It took alot of scratching of the head to figure out all the angles, but we finally got it! So, Friday morning we moved it out to its permanent location and filled it with dirt and composted rabbit manure. That evening, after the heat of the day had passed(and yes, surprisingly, it was warm enough in April to be concerned about that!) we got the 100 strawberries planted.


Pretty cool, huh? They've been in for five days now, and are leafing out wonderfully! So far we're really happy with the way it's shaping up, and a nice side effect of the tower is that the base is merely 28 inches square, which makes fencing out chickens, rabbits and deer very easy and economical. Oh! And we're proud to say that all of the materials for the tower, like our coffee table, are recycled from pallets!

Today we're working on the garden. So far we've three 11 foot by 3 foot beds built and ready for dirt - that's next on the agenda, that and fencing the chickens out of both the new garden area and the asparagus.

Yes, I've taken today off, because we've a lot to get done in the next two weeks. On May 14th Mike is going in for knee surgery. It turns out that he did a lot more than just tweak his knee back in January, he tore the meniscus. That's the pad of cartilaginous tissue that acts as a shock absorber in your knee. He'll be laid up for six weeks after the surgery, so we're trying to get as much done between now and then as possible, so that hopefully it's just a matter of watering and weeding while he's recuperating.

So, that's that! I'll do my best to post pictures of the garden this weekend, but I can't promise anything at this point.

A visit to the fields of Iceland

Okay, okay, so it wasn't Iceland, but fields of Icelandic sheep! It was cold and windy, however.

Last weekend we made a pilgrimage two hours east to visit Hearts Ease Farm and spent the afternoon learning about Icelandic Sheep.



I started researching this breed of sheep a couple of months ago when the discussion arose once more of what type of livestock we thought we might succeed in raising on our three acres. Cows require too much space, and goats are notorious for climbing their way out of any fencing they encounter - not to mention neither of us are certain we like goat milk(or meat, for that matter). So, the conversation turning to sheep - we know we like sheep cheese(see below) and wool is always handy.

So why were we drawn to the Icelandic sheep? Well, they're a multi-purpose breed, of course! You certainly didn't expect anything less from us, right?

They are by nature a meat breed - lambs born in the spring are ready for butchering in the fall. They are also thrifty eaters, gaining weight easily on good pasture, as they are a hardy breed developed on the scant pastures of Iceland. It is said that even people who don't care for lamb like Icelandic lamb, as the meat has a unique flavor and texture. Wendy and Frances, the shepherds of Hearts Ease Farm, were kind enough to send us home with a leg of lamb, and we'll be cooking it up this weekend - hopefully we like it!!

They are also a breed than can be milked. While they won't produce anywhere near the volume of milk given by the dairy sheep or goat breeds, they would still allow us to produce our own milk on the property. Cheeses made from sheep are varied; pecorina, ricotta, manchego, Roquefort, and more.

And, last but not least, they're a fiber sheep. While I could go on and on about the dual layered coat, the fineness of the wool, and the many many natural colors, I'll save that for later ;) Suffice it to say, this third aspect is one that we will make full use of as well. Icelandic wool is very highly prized, and we're hoping that once we make our stock selections, we'll be able to take full advantage of the many uses.




So...back to our visit. The sheep had already been sheared the weekend before, so we saw these ladies in their underwear. Still, they were beautiful animals, with well shaped udders, and most of them VERY pregnant! They were inquisitive, a few were downright friendly, and all of them were quite comfortable with us standing around staring at them.

Oh, and we were able to see some babies too!

And so, without rambling further, here are some shots from our visit.

These two were quite playful, bounding around all over!

This little one was born the evening before(if I remember correctly, and was quite adorable). He(I think he was a ram) was one of three lambs born to this ewe, though she lost the other two.

These two were very very cute, and quite sleepy. They stayed all tucked up together most of the time we were there.

Stay tuned - later this weekend(or at the latest next week) - for a rabbitry update!

making sawdust

Hello all! Well, so much for updates coming in a more timely fashion. I'm sure we'll get there when the weather gets warmed up since there are many more little things to keep everyone up to speed on.

So, here's the new coffee table. I have spent the last 4 weeks designing and building this much needed piece of furniture. So lemme tell you a bit about it: this table cost less than $30 to build as everything was recycled except for the drawer pulls. The wood came from 2 large pallets from Jen's work (tho not everyone would be lucky enough to find 12 foot long soft maple pallets). And the top is 1 1/4 inch thick soapstone 54 x 24 inches (was a table top from a school science lab that was purchased for $10 in Ohio and was once an island in the old kitchen.... TWICE recycled, how about that? ;) ).


So, I tell Jen that I just designed a table to fit the top. So, what design features might there be, you ask. Well, let's see... there are 3 drawers for seed and nursery catalogs, a large top for working in front of the fireplace, and a shelf for the multitude of library books that we always have around. (The erie county library system is exceptional).

