I am sitting outside at a cafe in Austin, Texas. I have been in Oklahoma and Texas visiting family and friends for the holidays. It is hard to imagine how cold it is on the farm. I left right after the first big snowstorm of the season. We got about a foot of snow and the farm was instantly transformed into a winter wonderland. The sheep seem to really love it. They have their wonderful wooly coats to insulate them. The sheep (and donkey and llama) have a moveable hut where they can seek shelter from the elements, but they often choose to spend their time outside of it. We started them on hay, but we hope to get them back to grazing soon. For the past month or so the sheep have been grazing on Hearty Roots' cover crops. They started on the oats and peas and we plan on moving them to the winter rye soon. This is a great collaborative effort between our two farms. We are thrilled to be able to keep the sheep grazing as long as possible and Hearty Roots is thrilled to get the nutrients from the manure and urine.

The laying hens weren't so sure about the snow. The first morning after the snow, not a single chicken had ventured out of their house. I brought some food to them and lured them out a bit, but they were not too sure about all the snow. Owen and I shoveled a path to their feeder for them and figured the curious creatures would begin exploring their new environment soon.

It has been so nice to soak up some warm weather and some longer days, but I am looking forward to getting back to the animals. It is amazing how things can change in just a little bit of time. A big shout out to Owen for picking up the slack while I have been away. Hopefully he will be vacationing soon.

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that 2009 brings more local flavor and goodness to everyone.

Breeding season has begun. We put the rams in with the ewes on Monday, December 1st. We now are running three groups of sheep: a group of ewe lambs that will not be bred, and two separate groups of ewes with a different ram in each group. The rams will stay in with the ewes for the month of December which should ensure that each ewe goes through two estrus cycles. When the ewe is in heat she will allow the ram to mount her. When she is not in heat, she runs away from him very quickly. It is immediately obvious who is in heat and who is not!
Sheep gestation period is 147 days. We breed them now so that the lambs will be born in May. The lambs are born outside, on pasture and we want it to be fairly warm and for there to be plenty of grass for them and the mommas when they come into the world. I am already excited for lambing season. When I look back at the pictures of the lambs, I can't believe how amazingly cute they were.

In other news, we have a new guard llama. He is very alert and very exotic. He is currently on duty with the ewe lambs and one breeding group. I will get some pictures up soon. He doesn't have a name yet, and we are very open to suggestions!

Coming next week: 400 Black Sex Link chickens. Our laying herd should be 600 hens strong next year which means eggs a plenty.

I am making a newfound commitment to this blog! Winter is here and things are slowing down significantly at the farm, but Owen and I are busier than ever planning for next season. The big question we are trying to answer is how to make this farm support us financially. All things considered we had a great first season: we delivered delicious, high quality food to a number of happy customers. We sold hundreds of dozens of eggs with some of the most beautiful yolks I have ever seen. These eggs have made me a huge fan of poaching as it really showcases their flavor, texture, and appearance. We sold close to 600 meat chickens that were roasted and grilled and fried by folks all over the Hudson Valley and in Brooklyn. We had 10 lambs butchered and people are enjoying their various cuts and will continue to do so throughout the winter. Today we took our wool to be turned into yarn and roving and we are anticipating the luxurious lambskins that will soon arrive at my doorstep. We worked very hard tending to the animals, managing the pastures, and trying to take care of ourselves. And now we must figure out how to make it sustain us. We look forward to next season, raising more animals, managing our pasture better, and producing top quality food that we feel proud to sell. Stay tuned to the website for news about next year, how to order, and where to find us.

For now, get ready to see us at the Red Hook Winter Farmer's Market on December 13.

And enjoy this delightful article about some Awesome Farm chickens that have resettled in the Bronx, proving that country chickens can indeed become city chickens:

http://repohl.blogspot.com/2008/11/chicken-therapy-for-soul.html

Keep supporting local farms and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!
KayCee

Roasted, with citrus stuffing










Roasted whole with garlic scapes, sage and
lemon under the skin















Pan seared, then braised with mole sauce






Pieces battered in flour and spices and fried in
peanut oil

Wow. What a week. We slaughtered 160 chickens for our first chicken distribution. We're new to the mechanics of slaughtering, and our equipment is low-tech, so we had two long days of chicken slaughtering and processing. It was a success, though, and we've been getting smashing reviews of the chickens.

Our process:
Take a chicken.
Cut its throat with a sharp knife.
Scald the chicken is a pot of hot water. This loosens the feathers.
Take off the feathers on the feather picker.
Cut off the feet, take out the guts, give it a rinse, and . . .
Cool the chicken in ice water.

Special thanks to everyone that helped out, including Basha, Craig, Tracy, Cara, Sean and Luke (the latter two are not pictured).


Remains of the day . . .

This is a brief version of the Awesome Farm story.

A while ago . . .

The grass is green and quite plentiful now. The sheep are now on the go. We are moving them every couple of days to a fresh area where they can eat loads of chlorophyll laden yumminess.
It is amazing to see the difference between where the sheep just were and the new area where they will begin to graze. Monday we moved the fence and the sheep instantly began mawing the green grass that was under where the fence had been. They enjoy hanging out under their shady hut during the warmest parts of the day and spending mornings, evenings, and even night time grazing.



Our newest ram lamb! He and his twin sister were born on Thursday, April 17th. He is white and she is black; their momma is brown.










Sneak Preview of the next post: A Tribute to Seamus McGinty, our guard donkey!