Wild Roots Homestead

Butchering Dairy Goats for Meat

2012-01-23T19:59:00.000-09:00

We are entering our fifth year raising dairy goats. Initially we did not intend to ever eat our goats. Our plan was to raise does for milk (make cheese), keep two bucks for breeding and sell all the wethered males as pets, pack or companion animals. At first we wanted to find good homes for the boys and didn't want to sell them for meat except as a last resort. From where I stand now, the flaw in this plan is that there is a low demand for wethered (neutered) male goats, and lack of people who will actually take good care of a non-producing goat. Our experiences have been that people don't take good care of male goats. Potential buyers come out to visit the herd, they talk about their barn, how they'll buy good hay and feed them grain, etc. On one occasion I got a call mid winter that one of the wethers died overnight. They had no idea why. After further investigation, it looks like they didn't have warm enough shelter, and were underfed, so a combination of death by starvation/freezing. After a couple of negative selling experiences we decided that it would be better to sell the wethers to someone who is going to butcher them responsibly as opposed to selling them to owners who are not going to care for them properly.

In the last five years we have gone from eating a mostly vegetarian diet to eating lots of locally and self raised meat, chickens, ducks, turkey and then game given to us, moose and caribou making up our red meat. So, it only made sense that we take the next logical approach and try our own goat meat. This summer we butchered our first goat for meat. She was a three year old doe who had never had a noticeable heat cycle. She was our first goat that we did not breed the first year and we fed her grain when she was younger. I suspect that she got too fat, and it affected her ability to go into heat.

I'm not going to give a step by step of how to kill and butcher a goat. And you don't have to keep reading if you don't want to go here. However I will go over the basics. My brother does my dirty work. We separate the goat from the herd, offer them tasties, weeds or grain, then he shoots them in the back of the head with a twenty-two pistol, and slits their throat. The next step is hanging them up, skinning and gutting them, which I help with. Our first doe went from alive to wrapped and packaged into the freezer in about four hours. This fall, we let the wether carcases sit in a cool area overnight before cutting them up. In the future, I think that we will butcher goats according to the outdoor temperature, so that we can age the meat for two to three days or more before cutting and packaging.

Our plan from now on is to keep a handful of wethers. Leave them on their dams for the first ten weeks. Separate them into their own pen and feed them hay and garden trimmings until late October/early November. This next year we are not going to neuter them, as they should grow faster and bigger. We'll just have to experiment and see if the young bucks are more flavorful than the the neutered males.

I should have written this post while the details of cutting up meat was still fresh in my mind. My brother played around with different ways of cutting the ribs. Usually a bone saw is used to cut the ribs and get goat chops (lamb chops) My brother used a hand saw with a blade for cutting wood. This worked pretty well.

When it was all said and done we had 65 pounds of bone in meat from two seven month old wethers. I am guessing we got close to the same amount of meat off the three year old doe - maybe fifty pounds of bone in meat. As far as taste goes, we have been surprised and honestly, thrilled at how tasty the meat is (never having eaten goat before).

Some key details to keep in mind when thinking about butchering and eating goat meat, is that the goats are small compared to cows and moose etc. So most of the cuts have bones in them, lots of bone surrounded by a little meat. Most of the cuts are better slow cooked in stews, braised roasts, curries or ground up. All of our slow cooked goat meals start the same way, well salted and peppered goat roast seared in oil, on medium high heat all around. Then add garlic, onions and liquid, chicken stock, beer or wine. My favorite flavorings are a little molasses, fresh rosemary and thyme, dijon, whiskey and chicken broth. Other favorites are BBQ pulled goat meat, and red wine and fresh thyme braise with vegetables. When I'm not in the mood to deal with bones at the dinner table, I follow the same steps, but pull the meat out and after it cools, cut all the meat off the bone and return chunks of meat to the pan and reheat before serving. We have done a couple dry leg roasts in the oven that have turned out good. The key to keeping it tender seems to be to cook it to medium rare. I might even try a salt brine the next time we do a dry roast, to increase juiciness and flavor.

We have eaten some cuts; ribs, tenderloin, backstrap, goat chops, cooked fast and hot on the grill or pan seared and finished in the oven. These cuts, seasoned well and cooked fast, are our favorites and come closest to being steak like in texture and flavor - only we are usually gnawing around a bone at the end.

A note on goatiness/ game taste. The meat usually doesn't taste very goaty to us. The exception to this is when I reheat leftovers and there is an excess of fat. To remedy this, I cut most the excess fat off before cooking, and then after a braised dish cools down, I skim the fat off before reheating. Some of the fat on the better cuts tastes milder and is good enough that I often find myself tasting bits of fat to check if they are goaty or not before discarding. Some of our friends and family appreciate the goaty/ gamey taste. My brother has hunted Dall sheep over the last few years. When I taste the fat on the Dall sheep, it tastes very buck like to me. I don't care for it. I did render down a batch of lard from our first doe who had armloads of fat inside. I have yet to use it. I am planing on making soap with it and trying it in pie crust for meat pies.

Final thoughts. Local goat meat is selling for around five to six dollars a pound at Home Grown Market. When local goat owners sell live goats for meat, I believe the hoof on price is $1.75 a pound. Given that we are working towards a self sufficient lifestyle and that we are meat eaters, it only makes sense that we eat our culled animals. The most difficult part about eating goat, is actually killing the animals. They are intelligent and friendly animals. They can easily become pets and close friends. They are also expensive to feed and house. They are time consuming to care for. The more pets, animals, livestock, goats you have, the less attention each animal gets. As a herd owner, I think that butchering and eating your extra wethers is doable, worthwhile, practical, and while not the easiest decisions to make, it sure is nice to have a stockpile of your own red meat in the freezer.

Surviving

2012-01-12T21:52:00.000-09:00

What do Fairbanksans do in January? We either escape to warmer locations or hunker down and survive. Just about all our close friends and family are or have been in Mexico, Florida or Hawaii this month. January is the month to leave, after the holidays, dark and cold. The best timed winter vacations are when you get back and there is noticeably more light which is why the population of Fairbanks takes a dive in January.

Those of us who remain here toughing out the most dreary days of the year, well we hunker down and survive bouts of cabin fever. We just came off a couple weeks of twenty to forty below zero. The last few days have seen single digits in either direction which have felt balmy. It was a lovely break from the brutal cold, which is back where we are headed. D spent the warm weather wisely, stocking us up on water and wood.

I forget how much work it takes just to survive thi time of year. A significant portion of each day is spent feeding, watering and caring for all the animals. We've got close to a few feet of snow, and the steep narrow trails turn treacherous this time of year; step six inches off the packed down path and end up in a snow drift up to your thigh. The snow is pretty but it makes for so much more work, clearing stairs and paths, knocking and brushing snow off the hay shelters and then there is the quarter mile long driveway. D spends a couple hours a day outside chopping and hauling wood indoors and hauling and pumping water for the house. Survival.

My inner candle is still burning brightly. As much as I would love to transport myself somewhere tropical for an indulgent dose of sunshine, well I've been treating myself by taking it easy. I am usually cooking up elaborate meals this time of year. Instead, I've been spending my free time reading young adult fantasy novels (no laughing please - my husband teases me plenty). In my defense, it has been a lovely escape, and much cheaper than a tropical vacation.

This is the month for dreaming and resting. Next month I'll start planning a little more seriously, placing seed and chick orders etc. I am just getting around to picking up the seed catalogs. Today the kids and I looked through the first catalogs and they showed me what flowers they want to grow this year in their gardens. Their lists are long and are going to entail quite a bit of negotiating. Noah wants to grow watermelon which has been a temptation for me for some time. I'm drawn to the white and apricot fruited varieties. I'm thinking we may have to try one of the shortest cold season varieties, in the greenhouse inside another greenhouse:) My main thoughts are more shelling peas, pumpkins, some different flower varieties and more medicinal herbs.

Considering the fact that the kids have only left the house twice since Christmas, they are surviving these dark days in good spirits. We have been putting together lots of puzzles, playing lots of card and board games, and having daily lesson time where Noah and I work on math or reading and writing. We have a couple simple science projects in the works, he is keeping watch over some beans that are growing and avacados sprouting in water. We've also been having music time weekly where I pull down the instruments and we all play, dance and sing.

The sun is so low on the horizon that we are getting daylight from about ten to three p.m. Our property hasn't seen the sun since I can't remember, late November I think. But I know when it comes back; about February eleventh it will peak over the tops of the south row of spruce and hit the greenhouse and chicken coop for a half hour, and then it is noticeably sunnier from there on. Someday we will face south, and bask in the sun even on the shortest day of the year. For now, our wood stove and Christmas lights bring cheer into our home, and of course, our inner candles are burning brightly still.

A year in pictures

2012-01-01T18:57:00.000-09:00

Here is a collection of pictures from this past year. If you've been following along for a while, you've probably already seen most of these. But I thought I'd share some of my favorites again, starting with this goat walk picture from last spring.

Ah, last winter's get away.

I took this picture yesterday. Can you tell my cheeks are cold? It is about twenty-five below zero outside.

Best wishes to you all in the coming year.

Solstice celebration and Christmas preparations

2011-12-24T14:00:00.001-09:00

Decorating cookies.

Candlemaking, beeswax tapers.

Compiling various homemade gifts, soap, candles, lotion, lip balm and felted purses and other creations.

I have never worked much with wool until this winter. The easiest quickest things to make ended up being purses. I wet felted sheets during the day and after the kids went to bed, I would needle felt, sew the sides and add a clasp or button.

We celebrated solstice with a bonfire, marshmallows, a few fireworks, glow rings and night sledding.

Happy late Solstice, Merry Christmas and best wishes for your Holiday Season!

Morning goat milking routine

2011-12-13T22:34:00.001-09:00

Our goat milking routine and our milking area have evolved dramatically over the past four years. Prior to milking my own goats, I had never milked a goat or seen anyone milk a goat. I learned by trial and error, after reading online about how to milk a goat. Thankfully I have a local goat expert I was able to consult when I had challenges such as what to do when the new milkers were putting on a rodeo while I tried to milk them.

My first summer milking the does, I milked on any level place I could find in the garden, that was in the sun, as the mosquitoes are not as bad away from the shade. I moved the milk stand into the greenhouse, in between the tomatoes and winter squash when it rained. In the winter, I milked outside their pen, in as cold of weather as thirty below zero. I tried milking in their stall, but it was too much work to move the stand in and out. When I tried to leave it in their stall, they ate it.

My second summer, I milked inside a large tent that had a roof with mesh walls. It kept the rain and mosquitoes out. The doe stall and milking tent were above the garden which is about a hundred steep yards above the house. I would walk up with Avery on my back, either carrying the totes, pail and teat dip, and Noah walking along beside, or I'd pull behind a wagon. Either way, it was a tremendous amount of work just to get up the hill. When I look back on it, I think I was absolutely crazy - maybe I still am. I did have friend's coming up a couple days out of the week to help with milking, so I think I usually was just up there three to four days a week with both kids. I kept a play and pack in the tent in which I'd put nine month Avery in when she'd let me. Otherwise she was on my back. I would bob up and down singing to pacify her. Two year old Noah was often a big help shaking rattles for her and such. That winter we moved the does into a barn below our house. I was able to milk in an unheated, uninsulated, door-less structure, that at least kept the wind and snow out.

This last year has been more of the same. Until this fall when the structure-(the downstairs to our new addition on to our current house - he calls it "the man cave") now boasts windows, a door, slate floor and most impressively; a large efficient wood stove.

Our milking area is going to continue to change and improve for some time, as I imagine will our milking and feeding regime. But this is where we are at now. The above picture is what our current grain mixture looks like on morning three after soaking and almost sprouting the grains.

Morning 1, Soak 3pts whole barley, 2 pts whole oats, 2 pts black oil sunflower seeds, 1 pt hard red winter wheat berries. Stir in 1/2 cup home brewed kombucha vinegar. (about 32 cups grain, guessing about nine pounds?)
Night 1, drain grains into five gallon bucket with holes, inside a hole less five gallon bucket.
Morning 2, rinse grains and leave sit till the following morning.
Morning 3 stir in 1/4 cup molasses, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup Diamond V Nutritional yeast supplement. I feed each milker 8-10 cups of grain mixture, about 2 - 21/2 pounds

Note, as the grain soak and swell, the weight of the grain increases. I usually have several cups leftover of soaked grain mix. I take it up to the bucks when I'm done milking, who each get between two and three cups. The chickens also get a couple scoops most mornings. Usually the sunflower seeds are sprouted. If I wait another morning the oats and barley sprout, but by then the grains are starting to get a bit funky, which the does do not like. In the future I may play around with drying the rinsed grains in a shallower wider tub that allows for better air circulation. I recently added the vinegar to help combat funky grains - and I figured it could only help improve digestion and nutritional value.

I have two does that look like they could use some extra calories, and I often give them extra grain. I recently bought a bag of beet pulp that I've been introducing slowly. When the goats are done with their grain I put a cup of beet pulp in their dish. Some of them eat it and some don't, but they seem to be growing more fond of it. I have heard that it should help keep the weight on. The main concern seems to be that all beet pulp is made from genetically modified beets. Right now, I'm more concerned with providing food that meets their nutritional needs.

In addition to the grain, the goats receive Brome hay, free choice, twice daily, Alfalfa nightly, about a couple pounds per head. They have mineral feeders with Sweetlix dairy goat mineral supplement, baking soda and kelp granules.

Here is just a random shot of what I've got thawing, soaking and sprouting the morning I was taking pictures. On the left is a gallon of Copper River Red fish eggs, thawing for the chickens. I've been feeding about a gallon a week in an attempt to meet their protein needs- they love em. In the middle are organic whole peas soaking for the chickens, another protein boost. On the right is the next day's goat grain ration.

I am slightly embarrassed to take pictures from this angle, not because of goat's hind ends, but rather for how messy the other end of the room is. But it is a work in progress. We currently do not have a garage, or very many places to store things safely, out of the rain, snow and cold etc. So at the end of the room are our back up refrigerator, two chest freezers (which will someday be outside), and lots of tools. The far side of this room will be our future milk area, with a poured concrete floor and drains, as opposed to the slate floor, which was intended for the family/game room, currently the milking area.

Zuri on the right and her ADOPTED daughter, Bali on the left. For the last six weeks or so, I've been bringing out the doelings with the milkers, to get them used to the milking stand, and get them handled frequently. We tend to handle the doelings a lot their first few months, and then slack off. They turn into wild things quickly. Last year we had three first fresheners. Zuri was amazing about behaving on the milk stand. Asia was ok. Zinnia has been horrible, but is now much improved. I take the blame for not handling her enough as a yearling. She did not want us near her kids nor herself. She would try and bite us when we first starting milking her. Most mornings with Zinnia are uneventful, but she tends to be a bit jumpy and gets nervous easily. I don't think I am ever going to make the time to work with Zinnia through her fear's, which I why I am most likely selling her this spring. Anyway, I have learned from my mistakes, and we are now handling the doelings daily in hopes that they will be more bonded with us during their first labors, and better behaved milkers from the start.

Milk pail under goat, ready for milking. I'm a huge fan of this half moon lid, keeps most debris out. Before I start to milk, I clean the does teats and udder with a warm soapy rag, (solution of tea tree oil, grape fruit seed extract and lavender Dr. Bronners hemp castille soap). I discard the first few streams of milk into an old quart yogurt tub just for that purpose, but I have plans to buy a stainless steel strip cup with the woven mesh inset soon.

Bali, who is the only doeling I am definitely not planning on breeding this year. She was born in April and the runt of triplets and is just too small.

This is how I cool the milk while I milk the rest of the does. It works very well. Cold water, ice packs. I happen to have chest freezer space close by which makes this more convenient than if I had to carry them from the house.

To any non farmer, this area looks a mess. But just about everything here is needed; medical supplies, nutritional supplements, gallon jars of dried herbs and legumes for sprouting, etc. Note my gallon jar of teat dip, left on the counter, my notebook in which I write down everyone's yield, and my clean pail and tote top right.

Bramble Rose left, and dam, Rose on right.

Above, is the notorious Zinnia. I don't mean to make her sound horrible. She can be very sweet. I think she is a very pretty doe, and her udder and teats are great for a first timer. One teat is lopsided because of an incident with her doelings nursing on only one side early on. The milk flows out easily which is one of the best parts.

Xanadu on the left, Zinnia on the right. I usually finish milking the does before they finish their grain, so I stagger them. I take the doeling out and bring the next doe in. I started with Bramble and Rose, then took Bramble out, gave Rose extra grain, brought Zinnia in, then took Rose out, gave Zinnia extra grain and brought Xan in. They don't always eat all their grain, and I don't always think they need extra, it just depends on the goat and how they are looking to me that day.

After all the does are back in their pen, I toss hay, haul water, sometimes sweep and mop depending on how wet the floor already is, then put the ice packs back and haul the milk and used towels up to the house. I didn't always chill the milk and instead would process milk and then have to go back out and clean up, toss hay etc. The milk cools better in the cooler than it does in the fridge or sitting outside or in the snow, so I don't feel as rushed any more to get the milk processed as it is chilling already. Usually I mix and rinse grain in between milking goats, so that is done already. I take a bucket of extra grain up to the chickens and bucks.

And that is a typical morning. As always I am interested in how other goat owners go about things, so feel free to add in your two cents, or to ask any questions if I left anything out.

Darkest of Days

2011-12-03T22:19:00.003-09:00

If I'd been listening to the news, I would know down to the minute how much light we received today. Instead I'm going to guess about five and a half hours of total daylight, which was not very light at all, but rather a dusky gray sort of day, getting dimmer before I'd hardly finished my outside chores. I haven't seen the sun in several days, but it has been very warm (for us), twenties, both are results of the overcast skies, which keep the heat in and and the sun out.

I've been promising informational posts for some time now, and alas, this is just another update of how we are surviving these dark winter days. The truth is that I've made some significant changes in our daily routine, namely reducing and almost eliminating television from the kid's day. Television is now reserved for sick days, special family movie nights, emergencies and breeding goats (D and I go up the hill to wrangle goats and the kid's get a bonus). We have replaced morning PBS t.v. with quality family time, morning songs, stories and visiting. At times the transition was rough, but now the kids are playing better than ever. The kids are spending so much time playing so well together (we are talking hours upstairs playing legos) that I am loathed but forced to interrupt them for meals and lessons. I use to write first thing in the morning while the kid's watched t.v. and I drank my tea. Now, I seem to hit the ground running, making and serving breakfast before my tea has cooled. Then out to do farm chores, which is where I find my solace.

I have been thinking that I have too much going on in my life. I spend too much time feeding and caring for animals, and not enough time with my family. I need to be a wife and mother first, and a farmer second. I am not sure what needs to go or if anything does. I do know that I must spend more time with my children. I am around them all day, but I am cleaning and cooking, while they play on their own. I am reminding myself daily to go simpler on the meals, and not get overly ambitious in the kitchen. We don't need three hot meals a day. The kids would rather have me as a playmate than have elaborate meals.

Homeschooling has been a welcome addition to our daily routine. I am really enjoying sitting down and working with Noah. I am planning lots of crafts and activities to do together with the kids. This week Noah and I learned how to finger knit. Dustin surprised me with our first Christmas tree this week. In the past we've decorated potted Norfolk pines and cut out paper trees and taped them to the wall. Never felt like we had the room for a tree. Guess we got tired of waiting to have the space so we made it happen. Today we made homemade ornaments for the Christmas tree out of play dough that we cut out with cookie cutters, baked and then painted. I also made a wreath out of the trees lower boughs for the table, and attempted to make a nativity scene out of play dough which didn't quite work out as I intended. I have bought beeswax in bulk for dipping candles, natural wool roving for felting projects and wool animals, and some small wood figurines to make nativity scene characters.

In the evenings I have been knitting gifts, reading, or indulging in movies with Dustin. I am already thinking that I should start next year's Christmas gifts this coming January. As there is so much I want to make and I am not very realistic. I have red yarn for a neck warmer for Noah. I bought some specialty buttons, in combination with the wool roving I'm planning on making a wallet for Noah and a purse for Avery. I also wanted to make them some dress up hats, masks or crowns as they spend half their days playing pirates or knights and princesses.

Here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving and Dark days:

kid's felting coil bracelet's

Our twenty-four pound turkey hen. Brined with salt and herbs, stuffed and rubbed with herbs. It was a lovely as a turkey gets, thanks to my mom who cooked it perfectly.

The prettiest rolls I've ever made.

Avery, cousin Aiden and Noah.

Tips for anyone feeling down from the dark days: get outside if you can while it is light, light candles when you are inside, bake cookies, start a good book or a new craft, curl up with a seed catalog - I've already gotten two! Get together with friends for a meal, simmer up some mulled spiced wine or cider - add a splash of dark rum or not, if the sun doesn't hit your house, drive your car somewhere and park and let the sun shine on your face while you close your eyes and dream of lying on the beach. If all else fails; go to the tanning beds - seriously.

I almost forgot, last night we saw the Aurora for the first time this year. A long green ribbon trailing across the north sky, undulating this way and that. Hello dark winter nights.

Winter farm pictures

2011-11-17T10:09:00.001-09:00

With our first cold snap of the season, we are hunkering down here in the Interior of Alaska. Today is thirty below zero in town. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the thermometer I bought last winter only goes down to twenty below. It has been bottomed out for the last couple days, so I can only guess. We usually have a temperature inversion which results in warmer temperatures in the hills, but sometimes the inversion is slow to kick in, as has been the case this week. Fortunately the kids and I have not had to leave for town all week. We've been keeping the wood stove going non stop and cooking and baking lots of good food.

I took the camera along on my morning chore walk the other day. Starting in the picture above is Rose on the milk stand and her doeling Bramble in the door way. This is a view from the middle of the room, with our new wood stove on the left, entrance on the right, all my goat stuff in the back right, goat stands in the middle, and on the very far right you can see a corner of my grain table, where I mix and doll out grain. This is my milk
setup for this winter. Maybe by next year I'll be in the back of the room, where we have plans for a cement floor with a drain and sinks with plumbing.

