farm management

Orchard Exploration

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 06:35:00 -0700

On Monday the 18th July we held the first group meeting of the Overbury and Conderton Orchard Group. The idea is to bring together interesed members of the two villages to talk about the conservation of the old traditional orchard and to find out if there was any interest in helping with the restoration. The turnout was terrific, Denzil counted 50 people present and we had a least 2 families that could not make it! Penelope introduced the evening then John Clarke spoke about his experience with the Kemerton Orchard Group before I spoke about the wider Higher Level Stewardship options that we are embracing on the farm. Eventaully, it is hoped that the orchard group could become self sufficient in the management of the orchard (complying with the HLS scheme rules-obviously) interacting with the farm's requirements of the orchard, for grazing.

The group will then have the opportunity to develop the conservation within the orchard, looking at erecting bird boxes, bird, plant and moss identification and counting, maybe even having some community bee hives.

It is hoped to organise a follow up meeting, within two weeks to establish a name and committee structure to start leading the plans forward. I think we will be starting up with a fruit collecting day in September, ready for winter supplies of jiuce and cider, before tree prunning and planting weekend days following up in the winter. Keep up to date with the development of the group through this blog and the farm facebook page

Keeping H2O Low with LEAF

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:34:00 -0700

Last thursday I had a brilliant day with other members of the Carling Wester Growers Group at a special training day organised by LEAF The training day was to bring to our attention the impact of water on our farms and how much we rely on this precious resource. The aim of the day was to raise awarness of water and how it impacts our business and what we can do to try and reduce its impact. In my farming career I have witnessed both ends of the scale when it comes to water impact. On the 20th July 2007 we had over 140mm of rain in 24 hours and this spring (Mar-May) we only had 53mm of rain. The discussion, lead by Caroline Drummond, from LEAF, Louise Manning (LJM Associates) and Andrew Galloway (Masstock Arable (UK) Ltd soon had us discussing in depth, the problems of too much or too little water and its effects on our livestock, crops and the environment. We discussed how to keep water in the fields, by using minimum tillage to keep trash on the surface to slow down the run-off and reduce risk. Correctly cultivating the fields allows water to slowly seep into the soil, hard compacted layers mean the water can't soak in and rushes off the surface taking fertiliser, soil particles and pesticides with it into the nearest watercourse. We spoke about ways to reduce these risks, buffer strips to intercept running water, tramline placement, gate placement, stock watering areas and a whole list of other options available. Some of these options can be put towards Stewardship Schemes or will count towards the Campaign for the Farmed Environment

We looked at weather data, demonstarting how our climate is changing, with reduced sunshine hours and increased volitility in rain fall events. We listened to Louise talking about her trips to California where they are running out of groundwater and what's left is becoming saline. Peru and other countries are going to run out of water (in some areas) in the next 30 years or so. Countries exporting salad crops, potatoes and vegetables are in effect exporting water and what impact will this have in the future?

After a great walk around the farm looking at sprayer technology, machinery, irrigation we ended up with a spade in a barley field. The idea was to dig down and try and find any problems with the soil structure that might hinder roots or water from getting into the soil, alais we found none. (Well done Ed).

The next stage of our training is to have a go at the LEAF Water Management Tool, an on-line assessment that looks at: water distrubution around the farm, irrigation, crop protection products, cleaning and transport of product, protecting water quality and domestic water facilities. Following on from this we will be meeting again, after harvest, to find out how we have all got on, and what changes we have made to our business' as a result of the training.

Orchid Identification

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:54:00 -0700

Up on the western edge of Bredon Hill there is an area managed under Stewardship. Derek and Gordon have been changing the hunting gates and they spotted hundreds of orchids amongst the grassland. They look absolutely stunning but I don't know what they are called.

Can anybody enlighten me?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Our Countryside Comes to Life

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:39:00 -0700

Yesterday the Estate held it's bi-annual Countryside Foundation For Education day. It is a great day out for our local schools getting their children out onto a real farm to see exactly what happens. The groups of about 20 children had 8 different 'stands' to look at. The groups rotated around the stands having about 20 minutes at each one. I was looking after the farm machinery section where we told the children how we grow, feed, look after and then harvest our crops. We started with the Topdown, followed by the drill, fertiliser, sprayer combine and finally the grain cart. After my stand the children moved on the visit Paul, Rod and Tom, (our keepering team) where they got a taste of the good, the bad and the ugly in the countryside. Many frozen animals that had been trapped over the past year came out of the freezer to play their part in the tale. the highlight being the unveiling of a newly hatched pheasant! The kitchen gardens handled the next stand looking at growing vegetables, and why they are good for us, how they are grown and what pests can attache the unaware gardener. The final stop off was to visit the stable where we had a couple of sheep with their (not so small) lambs and Suzanne who was spinning wool. This was a real hit with the children to actually see the fleece being spun in to a usable fibre.

After a well deserved lunch break under the watchful eye of the combine the children headed off for another round of stands. First up was William from Frontier Agriculture who was talking about the crops grown on the farm and what they were turned into after they had been sold. He had a helper making pancakes with some of the wheat grown on the farm. Toff Millway followed William throwing clay pots and talking about his favourite subject 'Food'! This linked in well with the whole story of the day, how our food is grown where our food comes from and how we look after the countryside. After Toff, Martyn and Alan did a talk about the estate woodland, how trees are managed and what our timber is used for on the Estate. The final stand was with Roger Umpleby, known locally as 'The Bug Man' who had a collection of creepy crawlies that he had gathered under some logs in the wood over a few days prior to the event.

All in all the children had a great day, we just about remained dry, most of us kept our voices and the day was a great success.

