tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28844545663931077302024-03-18T19:51:58.269-07:00Farmstead AdventuresWe have the birds and the bees. The chickens and the honeybees, that is!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-17274528913566997742014-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:002014-09-01T06:00:04.720-07:00Feeding the BeesWe have tried a few different methods of feeding during our time with the bees. The bucket method I've mentioned previously in this blog was messy and sometimes we would find dead bees in the puddles of sugar water that dripped onto the frames. These days, when we feed our bees, we use the plastic baggy method. Each gallon-sized Ziploc baggy contains four cups of sugar mixed into two cups of water
(usually - you can change the ratio depending on what your bees need).<br />
<br />
My hubby tells me the difference between his method and what most people
do with the baggy method is that most people just place the bag of sugar syrup on the frames, but
he finds that messy and so puts the bag on the inner cover and puts an
empty medium super over it. This has been very effective and not messy.
We have not had bees drown with this method, either. All other syrup
feeding methods we have tried resulted in some dead bees.<br /><br />Here is my son feeding his hive late last winter:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_0906_zpsb05cf6ff.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />and my hubby feeding his:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_0913_zpsf5d0e4d4.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />Simply fill the bag with your syrup, lay it in, and cut a slit. I highly recommend this method of feeding.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-7083249082565500152014-08-29T12:52:00.000-07:002014-08-29T12:52:47.706-07:00A Durable Clothesline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/Miscellaneous/My%20personal%20stuffs/IMG_5397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/Miscellaneous/My%20personal%20stuffs/IMG_5397.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I built this clothesline March 2010. Children have used it as a jungle gym when they thought I wasn't looking and I have used it extensively throughout every year since it went up. There are several loads of towels hanging on my clothesline as I write this. <br />
<br />
<b>Posts </b><br />
<br />
For each post, I used:<br />
1 treated 4x4x8 <br />
1 treated 2x4 cut to a length of 4'<br />
4 eye bolts<br />
Nails <br />
Quikrete<br />
<br />
I used a screw and several nails to attach the 2x4 T to the top of the 4x4 post, but I'm afraid I can't tell you what nails and screws they were as I found them in a bucket in the barn when we moved in. They appear to be galvanized nails, but I don't know what size they are. You shouldn't have any problem finding something sufficient at your local home improvement store. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/Miscellaneous/My%20personal%20stuffs/IMG_5401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/Miscellaneous/My%20personal%20stuffs/IMG_5401.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The eye bolts are attached to the narrow face of the 2x4 T. I placed the first eye bolt in six inches from the end and added three
more, each 1ft apart. This allows for good air flow between rows of
clothes and accounts for the wind blowing things around. Put your eye bolts in before you put your post up. <br />
<br />
Consider how far apart you want your posts. The line I recommend below usually comes in 20 ft or 100 ft lengths. Check below to see how to install the line before deciding, because you have to include the tail of the line in your measurements. You can center your holes 20' - 22' apart and have plenty for all four strands from a 100' roll of line. <br />
<br />
Use a post hole digger to make a hole for each post 1.5' - 2' deep. I bought <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002N8OK/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">this hand auger</a> for putting up my line and have used it extensively since. I find it a lot easier to use than a clam-shell digger and even my kids can dig perfect holes with it. <br />
<br />
Slide the post into the hole and fill the hole about half full with Quikrete. Wet the Quikrete and let it set overnight (Quikrete does not require mixing like other concrete mixes and is great for posts). The next day, backfill the rest of the hole and string your line (more on stringing the line below). <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Wire Clothesline</b><br />
<br />
My first line was polyester line that claimed it wouldn't sag, but it sagged big time. After some research on the various types of line available, I chose coated wire. Rope lines sag over time if not right from the start. Depending on the material, they can harbor mold and mildew, as well. Coated wire is easy to clean and does not sag as much. <br />
<br />
This year, my line seemed to be sagging. I thought this odd since I hadn't experienced significant sag in the line previously, but I thought perhaps the green plastic coated wire had finally reached the extent of its life. It turns out, however, that my husband hit one of the posts with his tractor and didn't tell me about it. The post snapped under ground level and took a while to shift in the dirt, so it was not immediately obvious and I purchased the new wire before I discovered the real problem.<br />
<br />
I saw white plastic coated wire on Amazon and thought maybe it was the same thing as the green coated wire I was already using, just a different color. I figured I would give it a shot, but I learned that it is not the same thing:<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1807_zpsa41b686d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1807_zpsa41b686d.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The white line is a single wire and thin rope inside while the green line is twisted wires inside. The white line had a tendency to kink and was difficult to work with. It was hard to get it taut.<br />
<br />
I recommend skipping the white coated wire line and going with the green coated wire line.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have learned that a lot of people try to knot these wires rather than use hardware to properly assemble the line. The white wire would be nearly impossible to knot and it just seems silly with any wire product. You really want to use <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Koch-Industries-143021-Thimble-3-Clips/dp/B00MRHD1B4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-4&keywords=u+bolt+cable+clips+with+thimble" target="_blank">wire clips and thimbles</a>. That link is to one on Amazon, but I believe the ones I bought were cheaper at WalMart. You can usually find them at places like Lowes and HomeDepot, too. You can find them where you would fine clothesline. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieUjMkdXYkEy30bfmDqUVmoxyDQZhWN5UWDjXsma9yUAWRwDmhXHUic6Abbs_5SKyPdNJGLdRYD4VoQzXBlpHYAFQ9FKci69LGZkmKKTkFH__ibFU6_qcWvVZxgI2hU8YpYuCdwK8tP9M/s1600/WireClip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieUjMkdXYkEy30bfmDqUVmoxyDQZhWN5UWDjXsma9yUAWRwDmhXHUic6Abbs_5SKyPdNJGLdRYD4VoQzXBlpHYAFQ9FKci69LGZkmKKTkFH__ibFU6_qcWvVZxgI2hU8YpYuCdwK8tP9M/s1600/WireClip.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Each clip consists of a U bolt, saddle, and a pair of nuts. A pack for a wire clothesline consists of a thimble that slides onto an eye bolt on your post and two or three clips. The standard is typically three, but two may be sufficient. You can generally find instructions for using these on the package, but let me give you a brief rundown. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sweethaven02.com/BldgConst/Bldg02/fig0316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sweethaven02.com/BldgConst/Bldg02/fig0316.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a>One major thing to remember when using these clips is "never saddle a dead horse". That may seem a bit macabre, but it's easy to remember. The U bolt goes on the tail (or dead) end of the wire while the saddle goes on the line itself.<br />
<br />
As shown in the illustration, a standard assembly includes three clips: one at the thimble and the other two about two inches apart. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lTcRCwa870Fin4m8A3rsaUgY6EeChESLJhMzLzJz6w2Ro0ThASS3UOJo9bEpNqLt4KJwaJtg76z4O3YqgQOXoY6M-nCYZ0gA_hLfrUl1yArcik9l6EAOKiLADwcF5Oz2SYhFZPH1ktct/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lTcRCwa870Fin4m8A3rsaUgY6EeChESLJhMzLzJz6w2Ro0ThASS3UOJo9bEpNqLt4KJwaJtg76z4O3YqgQOXoY6M-nCYZ0gA_hLfrUl1yArcik9l6EAOKiLADwcF5Oz2SYhFZPH1ktct/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
To attach the clip, simply place the U bolt against the tail and slide the saddle over the legs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBLmbDvcau7aMJjbDeqIzkIv8o0sOyjAdpBTiUy0lx1q8xphw9XPfApO1trLy2Hk5su2M_KhZw1xsfen_eZ-SrapLqBnzc2a_4ff9A0m71RBaL3T7L_aNA0RKK3jPDWnC8VgAfPG_ipe-/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBLmbDvcau7aMJjbDeqIzkIv8o0sOyjAdpBTiUy0lx1q8xphw9XPfApO1trLy2Hk5su2M_KhZw1xsfen_eZ-SrapLqBnzc2a_4ff9A0m71RBaL3T7L_aNA0RKK3jPDWnC8VgAfPG_ipe-/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Then add the nuts and tighten. You can use a wrench to accomplish this, but I find that it is much easier with a ratchet, especially considering you need three clips for each end of each line (that's 24 clips total for my setup). That's a heck of a lot more work with a wrench.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of pics showing how the line looks assembled with the thimble and clips:<br />
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<br />
Please don't laugh at my awful nail job.<br />
<br />
Ok, you can laugh. It is really awful. I'm better at it now. I used more substantial nails to attach the T to the post. The T rocked in a bit of a pivot and it didn't occur to me at the time to add a nail or two in the top to put an end to that. Instead, I attempted to nail this bit of board to the front of the post with some rather weak little nails I found on our property. They really did not want to go in! Anyway, that bit of wood and mess of nails was part of my learning experience. It did solve the problem, even if it wasn't the best possible solution. <br />
