New month, new jabber... hoo, the holidays loom! Escape here! LOL The place for all your moaning, groaning, celebrating, wonderings & bemusements.
We came from here....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1138913/
December on the 'Stead
Getting the holiday greetings out of the way...
To certain of our Friends, who shall remain unnamed:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.
This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
And to the rest of our Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Well done ! I think you covered all the bases. Merry Christmas to you too!
LOL...we do solstice... it's a few days earlier, so I get to open my gifts sooner. Yes, it's true, some people never really grow up. *
Actually solstice might be more appropriate for us too, but I love Santa Claus.
Bravo !
I'm a big fan of Santa Claus. We keep celebrating till his day... I think he's an excellent role model for young boys... LOL
Do like the local indigenous folks did (before the Catholic Church started getting lethally huffy about it)... celebrate them all!
Eat one month, diet eleven.
Ahhh.... you may have a new career writing politically correct greeting cards ~ lol
It is with great anticipation that I will savor the winter solstice. Hence the days will begin to grow longer and life will be good.
Eat all you want, just don't swallow!
Happy December all and Merry Christmas!
Oh, what a wonderful start for December! 8D
For someone who didn't want me to do the CSA next year, DH is sure on a mission to get the big garden prepped. He started burning off the debris today.
We're kicking around the idea of getting a couple of bottle calves and feeder pigs next spring. Any thoughts? I have no hands-on or first-hand experience with either, other than my family had a sow and piglets 40 years ago for a short time. Had a couple of young goats a couple of years ago for a few months. Any recommended reading?
What was the final conclusion to your CSA this year, Robin? What lessons... can you sum up a bit for us? What an adventure for you!
Backwoods Home Magazine has some good articles on feeder calves. I don't know about piglets.
Looks like another nice day here. Dog got a post surgical pass yesterday, her walks are up to 5 minutes several times a day now. She says not nearly enough. LOL
SO down w/a cold, sore throat. So it's me, all me this weekend for taking care of things. Gotta go!
Jay, welcome to my world. *sigh* I've been taking care of everything here for several months but it is almost over now. Whoo Hoo!!! Just in time for winters hard work.
Snowed about 4" yesterday. Working hard to keep the fences cleared. Still snowing but very lightly and it's fine, dry flakes. Yesterday was big, wet flakes. Those are the ones that cause so many problems.
Got the border collie, Galloway, in the house now. He is nearing 12 and has arthritis in his hips. The cold is painful for him so he is living in the house now. He is very well behaved but he is sure a hairball. So what. I'd rather vaccum than have him in pain. We've been best buds since he was 12 weeks old and I love him. He gets a smudge of bute paste when he gets too stiff.
Ben was starting to collic yesterday evening. The cold stresses him. He is only 19 months old and this is the third time he has colliced. He is DH's favorite but we are going to have to consider letting him go. I am afraid he is going to end up having to have surgery one day and we can't afford that. I put him up in the horse trailer with a tub of warm water and some hay. Gave him 6cc of banamine and he is fine now.
We had to cancel church for today. With the side roads iced up it is too dangerous for people to get out.
Pulled the last of the greens yesterday. I covered the carrots back up. Hope they make it through the winter. I planted really late but it was just a trial run for the bed. I am going to have to move one side in a bit. It is just a bit too wide. I can't reach the middle easy enough. I am going to make another bed in early Spring, Lord willing and the creek don't rise.
Lost a roo yesterday. He had been in the house a few days. The other roos beat him up and the cold didn't help him. When I got him in I realized he was really thin and it doesn't add up because I made sure he ate good. He was one of the free range roos but he was the least annoying one. I actually liked him. It was Jeffery. I fed him by himself and would watch over him until he finished eating because the others would take his feed. I also can't think it was need of grit as he was free range and our soil is sandy and full of gravel. He has had a few bouts of not eating now and again so he may have had some on going problem. At any rate, his last few days were good ones.
This is Cowboy. He keeps the coyotes and bears away.