Up until just a couple weeks ago I thought all the goats were looking really good. Rose and a couple of the other milkers are starting to look a little thin, as are my bucks. I'm feeding the does more alfalfa and the bucks are getting more grain. Maybe we'll be making some more changes in how we are feeding here soon in an attempt to get everyone looking better.

Blue, one of Zinnia's two doelings.

Avalon, our yearling, looking quite well going into winter- maybe overly plump - who will hopefully be kidding for the first time in April.

Heated duck/goose waterer.

Rosie, our friendly goose in front of her indoor shelter.

Hodgepodge of ducks, that we hatched this spring.

Some of our layers, in the front some new black sexlinks that just started laying, thankfully. The egg drought is over.

Ducks drinking warm water. This is through two fences. On my way up to the chickens I turned around and saw them all running to their water, and turned to get a shot. The heater that is in their water takes up 120 watts of electricity. I haul about three gallons of water up the hill daily for these ten ducks and two geese. Our twenty chickens, on the other hand, go through about three gallons every four days or so. This is one of my biggest complaints about the waterfowl this time of year, just too much water hauling up the hill.

Bucks up the hill.

Looking down at the poultry coop. This started out as a horse hovel. Then after dirt work the ceiling was pretty high. After selling my horse, we decided to use the pre-existing structure and we turned it into a two story dwelling. The bottom shelter has a dirt floor, is smaller and is better insulated. We are thinking of keeping less waterfowl and instead, keeping chickens on both levels.

Every year, I get bitten with a new bug, the goat bug, chicken bug, turkey then ducks then the geese bug. Some bugs I manage to quell. For I while I was set on raising pigs and that has gone on the wayside. This year I have been looking at rabbits, Nubians, Angoras or Shetland Sheep for fiber and different breeds of chickens. I am just dreaming. I don't think I'm going to allow myself to get into any more species this year, but it is fun to dream. In reality, I'm thinking more bee hives and more chickens, less waterfowl. Keep it simple.

Meeting our meat, egg, dairy needs, and animal numbers

2011-11-12T23:11:00.001-09:00

It is four p.m. It is fast becoming dark, and will be completely so within the hour. All afternoon I have been enjoying looking out the windows and watching large snow flakes drift in slow motion to meet the existing snow mounded on every surface. The woods surrounding our home are the perfect picture of winter. The Birch and Spruce trees are much improved outlined in their white snowy garments.

Our winter's and summers are as different as night and day. For six months out of the year I forget the moon and stars completely. I have no clue if the moon is full or new in the summer. We are so busy during the warm light months that I scarcely spare a thought for the dark cold winter days. This time of year, the daylight we lose daily is almost discernible. Each day is shorter than the last. Our hours of true sunny light are few. Here on our north west facing hillside, the sun does not hit our property for the next few months. Most daylight hours are gray and dim. And yet, somehow it does not bother us (yet). The ambiance of the clear glass fronted wood stove and lit candles on the counters and table do much for our spirits. Each year that I live I am more aware and in tune with the natural rhythm of this world. Both the climate we live in and the lifestyle we have chosen contribute to this consciousness which I am thankful for.

In between making feta and shaping french baguettes, the kids and I fit in a home school lesson, played princes and princesses; during which we had a ball where Noah danced with the available princesses and chose a bride, I married Prince Noah to Princess Avery and then we all fended off an attack on the castle by pirates. If I paint a rosy picture, it is not a result of pretensions, but a reflection of my true contentment with this life. If there is one thing I will complain about, it is that there are not enough hours in the day. We are sleeping in later, going to bed earlier. I do not attempt to make this life seem easy. My kitchen and play time are fit in between outside chores, sometimes breeding, butchering or delivering animals. Dustin and I take turns, each spending at least a couple hours outside doing chores; he chops the wood and hauls the water, I milk, feed and water the animals. He builds and fixes our homes, animal shelters, fencing and feeders. He clears the snow from our 1/4 mile driveway and trail system on foot with a snow blower. We both dream of ways to improve our homestead.

This week was a busy one. We took turns cleaning out bedding from the doe barn. Now our outdoors smells worse than usual, as we couldn't get all the stinky deep pack bedding as far from the house as usual. Dustin was asking what we can do about the smell, I said soon it will be cold enough, it will freeze and no longer smell - till spring :) We bred three goats this week, Rose, Zinnia and Avalon. Everyone has been in heat. The does have been rambunctious to say the least. My brother came up and killed and butchered two male goat wethers for us. I helped cut up the meat last night, and I took lots of pictures - post coming soon. We are eating fresh goat back-strap tonight, tenderloin and goat chops in the coming days.

I've been wanting to give a run down of all our animals that we raised this year, what we've got in the freezer and who we've got left. So, I'll try to be concise. For any new readers, we are entering our fifth year raising dairy goats and poultry. Our primary goal is to meet our own meat, milk, cheese and egg needs. This is our first year selling goat shares and supplying shareholders with milk, and so the goats are paying for a significant portion of their own food bill now; which is huge!

Goats:

Three full grown bucks. We are planning on narrowing it down to two within the next year to cut down on feed costs.
Five milking does, each giving between three and six pounds of milk each morning. I plan on breeding three of the five, and continuing to milk two until next fall without re-breeding so that we will have a continuous supply of milk.
One yearling, hopefully bred now.
Four eight month old doelings, two to three of which I am planning on breeding in December or January.
This year we sold one registered buckling for $375, sold one 3 mos wether for $75. Traded one 5 mos wether for rabbit meat. This week we butchered two 8 mos. wethers for a total of $65 pounds of bone in meat. We butchered one three year old female who never bred, for about forty pounds of bone in meat. We also sold one first freshener and her unregistered doeling for $500.
In summary we now have thirteen goats after selling five and butchering three.
As far as changes go, dropping down to two bucks and not re-breeding every doe should help cut down on feed costs and overcrowding during the summer months. This was our first year butchering our own goats and while it is not easy, having our own red meat is fabulous - so we will continue to keep 4-6 wethers until fall each year.

Poultry

We bought twenty-five Cornish Cross in early June (I think). As usual we butchered them late. So they range between five and nine pounds each. We put twenty-two into the freezer. Which should get us through until next year. We love the meat. I do not love feeding and butchering them. We don't have enough room for them, so I blame myself for their sub standard of living. If I can find a local grower interested in raising and butchering meat birds for us, I would be easily persuaded to give up on doing this ourselves at this point in our lives. But don't get me wrong, I am not ever going back to store bought chicken - not that we ever bought it much anyway.
We have about twenty laying hens. We have quite the odd assortment ranging from pullets to three year olds, Welsummers, Red and Black Sexlinked hens, one Cornish, four show quality Ameraucanas and some crosses that we hatched ourselves this year. The past few weeks we've had the most serious egg drought since we begin raising layers. The new layers hadn't started yet and the older ladies are taking a break. We are back on track as the oldest newbies have begun to lay, thankfully. I have found that the number of eggs we get from the chickens pays for their whole grain feed, maybe even their electricity. If we were to have more of something, D and I agree that maybe it should be chickens, as there is quite the demand for local eggs which go for $5 - $6 a dozen. We did hatch our own chicks this year, we bought six black sexlinks because we like them so and they are a hybrid. I sold seven chicks at five dollars a piece -every bit helps.
Ten Ducks. We hatched eight ducklings this year from our own stock. We have two Peking females from last year. We have a colorful assortment of Saxony Peking and Peking Runner crosses. As much as I love having the ducks around, I really don't like the amount of water we haul in the winter, nor the poopy duck eggs. I have a hard time keeping their bedding clean enough and getting the girls to lay where I want them to. We do enjoy duck meat, although there is so little there compared to chickens.
Two geese. We bought three Toulouse geese this year. We ate one male shortly after he bit me. The meat was wonderful, as was the fat of course. I saved the down as well. Our plan is to let our remaining couple lay and hatch out some eggs this spring. If the geese begin to overrun the homestead, we will have lots of goose meat next year. Although, I really enjoy having the female goose follow us around. She makes for entertaining company so hopefully we can at least keep a couple females for eggs and company, if the males become to aggressive.
We raised two turkeys which both reside in the freezer now. I do love having a couple turkeys around for their interesting behaviors and sounds they make. We bought four turkey poults and lost two. We decided just to raise the two in with the Cornish and that worked just fine. We butchered the two broad breasted white turkey hens last week. They weighed in at twenty-two and twenty-five pounds - which I have to insist was not intentional. Just one of those things which is easy to procrastinate. Towards the end they were perching on the stairs inside the chicken coop all night, and a frozen tower of turkey poop was forming. They couldn't get inside where the heated waterer was, so I had to pour water outside for them daily which would quickly freeze. So, as much as I like the idea of heritage turkeys living in our trees year round, the reality for now is that the broad breasted birds really put the weight on and fill up the freezer with tasty meat. Most likely we will get four turkey poults again next spring. Although, I do sometimes think that I would buy a couple from someone local. I could easily take a summer off meat bird butchering.

Honey Bees, this was our first year doing bees. We put a lot of money into a bee class, suit and veil, new hive with new frames and in return we got three quarters of a gallon of honey. I am embarrassed but not disheartened. I am already looking forward to next year's bees. D is talking of building me more hives now that he has a model. Noah is already asking for a bee suit for his April Bday. I love beekeeping. So, while this year we are using the honey sparingly, I look forward to much more bountiful honey years. I should say that the instructor I took the bee class from keeps dozens of hives and his average was 55 pounds of honey per hive, (eleven pounds of honey in a gallon). So there is certainly room for improvement.

Going into winter we are feeding thirteen goats, twenty layers, ten ducks and two geese. The bucks have their own shelter and pen about a hundred yards up hill from the house. The chickens have their own indoor and roofed outdoor coop. The ducks and geese have an indoor shelter with and outdoor pen that is below the chickens. The doe barn is below the house. We have animals to check on, feed and water at least once daily, in four different locations on our property. My dream land has one big barn close to our house with everyone divided into their own spaces - except the bucks; they will still be up or down the hill depending on how the wind tends to blow.

In the last three months we have put twenty-two Cornish Cross chickens, two huge Broad Breasted White turkeys and fifty pounds of goat meat into the freezer to join what was left of the thirty-five Copper River Reds from this summer. We were also give a good amount of moose. We shall not lack in meat this year. Meat is one of the easier things to obtain locally. There are not as strict of laws surrounding meat as there are dairy. I never thought we would eat this quantity of meat. In an effort to eat more seasonally, locally and moreover, to eat what we can produce ourselves, meat has become a solid contributor to our diet. I do enjoy the diversity in poultry, and yet raising several different types and ages of birds complicates the summer chores. At one point I thought we would start raising pigs. Now, if there were one other meat animal I'd add, it would probably be rabbits. I have been thinking of how to simplify my summer chores and life in general, so we may be raising less poultry for a while and trying to find it locally instead.

I love that if we wanted to we could really do without going to the supermarket weekly. We mostly go for the extras, the few processed food extras that make the days easier; nuts, cheddar cheese, tortillas, crackers and noodles (sometimes I make my own). We also rely heavily on sugars, oils and spices. We buy our beans and grains from Azure Standard, and I grind our own grain for bread. I am not a hard core locavore. Eating enjoyable food is more important to me than local. Of course, the more local and seasonal food we eat the better, but I'm not willing to go without lemons, apples and scallions during the winter months. My kids (and myself) prefer fresh vegetables, so their health and the fact that they eat more vegetables if we buy _______(fill in the blank) in January, is more important to me than trying to eat canned or frozen veggies out of our garden, if they are things we don't enjoy.

We are meeting our meat, egg and dairy needs year round. If we were content with more frozen or canned vegetables, or had a root cellar, I could almost say the same thing about vegetables. We are eating from the garden almost exclusively for about seven months out of the year. From late February to May are the months where the last of things are sprouting, going soft, beginning to grow or rot, and where we are once more purchasing everything again. However, if I were more resourceful, we would be better at eating all of our odds and ends that I put away and don't use. I've got frozen kale and broccoli in the freezer from 09, one, two and three year old gallon jars of sun dried tomatoes, and quarts of dried onions, carrots and beets from last year.

This is where we are at. Working towards growing, harvesting and butchering more of our own food each year. Learning what works and what doesn't. Each year, each season brings new lessons and surprises. I view this year as successful. There will be more time this winter for math. I know that to an extent our money just goes to one store instead of another, instead of spending money on processed meat, we are spending money on grain from the feed store. Self Sufficiency is still a long ways off. We continue to look forward to the next step; real farm land, land for growing the food we need to feed the animals which in turn feed us; that is the next step.

Settling In to Winter

2011-10-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

Onions from the garden. (Much bigger than last years)

We are settling into winter here in Interior Alaska. I feel as though folks everywhere are letting out a sigh of relief and acceptance. If there were still a few things to do before the snow came, toys and tools to clean up, we are past that now. The ground is frozen and covered with a light layer of snow. For us, there are still daily farm chores, complicated by snow and cold temperatures. It is too cold for the kids to be outside for long. We are getting into a winter routine. I get out for an hour and a half for morning chores. Then spend most the day indoors cooking, cleaning, reading, doing home-school lessons and crafts with the kids. Dustin is spending time prepping firewood each day and working on our house addition.

Until this week we have not purchased vegetables (with the exception of the occasional avocado or bag of corn) since early summer. We've got enough vegetables stored to last us into early spring. We've been eating carrots daily, potatoes,celery, beets, onions and garlic. We've got frozen blanched greens I've been putting in soups, jars of sauerkraut and around a dozen heads of cabbage stored. I felt like I was indulging by buying herb salad greens, a bag of snap peas, a bag of colored peppers and some fresh broccoli at the store. Everything looked fine, but upon eating we discovered the peas were overripe and a little rubbery, the peppers were tasteless and under ripe, the broccoli bland and a different texture. The greens made for a nice salad. Oh, how fortunate are we who know and enjoy vegetables directly from our own gardens.

Decorating the house with dried flowers from the garden.

Beet soup swirled with carrot ginger soup and creme fraiche.

We've been enjoying harvest dinners with family and friends. At each feast, I think to document it with notes and pictures, but I'm too busy savoring the food and company. Most meals begin with our mold ripened chevre and crackers. A friend made a tomato tart with homemade puff pastry and her own heirloom tomatoes. We have been enjoying grilled Dall sheep, Caribou and Moose, courtesy of my brother; the mighty hunter of the family. At the last meal, I made the above soup. To finish the meal, I brought an applesauce goat cheesecake with a gingersnap crust and cranberry honey topping. Made with Nancy's crabapples, our own cheese, cranberries and honey - of course.

I've been thinking that the key to being as excited about winter as I am, is to either spend your summer farming. Or at least, have an outdoor job where you spend as much time enjoying and loving each warm day that spring, summer and fall bring us. I am overjoyed to be entering into winter. I think I have enough to do this winter, that I won't be bored until February, and by then it will be time to start seeds and prepare for goat kidding season.

This morning is special because it is the first day I have a heated milking parlor to milk goats in. Yesterday Dustin installed our wood stove in our new addition/ milk parlor. I have to mention that Dustin calls the area his "man cave". The goats are forever taking over. "Milk parlor" I say, hah! For the last four years I have milked outside, in the goat stall and in unheated shelters. Milking outside isn't really so bad. Even when it is twenty below zero, I find it rather thrilling- just don't touch the stainless steel pail with wet hands! However, now that I have a heated area, I'm sure I'm going to love it. This morning the temperature is in the single digits outdoors. As I milk in a warm room, I have the ambiance of a beautiful new wood stove, with a glass front so I can watch the flames flicker. Everyone say "ooooh". Now the molasses and olive oil are going to pour much easier too and I won't have to carry the bucket of soaked grains indoors so they won't freeze and be crunchy cold in the morning.

Best wishes to you wherever you are in your fall or winter preparations.

First Snow days

2011-10-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Our world is white once more. It started snowing last Sunday, and it is still here. Here stay for a long while I'm sure. We are getting accustomed to watching our step as we navigate the paths carrying water jugs and armloads of hay to the animals. The temperatures have been mostly in the twenties. Goat water tanks and chicken and duck water heaters are all plugged in so that their water containers won't freeze solid. At first the kids were pretty excited about the snow. Noah tried sledding the first night it started to snow. He tried out three sleds on the hill, but was disappointed that none of them would work on the half inch of snow that lay on the driveway. The first day the snow was moist enough we could roll snowballs and have snowball fights. Now it is too dry as is typical for snow here in our arctic desert.

Now that Dustin is home for a while and done with summer work, I'm getting out on my own in the morning for milking and chores, which take about an hour and a half. Then we are getting the kids outside in the afternoon to play till they get cold. Otherwise, we are all thrilled to be spending the day indoors. We've been keeping the woodstove going, so there is the pleasant glow of the fire in our living area- and it is toasty warm. I've been baking bread, pita, cornbread and biscuits to go with all the different soups; chicken noodle, white bean with pancetta and vegetables, goat curry and many more. I've made two meat pot pies in the last couple weeks. I should say, they were the best pot pies I've ever made, phenomenal actually. One was with goose and the other with ribeye steak leftovers.

I'm thoroughly enjoying beginning every meal with our own onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Then all of our own meat of course. We are having an egg shortage around here. First egg drought since we got chickens. I think some of our old layers are taking a longer break than in past years and the new layers haven't started yet. We've bought eggs twice in the last couple weeks, gasp! (And even the organic, cage free hen eggs are nothing compared to our lovely orange yolk eggs).

In other random news, we've got a local lynx paying us regular visits. Handsome young guy. Not too timid. The first time I saw him, he was about twenty feet away, and he sat down and watched me, watching him, till we were bored of inspecting eachother. The second time I saw him, I was putting free range pullets away, of which he had already gotten three of. They had taken shelter in the buck pen, under their ramp. So I had to scoop them out in the presence of three excited bucks while the lynx watched from the edge of the garden licking his lips.

I sold Asia and Brie this weekend. I would have liked to keep another milker going into winter. For a first timer Asia was doing pretty good, producing well. I loved milking her tiny teats. She has a nice udder, and in most areas seems improved upon her dam. Our doe barn is overcrowded and I've been trying to sell a couple goats, and these were the two that sold. I felt really good about the buyer. She seems like a very nice lady who has a few goats already, and takes good care of them. So, thanks Brenda, if you are reading this! This was the first time I've sold any of our does. I've got a few more I'm ready to sell, but it looks like I've got a couple interested buyers lined up for late winter/ spring. So, looks like the barn is going to stay on the crowded side. As a result, I'm going to keep milking the milkers, and breed them later than usual.

I am turning my mind away from harvesting and preparing for winter, to winter crafts and holiday preparations. I've been playing around with felting. I'm beginning some knitting projects. I have big plans for homemade holiday gifts, so I'm starting now. We are homeschooling Noah, and I've been behind with everything else going on. Now I'm ready to commit to more of a planned schedule. I am looking forward to doing lots of crafts with the kids. So far we've been painting together with the Waldorf approach. We've also been playing with wool and beads, and working with colored beeswax and bake-able play doughs.

Here are a few final pictures of fall. These are from the last time the kids and I were in the garden, letting the goats nibble on the few remaining pea vines and sunflowers.

I've plans to start writing more here. I'll be writing more on milk, cheese making, goat feeding and how meat butchering has been going for us. Happy fall/first snow days to you!

Final Autumn Days

2011-10-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

We are trying to make the most of these final days. I took these pictures about a week ago. We've been letting the geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens out when we are home all day and planning on being outside. The two turkeys are huge, they don't look it but they feel like it. They need to be butchered and it is just a matter of finding time. Meanwhile they are eating a lot and rapidly growing heavier. Last year none of the turkeys would fit in our oven. I grilled one, chopped and ground one, and then we cut one in half and cooked the two halves in each of my mom's large ovens. The largest one weighed in around thirty four pounds. We are not going for such large birds, it just kind of happens around here.

My husband is still working away from home between sixty and seventy some hours a week, until the ground freezes solid they say. We appreciate the income but we are behind on winter preparations, namely; firewood. I don't write much about my husband. He prefers to fly under the radar. However; this time of year I am ever so grateful to him for working such long days, outside in the cold from dawn to dusk, so that we can live this lifestyle we've chosen. I am hoping that we have at least another week or two before the snow settles in. It is just so much easier to move wheelbarrows and move about the property now, before we are walking on narrow trails, dealing with snow drifts and slippery stairs.

Rosie the goose who is the only nice goose right now, hopefully she stays that way. She enjoys following us around and is very curious. She genuinely seems to enjoy our company. We enjoy her's as well.

Noah, riding down from the garden, leaning on a bag of kale.

In other news, we have added on some new shareholders. We are up to seven and there are two more families interested. So nine is a nice number and close to the ten I was going for. Now we will just have to see how long we can provide milk for. I am currently milking six does and putting a seventh junior doe on the stand as well. I am getting about three and half gallons of milk. Everyone's milk is tasting good. Up until last week I was carrying a bucket of milk up to the birds two to three times a week, but I think I'll be able to reduce that and at least carry up smaller quantities and not the entire morning's milking. I am looking forward to having time to make cheese. I'm hoping D will have time to look at my cream separator and use his genius to fix it soon, as it has quite working completely. And now I've dallied long enough and it is time to get out and milk. Happy autumn days to you and yours!

Last of the garden, Cornish, first goose and more cranberries

2011-10-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

Asia, our newest moma, and new milker.

Tomatoes, finally.

Lavender and herbs moving in.

Flowers drying for winter cheer and crafts.

I've been thinking that life is about to slow down anytime now. Now that the garden is harvested I'm feeling better. Although, I'm coming to the conclusion that as ready as I may be for slower paced days, I'm never going to get everything done that needs done before the ground freezes solid and the snow comes for good. I suppose I shouldn't say never, maybe when the kids are grown and out of the house? - not that I even want to think about that. Today the beds in the garden were feeling pretty crunchy- approaching frozen solid. I'm accepting that once again that I am not going to get around to pulling weeds once more, adding compost and turning the beds as I would like to.