<br />
This is a pretty simple project. It is a little labor intensive, but if you do it right the first time, it will last you many, many years (unless somebody comes along with a tractor to break your post!). <br />
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Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-36239345501701654982014-08-17T12:51:00.000-07:002014-08-17T12:51:49.491-07:00Mead: The Drink of Odin or Maybe Someday Vinegar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITWawukczSvkg0ixTFEa2wdZ7qKnwY2Xhz2pdJ2-cLpRVy3ApMUSyUNCqYwtf7myfjxNLJOPVe9I4mfSOEDTzsmtZgQ_MTV_FhTR991jENPpeaXi5b1_LOJTMFPH2ZfQC_AqAOMGZdoiF/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITWawukczSvkg0ixTFEa2wdZ7qKnwY2Xhz2pdJ2-cLpRVy3ApMUSyUNCqYwtf7myfjxNLJOPVe9I4mfSOEDTzsmtZgQ_MTV_FhTR991jENPpeaXi5b1_LOJTMFPH2ZfQC_AqAOMGZdoiF/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
What the heck is that? <br />
<br />
Hubby found this article called "<a href="http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/fast-cheap-mead-making.htm" target="_blank">How to make Mead today - the cheap, fast, and easy way</a>" over at <a href="http://www.stormthecastle.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Storm the Castle</a>. If you've never been over there, it's pretty cool - lots of DIY, castles, swords, etc. We don't drink at all, so maybe it's a little weird that we're making honey wine, but that's exactly what that jug is - or what it will be.<br />
<br />
Now, when that jug was first filled and topped with that balloon, the balloon hung limply to one side. Later, I noted with pleasure how good it was making the house smell. Hubby put his hand on my leg and announced, "it's erect!". He was looking at that jug on the counter, noting that the balloon had finally risen! Funny man.<br />
<br />
Not really sure what we'll do with it when it's done. Hubby thinks we'll give it as gifts. I'm wondering how a pair of T-totallers can determine how good the wine turns out. I mean, we just do not have a palette for alcohol. We'll see, I suppose. Perhaps we'll just make vinegar of it. According to <a href="http://floridahillbilly.com/the-vinegar-experiment/" target="_blank">The Vinegar Experiment</a> over at <a href="http://floridahillbilly.com/" target="_blank">Florida Hillbilly</a>, making vinegar of it should be pretty simple.<br />
<br />
It will be some time before we make it that far. Alcohol takes time and the longer the better. We'll just have to wait and see.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-46384754740142371492014-06-16T06:00:00.000-07:002014-06-16T06:00:05.069-07:00We Have Pigs!We all know bacon is awesome and the price of pork is pretty up there. I had been told that pigs are typically not a cost-effective
homestead food source because most breeds cost a lot to feed. Enter:
the pasture pig. I didn't know there was such a thing until a couple of
years ago, but there are breeds that feed primarily on pasture grasses
and hay just like most cows. In our research for pasture pig breeds, we
discovered the kune kune pig - a relatively small, gentle natured pig
that fattens well on pasture. Some say they don't root, but I beg to
differ. They may not root as much as some other breeds, but they do
root some. <br />
<br />
This breed was introduced to New Zealand in the 19th
century and likely interbred with other feral introduced species. They
were rediscovered in the 1980s with an estimated 50 purebred kune kunes
remaining. Efforts to revitalize the population continue to this day
and you may find that many breeders raise purebreeds for this purpose or
as show pigs, making them rather expensive. However, if you are
patient, you can often find a good deal from pet breeders. We found our pigs with a breeder
who had an accidental litter and she was letting them go for $100/pig.
Show and purebreds typically go for more than ten times that, so be
patient and keep your eyes out for Craigslist ads if you are interested
in this breed or do the work to find a small farm that raises them for farming purposes.<br />
<br />
These guys are clean animals. Our goats poop <span style="font-style: italic;">everywhere</span>,
but pigs pick a spot away from their food and bed for pooping. You can
even train them to use a particular spot and some people litter box
train them and keep them inside (you need a pretty big litter box and a
fairly large house, these guys don't stay tiny). In my opinion, these
pigs make great backyard pets or easy-to-raise pork. These two are
expected to reach between 75 and 150 pounds based on previous litters
from the same parents. Kune kunes generally stand about two feet tall
at the shoulder. Because they are docile, don't tend to roam, and enjoy
the company of people, these pigs are touted as a great breed for
first-time pig owners.<br />
<br />
Here are our young piggies at about 2 months old back in May:<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_0946_zps15ec06e9.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
Pigness Everdeen<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_0955_zps962d3c73.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
Gale Hogthorne<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_0953_zps86d824cc.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
This
breed is known for rolling over when their bellies are scratched. They
also wag their tails and like to play with toys. This YouTube video demonstrates some of this behavior:<br />
<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZGKF38Di7s<br />
<br />
(Sorry, Blogspot is being difficult and I can't embed the video. Please follow the link to see it.) <br />
<br />
<br />
Since getting these two, I learned two things about them: 1) they may pick a single
place to poop, but Pigness pees in the pool and 2) they like to eat goat
poop. <img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/Just%20Smileys/sickbyc.gif" /><br />
<br />
Here you can see that they do root in the dirt spots:<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1162_zpsd1879263.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
They still love a tummy rub:<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1197_zps93b91c56.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
They <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> splashing around in the pool:<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1238_zps79175cd1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
The
two piggies chase each other for fun and they are so freaking adorable
running around and having fun in the yard. They seem to be having a
real blast.<br />
<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-10307565853260774672014-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:002014-06-13T06:00:10.353-07:00The Sweet Taste of HoneyThis spring saw many additions to our homestead, not the least of which was a motorized honey extractor.<br />
<br />
Here you see it bolted down to a pallet with a plywood top - each leg is on a support board in the pallet:<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1023_zpsa771e554.jpg" width="400" /> <br />
<br />
The dish under each leg would later be filled with cooking oil (I used peanut oil because that is what we had on hand) to keep ants out of the machine and out of the honey. <br />
<br />
Last month, my father-in-law came to visit and he was interested in the bees. He donned
my suit and went out with my hubby and a couple of my kids. One of the
honey supers was mostly full, so hubby decided to go ahead and show his
dad the process.<br /><br />We had three generations of our family out in the beeyard collecting a super:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/14275948012_70cd0c6835_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />Here is hubby uncapping the honey (this is wet-capped honey):<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/14275951112_2b6b3fc694_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Frames of honey loaded into the extractor:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5575/14091346879_5483e27315_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Honey and wax flowing out of the honey extractor:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/14277995195_42c0c1913b_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />The honey pours into a filter that sits in a bucket:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/14091435337_73bc8d7462_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Three generations watching frames spin in the honey extractor:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/14254877556_3bc52c89da_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Somebody has to hold the lid, right?<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/14254875006_3b8af4c348_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />My shiny honey extractor selfie:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14275944692_b3b35f6004_c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />I
cannot imagine having to do that with a crank extractor. We only did
six frames and it takes a good bit of spinning to get all that honey
out. I'm very glad we have a powered extractor. Although, smaller crank extractors are a lot less expensive. <br /><br />Also, I got to
use the power washer to clean the extractor out afterwards (sorry, no
pics since I'm the photographer and the power washer user). I love our
power washer and I highly recommend every homeowner and beekeeper have
one. Ours is just a dinky one that cost under $100 at Lowes and it still gets a lot done. There were things that I thought were discolored
that turned out to be just dirty. It cleans up honey and even soft wax
with minimal effort.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-77262979362913369192014-06-09T06:00:00.001-07:002014-06-09T06:00:02.899-07:00ESCAPE FROM WORMCATRAZ<div class="content">
The worms tried to escape, so this happened:<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1515_zps21783ecd.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />As
I lay my head on my pillow, I realized that I had forgotten
to shine a light at my Worm Manor. See, red wigglers like to explore in
the dark, or perhaps they just felt the need to escape after being
kidnapped, thrown into a sack, and then summarily dropped into a box.