I decided that I wanted to show off the wood and that it was recycled so I finished it with linseed oil to show off the figure and didn't fill any of the nail holes from it's previous incarnation. One of the really cool bits of figure is on the shelf. I think it looks quite a bit like a buffalo. Do you think the wood could know where it is? Probably not...but still pretty neat.

So, this is some of what I've been up to for the last month. Next on the list? A strawberry tower for those 100 strawberry plants that should be here in the next month or so. Then maybe a new kitchen table, finishing the built-in in the living room, shelves in the craft room, new raised beds, finishing the upstairs bath, matching end tables...... ok, I'm gonna stop thinking about it before I get overwhelmed.

Hope everyone is doing well, I'll poke Jen and get her to fill everyone in on the latest bunny news.


Mike

Our latest arrivals

We're in a bit of a holding pattern here of late, waiting for the right time to start seeds for the garden, for things to thaw, and for it to warm up enough to work outside. But, one thing that is always a constant around here is the arrival of more bunnies!

The babies above are two of our three litters born Monday and Tuesday this past week. Amber, Blue, and Josie all gave birth, and total we've 21 new babes! I can't wait to see how they grow up. All three does were bred to our guest buck Splotches, and he's easily twice the size of our castor buck. Not to mention the colors!


These guys and their five siblings arrived about four weeks.
They're Lily's and just cute as all get out!

We're in luck of late as well - this litter, in addition to the ones above will be headed to our local TSC to be sold as pets! Cool, huh?





Just look at that face!!! Mike's taken to calling this lil' one "Choo" in reference to its Foomancho whiskers :) I'm hoping it's a boy, cause we'll be keeping him then!

Driven to egg-cess

It felt like Christmas in July...or Easter in August or..what month are we in? Surprisingly enough, apparently our young pullets are just as confused, as we are flush with eggs once again! Yesterday saw eleven eggs come from the coop where our 15 hens and pullets have been fairly well cooped up since before the holidays. But, despite bitter cold temperatures and more snow than anyone would ever wish to be subject to, our new batch of pullets are laying!!

So...as you can tell, our fridge has been filling up rapidly with eggs! I bet you're wondering....so, Jen, Mike, just what ARE you going to do with six dozen eggs?

Well, Mike took ten of them the other day, boiled them up and made a huge batch of delicious tuna salad. Of course, that was before I brought 11 eggs in yesterday, so unfortunately that left us with the house, zip, chickens +1.


So, we started digging through cookbooks! The first on the agenda this evening was bread pudding - that did in four eggs!

Of course...once I cracked those four open, this was what I found...two double yolkers!! Otherwise I might have tried to use a full half dozen :)

And then we decided we wanted to try homemade pudding...after a bit of whisking, stirring, tempering of beaten egg yolks and a bit more cooking and stirring - TaDa! Homemade chocolate pudding! There are six of these individual servings hanging out in the fridge to chill, and we're hoping they turn out quite tasty!

I imagine the weekend will see quite a few more recipes full of eggs - omlets, bread, marshmallows, egg salad...and whatever else I can find to use up some eggs! I might just scramble up some eggs for the cats!!

Rise and Tan...

Despite being thoroughly covered in snow here in western NY, we haven't fled south for warmer climes. No, we're working on completing that inevitable process like anyone who lives in a land where temperatures plunge far below freezing every winter. We're converting our blood to molasses.

But, while waiting for this to occur, to make the cold more tolerable, and to pass the time, we're trying new things!!

I can see my mom now...wondering what other hobby we've decided to pick up....;)

Lifting the spirit

There's something inherently spiritual, I think, to the art of making bread. And when one takes that process clear from the grain on through, it sees the baker gain yet another level of appreciation for this artform. Can you imagine the expression on the very first bakers when they happened upon the miracle combination of ground grain and wild yeast that lifted a ball of dough skyward?

So...as many before me, and I'm certain many after, I have developed a hearty appreciation for the effort and outcome of the breadmaking process. Mike and I screen our wheat, sorting the last of the husks and so on from it, pour it into the grain mill and work our muscles against the grinding of the burrs. After grinding sufficient enough flour, it needs to age for a bit. I tried making bread with two week old flour last week, and that was a touch young - so we're going to let the next batch sit for three. Once we find the magic time, we'll keep ahead of the supply, grinding now what we'll need for the future.

Courtesy of my friends over at the Green Branch, I've been playing with a few different recipes. Some that are 100% wheat, one that definitely isn't. The all wheat recipes are something of a leisurely process. You start with a biga(starter) and a soaker, softening the grains and freeing the gluten from the wheat. Those two rest overnight in a cool place(your fridge, or in our house, the kitchen counter), are brought together the following day with the remaining ingredients. After that, the dough is worked quite similarly to doughs with white flour. The bread from this process is rich, dense and hearty, and has quickly found a place in our meals.

