What a glorious day! Thursday, March 23rd, the sun was shining brightly and the warmth was embracing us. A few wispy clouds floated in the sky as we walked in a lush field, patiently awaiting Mo (aka Maurine), the cow as she was showing great signs that her calf would be born that day. It was a calm, life-giving process to watch her give birth to her 8th calf…HE is a brown bull.
My very first experience with chickens has occurred and they actually do lay eggs! I, Deena, was getting quite discouraged, along with my hubby and the kids but on February 28th, my daughter ran into the house to announce…WE HAVE 2 EGGS! The house was in a state of sheer excitement! So, our girls are doing their jobs. We have collected 14 eggs ranging from a nice brown to green to white. Boy, are they yummy!
With the help of the Rausches, this has been thrilling for our family. This leads me into the whole reason that we even have chickens…soy. Hmm, who would have ever thought that it really wasn’t the egg that was causing my daughter’s stomach to hurt but the feed that the chickens were given. Almost all chicken feed is soy based at about 17%. I found this very interesting and started to ponder if that was the root of my daughter’s stomach aches…and it was. The Rausches & Rumseys feed only organic, soy & corn free feed to their chickens which leads to no tummy troubles and very pleasurable children.
2012 through 2016 was a season filled with life’s ups and downs, which limited our ability to keep the Cultured Home website current, but we are thrilled to be back, now!! We are so looking forward to 2017! We are excited to announce that we are partnering with Deena Rumsey and what a blessing to do this together.
LOOK…..Summer Classes, are here and will teach how the soil, animals, and most of all, people live in a healthy ecosystem! It is truly amazing how if the soil is healthy, every living creature benefits.
Look forward to new updates on a regular basis on Harmony Harbor (our farm), which houses The Music Barn and Cultured Home classes…those names could only speak of blessing and enjoyment in LIFE!!
Here I am working with my axe to chop up some freshly cut alder trees harvested from one of our pastures. These were from ~30 trees that were prepared for our pollard demonstration.
A coppice is when trees re-grow quickly from live stumps, which are harvested about every 5 years. A pollard is when the tree is cut from a stump that is tall enough to be out of reach of the grazing animals. It is an excellent way to quickly grow wood, improving soil while continuing to provide shade for the animals and grass in the pastures.
The coppice attempt a few years ago failed because the animals ate the young alder shoots. I’m excited to track the progress this year!
In the mean time, the wood harvested is drying so it can help heat the house next winter.
At dinner, Ruth Helen told us her story of the day. She started by telling Abigail and me and covered everything again in greater detail when Kathy and Samuel came in for dinner, and when we called grandparents so they could hear the story firsthand. Ruth’s story went like this:
Mo, our gentle cow with Mocha and Notable
“The story is about Mo. I just wanted to feel what it was like to ride Mo. She was laying down so I got on her back and kind of kicked her sides to get her up. So she walked around a little bit. I rode her up on the hill, from the woods to the barn. I had a little longer turn because I had to turn her, or else she would crash into the barn. I turned her with her ears because I didn’t have reins. It actually worked! Then I mostly went in a little circle. When she was walking in a circle, she started to trot a little bit, and then it was even funner. I held on to the neck. It wasn’t bumpy. Then she sat down, and I got off. Nobody was watching except for Mocha (the yearling heifer cow), and the baby calf. Mocha was too skittish, and Notable (this spring’s calf) was too small for me to ride them.
Later I tried to get Mo up for Joel to have a turn, but he missed it. Mo got up when Joel wasn’t watching.
I wanted to get some fresh milk, and I didn’t want Mama to see. I didn’t get the milking pail, I used my mouth for the milking pail and so I just stuck the milk right into my mouth. How I got the milk out was the nipples were dry so I couldn’t get it out so easy. I pushed on the udder, and then squeezed the teat so it squirted into my mouth. I got a LOT of milk. Joel and Mo got a taste because I squirted some into Joel’s face and I squirted some into Mo’s mouth. She was chewing, and I got it right when she opened her mouth, so I got it right at the right time. The milk was warm and YUMMY!”
This is quite an adventure for parents’ to hear about from their 5-year-old daughter. At least her mom can laugh, since all’s well that ends well. Too bad nobody saw this, because I wish we had a picture!
Is it possible for a family to produce nutrient dense eggs, milk and meat without being full time farmers? If you are interested in growing more than a garden on your property, or are dreaming of getting started on a few acres, we’d love to encourage you! Come join us as we share the joys, challenges and surprises we’ve had as we’ve made the transition from urban life to urban farming since 2005.
Location:
19506 SE 138th Pl
Renton, WA 98059
Contact Nathan or Kathy for detailed directions or other questions
425 306 5679
Nathan@culturedhome.com
On Sunday, June 3rd, I applied 13 bags/520 lbs in less than an hour using my “flower pot” technique. I fill 2 plastic flower pots with gypsum, hold one in each hand and shake them as I walk to evenly spread a 10 ft swath. I started doing this because it could be done in the rain, but I’ve continued it because it’s about 10 times faster than using a 22 inch drop spreader.
On Saturday, June 9th, I applied 17 bags/680 lbs to cover most of our remaining pasture & grazing area. There are 5 bags left and a little more space remaining, but I’m glad to have the bulk of the work done, and more than 3 acres covered with 1200 lbs. I thinks that’s pretty good for 2 hours work with 2 pots and a wheelbarrow!
Why gypsum? Our soil test showed we had very low sulfur levels. Since sulfur is part of all proteins, and it’s got to be there to grow good enough grass to support animal health.
Empty flower pots work great to spread lime in the rain too
October 22nd, 2011.
We had friends over and spent a little more than 2 hours spreading lime. There were six of us filling and shaking plastic flower pots over about 3 acres. It was a wet day, and everyone was covered with a patina of white by the time we finished and took our lunch.
We applied 32 bags (1600 lbs) of powered agricultural lime at a rate of 533 lbs/acre. Next time I’ll buy a little more to ensure that I can cover all the corners that we didn’t quite reach.
Many hands make light work, and I’m very happy that such a low tech solution works so well!
White clover showed up in force after lime & gypsum soil supplements
Last December I applied 500 lbs/acre of agricultural lime to our place.
In March, we put down about 300 lbs/acre of gypsum, and about 0.5 lb/acre of boron. Gypsum has sulphur which is needed in protein, and boron enables the calcium to be used in the plants.
So what did that accomplish?
The grass was sweeter last year. I knew that, because I went around tasting it. I also knew that because I test the pasture juice with a refractometer (and a garlic press). In absolute terms, we still have a long way to go because our brix readings topped out at 6% total dissolved solids. In relative terms, it’s a huge leap because last year we were at 4%. These are low numbers because to animal health really depends on grass with brix above 12, but we are getting there! (more…)
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