I am proud to say that I haven't let much if anything go to waste this year. So I didn't blanch all the beet greens, but I did feed them to the goats. There is one more bed of kale I plan on eating through over the next couple weeks. I've already frozen as much as I want in the freezer. Today I pulled a few stray carrots and beets that had been overlooked, picked some partially frozen shelling peas, chamomile flowers and last of the lettuce and cilantro from the greenhouse. I think I might even get around to turning the bag of nasturtium seed pods I picked into capers (nasturtium capers).

This time of year is full of goodbyes. Each time I pick a bouquet of sweet peas, cut another sunflower, find a plump shelling pea, I think this may be it, the last time I do this. I imagine gardeners all over Interior Alaska bringing in armloads of the last of their cut flowers, lining their hallways with squash and boxes of ripening tomatoes. I am so ready to turn inwards and begin meal planning with fervor. As much as I absolutely love simple summer meals, I spend just enough time in the kitchen to get it done. Keep it quick and simple. Well, I'm ready to have time for specialty breads, time to make my own crackers, tortillas and noodles. Yesterday the kids ate ice-cream (strawberry rhubarb goat milk ice-cream) cones on the south porch. It was only in the forties, but with the sun shining on the porch it felt at least mid fifties; another small goodbye.

This week we butchered the last of our Cornish and one male goose who bit me when my back was turned. We had seven Cornish leftover from several weeks ago who we should have butchered then but it just didn't happen. They were huge. I cut them all up into pieces, yesterday, made a pressure canner pot full of stock and tomorrow I am going to can it. I roasted the goose yesterday. I should have saved him for a special meal with family, as my family would really appreciate the meat. It was very good, more like red meat than poultry. He wasn't very crowd presentable. It was a pain to pluck, and so he was a bit hairy for company. I saved the feathers and down for a small pillow, and the fat for cooking. We've been picking cranberries the last two days. We had a hard frost last night, so this morning the cranberries were coated in frost and partially frozen. They looked like the fake fruit that adorns holiday tables, plump sugar coated grapes and such. So now I've got three more gallon bags in the fridge full of cranberries to dehydrate.

In other news, we've sold a few more goat shares, so we are up to seven paying shareholders which sure helps out with the feed bill. A young lady stopped by to look at buying a couple milkers or doelings yesterday. So it looks like we might drop our numbers a bit going into winter which would help out a lot. As of now the doe barn is going to be too crowded come the cold days.

Ah, October.

Frost on the Horizon

2011-09-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

Looks and feels like cold. I was going to say winter, but, well, not yet. Our Birch trees are mostly naked. The sky this week has not been the clear bright blue of September skies, but instead; is a dull gray, heavy with the promise of moisture (of some form, rain, rain like snow, snow...frost?). We have yet to have a hard frost. I suppose I can thank the heavy clouds for keeping the temperatures milder. I suppose they'll have to clear off if we are to get the colder temperatures in the forecast. I'm checking the forecast daily. This weekend we are suppose to get lows in the high twenties, and rain, possibly snow showers. Dum da Dum dum.

My goals for the weekend are to finish up the garden. Snip most of the lettuces, chard and kale - if I can find room in the fridge or time to blanch and freeze. Each fall I like to experiment with covering rows with fabric row covers, plastic or sometimes old windows, to see how long I can extend the cold weather greens. This year I've got some late sowed lettuces in the greenhouse I'm going to cover and see if they'll last a while. The kale usually withstands the hard frosts and early snows. I plan on picking peas and pole beans one last time. The most time consuming chore I still have to do is pulling beets and carrots. It doesn't take that long to pull them out of the ground, but then I have to find time to clean and bag them, and then room in the backup fridge. Another year going into winter without a root cellar. I have to full size refrigerators, two chest freezers, and thankfully, I've been taking out some produce to store in my mom's garage and backup fridge. So, I'll find room for it all some way or another - and not let the carrots and beets freeze in the hay pile like I did last year.

This week the kids and I picked cranberries. I've dried one batch in the dehydrator. When I get the garden done, we'll be picking cranberries until they are covered by the snow. I could not have enough dried cranberries, tiny, tart, ruby glistening jewels that they are.

I got a call from my brother this week, letting me know if I could come out and help cut up a Moose leg, that I could have the meat. So after a few hours of enjoyable meat cutting and wrapping, I brought home probably sixty to seventy pounds of boneless chunks of meat, for roasts, steaks, curries, stews and jerkey. There was about ten pounds of grind meat, and an additional twenty pounds of scraps for dog food or for the chickens. As we have all our own turkey, duck and chicken meat, salmon and a small amount of goat meat, we don't eat much red meat- so I we are all very excited to have this much moose in the freezer.

We got out and had some fun one morning this week. The kids and I are starting to go to a Waldorf play group for mom's and young children who are homeschooling with a Waldorf approach. This week the kids starting a batch of marigold dye and then added silk scarves to the pot. Then we worked in the Creamer's Field garden, digging potatoes. Of course lots of stories and songs were sung. Next week we are celebrating Michaelmas, with our new silk scarves, a bonfire, hot drinks and food.

D worked is working close to eighty hours this week including his drive time back and forth between Delta. We are ready for his work to slow, so that we can prepare for winter. I am ready for family mornings, big breakfasts and harvest celebrations. The end of busy days is in sight. I feel like I've got another week or two of craziness. Then I see slower days, crafts, knitting, reading without guilt, and time for special meals with all the wonderful food close at hand. So I started this post thinking of the oncoming cold and frost. I close thinking of wood fires and looking forward to feeling less rushed, more time to just play with and listen to my children and family.

Harvest Pictures

2011-09-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

Birthday Girl

2011-09-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

2011-09-18T11:46:00.001-08:00

The Birch forest that we live in, is absolutely brilliant this time of year. Our homestead and the hills surrounding us are on fire, glorious, spectacular. Tall white Birch trees decked out in splendid gold and copper finery. The list of chores to do before the snow flies, is not getting any shorter. Today I believe I am killing off my honey bees :( I'll discuss this issue more another time. Also on the list is lots of stall and pen cleaning - days and days worth. At least it is a sunny gorgeous day.

I spent most of last week house cleaning, meal planning and entertaining. We had two evenings of celebrating Avery's birthday with friends and family. Thankfully I'm feeling on top of garden harvesting. Last week I stored, blanched and froze celery. I put up the last of the scallions and shredded the last batch of zucchini for freezing. All the onions and garlic are indoors hanging. I've pulled the bean plants, tomatoes and squash. I've dug and stored half the carrots, all the potatoes and maybe a third of the beets. All that is left in the garden are beets, carrots, some remaining cabbages, lingering peas, kale, swiss chard and lettuce. I think it is time to switch gears and start picking cranberries, although now that the leaves are falling, the little ruby red gems will be harder to find.

September days

2011-09-11T20:53:00.001-08:00

By my book, it is now fall. Not because the rain was more than rain and less than snow last night as light drops made a dull thud on the hood of my jacket as I walked my evening chore routine in the dark. Not because the garden is half harvested, or because winter coats, boots and hats have been dug out and now line the hallway. I feel safe pronouncing that it is now fall because as I look out at the hillside and the forest surrounding me, the colors are more gold and copper than green. The nights have consistently been in the low forties and high thirties. We are lucky if the days reach high sixties (in the sun). Moreover the air smells like fall. Fall smells like high bush cranberries, sharp, sour and sweet, combined with the pungent smell of decaying leaves and debris. I adore the scents of autumn.

There is so much yet to do, it is difficult to remain calm. I'm trying to stay focused and get at least something harvested and put away each day. This week is Avery's third birthday. So we'll be entertaining and enjoying ourselves more. Avery has requested hot dogs and strawberry cake for her birthday. When asked what she would like more than anything else, she replied: a broom. When prompted for her second choice, she asked for a dustpan. She doesn't know it yet, but she is getting a darling wood kitchen, which mama is perhaps too excited about - and a wood and straw broom of course.

This week blanching and freezing thyme, kale and celery are at the top of the list. I'll be simmering local crab apples into applesauce, shredding cabbage and starting sauerkraut and making one final batch of dill pickles with the last of the pickling cucumbers. I may get around to making tomato sauce with the tomatoes that are finally ripening now that they are in boxes indoors. What are you harvesting and making this week? What signals fall to you?

Late Summer Days

2011-08-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

We've been enjoying lovely late summer days here in Interior Alaska. Just when we beginning to panic with frost advisories, crisp days and yellow leaves falling, it feels as though we've been given and extension. Today, although I had to run a bunch of errands in town, we made the most of the warm weather. Noah wore shorts, Avery a dress and sandals, and I wore a skirt and a gauzy white blouse. There have been a handful of days where I've just had to wear a skirt to town, as it might just be my last chance.

The sun is sinking lower in the sky and we are getting less and less direct sun. So, once the sun starts hitting the garden and the south porch, I am either at one or the other. On days we have to go to town, I try and be home by the middle of the afternoon when it is the sunniest. I move across the porch, scooting my chair as the sun crosses the sky. The kids are kind of over the garden, over being outside. I'm still insisting that we read, play, work, shell peas, paint and color outside - if the sun is shining, I try my hardest to be basking (or working) in it.

The nights are getting dark, completely dark. In early August I would wake up at two or three am and it would be dark. Now it is dark by eleven. I had to put on a headlamp to check on the bucks the other night. I thought someone was injured, but they are just in rut. It is a noisy time of year around here with goat kids being weaned and crying for their mom's, and does in heat, yelling at the bucks, and always, the sound of bucks bashing heads and moaning (there really isn't a better word) in the distance. It is a stinky time of year too. I open up the door to step outside, and have to remind myself why I have bucks, and then I wonder if two would be any less stinky than three? I doubt it.

Asia and her daughter Brie are doing great. Asia is taking to motherhood with great finesse. And her doeling is healthy, growing and just disbudded. I'm thinking August kid's aren't really so bad, and maybe I'll breed a few yearlings each year in the spring. As long as I get a couple month break between spring and fall kidding, otherwise the novelty of does kidding and caring for new kids wears of fast, (sleepless nights).

I'm trying to put something up each day, pickles, jam, sauerkraut, blanching herbs, etc. Tomorrow is scallions. I have a ton. So I am going to blend them with olive oil and freeze them flat, in ziplocs so I can break off chunks for finishing soups and pastas etc. It is an experiment. I love scallions. They have a permanent place on my winter shopping list, so we'll see if I can replace my winter scallion addiction. Everyone is asking if I'm in full harvest mode. Well, I tend to put off the mad pulling frenzy till the last moment, although I know I shouldn't. I did pull two rows of onions and all the garlic the other day. I figured with a few sunny days in the forecast it would be a good time to lay them out on the beds to cure in the sun. I started bringing green tomatoes into the house to ripen. So I suppose I'm in full harvest mode. The garden could really benefit from another week or dare I say two, of this warm sunny weather- and so could I. Here's to dreaming!

Fall goat baby, Brie

2011-08-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here is our new fall goat baby; Brie. The older goat kids are too big for my children to play with, as the goat kids like to jump and climb on us which knocks Noah and Avery right over. So they are enjoying the new little one. Asia is out of Xoe and Xavier. Brie's sire is a mystery. In order to register her we will have to do a paternity test. Asia has not been handled much and as a result; she is a wild thing. I vow that this will be my last wild new mom. It is going to take a lot of soothing handling and patience, before she a well behaved milker.

And it's a wrap. Kidding season 2011 is finally over. We have six freshened milkers, who gave us seven doelings and five bucklings. We lost two doelings. We currently have all five doelings. We have managed to sell one registered buckling for breeding, two whethers for meat, and we are raising two with plans to butcher them in the fall. All the kids, with the exception of Brie, are in the weaning pen, away from their dams. We are milking five does in the morning and getting between three and six pounds per doe, totalling about three gallons. If there were more demand for milk, I would milk twice a day and have twice as much milk - someday. We have a milker for sale and a couple doelings for sale, as the Doe barn is going to be too crowded come winter. Time to hang up some flyers around town.

Still mostly summer

2011-08-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

The rain tip taps an uneven beat on the metal roof as it falls heavy from the Birch trees that surround the house. The fog is thick and envelopes the hillside and valley, working it's way over the forest floor. All is still as every creature must be sleeping in this late summer morning. Our rooster is not well and thus he no longer crows. He has a broken wing - escaped a fox I think. I thought it might heal if I taped it to his body, alas I think we need to put him out of his misery. He has been a good rooster.

Golden leaves lay scattered on the ground. There are clumps of yellow in the trees. The green summer lushness is fading to a worn out looking green. The trees look sapped, and the fireweed and grasses are wearing down, growing rusty and copper in places. I find myself thinking enviously of slower times; winter days with time enough for lounging, time enough for reading and knitting and house cleaning. I'm tired. I've been battling a cold for three weeks and I'm finally almost back to normal. I'm overwhelmed with everything there is to do and I'm not sure where to begin.

Last week I focused on berries. I spent two afternoons picking cultivated raspberries away from the house, and got about fourteen pounds total, the equivalent of a few gallons I think. On Saturday we drove for three hours round trip to pick blueberries in the rain. The kids spent the afternoon with Grandma in the travel trailer (thanks mom), while I actually enjoyed picking in peace, despite cold hands. The berries were big and plentiful. I only made it out to pick blueberries twice this year and have totaled about five gallons which is less than I usually have in the freezer going into winter, but this year I think it will have to do. I have been freezing the berries and haven't found time to make jam yet.

We butchered fifteen Cornish Cross last weekend. They were nice size, between five and seven pounds. There are more to do when D has another day off. Our doe Asia, surprised us with a doeling this week. We thought kidding season was over until she started growing an udder this past month. I was planning on breeding her for the first time this fall. Fortunately I recalled the late March day, where I'd arrived home from the Sustainable Agricultural conference to find all three bucks had jumped the fence and were in with a few does. The snow level was high, and the electric fence had been grounding out... So, now we have a fall baby. I had figured out Asia's due date and had been putting her in her own stall at night. She kidded on day 145 of her gestation. I had set my alarm for 3 am to check on her, and low and behold there was a doeling on the ground when I got up. I hadn't realized she was quite that close to kidding. Thankfully, moma did it on her own. The doeling is strong and healthy, black and brown, and her name is Brie, Wild Roots Brie to be exact. I've been having to hold Asia a few times a day, and direct the doeling to Asia's right teat, as Asia has been preferring her daughter to nurse on the other side, and the fuller and tighter the right side gets, the more stompy Asia gets about letting Brie nurse on that side.

We've got two female Peking ducks sitting on eggs, which are due to hatch this week. I should have gathered the eggs, but I'm a sucker for wanna be mamas - when it comes to broody hens that is. On warm rainy days, I think everything will work out. There will be time for the ducklings and Brie to grow strong before the weather gets too fierce. There will be time to harvest the garden before frost. Time for firewood and cleaning up outside. The weather is mild today, it still looks mostly like summer, but tomorrow could feel crisp and cool like fall. We've already had cool enough days that I've pulled out the kid's hats and gloves from last winter, and even their new winter boots. The days of bare legged children running around outside are coming to an end. For today, it is still mostly green and thus still mostly summer.

Garden pictures

2011-08-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures I've taken in the last week. Notice the tall fence posts outlining the south border of the garden. We've got two problem trees that bent over in our crazy ice storm last November. We should have taken them down before the garden went in. Now we have to cut them down before the fence goes in, and they will inevitably be falling on and crushing flowers and vegetable beds.

My first fava beans, ready to pick.

This has been a weak year for some crops. I made the mistake of thinking I'd put so much compost on the garden in previous years, that the beds might need a break, otherwise I might end up over fertilizing, or getting too lush of greens and not enough fruit - vegetables. Instead I've got smaller than usual broccoli heads, much fewer tomatoes and some of the carrots are woody and bitter, ugh. Every garden season comes with lessons.

First tree that must come down.

Second tree that must come down.

Other garden notes to remember. Plant more shelling peas, fewer snap and snow peas. More cauliflower and bush beans. Start squash earlier. Pay more attention and add more compost to tomatoes. Add more compost to everything. Plant less onions and scallions. Can't succession plant cilantro enough!

Looks like the onion harvest is going to be better than last year. I ordered a Northern mix of onion sets this year. They are decent size now, if they can grow another few weeks, I should have some to be proud of. My beans and peas germinated late so I've only been picking them for a couple weeks now. I have five different types of zucchini, I'm managing to stay on top of them by picking them at six to eight inches, but I've gotten a couple whoppers when I've taken a break from checking under the plastic.On the other hand, out of all my winter squash I planted, I've got one decent size spaghetti squash. I think the season may be too short for the winter squash this year. If only they'd taken off faster. I'm great at growing lush green squash plants, that would provide many beautiful squash with a longer growing season.

As long the moose stay away, I'm going to have a nice number of cabbages. I've got around a couple dozen plants, a few red and savoy, but mostly a green storage type, which is doing well. It is time to do some mass beet and carrot harvesting, a thinning of sorts to allow the smaller ones room to grow. I neglect early thinning, and prefer to wait until the thinnings are of eatable size. Time will tell if this is a worthwhile practice or not. I should be eating a salad a day, or maybe a head of lettuce a day. Maybe if I make up some really yummy salad dressings, Caesar, blue cheese...

Well that is my garden, and geese... tell me, how does your garden grow? What did you learn this year? Successes? Things to do differently next year?

Final summer days

2011-08-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have the worst cold ever. I could write an entire post detailing every part of my body that hurts, but instead I'll attempt to rechannel my self pity and share some of the goings on here, before the events are too outdated. D has been working about sixty hours a week, which doesn't leave much time for extra projects. But he got a couple extra days off last week and rented an auger, put in twenty-eight post holes, and planted ten foot posts around the garden. The fence has yet to go in yet. I'm beginning to worry more about an early frost than a moose attack. We've already had a frost advisory for low lying areas and I heard Delta had a hard freeze already. Usually our garden goes until mid to late September, as our hill location is buffered from the early frosts that put an end to low lying gardens. The last few years we have had beautiful August and Septembers, the nights are cool, but the days are sunny and warm, giving us an extended time to get the harvest in. This year something tells me winter is going to come early.

The trees are still green. I have to really scan the woods to find any yellow. The fireweed are in full bloom. The garden has finally reached peak season, with nothing but strawberries being on the down hill side of production. Usually once we get to this point, we have another six weeks of fresh eating. I'm thinking I've got at least a couple more weeks of enjoying peas, beans and zucchini. Maybe it is just that I feel so helpless, tired and low energy right now, but I am starting to panic. I haven't put much away yet. Once I'm feeling better, it is time to start mass harvesting, blanching and freezing. So far I've made and canned several batches of jam, and the salmon from earlier this summer. I finally got out for a blueberry picking trip this weekend, and froze about two and a half gallons of blueberries, and made a beautiful pie. I need at least one more successful blueberry run.

The Cornish are ready for the freezer. As soon as D has a day off, and I pick up two gallon freezer bags and sharpen some knives. The meat birds are looking great this year. We just recently lost our first one. We butchered two a couple weeks ago for some fresh chicken meals, which leaves twenty-two for butchering day. They are pretty uniform in size this year, I'm guessing most of them will be in the five to six pound range if we do them soon. I'm ready for the geese and ducks to move into their new home, once the Cornish are out.

And now for some more summer pictures:

We made rhubarb strawberry jam with half our own strawberries, rhubarb ginger jam, rhubarb blueberry jam, rhubarb preserves and then we froze a couple gallons of chopped rhubarb. Thanks Nancy for the rhubarb!!

Summer is winding up. The mornings and nights are chilly, and even some afternoons. There is so much to do it is overwhelming. Today is a good day for making lists, and just enjoying the sun and the green.

Flowers, garden and new fence

2011-08-02T21:43:00.001-08:00

Flowers. This is the time of year when we are bringing in flowers to decorate our living area. There are finally enough blooming that there are plenty to go around, some to bring in and plenty to stay in the flower beds. I've been picking the most beautiful delphinium, they are a brilliant sky blue with pinkish centers in each little flower. I've been putting them in a tall vase with orange trollius, and yellow and orange poppies. Today the kids each picked violets and pansies out of their own mini gardens and arranged their own vases. Blue bachelor buttons, yellow, orange and pink callendula, lavender and daisies have also been making their way into flower arrangements. Today I picked the first sweet peas and now as I pass in and out of the kitchen, their fragrance follows me. I snipped the first bunch of crimson strawflowers to dry. I am becoming a great fan of dried flowers, which provide much needed color and cheer, long into winter.

I am boycotting vegetables at the store for the next few months, and am lacking in nothing, except avacados and corn. I'm still buying luscious heirloom tomatoes of all shapes, colors and sizes at the Farmer's Market. I am pulling garlic and onions as needed from the garden, which are huge staples for us. I cut an armload of garlic whistles/scapes, today and will use those as a garlic replacement in stocks and soups. I picked the first basket of green, yellow and purple bush beans yesterday. I think the Fava beans are ready to pick. I ate some fresh today, and they are bitter. I've never eaten them before - looks like I need to do some research. I prefer to cook everything simply at first; broccoli lightly steamed with butter and sea salt, carrots tossed in olive oil and salt, roasted till tender, tomatoes chopped and tossed with pasta, olive oil and herbs. Fresh tender vegetables need nothing elaborate to make them tasty. That being said, my carrots are bitter. I need to do some research, some sort of soil defficiency I'm sure.

