Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!  We had two very happy dogs as they ripped through their presents.  Izzy and Piper ran around the house wagging their tails and squeaking toys.  They then proceeded as normal to de-stuffed the toys and eat the squeakers inside.  Mr. Harvey greatly enjoyed his catnip (as well as the packaging the cat nip came in).  We found him chewing the cardboard with wild eyes.  He also enjoyed the simple things in life...boxes and bags.

 

 

 

After presents we went outside for a cross-country skiing adventure in the back yard.  We managed to not break any bones before returning inside. 

Arriving inside we found Harvey acting like King Sheba, surrounded by all his new toys.  I guess it's a good thing he wasn't expected to share!

 

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!

A Tribute to Milo

Sadly we said good bye to Milo Kitty (also fondly know as "Stinky Cat" by Teresa).  He died yesterday after a good run at life.  Thankfully we've had a week of warm weather and the ground was thawed.  We were able to bury him in his favorite quilt under the plum trees.  Here are a few of our favorite photos of him from over the years. 

Milo in the window.

 Milo's favorite sleeping spots.

 

Heat Wave!

It's an odd feeling to go outside on a December morning and take off your hat and gloves because it feels so warm.  And even MORE strange when I go inside and realize that it's only 20 degrees outside.  Heat wave in Vermont!

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Can't beat a free tree from the yard!

Quite the snow up here!

Woke up for a lovely white Sunday!  More than a foot of snow fell last night, covering everything.  It was still falling lightly when I went out to take care of the animals.

 

 

The pigs had to be dug out of their hut.  It looked like a little igloo home all covered in snow.  They seem to be greatly enjoying rooting around in the snow.  Better than little muddy faces I suppose.

Time to try out the new snow blower!

Best Friends

I like to think they were trying to hold hands!

Ban from the Barn

Today marks a very significant day in the life of the pigs: After many days of pig herding (with much help from the dogs), the pigs will no longer be taking joy-strolls through the yard.  After researching our dilemma of runaway pigs, it appears pigs can stay OUTSIDE in the winter.  In fact, it seems like they might do better out in the fresh Vermont winter air.  This morning we walked the pigs out to their pen one last time!   

 

As usual...Eric "rubbing the bacon".

 

How to Cook a Rooster

The 2nd Annual "We grow it, you eat it" Thanksgiving was a huge success.  We had 10 people gathered around the table enjoying foods from our garden (squash, green beans, beets, apples, pumpkin, potatoes) and coop (namely Silver, the rooster, in a delicious risotto dish).  Leading up to Thanksgiving we were presented with the challenge of how to cook a rooster so that it wasn't tough and dry.  After much searching, we realized not much information exists.  So this is my best attempt at summarizing up the cooking.

Silver met his end last Sunday, after which he was quickly plucked and cleaned.  I placed him in the crock pot, covered it with plastic wrap and put him in the refrigerator to simply sit.  This step is similar to soaking an old bird in brine, since the sitting of meat allows it to soften slightly.  On Wednesday morning, I cut up an onion and placed it on the bottom of the crock pot.  In a small bowl, I mixed 1 tsp. thyme, 2 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  This mixture was sprinkled on top of the rooster.  The crock pot was left on high for 4 hours, then turned to low for another 3 hours.  The meat fell right off the bone, which was perfect for putting it in the risotto.   Next year we hope to have a self-raised turkey and I think I will still season it the same way.  The meat was quite tasty!

On a funny note, I have been finding piles of feather strewn throughout the house.  Apparently as I plucked chicken feathers, little Harvey kitten was taking mouthfuls and hiding them places!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Cold Day Mish-mosh

It has been a busy two-ish weeks since our last post.  There has been a flurry of activity here as we have been preparing for the arrival of winter.  The gardens are all settled in until spring.  We planted several pounds of garlic and mulched the beds with straw.  There are also some hardy greens planted under some low tunnels.  The low tunnels are something of an experiment that hopefully yields some early salad in the spring.  Fingers are crossed that they work out, no thanks to Harvey who gladly put a hole in some of the row covering within five minutes of them being placed.  The animals are also tucked in for the winter.  The early stages of a high tunnel are also now complete.  Come spring, we will convert some chain link fence posts into a 12 x 40 foot production structure.  We hope that the chickens can maintain their excellent egg production through the winter.  Silver the rooster met a peaceful end this morning in preparation for Thanksgiving.  We mourn his loss but are grateful for his sacrifice.  The pigs are growing like gangbusters.  They have been enjoying all manner of different snacks in addition to their standard ration.  They eagerly consume several apples a day and have sampled many different vegetables and even peanut butter cookies and apple crisp.  Cutting, splitting, moving, and stacking firewood has also become somewhat of a hobby.  The rather large pile of logs that was delivered in late summer is now considerably smaller.  We should have at least two to three winters of firewood stacked under cover and ready to warm us by next year.  In the meantime, I had a cord and a half of dry wood delivered which is now stacked in the barn.  All of that needed to be finished before things freeze up and we get covered in snow.  I think that happened today.  We have had sustained temperatures in the 20s with gusty winds and there are two inches of white stuff on the ground.  With all of that hard work done, we can relax by the wood stove and plan for our upcoming adventures.  Maybe we will soon get some more snow to play in?