Regardless of their motive, it's a good idea to shine a light on a newly
populated vermicomposter for a couple of days. Here's what happens if
you don't:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1503_zpsc941b3ee.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1506_zpsa29bea9e.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1507_zps96df906a.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br />I
found two intrepid explorers already drying out on the floor, but I
rescued them before I could snap pictures. The lid had been on, by the
way, so don't think your worms will stay in the box just because you put
a lid on it. You must use light to train these guys to stay in the
bedding. <br /><br />I sprayed down the covering newspaper really well to keep the contents of the bin from drying out while open under the light. </div>
<div class="content">
<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1519_zpsd81b3a64.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />It was merely damp by the time I got up. <br /><br />I'll
do this again tonight and then simply check them for the next few
nights. It shouldn't take them long to realize what luxury they are
living in and stay buried. <img alt=":crazy:" src="http://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/images/smilies/icon_crazy.gif" title="Crazy" /></div>
Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-2908039359206720002014-06-06T06:00:00.001-07:002014-06-06T06:00:06.943-07:00Vermicomposting - How to "Mine the Spice"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1501_zpsc3a9cf22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1501_zpsc3a9cf22.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Using the Vermicomposter</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Using the Stacking System</span><br /><br />The
basic idea is to fill the bottom tray, then add a tray. If you are
using shallow trays like on most commercial vermicomposters, fill it to
about 1” below the top before adding another tray. If you are using
large bins in a homemade vermicomposter, fill them a little over halfway
before adding a new bin.<br /><br />Here is how the system works with four worm trays/bins:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 1: Starting out</span><br />Tray
1 – Place a layer of damp newspaper on the bottom of the tray/bin. Add
moist bedding, some garden soil (if possible), worms, and food. Keep
covered with a light over the bin for two days. On the third day, check
the worms. If they are moving about the food you put in the bin, you
can now add food and bedding until full. Keep covered. You no longer
need the light shining on the bin. If the worms are not moving about in
the food, give them another two days and check them again. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 2: Processing</span><br />Remove
cover and add Tray 2 on top of Tray 1. Tray 1 is now a processing
tray. DO NOT add food to Tray 1 anymore. Tray 2 is now the feed tray.
Add bedding and food (about equal amounts of both) along with a bit of
garden soil to Tray 2 until filled, keeping it covered.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 3: Processing</span><br />Remove
cover and add Tray 3 on top of Tray 2. Tray 1 and Tray 2 are now a
processing trays. DO NOT add food to Tray 1 or Tray 2 anymore. Tray 3
is now the feed tray. Add bedding and food (about equal amounts of
both) along with a bit of garden soil to Tray 3 until filled, keeping it
covered.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 4: Processing</span><br />Remove
cover and add Tray 4 on top of Tray 3. Tray 1, Tray 2, and Tray 3 are
now a processing trays. DO NOT add food to Tray 1, Tray 2, or Tray 3
anymore. Tray 4 is now the feed tray. Add bedding and food (about
equal amounts of both) along with a bit of garden soil to Tray 4 until
filled, keeping it covered.<br /><br />At this point, you have a stack of
trays that are in process and worms will be moving about through all of
the trays, though the bulk of the population will be moving upwards. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 5: Harvesting</span><br />Remove
cover. Move Tray 1 to the top of the stack. Tray 2 will now be the
bottom of the stack of trays. Use your garden cultivator and/or scraper
to gently loosen the material in Tray 1 and remove it from the sides
towards the center in a mound. Leave the cover off in a well-lit area
or shine a lot on the top of Tray 1. This will encourage any worms that
are in the tray to move down into the feed tray. In about 30 minutes,
begin removing the compost from Tray 1 until you encounter worms.
Repeat loosening material and waiting with light on the tray until the
worms have all moved out of the tray and you have harvested all of the
compost from the tray. The tray is now available to be added as the
next feeding tray once Tray 4 is full.<br /><br />Keep the trays rotating so
that the top one is the only one you add food to and the bottom one is
the one you harvest from. Harvest from the bottom one as the top one is
filling up so that you will have another tray to add when the top one
gets full. <br /><br />If you are using a large homemade bin system, I
would recommend using no more than four bins or the stack could become
unwieldy. The smaller commercial systems are designed to be able to
stack many trays high. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Troubleshooting</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Finding other critters in your bins</span> – Other critters are not uncommon in the worm bin. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.naturesfootprint.com/community/articles/worm-bin">Here is a guide to what you are likely to find and what, if anything, you should do about it</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Worms are forming a ball</span>
– Worms ball up when they are stressed. Some things that cause stress
include temperature extremes (too hot or too cold), the environment is
too wet or too dry, or food they find icky. The bedding should feel
about like a wrung sponge; it should not be drippy wet, but should feel
damp. As for food, worms do not like meat or dairy and they are not
fond of spicy or salty foods in general. Also, feeding them garden or
farm materials that have been chemically treated may upset them. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Worms are escaping!</span>
– Stress can cause worms to escape their bin. Check “worms are forming
a ball” above to identify what may be the cause of their stress. To
keep them in the bin, you can take the lid off and shine a light on the
bin. They don’t like light and will burrow down to get away from it,
keeping them in the bin. Make sure the bedding doesn’t dry out too much
with the lid off and try to identify what it is that is upsetting the
worms to fix the issue. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">ANTS!</span>
– Unless you already have an ant problem, your bin should not attract
ants. However, if you have an ant problem (like we do) you can put a
tray under your bin or a dish under each leg. You can try putting water
in the tray or dishes, but some ants can traverse water. If yours can,
use a bit of oil instead. We use peanut oil because it comes in huge
jugs for frying and we use a lot of it in our honey processing shed to
keep ants out of the various honey processing areas. You can use olive
oil, vegetable oil, etc.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Using/Storing Your Compost and Leachate</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Compost</span><br />You
can put your fresh compost directly into your garden or plant pots. If
you have no garden or potted plants (you probably do if you are on ZS),
give it to your friends and neighbors or maybe sell it at a farmer's
market (check your local regulations). I typically find this stuff
going for about $1.75/lb as I write this. <br /><br />To store it, do not
put it in an airtight container. According to Nature's Footprint (the
maker of the Worm Factory), "placing actively decomposing organic
materials in an airtight container encourages anaerobic organisms to
take over, and form plant toxic by-products which can cause a foul
smell". Let the material dry a little so that it is damp but not wet.