A Successful Day, Dispite The Weather

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:02:00 -0700

Our first visitor for this years Open Farm Sunday event arrived in the drizzle just before 9am. The tractors were polished, the trailers swept and the fields nicely mown. After a slightly delayed start we headed off to The Overbury Stud where Simon Sweeting gave us a talk about the workings of a stud farm. It was fascinating hearing about scanning mares to check for a pregnancy at 16 days. We also saw a Brown Hare running across one of the fields, a great start to the trip.

Following on from Simon we had a talk from Dominc Swainson about the sprayer that we use to apply the pesticides and fertiliser to the fields. We spoke about Integrated Farm Management and gave some exampled of how we use the philosophy at Overbury Farms to help with our decision making processes. We learnt about the annual requirement to have an MOT type certificate through NSTS for each sprayer and the fact that the sprayer operators all had to be trained through NRoSO We also spoke about the amount of planning we need to complete before fertiliser is applied to each individual field and the records that are kept of each application. This also contributed toward the farms accreditation to LEAF Marque of which we are very proud.

Our next station was to hear all about Bumble Bees and how they can help us with pollination of our crops. Stuart Veall works for Syngenta and he came out with a small hive of bees which everyone found amazing. It is hoped that another year we can have a couple of hives to help with our crop and margin pollination. We parked next to a beetle bank with pollen and nectar strips adjacent to each other and explained further about the farms conservation plans and how we are increasing food and habitat for farmland birds, including Corn Buntings and Tree Sparrows.

William Fox (Frontier Agriculture) was on hand to complete the story about what happens to our crops when they leave the farm. He told us about biofuels created from wheat and rape, Carling Beer made from our malting barley and even how beans are used in fish food as a protein source. Apparently when crushed the beans are sticky and can hold minerals and other constituents of a ration together in the water for feeding to fish. (Even Farmer Jake learnt something as well!). After the last stop we came back down from the hill and thawed out a little before unloading a repeating the process again.

We had such a lot of help on the day from Derek, Gordon, Graham and Tim for driving the tractors and getting the farm machinery in place; Tod, James and Harry, who looked after the livestock (sheep, chickens and a duck) and from Suzie and Kieren for setting up the gazebo and organising the lists and putting the packs together on the day. Obviously a huge thanks to our speakers on the day and to those that braved the weather to show up and listen to what I believe makes British food the safest in the world, being produced sympathetically to our environment, by the best farmers in the world.

Getting The Job Wrapped Up

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Thu, 9 Jun 2011 09:48:00 -0700

So far this year our silage making has been well timed and the sun and wind has helped dry out the cut grass nicely. For the last two years I have been using a local contractor to come and do the baling and the wrapping. Our old equipment means the whole team has to be turned out in order to get the job done. Derek would be baling, a couple of people carting the bales back to the yard where they would be wrapped and then stacked. Now with a little planning we can get Nigel to bale and wrap in one pass.

He's actually using the same amount of fuel doing the two jobs at once than he was just doing the baling. It helps our carbon footprint as farmers. Tomorrow we will get the trailers out and carefully carry the bales back to the farm and stack them up. We will treat them as eggs so that the plastic does not get ripped. The plastic seals in the bale which turns anaerobic pickling the grass into silage or a slightly drier product more suited to sheep called hayledge. The plastic will remain on the bales until they are used in the winter to feed the sheep. Once removed the plastic is stored and then sent for re-cycling as part of our commitment to the environment as per the requirements for the LEAF Marque Using two different colours of wrap the bales look like one of my favourite sweets, can you guess which ones?

Click HERE to the link of the baler/wrapper combo in operation, it really is an amazing bit of farm machinery

Is The Grass Greener with Sainsbury's?

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Sat, 21 May 2011 11:47:00 -0700

On Thursday the 19th May we hosted the Sainsbury's Lamb Steering Group Meeting at Overbury. The group started about a year ago and this was the first on-farm meeting which was a real pleasure to host. There were about 9 others farmers from all corners of the UK and even Northern Ireland, all farming different systems and producing lamb in different ways, all dedicated to supplying Sainsbury's. In addition there were people from Randall Parker Foods and Dunbia who are the processors for the producers lamb (We supply RPF- via the Mayhill Lamb Group). The day started with an update on JS lamb sales over the past year, then we moved onto an update of the Carbon Footprint assessment. This is the largest study ever conducted assessing the carbon involved with producing lamb. More about that another day. After that I did a presentation about Overbury Farms, what we do, how we do it and why. I talked about our crops, conservation, staff, machinery and then our sheep.

Following on from me was Bob Bevan from AB Sustain who was teaching us about grassland management.

One of the interesting things learnt from the JS Dairy Group was the attention to detail of grassland management and how carbon emissions and therefore cost can be reduced by better grassland management. This conversation carried on over a working lunch before heading out to the field for a tractor and trailer ride around the farm. We looked at 8 fields in total, starting with a hay field, then a silage fields then various permanent pasture fields ending up on the top of Bredon Hill, where Alice and Annie had their photograph taken as shown here!

It was a really good meeting, I felt that a lot had been achieved and there was plenty of conversation within the group. There is a definite opportunity to explore the grassland management here at Overbury, starting this summer with some over-seeding in a couple of fields.

Following the meeting we did a short bit of filming for the JS website all about the Carbon Footprinting and how we are benefiting by working together. That should be on the website under the Coorporate Responsibility tab on the 7th June.

