Because It Definitely Wasn't Here This Morning
Wanna get wet?
3/18/06: Meandering By The House
3/26/06: The Bigger The Water Dish, The Happier The Dog
5/5/06: View from the Middle of the Creek after Six Inches of Rain
5/13/06: Morning Mist Rising off the Creek
5/13/06: Cat Fishing?
5/15/06: Sheep Crossing
1/15/07: Running Water, Rubber Boots, & Mud
1/19/07: Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life Is But A Stream
2/25/08: A Rare Winter Sight—And Geese!
3/19/08: Flood Watch
4/7/08: Who's A-fraid of the Big Bad Creek? The Big Bad Creek?
4/8/08: A Fresh New Day Full of Morning Mist (and lots more hazy photos)
4/10/08: Surf's Up!
5/16/08: Splish Splash!
1/18/09: Crossing Over to Bigger and Better Things!
4/24/09: Creek's Up!
© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the flash flowing foodie farm blog where there's nothing like hiking out for a day of grazing in the far field and then finding a rushing stream of water has suddenly appeared between you and the barn (okay, maybe it wasn't exactly rushing, but still). Fortunately everyone is now safely back where they belong, the two loaves and dozen rolls of Honey Bran Whole Wheat I was in the middle of baking during all of this unexpected excitement didn't overrise, burn, or otherwise become inedible (though I did forget to grease the loaf pans—bummer), and I've now been thoroughly reminded that the big crack in one of my beloved rubber boots is even bigger than it was the last time the creek was up—and I never did get around to buying that replacement pair.
Hello, Girls! It's So Very Nice to See You
Hallelujah! Six of the eight baby chicks born back in April turned out to be hens! They should start laying soon, which will then more than double our current egg output. Usually our hen to rooster hatching ratio is the other way around (and we really only need one Rooster Daddy on the farm), but this time the egg-laying odds were definitely in our favor. Maybe it was all that pizza.
Want to see more chick pics? (some categories overlap)
Chicken Photos & Stories
More Chicken Photos
And Yet More Chicken Photos
Baby Chick Photos
Baby Chicks 2008
Baby Chicks 2009
© Copyright FarmgirlFare.com, the fine feathered feminine foodie farm blog where grown up chickens are still considered cute, right? And if they're not, then you can break the news to Whitey, who, at nearly 10 years old, now has her eye on making it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the Oldest Living Chicken. She and her attitude are doing just fine, and she definitely still considers herself cute (she just hasn't posed for any photos—or had any more longings for motherhood—lately).
It's Time to Get Up
And Fluff Up!
© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the scurrying around collecting green tomatoes in the garden while the squirrels gather black walnuts in the yard foodie farm blog where 30° temperatures, along with a widespread first frost, are predicted for tonight. Not to worry—little Fernando (yep, I've finally decided that's definitely his name, though I thank you for all the other great suggestions!) is all dried off and ready for the first really cold night of his life.
Slow Food Cooking with Less Fuss, More Flavor
A little bit of reduced sugar homemade pear heaven cooked in the oven.
After going through about 70 pounds of pears while working on the cookbook-that-isn't-going-to-be, I came to a couple of conclusions. The first is that pears just might be even more versatile than apples. The second is that homemade pear butter is one of the most wonderful things on the planet. It also happens to be extremely easy to make.
One of my biggest pet peeves—which, as my hunky farmguy Joe can tell you, I've mentioned about 5,000 times—is the vast amount of sugar that so many preserving recipes call for. One cup of fruit to one cup of sugar? Why? Fresh seasonal fruit is so sweet on its own.
The other day I actually saw a recipe for strawberry jam that used two cups of sugar for every one cup of fruit. My teeth hurt just thinking about it. I make a one minute raspberry 'jam' that doesn't have anything in it but fruit.
I'm loving this autumn color
If everything had gone according to plan, right now I would be in a massive, fruit- and vegetable-filled frenzy trying to finish up the gigantic cookbook project I started working on last November. Unfortunately plans have a way of changing—especially if you live on a farm—whether we want them to or not.
Back in March, I did such a good job whacking my head on a low ceiling beam in one of our chicken coops that—seven months, three doctors, all sorts of treatments and therapies, and numerous hours spent with an ice pack and this awesome massager later—my neck and shoulder are still screwed up.
And the thing that causes me the most pain just happens to be sitting at the computer (although putting up hay was a close second). This does not mesh well with very tight and very inflexible writing deadlines (or blogging!).
The new building, which is basically a big metal barn, looks out on the Hayfield
So no cookbook. But no massive October frenzy either. It's disappointing, of course, especially since this was a really exciting venture that went beyond just writing a book about making the most of your seasonal bounty. Because of proprietary and legal mumbo jumbo, I can't share any more details about the project; I'm not purposely trying to be secretive.
I've been approached by other editors at some wonderful publishing houses who are interested in my writing and photos, so there might very well be a book of some sort in my future. I figure an even better opportunity will present itself if and when the time is right—and I thank you for all the support you gave me for this one.
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to sharing more of the Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes I created for the cookbook, including one for a ridiculously easy—and ridiculously delicious—homemade pear butter that I will hopefully have up this weekend. Update: the pear butter recipe is up!
With three big sinks and My Favorite View, doing dishes will be a pleasure
We're also back to contemplating our wholesale artisan bread bakery plan (you can see a photo of the whole building and read a little more about the bakery here), which was shelved last year due to a combination of skyrocketing gas prices, skyrocketing wheat prices, and all of my spare time being spent writing the cookbook.
Since we already have the 7-foot wide deck oven and 60-quart mixer installed in the commercial kitchen on the bottom floor of the new building, I know we'll eventually come up with some delicious way to use them. Joe says that if nothing else, every few months we'll simply bake a lot of bread for ourselves and our friends all at once.
Our new bedroom (and the locally made oak stair treads)
As far as my healing and physical therapy are concerned, we finally fixed all the plumbing problems in the new building (thankfully without having to tear into the beautiful bathroom tile), so although it'll be a while yet before we move in—there are still hundreds of feet of baseboard and trim to put up, the 'real' stairs to be installed, 17 windowsills to be built, light fixtures to be mounted, and a bunch of other stuff I'm probably forgetting, all of which are much better accomplished if you aren't already living in the space—the glorious whirlpool tub is fully functional.
Oh, baby
And after spending 9 years without a working bathtub, boy does it feel nice. This is one splurge that was definitely worth every penny.
© FarmgirlFare.com, the soak away your troubles with champagne, candles, and a bathtub built for two (only 6½ years after putting up the shell of the building!) foodie farm blog where this whole neck/shoulder thing has put a big damper on my ability to respond in a timely manner to your comments and e-mail. I love hearing from you, and I thank you for your understanding and patience.
