More of the Organic Farm Tour

I was so busy asking questions yesterday, I did not take enough photos.  However, my daughter (one of them) did.  Check them out at her blog:
Live as a Teen Farmgirl

Organic Farm Tour

We just got back from touring Lindsey Graham's Organic Farm.  He 100% grass feeds and pasture feeds his animals.  

Meet "Ruby" the Farm watchdog.  Hazel is around our feet, where you can't see her, and getting some lovin'.

Here are two heritage breed hogs.  These are gilts, and the one in the back is due to give birth soon.

Here, owner Lindsey Graham, shows us around the pasture.  He explained how to properly grass feed the cattle, and move them from one area to another.  Here is shows us a "tractor" used to house the turkeys.  We ordered our Thanksgiving turkey today also.

Here are the cattle, which preferred to remain inside due to the heat today.

Here is a close up of a turkey.  They are being moved from their coop to out in the pasture today, according to the owner.  They look a lot like a meat chicken, but with a longer neck.


Graham Farms/Omega Meats, offered us this free tour, and insists that his customers come out as well.  I went home with 2 lbs. of his bacon.  I can't wait to taste it.  I guess the pork tenderloin is so good, and has the perfect balance of good fat, that I have to be put on a waiting list for a few.  


It was nice for another farmgirl friend to join us in our tour.  We later visited The Ludwig Mill, and General Store.  We sat in rockers on the front porch and cooled off with some Italian ice and ice cream.

The scene from the porch was so relaxing and beautiful.

While leaving, we watched the canal boat pull in.

The canal boat is pulled by mules, alongside on land.

The ride there and back, through the countryside, was also relaxing.  We saw many photo opportunities and actually stopped once to photograph this old barn.

If you look in the center area of the photo, we were greeted by goats, that suddenly appeared after we stopped.

Zucchini Facials, Weeding, Canning, Chickens, and Goat Tricks

The zucchini facials we did were fantastic. If you are trying to save money on expenses, but still want to do something special for yourself, you really should try it.  We have extra made up, and keep it in the refrigerator.  I am having another facial done tonight.  After these very hot days in the garden, my face deserved it.

Makin' Progress

Enjoying Tatting

I took my tatting to the dentist appointment this morning.  It's now about a foot long.   It was fun to use my sitting time practicing it.  There was one gentlemen there, taking numerous looks at what my hands were doing.  Maybe I will inspire someone to tat, or once I'm much better at it, offer lessons at our historical center. 

It is so fun!  I can't wait to learn more.  I checked my handy dandy bookshelf, and found I had a book on Tatting.  I must have purchased it at a book sale, as it is a discarded library book from another city.  It was written in 1979 by a woman in Iowa.  Most of the photos inside the book are in black and white, but have instructions as well.  

I also have the tatting needle instructions from Mary Jane's Stitching Room book.  As soon as I finish this chain (3 feet), I will move on to learning more.

As I sit and type this update, my two older daughters are outside, teaching our younger goat tricks - hilarious to watch.  She sure does love those goat treats.   She is doing circles on the top of a stump.  I am sure there will be some updates on my 14 year-old daughter's blog soon.

The weather is a teensy bit cooler and I have not yet checked the garden.  I am sure there is a few zucchini's out there.  Speaking of zucchini, my girls had a "Pamper Party" last night.  They made a facial mask with my last zucchini, and they pampered themselves.  If my duaghter does not blog the recipe herself (the one mentioned above), I will try to get it posted.  Tonight, it's my turn to have a zucchini facial. 

Garden update:  I visited my garden and UGH.  Weeds, weeds and weeds.  Next year we are doing more newspaper or plastic.  Each year it gets bigger too.  In 2 1/2 hours, and with the help of my 14 year-old daughter, we can now see our onions, some green beans, the peas drying on the string fence we made, and I can now see my broccoli (even brought some in tonight).  We have not made a "dent" in the garden weeds.  Tomorrow, and possibly the next 3-4 days, I will be in the garden.  However, I do see more cucmbers that need picked tomorrow.  

More cucumbers mean more canning, and I have 3-day pickles soaking for canning tomorrow.  I'm not sure how to fit this all in, but somehow we will.

Now.....if I could just get time to get a fence around my strawberries.  My barred rocks are having a hay-day in my strawberry patch.  Grrr! 

I'm looking forward to a zucchini facial. 

Needle Tatting

Last winter I attempted to teach myself how to tat.  Just as I did with knitting, I bought a "how to" kit to start, and hated it.  So, I went to the local craft store and purchased my very own tatting needles.

Cucumbers and Zucchini

I sliced up yet more cucumbers for another batch of 3-day pickles. 

 
I also canned 2 more jars of zucchini relish (Thank you Candy!  We love your recipe).  Our green peppers are coming in fast with all this rain.  However, the rain is killing off a few zucchini plants and cucumbers.

I picked 2 nice sized Kohlrabi, which will make another nice garden Frittata.