Birth Of The Earth Oven

The project of 3 years is finally being created. For the base of the oven Roy has cut down some Poplar trees and is stacking the posts vertically to create strength and height, when we bake we don't want to be sliding food in at ground level. Inside the walls of the poplar there will be a mass of crushed stone and gravel to create a thermal mass to hold heat. Jim and Roy took off to West Piont last night to get a truck load of sand. The dome of the oven will be molded around the sand. We will also make a mixture of sand, clay and straw to form the walls of the oven and I am looking forward to bare feet mixing as one would stomp grapes.

It has been so long since I last posted I almost gave up on myself but we had some motivating visitors to the farm last week. Francois and Lisa hail from the the States and are a breath of fresh air. He is the chef of Dayboat a gourmet restuarant in North Rustico and Lisa manages the restaurant. They initially came for a short visit to the farm but you know when you "Know" that people fit and I invited them to camp here with us over night. We had an amazing pot luck meal all cooked outside on the fire pit. Our contrbution was local flounder baked in foil three ways with crab, tomatoe and garlic and the third with turmeric and onion which Roy put together. We had prime rib rubbed with a dry rub, potatoes and onions sauteed in duck fat and a salad of duck confit and mushrooms. Lashings of wine and eating outside made for a most memorable meal.

Update on the the peahen. After a month of laying an egg here and there she finally settled on the most unlikely of places. The workshop bench in amongst nails and srews, no straw a most uncomfortable spot but obviously not to her. We shall see if all her efforts hatch!!

The Peahen Laid An Egg

Great news our peahen 'Snow White' has laid her first egg. Asmaani our peacock has been hard at work in the flirting department he is constantly displaying and shaking his feathers at basically anything that moves, isn't he like all men!!! I found the egg on top of the rabbit hutches sitting all alone and cold, so I took a small tyre and filled it with straw and put the egg in it. She may be drawn to the nest or not lets hope so.

Roy has set the big cauldron up for boiling. It now takes 3 hrs to boil a large batch of piggie porridge that will last them 6 feedings. A little better than the every day boil we were doing. the farm is in its usual mud surroundings after a couple of days of heavy rains and snow yet again, but we are looking forward to some sunshine over the weekend.

I have the first Llama trek of the season booked for this weekend and also the first group of school visitors coming next week so we shall put up my signs for the learning stations around the farm of which there are 12. At each station there is information about what animals are there, some history of their domestication and why we have them on the farm today.

Roy and I took some days off while Jenn and her boyfriend Jay were here. We made good food, had a sausage cookout one night. Rode the horses, did a carriage ride and played tock till the wee hours of the morning. And a good time was had by all!

Spring = Lots To Do

With spring finally being here; we have so many odd jobs that need attention. Clean up has been our main focus as the melting snow uncovers more and more things that need to tidied. Katie is coming along nicely, and I want to devote an entry on her progress. The other day we had to go out to sea and rescue the dock as it had spent the day floating past the sandbar. I also want to post an entry on that particular outing; Judy ended up walking the dock through 2ft of cold, cold water, lots of pictures!

Jenny is arriving tomorrow, Judy is so excited. We spent the day grooming the driveway and finding a place for sleighs, wagons and buggies. The Llama's seemed to have found a way through two strands of electric fencing; so this morning was devoted to "llama lockup". Four strands of electric fencing and some extra posts should hold them at bay!

More on Katie's progress and Judys water adventure another time. Enjoy these pictures for the time being.

Funny Pigs and Miserable Weather

It was raining during chores this morning. The pigs were still sound asleep as we brought them their food.


Yesterday I had the chance to spend a few hours installing electric fence throughout the pigs outdoor area. They had spent the last week with 2 strands of electric wire across the opening of their shelter. The idea being that they try to go outside, get zapped and turn around. This allows all the pigs to become familiar with electric fencing and trains them not to challenge the fence in the future. The training worked and this morning as we fed them outside, they were all hesistant to walk through the doorway; eventhough the 2 strands of wire had been removed.


Now we will be able to contain them in the woods and on pasture through the use of 2 electric strands. The electric fence charger is run by a solar panel and relies entirely on the suns solar energy. The unit itself is very compact and can hold a charge for more then a week without getting any sun. With proper grounding rods and installation the fence will run for 15 miles and be able to contain all of our farm animals.





The picture above shows one of the pigs contemplating whether to come through the doorway and make its way to the trough.


Eventhough it has been raining and snowing all day, we decided to integrate the horses. So far Katie has been seperated on one half of the pasture, away from the others. Today we removed the dividing wires and allowed the horses to interact.