Dustin has had a few days off from his hectic summer work schedule. He put in twenty-seven three foot post holes surrounding the garden yesterday and today. There is one left to do by hand, the rest he did with a rented auger. We are putting in ten foot wood posts, five foot woven mesh fencing with a few strands of visible electric fencing around the top. We don't plan on plugging it in, but we thought we've got the attachments and extra wire left over from horse and goat fencing projects. Our main priorities are to keep moose and goats out, along with keeping out all the poultry. Moose are the biggest scare for me. I have nightmares that I walk up to the garden and the peas, broccoli and cabbage are all gone. All of which are in their prime right now, and I have high hopes of enjoying them for approximately six to eight more weeks. It may sound silly, but the garden is going to feel like a REAL garden, once it is fenced in. I don't know what it is about a fence that makes a garden seem more real and serious to me. I suppose a fence says that what is inside is worth protecting, worth digging and tamping, well worth the money invested to see the produce safe and free from stomping and munching by four legged critters. Putting a fence around something, defining the borders, enclosing a space, it is going to feel different. I can't just walk in and out wherever, there are three exits and entrances, a wall to go around.

And now the kids are finally asleep, and it is time to put the goats to bed and then relax and not think about any chores, kids, animals or anything else on the to do list. Goodnight.

Midsummer Night

2011-07-20T23:04:00.000-08:00

It is ten thirty p.m. The kids and D have been asleep for a while now. This is my time. My precious moments of peace and stillness. I'm sitting on our front porch, facing west. When I look out from where I sit, I am in the trees, looking through green leaves, highlighted by the sun, with rolling green hills in the background. The sun is still bright. The sky blue. The air is sweet and if I tried to describe the scent, I'd say it smells like life. It smells alive; lush green plants, moist earth, flowers permeating the air. I can look down over the goat pen. I can hear the milking does munching their alfalfa hay. I can hear when a doe walks over and dips her mouth into the water trough, and slurps the cool water. The air is warm enough, I need no long sleeve shirt or socks. There are no mosquitos swat at. An Alaskan night is never more perfect than this one.

I find myself wondering if there is any way I can make more of our few and fleeting summer days. Certainly I should be outside till bedtime, reading or writing. Certainly not indoors on the couch. I am forsaking house chores as much as is possible and still maintain a safe and decent environment for my family. If it is not raining or meal time, we are outside. And yet I can hardly bring myself to go to bed, or linger in the kitchen long enough to wash the morning dishes. I say this again and again, but I will say it again: our summer days are fleeting. I could never have a long enough Fairbanks summer. They are divine. They are magic.

The delphinium, poppies and columbine which border the driveway, are in full bloom. The iris are long gone. But if you stop and take the time to peer down, the lilly of the valley is perfect with it's fragrant white bell shaped flowers. In the garden we are pulling beets and carrots. I picked four salad cucumbers yesterday and we ate them all today. We are picking shelling peas, none of which are leaving the garden - yet. I've been grilling zucchini and baby carrots on the grill, just tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper. The beets, I roast or boil just till tender, then toss with butter and sea salt. When vegetables are new, and young, they need no more than the simplest of preparations and adornments. They are divine in their simplicity. And yet how can I call a ruby red or golden beet; simple or plain? Rather, they are the jewels of the garden. The strawberries are gaining in abundance, and the raspberries and wild blueberries are just beginning.

This week Noah is going to a super awesome day camp, which I will share more about sometime. Tonight he had his last soccer game of the summer. It was beautiful and sad. A reminder that the summer, for interior Alaska, is coming to a close. The fair always marks the end of summer. They are setting up the rides now. I am thankful that we are in the hills, as we are buffered from the early frost that wraps up the season for the gardens in town. August and September are usually beautiful, but the mornings and nights are cooler. The darkness at night does not come gradually, rather all of a sudden it is completely dark as we drive home one night and we are not prepared nor our eye accustomed whatsoever. I can't help but dread the first yellow leaves, as beautiful as a golden fall forest is. Tonight is green, green embracing me. Blue hills in the background. Green and warm, as the sun sinks closer to the blue horizon, and the birds continue their flute like melodies and I attempt to savor and hold on to this awe inspiring summer night.

Mid Summer Days

2011-07-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

Summer is flying by at an alarming rate. We have high hopes and expectations for this fleeting time of year. We demand that every day be perfect; blue skies, sunny, seventies/eighties, with rain at night to water the garden. If we get anything less, we complain about the sub-par summer, and reminisce about those perfect summers of the past. Ah, we fickle humans.

The kids and I have been making the most of our days. If it is sunny, we are outside; in the garden, playing in the pool, picking strawberries, pulling vegetables, mushroom hunting, walking goats and playing on the playground. When it is late afternoon we venture down to the house and the kids play on the porch while I pop in and out trying to plan and make dinner. If it is cloudy or rainy I am a more focused cook and house cleaner. If it is sunny I can hardly bring myself to stand in the kitchen for more than ten minutes.

We are finally at my very favorite time of year; the time when every dinner starts with a basket of produce pulled and picked fresh from the garden. We are harvesting salad greens, chard, spinach, bok choy, carrots, beets, scallions, onions, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli. The shelling peas are filling out, the beans are flowering, the tomatoes are green and the cucumbers are beginning to produce fruit.

Soon enough I'll be overwhelmed with trying to use things before they get too big. Shredding zucchini, pickling cucumbers and canning beans. I envisioned myself shelling peas at Noah's soccer games. But next week is the last week of soccer and I've yet to pick any peas. The garden is late this year, and of all things, it is because it was too hot in May - and the wee plants survived but were stressed. They finally took off mid June when the weather cooled and the rain begin.

We have Birch Boletes and Orange Birch Boletes, which are considered edible, to good eating. They are related to the King Bolete, also known as Porcini, which is the best eating of all, but alas I have yet to spot it here. I bought a pound of fresh morels for $16 at the Farmer's market, it was a splurge for us, and we enjoyed them thoroughly. The kids had fun helping me find and pick (cut) boletes. The first night we just floured the mushrooms, fried them in butter and sprinkled them with sea salt. The next night we made a mushroom thyme cream sauce and served it with grilled salmon. The last night I sauteed the last morels with zucchini and served them atop flatbreads with goat cheese and parmesan.

Here is to making the most of summer, wherever you are and whatever your aspirations may be.

Rainy days, kids, geese and the garden

2011-06-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

Each day I move this poultry shelter on wheels. The last few years we've raised turkeys and chickens in here. The three geese and two ducks are in here right now. They need to be moved twice daily, but I'm only moving them in the morning. I have been letting them out for brief periods when we are nearby. But instead of going off on their own, they prefer to follow me around through the garden, (which I also enjoy) except I have to keep a close eye on them and not forget about them as they can do significant damage in just a couple minutes. Soon they will join the ducks and adult layers who free range during the days when we are home. There are enough good things to eat near the coop, so fortunately our unfenced garden has not come under frequent attack by the laying flock.

Here are two plants that are growing around the property that I believe reseeded last summer and the seed was hardy enough to winter over. The top plant is rape, I think. The below plant is a fodder turnip. Over the last year we have tossed out various fodder crops and grain seeds; rape, turnips, fodder beets, hardy alfalfa, wheat, oats, rye, barley, clover, peas and buckwheat. The turnips have by far been the most successful root crop, growing into decent sized roots on bare un-worked ground.

Much thanks to Grannie T, the kids now have their very own playground. After much deliberation we decided to build it up above the garden. It is my ardent hope that soon they will start playing independently and without the need for me to be a full time swing pusher. So far it is a great lure to get up the hill and into the garden/geese zone.

This week has been the first consistent rainy week of the summer. As you can imagine the garden is fast becoming a jungle. The weeds are taking over, tomatoes and peas need trellising. Beans, squash and peas are flowering. We picked the first couple zucchini. The beets seems as though they should be bulbing by now. I have been enjoying the rain, with high aspirations to tackle some house cleaning, but I've had a challenging time doing anything but making meals and supervising the kids. This morning they were ready to go out in the rain, so we geared up in rain pants and coats and headed up to the garden. Low and behold the sun came out for the first time in days and it is warm and humid out. After being outside for a couple hours the kids are indoors and playing well together, whew. Time to tackle a few things indoors so we can get out and enjoy the sun and lack of rain.

The bees and I

2011-06-26T20:19:00.001-08:00

So I checked on the bees yesterday. I had a friend over, so we had D watch the kids while we escaped outside for a peaceful quiet bee visit. I try and check on the bees during the middle of the afternoon. We were a little late, about five-ish. It was still very warm and sunny, but the tall spruce and birch on the west side of us were shading the hive area from direct sun. It was the first time since I put the second brood box on, that I'd checked on the bees. At first I was hesitant to get into the bottom box because of all the comb they'd built and filled that was in between the two boxes. I put the second brood box on a little early, before the very outside frames were drawn out. The bees had moved up before filling the bottom box completely- my error for being so eager to add on. I wasn't sure what the proper course of action was. But I decided to replace the outside bare frames with the partially drawn out frames that were filled in the middle of the top box.

Everything else looked good. We found the queen doing her thing. There were just a few capped drone cells. I'm thinking I've got an ok queen but not great, from what I've observed of the population over the last several weeks.

Two brood boxes are mandatory in Interior Alaska - or so we were taught in class. I'm not sure if that is standard elsewhere or not.

When I am looking at the frames, I look for the queen, for eggs and larvae. I look to see how much pollen there is and how much capped sugar water or other stores. I also look to make sure there aren't any queen cells or too many drone cells. This is my favorite part, just pulling frames and checking them out.

And this is right about when I got stung for the first time since keeping bees. I was partially stung a few weeks ago, but the stinger didn't stay in and within minutes there was no pain or swelling. This time it hurt. I got stung on my middle finger on my right hand as I was picking up the frame. It took me a while to get the stinger out. It didn't just brush off like I thought it would.

Ouch!

Trying to get the stinger out without squeezing the sack of venom into my finger.

And time to finish up since my right hand is throbbing.

After closing up the hive I chewed a plantain leaf and put that on my finger. It helped but didn't relieve the symptoms as much as I'd expected. Then I tried some plantain tincture I made up last summer. As long as I kept the cotton ball on my finger it was soothing. Then I dabbed my finger into the honey that had come out of the comb I'd broken off, and the relief was instant and complete. I have reapplied plantain and honey throughout the day today as the tip of my finger is still still red, swollen and throbbing. I'm sure I'll be exploring bee sting remedies more in the future.

For those of you with bee experience, feel free to lend some advice. I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh at myself. I think it is time to consult with the local bee expert and make sure I'm on track. Regardless, at least there will be honey for us.Our honey pot is empty. I don't feel like I can afford to buy any local honey right now. So maybe I'll just hold out, even though going honeyless for a few months is unthinkable. I do relish a good drought when there is certain to be an upcoming abundance. I'm not buying beets or carrots now, or much vegetables at all. We are eating lots of greens and herbs. I'm enjoying clearing out the freezer. We just ate our last chicken from last year. We are almost out of jam, but still have lots of berries in the freezer, so jam day may be the next rainy day.

We butchered a goat this week, for the first time. I think the subject warrants it's own post, but I will say that it went well. I feel good about it. The meat is great, pleasantly surprised by the goats once more. We've been enjoying having our own red meat for dinner and in the freezer. The last two nights I rubbed sea salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil into assorted cuts; mostly goat chops and a front shoulder roast. Then I threw them on the grill over high heat and cooked them until medium rare, and then let the meat rest. Some bites could have been choice steak, others were a bit chewy - but great flavor. A pot of bone stock and another with goat fat rendering into lard, bubble away on the stove top.

We are just beginning to put food into the freezer. Forty Copper River Red Salmon, check, one full sized fatty goat, check. Oh, and is it officially summer finally - well feels like we are in mid summer here. Happy late solstice everyone.

Summertime goat pictures

2011-06-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

The goats start looking their best this time of year. They've shedded out their long shaggy winter coats - with the exception of Xavier (top left). Their summer coats are glossy and smooth. The goats are happy and stress free. Winter takes it's toll on all of us, and I will be the first to admit that the cold weather and long dark winter's are stressful on the goats.of the herd. Above and below are our three bucks. We keep thinking we should narrow it down to two bucks, but I enjoy having choices when it comes time for breeding.

The boys just want to be pet, loved, rubbed and fed greens or other treats. While they look a motley crew, they are big softies underneath. All three are very sweet and good tempered. Although, Zanzibar still plays hard to get when it comes to tying him up for grain or hoof trimming.

All five does still have their kids nursing off them during the day. We milk in the morning and then let the kids out for the day. So, udders are tight and full in the morning, and fairly drained and saggy the rest of the day. Zinnia is turning to look at me. Xanadu's bucklings on right.

Above Zinnia with her two doelings on left. One of which is for sale.

Asia, dry yearling. I'll be breeding her this fall. She is out of Xoe and Xavier.

Avalon is our other dry yearling who will also be bred this fall. She is out of Xanadu and Xavier. We are starting to handle these two more often, putting them on the milking stand and giving them grain and brushing them.

Xanadu's whole family. Her oldest daughter Avalon in addition to her three kids from this year, Bali on the left. It is about time for wethering (neutering) the bucklings. I've been debating whether to leave one intact for another month or so. I have a feeling as soon as I wether all four, someone will want a buckling. I think Xanadu's broken chamoisee is probably the nicest buck out of the four, very handsome and sweet.

Bali, is hard to get a picture of as she runs to jump on me and see what I'm doing the whole time I'm in the pen.

The family groups really stick together. In the top picture are Rose, her eldest, Zinnia, Rose's new doeling Bramble on left and Zinnia's two doelings from this year. Rose is our meekest and mildest doe. She needs all the family support and backup she can get.

Zuri on left. Xoe on right with one of her two bucklings. We never have enough feeder space. Dustin just built a new feeder out of scrap lumber that was sitting around. The new feeder is awesome, and a big help. I still need another feeder that is away from the stall and free standing with a roof. You can never have enough feeder space. I hate throwing hay on the ground as a lot gets wasted and it is not good for the goats to eat off the ground. They are more likely to have higher numbers of parasites.

Well, that is our herd. Eighteen goats. Xoe is for sale, with or without sons. We have two doelings for sale. I'm waiting for someone else to make up my mind for me, I think Blue and ...? and Bramble? or Bali? Ergh! This is my first year not stressing about selling wethers. I'm tired of trying to decide who will make a good home for them and worrying about whether they are being taken care of properly. So, I'd rather eat them myself and know that they had a good life and were killed quickly and humanely. Writing it, and actually doing it will be a whole different thing, but that is how I'm thinking now.

First garden pictures 2011

2011-06-14T09:23:00.001-08:00

The garden is off to a slow start, considering that I had most of it planted by mid May. Instead of being too cold, the weather was too blazing hot and sunny, and while I thought I'd hardened the starts off well enough, I was thinking they were strong enough to survive the cool nights, and had not thought I'd have the opposite problem. The brassicas especially, had it rough, but even the tomatoes, cucumbers and basil looked weary from the intense sun and heat. This last week as brought more seasonably reasonable temperatures in addition to some rainy days- which the plants have loved.

I picked a bag of bok choy the other day. We should be eating our first salad soon and it is about time!

Heirloom celery - something red? and snap peas

Beets and shelling peas. I've succession planted beets. This is the first crop made up of Detroit Dark Red and Detroit Golden, which are suppose to be more bolt resistant to our long daylight hours.

Hard neck Garlic, planted in the fall and risen from deep slumber.

Zucchini. I can't take credit for these. I started three types of zucchini indoors and then again by direct seeding and none of the seeds germinated. So I bought some starts at the farmer's market. However, all my other squash; Sweet Mama, Spaghetti, Early Butternut, Yellow Crookneck, Acorn and Sweet Meat, all came up fine and are growing.

Bush Beans.

Perennial Comfrey. I've got big plans for the comfrey - mostly medicinal, but I have looked up some culinary recipes and if I ever have an abundance I'll make garden tea with it.

My squash.

And Strawberries!

The geese are next to the garden - they would love to be in it. As it is, they get lots of weeds. So far, the geese are very mellow, and not jumpy, skittish or afraid of us as our previous ducks have been. So far, I love the geese.

Cauliflower, I think.

And carrots! These are our summer carrots for fresh eating. They are purple, red, yellow, white and orange. I planted a couple varieties of storage carrots just the other day for late fall harvest.

While it seems as though the garden is growing slowly, I have to remind myself that it is early in the season still. There is plenty of summer left. And yet our seasons are so short. Frost is only a couple months away, September if we are lucky. We get three months of eating fresh out of the garden, peas, zucchini, broccoli, beans, greens and herbs. I am ready for the bounty to begin.

Random June Reflections

2011-06-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

I swerved for butterflies today. There are so many, everywhere, drinking from the bluebells, coupling in the greenhouse. I think I avoided most of them on the way to and from town. Next week it should be dragonflies. I keep thinking the dragonflies should be coming out by now. But maybe having July weather in May was deceptive, and they aren't really late at all. Although, not to cheat the dragonflies, but I'm hoping the mosquitos are on their last hurrah, with the lack of rain and moisture, they surely can't keep it up without water for breeding.

Looking out the windows, the woods and banks are lush green. Looking towards the chicken coop I can see a rainbow of laying hens, red, black, brown and buff, as they wander the green banks in search of bugs. This morning I couldn't think of what gives me more satisfaction than opening the doors to let the chickens and ducks out to forage for the day. Then I thought, well, I do love watching my children run around bare foot. They have been going off into the woods exploring together. Avery will follow her older brother anywhere. Often I have to come to the rescue, as she'll get stuck on a bank and can't get down, or amidst some rose or raspberry bushes...

I checked on the bees wearing a bikini and jeans today. I had been in the garden. The hive was temporarily shaded, and I forgot about the mosquitos (in the shade). There is something exhilarating about being in the middle of hundreds of bees, landing on my arms and belly, investigating and then taking off again. Today there were more bees all around the hive, buzzing around, busy, not just going too and fro but around and around. I'm not sure why. I had second thoughts as I lifted the lid, maybe it would be a good time for a suit with such bee action. I smoked them well, and was not stung. Noah watched close up this time wearing my veil. We saw the queen, eggs and larvae. I decided to add the second brood super, so the size of their house is now doubled.

My daughter is now asleep. I am headed out to enjoy one last walk. I'll tuck everyone in for the night, throw weeds to the geese, close in ducks and chickens, pet a few goats and toss them one last armload of hay. I'll close the greenhouses, stop to finger a tomato blossom or two, stray to pick a poppy, stop to peek at the bees, and always inhale deeply, consciously, and savor the rich scents of pungent damp green things.

My kids being kids

2011-06-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

This is for all my non-goat loving family who follow my blog patiently, in anticipation of glimpses of the kids and our family. As always, they are busy doing what kids do best; dressing up, dressing down, getting dirty and getting clean, traipsing through the jungle we call outside, battling ferocious mosquitos....and the list goes on.

Early summer farm update

2011-06-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

We are in full summer mode here in Interior Alaska. The wild roses and bluebells are in full bloom. The perennial poppies are just starting to open and the columbine are forming buds. The Delephinium and Trolius are lush an bushy. The Iris and ferns are growing. With our long daylight hours and warm days, it is as though all living things sense the limited time and know to race ahead and make the most of these precious days.

May set a record for the dryest May in over a hundred years. We got something like less than a hundredth of an inch. It has also been warmer than average. This last week has felt a little cooler and crisp, but it is still clear and sunny with temperatures ranging from the fifties at night to seventies during the day. Some of our warmer weather was almost too much- well, I should say, too much for the new transplants in the garden, too hot for stall cleaning and too much for the kids to play outside in the middle of the day. Certainly pool/ popsicle/ grill weather.
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I've been putting a hundred and fifty gallons of water on the garden every two to three days. The time spent watering is paying off. I'm not sure how else the peas would come up, or the little carrot and beet seedlings could struggle on in the hot sun. I succession planted another row of storage carrots and beets yesterday. I need to find some more room to plant another batch of salad greens. I am most excited about all the blooms on the strawberries. It seems like it will be a while yet till I'm coming down from the house with a basket of produce, fresh picked peas, zucchini, beans and scallions. The salad greens and bok choi are finally ready to start snipping a little of. I've got herbs and chives and that's it.

In other news, the fridge overfloweth with milk. The milkers are all finally cooperating, and eating all their grain, and looking much better. We are getting three gallons of milk a morning from five does who are all still nursing kids throughout the day. I'm ready to start delivering milk just as soon as our shareholders are ready. I've been buying jars and better lids -BPA free plastic lids and half gallon glass jars. I've got a contract written up along with other farm info. Slowly but surely.

The bees are doing well. I had no idea how much I would enjoy checking on them. I am getting much more confident about not wearing protection. I've been checking on them wearing a skirt, sandles and tank top, no veil, no gloves etc. I have only been stung once - kind of, and I'm learning not to shake my feet or hands when they are crawling on me. The bees have almost filled their bottom brood super. I moved two frames from the outsides in so they could get filled up. My queen is busy busy, usually going from cell to cell, laying eggs, and being attended by a circle of female bees. There is lots of different stages of brood, (larvae), as well as pollen stores and sugar syrup stored in the corners. I am looking forward to putting on the next brood super.

We've had predator issues this past month. We've lost some full grown ducks to ravens. Total bummer, as three were good layers, and one was sitting on eggs. Now we are down to our three Pekings. At first we didn't have woven mesh cloth over the top of their pen, then we got it back up and still had a raven get in somehow. Then we lost a couple chickens to a fox. I hadn't done head count at night, and didn't realize a couple ladies were still out... Then yesterday I'd let all the birds out for the day as we've been doing when we are here and mostly outside all day. Avery and I were headed out to check on the goats and I see a fox wrestling with a chicken- at like ten/ eleven a.m.! So I chased the fox off and the chicken survived. I superglued a three inch tear in her breast- we'll see if she makes it. Dustin has a hunting/trapping license. We have never had to shoot any predators before. The ravens are off limits/against the law, but we could shoot the fox. We have been discussing the idea of a live trap...

