Shades of Green Farm

Buy Our Farm!

Yes, it's true.  Our beautiful land is for sale.  We'd like to move closer to Austin. Sue still wants to farm on a couple of acres in Elgin.. Jules says "We'll see".  Anyway, first we have to sell our farm... so..

Could you share our listing and flyer with your friends?  We'd sure appreciate it!   Thank you all for your tremendous support all these years!

Our real estate listing on realtor.com

and here is our flyer in PDF form.

Download Buy our farm flyer 1

This is a very long post... a story...

... a tale of farming on the wane…. a heart sharing from me- jules.

So, it’s been awhile since I’ve written on this blog.  There have been several long gaps over these years of having our Shades of Green Farm blog. Each time there’s a reason… sometimes I know exactly what it is and just have a hard time getting past the block. Other times, the weeks just slip away and I’m not even aware of this one-among-many tasks I’m letting slide by. And what’s the issue this time?

Perhaps it’s because the fire trauma took a long time to wear itself out. It pretty much has passed at this point… even though I have to drive through a chunk of the devastation several times a week and there are moments when I feel the tears coming back. Now it’s less about fear (but watch how fast I can pack a bag and get it in the car on a wildly windy day!) and more about grief for the trees and the wildlife and the many displaced people who have no homes to return to. As the thousands of dead trees are cut down and chipped or positioned to reduce erosion, the barren quality of the ash-covered, black-and-white photo landscape I drive through has an impact that at times feels like erosion… the gradual wearing away of my upbeat mood the longer it takes to pass through the burn zone. But my joy returns more easily now.

And there are signs of returning life all over the place! It is amazing and truly hope-filled to see how a fig at Pine Crone Retreat Center has begun to sprout new leaves from the base of the scorched remains of it’s many-branched trunk. In the labyrinth whose rock-shaped paths are now set amidst an ashen ground, the grass is beginning to show itself in thin blades of bright green against the gray background. And some of the vines that once grew on the porches that once surrounded the two houses of Pine Crone—incongruously,  the vines begin to emerge—incongruous because there is no structure for them to grow on. A simple fix, this; simply bring back the metal trellises that are now leaning against a fence on our farm… now there’s a use for them again.

So, while the fires shut me down and diverted my attention, I cannot honestly claim that the challenge I face in writing and posting is solely about that.  Our land was spared and daily life on the land has not changed very much... or rather, the changes aren't related to the fire. Before the fire, I wasn’t writing here, and two months later I’m still not writing, even as other elements of life returned to 'normal'.

Perhaps it’s because I feel like a fake… writing about farming when our farm work has become so severely limited in scope. And perhaps the part of me that feels relief that this is so, is ashamed as much as the part that is sad feels defeat and failure.  The truth is I’ve been a farmer but am no longer farming… and yes, a part of me feels relief.

I have spend many an hour wondering about whether or not “I am a farmer”. Obviously, I was in that I was certainly farming—producing food for others in ways that I felt were sustainable, humane and appropriate. The work was also exhausting and did not earn us a living. So, I doubted. And I missed being a teacher. And missed the energy to engage in art. Now, I am substitute teacher. Now I have more energy. The other restriction on doing art continues—we live in such a tiny space that there is no room to set any work up for longer than a few hours at a time. And that will change—perhaps even soon.

Our farm is up for sale. Our debt load over the double water well expense and trying to build up a farm with limited income, followed by the loss of that income, combined to make staying on our land next to impossible. We’ve sold our camper van, two calves, two flocks of laying hens and myriad equipment since spring, trying to keep ‘farming’ and pay the bills in the absence of reliable income. There’s not much left to sell… except the farm itself… the land, the improvements, the beauty and potential and maybe even the four cows we have left.

And when we move we have the opportunity to live in a home with more than one room; with space to work and to do art and to sleep in peace if the other of us is still up. A place with a bathroom and a tub and shower and enough hot water to take a full blown shower or bath every day… to clean and soak this water-sign-womon as much as I need it… and in so doing, to replenish my own inner well. All this is very good and sits in such odd accompaniment to the sorrow and pain of considering this move away from the land we've loved and lived on for five years.

We don’t know where we’ll go yet. We haven’t sold this place yet either and our prayers ask that the money comes in to stay here and pay our bills until it is sold. And we ask that those who follow care for this land and hopefully continue to develop its agricultural capabilities.

And finally, there's gratitude... for the land, for the opportunity to build our home and farm up from land that contained only cattle and potential. Gratitude for the hands of education that builds deep appreciation for all those who produce our food. Gratitude for finding out what my body and soul were capable of doing... and even what proved to be over-whelming at time.

I want to thank all of you who have followed this blog, who have supported and cared about Shades of Green Farm over the years, who treasure wholesome food and all that means. We may end up somewhere near here (the little town of Elgin is one place that calls us); we may keep raising broilers for ourselves and friends who love them. We just don’t know. I hold myself open to all the possibilities of the wondrous life that is awaiting to unfold… and take with me countless life lessons learned on this land… farming.

