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12/04/2007: "Winter Updates"

You know it must be winter time when the beets look so lovely! For the last two winters, Nate has been planting me large amounts of beets. This year I've been trying to limit how many beets I eat, but they are so beautiful and tasty, I just can't help it!


We had our first major storm of the year. The creek is now all filled up and our little pond full of frogs. The wild ducks are starting to come back and utilize the dry corn in the neighbor's field. We didn't lose power in this set of storms, nor any trees. We'll see what else comes through this winter!


The cow calf operation have been outside on the grass all year. One thing we love about this breed, the Dexter, is that they are light enough to stay out on the moist ground without compacting or tearing up the soil. The ground shows no damage from the two cows being in a paddock for 3-4 days at a time. Nate moves them regularly, and the only evidence of their stay is a nicely grazed patch of land.


Rainbow is a fat little butterball. Nate moves her into her own paddock every morning so that Aura has a chance to produce milk for us to take. And Rainbow certainly doesn't need it! Nate is considering raising the next calf by hand, rather than with her mother. But she's a nice little critter and we enjoy playing with her. The cow and calf have been weathering the weather nicely, but we'll be preparing ot move them into the cowshed soon anyways. The major rains will saturate the ground, and any disturbance will send the topsoil into the creek. It's also a little cold in January! But we have to figure out the fate of the pig before we move them.


Pig is getting up over the 150 lb range. He's still very friendly, and active. Not at all the "sloth" image I have held of pigs. We'd have liked him to have put on a bit more weight than he has, but we're not going to complain. Our debate right now is that we're running out of food for him, and we don't want to buy factory made pork chow. How much effort are we willing to put into procuring food for our food? Pig may meet his end before the new year, though we had planned on growing him out until late January. We've found that though he is a very easy keeper, providing enough good food for a pig requires more food on our part!


I had to include this picture. It's a licorice fern, Polypodium glycyrrhiza. It tastes just like licorice! I had not seen it out on the farm, but we found a plant a few weeks ago. When Nate and I were first getting to know each other, we would often take a walk together after our classes. On one of these first walks, Nate reached up into a tree, grabbed a hunk of fern and started munching on it. I took the pro-offered rhizome with trepidation as he chewed away with a smile. I finally took a nibble, and surprise! It tasted just like licorice! Needless to say, I was smitten by a man that could find licorice in a tree.


Yesterday was my first day back at the farm in well over a week. My finals take place over two weeks, and for the week of preparation I elected to stay in Eugene instead of making the 55 minute commute twice a day. But as I pulled up to the old farmhouse yesterday, tired from my first exam, a big beautiful rainbow appeared and the first patch of blue sky I've seen in days! What a nice welcome home.