It is a matter of acceptance. The other horses want to let Katie know that she is new and will have to join them under their terms. So far April, who is at the top of the pecking order, has not stood down and her little side kick Moses (the Donkey) is making sure that Katie doesnt get too comfortable too quickly. It might be days before they all settle down.


Below is a picture of Katie after standing up to Moses. Again, the picture quality is poor; I am still trying to fix this. I believe it is due to the fact that with dial up, I am just not able to upload any high pixel pictures without it taking over 20 min per photo.

Katimavik

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting 12 youth from Katimavik, Tatamagouche. They arrived Friday night. While navigating their way through PEI they had followed a dead end road and bottomed out their van. Not only was the road marked "dead end" it started out paved and turned into mud as it became increasingly narrower. Alan and I went to pull them out with the truck and had no success. The 14 passenger van was packed full of luggage and had sunk all four tires into the mud. The neighbours John Deere got the job done and everyone arrived safely that evening.

It was so nice to have them all here, lots of energy and good times had by all. Andy joined us and was nice enough to perform a few songs on top of a big round bale. Thanks Andy.

Sunday and Monday were long days, spent cleaning up the farm and fixing fencing. Without the help of Katimavik we would be doing these tasks ourselves; well into May. Not only did the farm get cleaned up, we managed to stack 4 cords of wood, introduce Katie to the pasture, enjoy a wagon ride and had some good ol' campfire fun. Thanks Allyson and Crew! We wish everyone much success and hope to see you back some time.

Roy

Mud Mud Glorious Mud

I am trying ever so hard to put a positive spin on this mud which with 2 dogs and 4 cats you can imagine what my poor house looks like.
It is slowly drying up so I'll stop my ranting. Spent the day catching up with chores. The emus will be happy to be back otside which won't happen for a while yet. The sun was in full tilt today so we are making lots of power these days.

This evening Roy and I did some ground driving with Katie this is only the second time she has done this and what with Agnes and Teddy( 2 dogs) running and barking around her feet as well as the other horses kicking up a storm and racing through the snow, she did exceptionally well.

We will introduce her in a sectioned off portion of the paddock next week.

Our natural food regime is kinda getting to me. We didn't come into the house until noon and there were no leftovers to eat so I had to make a quick veggie soup with turnip, potatoes, onion and cabbage I was so hungry. Supper also tends to be very late as we don't finish evening chores until after 6pm or so and by the time we get somehting on the table it's usually after 8pm, not the best time to be eating supper. I am also craving something sweet tonight but will settle for tea and an apple.

After this we shall order our seeds from terra edibles as well as a biodegradable weed barrier that we can cover the whole garden with. It should make a big difference this year.

such is life on a farm

I have definately been remiss at my blogging duties and happy that roy has kept at it. We have had a busy 2 weeks. I will point form the highlights

1. Rescue of cattle that had fallen into Little Pierre Jacques river.
Aweek ago our neighbour Bill came tearing down the driveway asking for hands as 5 of his beef his cattle were drowning. Roy Jim and myself found ourselves Hauling out 4 live cattle and trying to keep them alive before they succumbed to hypothermia. Two had drowned as we watched on. The local fire dept were called and helped haul them up to the barn. Only one made it through this awful ordeal. The whole incident felt surreal and left us all with such a feeling of helplessnes.

2. Our horse April became caste and we almost lost her.
I went away for the weekend and luckily Roy got up early to find April Wedged upside down between an ice bank and the hay feeder. She must've been there for hours as she was drenched in sweat with her eyes rolling into the back of her head. With the help of the tractor Jim and Roy got her up, she was shaking so badly and almost went down again but after blanketing and being kept quiet she came through this ordeal with a only a lacerated eyelid and some tearing inside her ears as she must have thrashed her head around. Jim called the vet and she was treated with bute, an anti inflammatory and steroid. It truly is a miracle that she is alive as her system could have shut down very quickly. Thank you Jim and Roy.

These two incidents are a lesson that trouble can happen very quickly with livestock and how much we depend on the help of others to deal with such situations.

Trimmed Feet

Today Katie got her feet trimmed. It was a bit of a challenge! The good news is that they turned out a lot better then we had thought. She has gained some weight and is much more relaxed. The manure is slowly releasing from her belly and her coat is much softer, I think we can thank the daily grooming and minerals for that.



