Thursday, January 28, 2010
Stormy Weather
A wild night of thunder & lightning & windy rain has given us 5mm of rain, but more is predicted. It has been so dry here that even 25 year old large trees have been showing signs of water stress - yellow falling leaves, & the soil in some areas is developing large cracks, so this rain is very very welcome. We have been keeping our newly planted trees alive with weekly watering with the fire trailer, & have been watering the vege garden every 2 - 3 days, so a good soaking rain & damp day is really good for us all.
Talking to a neighbour recently showed very clearly how depression is a very real problem for farmers: it is very expensive to keep stock alive (with buying feed & water), & cattle prices are very very low - impossible to make any profit at all, & the continuing drought & daily confrontation with the impacts of climate change as seen in the plants & animals under the farmer's stewardship, well who wouldn't be depressed? I know myself that having some green trees in our immediate landscape are immensely reassuring when everything else is brown & looks dead - it is easy to slip into a mindset of death when it looks like even the soil is dead. So it is constantly necessary to remind oneself of the adaptability of the natural world, that the soil is an immense seed bank, & that system resilience is available when the weather changes. It is still very confronting though, & difficult sometimes to remain optimistic. The gap between city life & the food production environment is so huge, & there is so little understanding (apparently, & generally speaking) of the real cost of food from the producer's viewpoint. It is always encouraging to see the renewed interest in eating local food, & the numbers of people increasing their locavore (consumption of food grown within 100 miles of where they live) habits, but it really does take commitment, especially when imported food or food grown outside the region is cheaper than local food.
I have also been thinking about the easiness of a life distant from that connection with food production - always a topic of interest as the harvesting of our food increases in intensity! The seduction & temptation of supermarket shopping, & meals & menus designed around recipes rather that what is locally available - it is a much easier life. But, I think (most of the time) that having the close connection with my food chain is more rewarding, & is certainly challenging on all fronts, including intellectually. Learning some basic butchering skills & about curing & preserving a wide range of pork products has been interesting, & we are about to have another learning opportunity as our piglets are ready for slaughter. The last lot of pork we grew ourselves was delicious, including the bacon & the hams. Over Christmas, we had to buy a supermarket ham, & for the first time ever realised how badly it was cured - it was an expensive one, but was soaking wet, & had obviously been done quickly in time for the Christmas spend up. Once though, we wouldn't have had the understanding to explain our dissatisfaction with the product. It is a good reminder too of how much "dumbed down" our palates have become, as a lot of commercially produced food is really sub-standard to the real home produced food, & it shows in taste & quality. I really admire Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's approach (http://www.rivercottage.net/) & his huge success, & have found that his philosophy on food certainly resonates with me, despite the more difficult climate here.
On a food note, we are now eating new potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, sorrel, rocket, broccoli, zuccini, fennel, blackberries, peaches, apples & herbs (parsley, chives, coriander, mint etc); & have planted out a whole new batch of seeds (peas, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, etc). The tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuces & red cabbage are coming on, as are the parsnips (will not harvest until the first frost has come though). The piglets are getting bigger & pushier, the hens have started to lay again, & my chicks are growing up (more Buff Orpingtons due to hatch this week). The 4 Dexter cross calves are growing up, & we have 3 new alpaca crias - Magnolia, Silvester & Cleo - 2 whites & 1 dark fawn, & all healthy & well.
Talking to a neighbour recently showed very clearly how depression is a very real problem for farmers: it is very expensive to keep stock alive (with buying feed & water), & cattle prices are very very low - impossible to make any profit at all, & the continuing drought & daily confrontation with the impacts of climate change as seen in the plants & animals under the farmer's stewardship, well who wouldn't be depressed? I know myself that having some green trees in our immediate landscape are immensely reassuring when everything else is brown & looks dead - it is easy to slip into a mindset of death when it looks like even the soil is dead. So it is constantly necessary to remind oneself of the adaptability of the natural world, that the soil is an immense seed bank, & that system resilience is available when the weather changes. It is still very confronting though, & difficult sometimes to remain optimistic. The gap between city life & the food production environment is so huge, & there is so little understanding (apparently, & generally speaking) of the real cost of food from the producer's viewpoint. It is always encouraging to see the renewed interest in eating local food, & the numbers of people increasing their locavore (consumption of food grown within 100 miles of where they live) habits, but it really does take commitment, especially when imported food or food grown outside the region is cheaper than local food.