The recipe for this loaf was from a book called Peter Reinhart's whole grain breads : new techniques, extraordinary flavor. I must say, it's a great book, and I'm certain I will add it to my cooking resources when I decide to visit a bookstore again. Thankfully, we have access to an awesome library system and make use of it as often as possible.

We tried another recipe from that book today. Bagels! And not just any bagels, rye/whole wheat bagels. As with the bread, it starts with a biga and soaker, which I got going yesterday. Today, I combined the two kneaded the quite stiff dough, then let it rise for about an hour and a half. At that point, we were ready to start turning the dough into bagels!

Here are the formed bagels. Really easy to do, just roll the dough into a rope just like when you played with PlayDoh as a kid, then connect the ends into a ring! Mike was much better at the process than me, and made certain that I allowed the proper 2" round hole in the center.

After that was a one minute plunge into alkanized water. What is that, do you ask? Well, it's easy enough to make - boil water, add baking soda. Tada!!

Post boil, prebake. The bagels grew significantly after the boiling! After this it was into a 450 degree oven for half an hour.

Tadah! Beautiful, aren't they? We haven't tried them yet - they're still cooling, but they definitely look good enough to eat! Assuming they taste as good as they look, we're planning on doing big batches of these then freezing them. Why give Tim Hortons our hard earned money(not that we do that often) when it really wasn't all that hard to make on our own! (Not to mention it's nice to get to use the oven when it's only 15 degrees outside....;)..)

Now, for that one recipe that is decidedly not 100% wheat(although I am working on gradually introducing more whole wheat to it). I know, you were on pins and needles, weren't you? Okay, okay, I won't keep you in suspense any longer!

The other recipe is the one that produced the dough for the phenomenal crust for these pizzas. The recipe was posted by a friend on GB(click here to check it out) and I've simply fallen in love with this easy process. The dough's ready to use in three hours, though it's better the longer it sits, and is one that you can make up and leave in the fridge, using it as you like for up to two weeks. From what I can tell, if I were to make up a batch of pizza crusts, I could make 6 crusts out of one batch. The longer it sits, the more of a sourdough tang it developes(yum!). I've made small loaves of bread with it, but really love using it for pizza dough. It's really nice to have it in the fridge, knowing if we get craving pizza I can just pull out a couple of hunks of it and have pizza in half an hour or so!

Tanning

No...we're not developing an affinity for tanning salons, nor are we sneaking off to the Bahamas. Over the holidays I tackled my first batch of rabbit pelts, and am quite happy with how they turned out! Grand total I think it took a total of two weeks' time between the time spent in the pickle and the time spent drying and working the leather until it was supple. The process was both easier and harder than I had expected, but I'm glad I gave it a shot, as it cements our intentions of raising dual purpose breeds in our rabbitry. I've my second batch in the first(and weaker) pickle right now - I'll tackle the first step of fleshing the hides this evening before strengthing the tanning solution and leaving them to soak for another week or so.

So, without further ado, here are some shots of the furs.

Oh, and the bagels were delicious!!! :)

Twas the night before...day of...and a little after...

Yeah, we know...it's sure taken us long enough. Bear with me as Jen is using this as an opportunity to teach me how to make updates too. The holiday was a small family affair as it was just us and my baby sister Mandy and her 3 y/o daughter Munchi (my name for her).
Papi (that's me) put up the tree and put the lights on it while waiting for decorating help to arrive from Ohio.

These are some really great animal bell ornaments that Jen's mom has gotten for the tree the past few years. The baby had fun showing off her barnyard knowledge by identifying them as she put them on the tree.

Munchi and Papi putting the angel on top of the tree.

Munchi poses in front of the tree she decorated (I just put a couple of the hand blown ones up near the top for her). Good job, huh?

Santa Claus came! Look at alllllll those presents.

Munchi did a great job cleaning up the wrappers as she went. (If we waited for the end we probably woulda lost the little thing).

Munchi became such the expert unwrapper that she's giving Jen some help.

Another round of cleanup...man, she's getting good.

Here Idgy tries to get in on the action while trying to avoid detection by an affectionate toddler.

Ooooh..what'd ya get Auntie Jen?

Is that all there is?

Papi said that Santa asked him to put a special present somewhere it would actually fit.....now where could that be?

Awesome! A tricycle! (I can't help but wonder if it shouldn't really be called a TRYcycle while one is working out the mechanics).

A picture for posterity.

Idgy is more than happy to fill an empty lap.

Apparently we wore her out.

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday. We sure did. Perhaps now that there are two of us on the job, this thing will get updated more often.....well, we can hope.