Dustin is heading down to Chitina to dip net for Copper River Red Salmon. The forecast is looking good: lots of fish are heading up the river so there is an additional supplemental (we can get forty reds?39?/ one king) also, the water levels are low which makes catching the fish easier. The weather has been nice down there but sounds like that is changing. So, maybe in a couple days we will have our fish for the year- which is so exciting. Usually we get our salmon at the end of the summer, they are bigger, the crowds have died down. This is Dustin's last chance to go for a while as work is picking up. It will be great to have salmon to grill all summer, and not just going into winter with.

The kids and I don't have any big plans; hold down the fort, not loose any more chickens or ducks, milk goats, water garden, enjoy sun and stay fed. This morning I'm going to bust out some food for the day, I'm thinking a potato salad and some sort of baked bean dish, maybe some flatbread dough for grilled flatbreads. I need to get some popsicles going for the kids this afternoon. I also need to hang cheese,clean kitchen and sweep floor, before it get's much nicer out. By late morning I can't be inside anymore. We've got help with milking and farm chores for the next few days...so happy days.

Udders, teats and orifices - and milk tastings

2011-06-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

Above is a picture of Zinnia's udder. Udders, teats and orifices vary in size and shape, and some traits are clearly more desirable than others. Entering our fourth season in milking, I'm beginning to have a clearer idea of my ideal udder. We are also getting to see how udders and teats change over time. Zinnia is a first timer. She is producing about four pounds of milk (1/2 gallon) for morning milking, and then her two rapidly growing doelings are keeping her pretty drained throughout the day. Her udder is a pleasant shape, high and wide. The teat placement is great, they point down, for the most part. The size is good, not too big, not too small. The shape of her teats make for easy milking. And the orifice at the tip of each teat is good size, so the milk comes out easy. Zinnia is an ideal first freshener. She has one teat which is larger than the other because when her kids were just a few days old, she had a teat get chapped and raw. I didn't catch it right away and she didn't let her doelings nurse off that side, so one side became engorged and then I had to milk her out for a week on that side, because her entire teat was a scabby wound - as a result I'm guessing one teat will always be a bit bigger.

Below is a picture of Zuri's udder, also a first timer. This picture of Zuri is not as impressive as Zinnia's. She has been averaging about 3 lbs. Her udder shows some promise. For one it is not droopy or pendulous. She does have good teat placement. The best part is the shape of her teats, They are not too narrow or too wide, nor are they too big - they are my favorite teat shape. They also point straight down. And, to top it off she has the biggest orifices. As a result, milking Zuri is a dream. She is my favorite goat to milk. Combined with her personality and willing and patient behavior for a first time milker, she is my absolute favorite goat. I expect that she will produce a significant amount more next freshening.

Above is Xanadu. This is her third freshening. Xanadu has been our favorite goat to milk because of her teat shape, since our first year milking. However, this year, they are just too big for my hands! They have gotten bigger every year, which they tend to do. She has a nice udder. Fine but never phenomenal yield, this year she is averaging about five lb. She doesn't put everything in to milk, which is a good thing sometimes. I don't have to worry about her body condition, she is an easy keeper. We have always loved the shape of her teats, wider at the top, (but not too wide) narrow at the bottom. They are very comfortable and easy to milk - but they have gotten big enough that my hands have to work to hard to get the milk out. This is a personal preference. If Dustin was milking, or another man, or someone with big hands, they would probably love milking her. She has good teat placement. They angle in a bit - which is better than out. And, I think, overall her udder would hold up just fine in the show ring.

Below is Xoe's udder. Xoe has the weakest udder of all our milkers. It hangs lower down, somewhat pendulous. Her teats are huge, too big for me - it makes milking more of a work out - maybe fine if you are just milking a couple goats, but I tend to leave Xoe for last and then my hands just can't get the job done all the way. (Today I milked her earlier in the lineup and that helped). Not only are Xoe's teats different sizes, they also angle out, and they are too wide at the top, which makes getting the milk down, more work for hands. So, when I milk Xoe, I have to angle her teats in towards the pail, which is just one more thing to thinkk about when squeezing. To top all this off her orifices are smaller than anyone elses, so while they are not super small and tiny, they are smaller, which means it takes longer to get the milk out.

All this complaining and I still think Xoe is a decent milking doe. She has a great body. She is a willing milker, who can be very sweet. She is a decent mom. She is putting out between five and six pounds of milk in the morning and then feeding her sons all day. If she was someone's only milker, they may not mind these faults. I am selling Xoe this year. I do plan on asking a fair price for her, and I'm waiting for the right family.

So, here is Rose, totally lopsided, which happens, especially when she has a doeling who prefers one side over the other. Her son left for his new home this past week, and ever since, Rose has been lopsided - so apparently the left side must have been his. Rose is our highest producer and strongest milker. She has been bred every year, milked through the first three months of each gestation, because she just keeps producing. She does tend to put everything in to making milk, so I do have to watch her weight. Her udder shape is my favorite, high, wide and round (not so much round in this pic). Her teats have great placement, size and shape. Her orifice size is also fine. If I were to change one thing about Rose, I would change the shape of her teats just a bit to be a little wider at the top. I think Rose has a strong and lovely mammary system. She has produced up to eight pounds in one milking (that's a gallon folks). This year she has been in the five to six pound range. We've had some diet adjustments that we are finally catching up from, so I expect to see Rose improve over the season.

And now for milk tasting. We've been milking everyone and keeping their milk separate, once a week so we can do taste tests. We had a couple does with mild ketosis symptoms and one with mastitis, and their milk was off tasting for a while so we were tasting it daily and deciding whether it went to the chickens or into the milk tote. Thankfully, everyone's milk is tasting as it should. I think milk should taste clean, creamy, smooth and subtle. There should be no strong sweetness, or other perceptible flavors, including the aftertaste. It has been interesting to see how everyone's milk tastes and how it changes from week to week. Zuri and Rose have had the best tasting milk, creamier and smoother than the rest. Avery is our milk drinker. She loves to drink milk, but she is not very discerning about subtle taste differences.

Well, the kids are in bed. It is another phenomenal Fairbanks night. Sunny and clear, blue skies at ten p.m. The lure to head up to the garden is strong, if only the mosquitoes were not so ferocious. I'm at least heading out to say goodnight to the goats, and shut their door so they can escape the majority of mosquitoes. Goodnight.

Summer magic

2011-05-26T22:34:00.000-08:00

Fairbanks summers are magic. We are situated on a hillside facing west. So this time of night we are still enjoying the sun, which is no where close to setting. The woods are a lush vibrant green. It is in the low seventies still, too warm and dry for the mosquitos to be much of a nuisance. The last couple weeks we have had amazing weather. Sunny, seventies, low eighties for the high, low fifties at night. We had one night with some light rain that helped out the garden. Our spring/ summer came late to Fairbanks - but it has finally arrived in full force. It could be June or July. There have been nights we thought it too warm out for drinking beer, on to iced cocktails.

It has taken me the last week to remember how wide to leave the downstairs window, that enough cool air comes in that we are not too hot upstairs. I am remembering to bathe the children right before bed and not at six p.m. Also, I've realized why parents in some areas bathe their children nightly period. I forget how dirty they get, traipsing through the woods, rolling down hills, laying in dirt piles, walking barefoot in goat and chicken pens - yeah I know that last one has us all shaking our heads, but it happens. I'm glad they are not squeamish. My kids are tough. Covered in bruises, scrapes, scratches, bug bites and dirt. Instead of feeling embarrassed, I mostly feel proud. Not necessarily proud that they are tough little buggers, although that too, but proud that I can let them get dirty and that they have a chance at being real children.

I love this time of year. I relish and adore Fairbanks summers. I will never get enough, nor will they
ever be long enough, and I suppose that is part of their magic. To a casual observer I may appear sunburned, but really; that is just color, a crispy coating of vitamin D, slowly sinking in to warm my bones through to their very core. As soon as I come downstairs in the morning, I open the back door, step outside, feast my deprived eyes on green. The pull to be outside is strong. I have a hard time focusing on little things, breakfast, dishes, tidying, what will be for lunch, dinner. If their ever was a time for cold cereal, it is now. We've got farm helpers showing up about nine a.m. The kids and I have been getting out shortly thereafter. We are milking five does, feeding goats, letting layers and ducks out to range for the day. The kids and I have been trying to get up to the garden for a couple hours before lunch, because from one to five p.m., it has been too hot for the kids to be out in the baking sun. The garden has no shade. We need a tent and a picnic table, and a swing-set and a sand box....

So, I know that you all know where I've been, and have not been wondering. I've been outside. I've been in the garden. The garden is in. Peas, carrots, beets, scallions and fava beans are all coming up. All the transplants are in and surviving in the baking sun. I've been coming in from night chores between nine and ten p.m. I've been playing hooky from putting the kids to bed, watering the garden late, rounding up and herding in ducks and chickens. Putting goat kids in the kid stall for bed time. I tend to gloss over anything negative and so while I'm not complaining, I'll admit I've been waddling a bit first thing in the morning. My feet have been a little tender and swollen and my lower back has been feeling the strain from turning and shoveling all the beds by hand. I need some yoga. As much as I think that I should be able to stretch while thinning carrot seedlings - it's just not the same.

I wish you all lovely summer mornings, days and long balmy nights. Cheers, Emily

Warm sunny days at last

2011-05-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Finally! It is going to be another beautiful sunny warm day here in Interior Alaska! Yesterday was warm and sunny as well. I am a little sunburned, mosquito bitten and a bit stiff and sore. I spent hours shoveling, turning beds and digging up the top layer of weeds which are between the rows, which was almost, literally, back breaking work. Yesterday we planted onion sets. Today we are putting in a second row of peas, turning the greenhouse beds, and starting to turn the next beds in line. We have yet to put any live starts in the garden with the exception of the onion sets. I suppose I could have put potatoes in, last week. Our ten day forecast is looking great, and if could actually rely on it, I would be planting broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage starts this week. We've got a couple cloudy days coming up which would be a nice time to plant starts. We'll see. I've got twelve trays of starts I'm moving outside each day to harden off. I think most of them will benefit from one more week of babying before I throw them out to mercy of the elements. I was thinking of asking what it is that you guys are all planting right now. But if you are already picking peas and strawberries, I don't want to hear about it. (smile) Wishing you all warm and sunny spring days!

Milking and milker diet adjustments

2011-05-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Milking went more smoothly yesterday. One of my problems is that I've been weaning the COB (rolled corn, rolled oats and rolled barley) out of the goats diet. I've been slowly replacing it with a mix of whole oats, whole barley, wheat berries, field peas and sunflower seeds. This has been a two month transition. For the last couple weeks we've been done with the COB and onto the whole grain mix. Some of the does have been on strike. This is the worse time of year to be making changes in diet and thus, having does not eating their grain. Some are, some aren't..This is a huge problem for two reasons: one: they really need the extra calories right now as their bodies are designed to produce large quantities of milk, but they can't just do it on a hay diet. If they don't get the calories, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals their bodies need, their milk production drops, the milk itself doesn't taste as good, and most seriously, they can have other health issues like Ketosis, which is what Rose has been dealing with. Furthermore, if the goats aren't eating their grain, they don't really want to get on the stand, nor do they think they should have to stand still to be milked, thus some of the confrontations we've been having this week at the milk stand.

So, I was just about to break down and go buy some COB or even some Goat Chow, when I had an epiphany: why do the goats like the goat chow so much? Molasses. I need to mix in a little extra something that will sweeten the deal. I've never been big on sweet feeds. I worry about their long term dental care. This however, is just starting out as a quick fix and we will go from here. I mixed a little over a tablespoon of molasses into each of their feed rations and voila, everyone ate all their grain. I only needed help getting Rose on the stand, and Zinnia still needed her back hooves held down, we are getting there.

Another note about goats diet and feeding changes. I've been noticing that the milk is not as creamy as last year. I've also been brushing the goat's coats which naturally they are shedding this time of year, but a few of the does also have dandruff. I read a few articles on feeding olive oil, olive by products, soy or corn oil to goats. I got to thinking that while I'm still feed sunflower seeds to the goats, the reduction in corn does reduce their overall fat and oil intake, thus possibly the drier skin and less fatty milk this year. While soy and corn oil are much cheaper, they are not as healthy and they are gmo crops which we are trying to reduce in our own diets as well as that of the animals. So olive oil would be the preferred choice. Sam's club had 3 liter bottles for fifteen dollars, only fifty cents difference between the extra virgin and cooking olive oil, so that was a no brainer. So, now I find myself adding a Tablespoon each of of olive oil and molasses to the goat's feed twice a day. We'll see how long this lasts. I don't like to add extras, extra steps, extra cost, unless they make a significant difference.

Fussy milkers

2011-05-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

We've have been having a cold spring around here. The forecast was looking brighter, but today has disappointed. We had big plans for the day: cover greenhouse with new plastic, assemble row tunnels and covers, turn more beds, plant carrot and turnip seed.... None of which got done. I did venture over to a friend's garden to dig Toklat strawberry plants, which is always exciting...never enough strawberries.

This week I've been working with our two main farm helpers for the summer. I'd say that I'm "training them" to do my morning chore routine. But with the milkers acting up, I'm not really sure who is training who. We humans, have been double teaming the milking does. I have finally moved inside and set up my milking area; milk stand, grain tubs, counter with supplies etc. Dustin had been tiling the area with slate, and like all projects this one went late. So, up until this week I was just milking one doe twice a day, and another doe once a day. outside, in the mud, in a frustratingly, disorderly fashion. Each doe is bringing some personal issues to the milking parlor, with the exception of Zuri, who is the best first time milker ever - an absolute angel.

Rose, four season veteran has been balking at the milk stand. She has bad feet and has slipped a couple times this year on either wet milk on the stand, or a while back on frozen milk that pooled on the stand. She has also had mild Ketosis symptoms which we are attempting to remedy, but as a result she hasn't been interested in her grain, so she doesn't think she should have to stand patiently while we milk her - if she isn't eating. So she has been stomping, jumping and struggling vigorously to get out of being milked. Then there is her daughter who is a first timer, who deeply resents being milked. She jumps on the stand fine, but doesn't eat and it takes one person to hold her hooves down while another person milks. She also poops out of nervousness every time she gets on the stand. Which until this year we have only had two occasions where we had a goat poop on the stand, our record is totally skewed now.

Then there is Xanadu, this is her third season. I just started milking her this week, as she has triplets and they are just three weeks old. She is going to be fine, but it takes a few days to get into the rhythm. She has stepped in the pail twice this week, but has stood fairly well, we milker's are just slow on the reflexes- but as the season progresses we will get sharper and quicker. Lastly there is Xoe who just kidded on Friday. Her twin bucklings are nursing on one side and leaving the other to fill to enormous proportions. So we've been emptying her full side. Well, then we had some clots and blood in her milk - I know - gross right? So I tested her for mastitis and one day it looked negative, but today maybe a mild positive. For now, I'm going to milk her out twice a day, teat dip with essential oils, massage with salve and some stimulating essential oils. If this continues or gets worse I am going to start giving her Molly's immune support tincture a few times a day, but first I'm going to see if it clears up on its own. This is another first, first time in four years of milking that we've had clots like this or a maybe positive mastitis. Xoe has also been reluctant to hop onto the stand. So, milking around here has been a two person job. We are trying to be kind and patient, but it is hard with the seasoned milkers. Come on already, haven't we been doing this routine for four years now. So you got a few months off, time to get back to work, remember this? I don't remember the beginning of milking season being so difficult before - I guess I gave them too much time off. They've been on vacation for too long.

Another week of this and we should all be re-trained. One cool thing that has just happened is that Zuri, our first time milker who lost her only doeling this year, has started caring for and nursing Xanadu's doeling, Bali. Bali is nursing off Zuri frequently and keeping her drained through the day. If I was counting on Zuri's milk this wouldn't be good, but as Bali is one of triplets and the smallest, and growing slowly, and Zuri is lonely, well it works out for everyone, and I get to skip the nine p.m. milking for another couple months, until we sell most the kids.

In other news, one row of shelling peas is in the ground, along with the first sowing of scallions, beets and the fava beans. The beds are covered with plastic mulch to keep the heat and moisture in. I'm about two weeks behind last year in planting, and our spring is about two weeks behind. The birch still haven't leafed out and greenup has yet to come to Fairbanks.

We have bees now. I can't wait to check on them. If today had been a little warmer and sunny, I would have checked on them. On one of our nicer days this week I counted about thirty bees entering the hive per minute, all loaded up with pollen on their legs.

Dustin is out building me a second milking stand. Having two stands will help in a number of ways. Milking won't take as long as I'll be able to start on the next doe without waiting for the doe I just milked to finish her grain. Also, we need to start getting the younger does use to the stand so we don't have some of the same problems we are having now, next year.

It still looks like fall out, brown, cold and blustery. Is summer ever going to get here? Sixties would be lovely, but I'll settle for mostly sunny and no wind. I am so ready for summer. Ready for bare-footed dirty children, wet children splashing in the baby pool, children dripping with watermelon or cherry juice.

Doelings and decisions

2011-05-07T19:35:00.002-08:00

Xoe kidded last night to two handsome black and tan bucklings. Pictures coming. That wraps up our 2011 kidding season. We now have five milking does, four doelings and five bucklings. One buckling is sold as a registered buck for breeding. We are planning on keeping two doelings and two doelings are reserved - but I haven't decided which to sell. We've been putting much thought into the decision. Above is Bella, (Belladonna). Her sister, Blue (Bluebell), is below. They are twin doelings out of first time freshener Zinnia and our new buck Zanzibar. Zinnia is Rose's first and only daughter until this year's Bramble. Rose is our biggest producer, milking close to a gallon twice a day. She put's everything she has into making milk, and as a result is looking rather shabby at the moment, but we are trying to help her out by feeding her extra grain, alfalfa and extra calcium. Both Rose and Zinnia have lovely wide round udders. They have good teat size and placement as well as udder attachment. Rose's weakness has been that we bred her young and as she is on the petite side, her feet have rolled inwards a bit and need trimmed often. We didn't breed Zinnia until her second fall, so she didn't have the same problem as her dam. She does look like she is following in her mother's footsteps putting all she has into making milk.

Her daughter's are our biggest, strongest doelings. They are tall, long and level. They are very pretty. We haven't bonded with them as much as the other kids, because their dam is so over protective over them and steers them away from us if she can. I feel like I should keep one of them, in part because they such big handsome girls, two, because it will break Zin's heart if I sell both her daughters, and three which should have been first, because of how great Zinnia is looking and how lovely her udder has turned out.

Above is Xanadu's doeling. She doesn't look like much yet as she is just three weeks old and the runt of triplets. I love her coloring. She is very spunky, curious and affectionate. I've handled her a bunch and would love to keep her. Reasons why I may sell her are one: I kept Xanadu's first doeling Avalon from last year, so Xan has a young daughter in the herd. Two, the other doelings look more impressive as they are older, so I really just need to give her a few weeks to grow into herself, and three, I'm thinking of repeating the same breeding next year - although that would be the year to get triplet bucklings out of Xan. With Zanzibar and Zoro both being new bucks, I'd like to keep a daughter out of each of them.

Bramble Rose is the kid's favorite. She has been a lovable friendly doeling from the get go and that means a lot. I am generally tempted to keep the friendliest doelings and not just the handsomest. Bramble is Rose's daughter and Zinnia's half sister, so I'm expecting big things from her, a big producer with a large wide lovely udder for starters. If Rose has a white, cream colored or flashy pinto doeling I will have to keep her, and as I'm thinking of breeding Rose to Zanzibar this fall, there is a likely chance of that. So I almost feel as though I should sell Bramble and keep a Rose doeling next year. But on the other hand Bramble is our first doeling out of Zoro. Zoro was out of one of our best does Maggie, who came to us from Lucky Star farms and was a beautiful doe who out produced Rose, and also had a lovely wide round udder with great teat shape and size - who on top of all that continued to gain weight and look great while increasing her milk production throughout the season. So, when I think of putting Maggie's granddaughter together with Rose, I think: keeper.

Taking pictures of these girls is impossible, as all they want to do is climb and play on us and not stand still.

Above, Bramble, looking a little furry and stout. Below, Blue and Bella. Zuri, back right.

Xanadu's doeling again. Still not named. Brazil? Bali? Suggestions anyone? Mythical or exotic B place names?

Noah, playing with the goats.

Me, playing with the goats. Goofy pictures.

Decisions, decisions. We are trying to keep our number of does around eight. Eight is a great number. Five to six does, kidding each year and being milked is a reasonable number. This year we are selling Xoe, one of our first does. Which will leave us with Rose and Xan, both strong milkers with great udders, Zuri and Zinnia, both impressive and lovely first timers we are excited about. We've got Asia and Avalon, both one and a half year olds ready to be bred first thing this fall. Which gives us six milkers for next spring. With room for two doelings to grow. I don't even want to think about who I'm going to have to sell next spring if we want to keep doelings- which of course we will. I've wanted all the does to get to keep their first daughter, but we can only do that for so long. This is the problem with goats, you can't just have one, or two, or a dozen, or I suppose a more disciplined individual can.

How much does it cost to raise a dairy goat?

2011-05-04T20:12:00.002-08:00

After four years of raising goats, starting with six goat kids and, well, today we've got, oh, eleven adults and seven kids with more on the way: I'm finally getting around to figuring out how much our goats are costing us. The truth is I haven't really wanted to know. The truth is, it's embarrassing. The truth is that we have not been attempting to run a successful business, nor have we ever had a business plan. We got in to goats because we wanted our own milk, the access to raw milk and homemade raw dairy products. Well if that was really all we wanted, two milking does would suffice. We also wanted a self sufficient goat herd, to have enough genetic diversity that we can breed our own goats without buying more goats or driving our goats long distances and exposing them to other bucks (herds/diseases) for breeding.