I have also been thinking about the easiness of a life distant from that connection with food production - always a topic of interest as the harvesting of our food increases in intensity! The seduction & temptation of supermarket shopping, & meals & menus designed around recipes rather that what is locally available - it is a much easier life. But, I think (most of the time) that having the close connection with my food chain is more rewarding, & is certainly challenging on all fronts, including intellectually. Learning some basic butchering skills & about curing & preserving a wide range of pork products has been interesting, & we are about to have another learning opportunity as our piglets are ready for slaughter. The last lot of pork we grew ourselves was delicious, including the bacon & the hams. Over Christmas, we had to buy a supermarket ham, & for the first time ever realised how badly it was cured - it was an expensive one, but was soaking wet, & had obviously been done quickly in time for the Christmas spend up. Once though, we wouldn't have had the understanding to explain our dissatisfaction with the product. It is a good reminder too of how much "dumbed down" our palates have become, as a lot of commercially produced food is really sub-standard to the real home produced food, & it shows in taste & quality. I really admire Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's approach (http://www.rivercottage.net/) & his huge success, & have found that his philosophy on food certainly resonates with me, despite the more difficult climate here.
On a food note, we are now eating new potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, sorrel, rocket, broccoli, zuccini, fennel, blackberries, peaches, apples & herbs (parsley, chives, coriander, mint etc); & have planted out a whole new batch of seeds (peas, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, etc). The tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuces & red cabbage are coming on, as are the parsnips (will not harvest until the first frost has come though). The piglets are getting bigger & pushier, the hens have started to lay again, & my chicks are growing up (more Buff Orpingtons due to hatch this week). The 4 Dexter cross calves are growing up, & we have 3 new alpaca crias - Magnolia, Silvester & Cleo - 2 whites & 1 dark fawn, & all healthy & well.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Peaches & Rare Breeds
We picked all of our peaches on Saturday - it was us or the birds, so drastic action was necessary! We have a whole fruit box full, now ripening on the back verandah, so Peach Melba is looking like the dessert of choice for our Australia Day Party. Although, this morning started very cold & windy, & so we lit a fire in the dining room, so I still need to contemplate warm desserts too for the party.
Still waiting for my rat zapper to arrive, but we've caught 2 so far using the basic black rat traps. The predatory birds have been having a go at my chicks too, so I have strung up bird netting through the trees on their pen to reduce their pouncing zone, but they are smarter than the chicks & just bide their time until the chicks leave the safe zone. This season sure has been full of learnings about chicken breeding & raising, that's for sure. One good thing is that it has made me really focus on what I am doing & why, & I had a look at the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia website yesterday http://www.rbta.org/, & the Buff Orpingtons are listed there, so my decision to breed them is reinforced. I was sad to see that the Gloucester Old Spot pigs are not available in Australia - they have always been my pig of choice, but it looks like I won't be able to get them without importing them. Anyway, having Saddleback/Landrace crosses are also a good choice, but I can see that if I want to contribute to the genetic ark in my patch of the woods, I'll need to source purebreeds, even to raise.
We found a new cria in the paddock on Saturday - Sylvester, born to the beautiful Honey, & another unexpected birth. There was obviously a very cunning alpaca plan last Summer, involving Kluger (the stud male) jumping into the girl's paddock, & then jumping back to his own paddock, without the humans knowing. Anyway, I am starting to look at all of the other females in the paddock with a more careful eye -there could me more on the way!
