How's your garden growing?

It's winter, but as long as there is light, I will grow.

Raised beds, and fallow beds

This year, I'm taking it easy with the kids so I'm growing spinach, kale, bok choy, beets, turnips, three types of radishes(standard, french, daikon), five varieties of garlic, carrots, and swiss chard.

Carrots

The winter's don't get too cold here.  About down to 5F, it's the summers which can be hard, with that dry, hard heat, it's all I can do to grow northern berries.  Anyway, back to winter.  It's wet, really wet, Hubby was nice enough to construct some really good raised beds for me, made of wood, I've been using anything I can scrounge together for my beds mostly, but these beds are picture worthy, plus they'll last for years!

Chard

The carrots are protected from the turkeys on the with my tiny fence.  Just ignore those huge weeds in the photos. The garden is surrounded by a 5- 6 foot high fence, another 3 foot fence, dog and cat, yet the light breed chickens and turkeys just gotta fly into my garden to eat those tender seedlings.

Salad greens

 Here is a picture of my salad greens.  Eating should be a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach.

The last picture is of my elephant garlic, it takes two years to grow full sized.  These garlic plants are going to be ready to pick this spring. Yum!

Happy winter gardening!

Elephant garlic

Where I get my stuff...

So, you got your hands on some milk, preferably local, whole milk, and are ready to make some cheese.  Where do you go to get started.  Well, locally the supermarket might have some Junket Rennet tablets, these are generally in the custard and icecream isle.  But the creme de la creme of rennet(and supplies) usually has to be found online.  I've had good experiences with quality and services from these good folks:


Glengarry Cheesemaking
Dairy Connection Inc.
New England Cheesemaking Supply Company

When I need help trouble shooting or just some great inspiration I look to the cheese forum for good solid information

cheeseforum.org

Locally, gauze or cheesecloth is generally a better deal at your fabric store.

When it comes to cured meats supplies(homemade bacon anyone?), I really like...Sausage Maker

About the Goats

2011 Family Photo

 Faithful Farm Milky Way 
Registered American Nubian
Milky Way comes from a Nationally renowned Dairy herd Faithful Farm. She has a soft flashy black coat, super long legs, and amazing depth of body. I love the length of teat and strength in her udder attachments.

DOB: 5/08  G6S Neg.  CAE & CL Neg.

Pedigree

Sire: Faithful Farm Prince Rilian
SS: Kismet Prince Caspian
SD: Faithful Farm Toffee’s Tootsie 9*M
Dam: Faithful Farm Cookie Doe
DS: *B Longman's Narnia's King Tirian
DD: Faithful Farm Lady Licorice 5*M

Lakeshore FT Tiamat

Registered Purebred Nubian
Named after the Babylonian Earth Goddess, Tiamat, is both regal and refined.  Tia has matured into a lovely doe. She has a deep body, long level top line, and a high smooth udder.  She is a very correct doe and is showing promise in the show ring.  Her kids have appraised at V, carry on that deepth of body and great dairy character.

DOB: 3/06  G6S Normal  CAE & CL Neg.LA-08 VV+V 86 

Pedigree:

Sire: Lakeshore Full Throttle*B YSA 0-07 V(VEcEc)
SS: ++*B SG Kastdemur's LH Full Service
SD: SG Lakeshore-Farms RCS Shasta 1*M LA:5-01 EX90 EVVE
Dam: Lakeshore-Farms Torrance YSA 1-05 V(VVV)
DS: *B Lakeshore-Farms E Excalade
DD: GCH Lakeshore-Farms Victorian Lace 2*M  

Hoanbu KFE Easy Does It 
Registered Purebred Nubian
Strong feet and topline define this promising young buckling. A little bit of cashmere. One of the perks of picking up easy was being able to watch in person his dam sweep the ring and win Best in Show (again) . We miissed seeing his sire in action stealing the show, but at least we able to have a glimp of this power couple in action.Thank you Holly for such a wonderful new herdsire!
DOB: 4/09  G6S Neg CAE & CL Neg.

Pedigree:

Sire: CH * B Kastdemur's Free and Easy
SS: *B Kastdemur's Full Disclosure LA-01 EEE 91
SD: Kastdemur's Breeze 4*M LA-02 EEEE 92
Dam: GCH Hoanbu Status Diamond Pearl 1*M LA-04 VVEV 89
DS: SGCH +*B Lakeshore-Farms Star Status LA-02 EEE  91
DD: Hoanbu Stripes Ruby Diamond

Kidding around...

We offer a wet buckling sale each season, week old or younger bucklings are available for $50 each.  Doelings are $250 at weaning, discounts given to those who will pick up by one week of age.

Meet the Flock

A happy blend of Icelandic and East Friesian, our dairy girls compete with the best of them. Copious amounts of milk crossed with the rugged Icelandic breed makes for a great hardy blend. If you like making cheese with goats milk, you'll love the earthy taste of sheep's milk products at home.

Our small flock of dairy sheep , though small is size, pack loads of personality and high quality milk. Their milk although dense, is easily digestable by those in our family with lactose-intolorance. Although the cheesemaker prefers to use their milk for cheese, some members of the family love their dense, earthy milk so much they drink it any chance they get.  Their wool is of medium grade, and a great length for spinning.

Laid back, gregarious, and lovable.  Named for his red tinted wool, Redstone is actually quite of a barn baby.  Over the summer, Redstone and the ladies handled our 105F heat waves with ease, sticking to the shade in the afternoon, and grazing during the cool parts of the day. No doubt a testiment to the variety of extreme climates this hardy flock can handle. Redstone is 1/3 Tunis and the rest is East Friesian.

We do sell fleece, and lambs seasonally.  We sell their wool in whole skirted fleece form or by the pound.  Lambs are sold as available $200.

Redstone the Ram

Lambi

Friedya the Ewe

Nana the ewe

Picture time

Here's Milky Way's girls, it was an easy birth, I show up in the barn the kids are all cleaned off and hopping around.

Tia's buckling, Pastrami, about a couple minutes old, it seems like I missed this birth as well.

 

Milking season begins!

It's cold, wet, horribly muddy outside.  And it's kidding season.  I'm kicking myself now for it, but the pay off of strong and growthy kids are worth it.  Luckily Milky Way gave me two doelings, Tia, a cute buckling.

Now I have the hard job to come up with names.  I can't wait for the sheep to lamb, here's for more ewes!!

Unforunately, I have yet to upload photos of the kids from my camera, so I present to you.  My cat on the phone....