So the poor tourists to the Southern Cape have had a terrible weekend. I am so grateful to be home with a warm fire, wonderful family and great food.
We have had SO much rain that our driveway is now impassable except by 4x4. We had a "visit from the bunny"- well Max did and I find that extremely unfair. Granny bought hot cross buns for breakfast too.
And to keep us busy, we have played with lego, read stories, had great pasta with sauce made of our garden veggies and now I am listening to Simply Red and cooking the last of the pears- for tarts and as pear & date chutney. The house smells great.
I have happy dogs lying by the fire, happy cats lying cuddled in warm blankets and happy chickens tucked up in a warm tractor (after one was attacked by a hawk and lost all her tail feathers in the incident).
Tomorrow we will be moving Granny (eish in the rain!), baking rusks and bread and more of the above. Except it will be fig jam and making aprons.
I am so grateful for the abundance we have in our lives- from the love of my family, to the huge amount of veggies we get from a small garden, to the 3 eggs the hens laid today. I hope you will find some things to be grateful for too- however small they may be.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Chicken Tractor at work
We have already moved the chicken yard (but not the tractor) to a position beside it's first space. We found that even though we had clipped the hen's wings, they were still athletic enough to make it over the yard fence. We raised the sides and checked their wings.
We found the ramp which husband had made too steep for hen feet and claws so I added a longer, rougher plank propped up by the tyre.
I also, found the hens do not like being in the sun as much as I had thought. I had to put up several extra pieces of shade cloth or they would all crowd under the tractor in the shade. When we move them again- this time to fallow beds in the field- I will put up some small sheets of corrugated sheeting over the thick grassy areas I want them to mow. The shade will mean they will be happy to do so.
I have not had as many eggs as I thought I'd get (6 is the most from 11 layers and 4 is average each day) and after some research I decided I needed to up their feed. As I said before, they come out of their yard in the afternoons to free-range all over and the yard is around 12m x 3m. I really thought that would be big enough to keep them busy but it seems my hens are greedy for more! I bought in some layers' mash but also soaked some white beans, chopped them in the food processor and left them to dry. They did not like them until they were dry. In future, I will be growing enough beans, lentils & chickpeas for their needs and ours.
I also discovered that it is cheaper to buy mash and crushed maize for feed than to grow your own. Since almost all our maize in SA is GM, this is not going to be an option for me anyway. More mielies to plant! I think I will need 3 plantings of about 1/2 a hectare each to ensure enough quality maize for all to eat and for seed. Such a great crop to grow with so many uses. I think it will be a mix of Indian rainbow corn, Stowell's evergreen and a sweetcorn ( variety TBD).
And how about these for nice harvests. We think this is a small Lesotho Charlie but will never know since the seeds were handed down via several people. It was yummy though.
And as for these sweet potatoes! This was the first of 2 this size
along with around 10kgs of various others. We thought the big ones would
be floury inside but they were lovely. Made the best roasted wedges.
Other than these we have had great lettuce, swiss chard, basil, Blue Peter beans, Crimean Black tomatoes, yellow pear cocktail tomatoes and a bunch more. Such a wonderful thing to work with nature to grow your own food. I really believe everyone must try it.
I also, found the hens do not like being in the sun as much as I had thought. I had to put up several extra pieces of shade cloth or they would all crowd under the tractor in the shade. When we move them again- this time to fallow beds in the field- I will put up some small sheets of corrugated sheeting over the thick grassy areas I want them to mow. The shade will mean they will be happy to do so.
I have not had as many eggs as I thought I'd get (6 is the most from 11 layers and 4 is average each day) and after some research I decided I needed to up their feed. As I said before, they come out of their yard in the afternoons to free-range all over and the yard is around 12m x 3m. I really thought that would be big enough to keep them busy but it seems my hens are greedy for more! I bought in some layers' mash but also soaked some white beans, chopped them in the food processor and left them to dry. They did not like them until they were dry. In future, I will be growing enough beans, lentils & chickpeas for their needs and ours.