Farm Update

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Thu, 12 May 2011 04:30:00 -0700

The last couple of months have been a difficult time on the farm with unprecidented low levels of rainfall during two important months. At the start of March we were all very delighted with the dry spell of weather, great for spring barley drilling, potato planting and of course for lambing. As the weeks rolled on and the temperatures rose the light arable land really started the run out of water. Fertiliser that we had applied just sat on the surface so crops were unable to use the nitrogen and insect pests were multiplying in the warm spring sunshine. Our newly planted trees, both in the orchards and the elm trees, required watering in order to keep them alive! Once started this job will need to carry on but with the investment in the trees we have to keep the going. Irrigation has been intense on the salad onion crops and today we have started on the potatoes. Our rainfall for March was only 8.6mm (driest in 60yrs) and April was even less at 5.4mm (long term average for April is 49.5mm)

The large cracks opening up in the fields are usually only seen in the summer months and this photograph was taken in mid April! It just goes to show how the weathers unpredictability impacts on our farming systems. As a rule our climate is not used to weather changes like this. Other areas of the world, like Australia and America, would expect these droughts much more often than us. It will be a very interesting season as it progresses, just what will the effects be on yields and quality be? It is still a long way to go but with the final leaves out in wheat crops (visible in April) 3 weeks ahead of usual there must be an affect, at the very least an early harvest.

Last weekend the rain arrived giving a very welcome 24mm. This rain was the right kind of rain, silly statement you all scream but it was gentle and warm. This gave it time to actually soak into the ground rather than run-off taking fertiliser with it into the nearest water course. The situation had eased slightly but more rain will be required to get these crops to harvest, and it might even have come too late for our malting barley, which is looking thinner and thinner.

Bits and Bobs and More Daily Cuteness

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:45:00 -0700

More on the Knitted Royal Wedding from Yorkshire via the BBC ... HERE. I'm dragging myself out of bed at 4 a.m. to watch the festivities on Friday while breakfasting on blueberrry oat scones and Yorkshire Gold Tea.

While we here in the States don't have royalty, we do have Lady Liberty. Julia, Mom and I went last week to visit her. It was an awesome day. I had never seen her up close and she is breath-taking, as is her story via Ken Burns and PBS which I watched a while ago. Look it up - it is worth a watch. Fun ferry ride and trip to Ellis Island too. If you have never been to either, I highly recommend the day. Make sure you do the Audio add-on as it is so interesting!

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Ask The Farmer 2011 - Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:45:00 -0700

We interrupt this month of Giveaways for some real content.... Thanks so much to all of you who sent questions about sheep farming to The Farmer. He spent a couple evenings scrawling out his answers and now it is my job to transpose it into something readable...... I didn't realize The Farmer had a "secretary" but I guess he does. If you had to wait for him to type it all, it might be next year for the answers!

I know that many of you who read this blog actually have agricultural lives but there are many more that reside far from any farm. Sharing our farming life has become the most rewarding and important part of this blog for my family and me. It's sometimes hard for me to determine exactly what to write about because I am in so deep and most of the things we do are part of a routine. This Q + A format works perfect. So here goes - Part 1 of 2011 Ask The Farmer.....

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'Lambing Live' at Overbury

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:10:00 -0700

Well here it is, I have finally got round to blogging again after a very very busy few weeks. On Sunday 17th April we had our annual 'Lambing Live' event at Park Farm, home to our flock of Mule and Mule x Texel ewes. We were very lucky with the weather with hot sunshine all day for our visitors. In total somewhere between 850-1,000 people turned up to learn about our sheep flock and how we manage the farm and the conservation on Bredon Hill. I managed to get some video footage early in the day which can be seen here on the blog. It will give you an idea of the event and what can be seen. In addition to the clip we had Paul, Rod and Tom our Gamekeepers talking about life as a keeper. At the village hall we had lots of displays of local food including the very first opportunity to purchase cotswoldflour and lamb burgers being sold by our great friends at Eckington Manor Cookery School

Susan B. Anderson's New Book Spud + Chloe At The Farm + a Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:30:00 -0700

A few years ago I stumbled upon a beautifully designed book called "Itty Bitty Hats." The concept and design of the spiral bound book was sweet, colorful and very well done. My interest was peaked because I hadn't ever heard of the author - Susan B. Anderson. I had been in the yarn biz for years. How could there be someone out there who was so super talented and who I didn't know? And then the next year, there was another Itty Bitty Book - this one on toys. I was dying to meet the author and as fate would have it, one evening at a TNNA show, Susan and I were seated next to each other at a publisher sponsored dinner with some book wholesalers. We hit it off and have become friends since that dinner, running into each other at different functions and keeping in touch by phone and email.

Photo Jim Mueller

Susan writes an incredibly cheerful and popular blog full of wonderful knitting, spinning, crafting and family. She also curates the Spud and Chloe Blog for Blue Sky Alpacas. She is Mom to four beautiful kids and lives with her husband and family in Madison, Wisconsin (knitting country for sure!). In person, Susan is exactly as you would hope - kind, smart, funny, pretty and a fabulous knitter/designer. I feel honored to count her as my friend. When Susan asked me if I would like to be part of her blog book tour for her next book, I was so happy to help her spread the word. Today I present to all of you Susan B. Anderson's uber-cute Spud and Chloe at the Farm.

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Linda Perman's Little Crochet and a Fab Book and Julia Yarn Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:30:00 -0700

I met Linda Perman when she was editor of Adorn, the now defunct cool sewing and craft magazine that was out a few years ago. I did a project for them and have kept in touch with Linda as she has moved around the USA - first to Montana and then to Texas, two places that sound great to live! During it all, she got a two book deal with Potter Craft and we have kept in touch. Linda writes the great blog "Lindamade."

