Saturday 31 January 2015

A day of discovery...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 31

Today we took nineteen kids on a day of discovery. Thanks to a grant from FCC we were able to take all the kids in our 4H club to the Food and Farm Research Centre just south of Winnipeg. 

Many of the kids live in towns and have not given much thought to where their food comes from. They were able to explore how pigs and dairy cows are raised, ground their own flour to make bread and explored the eggs-citing world of chickens! 

Friday 30 January 2015

Friday is date night on the Farm!



FFF Photo a Day - Day 30


It's Friday night and date night on the farm. Farmer Phil and I are enjoying a fire, some fondue and fun on the farm!

Thus, a short post to wish you the best weekend possible. Hope everyone gets a chance to spend time with their loved ones (preferably in front of a fire)! 

Thursday 29 January 2015

Silly chickens!


FFF Photo a Day - Day 29

Our laying hens spend the cold months in the barn. We feed them using these feeders that we suspend from the ceiling. This prevents them from tipping them over and spilling all the feed. 

We usually put a lid on the top of the feeder to prevent them from flying in... as you can see, if you don't they tend to use it as a place to lay! 

They also don't know how to take turns so you will often find two or three trying to cram in to the same nesting spot! Silly chickens! 

Wednesday 28 January 2015

No kidding!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 28

Last year on this day we were very busy. We were welcoming some new baby goats in the midst of a very cold winter. We hadn't been expecting them.. 

This is what happens when you don't keep your gates firmly closed! 

It was busy and rewarding but we definitely aren't sorry we are not facing that this year! 

But needed a dose of cuteness today so here they are! 

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Winter's paint brush


FFF Photo a Day - Day 27 

This morning we woke up to pure loveliness! 

It was like winter had painted each individual surface with crystallized paint! 

As I went around to take some pictures I was spellbound at how beautiful it all was! 

Enjoy! 

Monday 26 January 2015

Blood, sweat and tears - and blisters!


 
FFF Photo a Day - Day 26 

This picture is worth a lot of blood, sweat and tears! We used to have a ready source of wood from a relative's wooded lot! All the wood we could haul! It was great!

But now we keep our ear to the ground and listen for talk of clearing trees or lots where we might be able to get some free wood! 

We've been lucky over the past few years and have a good supply of aged wood ready to go. This Thanksgiving weekend we rented a log splitter and split everything we could over three days. 

Felt good to get it done but not so good at the same time! 

Sunday 25 January 2015

Rhythms and routines



FFF Photo a Day - Day 25

Raising animals and growing your own food keeps you in touch with the rhythms of the day, seasons and year. 


You eat seasonally, sleep and wake according to the sun and your day is punctuated with soothing routines such as gathering eggs, milking and feeding and watering animals.  

It is this strong connection or grounded-ness that I love deeply about how and where we are blessed to live. 

Saturday 24 January 2015

Homemade goodness


FFF Photo a Day - Day 24 

The winter brings a little bit of a slow down in the farm work and allows us to relax a bit and play around in the kitchen using all the wonderful bounty from the farm. 

This week we tried making homemade crackers to eat with our goat cheese. They turned out pretty good even if a bit overdone. 

Trick is to roll the dough as thin a possible and watch the carefully as they go from being not done to overdone in an instant! 

Friday 23 January 2015

Ready for 4H camp


FFF Photo a Day - Day 23


Truck is packed and some of us are on our way for camp. Cue camp songs loud and out of key. 

Hopefully those staying home find the chickens that went exploring outside the henhouse on this warm winter day.

Thursday 22 January 2015

Let it snow!


FFF Photo a Day - Day 22


Never thought we would be wishing for snow after last winter! 

While moisture is a concern in all seasons, we are particularly worried this year. 

This fall was a dry one for us and half way through the winter, we are still seeing bare or partially covered fields. If this keeps up we will be dry this spring. 

Besides the potential for dry conditions in the upcoming growing season, another concern is for some of the perennials that are currently exposed and yet experiencing drops in temperature of -20C or lower. Our concern is that they may not come back in the spring.

So sing along with me, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Never ending bounty!


FFF Photo a Day - Day 21

You know you are spoiled when you have the opportunity to get tired of fresh produce directly from the garden. 


At this time of year we still have squash, onions, potatoes and even a few wrinkly tomatoes left from last fall's harvest.

Oh and a tremendous amount of tomatillos that I'm trying to forget about... We had such a bumper crop of tomatillos that I've run out of things to make with them. 

While I whine... it is always an incredible wonder to get a taste of summer in the middle of the cold winter months.

