Chill in the air.....

I really think fall has set in.  As I write this it is cool and crisp outside, but the sun is shinning.  The frost caught me off guard.  Most all of the winter garden did well, but we did have some summer favorites that were still hanging in there with us that did not fare the frost.  The basil was lost, but the peppers just lost the leafs but the fruit was still good.  Not everything is dying.  Sometimes even in the cold new life is arriving.   

New baby French Black Coppers

We just had some new babies hatch.  We lost a few but the rest were hearty and made it.  The goat are feeling quite frisky.  We have decided not to breed the girls this season.  Taylor has had her allergy test and although we knew it  would be positive, she is allergic to her goats!!!  Next 4-H year I think we will switch to hogs, and the goats will go back to be with their original herd.

The blog has been a little slow due to the surgery I just had on my right wrist.  Boy it is hard to get anything done without your dominant hand.   Stay tuned.......

You want how many dozen???

Yes, it is that time of year when baking and eating become a comfort.  It is cooler outside and the thought of a hot fresh coffee cake sounds too good.  The only problem is it is time for the girls to SLOW down, and slow down they have.  We are fortunate enough to have folks clamoring for our rainbow dozen.  I just wish on these days of gathering that I could just squeeze those girls for a couple more.  Yet all I can do is look at the 22 little ones running around the yard, and know that once the days get longer the egg count will get larger.  So for now my loyal customers, do not count your eggs until they are hatched.  I will do my best to keep them coming!

OH Honey!

As the day light hours get smaller and smaller I say to myself how am I to get it all done each day.  We moved back chore time 1/2 hour.  Now we go out at 5:00pm instead of 5:30pm.  Soon it will be 4:30, it is a shift.  A shift to start winter things.  Baking and canning and stewing.  The winter garden is in and the new garden fence and trellis (pics to follow) are so inviting.  I want to spend even more time in the garden.  But it is time now to put things to bed.  We started with the bees.  We were able to harvest 3 frames of honey, about 9 pounds and oh my it is to dye for!!  We were not sure that

we would have any, but after a hive inspection, it was decided that 3 frames would be fine.  Some of the area was not totally filled but we picked frames that would be easier for the bees to refill, i.e., we would spin our the honey and put the wet frames back in.  For those non-beekeepers, that means that the bees will get back the same frames so they just have to refill the comb and not rebuild it.

Frames after they have been removed from the hive

Once the frames were removed it was off to Ettamarie's to extract.  Blaine was a champ!  I was a little afraid to let him use the hot knife, but he went after it like a pro.

See that liquid gold on the right, yes that it, FIRST PLACE!!!  He had to compete with adults that have been doing honey much longer than he has, what an accomplishment! 

I can not wait to harvest in late spring early summer.  Blaine has decided to add 2 more hives.  Those of you lucky enough to have tasted the first batch......stay tuned.  I think that Blaine's beekeeping is here for the long run!

Where have you been?



Taylor and Judges Randy, Scott, and Cathy
At the California State Fair with her Golden Bear
winning rabbit

Blaine at Sonoma County Fair Auction with his Reserve
 Champion Meat Pen

I asked myself that same question as I crawled out of my little hole.   The summer just took me over.  The kids and the fairs and the running.  Do not get me wrong the summer with the kids was great.  They did more with their animal than they ever have.  They won more than they ever have.  Wow what a summer.  Well now it is time to get back to work on the FARM.  I will trying my best to keep up weekly with my blogs.  Thanks for sticking around!

Rain Rain Go Away........

Organic Circus Circus Carrots

Well, I am not sure if it will or not, but I am hoping the gardening and growing season is not like last year.  It seemed everything was late.  I am sure my new plants are loving this late in the season storm, but I am a bit cranky.  It is hard to plant, harvest, feed, milk, feed, and feed some more in the rain.  I do it because it needs to be done, but I love to do it when it is sunny.  Okay enough with my whining.  Just before the rain, I harvested the first seasons organic "Circus, Circus" carrots.  Now you can see why they are called that.  The orange carrots are like your traditional carrot.  The white are a bit sweeter, I think.  The purple are very woody tasting and my daughter Taylor does not like them at all.  My number one farmer, Blaine, who with the help of his sister, harvested all 50 carrots, loves them all.  Now you might notice in the picture that our orange carrot has "2" legs.  Have you ever seen a carrot like this in the store?  Of course not!  That would be........Unnatural......??  I was on another blog that I visit and the author was writing about how her lettuce had "holes", and how she has grown to accept the "natural" appearance of produce grown with NO chemicals natural or man made.  I loved it!  Real food is not perfect.  Carrots have two legs and lettuce has holes.  If the bugs like to eat it then my gosh so do I.  I love it that my kids get to see real food.  Produce that is not perfect, and animals that give their lives so we can eat.  Next time you are in you local health food store or chain supermarket, try to find some real produce............Until next post.