Whew! Missed the big snow here...however, there are a few snowflakes floating around out there this morning. Temps down in the upper teens the next few nights with upper 20's/low 30/s daytime.
Jay, I'll respond to the CSA question later. Brain is a little foggy this am.
I read one BWH long article about raising bottle calves. Don't know that I'm up to it.
The pigs will be much easier. Just make sure you have a good pen for them. Think it through before you build and cover all the bases. Pig feed is expensive but they dress out at a much higher percentage than cows.
We never fed pig feed. We fed horse mix, soaked beet pulp, shelled whole corn and scraps. Our pigs grew very well and were lean. If you have access to old milk they will do very well on it.
Whey is fed around here to pastured pigs; it's very high in protein and probiotics.
Robin, what are the laws in KY about meat as part of the CSA? I know a few folks around the country who mention they get their Thanksgiving turkey and sometimes other meat as a paid addition to their CSA box.
I know about those foggy brains... can't think of a thing to say right now, except that I'm pretty sure there is something to say. LOL Another sunny day, light breeze, around 60 by midday. Maybe my brain will kick in later... %-)
I slept in this morning. Fighting a cold or something, or maybe just this bitter cold is causing more than the usual breathing problems. Couple of cups of hot tea and I'm almost raring to go.
Darius, I think Ky laws concerning meat, poultry and eggs sales are pretty stringent. I believe all meat/poultry needs to go through a licensed processing plant. I don't recall what the laws are regarding eggs.
Raising bottle calves and feeder pigs would be for our own consumption, not for CSA members. There are a couple of farms nearby that do sell beef, but it would cost well over a $1,000 for the cow, plus processing. I think, in my initial research, it would be cheaper to raise our own, particularly if we raised grass-fed. Still have a lot of research to do. I would be mostly responsible for their care, since Al works out of state so much of the time. So, it all depends on what I am physically capable of doing.
I was interested in bottle calves, because the initial investment would be much lower, but I didn't realize the time commitment would be so great. Now I'm thinking a little older calf, closer to being weaned, would be better to start with.
Cajun, I remember reading that before about feeder pigs being fairly easy to raise, as far as care. I don't know yet, whether they need all the injections that calves do or the special bottle feeding to get them started. BTW, I really admire you and the skills you have with animals. Sure wish you were closer, so that I could learn from you!
This is all still in the "under consideration" stage. We don't have shelters or fencing up, so we would need to do that first. The electric fence we had up for the goats, sure wouldn't work for either the piglets of calves. Going to try to buy Joel Saltin's book on raising grass-fed livestock after Al goes back to work.
Just another thought if you are considering livestock for your own consumption. Are there meat processing facilities in your area or are you up to that job? Most of the locker plants / meat processing plants here have closed. Many folks used to raise their own meat and have it butchered commercially. Now, virtually no one raises their meat other than poultry. Pigs are there for the taking if one wants to hunt and harvest wild hogs. Seems odd how we grow further away from the self sufficient days when it is most needed.
Yeah, it's a two hour or more drive to the nearest processor here, too.
We've still got plenty of deer/elk hunters in the area, so the knowledge to butcher the animal is there, but first I'd have to rig up some kind of hoist. Used to be everyone had one in the barn or out back... now most of the barns have fallen down, & the tripods are gone.
A weaner pig or calf would be an easier start, especially if you've never done it before. And it may be if you talk around, especially to your local vet, you may find that not all those vaccines, etc are necessary.
Most of what I read about pastured hogs says they are healthier, thus needing fewer if any vaccines.
My big stumbling block for any livestock is fencing... money for materials, and labor to install it.
They do need to be vaccinated if there is the disease in the area... that's why I'd suggest she talk to her vet. For example, we avoided vaccinated for West Nile for several years because it hadn't made it out here yet.
Every year there's an advisory on which encephalitis to vaccinate against for horses; not all of them are a concern every year.
I imagine the same would be true for pigs & cows.
