Week #17 - A busy week!

As we head into May, we are ramping up for our busiest time of year. This week was a busy one! 

We started the week with a bang when Patty, the pig gave birth to eight healthy piglets. As a first time mom, we weren't sure how she would do, but she did great! The piglets have almost doubled their weight in 6 days and are doing very well. Patty is a very attentive mother and we are planning on moving the crew outside to pasture shortly. 

This week we also rounded up some lovely new chicks from a lady near Dugald. While we are hatching our own, I wanted to explore a few new breeds and bring some new genetics into our flock. Looking forward to watching these little ones grow! 

Our third arrival this week, was Oliver! At a week and a half, he is a strapping young fellow. He and his twin sister are half Nubian/half Alpine. Their mother was struggling to feed both the twins so their owner decided to sell Oliver. We are bottle feeding him of course so back to regular feeding times we go! 

At the end of the week, we managed to get most of our field prep done. We plant in black, biodegradable plastic mulch which heats the soil, traps moisture (there is a drip tape hose running underneath) and keeps weeds away. This weekend we put the mulch down on both fields and smoothed, shovelled and hoed the rows to be sure that all are even and secure. We even got a few of our kozy koats filled up - we put our tomatoes in these waterfilled mini-shelters to give them an early head start. 

Just talking about the week leaves me satisfied and tired... definitely will sleep well! Sweet dreams!

A year of connection!

For one full year, we've been sharing our daily lives on the farm with you all. Our successes, and failures, our fun and our challenges. We hope that our sharing has taught you a little more about farming (at least our version of it...) and how food can be raised in sustainable, chemical free ways. We hope that it leaves you with motivation to support your local farmer and improve your health by eating food that feels good to eat and tastes heavenly!  

I have enjoyed connecting each day with you and thank those that engaged so regularly... you are the reason I made it to Day 365! You can access all the photos and video that I shared throughout 2015 by clicking the link in the sidebar of this blog! 

I plan on focusing on a longer, weekly blog post in 2016 (Weekly Follies) that allows us to focus on sharing and educating in more depth.  

We will continue to regularly share our follies on our social media and would love to connect with you. So if you haven't already... like us on Facebook , Twitter (@FenezFollies), Instagram (FenezFolliesFarm) or subscribe to this blog to be notified when updates are made!  You can also check out what else the farm has to offer - our Products Available page and will always let you know what we have along with current pricing. 

Happy New Year to all, near and far! Make 2016 count!

Night out with the girls!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 336

Sometimes on the farm, a night out with the girls involves hauling water! #farmersknowhowtohavefun

Farming is routine... or is it?

Weekly CSA boxes ready to go once again!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 217

Farming is the best of both worlds... 

Farming is routine. Those that thrive on structure and routines would enjoy the daily chores of gathering eggs, watering and feeding animals, regular weeding and watering of crops, seasonal (predictable) activities that become familiar, comfortable friends that mark the passing of time...

Yet...

Farming is variety. No two days are totally the same. Each day a new sight, challenge, or task lies ahead of you. The cow jumps the fence, the cucumbers have mildew on the leaves, the latest storm brought hail, or perhaps its time to expand the greenhouse. Those that need the freshness of 'new' do well in farming. 

Something for everyone... (except perhaps those looking for a 9-5 job)! 

Sometimes its not all sunshine and rainbows....

FFF Photo a Day - Day 172

Sometimes farming isn't all sunshine and rainbows... sometimes its a bit poopy... and sometimes you should be wearing boots instead of sandals! #lessonsoftheday

Tired toes...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 158

As our dirty and tired feet will demonstrate, its been a long yet productive day! 

Planted all the remaining plants from the greenhouse and got some progression seeding in between the rains (Thank you mother Nature!).

Mowed the property, trimmed around the house and patio, took down a dead tree by the pig enclosure, weeded the strawberries, did some fencing, took a child into the city for work, dropped off recycling.... even fit in a quick ice cream as a reward. 

All on top of the usual feeding, watering, egg collecting and milking of the various beasties! No wonder we have tired toes! I think a shower is in order!

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! 

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?!  

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. 

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. 

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! 

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.... 

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! 

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! 

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.