I also discovered that it is cheaper to buy mash and crushed maize for feed than to grow your own. Since almost all our maize in SA is GM, this is not going to be an option for me anyway. More mielies to plant! I think I will need 3 plantings of about 1/2 a hectare each to ensure enough quality maize for all to eat and for seed. Such a great crop to grow with so many uses. I think it will be a mix of Indian rainbow corn, Stowell's evergreen and a sweetcorn ( variety TBD).
And how about these for nice harvests. We think this is a small Lesotho Charlie but will never know since the seeds were handed down via several people. It was yummy though.
Other than these we have had great lettuce, swiss chard, basil, Blue Peter beans, Crimean Black tomatoes, yellow pear cocktail tomatoes and a bunch more. Such a wonderful thing to work with nature to grow your own food. I really believe everyone must try it.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Why meat with every dinner? Or why not.
I had a chat with an Afrikaans friend of mine yesterday and it was a reminder that not everyone thinks about food like me (ha ha).
People don't know where the Afrikaans tradition of meat with every meal comes from and not everyone knows why they shouldn't eat meat every day anymore.
We associate "Afrikaans" with "boer" and that probably comes from our country's history of most farmers being Afrikaans speaking. Most farms were mixed with many crops and animals as the product of the farm. Families were to a large degree, self-sustaining and you ate what you had. They had meat and so meat came up with every meal. My mother-in-law talks about breakfast on a Free State farm being an all meat affair- sausages, kidneys, bacon, steaks- and that is just breakfast!
So now a braai has come to mean only meat cooked on an open fire.
My friend said she had just thought about me not eating meat and couldn't imagine a meal without it as she always started with meat when planning her meals.
It got me thinking. Oh no, you cry! Well, think about it for yourself. We are no longer all farmers with all our food in our back garden so, it costs a lot in money terms to have meat with every dinner (let's not assume every meal).
It costs a lot in health terms too since most of the meat consumed is from a feed lot where the animals are pumped full of hormones, anti-biotics and other poisons. The animals live in such appalling and unnatural conditions that it is impossible to do it any other way. And that brings me to another point of my conscience. If you saw how these chops and steaks were treated before they arrive on your plate, your humanity would balk. If you can find free-range meat, it is more expensive than the feed lot stuff but worth it from many angles. "I can't afford it" you cry. Eat less, better quality meat, I say.
Then there is the use of water. I can't remember the exact number but I think it was about 20L of water is used to slaughter and process 1 chicken. Consider how many chickens your family eats in a year. Our conservative family eats a maximum of 24. That means 480L of water just for our family. How many do you eat? And your neighbour, and their neighbour? That's a lot of water in an arid country. And that is only chicken.
I could go forever on this topic and it is a very emotive subject and for an apparently intelligent species we do like to tell ourselves "real lies". So here is what I think. The world should eat a lot less meat. How about every second day for starters? And I can't believe that we are so lazy or non-creative that we can't come up with alternatives which our families will love. Try butternut and chickpea Thai curry or what about Jamie Oliver's caponata or a grand pizza with roasted veggies and pesto.
And do have a look at this link. It is eye-opening for the person who actually cares about their footprint on the planet. Please pass it on to those who are beginning to question their over-consumption too.
http://vimeo.com/57126054
People don't know where the Afrikaans tradition of meat with every meal comes from and not everyone knows why they shouldn't eat meat every day anymore.
We associate "Afrikaans" with "boer" and that probably comes from our country's history of most farmers being Afrikaans speaking. Most farms were mixed with many crops and animals as the product of the farm. Families were to a large degree, self-sustaining and you ate what you had. They had meat and so meat came up with every meal. My mother-in-law talks about breakfast on a Free State farm being an all meat affair- sausages, kidneys, bacon, steaks- and that is just breakfast!
So now a braai has come to mean only meat cooked on an open fire.
My friend said she had just thought about me not eating meat and couldn't imagine a meal without it as she always started with meat when planning her meals.
It got me thinking. Oh no, you cry! Well, think about it for yourself. We are no longer all farmers with all our food in our back garden so, it costs a lot in money terms to have meat with every dinner (let's not assume every meal).