P.S. Anyone want some #$%! tomatillos?!  

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Everyone helps - yes that means you...

 
FFF Photo a Day - Day 20

This weekend featured a regular chore at the farm - hauling wood from the woodpile to the house. We cheated a bit by using the truck to move the majority of the pile given the location of the stack. 

This task is a family affair with everyone pitching in, in some way. We have a wood stove as well as a fire place in the house and right now use wood to supplement our furnace. 

In the past we have heated the house solely with wood. There is not much better than curling up in front of a wood fire on a cold winter night.

Monday 19 January 2015

Catching sunbeams


FFF - Photo a Day - Day 19

It's been pretty cloudy and gloomy lately with only a few brief periods of sun. We were fortunate enough to catch a few sunbeams on the weekend while we made a batch of sun tea. 

Today is 'Blue Monday' - the day of the year which is reportedly when people feel the most down, gloomy or depressed. 

I'm not sure if that is true but I do know that I feel the weight of winter heavy on the soul at this time and need to soak in every sunbeam I can. 

Here's hoping you all catch some sunbeams this week. 

Sunday 18 January 2015

Patiently waiting....


FFF Photo a Day - Day 18

Mid- January on the prairies and all living things are waiting for spring. 

Here you can see our chicken tractors (movable chicken shelters) empty and half buried in snow. 

In the warm months we use these shelters (which simply slide along the grass) to protect the chickens from predators while still providing them with daily fresh pasture to feed on. 

In the winter we line the tractors up along the tree line and put them up on blocks to ensure they don't get stuck in the ice during the spring freeze and thaw cycle. 



Saturday 17 January 2015

Well, hello there!



FFF Photo a Day - Day 17

The other night we didn't close the chicken coop door completely, leaving a small opening near the bottom. 

Thus, this morning when we went out to check on things... this is what greeted us. 

She was making a racket and I swear she was scolding me for not coming earlier! 


Friday 16 January 2015

Cows are like cats...


Day 16 - FFF Photo a Day


You cat people out there, know that whenever you try to do some paperwork, the cat will undoubtedly be around within minutes to lie directly upon it. 

Cows.... or at least Grace (our cow), is like that when you take a camera out. She immediately has to come and stick her nose right in front, fogging up the lens with her breath, often trying to lick it. 

The other day I was scrolling through pictures from the farm and noticed just how many pictures I have that look like this.... 

Thursday 15 January 2015

Jar of Life!

Day 15 - FFF Photo a Day 


During the winter months, it is always hard to get enough fresh veggies, especially when you are on a budget. 

We get our veggies in the depth of winter via our homemade supergreen veggie powder. In the fall during harvest, we dehydrate (either in our dehydrator or simply hanging to dry) and we then grind it all up our blender.

It produces a powder that we can slip into smoothies, stews, meat sauces and other sneaky places. Most of the time no one knows its even in there. 

We call it our jar of life! 

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Everyone loves cheese!

Day 14 - FFF Photo of the Day

Cheese is my chocolate! I am of the opinion that cheese is near enough to being perfect than it gets in the food world! 

We have made a variety of cheeses, from cheddar, to chevre to mozzarella - all with various levels of success. While we are still honing our skills in this area, there is nothing better than the moment when you realize that 'it worked!'. We primarily have worked with our goat milk but hope to move into cow's milk next year as we gain a better supply. 

Here we are making mozzarella which involves working and stretching the hot cheese with your hands - a bit like taffy! Its a bit of a trick to avoid burning your hands but still work the cheese before it cools off! 

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Pecking order


Day 13 - FFF Photo a Day

We raise chickens for meat in the summer months and eggs throughout the year. We bring our hens inside the barn during the really cold winter months. 

A couple of times a day we go out to feed, check their water and gather eggs. When you enter the coop, they come running to peck the snow off your boots! 

Monday 12 January 2015

Meet Gaston


Day 12 - FFF Photo a Day


This is Gaston - our bull calf that was born this past July. He has turned into quite a fur ball and enjoys running around his mom in circles. 

Local folks may have seen him at the AMazeIn Corn in Ste. Adolphe where he hung out for a few months this summer. There he was known as 'Dexter' and enjoyed being spoiled by everyone who came to visit. 

A month ago he managed to get himself hopelessly stuck in the hay feeder and we had to cut him out with the angle grinder. We were pretty worried for a while but he bounced back with no lasting effect. 

For a beastie who is only 6 months old, he's had a eventful life! 

Sunday 11 January 2015

A remedy for the winter blues!