We vaccinated for encephalitis twice a year back home in La. It's almost unheard of here.
Our pigs didn't have any vaccinations and we did our own worming.
Robin, thank you for your kind words. I was raised on a small farm and we always had animals. I picked up a lot of what I know just from living with them but I also like to read a lot. You can find nearly anything you need to know on the internet.
Pastured is the way to go if you have the property and can put up good fences. Pigs are easy to keep in electric. A hot wire about a foot high all the way around inside your other fence and you won't have to worry. Pigs HATE getting shocked and it will only take once. Pigs are smart. Hot wire is a good way to reinforce a less than great fence. It's not too expensive to run a lot of hot wire.
We had to bring our pigs 1 1/2 hours away. I don't know if there is anyone closer or not but we were very satisfied with the place we used. We'd use them again.
I really appreciate the input.
There are 3 processors within 20 miles, so that isn't an issue. I've been told recently, it would cost about $175-$200 to process a cow. The gal I talked to a couple of months ago, said the cow (6-7 months old) would cost me about $1,200. Seems like a fair price to me, but I wonder if we can raise a calf a lot cheaper. If there's not that much of a cost differences, I'll just go with buying local beef. I don't know what pigs are going for, but it would be about $125 for processing.
My family butchered a pig when I was in my teens (with the help of an elderly neighbor couple), so I'm somewhat familiar with how it's done. I have a couple of older farmer's nearby that might be inclined to give guidance the first time or two, if we did it ourselves.
Not many deer left around here, because everyone hunts. We don't (yet). No wild hogs that I know of, but we have a few turkeys and lots of rabbits. DH says he doesn't care for goat meat and I haven't tasted it. If I were younger, I would just go for it and buy a couple of calves and feeder pigs. Running the CSA was pretty much a full time job from April to October. Is caring for a few heads of livestock going to be too time consuming to add to the mix, when I'm here by myself.
Jay, you asked about the CSA. We didn't really come out ahead in the end, but it was still a success. The members were all happy and I'm sure will return this next spring. They all told me they would spread the word and try to get a few more members for us. We had a lot of additional expences that we won't have in the next few years, such as the initial plowing, lumber to build frames for the vertical crops, soaker hoses, netting to cover rows to lessen bug problems, the additional gas expence to drive to a second city 40 miles away each week. I'm dropping the city the farthest away. There are already 5-6 CSAs that service that area. I think we can make a pretty good profit next year. I got all the kinks worked out regarding harvesting, cleaning and packaging, so next year should also be much simplier and a lot less stressful. I really enjoyed it, inspite of the hard work and self-inflicted stress.
Robin, I may be picking your brain soon about the running of a CSA. One of the characters in the book I am writing has a CSA and I want all my info to be correct.
Robin, sounds kind of steep price for an animal. That age wouldn't weigh over 500 lbs & would sell for about $1.20 per pound live weight. I would start with a calf about a month old. It would be eating some hay & grain as well as the milk. That age would be past the getting scours & such.
A good calf to buy would be a Jersey. They are cheap, but turn into very good beef. I've seen them on Craig's list here for very little money.
I'm glad your CSA did well. We've thought about doing it, but we really don't have the extra produce to make it work.
Bernie, so good to see you! You have your hands full with a successful farmer's market. Although, you could probably handle a few members easily and deliver at the market. The really nice thing about a CSA is that you get paid before the season starts, so you have working capital. I know MistyMeadows does both a CSA and a farmer's market, but there was no way that I could with this being my first year. From what I've read, a CSA would be the main focus, with leftover produce going to market. One thing I did differently than most CSAs, was give extra produce when it was available, or if a member needed a little extra because of company. The jist of a CSA is the member shares in the risk of the farmer, but nothing was ever mentioned about sharing in the abundance. One of my members was fantastic. She and her boys came down several times to help harvest and she made the deliveries on those days. Her family also shared homemade breads and pickles, etc. with us. In return, she got lots of extra produce.