Store in a container that is not airtight and cover with a moist layer
of newspaper. This allows the organic material to stabilize in an
aerobic environment and gives it a shelf-life of about three years. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leachate</span><br />Leachate
is basically waste produced by the system. Since a system contains
both "good" and "bad" bacteria, you should not use Leachate on edible
plants. You can use it on flowers, but you should dilute it ten parts
water to one part leachate and aerate (with a pump, by stirring
vigorously, or by pouring repeatedly from one container to another). If
it smells, discard it where it will not harm plants. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Worm Tea</span><br />Leachate
is sometimes confused with "worm tea" which is beneficial to plants.
Worm tea is formed by brewing vermicompost in clean, chemical free
aerated water to encourage the growth of beneficial microbes that are
great for gardens, including edible ones. Adding molasses to the water
stimulates "good" microbial growth. This worm tea can be used like a
medicine sprayed on sick plants, overwhelming the "bad" microbes with
"good" ones to help the plant get better. It boosts the plant's immune
system to help it resist parasites like aphids and nematodes. While
vermicompost is great for growth, it is best for food at the roots as it
breaks down over time while the worm tea is great for spraying on
plants to give them a boost with good microbes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Check the Vermiculture or Worms links to the right under "Posts by Topic" to learn more about vermicomposting including how to build your own inexpensive vermicomposter. Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-41908357662226081272014-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:002014-06-02T06:00:10.127-07:00Vermicomposting - "We have wormsign" Check the Vermicomposting or Worms links on the right under "Posts by Topic" to learn more about vermicomposting including how to build your own inexpensive vermicomposter.<br />
<br />
The red wigglers I ordered arrived. They came from Uncle Jim's
Worm Farm (you can order them from Amazon or on their website) and this
is what I found after opening the box:<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/89_zps34dc4e5d.jpg" height="400" width="300" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As you can see, the worms come in some bedding:<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1490_zps7bcd4012.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I added the contents of the bag to the composter tray that already contained food and bedding,<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/cb2c581d-1631-4399-b13e-9fc84caebb39_zps095914e2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
moved bedding and food over them,<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1496_zps40f78f77.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and then covered it all with a damp newspaper.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1498_zps90d3316d.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And spice mining is now in full swing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1501_zpsc3a9cf22.jpg" height="300" width="400" />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-92202444506415145622014-05-30T06:00:00.000-07:002014-05-30T06:00:09.382-07:00Vermicomposting - Building Your Own Vermicomposter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
This image shows two vermicomposters: my son's purchased Worm Factory on the right and my own homemade Worm Manor on the left. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to Know</span><br />
<ul>
<li>You
will get liquid called leachate. Most if not all commercial
vermicomposters have a catchment for this, but you will have to account
for it if you build your own. If you don’t, you will have soggy,
unhappy worms. </li>
<li>You do not have to stack trays/bins. The
stacking method keeps worms moving from old castings to fresh food.
This helps to separate them from the castings you want to harvest so you
don’t have to spend hours digging your worms out of your harvest by
hand.</li>
</ul>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Single Bin Vermicomposter</span><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/442/442-005/442-005.html#L5">This link</a>
has some general vermiculture information and some basic information
regarding how to build this simple, one bin vermicomposter:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" src="http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/442/442-005/L_IMG_figure1.gif" /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stacking Vermicompotser</span><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm">This link</a> has instructions to build this “Cheap and Easy Worm Bin”:<br /><br /><img alt="Image" src="http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/images/step6.gif" /><br /><br />For
what I would call a “luxury” vermixomposter, use three or four bins
instead of two. Use four cups as a stand just like in the “Cheap and
Easy Worm Bin” instructions, but add a spigot to this bottom bin and
four more cups inside. This bottom bin acts as a catchment for the
liquid (leachate) and the spigot makes it easy to harvest. The other
two or three bins are worm trays. The bottom worm tray sits on the cups
in the leachate bin.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<i><b>My Homemade Vermicomposter</b></i></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parts:</span><br />3 x 8 gallon totes (I
used one for a catch tray and two for worm trays - you can add more worm
trays but this is a good starting size)<br />4 x small cups (I used Mainstays food storage cups, which come in a pack of 6)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tools used:</span><br />Drill with 1/4" bit<br />Leatherman Squirt PS4 multitool (the pliers and file)<br />Ruler (not really necessary, you can eyeball it - the worms don't really care how perfectly the holes are spaced)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steps</span><br />1. I measured and drew a grid that would give me 20 cross points:<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1299_zps7a138474.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />2.
Drill holes at the cross points and in the center of each drawn
square/rectangle. I stacked two bins together and drilled both at the
same time.<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1302_zps9f7d9286.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />This is the result of drilling in plastic. There's lots of hard little plastic bits that need to be removed.<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1306_zps18524ba9.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />3.
Clean up the holes. I used pliers to pull off larger pieces of
drilled plastic and a file to clean up the edges of the holes. The file
on my Leatherman Squirt is the perfect size for this.<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1325_zps6d5ac29c.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />Here
is the work in progress (holes on the left have had some work compared
to the ones on the right that still need a lot of work):<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1329_zps7b1a84ff.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />4. Put the cups in the catch bin and set one of the drilled totes on the cups.<br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1331_zps17339621.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />Here you can see the homemade worm condo next to the commercial Worm Factory. They are very similar. <br /><br /><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1332_zps66e56aa8.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cost comparison:</span><br />1 pack of cups x $1.84 = $1.84<br />3 totes x $4.97 = $14.91<br />Homemade vermicomposter cost = $16.75<br /><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S6LZCS/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1">The five-tray Worm Factory my son bought</a> = $99.95<br /><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://smile.amazon.com/Worm-Factory-DS3GT-3-Tray-Composter/dp/B000S6LZBO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400794826&sr=8-2&keywords=worm+factory">The standard 3-tray Worm Factory</a> = $79.95<br /><br />You could make this homemade vermicomposter <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> buy yourself a <a class="postlink" href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N84CZ0/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER">Leatherman Squirt PS4 for $29.05</a> and still save money over buying the commercial model. <br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span><br />The
instructions for the “Cheap and Easy Worm Bin” directed you to drill ventilation holes in the upper portion
of the bins. I did not because while air flow is important, the worms
don't like light. Having holes in the upper portion of the totes could
alter the worms' behavior and leave unprocessed stuff in your bins. I
think those upper ventilation holes are a waste of energy. We shall see
how well this functions without them.<br /><br />I didn't have the lid on
the homemade model when I took the picture. The Worm Factory has a lid
that fits inside the tray. You simply lay it on top of the bedding
(ours has some tinfoil on top of the lid to keep the cat out of it).