It costs a lot in health terms too since most of the meat consumed is from a feed lot where the animals are pumped full of hormones, anti-biotics and other poisons. The animals live in such appalling and unnatural conditions that it is impossible to do it any other way. And that brings me to another point of my conscience. If you saw how these chops and steaks were treated before they arrive on your plate, your humanity would balk. If you can find free-range meat, it is more expensive than the feed lot stuff but worth it from many angles. "I can't afford it" you cry. Eat less, better quality meat, I say.
Then there is the use of water. I can't remember the exact number but I think it was about 20L of water is used to slaughter and process 1 chicken. Consider how many chickens your family eats in a year. Our conservative family eats a maximum of 24. That means 480L of water just for our family. How many do you eat? And your neighbour, and their neighbour? That's a lot of water in an arid country. And that is only chicken.
I could go forever on this topic and it is a very emotive subject and for an apparently intelligent species we do like to tell ourselves "real lies". So here is what I think. The world should eat a lot less meat. How about every second day for starters? And I can't believe that we are so lazy or non-creative that we can't come up with alternatives which our families will love. Try butternut and chickpea Thai curry or what about Jamie Oliver's caponata or a grand pizza with roasted veggies and pesto.
And do have a look at this link. It is eye-opening for the person who actually cares about their footprint on the planet. Please pass it on to those who are beginning to question their over-consumption too.
http://vimeo.com/57126054
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Ringworm cure and other parasite solutions
With all the animals on the farm, there is always someone who needs doctoring.
Now that we only have 4 horses left on the farm, we will be learning how to best take care of them. The vet came over and gelded the yearling and I am so glad it is done.
He darted the most skittish horse with her anti-tick/worm etc muti so we wouldn't have to stress her by catching or sedating her. It was probably like a wasp sting. Beautiful Isabella let me put a halter on her and let Douglas inject her. What a trooper.
As for 6 week old Anastasia, we had to sedate her so we could clean her ears and give her a shot. I really hate what drugs to to creatures but already her ears look better and she seems to have fewer ticks too.
Thanks to Douglas Taylor from Riversdale Vet- how nice to work with such a professional with such a love for animals. Even horses.
Then Toby the rescue pup has warts on his lips. Yuch- they are really ugly! I have added vitamin c and b to his food, tissue salt combin 12 and fed him a little extra of the food I cook for the dogs (meat, rice and veggies). I tried rubbing a tiny amount of eucalyptus oil on the one furtherest on the outside of his lip but he obviously hated it and it made him froth horribly. Sorry Toby but that one has shrunk the fastest. They seem to be shrinking on their own though and the vet says they are nothing to worry about. and come from low immunity.
This weekend I'll be doctoring the hens and rooster as they all have the runs. Not sure if they have worms or they ate too many grapes today from the leftovers when we were harvesting for jelly. Some apple cider vinegar in their water, DE in their food and feathers and watch to see if it gets better by Sunday.
And on a more personal note, caring for animals can give humans parasites too. We de-worm ourselves twice each year with a homeopathic capsule. Bloody horrible if you had to chew it.
And then I got ringworm on my arm. Eish. I hunted the net and discovered it is a fungal thing not a worm after all. I searched for natural cures and eventually found an obscure reference for a small trial using tea tree or garlic. These I can do! So I crushed up a large garlic clove, put it on a plaster and stuck it over the ringworm. It burnt a little and must have burnt the fungus because it went funny, then a scab formed. I put a drop of tea tree oil on twice and it has vanished within 3 days. The scab fell off and now I am doctoring the small scar with rosehip oil. Wow! Aren't plants amazing? And we think we have all the answers for medicine. We know so little.
Now that we only have 4 horses left on the farm, we will be learning how to best take care of them. The vet came over and gelded the yearling and I am so glad it is done.
He darted the most skittish horse with her anti-tick/worm etc muti so we wouldn't have to stress her by catching or sedating her. It was probably like a wasp sting. Beautiful Isabella let me put a halter on her and let Douglas inject her. What a trooper.
As for 6 week old Anastasia, we had to sedate her so we could clean her ears and give her a shot. I really hate what drugs to to creatures but already her ears look better and she seems to have fewer ticks too.
Thanks to Douglas Taylor from Riversdale Vet- how nice to work with such a professional with such a love for animals. Even horses.
