Inventorying Essential Oils, oh my!

When you're not sure what you have, then it's time to inventory. I came across a recipe for the bees that required certain essential oils and I just didn't know if I had some of them. Turns out I had all but one! It was time to clean out the cabinet and make up an inventory list of what was what from essential to fragrance to nature identical oil. Seems that I have quite a bit! I will be making some new soaps with new techniques and this will help with what I will be doing. I love it when I am a step ahead and that doesn't happen too often!

Keeping Rabbits cool in the summer

It is a challenge throughout the summer to keep our English Angoras cool. While I don't believe in outside hutch rabbits, it is still a challenge to keep them cool inside in the summer months. While they are growing their wool before shearing it is so important for them to be cool and to avoid heat stroke. Using tiles that have been put in the freezer, frozen water bottles and heavy fans in the basement where it is cool helps these guys manage. This is our Tawny who is 4 1/2 years old. She is overdue for a shearing. Her wool is thick and dense as well as an amazing producer!

Here is 2 of our babies that we have left, staying cool even for them is so important! 

How many chickens do you see?

How many chickens do you see? We have gone over to using milk crates for our chickens to lay in, easier to clean, access, etc. However our chickens insist on using the same crate! As you can see there are more to the right but no, it has to be this one! So there are actually 5 chickens in this picture! A sixth one was in the waiting line and if they don't hurry up, she's coming in!

A Nature's Spicy Condiment

As we go through summer, not all is lost on wild foraging. 

The Garlic Mustard has gone to seed and collecting it not only stops it from spreading but is a delicious spicy condiment too! The seeds are very easy to harvest when the plant has gone dry.

I carry a bag around with me to collect carefully by breaking the plant or pulling it up root and placing it head first into a bag...

I then place the seed heads in a gallon size plastic bag and shake! The seeds will gather in the bottom of the bag.

I then transferred it into a funnel to transfer the seeds into a shaker to either add as a peppery garlicky spice to food or use it in dishes, it's amazing. You can also just pick some and snack on it along the way, I just love it!

The man, the legend...may he be forever remembered...

We are so sad to hear of the passing of Bill Duesing. We got word that he had passed away during the night. A man who moved mountains in the Organic world and was the former President of  NOFA, the North Organic Farmers Association but also a neighbor and friend. He was a gentle man but worked hard and was the owner of Old Solar Farm here in Oxford, CT. 

Many years ago shortly after we started our farm, we had a Small Farm Tour that we had teamed up with other small farms to show it is possible to be sustainable with a small amount of property. We were out front talking to visitors when an old model classic black pick up truck pulled up and it was Bill Duesing! We were thrilled, it was as if Elvis had just visited our small farm. I had known Bill from talks he gave at the Nature Center where I work but the thought of him being so thrilled with what we were doing along with the others and the message we were spreading had him excited at the prospect of getting others involved. I will always remember him fondly and be honored that I knew such an amazing man...