The Cultured Home

Squeeze grass juice onto the refractometer to measure Brix.

We’ve got a new tool on the farm–a refractometer!  We aren’t checking grapes for wine harvest-ripeness, but rather the grass for “Total Dissolved Solids” or TDS (for short).

The refractometer gives readings in degrees Brix (°Bx), which corresponds to the % of sugar in the tested liquid (there’s more in there than just sugars, hence the “total dissolved solids” tag).  The higher the number, the sweeter the juice.  Our new instrument was purchased from a friend for $65.  I did a quick test with filtered water and it showed an appropriate 0°, so Abigail and I spent some time Sunday afternoon out testing everything we could think of.

Dr. Dettloff demonstrated this for us during his seminar day, and Kathy and I were running all over the farm collecting samples of grass for testing.   He carried a vise-grip specially modified with a stainless steel  “beak” that collects and directs the drops of expelled sap to its tip for collection.  He explained how a farm needs to get his pasture up to above 10° Brix, in order to keep his animals healthy and strong. read more »

Cow's milk with an inch of cream on top. Photo courtesy of www.alwayshungryny.com

We planned on letting the calf have all of the cow’s milk for the first three weeks, but life got a little busy, and we ended up giving it some extra days.  Last Friday evening though, it was time for us to change the routine, and we penned “Abel” (a-bull) the bull calf up for the night.

Saturday morning came and Kathy woke up at 5:30 to the sound of Maureen and Abel calling to each other.  She hopped out of bed and moved Maureen from her long pasture tether over to a short rope tied to a nearby alder tree.    That tree is now her “milking stand”.

Kathy told me that Maureen did a bit of dancing that first day, but she learns routines fast and is now standing nicely.  (Hooray for a smart cow!)  The first milking was mostly for training, and yielded about 2 cups of milk.

We have a once-a-day milking routine at our place.  The kid goats and the the calf get penned up at night and are given back to their moms after milking is finished in the morning.  The milk production we lose is made up for by the health of the young animals, and an easier chore routine.

On Saturday we got a a key pointer from a cousin in New Mexico who has done this before.  She suggested that we let the calf suckle for a short time to help the cow let down her milk.  It does make a big difference with how fast the milk comes, and the “hind” milk the comes down is supposed to have a little more cream content.  Perhaps most important is the Mo knows that her calf is OK, and settles in to chew her cud.  Kathy has also learned to lean her shoulder into Mo, so the cow has a clear sense of Kathy’s location.  This morning Kathy brought in a little over a quart of milk, and we expect that to continue to increase some as the routine gets established.

The milk itself is delicious, and it is a treat to have cream.  Maureen is only getting the grass off the pasture right now–it’s a mix of colonial bentgrass & common velvet grass growing on mediocre soil.  Neither of these grasses are really good forages, but it’s the best the soil can do at this point.  These weak soils are one of the main reasons we chose to buy a Dexter cow–they can do well even with less than ideal forage.   If the milk is good from this grass, I can’t wait until “Mo” is mowing our better soil!

This mound of thatching ants is 4 years old

“You better spray those ants, or they will destroy your house!”   I heard this from Vince, the man who was working on our barn repairs back in 2006.  It didn’t seem like the right thing to do, so I procrastinated.

The ants had just started collecting twigs into a small hill by our driveway, and they were a long way from the house.  I decided it would be good to learn a little bit about them first–just in case.

It turns out that thatching ants don’t like to live in houses after all.  They build their own, so they have no reason to move into mine.  What I found was some references about how they “farm” aphids to collect the honeydew as food.  There were also a couple comments about them being predators of grasshoppers and beetles.   Personally, I think there is more to it than that, because we don’t have many grasshoppers, beetles, or aphids.   That ant hill is next to a cedar tree, and I’ve never seen an aphid on a cedar tree before.

The thatching ant: Formica Obscuripes

Our original anthill is in the middle of a pasture, and has probably been there for 10 years.  It used to be on the edge of the blackberries, but the bushes are gone now.  Its easy to tell where it is because the grass grows HUGE next to that busy ant farm.  I’m not surprised the grass is happy–the ants’ home is a well maintained pile of mulch.

The kids found a 3rd ant hill just last week.  It’s closer to the house, right by the edge of another cedar tree.  It’s so tiny you can easily miss it, but we check on it often.  The spot they chose to build is on poor soil, and I’ll be glad to have them mulch it for me.  I’m glad it’s there.

I’ll bet there will be a lush ring of grass surrounding that new ant hill next year.

Thatching ants are sometimes referred to as “mound” ants because some species construct mounds from small sticks, grass stems, leaves, and pine or fir needles. They may also nest in decayed logs. Under most circumstances, thatching ants should be considered beneficial, since they are fierce predators of other insects.

Washington State University Extension Bulletin #0929

An audience of 200 people watched me catch the bees

Tuesday evening was fun.

Joel had his soccer practice right after dinner, and the other kids came along with me to enjoy a pleasant evening in the park.   I was kicking the ball with Samuel when Kathy called my phone to relay a “swarm call”.  She said “You need to get this one, and you need to go NOW!”

A swarm of bees had flown through the Cub Scout’s day camp near Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, and was perched on a maple tree branch over their archery range.  The camp director was very happy to see me when I arrived, and immediately asked if I could wait about 20 minutes so the boys could watch.  That’s a question a homeschool parent will never turn down!