Then Toby the rescue pup has warts on his lips. Yuch- they are really ugly! I have added vitamin c and b to his food, tissue salt combin 12 and fed him a little extra of the food I cook for the dogs (meat, rice and veggies). I tried rubbing a tiny amount of eucalyptus oil on the one furtherest on the outside of his lip but he obviously hated it and it made him froth horribly. Sorry Toby but that one has shrunk the fastest. They seem to be shrinking on their own though and the vet says they are nothing to worry about. and come from low immunity.
This weekend I'll be doctoring the hens and rooster as they all have the runs. Not sure if they have worms or they ate too many grapes today from the leftovers when we were harvesting for jelly. Some apple cider vinegar in their water, DE in their food and feathers and watch to see if it gets better by Sunday.
And on a more personal note, caring for animals can give humans parasites too. We de-worm ourselves twice each year with a homeopathic capsule. Bloody horrible if you had to chew it.
And then I got ringworm on my arm. Eish. I hunted the net and discovered it is a fungal thing not a worm after all. I searched for natural cures and eventually found an obscure reference for a small trial using tea tree or garlic. These I can do! So I crushed up a large garlic clove, put it on a plaster and stuck it over the ringworm. It burnt a little and must have burnt the fungus because it went funny, then a scab formed. I put a drop of tea tree oil on twice and it has vanished within 3 days. The scab fell off and now I am doctoring the small scar with rosehip oil. Wow! Aren't plants amazing? And we think we have all the answers for medicine. We know so little.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Chicken tractor is planted
Fabulous news (and especially for Gramps), our chicken tractor is finally finished and in place.
Jan made it from an old cart base, sheets of corrugated sheeting, reclaimed square metal tubing and other bits and pieces from our pile of treasure. For the floor, we bought thin ply and made a strong support structure below. It is sealed with EnviroTouch's wood sealer. The roosting poles are wattle lathes spaced out from the walls by square metal tubing.
The nesting boxes are a very thick carboard box (double corrugated) which we painted with water-based enamel paint to be able to clean easily. Jan used bottle tops to raise it just slightly off the ground so ants did not find it a good place to live.
Above, Jan used Gunda to pull the tractor into place. The area we have chosen for the chickens to work over, is part of a slope we are busy reclaiming. We had our Italian friend help us dig it over and we set tyres in place in mini-terraces and this part is the left over piece we did not finish at the time.
The right pic is the tractor levelled with tyres below at the back and above on the front so I can climb in to clean.
We added a yard on the front and more pics will follow with the new hens and rooster in place. The yard will be moved around so they can clear new ground for us.
With regards to our old ladies (3 of them- Hope, Mimi & Jessica Simpson), they were not happy to move from their cushy but tiny home next to the house. It took them 3 days to decide it was ok and we kept having to take them back when we let them "free-range". When the others arrived a few days later (caught at dusk from a friends huge flock), there was bedlam in the morning. The old ladies attacked the juniors (and still do sometimes) and even the rooster took a week to crow. I am pleased to say that they have all settled in ok. Today was our first day of 3 eggs again and hopefully one of the new ladies will start laying regularly too (she did lay an egg the first day they arrived but nothing since then).
more to follow...
Jan made it from an old cart base, sheets of corrugated sheeting, reclaimed square metal tubing and other bits and pieces from our pile of treasure. For the floor, we bought thin ply and made a strong support structure below. It is sealed with EnviroTouch's wood sealer. The roosting poles are wattle lathes spaced out from the walls by square metal tubing.
The nesting boxes are a very thick carboard box (double corrugated) which we painted with water-based enamel paint to be able to clean easily. Jan used bottle tops to raise it just slightly off the ground so ants did not find it a good place to live.
The right pic is the tractor levelled with tyres below at the back and above on the front so I can climb in to clean.
We added a yard on the front and more pics will follow with the new hens and rooster in place. The yard will be moved around so they can clear new ground for us.