Do you ever have those moments?

 

Red Garlic



     You know you do, it does not matter how well you have it together.  If you say you don't, you are the one we all wish we could be.  You have it all together.  Your world is a soccer mom's dream.  NO?  Well then pull up a chair and welcome to my world.  I am the person who tries to have every little thing in place.  As the years and the kids and the animals have gained control of my world, I have learned to take things a little slower, and a little softer.  I still have a long way to go......I can hear my aunt in the background of my mind, telling me "oh yes you do have a long way to go."  However, I still have those moments.  Those, I want to lay down on the ground and cry moments.  The ones that you wish you could get a large vat of  "Dibbs" and a good movie and lay in bed and not get out for anything!  What does that have to do with the farm.  Everything!  Today I had one of those moments.  It happened somewhere between good morning and it's time for dinner.  Well just because you are having a momtrum, the work must continue, there are things to do. 

     So then what did happen on the farm today......Everyone got off ok to school and errands.  I got busy.  I did the usual rounds to see that my husbands chores had been completed.  Then in to clean the farm house.  The three broody hens that were jailed in the nursery did very well overnight.  I have tried various methods to get the boody out of a hen and this seems to work the best.  Taking them out of their environment for a few days with no boxes seems to do the trick, but if you have better ideas please leave a post.  Then to the garden.  The garlic is looking fantastic, I hope the heads are as big as last year.  Taylor (that's my 11 year old daughter) took first place with her garlic last year at the fair.  The baby greens are finally starting to come out.  They taste so good at this age. 

Baby Greens

A really great thing that I love to do is pick them at this age and do the
following;                    
                1 bunch of baby fresh greens
                1 medium avocado-diced
                1 large shredded carrot
              1/4 sliced and soaked red onion
               "Point Reyes" blue cheese
               Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar

mix all fresh ingredients together.  I soak my onions for about one hour in cold water to take out the bite.  Then lightly sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Not to much oil and vinegar or you will over power your blue cheese.  The taste is fabulous, fresh out of the garden carrots, onions and lettuce, I do not know if it is just me but when I eat out of my garden, it just taste better.......how cliche! 


Plant markers



     Okay lastly a little planting of starts.  I did several, but my husband was the one who taught me to use Popsicle sticks-I reuse the ones the kids save me after they ingest all that dye and sugar.....well something good comes out of it, my planter markers.  Just be sure you use sharpie so when you water it does not all go away.  So as for my meltdown, well it's sundown and I am all better.  So until the next post.............

Who are you "Little M Farms"?

Who are we, and why do we need a blog, and who is even going to read it?  I said to myself as I was creating this one.  I am not a tech person, however, my favorites are loaded with blogs of my hidden friends who do not even know I exists.  Whose sites I love to visit and read, steal a good idea and make a wonderful meal from.  Well here we are, just you and me, so let me tell you why?  I love to write so what better place to do it.  My world is my family, friends and the farm.  Who knew that about a year ago what we did as well a hobby would end up being more?  We had thought about doing more with our small amount of land, but nothing ever came to fruition.  How much time can you have with; two kids (8,11) one husband, two dogs, two cats, 1 fish, 1 crab, 33 hens, 2 roosters, multiple chicks, 40 show rabbits, two goats, 20 meat rabbits, a garden and well ME!  We are living the dream, even though the thought of unemployment ending for my husband is a dreary thought.  We can do this he said, and well we are going to do our best.  The next several posts will be about the farm.  What we do, and what we do in our life. I hope then to share our journey from dirt to the market place with you and share my ideas, successes, and the not so successful ventures, perhaps you can take them and use them for yourself.  So, until the next post....