The newer Worm Factory 360 model has an actual lid. Once worms are in, I
will lay the lid on top of the homemade vermicomposter to keep the worms
happily in the dark and keep their environment moist. Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-25925153616630999032014-05-29T10:12:00.002-07:002014-05-29T10:12:59.183-07:00Vermicomposting - "The spice is the worm and the worm is the spice."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1501_zpsc3a9cf22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/Anianna/IMG_1501_zpsc3a9cf22.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My son recently used his birthday money to purchase a Worm Factory
vermicomposter. If you are not familiar, vermiculture is raising worms
and vermicomposting is using worms specifically for the purpose of
breaking down organic matter for compost. There are several commercial
vermicomposters on the market including the Worm Factory, Can of Worms,
and VermiHut. I find these vermicomposters to be a bit expensive for
what they are and you can make a simple, far less costly version
yourself with some instructions I will post in the near future. <br /><br />We are very much enjoying these worms and what they are doing for us. Here is the information you need to vermicompost:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why Compost?</span><br /><br />Composting reduces household waste and provides a source of nutrients for gardening and soil amendments.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Why Should You Vermicompost as Opposed to Other Methods?</span><br />According to Nature’s Footprint (the company that produces the Worm Factory):<br />
<ul>
<li>Worms create a compost material that is far superior than any compost that is produced without their assistance</li>
<li>The compost material that is created by worms is smaller than 2 microns</li>
<li>Vermicompost added to soil creates a material that has better water retention, aeration, drainage and stability</li>
<li>Vermicompost
contains more antibiotic properties against pathogens than regular
compost and higher amounts of natural plant growth hormones</li>
<li>Worms have the ability to reduce all bacteria that is pathogenic to animals and people</li>
</ul>
<br />Additionally:<br /><ul>
<li>I find it easier than typical composting (no turning, etc)</li>
<li>It takes up very little space to produce really awesome compost</li>
<li>A worm composter can be kept in the house <br /> <ul><span style="font-style: italic;">Doesn’t Stink</span>
- The worms eat the food before it gets rotty and stinky and their shit
don’t stink. Literally. I was hesitant to have this thing in my
house, but I haven’t had a problem with it in here. Ours sits in our
dining room and is not at all offensive. <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Convenience</span>
- Since it is in the house, composting is convenient and the residents
of our household (note: children) are more likely to actually compost
with it in here rather than sneak perfectly good food scraps into the
garbage can to avoid taking it to the outdoor compost, especially in
poor weather. <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Controlled Environment</span> – Having the vermicomposter inside is also good for the worms as they are not fond of extreme temperatures. </ul>
</li>
</ul>
<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Getting Started</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Types of Composting Worms</span><br />Not all worms work well in a vermicomposter and the type of worm you use matters. The red wigglers (<span style="font-style: italic;">Eisenia fetida</span>) are ideal for many reasons: <br />1)
They prefer to live in the top few inches of soil as opposed to other
worms that like to move down into the soil. This means that you can add
trays for them to move up into giving you access to the castings
without having to dig your worms out by hand.<br />2) They don’t like
light which allows you to ensure they stay in their nice dark bin.
Other types of worms are not so bothered by light and will want to
explore outside of your bin. <br />3) They reproduce quickly.<br />4) They eat half their weight in food every day. One pound of worms will eat half a pound of food every day. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fishing worms</span><br />If you are interested in raising fishing worms in your worm bins, a great dual-purpose worm is the European Nightcrawler (<span style="font-style: italic;">Eisenia hortensis</span>)
aka Belgian Nightcrawler. They reproduce slower, but will stay in your
bins if you take the same care with them as red wigglers and they make a
great fishing worm.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How Many Worms?</span><br />Most
households will want to start with 1 lb of worms. If you are a large
family of 6 or more or produce a lot of food waste, start with 2 lbs of
worms. If you start with fewer worms, your system will take longer to
establish and you may experience some rotty stinky food if there aren’t
enough worms to eat what you are feeding them. If you start with too many
worms, you will just waste money buying them and you may have
difficulties with unhappy worms looking for food outside of the bin and
with dead worms. 1 lb of worms is roughly equivalent to 800-1000 worms.
<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Buying Worms</span><br />If you
are lucky, you can find worms locally from nurseries or garden centers.
You can sometimes find red wigglers at bait shops, but be careful to
only buy "red wigglers" with the correct scientific name as you can call
any species a red wiggler and sometimes people call other species red
wigglers. Your bin will not function as well if you get the wrong kind
of worms and since red wigglers are not necessarily considered a great
bait worm, the "red worms" and "red wigglers" at a bait shop are often
not the right species. <br /><br />There is a website that lists several places to buy proper worms for composting: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.findworms.com/">http://www.findworms.com/</a><br />However,
the site is a little buggy. You can browse the list of suppliers by
clicking "browse all" near the bottom of the page under the "Featured
Worm Farms" heading. You are welcome to try to use the search function,
but I find that it does not work. Perhaps they will have fixed it by
now.<br /><br />Alternatively, you can do what we did and order <a class="postlink" href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q5S7RM/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">these worms from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm</a>
from Amazon.com. Our worms arrived quickly - healthy in moist bedding
inside a drawstring bag inside a box. Uncle Jim also has <a class="postlink" href="http://unclejimswormfarm.com/">a website</a> where you can buy worms and commercial vermicomposters. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tools</span><br />Spray bottle - for misting when things get dry<br />Garden cultivator (we use <a class="postlink" href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YVE54/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1">this one</a>)<br />Scraper (you can use a spatula or a small, flexible cutting mat like <a class="postlink" href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OA4QM6/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1">these</a> if you don’t buy a commercial model that comes with a scraper)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bedding (browns)</span><br />Bedding,
basically, is the “browns” you add to your compost. This can include
stuff like paper, cardboard, and dry fallen leaves. Half of what goes
into each tray of your worm bin should be these “browns” while the other
half is "greens" otherwise known as food. You should also add some
garden soil to your bins as garden soil provides healthy bacteria that
will help your worms process their food.<br /><br />Commercial bins will
often come with or recommend coir and pumice for bedding. Coir is the
ground husks of coconuts. It is a renewable resource that retains
moisture well and can create a nice, moist, not-too-wet environment for
your new worms. Pumice is porous volcanic rock that provides aeration
and drainage. Neither of these is absolutely necessary for your
vermicomposter, but do create an ideal starting environment. Starting
with these is nice, but there is no need to use these items for each
tray. Both are also good for your garden or planting containers, too. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Food (greens)</span><br />Worms
don’t like meat or dairy products. You may find they also don’t like
very spicy or very salty leftovers. Some information indicates they
also do not like citrus. <br /><br />Worms do like vegetable waste,
teabags, coffee grounds, fruit waste, grains, breads, pasta, dead or
pruned plant matter, and eggshells.<br />
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Check back soon for more on vermicomposting, including building your own inexpensive vermicomposter and maintaining the system. Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-35063753943693388292012-08-22T07:32:00.000-07:002012-08-22T07:32:01.945-07:00Guinea Fowl Parenting Fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-FUAU2GGxqD5oXxYLSlOn_qGpaey9oHczI745yWYbU6PvgHlqXL96c-e6kuYxDa9ZspSDAVbc2gFuS54jXwgAbiBbNbXOVJYT8EbbVD8t7cEFyebf5LGv6g6JGk6cv50l7_EpV_DI9R5/s1600/IMG_8318.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-FUAU2GGxqD5oXxYLSlOn_qGpaey9oHczI745yWYbU6PvgHlqXL96c-e6kuYxDa9ZspSDAVbc2gFuS54jXwgAbiBbNbXOVJYT8EbbVD8t7cEFyebf5LGv6g6JGk6cv50l7_EpV_DI9R5/s320/IMG_8318.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I spent several days trying to get pictures of our keets to announce the good news of their arrival. It was nearly impossible to get close enough for a decent shot and this was as good as I could manage. I am pretty sure we started out with seven or eight keets, but by the time the guinea hen would let us close enough to see them all, we counted five. After a day or two, that turned into only three. For a couple of days, there was only one. Today, none. <br />