I posted pictures onto the slide show. You can also view them in our online album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/PioneerFarm

Enjoy

New Horse

My stay here is constantly full of surprises. 2 weeks ago Jim, Judy and I started talking about a 4 year old Belgian mare up the road. I thought she was beautiful and her size was what I like in a horse, almost eighteen hands.

We knew she wasn't being worked and lived an isolated life doing nothing amongst 120 beef cattle. At some point it had crossed all our minds; "that horse needs a better home". Not that she was being abused or under fed, she just needed someone to work with her.

Judy and I went to look at her one afternoon, she immediately showed us her affection. As she let me handle her I found myself becoming attached.

But how insane, why do I need a horse; how will I pay for all the expenses that come with a horse, not forgetting the purchasing price as well. Where will I keep her, where will I go with her when I move on, how am I going to have the time to train her; can I train her?

All these thoughts went through my mind. After covering every area with Jim and Judy, who were nothing but honest and put a positive spin to the negatives; I walked up the road and struck a deal.

Her name is "Katie View". She is a registered Belgian mare, whose father is a prize winning stallion! She has had no handling and her feet have been neglected. It will take lots of patience and many months to bring her feet back. For the time being we have her isolated in a large box stall. We spend lots of time talking to her, grooming her and are getting her used to being tied.

Before we know it she will be with the other horses and hitched on a regular basis. I look forward to seeing her strength at work!

pictures to come.

Winter Will Not Be Forgotten

I think the we have seen the last of snow, ice and below zero temperatures. This week is supposed to be above zero, sometimes overnight. Jim has been busy with water drainage and driveway rescue; dragging, plowing, blowing and scraping away ice and mud.

The paths we use most are now free of snow, it is so nice to see clay and stone! It certainly gives an uplifting feeling to the farm. The animals spend more time sunbathing and are beginning to snoop around. The horses are rubbing on trees as their winter coats fall to the ground.

Tomorrow the pigs should be running around outside. This will make both them and myself happy; cleaning their pen has become a daily task! I am hoping that they obey the electric fence. Eventhough the electric fence is inside a solid wood fence, it is still important for them to become "afraid" of the electric wire; this is eventually what will keep them inside the woodlot and pasture.

Ice blocks are becoming a priority, if we wait much longer the ice will be gone. Wouldnt it be great to run a fridge off ice blocks all summer. (more on this in another post)

Help From Andy

The picture quality on my screen is poor. I have tried to fix this problem but cant seem to. Hopefully it is better for all of you.....? Let me know.

Andy came and helped us yesterday. Jethro was sunbathing and let Andy give him a big hug. We split some more wood because of this never ending winter (more snow in the forecast) and put up some blankets in the windows of the pig pen. The wind was so strong and bitterly cold that some of the pigs were beginning to shiver.

Today will be 10 degrees. Should be a wonderful slushy mess by this evening!

Our Final Grouping Of Many Colours

Here it is on a tuesday morn at 10:30 am amd I am still in my jammys. what bliss, Roy has finished chores on yet another day of fresh snow our friend johnny has just informed me that new snow will help melt the old snow who knew? Jim has taken a trek into Summerside and we shall pick up the long awaited books from the library on straw bale buildings.

Last night Roy and I picked up our final allotment of piglets and apparently the newcomers who are various shades of brown one with a lovely black spot were royally picked on by the others over night. They should all settle down soon.

We have decided that starting today and for one month we shall eat no processed or packaged foods. I am hoping that along with feeling good about doing it and cutting down on our waste, I might even lose a couple of pounds but when Roy presented me with my breakfast of eggs and melted cheese with bacon on the side I was somewhat doubtful of this hopeful side effect. It did taste heavenly. I shall make a vegetable soup for lunch. When I presented this to Jim we agreed that if he decided to get snacks he would do so on his own!

Pig Housing and Feed

The snow wont stop. We have spent the last week trying to get a path cleared towards the pig area. Yesterday I was able to remove the snow bank that had built up against the two buildings. We can now feed the pigs without having to climb mt. Everest.

There is too much snow to setup electric fencing, hopefully within the next 3 weeks it will all disappear and the pigs will be foraging throughout the woods.

In the mean time you can see the "boiling station" I have setup. A truck load of potatoes and carrots is being stored in the old chicken coop, along with organic grains grown here on the island. Who knew people on PEI could grow organically....

The potatoes and carrots are boiled in a big pot, then all the contents are allowed to cool and grain is mixed in. Fancy pig porridge! The main reason for boiling the vegetables concerns the potatoes. Raw potatoes are much harder for pigs to digest and can cause much discomfort. The boiling also allows for easy eating.

