SIXTEEN LADIES.
It seemed like we built our chicken coop ages ago....and we have been waiting and waiting for the day we could fill it with our own little flock. Some hard-working folks have been busy clearing out all the leftover debris and junk from our yard this week...so we decided it was time to find some chickens!It was very last minute, but the ever-reliable Craigslist came to our rescue. And now - we have our girls! Sixteen. Barred rocks (the black and white speckled ones), Golden Comets (brown and white), and White Leghorns - or "Leggerns" as they seem to be called around these parts. They are pullets - which is basically like teenagers - so they aren't quite laying yet. But we are more than happy to bring them home while they are still developing, so that we can get them started on a good diet and out on some fresh grass before enjoying their eggs!We are so in love. Yesterday, I just sat with them for almost an hour...feeding them worms and naming them. We've have named the four Golden Comet's: Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia (our Golden Girls). Plus, we got an extra chicken for free: She was a "dirty bird," basically a cross of two breeds and therefore useless to the farmer who registers his flocks. We love her the most, don't tell the others. She is the barred rock with a brown head you can see in the second-to-last photo. She is a TOTAL diva. Her name: Beyonce.We still have a lot more to name: suggestions?- Hannah.
FERMENTATION LOVE.
Recently, Jesse received a package in the mail and I haven’t seen him since. Just kidding (...kind of). The Art of Fermentation is Sandor Katz’s newest book, and Jesse is a little bit obsessed. Sandor is becoming our go-to fermentation guru, also the author of Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved. I have been informed that we will be having lots of bubbling crocks and pickling concoctions crowding our kitchen this year as Jesse tries some of Sandor’s recipes. The first experiment is underway: fermented radishes and ginger. We will let you know how it turns out!- Hannah.
JOY.
For so long, we have been waiting for the day that we could grow our own food, that we could have our own CSA, that we could make a living off of farming and feeding our friends and family. And this week, all that waiting was finally over. And as wonderful as it is to have our CSA up and running, an unexpected joy has overwhelmed us....with each person who excitedly sends us recipes for lambsquarter pesto or pictures of their son eating a salad with lettuce from our garden....this is a feeling we were not prepared for. It is humbling and beautiful and powerful to be reminded that this is not just about us....that we are feeding people, feeding families and feeding children. And we cannot thank you all enough....for supporting us in our first year, for giving us the opportunity to do what we love, and for eating our food! We take a lot of extra time and energy to grow food that is pure and whole and nutritious, and we are so proud to be able to share it with so many friends, old and new. We are definitely feeling the love.
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| a very happy family! |