After the Scout’s closing ceremony, everyone was moved over to the archery range, and sat down on the grass about 40 feet from the bees.  I gave a 5 minute talk about the bees, explained what was happening and how I was going to take them home with me.  I answered a handful of questions, then zipped on my veil and climbed up the step ladder under the tree.

Everyone was silent as I trimmed the twigs, and raised the box up to the cluster of honey bees.  A quick shake of the branch made them all fall neatly in.  It couldn’t have been a better performance!  I left the box on the ladder for any flying bees to enter, and returned to the applauding croud.   The camp director later told me she had never had so many boys silent for that long.

The boys got a memorable lesson about bees, I got another hive going, and it felt like I accomplished something significant for the day.  

I think it must be time to make a change and get away from my cubicle job, so I can make every day’s work be meaningful like this.

Friends help mulch our potato bed

Kathy has a work-study program with selected music studio students who are a great help with our farm & garden work.  They get a discount on lesson tuition, and we get some extra help around the farm.  I think its a great deal for all of us.  Last week’s tasks kept the crew busy in the garden.

Our garden continues to grow.  Last week the garden crew pulled out the old lettuce and bok choy plants which had bolted with the approaching summer weather.  They also weeded the potato bed and covered the emerging tubers with about 6 inches of straw.  The potatoes are growing especially well–next year I’ll put in more of them!

I would love to recruit a burley farm intern or volunteer who is 6′ 2″ and 200 lbs to help haul, split & stack firewood and dig post-holes!  Are there any takers out there?

English Plantain is a common lawn weed

I’ve liked plantain for quite a while.

The animals eat it, it grows a deep root into poor soil, stops bee stings from hurting, and is a good wormer to help fight off parasites.   There are two common varieties around here; Broadleaf Plantain, and English Plantain.  It quickly appears in places where bare soil needs protection.

Last year I did a scythe demonstration where I cut a wheelbarrow load of plaintain in about 30 seconds.  I then rolled this over to the goat pen where the animals quickly gobbled it up.

The hot dry summer weather that hits us in July and August doesn’t slow down this plant much because its deep root can reach down to pull moisture and nutrients the grasses miss.  This means it’s green and lush when the “summer slump” has made much of the grass go dormant.

I remember that my mom always put mashed up plantain on my bee stings.  Since I was a kid at the time, I never thought anything of it…until I started keeping my own beehives.  I’ve been stung about 4-5 times this summer, and I am now convinced about how much this little plant can stop the sting from hurting!   It’s one of the little “just in case” things I look for when I go out to collect bees when someone calls about a swarm in their yard.

Broadleaf plantain: beesting remedy & pasture forage

On Saturday I learned another reason why I like this plant.  The family and I were giving a farm tour while the attendees were coming in for our Holistic Farming Seminar, when Dr. Paul Dettloff joined us.  One of the first things he pointed out was: “look at all this plantain!  Nathan, do you know what this is good for?”  (Samuel and I were moving duck pens near a grass & weed covered gravel drive behind the barn, and there was a lot of plantain there.)    I said I liked it because it is grows in poor soil, and the goats & chickens eat it.  He went on to explain how plantain is a good wormer for cows, goats, & sheep.

Dr. Paul later said how a grazing animal should eat 100 different kinds of plants every 5 days in order to stay healthy.   I’m glad that I’ve got this little weed growing around here!

Dr. Paul Dettloff

There were 27 people who came out and joined us for Dr Dettloff’s presentation Saturday.   I will type up the notes about local resources which we compiled throughout the day, and distribute them to those who joined us.

The group was very interested in the topics, and our farm backdrop helped illustrate many of the topics we went over.  I hope to host Dr. Dettloff again next year!

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This swarm is on crossed branches 20 ft. above a busy sidewalk in Issaquah, WA.

Yesterday was beautiful, and my cubicle job gave me a rare chance to spend the afternoon outside visiting a cell site.

I got the swarm call just as I was finishing up for the day. There was a swarm of bees hanging in a tree over Front St. in downtown Issaquah. I suspected it might be a little tricky when Monica, who works at the art gallery next to the tree told me: “Oh yeah, you’ll need a ladder.”

After stopping at home for some supplies and dinner (It’s good Kathy feeds me when I’m thinking about other things–smart woman!), I left for Issaquah with my two girls (age 3 & 9) to see what the swarm was like.

The bees had chosen a branch on a tall black locust tree 20 feet above a busy sidewalk in downtown Issaquah.  Hmmmm…..  I spoke with one of the shops for the building owner’s phone number, and I left a message asking permission for me to go up on the roof.  Somehow, in spite of Monica’s warning, I had left the ladder at home.  The missing ladder sealed it–I decided it would be too difficult and returned home; but still wondered if  I could reach the swarm the nearby roof.

The owner did give me the okay to go on the roof, and I returned later in the evening as the sun was going down with a large insect net on the end of a long pole. I’m glad I set up a bunch of orange warning cones on the sidewalk below, because only a portion of the bees went into the net. The rest went *splat* on the sidewalk, and I spent the next hour coaxing the remaining bees into my swarm catching box while talking with the bartender from across the street who came out to see my project.

I’m counting this collection in the success column, although I’ll have second thoughts about proceeding next time the swarm is in a busy public location. I’m glad it wasn’t rush hour!