I must admit, I don't crochet too much. I know the basics and I love a good granny. I've never had the desire to become a crochet designer but I'm glad Linda Perman did. Her books are colorful, clever, really fun, and very, very stylish. Her new book is Little Crochet and it is full of amazingly sweet crochet projects for babies and toddlers. The photography is drop dead gorgeous and the instrux look clear and well written, just as her first book Crochet Adorned was.

There are 24 fabulous projects for babies and toddlers up to 4 years old. I am really in love with the cover booties. Are they just too much? Little stars inset into the top of the bootie. Linda says you can whip up a pair in an evening.

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Our Honest to Goodness Farmhouse Shepherd's Pie Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:30:00 -0700

I didn't grow up eating Shepherd's Pie but it has become part of my winter dinner repetoire over the past few years. I've finally written down how I make it to pass out at the Farmer's Markets (and to help sell our ground lamb). I'm sharing it with all of you today. I'm one of those cooks who wings it and it usually turns out fine. All this recipe writing is a stretch to say the least. Kids love Shepherd's Pie and it makes a great dish to bring to a potluck!

Shepherd's Pie is one of those recipes that you can tweak and use all kinds of odds and ends from your pantry, fridge or freezer. In fact that's the fun of it. It's also great to make an extra one to put in the freezer for those nights you just can't bear to chop an onion or mince some garlic.

I know that most cooks in the States probably do not use lamb. Heresy! How can it be official Shepherd's Pie if sheep aren't involved? Really now. Digging into the www I found that in England, Shepherd's Pie is definitely made with lamb. If it is made with beef, it is called Cottage Pie.

Anyone else want to throw in their own tweaks for their version of Shepherds Pie?

Leyden Glen Farm's Shepherd's Pie

This is our “farm version.” It’s yummy and homey and will feed a crowd.

2 pounds potatoes
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter

1 pound ground lamb
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion - diced
2 carrots – diced into ½” pieces
5 cloves garlic - minced
1 cup chicken broth, lamb stock or white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and Pepper
1 cup each corn and peas (I use frozen)
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Peel and chop the potatoes. Boil in salted water until tender and mashable. Drain. Add the milk and butter. Mash the potatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Brown the lamb, drain fat and set aside. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until onions are translucent taking care not to burn the garlic! Add the diced carrots and sauté for 3 more minutes. Mix together the broth, tomato paste, herbs and salt and pepper. Add all ingredients to the skillet and simmer until carrots are done to your liking. The mixture should be thick. If too saucy, let some of the moisture evaporate. Add the frozen peas and carrots. Try not to overcook!

Butter a 9 x 13 casserole. Pour in the meat mixture and smooth. Spoon the potatoes over the top of the meat and spread evenly. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Broil to melt the cheese and brown the top.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To make an Italian-ish version of this:
Substitute red wine for the white wine.
Substitute 1 can cannelini or Great Northern beans for the corn and peas.
Add ¼ cup basil pesto to the meat sauce mixture before topping with the potatoes.

Sheep Art? Wool Advertising?

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:08:00 -0700

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Pre-Tax Season Sock Yarn and Storey Knitting Book Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Fri, 8 Apr 2011 07:30:00 -0700

It's been a really busy week here - lots of time doing things that really are not blog-worthy. Going to Boston for an eye doctor appointment with Julia (she is fine), getting my hair fixed so I don't look like a grandma, and the dreaded organization of all the pre-tax filing information. That is what I hate the most and I can say that I don't know how accountants do it all the time. I'm almost done.... so I will celebrate with my next blogiversary giveaway for you all!

I've done two books with the fine folks at Storey Publishing and I count my editor Gwen as a good friend. She's an amazingly kind woman with a vast array of talents. She and her husband keep sheep, she is an amazing gardener, knitter, weaver, and craftsperson. I'm sure she cooks (although I don't know this for sure). She has three grown children (her daughter is named Kristin too) and a granddaughter who is the apple of her eye. As an editor, she is so calm and kind... never nagging.... If she needs a change or has another idea, it is suggested in the kindest, least threatening way. This is a very good way to work with an author and I feel blessed to have had that experience. I took this photo of her several years ago when we were shooting Kristin Knits. She really does pretty much always look this calm. Man, oh man, I wish I could be!

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Pretty Funny and Really Cute

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Wed, 6 Apr 2011 04:30:00 -0700

Pretty hilarious, I must say..... via Time Magazine

We have a new bottle lamb living in the kitchen with us. He has become great friends with the kittens. They all sleep in a little pile. They are so cute, aren't they?

When Will All the Flowers Begin????

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 13:45:00 -0700

I keep singing that song in my head with these words..... All around the blogosphere, I keep seeing flowers. We are still getting snow! In the last 5 days it has been white twice. But the snow did give me a chance to take some wintry photos of a pattern I am working on. Julia isn't quite as obliging as she used to be when I am taking photos. I've got to bribe her with money and then it is pretty torturous for both of us. Do you see the snow ball in her hand below? You can only imagine where it landed - at least it wasn't on my camera. Hard to believe it was April 1st, isn't it?

I received the prettiest little thing in the mail the other day from Robin in Minnesota. She came to the October "Get Stitched on the Farm" knitting retreat.

And a beautiful letter.

Dear Kristin, Attending your class in October of last year was one of the highlights of my year. It was so much fun! I've had more fun playing with color and feel a lot more confident. I've been knitting a lot, but I keep getting distracted with flowers. Here's one that reminds me of your sunflowers. Robin

What you can't see is Robin inserted a wire into the stem and the flower is totally bendable. It is exquisite and is cheering me up sitting in a little vase on my windowsill above my sink as I wait for something green to begin here. I was really tickled to receive this flower. As she was spending time at the farm last year, I could see her brain being turned on and a real creativity developing in her knitting. Robin is an accountant by training and letting loose doesn't come easy to her. As I sent her off into her knitting world, I could tell she really was taking away a lot of good information and that "I had gotten to her." To receive this little gift was truly special for me as a teacher. Thanks Robin!