With regards to our old ladies (3 of them- Hope, Mimi & Jessica Simpson), they were not happy to move from their cushy but tiny home next to the house. It took them 3 days to decide it was ok and we kept having to take them back when we let them "free-range". When the others arrived a few days later (caught at dusk from a friends huge flock), there was bedlam in the morning. The old ladies attacked the juniors (and still do sometimes) and even the rooster took a week to crow. I am pleased to say that they have all settled in ok. Today was our first day of 3 eggs again and hopefully one of the new ladies will start laying regularly too (she did lay an egg the first day they arrived but nothing since then).
more to follow...
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
On Mowing Grass
I have said before that mowing grass is a harvest to be used for mulch and compost but I don't know that I said how long it takes to get it done. Our front "yard" is a fair size of around 75 x45 or so metres. With the mower on the tractor it will take about 2 hours of mowing. It will then take at least another 5 hours to trim the rest with a trimmer. Raking up takes a day and loading up onto the tractor trailer takes about 2 hours. You haven't even used it yet and that's 2 full days work. Better be a harvest or it would be such a waste of time!
4 Sheep and a ride on mower is my answer.
BTW Pink Fir seed potatoes. Just great salad potatoes.
4 Sheep and a ride on mower is my answer.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Another day in the life of...
A while ago I was asked by my best friend what a day on the farm looked like. I posted something at the time but since no 2 days are ever the same, I thought this weekend was a fun one to share. A sort of "how I finished my year". Luckily, I have no school to report on as I caved in and gave Max a few days off (that means gave myself a few days off).
So the rooster starts to crow around 4.30 (ish) but I try to ignore him until 5 when my alarm goes off. Not too early to get up. I let the chickens out and beg for coffee (Jan is in charge of coffee making), say hi to the dogs, feed the cats and sit and look across the valley at our incredible view while I drink my fix.
Dress, feed the dogs, get Max's breakfast ready, make the bread dough, washing in the machine, eat some toast or a giant bowl of strawberries and yoghurt, sun cream, gum boots, hat and goodbye!
First thing is to check if any squashes need hand pollinating. If I am out before the bees, there is usually at least 1 female flower which needs "painting". If the bees beat me out, I have to leave it to nature and if it gets pollinated, we'll eat that squash but won't be able to use it for seed as since we have many varieties, I won't be sure it was pollinated by the same variety. It's a bit fiddly and this is the first year I am doing it this way but so far I have several squashes marked as pure.
With it being so warm and windy at the moment, I am watering every morning. Some growing areas are on drip systems and some need to be watered by hose or in the case of the seedlings in the greenhouse, by watering can. I start with those or leave them to Granny to do. Next is turning the water on for the Indian Rainbow corn or various potatoes. While those water, I weed, cart the weeds to the new compost heap, pour stinky chicken poo slush on top, cover with dry mown grass and close it up again.
Next is seed collection as any dew will have dried by 7am.
Back up the hill to see if Max is awake. Start the water at the house where a few veggies and kitchen herbs grow, eat something ( I am always hungry!), hang the washing, decide what's for dinner (you'll see why shortly), check e-mail, coax Max out the door and back to the veggie garden.
After finishing watering and weeding, if it's not too hot, I can plant out some seedlings. Today it was Black Beauty aubergine. Tomorrow will be leeks and plant radish seeds. Into the potato "yard" which is fenced off from bushbuck, to top up the tyre stacks with straw and water.
By now it's about 10am so I can collect what I need for dinner and get it into the fridge. And have tea and something to eat! While making our tea I make iced tea for later. Loose Honeybush with lemon and lemon grass and a bit of ginger. Max loves it.
Now the fun begins. Yesterday I had to climb into the ceiling to rescue some baby bats and relocate them to our bat house. Such cute little things- not much bigger than Jan's thumb. Then, it was tying up the grape vines, cutting out summer pjs for Max, washing (not again!), clean the cat box for the new kitten, clean the kitchen and answer any calls or e-mail.
Then, picking plums and lemons, cleaning the chicken house and today, cleaning the worm farm. The worms get transferred to the empty bucket and we use the castings to make a soup for fertiliser.
Today was a little different. We went for a nice long walk, got stuck in the mud well over our boots, blundered through chest high fynbos, cleared some baby wattles and arrived on Granny's doorstep for water. To the dam for a swim, back to hang up onions to dry, sweep the courtyard where we process some messy seed and veggies. We collect compost materials all week and on Mondays make a new heap so Sundays means clearing around the house to add to what we already have.
