Firstfruits Farm Of South Carolina

T***kle is seven months old and getting chubby. It is time for Twilight to wean her, but Twilight is ignoring that fact. So I have to be the bad guy and put T***k in the corral away from her milk supply. She squawked almost all night and is still going strong today. Being a goatherd has its down side.

For those of you who like to buy organic food for yourselves or your farm livestock, Azure Standard is coming to town. This is a mobile organic co-op which supplies a wide variety of products--from Amy's frozen entrees, fresh organic produce, all sorts of organic grocery items, whole grains to grind or sprout, organic animal feed, and more. Go to the Greenville Area Azure Standard page for more information, or straight to www.azurestandard.com.

The milk is flowing! Amy gave birth to Bucky, and Twilight had little T***kle. The babies are dancing everywhere. Meanwhile, we are selling milk. I set up a new bottling system which DHEC approved and which makes it easier on customers to get what they need. It is still best to call ahead, but it will be available on a daily basis. Prices are the same: $7 per half gallon, $3.75 a quart, and $2 for 8 ounce tasters. Best of all, it tastes great this year!

The family farm/rural lifestyle wing of the South Carolina Farm Bureau has been ordered to the back of the bus regarding raw milk sales. The SCFB Board has officially taken a neutral position on the issue, BUT will not dissent from the American Farm Bureau Federation's position, "On another dairy issue, delegates approved a new policy that states only pasteurized milk and milk products should be sold for human consumption. Delegates approved the measure in light of the potential risks to public health and food safety posed by consumption of raw milk." Where is the evidence of this risk? From what commodities have the actual outbreaks occurred?

Anyone out there like me? I love fresh tomatoes on my salads, but in the winter the store-bought ones taste terrible. So I've tried pickling them, canning them, cooking and freezing them. The pickled ones taste best, but they are rubbery. They have to be cooked for a long time to kill potentially harmful bacteria.

This week I tried something that really seemed to work: I sliced the cherry tomatoes I had picked in half, placed them face-down on a paper towel draped over a small cookie sheet, and I froze them-- raw. Yesterday I popped them into a ziplok bag, keeping out a few which I dropped frozen into the evening's salad. By the time we ate salad they were thawed, and they tasted absolutely fresh.

We ate the salad at a picnic so I guess they had an hour or so in the cooler with the salad before we ate them. Next time I will thaw them before I put them into the salad, but that should not take long. Who knows how long they can stay in the freezer and hold their flavor, but I do this with diced green peppers and they keep for a long time. Some of them stuck to the paper towel, but not many. I think I'll freeze a couple of gallons of them for the winter and see how it goes.

Well, we are back in the milk business again. Martin the DHEC inspector came by on Monday, just like old times. I was glad to see him. It took three months for me to catch my breath after the tractor accident, but all is well now. We learned a lot during this summer.

We were walking with the grandchildren near the barn when Lena barked and pounced on a rat snake in the grass. It was over six feet long. You should have seen the children's eyes when I picked it up by the tail to show it to them. We popped it into the snake box, and Don carted it a half mile away to the river pasture. I wonder how many of my hen's eggs went toward helping that snake grow like that.

Wow! The tractor and the lawn mower are both in good repair--at the same time. I'm putting up vegetables so Don has mowing duty. Everything is two feet tall-he has his work cut out for him. Of course now the fields and yard are too wet to mow.

Super Bucky attended MRPC Bible School this last week. He was nervous the first day, tried to stay home the second day, and was eager to go the third day. It was not too different from sending a two-legged kid to evening church activities except that I sent a bottle with this one.

It has been a raw month. On Monday we sent six of our does to live at an organic farm in Lauren's. Twilight and Amy have stayed here to supply our needs. Goldenrod and Super Bucky are here too. We still have the chickens and the bees. The fact is that I cannot move as fast as I did before the accident. But I can walk and ride my bike, and enjoy what each day brings. It is still a joy to get up at dawn and milk the does I have, and I thank God for that.

This week was one of miracles. Alluran gave birth to little Adrienne on Sunday, just as we were getting home from church. What a sweet Mothers'Day present! Today I assisted Flory as she birthed Firefly, another little doe. The two babies played together this afternoon.

It has been a week since my tractor accident. Last Thursday I was working in the chicken yard with the tractor when it rolled up a hay bale and flipped over, pinning me underneath the seat. The Lord protected me--that is all anyone can say. I was trapped for a little over half a hour before neighbor heard my cries. It took another hour to get the tractor off of me. After being medivaced to the hospital, x rays proved that I had no broken bones and no torn ligaments. I walked out to the truck two hours later and gratefully went home. The official diagnosis is a sprained hip, and believe me, it hurts. But through the whole ordeal I felt the warmth of the Lord's protection all around me. He is indeed the great and holy Lord.