I'm teaching the "Get Stitched Flower Class" in September here at our Farm. So far, there are no takers so I may have to cancel it and try something else. Or maybe the date is just bad. Or maybe noone wants to come.... There are only 2 spots left in the October 2/3 class so if you are on the fence, think about signing up soon.The July class is completely filled with a group of friends from Maryland. I'm looking forward to all the preparations, cleaning up the garden, airing out the house!

If you are looking for a nice Spring, Easter, or Passover gift to knit for friends, I must suggest my "Olympia's Knit and Crochet Flowers" pattern. (That is the pattern Robin used although she improvised a bit - yay Robin!) Who wouldn't like a knitted flower for a hostess gift or a centerpiece. I think maybe I will use my rustic basket with felted flowers as an Easter basket this year.

The felted flowers also look beautiful when decorating a grapevine wreath. They are so quick to knit and totally addicting. A nice "carry around" project when it gets too warm to drag around big bags and heavy wool.

The pattern is available for $6.00 on my website via PDF Dowload here.

Don't forget to add your question to "Ask The Farmer." Either you all are too tired of reading the blog or don't have enough time in the day..... Or you are still working on your taxes like we still are. I've got a really busy week this week and next and I am hoping The Farmer will fill in for some of my posting.

Ask The Farmer Returns!

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Fri, 1 Apr 2011 05:30:00 -0700

Last year, I did a fun column called "Ask The Farmer." Now that lambing has slowed down a bit, I asked him if he would answer your farming questions here again. Miraculously, he obliged. So, if you have any sheep, lamb, farming, or sustainable agriculture related question for him, leave it in the comments section of this post or email me directly. It's okay if someone has asked the same question.... that way we will know what are the most important to answer. He will answer them over a series of posts, fitting it into our farming schedule.

More giveaways next week! If you are wondering who has won each giveaway, I've been adding to each post at the end of it once the contest is over. If you are looking for book ideas, check out all the comments in Tuesday's post. You all are a wealth of great information!

Mothering Up + Storey Homesteading Book Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:15:00 -0700

Do you know the term "mothering up?" I didn't until I heard it on Sweetgrass that amazing SHEEP Movie I told you about about a month ago. I knew it happens every evening when dusk arrives and the lamb races are over but I just didn't know the word for it. The lambs look for their mamas, have a drink of milk and then lie down next to them. It's almost like bedtime story hour for lambs.

I've been feeding the bottle lambs every evening around 7 p.m. I'm all alone with ALL the sheep. It's rather peaceful in a mildly chaotic way - sheep and lambs all around and the only ones that are worried about the food are my noisy crew of eight who don't have mamas. I'm down to twice a day and truth be told, 4 of them should be off of the milk. But I'm babying them, what can I say?

We've got another bit of mothering going on here...... The day after our wonderful mama cat Lily Pons passed from the world, her 3 year old daughter Annika had her first litter of kittens. I didn't think she could have babies since she was yet to have a litter. Quite a miracle of nature... one cat passes and the next day, 4 beautiful little kittens arrive. She is doing an awesome job.

There are 3 beautiful fluffy medium haired black and white patchy kittens and one classic striped short haired tiger kitten with a white chest like her mom. They are at the incredibly cute stage right now! We are having lots of cuddling fun with all of them. Lots of kitten photos to come. If you are interested in a kitten, please email me. They will be ready to go to their new homes just around Easter.

I call this one "the intrepid explorer." Have you heard that quote from Jules Champfleury? "There is no more intrepid explorer than a kitten." It is rather perfect.

Today's blogiversary giveaway comes to you via the fine folks at Storey Publishing. Storey is what I would consider the top "homesteading" publisher in the USA. They do many, many different kinds of books - cooking, baking, animal husbandry, crafts, knitting, healthy living, and more. Their books are clearly written, full of vital how-to information, and great photos. I have been lucky to have them publish two books of mine - Colorful Stitchery and Kristin Knits. This giveaway is awesome:

Bread Making - I've spent lots of time making bread this winter. This book looks fab.

Chick Days - you all need chicks this year, don't you?

Maple Sugar - that sweet stuff that is running at full tilt here in western Massachusetts

Put Em Up - making that garden produce of this summer last until next winter

The Backyard Homestead - everything you need to know for homesteading in the country, the suburbs or the city

~~Here's how to enter: Answer the following question in the comments by Saturday evening at midnight..... I'll announce the winner on Monday morning.~~ Contest is Closed.

Question: What is the one new thing you want to learn or do this upcoming summer? It doesn't need to be a homesteading thing - it can be anything.

Please don't forget to leave an easy way to get a hold of you! Good luck everyone!

Added Monday April 4, 2011....The winner is Jessica who said: I need to start learning how to knit lace! (what can I say, I'm scared!) Thank you for the wonderful giveaway! And for all the baby animals! Pretty much made my day :)

Thanks so much for entering everyone!

Candy Box for All + A Melanie Falick STC Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:36:00 -0700

Easter is coming soon and when I think back to the holidays of my youth, it seems there was always a box of Russell Stover's candy passed around the Sunday dinner table. My sisters and I would look longingly at the lovely chocolate covered confections in dark and milk chocolate, trying hard to decide which ONE we would eat. It was a dicey decision because we were only allowed one. If we picked the wrong one, one that had one of those icky fillings, you were stuck. Eat it or leave it. I usually ate it. As the box sat aging on the bureau in the dining room, the candies would slowly disappear. All except the odd flavors that none of us liked. Those candies would be left in the box, one small bite out of each, to age until my mother got sick of looking at the box and it would be thrown out.