In the evenings we wind down with feeding animals, an early dinner, bake our bread and hopefully some muffins or tarts. Most nights we end up collecting strawberries and gooseberries, packing tools away and watering the last few plants, getting Max into bed and falling into bed ourselves.
These were my last 2 days and Jan has been busy on his own mission in the workshop. It seems there is so much to be done and I know I have left out a dozen little jobs like cleaning filters, reading stories, collecting eggs, and did I mention folding all that washing!!
So the rooster starts to crow around 4.30 (ish) but I try to ignore him until 5 when my alarm goes off. Not too early to get up. I let the chickens out and beg for coffee (Jan is in charge of coffee making), say hi to the dogs, feed the cats and sit and look across the valley at our incredible view while I drink my fix.
Dress, feed the dogs, get Max's breakfast ready, make the bread dough, washing in the machine, eat some toast or a giant bowl of strawberries and yoghurt, sun cream, gum boots, hat and goodbye!
First thing is to check if any squashes need hand pollinating. If I am out before the bees, there is usually at least 1 female flower which needs "painting". If the bees beat me out, I have to leave it to nature and if it gets pollinated, we'll eat that squash but won't be able to use it for seed as since we have many varieties, I won't be sure it was pollinated by the same variety. It's a bit fiddly and this is the first year I am doing it this way but so far I have several squashes marked as pure.
With it being so warm and windy at the moment, I am watering every morning. Some growing areas are on drip systems and some need to be watered by hose or in the case of the seedlings in the greenhouse, by watering can. I start with those or leave them to Granny to do. Next is turning the water on for the Indian Rainbow corn or various potatoes. While those water, I weed, cart the weeds to the new compost heap, pour stinky chicken poo slush on top, cover with dry mown grass and close it up again.
Next is seed collection as any dew will have dried by 7am.
Back up the hill to see if Max is awake. Start the water at the house where a few veggies and kitchen herbs grow, eat something ( I am always hungry!), hang the washing, decide what's for dinner (you'll see why shortly), check e-mail, coax Max out the door and back to the veggie garden.
After finishing watering and weeding, if it's not too hot, I can plant out some seedlings. Today it was Black Beauty aubergine. Tomorrow will be leeks and plant radish seeds. Into the potato "yard" which is fenced off from bushbuck, to top up the tyre stacks with straw and water.
By now it's about 10am so I can collect what I need for dinner and get it into the fridge. And have tea and something to eat! While making our tea I make iced tea for later. Loose Honeybush with lemon and lemon grass and a bit of ginger. Max loves it.
Now the fun begins. Yesterday I had to climb into the ceiling to rescue some baby bats and relocate them to our bat house. Such cute little things- not much bigger than Jan's thumb. Then, it was tying up the grape vines, cutting out summer pjs for Max, washing (not again!), clean the cat box for the new kitten, clean the kitchen and answer any calls or e-mail.
Then, picking plums and lemons, cleaning the chicken house and today, cleaning the worm farm. The worms get transferred to the empty bucket and we use the castings to make a soup for fertiliser.
Today was a little different. We went for a nice long walk, got stuck in the mud well over our boots, blundered through chest high fynbos, cleared some baby wattles and arrived on Granny's doorstep for water. To the dam for a swim, back to hang up onions to dry, sweep the courtyard where we process some messy seed and veggies. We collect compost materials all week and on Mondays make a new heap so Sundays means clearing around the house to add to what we already have.
In the evenings we wind down with feeding animals, an early dinner, bake our bread and hopefully some muffins or tarts. Most nights we end up collecting strawberries and gooseberries, packing tools away and watering the last few plants, getting Max into bed and falling into bed ourselves.
These were my last 2 days and Jan has been busy on his own mission in the workshop. It seems there is so much to be done and I know I have left out a dozen little jobs like cleaning filters, reading stories, collecting eggs, and did I mention folding all that washing!!
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Plastering and more
Sorry for the lack of progress reports but here are a few pictures to show where we are now. The internal walls are drywall on timber frames...