What a Mess!

Went out to give the pigs some leftover lentil soup.  Started pouring it from the blender when a riot of excitement broke out and yup...poured lentil soup all over Penelope's head.  What a mess!

Princess Dresses for the Nieces

 

Today I finished making princess dresses for the nieces.  I made them extra big so the girls would have many years of playing dress-up in them before they outgrow them.  The exciting news is there are 4 other tiny princesses here or on the way for me to make EVEN MORE DRESSES for!!!   

SNOW!!!

What a surprise to wake up this morning to a blanket of fresh, white snow!  Little Harvey ventured out into the snow for the first time and seemed surprisingly content. 

The pigs paid no attention to the snow.

 

 

The chickens, however, did not seem to enjoy their first snowfall.  I opened the pen and instead of running out into the yard as usual, they all stood huddled around the door, clucking, as if discussing the strange white coating outside their coop.  Some of them picked at the snow, while others simply cocked their heads to and fro.  They finally ventured out into the yard, but stayed close to the barn where the snow hadn't stuck.  By mid-afternoon all the snow had melted and life on Silver Hill Farm was back to normal, but it was a fun morning just the same.

Hide-and-Go-Seek

This morning I went out to the pigs to give them their morning snack before leaving for work.  Normally the girls are waiting for me at the gait snorting gaily, waiting to eat. 

This morning, I was met with silence.

 I poked around in their hay - no pigs.

I called to the girls - no pigs.

I walked up the hill and searched their pen - no pigs. 

I went back into the barn to check their stall - no pigs.

At this point, panic sets in.  I lost the pigs!  I'm leaving the barn wondering where the two could have possibly run off to and I hear a rustling of leaves and the familiar sound on grunting.  PIGS!  The girls were simply hiding in the leaves....or sleeping, but I prefer to think it was a fun game.  Found you!  I win! 



100% Productivity!

The past few days we've been having a debate after collecting our eggs.  We've had 7 eggs consistently.  The two conclusions we reached were either (A) one hen was not yet laying, or (B) two hens were on an every-other-day schedule.  Today, the laying boxes were full all morning, and I had to laugh as two hens tried to squeeze into one box.  The remaining ladies stood below, patiently awaiting their turns, clucking away as if to cheer the other hens on.  I went out early today, since there was such busy activity this morning, and found 8 eggs!  I was quickly reminded that I am officially way too into my chickens as I congratulated the girls for a job well done.  So as of today, we are officially at 100% productivity!

And so it begins...

Once again, our first flurries appear in October!

Mini Bacon

We weighed the pigs tonight with much squealing and kicking.  The results are as follows:

Penelope - 41 pounds

Willow - 45 pounds

This will be the first and last weigh in!!!

Big Pigs

The pigs are continuing to grow.  They are now free to roam of a large outdoor space in the woods and are enjoying rooting through the ferns and leaves.  I brought home a scale so we can weigh them.  Any guesses?

 

 

 

 

The hens are laying 4-6 eggs a day now.  We're so proud!  Silver has taken up charging us when we enter the pen with his neck feathers all fluffed.  I've had a talon or two fly my way as well.  Aggressive little booger. 

Only one more month my friend, so enjoy it while you can!

Saturday Morning on the Farm

Ahhh, another beautiful morning on the farm...

 

 The girls are enjoying a sunny morning outside.  This morning they followed Teresa from the barn right into the pen, no squealing or fuss.  It probably helped that she had their breakfast in hand to lure them.  Lets hope the trip back in tonight is as uneventful!

Harvey learns a lesson

Poor little Harvey got into a bees nest.  We heard a loud crash from the woods (not sure if it was Harvey jumping from the tree or a branch/nest crashing down), but he came running full speed ahead out of the woods.  He ran all the way across the field, onto the porch and still arrived with one bee on his back.  He seemed so very upset (but I guess I'd be upset too if I'd been stung).  Good lesson to learn.  Leave the bees alone!