Still waiting for my rat zapper to arrive, but we've caught 2 so far using the basic black rat traps. The predatory birds have been having a go at my chicks too, so I have strung up bird netting through the trees on their pen to reduce their pouncing zone, but they are smarter than the chicks & just bide their time until the chicks leave the safe zone. This season sure has been full of learnings about chicken breeding & raising, that's for sure. One good thing is that it has made me really focus on what I am doing & why, & I had a look at the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia website yesterday http://www.rbta.org/, & the Buff Orpingtons are listed there, so my decision to breed them is reinforced. I was sad to see that the Gloucester Old Spot pigs are not available in Australia - they have always been my pig of choice, but it looks like I won't be able to get them without importing them. Anyway, having Saddleback/Landrace crosses are also a good choice, but I can see that if I want to contribute to the genetic ark in my patch of the woods, I'll need to source purebreeds, even to raise.
We found a new cria in the paddock on Saturday - Sylvester, born to the beautiful Honey, & another unexpected birth. There was obviously a very cunning alpaca plan last Summer, involving Kluger (the stud male) jumping into the girl's paddock, & then jumping back to his own paddock, without the humans knowing. Anyway, I am starting to look at all of the other females in the paddock with a more careful eye -there could me more on the way!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Calling all Pied Pipers
Rats, rats, they're driving me bats .... A late night visit to Chookingham Palace last week explained why the smallest chicks have been vanishing overnight - at least 20 large well fed rats were swarming everywhere up & down vertical walls, literally flowing over obstacles, & little chicks were obviously no match. So, we have moved the Buff Orpingtons into Britannia, our mobile pen, & moved them to the paddock east of the house, & after a temporary stay in a high security pen behind the sheds, the chicks are now sleeping in catboxes inside a small mobile pen inside electronet near the Buff Orpingtons. This morning, all of the smallest ones were outside the electronet running around everywhere, but there seems to be good overhead protection from bird predators during the day time. Our cats were a bit interested in the chicks (they came with me on my morning rounds), so we just hope the feral cats don't come out during the daytime. I seem to have spent so much time over the last week either on my knees catching chicks or making a high security zone or walking around the 5 chicken locations carrying feed, water, bowls etc - a bit tiring in the heat, that's for sure. An elderly bantam Langshan hen died yesterday in the hot winds, but all other hens have stayed in the shade, & have done well.
The peach season is well in progress, & we bottled a box of peaches last week - lovely plump yellow freestones. Our own peaches are white clingstones with a beautiful flavour, & are ripening on the trees now, but again without netting, it's the birds vs me for who gets the most. We are harvesting the next of our apple trees - absolutely delicious too, although they don't keep so well. The raspberries have largely finished their first fruiting, but will fruit again in Autumn, & the thornless blackberries are ripening in the courtyard. I'll have to keep a close eye on my labrador - she likes berries, & is a good guide to when they are ripe enough to eat! On the vege front, some of the Pontiac & Kipfler potatoes have been harvested & are absolutely delicious, & there are lots of sweet carrots, broccoli & silverbeet & plenty of herbs to enjoy. The tomatoes are starting to show fruit, & the lettuces are getting bigger too, as are the zucchini & pumpkin plants.
Thanks to the help of our house guests & 3 days from our new farm worker, the kitchen garden is looking great - all weeded, & mulched, with lots of things growing. I will do some more planting of veges this week - direct sowing in the beds, & also into seed trays in the shadehouse. After the wonderful rain we enjoyed between Christmas & New Year, we have planted some 212 trees - mixed natives, tagasaste, some fruit/nuts & some deciduous shady trees too. We put them in the west laneway (windbreak zone) & in Ruby paddock along the fenceline (both fire retardant & windbreak zone) & in the kitchen garden & grounds of Chookingham Palace. This has also meant that a lot of plants have been cleared out of the shadehouse, so that is looking tidier & there are more vacant spots ready for potting up both cuttings & planting seeds. We watered most of them yesterday using the tank on the fire trailer, & it took a couple of hours, so hopefully we'll get some rain soon.