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I'm pretty sad about this. I was very excited about the increase of our guinea flock. You would think with as protective as the momma was during the day, that she would have continued to care for her kiddos at night, but I am pretty sure she left them in a nest on the ground while she took to a tree, leaving them entirely unprotected. <br />
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Next year, I hope to find her nest, take some of her eggs, and put them under a broody chicken. The chicken should raise them as her own and the new guineas should take to the barn inside the fence and be generally better protected. It's too late to do it this year, but hopefully we can work it next year and have some more guinea fowl. <br />
<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-61463707227790887342012-08-16T11:00:00.000-07:002012-08-16T11:00:02.465-07:00Lots of Edible Incredibles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbt4k4I-lhrlZ5cW2Gel9iSs3EjD7SMCEEfSbVqG-Ml5QwoyDmeDQ04RDzu2PVQEpY0YuUWkswnlbbhmiajUxcg5Ot_heQqHyzWu5-IDsAIreC5OLaAjjQIapEsPjWse7Yo_Up4RpJ-75H/s1600/IMG_8226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbt4k4I-lhrlZ5cW2Gel9iSs3EjD7SMCEEfSbVqG-Ml5QwoyDmeDQ04RDzu2PVQEpY0YuUWkswnlbbhmiajUxcg5Ot_heQqHyzWu5-IDsAIreC5OLaAjjQIapEsPjWse7Yo_Up4RpJ-75H/s320/IMG_8226.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Welcome to my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00121XRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00121XRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=farmstadvent-20" target="_blank">toaster oven</a>. I like my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00121XRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00121XRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=farmstadvent-20" target="_blank">toaster oven</a>. My old toaster oven was small and would fit that one muffin pan only. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00121XRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00121XRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=farmstadvent-20" target="_blank">This toaster oven</a> holds more and hasn't tried to burn my house down. I like it. It can rotisserie, broil, bake, toast, and there is even a little griddle at the top under the lid where I can fry a sunny side up egg. Not only that, but I do not have to fire up my ginormous oven to cook a decent meal. There is so much wasted space and energy in those darn things! See that thing on the left of the image? Yea, that's my range/oven. We call that the "inconveniently not flat counter" because we prefer our grill and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00121XRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00121XRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=farmstadvent-20" target="_blank">toaster oven</a>. But enough about my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00121XRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00121XRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=farmstadvent-20" target="_blank">toaster oven</a>, check out those eggs!<br />
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You may remember my <a href="http://farmsteadadventures.blogspot.com/2012/05/scrambled-egg-muffins.html" target="_blank">scrambled egg muffin</a> recipe (which is basically baked scrambled eggs) from a previous post. That's what is in that muffin pan on the left in my toaster oven. What's that on the right? Why, those are eggs, silly! Didn't you know you can <b>"hard boil" eggs in the oven</b>? Baking intact eggs is technically not boiling since we use no water, but the results are the same. <b>325 for about 30 minutes</b> (which is about as long as it takes to get the water in a big pot boiling) gives a nice result. Adjust the time accordingly if you like your eggs softer or harder. The scrambled egg muffins can go in for the same time and temp, making the most of the oven space.<br />
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FYI, the "hard boiled" baked eggs will "sweat" a smidge. They do this in boiling water, too, but you don't see it because it comes off in the water. It is nothing to be alarmed by. Enjoy your eggs! <br />
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Did I mention that I like my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00121XRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00121XRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=farmstadvent-20" target="_blank">toaster oven</a>? <br />
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<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-36740005870408443472012-08-14T03:00:00.000-07:002012-08-14T03:00:09.891-07:00Protective Momma Hen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP8c4fzvLrnFezuH-lSBV9yDCJBXi1t6tm-oCBagoL0gLijVzHRtP5aCUx5iVxda6fDZ6CnChzZhP-q_XKdC9M4eOceA55Wl5pcadi0DJWwxFnEBEcVWKDOm2K4_2Byo40fUMiDMXRWz5/s1600/IMG_8212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP8c4fzvLrnFezuH-lSBV9yDCJBXi1t6tm-oCBagoL0gLijVzHRtP5aCUx5iVxda6fDZ6CnChzZhP-q_XKdC9M4eOceA55Wl5pcadi0DJWwxFnEBEcVWKDOm2K4_2Byo40fUMiDMXRWz5/s320/IMG_8212.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
"Back off, crazy lady with the camera!" I'm pretty sure that's what this momma hen is thinking.<br />
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Every time I come along with a camera, she rushes the chicks to safety. It makes it hard to get good pictures! Silly momma!<br />
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"Whatchya lookin' at, lady?"<br />
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It is wonderful to hear the little cheap cheaps of these babies as I try to milk Lulu the goat in the morning. Baby goats and baby chicks! We have it made!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-78761010419352959122012-08-09T03:00:00.000-07:002012-08-09T03:00:03.888-07:00Goaty Goats!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQb0lqmQA11JBrwl1XXZNqyUHwdauLhitM7Rl6i-xthy3WDofuM1YRnhJpMwBU909HaSQRPepKLqJ5XCUWloFEkB7GP90TMIKj0ZhLUuKb7lzoQPukA7FElTHrJ4rlHr_7kiKEXrDIBfHp/s1600/IMG_8200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQb0lqmQA11JBrwl1XXZNqyUHwdauLhitM7Rl6i-xthy3WDofuM1YRnhJpMwBU909HaSQRPepKLqJ5XCUWloFEkB7GP90TMIKj0ZhLUuKb7lzoQPukA7FElTHrJ4rlHr_7kiKEXrDIBfHp/s320/IMG_8200.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Our little goats are getting big, but they still love to have fun and romp around. They have taken over the workbench and storage dresser in the barn.<br />
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Stormy loves hopping from the dresser to the workbench. Snowy is quick to follow.<br />
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Fly, little goat, fly!<br />
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Look at those horns coming in!<br />
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Here are a couple of amateur videos shot by the kiddos (the first is current and the second is of the goaties when they were smaller):<br />
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We have started milking Lulu, but it is a learning process. The first time I tried it, my hands tired quickly. A small grip is required and is not a position I find my hands in often, so I have been strengthening my hands with a foam grip ball. This seems to be effective for improving my own ability to milk her. <br />
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Still, Lulu does not like to be handled. We have tried using hobbles with her, but she still moves around a lot. I will try a modified hobble that attaches her leg to the stand and see if that settles her. We feed her in the stand, but she eats very quickly. We find that adding some gravel to her dish slows her down a bit, but not enough to get a decent amount of milk by a milkmaid who hasn't found her rhythm yet.<br />
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More practice is needed!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-32713589940509335082012-08-07T07:41:00.000-07:002012-08-07T07:41:21.552-07:00Bearding Bees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLMwEoJQzczYYmuYbehltfN75ZXcVjUXFDCol0ZfHtRIYJpgDkSwVA3_RDJb3cEfVK14jIwEyr4f4ZOn3Il6uBg181zEjgIM8wbjUlAepvMe-h45mzvo-SWWGd-X8XuV2vze7l7LuJqAq/s1600/IMG_8238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLMwEoJQzczYYmuYbehltfN75ZXcVjUXFDCol0ZfHtRIYJpgDkSwVA3_RDJb3cEfVK14jIwEyr4f4ZOn3Il6uBg181zEjgIM8wbjUlAepvMe-h45mzvo-SWWGd-X8XuV2vze7l7LuJqAq/s320/IMG_8238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
What do bees do when it gets all hot in the hive? Why, they go outside, of course! It has been consistently hot here. The plastic frame hive has had a population boom and they're really feeling the heat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyUIswyqMQbt6WXvr0uFOX4BKA-XRP9mTEohyR0iNADjOdWqIADsT7x8CmIvYO_SMMIAMK-3BxruajA4-vCKemC8abtM2ncIqm0X1Dic_NeeCzoi12PAbECOGo_FTerhkKtqIcmKUsj7k/s1600/IMG_8240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyUIswyqMQbt6WXvr0uFOX4BKA-XRP9mTEohyR0iNADjOdWqIADsT7x8CmIvYO_SMMIAMK-3BxruajA4-vCKemC8abtM2ncIqm0X1Dic_NeeCzoi12PAbECOGo_FTerhkKtqIcmKUsj7k/s320/IMG_8240.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