The bad news is that they are costing more than we can really afford. Certainly more than we would spend on millk and goat cheese yearly. The good news is that if we stay organized and motivated we have the potential to sell enough shares in our herd, which in a convoluted way allows the exchange of money for keeping of goat, and that goat's milk... that the goats will at least pay for a significant portion of their expenses. Here are some of our current feed costs:

Brome Hay $7-10 for 50lb. We buy a variety of hay. This year we bought about half our hay from a farm nearby for $7 a bale, the bales weighed heavy, we had to be very selective and the quality varied greatly. The other half of our hay we had to drive 45 miles for, it was beautiful, the goats love it, but it was $10 a bale plus gas and time...
Alfalfa hay, we've been paying $39.99 for 90-100 lb. bales of imported alfalfa from the feed store. I really need to find a cheaper source of Alfalfa. We just started feeding it to our milkers again, as they really need it the extra calories, the higher protein and the calcium this time of year.
Alfalfa pellets, at 18.99 for a 50 lb. bag, I don't see why we are buying these when we can just feed the fresh stuff, but we keep them around and feed them when we are out of alfalfa hay.
Whole Oats 10.99 for 50lb. We could and should get these cheaper by buying in bulk. Same with the Barley.
Whole Barley 10.99 for 50lb.
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds 24.99 for 40lb.
Wheat Berries $38.00 50lb
Sweetlix vitamin mineral supplement for goats $29.99 25lb.
Looking over the last years receipts we pay around $150 for herbal supplements, herbal wormers and herbal tinctures.

Other expenses I looked at are vet receipts, and odd expenses like collars, heated waterers and baking soda. Expenses I did not include in our yearly goat expenses are labor, shelters, fencing, gates, electricity or milking supplies.

I broke down the feed into how much each cost by the pound. For vet expenses, vitamins, herbals and the miscellaneous expenses, I divided the total estimated amount, or receipts by our winter herd number which was and should continue to be about eleven goats.

We are feeding our milkers each a day when in milk:

5 lb. brome hay (took nine dollars per 50lb) .90
1 lb. alfalfa hay .39
2 lb. whole mixed grains, whole oats, whole barley, BOSS, and wheat berries .82

for a total of 2.11 a day, $63.30 a month for feed. Vet costs, herbals, vitamins and misc added up per goat per year are $86.75 We figure that each doe is out of lactation for 3- 5 months a year depending on the doe. During this time she is fed less grain and less alfalfa and eats closer to $1.35, $40.50 a month. I am hoping to milk each doe about eight months out of the year so eight months at $63.30, four months at $40.50 then the annual extras totals, $755.15 a year per milking doe, which we currently have six, so 4,530.9 a year just to feed the milkers.

The rest of the goats are less money to keep. The bucks do fine on brome with a small amount of mixed grain and alfalfa pellets. They also get herbal wormer, b.soda and sweetlix vitamin supplement. They cost closer to $36 each a month, $432 a year, $1554 for all three. The kids and yearlings cost the least, they eat less hay and grain, but they do often take a toll on their dams, continuing to nurse long past when they need it.

So it looks like we are spending close to eight thousand dollars a year to feed and care for our goats. Where does that leave us? Well, it is going to take quite a bit more math to figure out exactly how much milk we get for our money. I think instead of figuring what we should be getting, for each pound of hay and grain we are feeding, I'll be keeping track of what we milk this year and adding up how many pounds of milk we get each month.

With the current amount we are charging for goat shares and milking fees, if we provide eight months of milk- which we won't this year, we would take in $4,450 for ten shares. We could most likely double that if we got better at milking twice a day, and weaning the kids on time etc. So the potential for the herd to pay for itself is there. Now, the question is, are we game? Or, rather, am I game?

Geese and Spring

2011-05-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

Last wednesday I was expecting a few Toulouse geese and four ducks from Metzer Hatchery in Northern California. Wednesday came and went, then Thursday, by that night, after two days of worrying and harassing the post office, I was expecting a box of dead chicks. two thirty a.m. Friday morning I get a call that they ar wee in. I asked if they were alive. The postal worker said he didn't know. I asked if the box was peeping, and he was like oh yeah, they're alive. So I drove in to get them. Amazingly the geese and two ducks made it, after being in a box for five nights!

While I was picking up my order, the guy from the feed store was there as well picking up his huge order and somehow fitting them all in his little car. He lost his whole waterfowl order. The folks from the feed store said that this year they've been having lots of problems with shipping chicks through USPS. I guess the last two weeks their chick order of 1,600 got taken off the plane in Anchorage (360 miles away) and trucked up. So they lost half their order both weeks. They are not ordering any more water fowl this year. Sounds like they are still getting in chicks and turkeys.

So far, the kids are handling the geese and lone duckling (one didn't make it) several times a day. Noah named the female goose Rosie. Avery named the female penciled runner duck Flower pot. The boys aren't named for now as we are not sure which will be dinner. But I'm thinking we'll name one Sebastion, and the other Christmas Dinner, and then I can always switch them later depending on which is the nicer of the two.

So far we are feeding the goslings/ duckling and chicks, my layer feed coursely ground with a few additives. So our layer feed is whole oats, whole barley, wheat berries, cracked corn, sunflower seeds, kelp and salmon meal and salt. The chicks have even higher protein needs. So we also added some ground peas, ground lentils and some extra kelp and salmon meal. We've also been feeding them hard boiled eggs, spinach and other fruits and veggies.

In other news, our doe Xoe is due this week. All the other goats are well, but shaggy and shedding. The milkers are starting to look raggedy. We are feeding alfalfa hay to help them out. Dustin just finished tiling my milking area, so I moved in this morning and now I can get down to business. I've been doing math on how much our goats are costing, and that is a post in itself- coming soon.

I brought my new bee hive home this week. I need to paint it and get it set up. I'm picking the bees up on Sunday.

I woke up to rain/snow this morning. The day was cool and windy but sunny. We are trying to clean up outside as we can. D cleaned out the chicken pen and duck shelter yesterday. I started on the doe pen. It is going to take another week before I can start working the soil and direct seeding in the garden. I am so ready for summer, for warm t-shirt weather. I am so ready to retire my winter boots and coveralls. I am so ready for green grass, green leaves, shoots and buds. We are having a late cool spring in the interior. I'm guessing wherever you are you are ready for summer too.

Spring week in pictures

2011-04-26T15:47:00.000-08:00

It rained this afternoon for the first time this year. The snow is slowly receding. I'm flirting with the idea of starting cucumbers and squash today - although it is a bit early. I am soaking nasturtiums and sweet peas, which I usually direct seed, but I want them to have an earlier start this year. I've got lettuce seeds in my jacket pocket waiting for an opportunity to make it up to the garden. I've got a cold frame ready for planting.

I brined and smoked a ham from our pig we helped butcher last fall. I smeared the ham with maple sugar and sea salt before smoking. Then finished it smothered in marmalade before serving. It was divine. We've been eating ham and fried egg sandwiches on brioche toast. A pot of split pea soup is bubbling away on the range.

I'm expecting goslings and ducklings today or tomorrow. Haven't yet set up their spot, but I do know where everything is at- which is something. I am getting a little overwhelmed with everything that we can almost do - but frustratingly can't quite start on yet. I guess it is time to keep on top of house chores and stock pile some meals while I can still stand to be indoors.

Happy spring everyone!

Dreaming of strawberries

2011-04-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

We ate some very nice looking but poor tasting strawberries this morning. I think of all store-bought produce, strawberries have got to be about the worst as far as looking tempting but tasting bland - or worse, moldy even though I don't see any mold. In the winter I feel good about my shopping cart when it is filled mostly with produce, usually apples, oranges, bananas, scallions and broccoli. In the summer it is the opposite- I try not to buy any vegetables but occasional corn or avocados. There is always that tinge of guilt knowing how many fossil fuel miles are in most all our groceries up here. My excuse is my sanity, my health and that I'm feeding small children. My kids love bell peppers, cucumbers, peas. Noah is in a phase where he loves asparagus but is tired of broccoli and beets. Avery is the opposite, doesn't like the asparagus, but enjoys beets daily. If we were trying to eat just what is in season around here, or what we stored, it would be slim pickings. I'm out of our own onions, garlic and potatoes, beets, carrots and squash. We are down to bags of frozen kale, frozen broccoli, frozen vegetable soups and frozen tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and canned green beans. We all like variety. We mostly prefer our vegetables fresh and lightly cooked. I guess it comes down to, while I aspire to grow a large portion of our own food, and while I would like to be able to be self-sufficient if needed, I'll be taking advantage of all the fossil fuel laden foreign looking produce while I can -especially while trying to feed children real food- and as many vegetables as possible.

Now, I'm dreaming of my own strawberry patch. Last summer we planted a three foot by fifteen foot bed of established Toklat perennial strawberries. I'm thinking that if my entire garden space was strawberries it wouldn't be enough. There are too many fruits I cannot grow here. Strawberries are not one of the them. We are just beginning to purchase and plant berries and fruit trees here. Last summer we bought an apple and a crab apple tree along with a couple plum trees. We also dug a trench and planted some Boyne raspberries. For this summer I've ordered some golden raspberry canes, a black and white currant bush, a couple Nanking cherry trees and a couple Saskatoon bushes. I'm trying venture into what should actually do well here instead of dwelling or putting my efforts into fruits that are marginal here. Mostly, I'm excited about strawberries. I wonder how I can keep the kids from eating them all before they even ripen? Cloth covers maybe?

On a side note, my son saw a picture in a kid's book of a cross section of a loaf of wonder bread, and he asked me what it was - he didn't recognize that it was bread. Avery pulled out some candy out of a pocket of Noah's old rain coat. I think it was leftover and forgotten from the parade last summer. I was able to take it away from her and quickly stash it, as she didn't know what it was - didn't realize it was candy. I am relieved that my kids are not obsessed with candy or junk food - yet.

Looks like winter- feels and smells like spring

2011-04-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to figure out where the smell of dead animal is coming from. At first I was sure it really was a dead chicken or duck that died over the winter that I'd forgotten about. I keep sniffing around the pile of chicken bedding - recently removed from the coop, but I don't think that's it. The cold weather has it's advantages: our place only smells half the year.

I've been thinking of notes to self lately as I do chores. The top note to self is to keep my mouth shut more often. I don't think I spend much time walking around with my mouth hanging open. I think I must sub consciously breathe through my mouth when things are stinky and that is how I end up catching nasties. I can't remind myself enough to:

Keep mouth shut when pitchforking and cleaning out the chicken coop, goat stalls and manure bedding in general.
Keep mouth shut when trimming goat feet. Poopy chunks of goat trimmings fly in all directions.
Indoors- keep mouth shut when scrubbing the toilet.

This week while driving to town Avery kept saying "whats that?" I was like what? that house? the trees? the other cars? and finally she said, "No, that icky brown stuff." I replied, "that is dirt". Then we had a whole discussion about how the dirt was really there all along just covered up and hidden by the snow, which she was skeptical about. We still have snow pretty much everywhere on our property. Today there was some dirt exposed up against the goat barn and the kids found it. Noah said something like, "ooh dirt, look there is dirt here" and he began running his hands through it, grabbing, squishing and digging in it. Then of course there wasn't enough dirt there to go around and he told his sister she had to go find her own dirt. Avery found a muddy puddle and said, "ooh mud, mom can I splash in the mud with my bare feet?" And I was like, lets keep our rain boots on for now, it is too cold still, but soon!

We are all ready. Ready for mud. Excited to see dirt. I think it is going to be a few weeks before the snow has mostly disappeared. It is going to be a late spring.

I've gone to two bee classes now. I'm learning lot's. Yesterday we watched a hiving demonstration and checked on a recently hived hive. The bees were much more mellow than I expected. No one got stung. The bee guy did everything without gear, veil or gloves, using his bare hands to brush bees back into the hive etc. It was kinda like magic. I've been very inspired by the class and I'm thinking I'm actually going to enjoy bee keeping itself, in addition to having our own honey.

The start up cost is pretty intimidating. I'm not sure it is really worth it when I think about how much money we are investing in bees, hive and equipment and how much honey we are going to get. The bees start at $125 for a three pound package, $25 for an extra queen. So I decided to step it up and buy a Nuc, which is a small colony already started and going with a proven queen for $175. The start up recommendation for here is two deep brood supers and two medium honey supers, with a queen extruder the cost is 350 unassembled, 400 assembled - and just needs paint. Smoker, veil and gloves... It is getting expensive. Stumbling across some used unwanted equipment would be great, but I don't see that happening in the next couple weeks.

Our first batch of ducks and Ameraucanas is due to hatch at the end of next week. We've got a few geese and ducks arriving the same week. Time to dig out some heat lamps and brooder tubs for the hallway. I like to keep them close in the house at first. The goats are all doing great. We have one more goat due for sure. Xoe is due the first week of May. I'm going to enjoy sleeping through the night for at least another week. It is getting busy and exciting like spring around here. It just looks like winter.

A week of spring fun

2011-04-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

While it is still mostly white out, the days are getting nicer, slowly but surely. This week we had a kid party with games, a treasure hunt and cake. We had family up on Noah's Bday for presents, clams, fried halibut, oven fries and milkshakes. Yesterday it was warm enough (fifties maybe) on the south porch, the kids were running around barefoot playing in the water that dripped off the roof. At some point they got wet and cold enough that they put on clothes, boots and rain gear, pulled their hoods up and continued.

Dividing up the treasure.

Kids making their own pizzas.

This weekend = goat meeting, bee class, lots of goat visiting/still helping new babies nurse, maybe kids in rain gear at the playground, hopefully starting cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and 4-6wk flowers, and have I mentioned that D has been tiling the milking area - grouting this weekend. Getting busy around here.

Meeting the new goat kids

2011-04-15T08:15:00.001-08:00

Avery and new wobbly doeling.

doeling in front, brothers in back.

Flashy buckling left side.

Right side.

Can we keep her mom?

Xanadu kids to triplets

2011-04-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

First buckling out.

Second buckling out.

Third buckling out, oh no, a doeling whew!

I dry everyone off while Xan licks and re-wets them.

Happy healthy family, yeah!

Wild Roots Goat Share Program

2011-04-14T20:24:00.001-08:00

So here is how our Wild Roots Farm Goat Share Program is going to work, or so I think. As it is illegal to sell milk in the state of Alaska, but it is legal to drink milk from your own dairy animals, we are going to sell shares in our goat herd. Goat shares do not extend beyond milk, so fresh cheese and other dairy products are not allowed. Furthermore, it is illegal to transport raw milk off the farm, unless it is denatured or labeled for animal consumption only - or being transported to an owner or co-owner of the animal. We are starting out small and simple. This program is not our "make it rich scheme" or even a successful business plan, nor is it designed to pay for all of our goat herd expenses, (although that is a longer term goal and would be swell), but rather compensate for a significant amount of their feed bill and expenses. I'm planning a future goat feed cost post that will break down how much it costs to raise a goat up here, which should make the following prices seem reasonable, if they don't already.

$75 buys you a share in our herd. All $75 is refundable if you would like to sell back your share to us at anytime.
Ten dollars a week pays for the care, board, milking, and milk processing of your share of a goat and finally a portion of the product: one gallon of fresh milk per week during milk flow months The weekly charge is due at the beginning of each month, before the first milk pick up.
This year we expect the milking season to begin in June and end around December, 7 months of milk. Once we get going we may be able to continue a little later than December. Next spring our goal is to be able to supply shareholders with milk by mid April. The length of the season depends on several factors, some of which are not always in our control, how much milk the goats give, how soon or late we sell kids, when we breed in the fall etc.
There is an annual $50 fee to be paid at the beginning of each season with the exception of the first year. This goes towards the feed and care of your co-owned goat when it is not lactating.
Inital start up charges including first month of ownership/milk delivery: $75 buy in, $40 monthly (roughly) $115.
At this time Sunshine Health Food Store is going to let us use their building as a drop off/ pick up place. They are not selling the milk for us. They are not handling paper work, money or doing anything other than providing a handy location and refrigerator. We will deliver milk to their in store refrigerator. Shareholders stop in and pick their milk up and drop off their clean jars from the previous week.
There will be a sheet with shareholders names on it. Shareholders will check that they picked up their milk and check that they dropped off their jars. When jars are broken shareholders can replace them or we can add a jar charge to the following month.
At this time I am planning on dropping off milk on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The shareholders are responsible for picking up their milk on the designated day. Any milk leftover at the end of the day will be donated to the store employees. So if you can't make it to pick up your milk, find someone who will, or email me in advance.
Shareholders may not sell your full share to someone yourself. We will have a waiting list of potential shareholders in line to buy available shares.
At this time we are not going to deal with half shares for those who only want a half a gallon of milk per week. I would suggest finding someone who would like to share your share with you.
We currently have ten goat shares available, apart from our family and farm helpers with goat shares. I expect to have more shares available as the summer progresses and we wean and sell goat kids. I am starting out small because we like to have a plethora of milk around here for drinking, cheese-making and hopefully this year cream separating and butter making.
I am going to accept shareholders on a first come basis. Those of you who have already emailed me are at the top of the list. The next step is sending me a check for the buy-in. In return I will send out a contract along with our milking procedures, policies and raw milk safety precautions etc. Or,
I am thinking that we will have an open house prior to or at the start of the share program. I would like everyone who is interested to see our goats, our milking area, milk procedures and so on. This would be a great time to sign contracts and go over raw milk safety guidelines and any other questions shareholders may have.

If you are interested in our goat share program you can email me at emilycstahl@gmail.com
Please send me an email before mailing a check, just in case we've filled the available shares.
Please send checks to, and make payable to: Emily Stahl, PO BOX 80662, Fairbanks AK, 99708

Late snow, birthday preparations and goat shares

2011-04-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

There are a couple inches of loose white powder blanketing everything; railing, porch, rocking horse and trike. The birch are once more outlined and frosted in winter. As long as our winters are, a fresh snowfall is always pretty, however, we are having a birthday party for Noah tomorrow. We were hoping to use the back porch for games. There were just a few clumps of dirty ice that needed chipped away, that we were eying and hoping they'd take care of themselves by melting in time. It is suppose to be in the forties today and tomorrow, so maybe the porch will at least clear itself into puddles and wet boards.

These gray days get to me more than the cold and dark. I'm trying to look ahead, plan, dream and take what action I may. There is so much to be excited about this time of year. Five flats of seedlings are started. Duck eggs are set. Today I'm adding chicken eggs to the incubator in hopes that all the eggs will hatch within a day or so of each other. Last night I separated the goat kids from their moms for the first time, so I can get more than a few cups of milk. The kids are three weeks plus. Their dams were starting to get restless being penned up every night.

Xanadu is due on Sunday. I suppose she is either waiting to have her babies till Dustin goes to work tonight and I'm home alone with the kids, or until the birthday party tomorrow. I'm excited for more kids. Xanadu is a reddish brown doe. Her paperwork says she is Chamoisee, sounds elegant. She is bred to Zanzibar, our pinto buck. So, this is our last chance to see something different this season.

I've been doing some raw milk, goat share research. This is something we've discussed since we first started milking. The herd has been growing and eating, more and more. I've decided that it is time for the goats to start earning their keep, or at least paying their feed bill. I think I'm finally up for it. My kids are sturdier, older, and in some ways easier to drag along for chores. We've got committed farm help for the summer as well. To be honest I'm not looking forward to dealing with customers, paperwork, money, and milk drop offs etc. This is the sort of commitment that there is no coming back from. Once we start, there will forever be a group of crazy (no offense) milk customers hungry for milk. I get monthly emails and phone calls from folks looking to buy milk, even with stating that I don't sell milk. So, if you are one of those hungry milk customers who has emailed or called over the last few years, get back in touch with me. I'll be posting more details and prices soon. I'm starting out small and will probably be taking more customers as the summer progresses. There is limited room, so...emilycstahl@gmail.com is the way to reach me.

I'm baking a cake today. Noah requested a strawberry short cake. I'm making almond butter cake layers, a strawberry sauce and tomorrow, whipped cream. Other than that, I'm doing some spring cleaning, making some lemonade and a bean and maybe a pasta salad to go with some local beef/moose burgers for the party, and watching a soon to be in labor huge goat. The snow is starting to plop off the trees. I imagine it will be like living somewhere else today, somewhere that gets snow once or twice a year, but turns to slush and puddles by afternoon.

Homemade soaps and salve

2011-04-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

I made some herbal healing salve the other day. Zinnia (new goat mama with twin doelings), had a sore cracked, bleeding, scabby teat- (sorry if that is more info than you needed). I started off putting bag balm on it, which is what I had on hand. I wanted something more healing and nourishing. I usually keep a healing salve on hand, but the tins I rummaged up all had little bits of rancid salve in the bottoms. I did have a jar of fresh calendula infused olive oil and a jar of dried comfrey root olive oil. Comfrey use to be known as "knit bone", it has that kind of super healing powers. I also had a couple teaspoons of Vitamin E oil which I added for moisturizing and nourishing oil.

I put three parts of a combination of the two oils in the saucepan above. Then I measured one part beeswax into the oils and gently warmed it up till the wax was melted. I measured a fews drops of various essential oils and tinctures into the bottom of each tin. I used lavender essential oil for soothing and calming properties, tea tree oil/antifungal and rosemary for healing, red thyme for purifying. I also put just a few drops of goldenseal tincture for antibacterial use and st. johns wort tincture for pain relieving properties- I didn't have st. johns wort oil otherwise I would have used that. I keep all these ingredients on hand and close by, so while it might sound complicated, I spent twenty minutes making the salve, and most of that was spent gathering supplies from different corners in the house.

Finished salves cooling. Should be enough for all the cuts, scrapes and bug bites for the next year- for both the goats and we humans as well. I've got tomake these things now; salves, lip balm, lotions, bug spray and sun lotion. Helps me feel prepared for summer. While they don't take long to make- I don't want to spend any more time than necessary indoors during the summer.

A girlfriend and I recently shared a soap making spree. We made four soaps in an afternoon. It was a bit of a soap making fiasco. In the past we've been content to make simple soaps with no more decoration than some lavender or calendula petals. This time I'd been looking up some professional soap maker sites and was inspired to raise the bar to the next level. I had great hopes and ambitions for layered and swirled soaps. I knew exactly what I wanted our soap to look like, and that is why I'm disappointed. I'm a little embarassed of the appearance of the following soaps. The bars I've used so far do have a nice fragrance and lather- so thats something. At first I thought about cutting them all up and making cobblestone soap, but I'm running out of soap making days- and they work. Should be enough soap to get us to next fall when the days slow down again.

