Yearend Review at Wildheart Farm

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I sent this out to family and friends with my Xmas pkgs, but thought you might enjoy hearing what we'd been up to this year, too.

Year End Review At Wildheart Farm

2001………We’ve had a year of contrasts. Here on the farm our year saw an increase of self-sufficiency as various projects moved forward. The hunter was successful in obtaining turkey, which we had for Thanksgiving, and deer that’s been recently canned and frozen. Catfish are now big enough to harvest. Earlier in the summer Sharon got to be mother hen to 26 peeps. Much as I love my peeps, being their main mamma got old even for me. Next years flock will most definitely be hatched and raised by their own mother hens.

Herding our new additions to the chicken tractor took some patience, until they got the gist of it. Nick first took the strongman approach to the problem and used the chicken hawk method….swoop down and snag them, then stuff them in the “transporter”. That didn’t train them to do anything but run, so he got “instructed” to change his tactics. All’s well that ends well….they move from coop to portable pen pretty cooperatively now. The hens we kept are starting to lay . The rest are fryers in the freezer. So, after a 15-year hiatus we’re back in to farm fresh eggs and chemical free chickens.

Sharon has finally convinced Nick that it would be a good idea to house the chickens in the greenhouse over winter, and take advantage of their body heat. We’ll see how it works out. Pots full of tender and hardy crops are currently growing in there. We want to see what we can pull thru the winter in the greenhouse with no auxiliary heat other than solar and chicken powered. Well, that makes for another project…….

Despite the absolutely awful gardening year, with every weather condition know to man thrown at us, plus the bean beetle invasion, plus the year of the rabbit, plus tomato blight that couldn’t be controlled bc it was too blasted rainy thru that particular period, (grumble, grumble) the gatherer managed to put up canned and frozen food, as well as save heirloom seeds once again this year. The potatoes and sweet onions have already been used up. Definitely need to grow more next year. The native grasses we carefully propagated and transplanted, produced enough seed to give us a definite leg up on starting a bunch more for 2002. Maybe it will take a little less then 160 years to complete my native grass transition, after all. That was my original calculation, based on the planters (Nick and I) performances this year.

Our food plot was such a boon. Just seeing the field full of sunflowers, all sunshine and smiles, was reward enough. However this, as well as our other wildlife management practices on the farm, is evidently paying off handsomely. A covey of 50 young quail has been seen numerous times on the property. Wowee! What a sight! We still see them frequently in smaller groups, now. Rabbits were prolific……grumble, grumble, and grumble some more….. dang garden scourges. Plenty of deer, turkey, squirrel and songbirds as well.

Sharon started her Organic Gardening club in the area this summer, recently located an organic food coop in the area (Yippee!) and has started attending Sustainable Farming conferences at KSU. The one featuring Joel Salatin was definitely worth the drive. That man is a real dynamo, and funny too.

The workshop was completed for storage and projects. Now it’s full of “stuff” and needs cleaned. Figures.

Doing income taxes this year led a decision to beef up our home library with the tax refund. Woohoo! So internet book buying sites got a real workout, as well as used book stores in Berea, KY and Decatur IL (Thanks Polly!) and flea markets, junk stores, you name it. I also attended the annual book sale at Lexington’s public library for the first time and dragged home 60 more books. That particular event is already on the calendar as a must do for next year. Now, I figure the electric goes down, we’ll still be able to read for enjoyment and have our reference material at hand. All this mania started when I decided to inventory the books bc I was accidentally buying duplicates. Nick just shakes his head, and then picks up another one of all the new titles to read.

I found an old grain mill to add to our collection of useful old tools and am in the process of mounting it to an old sewing machine base. It’ll be as our other collections, furniture when not in use but readily available when we need it.Also picked up another cider press,a wooden wringer for my tubstand, and a commercial coffee grinder for grinding grains. It's big, red heavy castiron and works.Just have to figure out how to oil it. Last electrical item I oiled, I killed (stepson's train engine years back)

I’m still looking for a few more things for the old house, specifically two chiffon robes and a wood cook stove. I think we’ve pretty much settled on hydronics heat, so I need to spend some time researching that installation. When you start with a house that’s never had central heating or plumbing in it’s entire 100 years, it gives you lots of options to explore.

Nick found some free time, removed the floor in the rear of old house and blew the back wall out. Now we’re awaiting the carpenter to come and redo the wall with large windows. I got some of the chestnut wood walls varnished, but still have plenty more to do.

When the outside world invaded our sanctuary on Sept .11, it spurred our desire to be self sufficient, even further. We are grateful we were able to find some comfort, a buffer, and a degree of grounding, in the soil, and from the toil, on our farm. Gardening serves many purposes, some less obvious. I hope you were able to find a place of peace, too.

Next years plans involve planting some small grains, continued work on the old house, replacing the barn roof, and planting more fruit and nut trees. We’re still researching and hemming and hawing about what livestock, if any, we might raise.

Out of town visitors this year included Jim W for the hunting season and a little fishing, and a new homesteading friend and fellow bookworm from IL, Polly G! O. G. club members and Watershed Watch volunteers provided us with local company.

You all come for a visit in 2002, if you can.

Love Sharon & Nick



-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

Answers

Sharon,

David and I got our lovely package from you and are working on a letter. We are just slow!!!!!!!!

Love - Kim

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001


Sharon: What'ca gonna use for the heat source for the hydronic system?

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2002

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