Planting of the Cold Frame

Today we kept busy preparing our new raised garden beds and put our new Cold Frame to use. We planted spinach, lettuce and mesculin for our first plants of the year. We planted 1 row of each and will re-plant in 2 weeks so we have a steady supply of vegetables.
We used an organic combination of manure, peat moss and some nice humus soil laying in wait under the leaves. We will be folding some of our compost that we have been making all winter long for a rich, healthy soil that the plants will love.
The Cold Frame is designed to move to another spot as we grow our garden sow...

In memory of our Alpaca "Jax"

As we celebrate the birth of our new lambs this morning, we turn to the sadness of losing our Alpaca, "Jax". He died suddenly on the hill...we will miss him so. He was so gentle and easy going and will miss his calm spirit...thank you Jax for your gentle way and the occasional kick that I always seem to catch when you intended it for one of the others...God speed Jax...

Sweetie's Babies have finally arrived!

Here are "Sweetie's" new lambs, finally! It's like deja vu, a white and black lamb, except these are two very healthy rams! This morning I was watching the "lamb cam" and noticed Sweetie was not in her place but Belle was pacing and calling for her babies. Then off in the distance I could hear the newborn lambs. I flew down to the barn and discovered these two beautiful boys! All is well, both are strong and mom is doing good too! Lambing season 2010 is done, it's a lot of stress for this lamb grandma!

The lambs two weeks later...

Here are the lambs at two weeks of age. They are so big and healthy. Today they had their tails done and their first vaccines. They are not to happy with us right now. Soon after the bands were put on their tails they began to run around and drop to the ground like they are having a seizure, then run to mom for some milk and comfort. It hurts for a short time but it really must be done for sanitary purposes.

Composting 101

Let's talk about composting 101...it's just about Spring and many of us are thinking about our gardens, designing, what to grow and the thought of wonderful vegetables to enjoy throughout the summer. A compost bin is very simple to design as you can see mine in this picture. It was made from an old cage I had with a top on it. You can make a compost bin from old skids, hay bales, buy a professional one or just start a pile. This time of year is great to get started as we clean up our yards, old leaves that are already rotting, food scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels, just about anything organic will do. Remember never meat! That can make the compost unhealthy and the worms that are sure to come up from the ground (to make your compost even more awesome) can get sick from it.

Turn your compost periodically for great results. There are tons of info on the web on how to design a compost and the proper things that can go in it. I promise, you will have an awesome garden with great results when using compost!

Maple Syrup Season is over...

The Maple Syrup season is done for the year, what a disappointing season it was. First it started off late due to a very cold, hard winter, which started off with the trees having a very dark sap because the ground was so frozen so there was no water for trees to bring up. We actually tapped 2 weeks behind schedule. When the season was underway it was short, with Spring coming up very fast. So, when you go to the store this year and notice the Maple Syrup prices are high, it is because the season was just terrible. We got about 1 1/2 gallons for all our efforts...let's hope for a better season next year...
Pictured here are our sap buckets cleaned and retired for next year...

The "Lamb Cam"...

Eagerly we are watching the "Lamb Cam" awaiting the next birth of lambs. Our other ewe,"Sweetie" is holding out. It gets so nerve wracking, we just want everything to go well with healthy lambs...and the wait goes on...

Taking a break to have a drink...

the little ram taking a moment out from his first outing to have a nursing break...his appetite is much bigger than his sister...

The lambs first outing...

today was the lambs first outing outside, they kicked and played and enjoyed life like a lamb should...as you can see they have little wool jackets on, made by Auntie Pam...

The lambs at two days old...

Our handsome sweet prince at two days old. He's doing well and is strong and eating like a little piggy! He's just as sweet as his dad, Harley who happens to be the sweetest ram ever.

and here is our little ewe, she has an obsession with her mom's food bowl. She can be found in here all the time. Maybe it reminds her of the womb...

Belle's beautiful babies!

Belle and her babies...all is well, everyone is nursing and we are watching from the house via the "Lamb Cam"...

...and here is the sweet prince...

Belle's second lamb is our first White Babydoll born here on the farm...he's such a handsome prince...

...and here he comes...

the next lamb about to be born...and here he comes...

The Lambs are here!

Belle surprised us this morning with the birth of her two new lambs, she wasn't due for at least a few more days, but as nature will always have it, they come when they come! The first lamb to be born was a little ewe (girl) pictured here. Olde English Southdown Babydolls come in Black or White, as you can see her ewe is black...Spring is here on the farm!

Handspun Alpaca Fiber

The winter brings some down time here on the farm, so it's a great time to sit by the wood burning stove and spin while staying warm. Here are three skeins of Alpaca fiber that was spun. It comes from our Alpacas, Winchester and Cyrus, who are our white Alpaca boys. It is soft and six times as warm as wool but not as heavy. These skeins will be available in our farmstand. The winder you see was given to me by a friends mom who has retired from spinning. If your interested in purchasing some just give us a call...