Both above and below are lavender soap. Lavender essential oil and lavender buds.

Above is goat milk soap with cedarwood, eucalyptus and lemongrass. Great fragrance.

My kitchen, and stuff

2011-04-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

I love my kitchen. I cook at least two meals from scratch a day, the other meal is usually leftovers or something simple. I make our bread weekly, fresh cheese, yogurt, dog food and all sorts of snacks, not to mention canning and preserving in the summer. Everything has its place, everything has a purpose and just a couple things are solely ornamental.

Cooking is a sensual practice for me. The ritual of making a meal begins with pure ingredients, my bare hands and simple tools.When we think of cooking, seeing and smelling food is a given. Knowledge and labor are both required. Enjoying the process is not essential, but it sure helps. It is the act of scooping chunky sea salt with my bare hands, chopping vegetables with my sharp chef knife in just the right pattern that makes all the onion chunks fall apart at the last minute in equal size, and stirring, enjoying the way my wooden spoon curves to fit my hand, that makes the process of cooking sensually rewarding and therefor a soothing task.

A quality tool is both functional and beautiful. As much as I appreciate my mixer for reducing the time I spend kneading- I don't enjoy it as I do a roomy wooden bowl with plenty of room for tossing or a nice piece of pottery with a snug fitting lid. While I'm still enjoying being in my kitchen, before I am too busy to keep it tidy, I thought I'd share some of my favorite kitchen sights. Above left is an oil and vinegar set I made several years ago. One of my few rarely used items. On the right is my sugar dish made by a fellow potter.

Herbs, rosemary, basil, mint and oregano - not located in the kitchen but used frequently.

Wooden spoons and salt vessels. Have I ever admitted my love and addiction for various types of salt? On the left is coarse sea salt with fine on the right. There is a big price difference, so I use the coarse for soups, boiling water or surface texture. I have at least a half a dozen other types of salt on hand; non iodized salt for pickling and cheesemaking, fleur de sel sea salt, coarse red and black salt from Hawaii and a few other packages of salt I've picked up while traveling. I love quality ingredients in general. They don't need to be expensive in price, just not cheap in quality. Fresh, pure, simple, local when possible, seasonally when possible.

Here's to enjoying the simple things that make the process more enjoyable, whether it is cooking with your favorite wooden spoon, painting with your favorite brush or just using the perfect tool for the job.

Summer intentions

2011-03-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

April is around the corner and I can feel it. We are all over winter. It snowed a couple inches the other day and the kids were puzzled - like isn't it summer yet? It has been pleasant and warm in the afternoons. We've been spending a lot of time outdoors. The snow is finally wet enough to make snow balls. I was trying to get the kids excited about rolling big snow balls yesterday. I think the snow has lost all interest for them - they are ready for it to be gone and so am I.

There are depressions around each tree, where the snow is starting to melt and recede - a sure sign of spring. Yesterday Avery wanted to go up to the garden and pick peas. I humored her and we walked up to where the peas usually are and talked about the life cycle of peas. I pushed her in her summer swing and together we dreamed of long summer days in the garden.

Our beloved farm helper, Becca may be getting a real job this summer, one that actually pays well - and not just in eggs and vegetables. We love her so much and wish her the best in everything she does...and we are going to miss her desperately. I've been thinking of our summer and what is possible. The last two summers have been tricky as Avery as been a baby and a small, somewhat needy toddler. I think now that she is growing into a mature young lady of two and a half, I think that the kids and I will be able to accomplish much more together.

I've been resolving myself to earlier productive morning while the kids are still sleeping. Milking several goats in a row with both kids fighting over who fills grain tubs and whining -asking when are we going to be done - is more than enough to inspire me to get up early and milk solo. We will see how the summer routine shapes up but I'm gradually resolving myself to early productive mornings, milking with a baby monitor nearby. Other thoughts I've had lately have been that if I have to start buying sandwich bread it is not the end of the world. Getting farm chores done and getting the kids out to the playground or swim lessons are more important. On that note, I'm going to start looking for used playground equipment to set up near the garden. I'm also thinking a screened tent with a small table would be helpful.

April is for hatching chicks, starting our milking routine, starting seeds, planning and preparing. I started tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and the 8-10 wk flowers on Monday. Today I'm going to transplant some herbs into pots for spring snipping. April is an ugly month here, melting snow, dirty white and eventually brown and muddy. For all the farm smells coming to life, animal housing that needs cleaned out and snow melting, exposing the clutter here and there, well I'll take it. I'm ready for April.

Facing my fears; geese and honey bees

2011-03-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

I grew up with my dad raising bees for honey. My brother and I got stung a lot as children. Now, my brother has severe allergic reactions when he gets stung. I just have a slight fear of handling bees. I must have been in kindergarten or first grade when I remember my dad running circles around the house hollering while we tracked him from inside the house, running from window to window to peer out at him. I remember him stopping to pound on the door demanding entry and mom telling him to keep running. As far as the benefits go, I grew up on honey, honey and PB sandwiches, honey and PB on ricecakes, honey and homemade yogurt. I did not realize how much I appreciate good honey until I no longer had any. Now, we eat honey on hot cereal and honey on pancakes. I use honey in our weekly bread and on sandwiches. I have a strong appreciation and desire for local honey which is outrageously expensive here. I've been mentally working myself up to raising bees for a few years now. Last year D got me a beekeeping book for Christmas, which I read. Last spring I signed up for a beekeeping class, but later decided I already had too much on my plate.

This is going to be the year. I'm starting off by taking a beginning bee keeping class which covers all the basics. It is a couple hour class, once a week over five or so weeks. I'm gearing up to order a suit - or maybe just the jacket and head covering. As much as I'd like to imagine myself with barefeet and bare hands among the bees- well I think I'll be a lot less intimidated if I'm suited up and protected from stings. I'm starting off with one hive on the hill above the garden. I'm hoping to meet our honey and beeswax needs, with some leftover for gifts.

I don't have many experiences with geese. Actually I've only met one flock of geese, and we did not get along. There was a flock of large white geese at a farm where I boarded my horse for a couple years. This farm had attack geese and an attack rooster (which finally left me alone after it flew at me while I was holding a shovel, which was the bat. He was the ball). The geese would corner me in the barn, chase me, chase my car, pluck the rubber trim out from my bumper while I was off riding.

I've been doing a lot of geese research. I've learned that my shying away from the geese initially may have instigated our poor relations. I've been deliberating between Pilgrim and African geese, two of the more gentle breeds. I decided on the Pilgrim too late, multiple suppliers are already sold out for the season. I really liked the idea of the Pilgrims as they are the only breed of geese that are sexed. The males are white and the females are blue and gray. I ended up ordering a pair of French Toulouse geese, and an extra un-sexed goose - possibly for Christmas dinner. Looks counted for a lot in deciding which breed to get. The Toulouse are gray and blue, they look like the French aristocrat version of geese. They are stately, blue and gray and handsome.They are also one of the more gentle breeds, good layers, setters, parents, and they make a nice roast goose, good fat, feathers... I would have like to get the ones with the dewlaps, but those are way pricey.

I am getting geese mostly because I like the idea of having a couple pet geese. I also like the idea of large hardy birds wandering around the homestead. We have a lot of birds of prey issues, mostly Ravens attacking young chickens and ducks. As a result the ducks are hesitant to free range. I think they've been traumatized. So I'm hoping to raise the geese with some same age layers and ducks, and maybe the geese will look out for the smaller birds. The ducks are very skittish, not inquisitive or friendly. I'm hoping the geese will fill my desire to have some pet birds.

Now, if you have traumatic geese memories you may be thinking I'm crazy. Well, if they end up attacking my children, they will be dinner. We are just getting a few to try them out. We are going to handle them a lot. I'm going to work with the kids on not running from the geese or establishing any bad behavioral issues - no running, no intimidating etc. We will work on carrying treats daily as we do chores. So hopefully we will have friendly geese. Geese don't lay a lot of eggs. We're talking twenty to fifty/sixty a year depending on the breed. The French Toulouse lay towards the higher end. I like the idea of bonding with the original pair, letting them hatch and rear their young, and then eating the wild things. Obviously I have some details to work out, like they are going to be vicious when setting on their eggs and caring for their goslings. And then, wild goslings may be too wild... It is an experiment.

Other poultry notes: I'm still trying to decide whether to get regular Cornish Cross this summer or a slower growing meat bird. I think we are going to do four Broad Breasted Whites again as opposed to heritage breeds. I'm collecting duck eggs to start incubating in the next few days. I'm collecting Peking eggs and Peking crossed with Saxony eggs. We will keep the females for layers and eat the males. We just need a handful of layers. I'm going to set a few Ameraucana eggs and probably buy a few Ameraucanas and Sexlinks at the feed store. Each summer I end up with five groups of birds to feed and water. I'm trying to think of how to simplify the chores. There are the established layers, established ducks, then the turkeys, the cornish and then the new layers, ducks and geese. I may combine the established birds, and then all the new birds except the turkeys. Does anyone have experience raising turkeys with other poultry? Everything I read says that is a big no no, but then I've heard of folks doing it without problems. Also, if you have experience with raising geese and have any advice I would love to hear it. Thanks again for your words of encouragement and kindness regarding this years kidding losses. Take care.

Oh yeah, and here is to facing our fears, bees, geese or whatever they may be. Cheers!

A kidding season of lessons and losses

2011-03-28T20:07:00.001-08:00

I'm having a rough goat week and kidding season in general. Last week was our Sustainable Agricultural Conference which I attended all three days - and I've been intending on writing about what I learned and was inspired by. Zuri was due to kid on Friday, and all week while sitting in on goat and farming lectures, I was just sure she was in pre/early labor. On Friday night she entered active labor. She was progressing enough at ten p.m. that I dared not go to sleep for a couple hours. However, those first timers take forever! I watched her labor until four a.m. before I woke Dustin up for an extra set of hands. I always have a hard time deciding when to go in. You don't want to go in and risk infection or interrupt the natural process, but you don't want dead kids from waiting too long either. One of my goals for this kidding season was not to go in pre-maturely. In Zinnia's case, she had been having mild contractions sporadically but then her labor had stalled. She was dialated but the kids were pretty far in, so I don't know if she would have kidded on her own or not. In Zuri's case, her labor was long and also intense. She was really pushing for a while, but nothing was hapenning. I went in to my wrist and felt a mouth and tongue, with the hooves under or next to the face. I worked on grabbing both hooves and then hanging on. With her contractions I pulled the legs forward so she was in the correct position. Even then, the kid was big, and a first timer does not have a lot of room back there. It took a lot of work to get the kid out. Yeah, a doeling!

The doeling seemed fine. She was a silvery gray and white, with lots of white on her face. She was standing and nursing in less than an hour. I headed to bed about six a.m. sure that she was off to a good start. D checked on her a few hours later and reported that the doeling wasn't interested in nursing so we figured she was full still, or finding it on her own. At one p.m I headed down to check on her and she was flat on her side, limp and floppy. We brought her up and fed her with a drenching syringe every hour or two over the course of the day. She was the first doeling to spend the night by my bed. The next day she seemed stronger but still weak. We would take her down to see her dam every few hours. Then bring her back up.

Zuri was an overenthusiastic mom. When we first noticed the doeling was week, we wondered if her mother had pawed in an anxious attempt to get her daughter up and moving, and possibly kicked or pawed her own daughter in the head accidentally.Zuri licked her doeling constantly, and kept getting her wet after we'd dried her off. She would lick her so hard from behind that the doeling would topple over and have a hard time uprighting herself.

By Sunday morning she was standing again, finding the teat and nursing on her own. She spent all day Sunday with her dam. Dustin asked me if I was sure I didn't want to bring her in for the night. I was insistent that she was strong enough and that she would be better off if she could nurse throughout the night. I was positive that she would live. We would keep her. She is Zuri's first doeling. Zuri lost her dam, and has no family among the does. So we were overjoyed that she now had a daughter.

This morning I anxiously headed out to check on her. We have the barn divided into four stalls, three are closed off with a dam and kids in each, Zuri and her doeling were in one of these. The other stall is currently housing Xan the next doe to kid, who can come in and out through the goat door. Xan was outside and in her stall was the doeling. The doeling had gotten out through the slat in the sliding pocket gate and was trampled to death. I have a board that I usually wedge between the gate and a hanging waterer to keep determined kids from getting through the slat in the gate. It hadn't even occurred to me to put it back in place. I didn't think the doeling had the strength or incentive to leave her dam and go investigating outside her safety zone. Another lesson learned.

I can't be mad at Xanadu. She is a goat, and her actions were not abnormal for a goat. I can only be mad at myself. Disappointed with myself for not being more observant and attentive. Full of regrets for not taking proper measures to insure the safety of the new fragile doeling. I nursed a doeling for two full days, put all my determination and will into keeping her alive, and then to have it lost over one small mistake. I'm regretful and very, very sad.

As of today I'm milking Zuri twice a day. She is amazingly sweet for a first time milker. She almost stands in her stall untied while I milk her. Today I got her up on the milk-stand for milking and she stood still the whole time, although she was obviously disconcerted and uncomfortable not being used to the stand or having her teats squeezed. She has always been close to my heart and I look forward to spending more time with her over the coming months.

Our kidding losses this year have given me lots to think about. For one, I'm resolved not to sell our goats to anyone who just wants hardy brush clearers. A goat vet presenting at the pre-conference said that ten percent of goat kiddings are assisted and probably only five percent really need it. I think about my kidding experiences over the last four seasons and how many times I've interceded. Most of my goats would be dead or would not have been born if I had not been there at the right time. I wonder about the dairy goat in general and if has been bred too much for looks and milk production and not hardiness. Or maybe I just have incredibly bad luck. I think about how much blood, sweat, tears, money, effort, labor, thought and research I put into our goats, and to think that I still have this many losses. I don't have the answers.

I promise to write about my recent soap making spree or setting duck eggs next post.

Kids play with goat kids

2011-03-19T20:41:00.002-08:00

Zinnia and her twin doelings.

Zuri is the next doe in line to kid. Her day 150 is next Friday. Her udder is just starting to form. I was beginning to worry, until the last few days when it seems to be taking shape. She is handling her first pregnancy with ease. No where near as awkward and lumbering as Rose and Zinnia. We are guessing she will have a single kid. If she has a doeling we will definitely keep her. We lost Zuri's dam a couple summers ago, and she was our strongest all around doe. So Zuri has been an orphan and has no mom, sibling or daughter in the herd. I have missed Zuri. Between milking the milkers and caring for kids, sometimes the adolescents get neglected, or just not handled enough. I am looking forward to milking, and therefor handling Zuri more this year. For her sake, I hope she has a daughter in there.

New doeling meet new but older by a few days buckling, your half uncle.

One of the twin doelings. Their coloring is different than any kids we've had yet. They are more of a brown and white than black and white.

Currently Rose and her kids are in one stall and Zinnia and her kids in the other. We are letting them out for a couple short closely monitored play sessions in the afternoon. The kids are playful but still pretty fragile. If the does get a chance they will butt and pummel the kids that are not theirs, into the ground. Zuri is spending the night in her own indoor stall. Xan and her daughter are free to come in and go out as they please, for now. Soon, Zuri will move into the kidding stall where we can keep track of her on the goat cam. I'm guessing she will kid during the conference next week. I've been meaning to mention the Sustainable Agricultural Conference is taking place next week at the Princess Hotel. There is a pre-conference day on goat care and cheesemaking. Other topics range from raising chickens and building chicken tractors, storing root crops, growing fruits and berries in the interior, and various other garden farm related topics. I'm registered for all three days. I am most looking forward to the goat day and cheesemaking workshop. Hopefully one goat kidding next week won't wreak complete havoc on my conference attendance.

First trip outside for first goat kids

2011-03-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

And why we do it all; fresh unadulterated milk. I did a little taste test. We still had part of a gallon of organic cow milk from the store. So I poured each into an 8 oz glass jar. The goat milk was clean tasting, creamy and rich, no trace of goatiness or too sweet, it was perfect. The cow milk on the other hand, had a bit of an odor and tasted kind of weak and overly sweet. To be fair, it was nearing the expiration date. There was no comparison, the goat milk won hands down, and the rest of the cow milk went to the chickens. Hopefully we won't have to buy milk for a very long time.

A sad loss, followed by Zinnia's triumphant kidding

2011-03-17T22:47:00.001-08:00

On Monday night we lost our little cream colored doeling. She had been very weak since her birth. I kept hoping if I could squirt enough milk down her throat she would perk up. I had thought that she just needed milk and rest and was overly weak from being cold and wet for too long. I don't know if maybe there was something else wrong as well. In the evening it seemed like she was getting weaker so I decided to bring her indoors for the night so I could keep a closer eye on her and feed her frequently with the drenching syringe. I gathered some supplies and waited for my kids to go to bed before bringing her inside. I went out to get her about an hour later and she was dead.

We don't take goat deaths lightly. I have never experienced much death. I use to cry when we'd lose a chicken. Now, several chicken, duck, and goat deaths later, well, I don't cry over chickens anymore. Goats are a different matter. I was very sad. Frustrated with myself for not bringing her indoors sooner. This is Roses fourth kidding season, second doeling and the first doeling we've had that wasn't black and tan, and our first doeling out of Zoro. We were all pretty excited to have a pretty little buff doeling. More lessons learned and taken to heart. Be there for kidding, get the milk and colostrum in to them immediately, pay close attention to them, and if they are not doing well; take action. I should have brought her indoors first thing, kept her warm and fed her by hand.

On a lighter note, Roses other two kids are doing great. They are very spunky and friendly. We've named the buckling Briar, Wild Roots Briar to be exact, and the black and white doeling is named Wild Roots Bramble Rose. We have a deposit for Briar and will be registering him as a buckling. I disbudded Briar today, the first time I have done it by myself. In the past we have taken the kids across town to have them done. Last season I decided it was time to step up and learn how, as unpleasant a job it is. I was dreading doing it, but it feels good to be able to do a good job myself. I think he has already forgiven me.

Zinnia, Roses first daughter kidded on Wednesday morning, after a very long labor. We noticed she was in labor Tuesday evening. She was in early labor but was progressing into consistent obvious contractions. I started sitting with her around nine p.m. thinking she might kid within a few hours and hoping my presence would be reassuring. Becca joined me shortly thereafter and we began a long night. Her labor progressed until she was just beginning to almost push, and then she started dosing off. I thought maybe I better see what was going on, but she was very energetic still, not distressed, and wanted nothing to do with my inspection. So we decided to wait and see if she could do it on her own.

Deciding if she was actually in active labor was the key issue. I decided that she hadn't really gotten there and being a first timer, it must just be taking her a while dilate. She started dozing off and so did we. At six a.m. we came in to warm up and watch her on the goat cam. We decided to go to bed, but not before waking up Dustin and putting him on goat watching duty. After a couple hours of sleep, we headed back out. She hadn't progressed. I had been worrying all night that the kids weren't in the correct position and that is why it was taking so long. It is always a tough decision deciding whether to "go in", not wanting to jump the gun when unnecessary, but not wanting to wait until it is too late and be pulling out dead kids.

By late morning I decided it was time. Zinnia was still having contractions, dozing in between, and every once in a while giving a light push, but nothing was progressing. Becca held her in a corner, I lubed up and slowly went in, one finger at a time. The kids were pretty far in, so not close to coming out. I grabbed ahold of two hooves. I thought they were the front hooves but upside down, but I wasn't sure if I was feeling a nose or a sack of fluid. Turns out I had the back feet, the kid was backwards. Zinnia pushed and I pulled, pausing in between contractions. Finally we had her out. As much pain as Zinnia was in, she was enthusiastic from the get go about her new baby girl. The second kid wasn't far behind. Soon we saw a bubble, and then a head, a fairly large head. I debated for a minute whether she could push this kid out on her own as her mother had doe earlier this week. But this baby was bigger, and this was Zins first time. So I put on a fresh glove and went back in. I got her left leg out, but the right one was pretty far back. She gave a push and I was able to pull the kid out with just one leg. Another doeling!

We spent a lot of time looking at this end of Zinnia.

First doeling out.

Second doeling out!

I'm wiping all the slime off, especially around her nostrils and mouth so she can breathe.

We go through a roll of paper towels per birth just getting the slime off and drying them off. Once they are somewhat dry I finish up with old cloth towels.

Zinnia is extremely attentive over her daughters. She was not interested in her grain, molasses water, hay or eating her placenta. She turned to nip at Becca and I several times when her doelings would cry out as we were trying to get them to nurse. I've never had a doe this protective over her kids. The doelings are big and strong. We weighed them today, one was seven and three quarters and the other eight and three quarters pounds. They were standing on their own within minutes, and nursing on their own within a few hours. I haven't had to help them find teats or angle the teats for them at all, as I often have to do. Part of it is that her teats are small and higher up which helps their little mouths grab on easier. This is our first new mama in a while. I am relieved that she is doing such a great job with little assistance. She may have delivered them on her own, but it would have been a lot later in the day. I am giving her an immune support tincture twice a day, which will help with the inflammation, pain and prevent infection. The new family look like they are doing just fine. We are thinking Belladonna (Bella) and Bryona, (Bree).

Rose is Hero of the day

2011-03-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Noah looking up at Rose.

After Rose kidded, Noah asked if Rose is a hero. Having experienced natural childbirth myself firsthand, although never triplets and all by myself) I replied: Rose is certainly a hero, the hero of the day.