Day 11 - FFF Photo a Day

We are always looking for ways to extend our season and try to bring many of our herbs in over the winter. 

We hang and dry our oregano, parsley and basil and pop our rosemary into pots in front of our sunny southern windows. 

It is wonderful to add fresh rosemary to our meat dishes in the cold winter months. 

When I'm feeling down, I bury my face in our rosemary plant and breathe deep! Instant pick me up!

Saturday 10 January 2015

Connections are important!

Day 10 - FFF Photo of the Day 

Today we went to the first (annual - I hope) Small Farms Manitoba Conference in Oak Bluff. 

Small Farms Manitoba is the brain child of Kalynn Spain who has spent the last 1-2 years meeting and profiling small farmers around the Province and has created a wonderful website that provides a platform for all small farmers to reach their customers. Whether you are looking for great local food to eat or want to find work on a farm, check out the website to easily find what you are looking for. 

The conference was a resounding success, drawing loads of farmers and producers from all over. While there was some great content and much learning, one of the most valuable things about the day was the ability to connect with others that show the same passion and have similar experiences. Farming can be a pretty solitary enterprise unless you make efforts to connect with others. It was great to network, share a great meal and learn some new things. Thanks Kalynn for making it happen!  

Friday 9 January 2015

Motivation...

Day 9 of FFF Photo a Day

Farming is more than a business or even a interesting past time. 

For us farming is and has always been about raising our family in the way we want. A way of knowing, in a very intimate way, of where your food comes from. A way to create a very basic connection for our children with the earth that nourishes them. 

There are many rewards (and challenges) that come with farming. One of the best, is sitting down to a meal such as this one. 

As you sit, you know that the food will be good - not only tasty but healthy. You know that in a very personal and intimate way... that is not possible from a transaction at a supermarket. 

It's what keeps us motivated, its what keeps us going! 

Thursday 8 January 2015

Day 8 - FFF Photo a Day

On our farm we raise goats primarily for milk production. We use milk to make yogurt, cheese and soap - pictured here. 

Contrary to popular belief, I find soap fairly easy to make. Goat's milk soap is creamy and lush but not too soft or mushy. 

Besides milk, you can use a variety of oils such as almond, olive, or coconut oil. We add a small amount of essential oils to our soap to give it a pleasant scent. You can also add tints or colour although I prefer the creamy white that comes from the use of the goat's milk with no additives. 

We use a silicon brownie mold for our soap molds as it makes these tidy, uniform little bars very easily, however there are so many different molds and shapes that you can use. If you are interested in further information on soap making, there are many resources on-line including one of my previous blogs - Soap making - the art of clean.

Wednesday 7 January 2015

We are all going to the dogs!

Day 7 of FFF Photo a Day


This is Avery, fresh from a romp outside as you can tell from her icy beard! She is a Newfie cross and for those that haven't already met her she's a gentle giant who has a need for affection that surpasses any mammal on earth. Once you start petting her she won't let you stop! 

With her heavy coat, Avery loves this weather and can usually be found patrolling the property (or lying in the middle of the road!).  In the summer, she finds the coolest shade she can find and barely moves until the sun goes down. 

Avery has been part of the farm (and our family) for several years now and she does a great job on keeping all predators and deer away from our animals and plants. She co-exists quite nicely with all the other animals on the farm, with the exception of the barn cat, who she seems to love to torment by eating her food and chasing her daily. 

Tuesday 6 January 2015

You reap what you sow....

Day 6 of the FFF Photo a Day

The winter solstice has come and gone and we can now look forward to more and more daylight and the slow march towards spring. At this time of year, all farmers are dreaming of the next season and planning new adventures. For us, that means flipping through the seed catalogs, researching new varieties to grow next year, planning what we will grow where, etc. 

As some of you know, we offer a weekly vegetable box in the summer months through a program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Interested consumers pay in advance for a share of what we grow for 12 weeks. We seed, nurture and grow and then provide a box of wonderful goodies each week to our shareholders. We appreciate this type of connection with our customers as we get to know each one in a more personal way than is possible in a farmers market transaction. Also there is less waste as we know before we seed how many families we are feeding during each season. 

Monday 5 January 2015

Feeling sheepish?


Day Five of our FFF Photo a Day: 


With the weather a bit on the chilly side, we've been bringing some of our projects inside to work on... 

Here you see our sheepskin in progress. These come from a number of sheep we had a few years ago. We've been curing these for quite a while and they are now ready to be washed, carded and stitched together. Eventually, they will be a wonderful mattress topper for our bed! 

This is the first time we have attempted such a project, so we likely have done a number of things wrong... however, that is the way one learns, right?