The Bastrop County Complex Fire 2011~ the Beginning

Greetings friends and supporters of Shades of Green Farm. It's been an extraordinary loooong 5 days since I attempted to go to town to shop and ran into the road block that turned me around and turned life around for thousands of people in our area.  First let me tell you, We are alright and our farm is alright...we have been spared from these horrible fires.

I had been stopped at the barricade by the fire that started on the road we call 1441 and had arrived at highway 21, where it too-easily jumped across, fueled by the tinder dry grasses and dead trees in the median of that once gorgeous stretch of road and pushed hard by 40 mile an hour gusts out of the north and spawned by tropical storm Lee. By the time I got home, a second fire had started, much closer to us but still south and blowing south. Sue and I talked about the wisdom of staying vs. leaving, when that answer became obvious by a third plume that shot up directly to the west of us and grew dark gray and ominous in just a few minutes. It took us less than five minutes to get the dogs in the cars and forget everything else and by the time we hit the little road our driveway is off of, the smoke was billowing tall and shot full of an eerie light.

We truly thought all would be lost and cried for it all, especially the cattle that we left behind. Even with the pasture gates open so they might find their way out, and might find a route to safety, it did not look hopeful.

We drove to Austin where our wonderful friends John and Annell have taken us in, given us clothes to wear, bought food I could eat (food sensitivity issues make that a challenge), and made it easy to hang out in shock and get fixated on the news as it came out.

That was Sunday, September 4th. Today we are still with John and Annell, still concerned about fire, still without power and therefore water, and still rotating our dogs in and out of rooms because they haven't been getting along for months but we were taking our time finding a home for Aubie because it wasn't so hard to manage and we want the perfect forever home for her. (Now it looks like Austin Pets Alive, who placed over 60 dogs evacuated from the Bastrop animal shelter in one day-- they're taking on Aubie to 'rehome' as they call it. What an odd boon to come from such a huge tragedy as this fire has been.) The cattle are 14 miles from the farm, in a small and sweet paddock at the Lee County Sheriff's Posse rodeo site, where they are taking in and caring for displaced livestock... we are eternally grateful to Kevin, Scott and Jesse, who brought fence panels and trailer and helped me gently load them up (all pregnant) and get them settled in a place where they have ample water and an exit strategy if needed (pray not). The few chickens and ducks we have left are loose and still alive and laying eggs.

Sue and I began posting to our personal and farm Facebook pages... check out our journey by clicking the link to our Shades of Green Farm page. It's been an incredible journey and isn't over yet.

Shades of Green Farm on Facebook

 

Our Dog Aubie Needs a New Home

The two pictures below show off our beautiful Aubie in the snow and with a chick... still don't know if she was going to eat that chick or not, but we've got her to the point of leaving the poultry alone, even though she is at least part Nova Scotian Duck Tolling Retriever. Aubie has a strong desire to "do right" and works very hard to overcome her hunting instincts. We do not ask her to overcome these instincts when it comes to chasing squirrels and barking off potential predators on the farm.

Aubie is 4 years old and needs a home with a family that has no dogs or young children. We found her by the dumpster in the rural area we live in near Bastrop; she was healthy but underweight. She is completely current with her health care, including being spayed; we have her vet records. She will need an annual exam and rabies/distemper shots in mid-July. Since we found her 3 years ago, she's been fed Wellness dry food, plus the eggs she finds around the farm and organic meat scraps she gets because we love her and she loves them. Her recent visit confirmed she's a very healthy gal.

She is an absolute sweetheart with people; our pet care person claimed Aubie is a healer the moment she met her. Her perfect home would include being an indoor dog some of the time (especially at night and for storms or gun shots), with lots of exercise and time to play in water, too (she is a great swimmer and has learned not to paw the humans in the water with her). She does fine with other dogs until they sniff her butt or approach food she wants. We wouldn't want to risk a dog or small child who might accidentally mess with her butt or food and get bitten. We don't know how she is with cats but we think she can learn not to make a fun toy of then.(The reason we have to let her go is she recently fought with our other dog and wouldn't stop until we pulled her off, leaving some bad bites. Whether this was from food aggression or alpha struggles, the tension didn't ease between the two of them and they now live separately here which isn't best for either.)

We're asking that her new owner pay $50 to cover her recent vet visit (cough guard shot and heartworm check, which was negative, of course, as she's been on Heartguard consistently). The cost is also to make sure you really want her and can take care of her~ she deserves a wonderful loving home! We will miss her so very much, this sweet dog we've called Aubie, Aubie Daubie, Aubie Bobbie, Aubster, Bobster, Bobbish, Bob, etc. etc.

What a Wonderful Farm Tour!

We had a wonderful time at out farm tour today!  We had about 50 people at our farm and we were thrilled to share our experience.  As you might know, the farm tour benefited TOFGA, the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.  Jules shared our values Humane ~ Local ~ Organic and the tour showed examples of what we do and how our work aligns with our values.  Folks asked so many great questions.  We were thrilled to have several of our chicken custmers here and to meet many new ones!  A big thank you to Suzie Medford for organizing this tour and we hope it went just as well for the other farms on the tour.  Thank you to all who came out today.  Let's do it again in the fall!  Here are a few pix and we'll add more as folks send them to us.