Many of the lambs that were born this winter have been eating hay for awhile. They still look to their mothers for milk, but their diet is becoming what an adult sheep eats - hay and baleage. Baleage is "pickled grass". The Farmer harvested it last year and it has been wrapped in white agricultural plastic fermenting and waiting to be fed to the sheep now when the grass isn't growing.

The Farmer uses his tractor to bring a new bale of either dry hay or baleage to the feed bunk. It helps if I am around because these things are really heavy (500 to 800 lbs). The little lambs are always just waiting to dive into the hay and my job is to make sure the bale doesn't land on any of them. It's rather dicey and scary because it doesn't take much to squish a lamb. After plopping the bale down, it is time to unwrap the bale and see what the feed looks like. For the sheep and lambs, I liken this moment to unwrapping that box of Russell Stovers candy from the holidays.

They start picking at it, looking for the bits they like. Sheep are all about the feed. I can tell that some bales taste better than others. They just smell better - sweeter and pungent. Some of the bales seem to disappear quickly and then others hang around for a couple of days. Hay is made up of several different kinds of forage including timothy, blue grass, fescue, alfalfa, and red and white clover.

It's good exercise peeling the hay away, unwrapping the preserved grass that is wrapped circularly like a giant scroll of paper and feeding it out down the line. The mature mama sheep are on one side of the feed bunk, ravenously waiting, never mind that they always have feed in the field - they want to try the new bale! The lambs are on the other side, picking at the hay before we can unwrap it.

It takes about a day or two to go through a bale. As the lambs continue to grow, we will go through more feed. We always hope we have enough to make it through until the grass starts growing. Then the sheep and lambs will transition to fresh green grass.

All this talk about candy boxes of all kinds..... Have I got a grown-up candy box for all of you creative types! My friend Melanie Falick, Editor of STC Craft Books has donated four of her newest book titles in honor of my 5th blog anniversary! All of Melanie's books are creative maker's eye candy. But although drop dead gorgeous - they are not just fluff. They are full of great how-to instruction, well-thought out book construction, and stylish book design. STC published Knitting For Baby, the book Melanie and I did together just after we both had our children back in the early part of this century (wow, does that sound weird - the century thing, that is).

Here's what I've today for you as a giveaway. Thanks to Melanie and the other fine folks at her publishing house STC for donating the following books. I wish I could enter! They are all incredibly wonderful titles!
Crafting a Meaningful Home by Meg Mateo Ilasco

Oliver and S Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson - a beautiful collection of sewing patterns to sew for children

Stitch Magic - A Compendium of Techniques for Stitching Fabric into Exciting New Forms and Fashions by Alison Reid - a very creative sewing book from a designer in the UK

And lastly........

A Knitters Home Companion by Michelle Edwards. Here's a nice video interview with Michelle. Do you know her writing and illustrations? Check out her blog - it is truly beautiful. I really wish I could keep this one!

Here's how you enter: Answer the following question in the comments section:
If you had to pick one book that changed your life, that helped you to change course, or that you can't imagine not having on your bookshelf forever, which one is it? The book doesn't need to be a knitting or craft book - just any book that you adore.....

Please, don't forget to leave me an easy way to get a hold of you! Contest ends at midnight on Thursday. I'll let you know who wins on Friday.

Contest is over. Thanks to all who entered! If you get a chance, read through all the comments. There are some really great book ideas! The winner is Ellen. She said:
Robinson Crusoe - when I was in second grade we moved outside of easy walking distance to the library, so I had to dig into the set of classics we had at home. Been digging ever since!

Webs Northampton - Sunday March 27th from 1 to 4

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:56:00 -0700

I'll be there! Hope to see some of you. If anyone wants me to bring them some lamb, let me know. We can have a "meat-up"! Our farm number is available on our website link at the left. I have half legs for Easter and Passover, shoulder roasts for braising, stew meat, ground lamb, lamb sausage and more!

Register here for the Webs event -- It is free!

Penny's Lentil and Lamb Soup - A New Recipe and a Story for You!

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:00 -0700

I've been cooking lamb since we first began sheep farming over thirty years ago. Now, with the development of our "direct to consumer" farm plan, I'm finding that consumers really need help in deciding what to cook with our lamb. It has taken me a while (let's just say I started this project over a year and a half ago) but I'm finally getting some recipes written down, cooked and photographed.

Taking photos of food isn't easy. Especially when it is brown food that is what I consider totally unphotogenic. Recipe writing and food photography is another one of my blogging journeys. I've discovered some good food blogs. Wow - is that another world as compared to knitting blogs. Here's who I like so far: David Lebovitz, Joy the Baker, my friend Janis's Bite Me New England (Janis is a great lamb customer and frequently blogs about cooking our lamb!), Dorie Greenspan, The Sweet Beet, Michael Ruhlman, Matt Bites. There is even a food photography blog on the NYTimes website. The food blog world is huge! And it seems to be a big money generating world - unlike the knitting blog world which I seem to be segmented into. There is a food blogging convention! And Food Blogger Camp! It seems like a big pit that I could get sucked into if I let myself. I will just look in from the outside, for now! If you want an inside scoop on it, check out this post by David Lebovitz. It makes us knitting bloggers look like chump change. If you have any favorite food blogs my readers and I might like, leave them in the comments if you will!