Also, thanks for the info. After reading about the first few weeks raising a bottle calf, was when I really started having second thoughts. I must have my info mixed up a bit, then. The beef seller I talked with said they sell calves born in the spring in the fall. I was assuming they were born around April. I thought she told me they were about 8oo# at $1.80 per pound, plus the processing fee. I might have been dazed by the total cost and just didn't remember all of the numbers right.
Cajun, no problem. I'd be happy to give you info from my limited experience. But I have read everything I could find, so I have a little knowledge based on facts.
800 # beef animal should be around $1 a #. The bigger the animal the less per #.
Johnny's catalog came the other day, so I am busy looking for new things. They have green, purple & yellow filet beans. ( 4 to 5 inches long.) I am thinking they would sell good if all three were put together in a container.
I would like to try fingerling potatoes, but don't know where to get seed. They are way to expensive in Johnny's catalog.
I have heard of fingerling taters but never seen any.
I am looking to try some different and interesting bush beans this Spring. Any ideas?
Robin, you might check w/the local 4H or FFA for calf sources near you... just make sure they know you're not interested in show quality. But they'll know all the big producers, who has good prices, & what the most common breed is in your area... the most common will be the cheapest. They may also know of folks wanting to dump cows... like kids that loose interest or something. Fire sale cows... almost like pre-bar-b-qued, only different. LOL
Here's a shelling bean that looks like fun, Cajun. And it can be eaten as a snap bean, too.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6357-tongue-of-fire-italian.aspx
I've grown both the Royal Burgundy & the romano type bush bean; I love 'em both. In fact, I prefer them over regular green beans.
Bernie, try Fedco for fingerlings.
Robin, that's a great suggestion from Jay, about checking the local 4H club.
Jay, thanks for the link. Gonna put that one on my wish list. I have made a trade for Royal Burgundy.
Still snowing here. 26 degrees. Been out to hay the horses. Have I mentioned I hate cold weather? *sigh*
Pretty from inside... bugger from outside. LOL
Everybody talks about how pretty the snow is but I bet they don't have to get out and slog around in it and try to keep their animals from freezing. It ain't so pretty then. I have Ben put up in the horse trailer with his blanket on because the cold had him trying to collic. It happened last winter. He does not have a strong constitution. I think he needs to go but he is DH's pride and joy. But even he sees "something" will have to be done about it.
Cajun, no offence, but please try to keep that white stuff from spreading this way !!!
Too Late.
try again
I'm not the selfish sort. Everybody come get you some. We have plenty. LOL
Oh, that looks so COLD!
It is cold. It warmed up a few degrees today but never got out of the 20s. Calling for 12 degrees in the morning. I hate this stuff.
Yep, sounds like Ben would be a good one to move on. Too much worry & expensive on top of that. Bummer.
Cajun, I'd take some of that, and gladly. We seem to be having another winter drought... weeks of dryness, not change predicted, up to 62º here today under a weak sun. I don't much like having to do anything outside in it either, but beats wildfires, dried up creeks, and dead grasslands all to heck. This probably looks like heaven to you....
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/87745?dp=windsdp
but it's pretty much been this way for 2 months when we're supposed to be getting SOME snow, anyway. The mountains are pretty bare, & that's where the creek water comes from.
In any case, I'm trying to take advantage of the long warmness & got another bed composted & ready for the winter sleep. Think I need to water it before the final mulching.
There's some little critter eating at my studs, a mouse I think, & it's making a terrible racket at night when I try to sleep, digging & chewing in the wall by the dog. I can't figure out why she hasn't tried to dig it out of the wall yet, but I guess there's no smell. So I've got to crawl under the house & lay poison, try to seal up holes. Ugh.
SO's doing better, tho' she sounds like a geriatric frog right now. Took a nap this afternoon & dreamed of fruity cereal... ??? Wow, what's the cosmic significance of that?! I don't even eat that stuff (preferring cocoa puffs if I'm going to fall off the wagon). But I was sure looking forward to 'em in the dream.