What came first, the chicken or the omelet?

Recently we enjoyed delicious breakfast omelets from our first farm-fresh eggs.  There's something very satisfying about finding an egg in the nest box.  Teresa seems to have the luck of finding all of the eggs, but Eric managed to capture one of the hens laying an egg!

 

 We pressed another 1 1/2 gallons of cider and are greatly enjoying it.  The pigs continue to grow.  They spent their first day outside yesterday digging up the woods.  They were squealing with delight all afternoon long.  Piper enjoyed sitting by the fence.  Every now and then the piglets would wander over, touch noses with her, her tail would wag ferociously, and then they'd go right back to digging. 

These special trees oink!

Most husbands surprise their wives with lavish trips or sparkling diamonds, however, mine is a little unique.  We headed out Saturday morning for maple trees from a nursery in Royalton, VT.  The trees here are in full color and the drive was beautiful.  As we arrived onto the dirt road, Eric tells me the trees we're getting are unique..."they oink".  To my surprise we pull into a small farm where piglets await!  My dream has come true and I am now the proud owner of two baby piglets, Willow and Penelope.  The girls had a noisy and smelly, hour long ride home in the Subaru.  Go Subaru, go!

 

 

 

The girls are settling in well and enjoying their food, but what can I say....they're PIGS!

Vermont 50



Sunday was the VT 50, one of two ultra marathons (the VT 100 being the other) that we have within a ten minute drive of our house.  I can not imagine that there are too many folks that can say that for themselves and almost felt obligated to participate.  Combine absolutely perfect weather, stunning scenery, and a network of excellent trails and you have a recipe for a great day to run 50K.  I also had the benefit of running with my coworker Bethany, an experienced and accomplished ultra runner.  Without her company, it definitely would have been a much tougher day.  We certainly did not light the course on fire but it was very enjoyable, nonetheless.  It was also quite delightful to see Teresa at the last aid station located at mile 29 where she was a volunteer.

In Goes the Apple, out Comes the Cider!

We had a great day of apple cider-making on Saturday.  It took us a good four hours.  We discovered the apples press much better if grounded into a pulp and were able to get over a gallon of cider from the apples we pressed.  We placed it in the freezer to enjoy for Thanksgiving.  Mr. Harvey kept us entertained by climbing up and down the nearby trees.  He reminds me of a little bear scampering up the tree, then shimmying his way back down. 

We also harvested the gourds.  Over 50 gourds were picked and they continue to serve as wonderful decorations.



Fall is here.

This has been a beautiful week of blue skies and cool weather.  The leaves are changing colors, adding to the feeling of fall.  Teresa decorated the porch with pumpkins and gourds from the garden.  The apples have been falling from the tree like crazy.  We're getting overloaded with apple sauce and are now saving up apples to make some apple cider.  We acquired Teresa's family heirloom apple press from the 1800's this year and are excited to put it to work (photos to come). 

Eric's been busy all week cutting wood and working in the garden.  He planted a garden bed for the winter with kale, beets, lettuce, carrots, and garlic.  The next project is to build the low tunnels to keep the frost out.  We also dug up 30-40 pounds of potatoes this week!  Our farm keeps right on chugging along.

We got an egg!!!!

The Adventures of Big Daddy and Hot Pocket

We're back from celebrating our 5th anniversary in Maine.  We had a really great time and managed to spend most of the time hiking beautiful trails.  The 5 Lakes Lodge Bed and Breakfast was perfect with an incredible view out our bedroom window.



We saw squirrels, toads, beavers, and turkeys, but alas, not a single moose.  Better luck next time!

 

 

Hiking Mount Katahdin and canoeing in Baxter State Park.

 

  

Hiking at the Gulf Hagas and enjoying the many waterfalls.

Garden 2013 Update

Now that summer is almost over, it is time for a belated garden report.  Watermelons are still deciding whether to ripen and the great zucchini avalanche is coming to an end.  The basil smells delicious, peppers are going strong, and the cabbage is about done.  We have so many green beans that we don't know what to do with them.  We should soon be in the same boat with late ripening tomatoes.  We should have a good fall with lots of pumpkins, squash, gourds, and potatoes.  As you can see below, the sunflowers are growing tall.  

If all goes well, we should soon have some extra veggies growing for fall, winter, and next spring thanks to some new advancements here at Silver Hill.  More on that later

If all of that were not enough, there is some firewood to cut...about 7-8 cords straight from the log truck to be exact.  It is going to be a busy fall.

Call the fireman!!

Get out the ladders and call the fireman.... 

 

Harvey has a new hobby!