The piglets are growing well, & are getting quite big & boisterous. There was a bit of an accident last week which resulted in a chick being covered in sticky porridge with a pig bite on its back - all ended well, with the pigs finishing their breakfast in peace, the hooligan chicks learning a bit of respect for piglet mealtimes, & one chick having a dettol bath & a mercurochrome sponge followed by several days recuperation back in the brooder box with the last batch of bantam chicks hatched for a friend. The bantam chicks were very happy - they had a "mum" for a while to snuggle underneath, & the injured chick had some restful company for a while - it's now back with its friends in the hooligan gang!
After losing our alpaca matriarch Marli on Boxing Day, we had an unexpected cria arrive on New Year's Day - Magnolia. She is a beautiful dark brown, & is healthy & well, as is her mum (Aussie Girl), despite the lack of special pregnancy care. All of last year's crias/tuis are still with their mums, & they think Magnolia is wonderful - plenty of babysitters! The Dexter cross calves are also growing well, & Shadow has fostered himself successfully to the other 3 cows with calves, so whilst he is noticeably thinner than the other calves, he is still thriving. I am certainly glad I haven't needed to feed him twice a day whilst dealing with the rat problem & the chicks.
Any good thoughts for Pied Pipers (or equivalents) & rain would be appreciated!
The peach season is well in progress, & we bottled a box of peaches last week - lovely plump yellow freestones. Our own peaches are white clingstones with a beautiful flavour, & are ripening on the trees now, but again without netting, it's the birds vs me for who gets the most. We are harvesting the next of our apple trees - absolutely delicious too, although they don't keep so well. The raspberries have largely finished their first fruiting, but will fruit again in Autumn, & the thornless blackberries are ripening in the courtyard. I'll have to keep a close eye on my labrador - she likes berries, & is a good guide to when they are ripe enough to eat! On the vege front, some of the Pontiac & Kipfler potatoes have been harvested & are absolutely delicious, & there are lots of sweet carrots, broccoli & silverbeet & plenty of herbs to enjoy. The tomatoes are starting to show fruit, & the lettuces are getting bigger too, as are the zucchini & pumpkin plants.
Thanks to the help of our house guests & 3 days from our new farm worker, the kitchen garden is looking great - all weeded, & mulched, with lots of things growing. I will do some more planting of veges this week - direct sowing in the beds, & also into seed trays in the shadehouse. After the wonderful rain we enjoyed between Christmas & New Year, we have planted some 212 trees - mixed natives, tagasaste, some fruit/nuts & some deciduous shady trees too. We put them in the west laneway (windbreak zone) & in Ruby paddock along the fenceline (both fire retardant & windbreak zone) & in the kitchen garden & grounds of Chookingham Palace. This has also meant that a lot of plants have been cleared out of the shadehouse, so that is looking tidier & there are more vacant spots ready for potting up both cuttings & planting seeds. We watered most of them yesterday using the tank on the fire trailer, & it took a couple of hours, so hopefully we'll get some rain soon.
The piglets are growing well, & are getting quite big & boisterous. There was a bit of an accident last week which resulted in a chick being covered in sticky porridge with a pig bite on its back - all ended well, with the pigs finishing their breakfast in peace, the hooligan chicks learning a bit of respect for piglet mealtimes, & one chick having a dettol bath & a mercurochrome sponge followed by several days recuperation back in the brooder box with the last batch of bantam chicks hatched for a friend. The bantam chicks were very happy - they had a "mum" for a while to snuggle underneath, & the injured chick had some restful company for a while - it's now back with its friends in the hooligan gang!
After losing our alpaca matriarch Marli on Boxing Day, we had an unexpected cria arrive on New Year's Day - Magnolia. She is a beautiful dark brown, & is healthy & well, as is her mum (Aussie Girl), despite the lack of special pregnancy care. All of last year's crias/tuis are still with their mums, & they think Magnolia is wonderful - plenty of babysitters! The Dexter cross calves are also growing well, & Shadow has fostered himself successfully to the other 3 cows with calves, so whilst he is noticeably thinner than the other calves, he is still thriving. I am certainly glad I haven't needed to feed him twice a day whilst dealing with the rat problem & the chicks.
Any good thoughts for Pied Pipers (or equivalents) & rain would be appreciated!
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