Lilly Bug

Welcome Lilly!  She is our newest addition to the farm.  And what a cute little bug she is!  Last September, when my sister and I attended the second Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA, she purchased two Silver Fox does and one buck.  Lilly is their offspring from earlier this summer.  She is the blue variety, but they are often seen as black with the silvering developing as they grow.  They are an endangered breed of rabbits primarily grown for meat.  When I explain this to people, the most common response is, "Then why do you eat them?"  Well simply put, if they're not being bred for meat, then they are not being bred at all.

On our farm, we are working to be as sustainable in our food production as possible.  It is a process, and currently we can only produce a small portion of our own food.  But each year we are adding more and more.  Starting a rabbitry for meat is our next step.  Lilly is still a youngster though, and we're not planning on eating her.  She will be one of our breeding does once she is old enough.  She's just barely two months old.  In the mean time, I am phasing out of raising angoras.  While I love the fiber, they are a lot of work.  I have four at the moment, and plan to rehome three, keeping one.  Four is just too much for me right now.  Their fiber is fantastic being 3/4 English and 1/4 French.  If anyone is interested, please contact me.  Here's my girls.  They all have wonderful dispositions.  Especially the sisters.  And an angora or two is a great way to produce and harvest your very own fiber for spinning!

Mrs. Buns - 3 years old (mamma to Grey and Ginger)

Grey Baby - 1.5 years old (sister to Ginger)

Ginger Snap - 1.5 years old (sister to Grey)

This has been a tough decision for me.  I love all my rabbits.  But my initial intention was to sell Mrs. Buns offspring.  A few I did.  Three I kept.  And I still plan on keeping their brother, Runtdungus Fletcher.  He's my baby!  As I mentioned above, angoras do take a bit of maintenance, so please only serious inquires.  =)

Summer has gone fast!  I'm back to work full time now, which leaves a lot less time for the farm, garden, and shop.  Perhaps one day I will have more time, but for now we do what we have to do, and plan for future change.  It's all a process.  I'm enjoying the cooler nights (and sometimes days), but can't wait for the frosts of fall!  Autumn is my favorite time of year!  I much prefer the cooler weather.  Most of the garden vegetables have been exhausted, though we've still got a few things growing.  I planted some cabbage, onions, and cilantro earlier this month for (hopefully) a fall harvest.  I'm still trying to figure out what I can grow into the fall to extend our season.  Again...process.

Farm at Dusk

Sure looks peaceful, doesn't it?

Fair Weather

True, we've had a lot of rain, but the past week we have also had a bit of fair weather.  Enough for most of the farmers to get their fields plowed and planted.  It make be later than what was hoped for, but many field are on their way to sprouting vegetation.  It sure is nice to glimpse that blue sky.

A Farming Movement

As I was reading one of my favorite blogs this morning, it got me pondering on some of the other blogs I follow, and some of the people that I've met and become acquainted with the past few years. Maybe it's just because this is what I've chosen to surround myself with, but I'm starting to see the 'movement'. The farming movement. People making a conscious choice to do something better. To live off the land. To take the bounty that God has given and run with it. Against all odds and the knowledge that they could fall flat on their faces, they jump right in hoping to make a better future for themselves and those to come after them. We all have our own reasons, but I think we work for a common goal. And for those who cannot themselves farm, there is more of a support of our local farmers and CSAs.

This is a good feeling.

Victorian Farm - A MUST See!

I've just finished this series, and it was absolutely wonderful! If you, like me, have an interest in living a simpler life, a life of old, seemingly long and forgotten, you will love this. The documentary was shown on BBC in 2009, spanning six, hour long episodes. However you can find the series on YouTube broken into 36 roughly 10 minute segments.

The story follows a British team of three who recreate the lives of those living in the mid-19th century for one year. They must learn to farm, cook, and survive only on the resources available during this time period. You get to share in their struggles and triumphs, watching them grow crops, raise livestock (sheep, pigs, chickens/ducks, a dairy cow), cook, clean, and fellowship with others of this era. People were so connected to the land, their animals, and others; something I think we've unfortunately lost over the years.