When the bees come out like this and gather on the outside of the hive, it is called bearding. This is a pretty mild case. <br />
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The other problem the poor bees are having in this climate is the humidity. They process the honey, then leave it to dry some before capping it. We are seeing a lot of honey in both hives, but not so much capped as the honey is taking longer to dry in this heavy humidity:<br />
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<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-63790002506022867952012-07-17T11:13:00.001-07:002012-07-17T11:14:56.907-07:00Farmstead Fun - Trip to Yorktown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do farm kids do for fun? Why, we take over Yorktwon, VA, of course!<br />
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Many of the original homes are still at Yorktown and people live in them today. Some are little shops and restaurants. The highlight of our visit, though, was a Young Soldier lesson at the battlefield museum at the Visitor Center where the kids got to make their own miniature gabions.<br />
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What's a gabion? Well, I'll tell you .....<br />
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The twig "basket" in the front is a gabion. Soldiers built lots of them, then filled them with dirt. See the overgrown ridge behind the gabion? That is a gabion wall; a row of gabions, filled with dirt, lined up, and allowed to grow over. This is how soldiers built a protective wall and had a place to put the dirt from the trenches they dug. <br />
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A couple of my kids making gabions with the park ranger in the background demonstrating how it's done. He did a great job talking to the kids about how soldiers lived and worked during the war. <br />
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There is also a replica ship in the museum. Man the canons!<br />
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In other news, we have ordered a milking stanchion for Lulu the goat and it should be here soon. I will start milking her once a day to get her milk supply up while the kids are still nursing. Fresh milk and cheese incoming! Also, we will be checking in on the bees. See you back soon!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-42809013952576271802012-07-11T09:00:00.000-07:002012-07-11T09:00:09.336-07:00Farmstead Fun - Kaplooey!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do we farm kids do for fun? Why, we use all of mom's baking soda and vinegar to make a super cool volcano in the dirt, of course!<br />
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When my kids holler through the house, "Mom, can we use the baking soda and vinegar to make a volcano in the yard?" I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I probably should have been more specific than simply answering in the affirmative because they used an entire bulk bag of baking soda and a gallon of vinegar!<br />
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My, that's fun and bubbly!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-74881511226564139552012-07-06T08:26:00.001-07:002012-07-06T08:28:23.627-07:00Beekeeping; A Family Affair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chief, our middle son, donned his bee suit and helped out his daddy at the beehives. Here he is, learning how to use the frame tool to pick up a frame with Daddy's close guidance.<br />
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Daddy was very patient and explained the process as he went. </div>
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Chief watched carefully as Daddy used his hive tool</div>
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and checked frames.</div>
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He was able to see up close the bees drawing out comb.</div>
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They looked sad to leave when they were finished!</div>
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<b>A Healthy Frame</b></div>
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So, what are these guys looking for on those frames? Our "bee guy" was kind enough to mark this image of one of our frames, showing brood, open nectar/honey, and capped honey:</div>
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<b>Bee Gear for Children</b></div>
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I looked high and low for bee gear for kids. Many bee supply dealers sell one or two things for children, often a canvas jacket and hood. I was very happy when I found a ventilated suit like Daddy's in children's sizes from <a href="http://www.pigeonmountaintrading.com/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Pigeon Mountain Trading</a>, which has the most extensive line of bee wear I have seen in one place for children. (Check the left navigation panel for "Children's Bee Wear" and "Children's Ventilated" to see all the children's bee wear Pigeon Mountain Trading has to offer). </div>
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Not only that, but Pigeon Mountain Trading also sells adult ventilated bee suites much like the Ultra Breeze suits, but for about $100 less! You can purchase regular canvas gear, but we prefer the ventilated gear, especially with the incredible heat we have been experiencing here. It is far more easy to get overheated in the canvas suits and the ventilated suits provide excellent protection. </div>
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In the images above, Chief is wearing size small gloves from another company. We have since gotten him a pair of XS sized gloves from Pigeon Mountain Trading that fit him much better. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pigeonmountaintrading.com/1-Default.aspx" target="_blank">Pigeon Mountain Trading</a></div>
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Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-47836273300452993182012-06-29T07:00:00.000-07:002012-06-29T07:00:07.836-07:00Farmstead Fun - Duct Tape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GQnkKALK1WRGvmFf_YTkMKCyhWBGXdHpQgooi_l64b7CTFEeQfr3hQCgWFiAqruLtt1FU6FFr8yCmLPFAFL5O4LdfCOGOdvHV38GYOQiSxwAzVWk42YlnEcmAMxw47yPCDvifVVwmmA1/s1600/DasBoat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GQnkKALK1WRGvmFf_YTkMKCyhWBGXdHpQgooi_l64b7CTFEeQfr3hQCgWFiAqruLtt1FU6FFr8yCmLPFAFL5O4LdfCOGOdvHV38GYOQiSxwAzVWk42YlnEcmAMxw47yPCDvifVVwmmA1/s200/DasBoat.JPG" width="199" /></a></div>
What do we farm kids do for fun? Why, we make boats with cardboard and duct tape, of course!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLH4FMByZOIlA8JPHSIkRDMxYnFsx2-hy3PmFX5I0HU85rT4dfardruOjlqag4RMMk4i3-mxG1KM3G67RMl2iCSOJM6jP3FPWPStIc_-XS-X4CdbHWtwRg8926SlD2oGNn6p4ADQ9uwVC/s1600/IMG_7270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLH4FMByZOIlA8JPHSIkRDMxYnFsx2-hy3PmFX5I0HU85rT4dfardruOjlqag4RMMk4i3-mxG1KM3G67RMl2iCSOJM6jP3FPWPStIc_-XS-X4CdbHWtwRg8926SlD2oGNn6p4ADQ9uwVC/s320/IMG_7270.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
This is one slick boat! Our eldest (11) put this together and it floated great! He discovered that a bit of water got under the tape at one spot, so let it dry and fixed it. He was proud of his creation and named it "Wolf" prior to its maiden voyage. He later lamented having added the flag, noting that it made the vessel unbalanced. That's some advanced duct tape boat engineering, right there!<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7296119068_9578481741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7296119068_9578481741.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My daughter (10) has her own strengths, but duct tape boat making is just not her forte. She seems to think in two dimensions rather than three. I have seen this tendency in other projects of hers, too. I find it curious and intriguing. <br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7296112050_1227338456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7296112050_1227338456.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Our two youngest (9 and 7) worked together on a design similar to their big brother's, complete with three dimensions, flappies, and a pointy front. This is a fine piece of amateur duct tape boat work. <br />
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Hrm, it seems I need to purchase more duct tape.<br />
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<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-91099590828726921842012-06-28T07:21:00.000-07:002012-06-28T07:21:43.121-07:00Mischievous Kids Trouble Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7thhf18smCBfrFJfYqDoFGqd0nqdK4NdbKNeBtG0L149xq1pChQFLou1fjNmbBfRnp9weY2JNi2NSfSIAygIj318LraGmcvBUPNqCeHONU63A59SvpYDHYCQTPeNx21Ut7HgT4t7Jh2u/s1600/Goats2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7thhf18smCBfrFJfYqDoFGqd0nqdK4NdbKNeBtG0L149xq1pChQFLou1fjNmbBfRnp9weY2JNi2NSfSIAygIj318LraGmcvBUPNqCeHONU63A59SvpYDHYCQTPeNx21Ut7HgT4t7Jh2u/s200/Goats2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Lulu has decided she likes the back deck, which really isn't
a surprise considering the vines and impromptu trees growing all around it.