Farm Tour and Farm Fund

We had an opportunity today to thank many of your who have contributed to our farm fund.  Thank you!  We made it through last summer because of you.  We've got a long way to go and we're so humbled by your support.

Here's a link to our Farm Fund Farm Fund.

Bastrop County Farm Tour May 1st-- We start it off here!

Download FarmTour Flier May 1 2011

Already over 30 people have RSVP'd to attend this great event organized by Suzie Medford for region 2 of Texas Farmers and Gardeners Association. It's exciting to be a part of what may be the first such tour in our county. Very hopeful that there is this much interest, as there are many small farms in the county and all need to be supported by the consumers here. Without farms we have no food. Without people who prioritize healthy food over cheap food, we have no sustainable agriculture. Here's to the partnership that will build a possible future for us all!

Spring Equinox= Standing Eggs

The only time of the year-- two times a year to be precise-- when eggs will stand up on the ends; during the spring and autumnal equinoxes. Sue created a lovely scene on March 21st, on our counter, with our eggs and logo sign. And once again I want to thank the artist and designer who created our logo, Andrea Weissenbuehler, for this lovely representation of our farm.

Hatching is Happening Right Now!!

We collected eggs from our sweet Americauna hen, Nala, added gift eggs from Ken Bushong of Buck Moore Feed Store and some brown ones from out home flock Hyline Browns and put them in Ken's incubator on our kitchen counter. (Does a counter in a one room home count as "kitchen"?   :-)

Three weeks later-- they started hatching Sunday night and now on this Tuesday evening there are 6 all fluffed out in a little bin brooder in the corner and another 8 still wet and recovering in the incubator, or "bator" as the regulars call it. Here's a picture of one of Nala's (I bet Buddy is the daddy of this one) just out, still connected by cord to the egg shell behind it, and another one trying to pop out right in front of it.

One little bald character needed help getting out; the membrane had dried onto it, poor thing, and after a whole night stuck then trying to moisten it in the morning, in the afternoon I dribbled warm water into the shell cavity and worked it out, taking a bit of its fluff with the membrane. I am surprised it's alive, really, but once out, s/he commenced to alternative utter crash mode with careening about, just like all the other ones.

 And then the 6 fluffballs in the bin... just started eating since I took this picture with my phone. What fun!

 

Six More Drakes Gone, Six to Go

Well, I did it! With the help and support of two loving, farm-raised friends, I learned the how-to of killing ducks. On the spur of the moment, I asked Logan and Caroline if they'd help me slaughter some of the too-many drakes we had left. I showed them the video on 'breasting' duck, which takes out the scalding, plucking and eviserating processes and given how little other meat is on these young, not-meat birds, seemed the right thing to do.

After the first bird, Logan the one-time science teacher, gave both of us an anatomy lesson by looking over the sliced neck closely, finding the severed artery, the one left intact, the trachea (which you don't want to cut or the bird suffers and which was also intact) and the spinal cord. She carefully felt the next drake's neck as he hung passively in the cone, found the arrangement with her fingers, and cut. Next we decided to use the 'sticking' method I'd seen in another video, holding the trachea so that the knife point entered with the non-cutting edge sliding along the trachea, cutting both arteries easily. Now I felt ready to do it... together Logan and I had taken the time to find the smoothest, best approach and I knew I could do it. The first time Logan held her hand over mine, the next time I did it solo.

For each drake, Logan and I worked together to get him in place-- she opened and closed the pen door so I could focus on keeping a close but gentle hold on the bird I had netted. We walked slowly over to the processing area, breathing calmness and me feeling his racing heart slow. At first I held the legs while Logan cut and Caroline kept the chickens away. We all gave our attention to easing the drake from life, watching his process, sending gratitude, holding his head because the dripping blood bothered him when it touched his eyes or nostrils... staying attentive the whole time... which seemed like a long time... and the birds were not panicked nor seemed in pain at all. It was as fine a slaughter experience as could be.

Once all 6 were killed and hung to bleed out, we began breasting. It took only one bird each to understand how to break the skin and the membranes in order to expose the breast meat and cut out each piece. From there it was easy and much much cleaner than full processing. In two hours, we had killed and breasted 6 drakes, buried the remains and cleaned up.

The twelve breast halves we ended up with were beautiful and more abundant than I expected to see. Caroline researched cooking duck breast online and we ended up salting them overnight. The next day, Caroline prepared them in the crock pot with a lot of onion, garlic and carrot and they came out like succulent roast slices-- yum!

No one took pictures since we were all busy with the process and Sue was at work, but here's a picture of Caroline (the wench) and Logan (the leather man) at the Renaissance Fest the next day. Deep gratitude to both for their fine friendship and sweet visit!