Piggy Arrival!

Well, this is my first entry for our blog. I am certainly not as poetic as Judy; her british seems to make everything sound like a novel. We hope that this blog will provide entertainment and education. I will say that I am a bit skeptical as to whether we will make entries on a regular basis. Dealing with dial up internet and the everyday tasks of caring for animals leaves little time.

Today was by far the nicest day we have had since I arrived 3 weeks ago. The sun was shining all day; the horses got to go out for a much needed ride and the ice is melting rapidly.

Thursday evening and Friday morning we picked up our first group of piggies. Thursdays pigs were particularly special. Judy and I picked them up on our way back from a conference in Charlottetown. We took my 89 honda prelude and cleared out the trunk, put down a blanket and stuffed it full of straw. I like to think of it as sustainable pork transport. The pigs went right to sleep and were kind enough not to poop or pee! I dont think we will be taking them to the abbatoir in my car.

I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to locate any heritage breed of pig currently on the Island. Judys friend Tina is the only one, she raises large blacks (thank you Tina). You might ask - why dont you go get them in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia? - Well, PEI is one of the very few places in the world that doesnt have two particular viruses associated with hogs. They would like to keep it this way and have there for put laws in place stating that if you are to bring any hogs onto the island they must first have the correct blood testing and paper work approved. Well this paperwork comes at a rather high cost and would not allow me or any farmer to be profitable when selling pork.

So we currently have 2 large black/hampshire gilts and 2 yorkshire/landrace gilts. They are getting along well and will be fed a mixture of boiled potatoes, carrots and organic grains, along with raw milk twice a week. Lets not forget that these pigs will be foraging in the woods and snacking on pasture as soon as the snow melts; this will make up a good portion of their diet!

I look forward to talking more about the pigs and the methods I will be using to raise them.

Until then, enjoy the pictures in the slideshow and rest assured that both Judy and I will become better at this blogging business!

R

fire on the farm!

It's been a busy week but the most activity came when a 4 wheeler arrived stating that there was a fire in our cabin in the woods. We reported it to the RCMP who are mandated to send in the fire dept. Lo and behold 2 fire trucks arrive and promptly get stuck in our driveway. Had it been a fire in one of our main buildings we would have been toast, quite literally. How it started is a mystery, we are just thankful it was not on the farm.

Roy has decided to stay with us for the next while and we'll raise some pigs in the woods over the summer. We've got lots of projects lined up; building a straw bale cabin; an earth oven; a smoke house (to cure some of that delicious pork in the fall ) an area to hold ice blocks for summer cooling use, and lots of other fun stuff. We will perfect our thermosyphoning unit so that this summers cottage guests can use the out door shower and really feel at one with the earth sun and sky! So keep tuned.

It's easter morning and we feasted last night on one of my beautiful heritage turkeys. Roy and I shared chef duties and ended up with an amazing menu. Stuffed mushrooms, chicken satay and devilled eggs ( just for Vicky who is up for the weekend from Halifax) We then followed with the turkey, roast potatoes, braised cabbage with apple, stuffing and of course lashings of gravy. Topping this orgy of slow food and I do mean slow food as we started eating at 6pm and finished at about 10.30pm we did play a game of tock between courses and ended up with apple crumble. We all waddled off to bed most certainly satiated.

Stopping the Snow Dance

Another hunker down day. I am now entering the foray of the IT world. Little did I think that pioneer farm would have a blog. The word wasn't in my vocabulary until a few weeks ago. I do think however that instead of a newsletter to all who may be interested in the goings on on the farm this would be a great alternative.
trouble is how does one start. I guess with todays happenings. All animals are safely enclosed in their respective barns/stalls except of course the horses as they come and go at will from their enclosure. They have two new round bales and are always so happy to get stuck in to a fresh bale. icicles swing from their thick fur while their noses are buried deep into round hay burrows always searching for that choice piece. The wind is swirling and blustering with unusual vengeance creating near white out conditions. If such is the case here in this generally sheltered spot I wonder how our neighbours are fairing.
The llamas and goats were none too happy at yet another prospective day in the barn and I put breton (llama) in with flora (ewe) to give a bit of space for the llama area also as breton and simon don't get along in an enclosed space for long. Sweetie my wonderful Finn ewe was put down a couple of weeks ago she had contracted incurable ovine pnuemonia and coulddn't fight it any longer, leaving a lonely flora wondering where her companion is. Hopefully I can peruade Jim to get another sheep this spring as she will not want to keep the grass cut alone!

Previously posted March 2, 2008