Now where was I? Oh yeah, Penny's Lamb and Lentil Soup, that's right. The back-story..... The Farmer and I lived in Colorado while I was in grad school at CSU. We pretty much had what I would consider no money. We lived on my grad school assistantship stipend and what he made doing whatever job he could find. We weren't married, much to the chagrin of my mother and father. In fact, she was so upset that even though she adored "him" she never would ask about him nor mention his name. (Remember that Mom?) My Dad, being the kindest Dad in the world, would once in a while send me a check so I could pay for my car insurance.

Whatever.... Mom has gotten over it and here we are - still together almost 30 years later. She didn't have anything to worry about. I remember those days with such incredible fondness. We lived in the basement of a small little yellow house on Whedbee Street with my sheltie cross Haida. The Farmer said we were "worms" because all we could see out of the basement windows was the dirt ground above us. I was studying textiles, writing my thesis (on "Wool Production from Small Flocks of Sheep" - boy some things sure do not change!), and learning how to cook on a budget.

Considering that there were two of us living on a very tiny income, I had to learn to cook cheaply. Meat was a splurge and so we existed on a semi-vegetarian diet (much to The Farmer's dislike but hey - he wasn't cooking, was he?) I have always had a love affair with soup. I will admit, I grew up on Campbell's Soup - out of a can. I used to eat it for lunch every Saturday. My favorite was Scotch Broth with Cream of Tomato a close second. In the little basement kitchen, I had a couple of cookbooks -- a paperback copy of The Joy of Cooking for basics and "The Moosewood Cookbook." Boy, was that cookbook the thing back then! I cooked my way through it for sure. I just loved those handwritten pages and funky little drawings. Still have it, still cook from it.

Colorado is where I learned about lentils. I had never eaten a lentil growing up. My mom wasn't big on cooking with beans except for her post-Easter "split pea soup" she made with the leftover ham-bone. I latched onto those lentils and turned them into soup. I would make a big pot of lentil soup and we would eat it all week long. Let's just say I overdid it! Nah, Kristin doesn't over do anything, does she? By the fourth night, he would look at me with disdain. I guess I don't blame him but to tell you the truth, I can still eat lentil soup five days in a row. I just love it.

Later on, when we both had jobs and were doing a little better financially, we took a memorable couple of trips to France on my frequent flyer mileage. We were in food and wine heaven, visiting so many fabulous little inns and restaurants. The places we visited would fill a book so I will stop reminiscing and tell you that in France I discovered the lovely little LePuy Lentil. Ahhhhh, a lentil that wouldn't get mushy and was a lovely shade of olive green. When I got back to the States, I found them for sale and I haven't stopped buying them yet.

Enter Penny Vurgulopolous. Penny was a Greek woman who worked in our mill store when I worked at TYC. Penny had a thick Greek accent, a wonderful loving Greek American husband named Chris, and in her basement, she had a SECOND KITCHEN that Chris built her so that she could cook and bake for the different parties she threw and church functions she attended. Penny came to work dressed in Chanel suits, dripping with gold jewelry, hair coiffed just so. Mind you - this was a dirty yarn spinning mill and she was selling close-out yarn. She was quite the picture! Penny was an awesome knitter (she wrapped her yarn around her neck to tension it) and an even more awesome cook. She constantly brought in her homemade Greek delicacies to share with the office staff. I'll never forget the spanakopita, the baklava, the moussaka, the melty soft long roasted leg of lamb, the traditional deep red Greek Easter eggs.......

When Julia was born, I used to bring her to work with me when she was an infant. Her health was fragile and it was best she was with me. She was a good baby and would usually lie on the floor under my big office table playing with one of those dangly overhead baby entertainment things while I tried to figure out what was going on at TYC. Penny loved babies and she would beg me to let her hold and swaddle Julia. She would sing to her in Greek, play finger games. She was just so darn wonderful with Julia. Whenever Penny was working, Julia would "go to the store" with Penny. She would sit in her little seat next to the cash register and Penny would entertain her. One day I went over to check on her. Penny was feeding Julia some of her lentil soup. I almost died. Julia hadn't had a bite of any solid food yet and there she was sucking down the soup. I went with the flow and Julia survived! It was pretty priceless now that I think back on it. Whenever Julia was going to be at work, Penny would make her lentil soup.

So that's where the name for today's recipe comes from. Sorry for the long, convoluted trip it took to get here. This is a recipe that has evolved over the years..... from the first days of lentil soup in the basement apartment in Fort Collins to our farmhouse here in western Massachusetts. Now I fortify it with ground lamb or lamb sausage. It seems so natural considering the connection with my Greek friend Penny's lentil soup and the Greek people's love of lamb.

Penny's Lentil and Lamb Soup
PRINT THIS RECIPE

1 pound lentils (preferably French Le Puy)

¼ cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic

1 medium onion

1 small can tomatoes (14 ounces)

3 carrots

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon oregano

1 pound ground lamb or lamb sausage removed from casings

3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and mince garlic. Chop onions into small dice. Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Brown onions and garlic taking care not to burn the garlic. Remove cooked onions and garlic and reserve. Brown lamb in soup pot. Drain off extra fat. Return onions and garlic to pot. Add the tomatoes, and lentils and cover by one inch with water. Bring to a boil, then turn to simmer adding herbs. Cook for thirty minutes. Peel and chop the carrots, cutting them on a diagonal so they are largish. Add carrots and cook the soup until the carrots are done to your liking. Add the vinegar. Let the soup sit if you have time so the flavors will mingle. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: Substitute 3 Tablespoons wine vinegar and ½ teaspoon sugar if balsamic is not available. The key to this soup is the vinegar!

Brutal Honesty!