Luna has no problems with thunderstorms, which is a real blessing.

Lottie snuggled up next to Lena to comfort her. Lena is a barometric dog, which means she is sensitive to changes in air pressure. Thunderstorms and gun shots terrify her. This afternoon, however, Lottie was able to calm her--pretty good for a two-day-old doeling.

Little Lissa got a little shivvery, so we put her in a bag with some heating pads. She's eating well and should make it.

Hey, Clay Woody...sweet LUCY has kidded! Lottie (9lbs) and Lissa (6lbs). Two does!

It's finallly dark! Maybe now the chickens will be roosting! Daylight Savings Time has confused the barnyard.

Timeline Photos

The "Iron Beast," newly tuned up, breaking up hardpan.

Just so you know, Flory is the "head goat." Even I find myself marching to her drummer on occasion.

It's time for the annual Explain Daylight Savings Time to Animals Talk. I can just hear Flory after I tell her that we will be getting up an hour earlier next sunday. "So, you have to set that watch of yours an hour earlier, right?" says Flory. "Right," I answer. "If you can tell the other goats what you know, that will take care of it." "Not quite," says Flory. "But if you let me smash that watch of yours, that should do the trick."

Lena is doing such a good job with Luna Pup. I hope I can get a picture of them patrolling the fence line together. Lena pads along in front and Luna follows in step at her heels. It was a rough beginning. Two days after Luna arrived Lena packed up and left. After picking a fight with the neighbor's hound, she decided she would stay with us after all. She started training Luna a few days later. Every now and then she looks up as if to ask me when she became mother to this exuberant marshmallow with teeth, but then she gets back to business.

Raw Milk

Here's some information on deciding if raw milk is something for you to consider.

nourishedkitchen.com Wondering what all the fuss is about raw milk? Learn about raw milk, why it's good for you, what to do with it and where to find it.

The Asian Pear tree is clinging to its fruit over in Perry's upper field, despite several frosts. The girls knew they were there and bided their time. When I sent them over to browse they smacked their lips and trotted in a straight line right up to that tree. I wish you could have seen the look of pure ecstasy on Alluron's face as she crunched down on one of those rock hard pears. Flory was right beside her, chewing away while juice dripped off her beard. The last time I tried to eat one I couldn't even make a dent in the skin. Even after cooking it for two hours, it was too hard to cut with a knife. The goats are welcome to them!

Taxes? Not Just for Christmas Trees. LIKE this post & get the whole list!

Folks, check out this list of hidden fees that are applied to basic food items at the behest of the Big producer/Big government propaganda cartel!

herit.ag Yesterday, after word got out (via a post here on the Foundry) regarding new “mandatory fees” on Christmas trees imposed by the Obama Department of Agriculture (USDA), the White House moved quickly to suspend implementation of the new tax.

The basement workroom is littered with tomato vines. I'll hang them in bundles from the rafters so the green tomatoes that are still attached will ripen. Last year I picked the last ripened tomato after the new year. Little bundles of basil, sage, and mint are already hanging. It smells kind of spicy down there.

Best regards to Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery and their grand opening today on Cedar Lane Rd. at the Trail. They are off to a good start with locally grown vegetables and fruit, plus dairy and pastured meat products. See us there from noon until 2:00 with free samples of Grade A goat milk.

A new goat is coming to Firstfruits Farm. Her name is Moon Shadow. She is a yearling Saanen. Don has been trying to shorten her name to fit his two-syllable rule. He was calling her Moon Glow this evening.

Cool weather has kept me outside and away from my computer. We have found a way to beat the flies without swatting the goats! A certain bath oil really does keep them away. Until now we've had to use the fly swatter in the milk room--which did not encourage milk to drop, let me tell you. Yesterday, I swabbed some bath on each goat as she left the pasture, and the flies took off. Milk flowed with ease!

We have honey bears for market tomorrow. God bless the bees!

Chestnuts are here! The chickens don't like them, which is good, because I want them all for myself.

A good supply of milk at the market today! See you at Whole Foods between 10 and 2.

The stars were bright this morning. An owl was hooting at Mr. Mackey's old home place when I went out to milk the girls. Cooler weather is on the way!

We will be at the Whole Foods Farmer's Market tomorrow from 10 to 2. It's never too hot to come out and pick up some fresh local produce! Hope to see you there--we've got Fresh Grade A raw goat milk, pastured eggs and some more tree-ripened figs.

It's time for Tuesday Whole Foods Farmers' Market again! Fresh Grade A raw goat milk, pastured eggs and tree-ripened figs.