We checked on the does last night before going to bed, then again around 4 a.m., 7a.m. and finally came downstairs around 8:30. If I had watched for ten minutes instead of two, I probably would have noticed the contractions, but as I didn't we had a surprise waiting for us as we got up. Avery and I sat on the couch looking at Rose on the goat cam. Every time I turned on the cam/tv last night Rose was standing still, looking like she was sleeping on her feet. I thought we'd better watch her for a while before turning on Sesame Street. As we sat and watched Rose, she leaned forward and started pushing, and a black blob shot out. I yelled up to Dustin and raced to get my clothes on and get down to the doe stall. As I entered, Rose was licking the new baby. I saw that there was a buff/light red kid against the wall in a pile of goop (the back wall is just out of range of the camera). This is the first kidding we weren't waiting with hands outstretched to catch the kid as it came out. The buff kid on the floor was cold and wet. I immediately piled both kids next to each other and started wiping off the goop and drying the kids off. The buff one was trying to stand and nurse but Rose was getting ready to push another kid out.

As Rose started pushing a good size head pops out, dangit. I debate whether to see if she can push it out or go grab some lube and gloves. I race into the house in a frenzy, impatient as D draws a bowl of warm water for me. Then I race down the slippery slope to the milk area and grab gloves and sprinkle some lubricant powder into the water. As I enter the kidding stall, I see Rose on her side, legs flailing in the air, her two kids near her belly about to get squished, and another buff wet kid sprawled out behind her.

Dustin was inside watching. He said that Rose gave such a big push that she fell over sideways and he thought that she was going to fall on her first two kids. This is the first time that we've had a goat deliver a kid head first. After the first year of having a kid get stuck there for hours till the vet showed up, we go right in for the legs when a head presents first.

After all the kids are dried off, we work on making sure everyone gets several good sucks and nurses until they aren't interested anymore. I took Rose warm molasses water, grain and fresh hay. We let Rose eat her afterbirth as it is full of vitamins and minerals- and she gobbled it down. The first doeling is weaker than she should be. She still hasn't had the strength to stand up and nurse on her own. So I have been holding her mouth open while I squirt milk down her throat. She weakly swallows, but has a strong cry. We are going to keep a close eye on her and continue getting the milk into her.

Rose has been great, caring for her kids, licking and cleaning them, standing still why they bumble about looking for the source of nourishment. This is her fourth kidding, one buck her first year, one doeling/one buck her second year, three bucklings last year, and this year: two doelings and a buckling - Yeah! We've been tossing around Briar and Bramble for the doelings. But nothing set yet. We will most likely sell the black and white doeling. We will to wait until some more kids are born, but I would love to keep a light red doeling out of Rose and Xoro.

Good job Rose, you are my hero today.

First goat kid pics

2011-03-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

story coming

March kids and goats

2011-03-12T19:14:00.000-09:00

The daylight is waking us up around seven a.m. The sun is pouring into the house all afternoon and into the evening. It is so bright outside, that I've been needing sunglasses on while outside doing afternoon chores. The kids and I have been getting out most afternoons for a walk. We've been choosing a select few goats to come along as well. Two does get left out as they've taken to butting Avery and Noah when given the opportunity. Rose and now Zinnia are getting left behind because they are too uncomfortably pregnant, and while I thought a walk would still be good for them, Zinnia complained, bawled the whole way on her last walk- poor thing.

Avery got this new snowsuit - Thankyou Grandma! As you can see it is cute if a little impractical. Avery is getting opinionated about what she wants to wear these days. She is into pink, purple and pockets. I do not recall Noah being choosy about his clothes when he was two.

Noah has been enjoying the freedom of walking on top of the snow, venturing away from the driveway and trails. We had some serious winds a while back that seemed to compress the snow.

This is Zinnia on her last walk for a while. She has two due dates, as I bred her once and then she continued to act like she was in heat for the following week, so I re-bred her six days later. The due date I put on the calender for the goats is 150 days from when they are bred. They tend to kid a few days earlier. Zinnia's first due date was this Friday, so we started checking on her at night and throughout the day last Monday. Of course, once you start watching goats constantly, they act totally suspicious and like they are about to go into labor at any moment - at least the first doe of the season does- most likely I'm just overly jumpy. Zinnia is so uncomfortable right now, she paces, paws at the ground, nudges and nips at her belly, scratches her head with her back hoof, paws some more. Then when she tries to lay down she stops half way so she is sitting on her hind haunches unsure of how to lower herself down any further, before rising and pacing some more. She shifts her weight, grunts, huffs and begins chewing her cud again, but only after staring off as though she is closely paying attention to something internal, eyes glazing over as I wonder if she is having an early labor contraction - nope.

Zinnia is either at day 151, or more likely, day 145. She and her mom are in their own stall and pen. We can monitor them on the "goat cam" which is a security camera in their stall which is wired to our TV. This makes late night checks oh so much easier. I just get out of bed, turn on the TV, watch for a few minutes and go back to bed, rather than getting dressed in under and outer layers, boots, gloves, hat and headlamp to trek down that slippery slope and disturbing a bunch of sleeping goats. We've been going to bed and getting up early. Last night the alarm went off too many times, I think every 4-5 hours should suffice. Although, when the overly pregnant goat is pacing late at night instead of sleeping, you've got to wonder if she knows something you don't.

This is Zuri. Hard to believe that she is due in just two weeks, but she is! Her udder is just starting to take shape. So far she is keeping up with the un-bred doelings, running, jumping, letting them know she is still boss. Yesterday I moved three does up to our extra top pen, reserved for breeding and this time of year, when we need to weed out any extras who aren't close to kidding. So Xoe, who is bred but not due till May, and her daughter'sYin and Asia are up next to the bucks and not too happy about the arrangement, but everyone else is. Now, Zuri and Xan, the next does due, won't be picked on. The doe pen is peaceful and calm, for the moment.

Is it spring yet?

2011-03-03T10:08:00.000-09:00

I am ready for spring! There was one morning last week, where I stepped outside and the air was warmer than I expected, (above zero) and I could almost smell soil, dirt, the ground that is buried way down there somewhere. I thought, spring! I forget about the absence of scents outdoors in the winter. The farm doesn't smell, not when everything is frozen. I dreamed that I was hearing the songs that the chickadees sing only on spring mornings. We are gaining around seven minutes of light each day. Each morning I am surprised at how early it is light out. At evening I find myself looking at the clock and thinking; is it really this late? Shouldn't it be dark by now?

Yesterday as I drove into town the sun was so high and intense. The warmth seeped into my skin. I had to put my sunglasses on. Everywhere was sun. Sun glaring off the shiny metal buildings and white snow banks. The roads are icy and slick. I thought, isn't this what spring is - in Fairbanks?

I'm watching the goats belly's grow heavy and thick with kids, their udders filling with milk. I looked back at last years posts on goat kids this morning. Spring is: goat babies, collecting eggs for setting, bags of seedling mix and tinier bags of seeds, the smells of thawing manure, a warm day followed by a cold one and the sun; most importantly, the sun, full of promise and certainty.

Why Lamanchas?

2011-03-01T10:05:00.000-09:00

When I first started looking into goats, I discovered that one of my co-worker's partners had been a large breed veterinarian in California.(She still is, but at the time was not working as such). Once I told her I was thinking of getting dairy goats, we began an ongoing dialogue that continued over the months. I was working in a kitchen atmosphere, so as we baked and cooked, we talked. It was common for friends to stop in for a muffin or a bite of something, and visit a bit. My main questions at the time surrounded what breed to get. She told me that of all the dairy goat breeds, Lamanchas were here favorite and that is what she would get if she were to start her own herd which she intended to do some day. Her main reason was personality. In her opinion they had an easy going, friendly disposition, that endeared her to this particular breed more than others. I have very little experience with other goat breeds, so I cannot say if Lamanchas seem friendlier than other goats. I have a feeling that all well loved and cared for goats can be loving and friendly with their owners. However, it was this bit of insight, early on in my quest for goats that first steered me in the direction of Lamanchas.

As I begin to research online, Molly's Fiasco Farm site was a wealth of information. Her goat herd consisted solely of Lamanchas. Her heard was beautiful. Her goats coats were short and shiny (as ours only look in late summer). They were all different colors, ebony, shades of rich browns, whites, creams and light reds, buff and butterscotch, added to this they had various white stars, strips, splashes and belts. I am very partial to variety in coat colors and markings.

What about their lack of ears? Well, I suppose that just by looking at so many pictures of Lamanchas online, I grew quite accustomed to their lack of large ears, and then when I would see a goat with large ears, I would be surprised, oh yeah, that's right, some goats have ears that stand straight up and stick way out, or flop and hang way down. I like large ears, they add personality. However, I also find that there is something very graceful and streamlined about the lack of large ears that I find very smooth and pleasing to look at. Some people can't get past the lack of ears. It doesn't bother me, nor was it a major factor in why I chose Lamanchas. I have heard that Lamanchas should be more hardy, as their ears won't freeze. In response to this, I would say that I'd hope the goat has the sense to go indoors if it is that cold out. Or, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't provide them with a warm enough and large enough area that all the goats were able to escape from the cold in.

I prefer full sized goats to miniature breeds. I owned a horse for eleven years, she was 15.3 hands, a good sized quarter horse. We have a large dog, full sized chickens. The cuteness of miniature breeds has never appealed to me as it does to some. Miniature breeds often look more stocky and stout. I enjoy the gracefulness that longer legs and height give. Entirely personal preference. And the thought of milking those tiny teats is not appealing. Last night I was dreaming of milking our first fresheners, and grasping those new little teats, after growing use to nice large teats that my entire hand comfortably fits around, I've gotten spoiled, not milking first timers in a while.

As far as milk quality and butterfat go, I've read that Nubians have higher butterfat. There are other subtle differences in milk properties between dairy breeds, but nothing significant enough to point me in a different direction. I am still smitten by Nubians, their floppy ears and high butterfat are tempting. I have heard that they are nosier, I haven't been around any to know if this is true or not. I think that someday we may have a couple Nubians, but not for a while - and I'll have to hang out with some first and see if the stories are true.

The dairy breeds most common in the interior are Toggenburgs, Saanans, Boers and Nigerian Dwarfs. I suppose I figured that if we were going to bring goats in from out of state, might as well bring in something different. It seems as though Lamanchas have been increasing in popularity over the last several years. There are quite a few now in southern Alaska.

I am convinced that as people become more educated and aware of our current food situation; the lack of "real" food, the over processing and killing off of the beneficial nutrients, vitamins, enzymes and even healthy bacteria that our bodies need, the demand to have control over what we put into our bodies, the desire to put real food, real milk into our bodies, will result in a demand and appreciation for dairy goats and cows. Demand for quality milking animals can only go up, especially here in interior Alaska, where we are at the very end of the supply line, so far removed and so easily cut off from our food sources.

So here's to dairy goats whichever breed you raise or decide to raise!!!

Kidding Preparations and Assistance

2011-02-28T11:47:00.001-09:00

We've got about a week until our first doe is due. The gestation period for dairy goats is around 150 days. Our goats tend to kid around day 146-147. A local goat owner shared with me that his goats tend to have the same length of gestation each year. I've found this to be a valuable bit of information, as it has often been remarkably true. I've been giving the does extra flax seed, kelp powder, dried raspberry, nettle and dandelion greens, in the hopes that these extras will provide all the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids their bodies need for growing healthy kids. I'm still feeding COB, BOSS, alfalfa pellets, along with a handful of wheat berry, oats or barley sprouts, as a way of slowly introducing sprouts into their diet.

This week I will be setting up our goat camera, so that we can watch the goats whether inside or outside their shelter. Last year we had two locations for the camera and we'd move it back and forth depending on who we were watching and whether they were more comfortable in a stall on their own or out with the herd. I will also be clipping udders and around the backside of the does, so that they are easier to clean up after kidding, and so the teats are easier for kids to find, and easier to milk without pulling hairs.

My kidding bucket is ready with latex gloves and "goop powder" a lubricant that you add to water for lubing up when you have to go in to pull kids out or investigate. I've also got some iodine and plastic cups for dipping umbilical cords. Other supplies include paper towels for wiping the kids off when they first come out, grubby cloth towels for drying them off, and molasses for making the doe a yummy electrolyte rich water for after kidding. We leave the placenta for the does to eat if they want it. Otherwise it gets buried in the hay and ends up in the garden and compost pile.

Our farm apprentice/ close friend/ newest family member: Becca, is on call for kidding season. With the exception of the last couple months, Becca has been working with the goats, milking and helping with other chores since last kidding season. Hopefully she'll get to see some goat births this season, as last year the goats didn't know her well enough to feel comfortable around her while in labor. A goat's labor will stall if there is too much commotion or strangers present - I can say from experience.

Our first kidding season, the vets advice was: don't try to help or interfere, they rarely need assistance, most likely you'll wake up in the morning and there will be kids on the ground all dried off and nursing already.

Well, it was a good thing that I had prepared by reading Molly's kidding section over and over again. My kidding bucket was ready, my nails trimmed, various kidding presentations studied. Our second doe who kidded rejected her twins, who we had to put in a kennel and it took two people to hold her and help the kids nurse, as she was bent on pummeling her kids into the ground. After a few days she came around and decided to be a mom. Our third doe due, Xanadu, had one large buckling who came out head first and then remained there for several hours, with just his head sticking out. My husband, my mother-in-law, and myself all tried reaching in to pull the little guy out and none of us were successful. It was three in the morning. I was in tears. I thought Xan was surely going to die. I thought I'd killed the kid by pulling too hard as I'd felt his neck give a pop. I was calling and waking up all the vets in town, to no avail. Finally Tamara Rose answered her phone on the third try. She was stranded due to car issues, so my husband drove out to pick her up.

This is what happened: In a couple minutes within entering the stall, Tamara pulled on her gloves, mixed the lubricant with water, slimed her hand, thrust her hand in on one side of the bucklings head, then to the other side and back again. Then she reached in further, hooked her hand behind his leg and pulled it forward till his hoof was forward, then did his left leg. Then she grabbed both legs with her right hand and yanked him out with one big jerk. It was over before I'd remembered to take a breath. I couldn't believe how rough she had been. I felt silly at how timid and cautious I'd been. She continued to give both dam and buckling some shots, anti-inflammatory, antibiotics. The bucklings neck was so swollen I had to feed him with a drenching syringe for the first couple days, he could hardly even swallow at first. I learned so much this first kidding incident, the most important being, to keep lubricant on hand as it makes a big difference, and to be more assertive and forceful if needed.You can only prepare by reading so much. Nothing can compare to hands on experience.

Since our first kidding season, I have had to "go in" several times. The easiest scenario is when the head is first and I just have to pull the legs forward. The scenario that I am most intimidated by, is when their are multiple kids and they are tangled up. Another important lesson I learned our second kidding season, is that if you have to go in and the first kid is tangled, you go right back in for the second kid. Do not wait for the second kid to come out on it's own, as it has already been in the birth canal for too long and needs to get out.

Once the kids come out, we dry them of and help the kids find their dams teats. We make sure that the kids all get several good sucks before we leave them alone with their dam. We return two to four hours later to help the kids nurse again. Usually after this the kids have the strength to find the teat and nurse on their own. Rose had three bucklings, two of which looked a lot alike initially. So, in the confusion of D and I both helping different bucklings nurse, I believe one black and white buckling nursed much more than the other. The following day one of the bucklings seemed weak and was still having a hard time finding the teat and latching on. I think that we got the kids mixed up, and this one didn't get enough nursing early on as his stronger brothers did. The weak kid took several days to catch up to his brothers and I even ended up drenching him with a syringe as he was so weak he wasn't even trying to nurse.

I cannot disagree more when I hear people say that they just leave it up to the doe to deliver her kids and care for them on her own. So again this is my most important to do list:

Make sure you know when your doe is due and be prepared with lubricant, gloves and knowledge.
Keep a close eye on your doe and clear your schedule so you are there when she is in labor.
Once the doe is laboring hard and beginning to push, check your watch, she should have kids out in an hour, otherwise lube up and prepare to investigate. Determining whether to go in is the most challenging part for me. I tend to error on the side of going in early, as I've lost kids from not going in soon enough.
If you see a nose before a hoof, lube up and go in, it is way easier to get your hand in before the head is all the way out. Sometimes a kid can still come out head first, but I don't wait around to find out.
If you have to go in once be prepared to go back in. If labor hasn't stalled and the first kid is strong, wait a bit, but if the labor has stalled and you are overdue for going in and things are not progressing, don't wait, go right back in and check for another kid, and another just in case.
Dry kids off, let mom help clean them.
Make sure kids get several good sucks before leaving.
Make sure that you see kids nurse every few hours the first day or two, when in doubt, help them out just to make sure.

They say to dip umbilical cords in iodine to prevent infection. I don't feel strongly about this as I don't always do it and have never had any issues, but I do keep an eye out for redness and swelling. Also, we give the doe fresh hay, a little grain and some molasses water after she is done kidding. Make sure she is bonding with them, she should be licking them - not ignoring them.

I highly recommend Molly's Fiasco Farm site, for new or preparing to be new, goat owners. Her kidding section is great, including detailed kidding photos, prenatal care, various kidding presentations etc.

And so the countdown begins. I bought our first half a gallon of store bought cow milk last week. I am so looking forward to having fresh milk. The break has been good for us. I realize how heavily we depend on fresh milk for hot cereal, baking, yogurt, chevre, buttermilk and other cheese projects. I feel good about my kids drinking raw goat milk. I don't feel that pasteurized, homogenized, ultra processed cow milk is a healthy food for us. And thus why we are raising dairy goats! I can't wait to share this seasons kidding stories with you!

Goat behavior and children

2011-02-24T07:59:00.001-09:00

Here is Noah feeding asparagus ends to the goats. I've been wanting to write about goat behavior and small children. When families start looking into getting a family milk goat, one of their first requests is that the goat is friendly and compatible with their children. There are several factors that go in to how a milking doe behaves around small children.

First let me back up a bit and explain general goat behavior. Goats are herd animals and they all have their rank and position in the herd. The does often challenge and test the other does in an attempt to move one up in the herd. They do this by lowering their heads and charging and ramming the other doe in the head until one gives up and runs off. When goat kids are born to a doe, if she is a good mother she will keep her kids close to her and try and protect them from the other does. As the kids grow and merge into the herd, the other does will ignore the new kids, until the kids approach a doe who is not their mother. They are quickly put in place by the does who are not their dam. They quickly learn to stay away from the other does. Some does are worse than others about bullying the younger goats and some aren't so bad.

The does view me as their leader. So far they tend to view and treat my children as they view the other does children, which means they are up for challenging. Only one of the most daring senior does tends to have the audacity to attempt to knock over my kids. There is one other doe who looks as though she is thinking of trying. By attempting to ram and knock over my children, they are trying to put my kids in place and let them know who is boss. Yelling, scolding and physical discipline does not seem to work, and it may make matters worse. When the children and I spend time with the goats I tie up the two does who may challenge them. Then the kids come in and spend time with the goats. Another idea I got from a fellow goat owner, is to give Noah a squirt bottle with water. He is only to use it if one of the problem does is lowering her head or looking like she is going to push on him, then he squirts her until she turns away. This summer we kept a small squirt bottle outside the doe pen. Noah wouldn't enter without it and was able to move about and spend time around the goats without getting knocked over.

I do not let the children enter the goat pen without me. I have learned that although I think I'm quick enough to stop a doe from knocking over the kids, I'm not. All it takes is for me to turn away for a minute and one of my kids can be flat on the ground crying. So I always tie up problem doe now. I have not noticed that this doe is more aggressive with other kids. But most of my does have not challenged my children. However, if they ranked higher within the herd, they might have the confidence to try.

I would suggest to anyone introducing a new milking goat to their children, is to prevent any challenges and behavior patterns from being established. So maybe start by holding the doe while small children brush or feed her treats. I would not let children run wild in the pen with the goat, or kid goats for that matter. This is a mistake that I made in our first summers with goats. When we first had goat kids shipped up, Noah was one year old, the pen was new and not poopy yet. He and I spent a lot of time with the kids, bottle feeding and he would crawl and toddle around with the kids. The second year when kids were born I would let him run around and play with the goat kids. This reinforced his kid status with the mom goats. It was about this time that the first mom decided to put him in his place, and it has become a pattern ever since. So, spending time handling, petting, holding, brushing and feeding treats to kids is a good way to get them use to children and people in general. Letting your kids run wild and be rowdy around the goats is not a good idea!

Our milking does are well behaved and sweet for the most part. The know their routine. They expect and appreciate routine. They are also herd animals and opportunists.

This is Zinnias forming udder. This will be her first kidding. She is due in a couple weeks. It is exciting to see a new udder taking shape for the first time.

More kitchen winter days

2011-02-23T10:24:00.000-09:00

We've been trying to enjoy the last of the cold winter days - or at least the slow winter days -before kidding season begins. The kids have been spending lots of time playing with legos, homemade playdough, and helping me in the kitchen. We've been reading a lot of books and doing a bit of yoga (rough-house with mom time).

First of the seedlings are coming up. Basil and thyme up in three days, followed by the lavender. Usually, I sow one seed per cell as I don't ever waste or pull any. I usually sow thyme, lavender, oregano, chamomile and rosemary heavily as they don't seem to have the highest germination - or maybe I'm not giving them the right conditions.

Blueberry muffins for breakfast. If there is anything to be stirred, Avery is not to be left out of the action.

Steamed Asian bbq pork buns, made with one of our own pork roasts. The ultimate comfort food.

I brined and smoked one of our turkey breasts from our fall turkeys. It was all that I'd hoped for, not too smoky. Perfect for lunch meat as well as a rich turkey vegetable soup.

Today I'm making cherry almond Babka for breakfast, our weekly bread, a pizza roll, chicken stock, chicken salad and soup from last nights roast chicken. As you can see I'm enjoying my kitchen, and all of our wonderful meat; labors of last summer. Kidding season is sneaking up on us, only a couple weeks away. I'll be getting up for night time checks, most likely attending midnight births, and constantly obsessed with the backside of whichever goat is due next. I'll probably be pulling out frozen breads and soups then and won't have as much time or energy for expressing creativity through baking and cooking.