What is a surprise is how early she gets up to browse and all the noise she
makes clamoring on and off of the deck. Apparently, she's our new alarm clock.
When I rolled out of bed, I took Kyla, our German Shepherd, out on the other side of the fence and
Lulu always watches from a distance as I tell the dog what to do. She hadn't
come up on the deck until yesterday because the dog would bark at her from the
house, but I have been working with Kyla to shut her up. <br />
<br />
So, this morning I went out to feed Lulu on the deck and she was fussing at her
kids when they wouldn't follow her up there. They still like to stay in the
barn. I swear it was like she was telling me the kids never listen. She didn't
go back for them like she has been doing since she got here, she just hung out
with me. She started drinking some icky water in a bucket on the deck, so I had
a kid (one of mine, not one of hers) bring some fresh water out there and while
I had the door open, Lulu and Kyla met. Lulu didn't run. She chuffed threateningly at the dog and tried to come into the
house! I felt like I was abandoning her when I came inside and didn't let her
come in, too!</div>
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Lulu's kids like to play hide-n-seek with her and get her
all riled up when she can't find them. They run into the barn and hide under
the workbench that contains the chickens' nesting boxes and they refuse to
answer her when she calls. She runs around the barn looking for them and
bleating and when she can't find them there, she runs to other parts of the
yard; her bleats sounding more and more desperate. Those little boogers! When
my kids are out there, they show Lulu where her kids are and she settles down.
It's so funny!!<br />
<br />
I love my goats.</div>
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In other news, our middle son (we like to call him Chief) purchased his own bee suit so he can help his daddy tend the bees. Next week, I will review his bee suit and let you know where to get quality child-sized bee gear. Also, I will provide an update on the bees themselves. </div>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-8422832886614777682012-06-26T07:00:00.000-07:002012-06-26T07:00:00.594-07:00Kid PicsMy daughter (we like to call her Lady Bug) has been taking pictures of our new goats. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-249153100398797242012-06-25T09:03:00.001-07:002012-06-25T09:57:55.666-07:00Kids - No, Not Children, Goatlings!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have added to our farm! Get a load of these adorable baby goats! I can now say honestly that I have six "kids" now that we've added these two darlings.<br />
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Meet, from left to right, Stormy, Snowy, and their momma, Lulu. We expected to go see the babies and put a deposit on them, then pick them up in August when they were fully weaned, but how can you see these adorable babies and not want to take them home with you?? The sellers offered to let us buy them with the mom and bring them home the same day. How could I possibly say, "no"??<br />
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Just look at these sweet girls. They melt my heart.<br />
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We got goats primarily for milk. Lulu is an Alpine, which is a good milk producing breed and their father was a Nigerian Dwarf, which is also a good milking breed. Both breeds tend to have good temperaments and this bunch has been very sweet. Snowy is a little shy and is a momma's girl, but Stormy has all the confidence in the world and loves to be friendly. I'm just tickled that we were able to get these gals and bring them home already.<br />
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The latest conundrum is that the chickens and guinea fowl have decided they do not want to share the barn with goats and have decided the tree outside the fence is preferable. Bird brains!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-45987218279269960452012-05-31T04:00:00.000-07:002012-05-31T04:00:01.905-07:00Farmstead Fun - Blast Off!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do we farm kids do for fun? Why, we shoot off rockets, of course! These young pullets haven't seen us do this before. Notice that you do not see any of our older chickens anywhere near this thing. *wink, wink*<br />
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Trouble Kitty lived here last year when we shot off a few rockets, but I don't know if she was hanging around at the time. If so, she has a short memory! She was quite happy to hang around as the guys set up the launch but she and the young chickens all ran for their lives at blast off!<br />
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Good launch! This is what it looks like when the engine blasts, sending the rocket up the guide and into the sky. <br />
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Bad launch. This is what it looks like when the engine blasts, but fails to send the rocket flying away. It popped on the launchpad. Poor little squirt was disappointed, but he'll get to try again when we get more engines. Maybe I can get him using the model paints to pretty up our rockets over the summer. Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-27512356543873604032012-05-28T04:00:00.000-07:002012-05-28T04:00:07.991-07:00Fruit Tree Update - Late May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All of our fruit trees, save for the Elberta Peach twig, have been in the ground for two months now and the twig has been in the ground for a little over one month. The Goldhaven Cherry twins did not fruit this year, but have lovely, deep green foliage. The Methley Plum tree also did not fruit, but is showing pretty lighter green leaves. <br />
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<-- Goldhaven Cherry twins (beehives in the background)<br />
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Methley Plum tree --></div>
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Some exciting news is that the peaches on the Redhaven Peach tree are growing very well. Check out these young, wonderful, fuzzy fruits!<br />
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The really great news, though, is that the Elberta Peach twig is showing signs of life! Check out this little budding leaf!<br />
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<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884454566393107730.post-31939466681277673662012-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:002012-05-26T07:00:02.169-07:00Our Visitor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems we have a little friend. This American Green Tree Frog has been hanging out on our glass sliding door every night for the last week or so. It seems the buggies attracted to the light inside make a handy meal for a sucker-toed amphibian. <br />
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Apparently, our visitor comes in peace!<br />
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<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470342600965096215noreply@blogger.com1