Sunday 4 January 2015

A Day of Grace

Today's photo features Grace, our Dexter cow (she's the black one) along with her current boyfriend that we affectionately call "The Bull" - (we frequently don't name those animals that aren't likely to be staying long....)  Grace is our current mama cow and has given us two healthy calves so far. Not pictured is Gaston - the bull calf that she gave us last summer.
He's likely hiding in the barn! Dexter is a miniature breed, which means that the cattle are much smaller than your more traditional breeds. They are a good dual purpose animal giving you both meat and dairy. We got into Dexters as it meant we could use the same fencing systems for both our cows and our goats as well as ease of handling. While Grace is a good mom, she is a challenging milker... we are hoping that next summer she will give us a heifer (female) calf that may be a bit more amenable to the task! In the meantime, we will continue our daily negotiation with Grace. 

Saturday 3 January 2015

Even when you don't want to... Day 3 - #FFFPaD


Day 3 of our Photo a Day project features a pair of boots and coveralls.... Philip's boots and coveralls to be exact. On a day in which the temperature reads -43C with the windchill, this images epitomizes the sheer hard work that comes with the rewards of farming. Even on days like these, where others are cancelling activities, staying indoors and hunkering down, farmers still need to slip on their coveralls and boots and make their way out to the barn. Even more so on days like these... where the welfare of the animals on our farm is also a concern in this cold weather. 

One of the things about farming, is the work still needs to be done... even when its too cold, too hot, too buggy, there are other things to do or you are feeling sick... it still needs to get done... even when you don't want too. If you are lucky like me you have a wonderful husband or partner who will take the cold shifts (when I get a choice, I'm definitely a warm weather farmer!). Don't get me wrong, the rewards of farming are definitely worth the energy... you just have to remember that one doesn't come without the other.  So I leave you with a pair of boots and some things to ponder, should you be dreaming of owning your own little piece of heaven someday.

Friday 2 January 2015

Eggs-cellent!

For Day 2 of our Farm Photo a Day #FFFPaD campaign, we thought we would show you a rare sight on the farm -- a fridge full of eggs! 


We have approximately 90 laying hens - a mix of hardy Isa Browns, Columbian Rocks and Leghorns that fairly regularly (dependent on weather, light conditions and motivation) give us a steady supply of eggs. The sight of a full fridge of eggs is fairly rare given the high demand for high quality, local eggs right now. We have way more demand than we can meet so often our customers are receiving eggs that quite literally have been laid that morning, as we cheer our girls along to meet the current orders!

The excitement of the holidays and a typical hiatus in orders while people celebrate has provided us with an opportunity to get caught up and a little ahead of the game. It won't last long... in fact, right after I took the photo we took 17 dozen out to fill today's orders! 

Until tomorrow...


Thursday 1 January 2015

Beginning again...

I love the new year... all fresh and clean slate-like, it lends itself to new hope, energy and ideas. While it comes in the middle of the cold, (often harsh) winter when all smart life forms are hibernating, it reminds me that we all can begin again, start over, pick ourselves up, dust off and walk forth into the promise of spring, warmer days and new life. 

January 1st on the farm is always spent doing inventory, finalizing the financials and making plans for the next year. Our modest enterprise did well last year and by that I mean, we actually made a small profit this year! After several years in the red, its wonderful to see our hard work pay off even just a little. While our primary motivation was and has always been to feed our family first - with wholesome, natural, high quality food - its rewarding to see us able to share this with others and make a bit of money doing so! 

A couple of days ago, one of our customers sent us a link to a CBC article on Ontario farmer, Andrew Campbell who was planning on sharing a picture a day during 2015 on social media to help connect with and educate others on what farming is all about. Campbell who has over 7000 followers on Twitter - @FreshAirFarmer - has a great opportunity to help a great many people gain more insight into where their food comes from. 

I loved the idea and we've decided to follow Campbell's lead and post a photo a day in this coming year!  While we have nowhere near the number of followers or fans on either Twitter or Facebook, we know through events such as Open Farm Day just how interested people are in knowing their farmer, understanding how and where there food is raised and becoming informed consumers! 

So.. I invite you to follow along with us this year. The Fenez Follies Farm Photo a Day or #FFFPAD will go up daily on our Facebook Page, on Twitter @FenezFollies and on Instagram at fenezfolliesfarm. 

To start it all off.... I thought that it would be appropriate to capture sunrise on the farm on the first day of the year. I thank my lucky stars everyday that I get to live in such a gorgeous part of the world!

From our home to yours... wishing you the best of best in 2015!