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:10:00 -0700

I am a honest person. If I don't like someone, I usually just ignore them. If I screw up, I admit it. I may be sometimes flowery with my words but it is honestly how I think and write. I enjoy writing this blog because I am writing it for you and for me. I'm not trying to make a big company happy because I don't work for one. Goodness knows, no big corporation would put up with the assortment of things I write about. The Farmer and I work for ourselves, our family, our farm, our land, our art and craft, our animals and for the future of this patch of earth that we are caring for. Most people would think us nuts. Sometimes I agree with "most people" but I just keep going.

Many of my friends work on the fringe of the real world. Some own their own businesses, however big or small they are. They plod along, doing their good work, keeping at whatever it is they are trying to do for the world. Some of my friends are farmers - their dedication is to the future of the earth and to feeding their neighbors good and healthy food. Some of my friends are artists - their dedication is to the beauty of their art. Some of my friends are teachers - their dedication is to their love of learning and showing their students their way.

And then there is my very good friend Candi Jensen. Candi is a knitting and crochet designer and author. Candi and I met over 25 years when we were both working for yarn companies. Candi is passionate about her craft and about sharing her craft with others. That is why she began her PBS television show Knit and Crochet Now. Candi is the reason I am on the show and I thank her for the opportunity.

I doubt most of you know how these PBS shows work so I am going to let you in on it. A producer comes up with an idea and finds corporate sponsors to fund the production of the show. The producer has to pay a PBS station to tape, film, edit, pay for the "experts" to fly in, feed them, and then pay for all the post-production. If there is any money left over, the producer may be able to pay the host, the experts and take a profit. Let's just say that no one involved in K&CN is making anything off of it. The bare minimum to produce a series of 13 shows is $125,000. And this is bare minimum - everything done on the cheap.

Money is really tight for everyone now as if you didn't know. Candi's source of the corporate funding has pretty well disappeared. She is still out looking for corporate underwriters to support the knitting and crochet show and time is running out. She wants to tape a new season so that she can keep spreading the knitting and crochet love. It is an incredibly expensive proposition to say the least.

When the show gets aired on PBS, the individual PBS station does not pay Candi to air it. How crazy is that? The money you give your local PBS station goes to staff the office, pay for the airtime, the satellite feeds, whatever it is that makes t.v. happen. It's all a mystery to me.

Candi produces this show because she wants to keep the knit and crochet world inspired. She has devoted her life to the crafts of knitting and crochet. She wants to spread the stitching love throughout the television world so more people will pick up needles and stitch. It is a huge goal for her. She works alone out of a home office. She calls on friends to devote their time and skills to her cause (that would be me and the other "experts"). Designers donate their projects to be shown on the air. Maybe I get some publicity out of it all but that's not what it is about for me. I do the show to help Candi and so that viewers can better their skills of the crafts I am teaching. I hope that they will pass their skills on to their friends, neighbors, children and grandchildren so that the textile arts will endure for future generations.

So now I would like to ask you to help Candi out! If you have the means and desire, send the show some money so that it can go on. There is a PayPal button below. Click on it and donate what you can. Any amount will help. If you have a blog and would like to add the Paypal code to your site, email me and I can get you set up. Please SPREAD THE WORD!

If you prefer to send a check, send it to:

Candice Jensen Productions

708 Gravenstein Highway, #231

Sebastopol, CA 95472

And if there are any corporate people out there who are wanting to sponsor the show, please e-mail me privately and I will tell you how to get a hold of Candi.

Open Farm Sunday Training

noreply@blogger.com (adibswara) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:32:00 -0700

Yesterday Suzie and I visited Aston Hall Farm, on the Spetchley Estate, for some up to date training on hosting an Open Farm Sunday event. It seems long ago since we hosted a training event at Overbury and I just wanted to make sure we were not missing a trick or two.

The training was being delivered by Tom Allen-Stevens and Robert Kynaston, through LEAF.

The theme for this years event is 'Discover Life on Britain's Farms' and really opens up our farms for a great day out for all of the family. But how do we get our visitors there? That was the first part of the training. Depending of the size of event we wanted to host, there are lots of tools in the box; from parish magazines and postcards for small local events; through posters, banners and local newspapers for medium events, ending up with a chart topping national event using national media, tv and radio, the choice is ours.

The second aspect of the training, was once the visitors are here, what do we do with them? We looked at activities engaging our main senses, not just sight, but smell, feel, taste and hearing. How many people just stop in our busy lives and listen? The blackbird or the skylark singing proudly as it rises from the field, the sound of a far off child laughing at a new discovery.

We learnt how to make a visit personal, "this is my farm", "this is how we do things here on our farm". Engagement that's the key!

After a great game involving, leaves, roots, fertiliser, pooh and grazing cows, (I will blog about that another day), we went onto a health and safety (fake crime scene), we were the CSI farmers. Different aspects were explored within our scenario and how those risks can be managed. Don't forget farms are dangerous places and we should never underestimate the risks that we all face every day. But there are simple ways to avoid or reduce the risks. Fencing off areas that you don't want people to explore, putting up signs and moving machinery inside and locking it away. We must also remember the hand washing facilities that are required, liquid soap, running water and paper towels.

The final part of the warm spring afternoon looked at getting the message across. How to be positive about being a farmer and not using too much agricultural jargon. Outside an arable meeting who would understand the expression, "using pyraclastrobin to help control septoria?" sounds obvious but I know. I use too much jargon at times when I 'speak out'. As the message says on Roberts shirt, visit a farm, most farmers are happy to take people around their farms and are very proud of what we as an industry do. If you are looking to host a farm event on Open Farm Sunday please get involved and get in touch with LEAF there are lots of resources available and I know there are still some training events planned with spaces for everyone. Put the date in your diary Sunday 12th June 2011