All the Modern Conveniences

When the Boss bought the old horse trailer to re-furbish into a henhouse, I had more than a few doubts. Since he could see the finished project in his head and I wasn’t able to imagine it, I really wondered. But, as it nears completion, I am more than a little impressed.

The hens really needed some more space, particularly when the weather is bad and they cannot get outside. After the mite issue last winter, we purchased metal nestboxes and really needed to get both units into use. When spring comes and the pullets begin to lay, the large flock of laying hens would be quite crowded in our old henhouse.

After a good deal of demolition, the new construction began.

There are hinged shutters that will allow ventilation during hot summer days, but keep the snow and cold at bay in the winter.

Poly-carbonate wall panels allow some light, while keeping it dark enough for the hens to feel safe enough to lay their eggs. The end was closed in and a "people door" installed.

The metal nest boxes have “roll-out” trays to keep the eggs clean and un-eaten. The fact they are metal with no bedding will prevent the nasty mites from finding a comfortable home. There will be another unit placed opposite of this one.

The wire floor is stable enough for human traffic, but open enough to allow the chicken manure to fall through, keeping the henhouse and hens clean.


But, the “piece de resistance”, the most modern of modern conveniences is an electric timer on the door.
This is something we have missed for a long time. Our henhouse back in Warrenton had a similar device. Pick the time; set the switch and prest-o…the chickens are closed in safely for the night! No more trips out in the cold, rain, snow, dark. No more forgetting the nightly closing due to senior moments or an early onset of sleep. Never again will we wake in the middle of the night unable to remember if we did indeed lock the chicken door.

Yippee! The Boss is brilliant!

Now, the fun part begins…the big hen transfer…
That’s a job for after dark, when all the hens are sleepy and complacent.

Here we go…

Solar Power

This time of year, the hoophouse can be either a place to find great delight, or have a moment of complete despair.

With night time temperatures dipping into the twenties, the plants in the hoophouse often freeze solid overnight. The first time I witnessed this phenomenon, I was certain that we had lost the entire crop. I went back a couple hours later and was totally amazed at the transformation. The wilted, frozen plants were strong and straight and vibrant. WOW!

As long as the plants are protected from the winds, and somewhat sheltered from the cold, they will survive. On extremely cold nights, we put row cover on the young, delicate plantings. While we must accept some minimal loss throughout the winter, the amount of growth in the UN-heated hoophouses always amazes me. Some cloudy days the plants will stay frozen, only to have them bound back to verdant beauty with the next sunny day.


It might not be a trip to the islands, but on a sunny day it is green and warm and wonderful. ...not to mention profitable!

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Waylon’s life has been like a country song.

He left his mama and the home farm behind. He found himself in with a gang of other misguided youth. Then, he had “women”…lots of them! …and now, he’s incarcerated and alone. SO alone!

Last month, Waylon headed out to the ram paddock. You can read about that here. http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/waylons-really-bad-day.html



Since then, he has paced, he has cried, he has butted the fence, he has cried, he has climbed the fence, he has cried. He injured himself attempting to stand on the gate to look for his missing girlfriends. The best explanation of his injury would be a sprained ankle. He hobbled around for more than a week, crying the whole time. He finally made a complete recovery.

Last week, he stopped eating well. Then, he stopped eating at all. He would nibble at things, but there was no enthusiasm to his eating, no real appetite. He looked thin. I worried.

When I worry, I in turn worry the Boss. I get more than a little repetitive as I try to figure out solutions. I am probably about as annoying as Waylon’s crying. The difference is, I apologize—Waylon does NOT.

In considering solutions, we checked his health. Sheep can be victim of several internal parasites. The one with the most visible effects is the Haemonchus Contortus, the red stomach worm. This parasite survives on the host’s blood, and anemia very quickly follows infestation. Waylon’s eyelids and eyes were pale. This demanded prompt action. He was given and antihelmintic and a probiotic immediately. The antihelmintic kills the parasites, the probiotic restores the good "bugs" to the gut and encourages appetite.

The following morning, his appetite was back, he had a little zip to him. But, he was still crying…

We have already been through the list of solutions. Get him a “friend” was the most likely one. However, that is much easier said than done. This time of year, all the shepherds are down to their breeding stock. A donkey might work, but we didn’t want to introduce the handling issues of another species. (someday I’ll have to tell about our llama of long ago, Shirley) Besides, it was quite possible Waylon would freak out with a donkey and then we’d have a whole new set of problems.

The decision was made to let one of the little girls go live with him for a while. This will more than likely produce lambs at a weird time of year, but there are worse things. Like a dead ram, for one. Once we get the lambchop crop of 2012 on the ground, we can figure out a better long-term solution.

In the meantime, just one more day of Waylon…..”Crying, crying, crying over ewes…” (Roy Orbison, I apologize. I went for the pun...I really couldn't help it!)


**for the record, I DO know that the title is Hank, Sr. …not Waylon Jennings!**

What's All the Ruckus?

Part of Jed and Ellie Mae’s job as our guard dogs is to alert us of anything unusual. However, their “definition” of unusual and ours is vastly different. More than once I have found myself saying “WHAT…What are you barking at?” only to realize I am talking to a dog.

The cold, clear nights of late fall and early winter cause all the wild critters to come out to forage. There are skunks and raccoons, and a LOT of deer. Quite often, the dogs will spend most of the night patrolling and barking. Then, they spend the rest of the day sleeping in order to recuperate for the following night. Yes, sometimes this is truly annoying. But, it is their nature, and part of the reason we have them.

Recently, the deer have been quite active. Not only is it the “rut” (mating season), it’s also hunting season. We see deer most every day. The Boss and I have both startled a doe (on separate occasions) within 50 feet of the house. So, the dogs have been doing a LOT of barking. We have learned to “zone them out”.

Thursday, they began barking during morning chores. Sure enough, when I looked, there was at least one deer visible. As I watched to see if more followed it up the hill, I heard yelling from down in town. Apparently, one of the town neighbors’ dog had escaped. First, the kid called the dog. Then, the mama called the dog. Then, the dad called the dog. Finally, the whole family called the dog. Each and every time they yelled, Jed and Ellie barked.

The bark of a Great Pyrenees is a deep and sonorous bark. It is an impressive, rather pleasing sound. (Unless, of course, it is the middle of the night.) The sound carries a long way so I was not surprised to see the neighbor’s vehicle come up the lane in response to the barking. Jed and Ellie bounded up the drive and barked at the gate. I suppose the neighbors realized these huge white “bark-meisters” were NOT their dog, because they drove off quickly. Things calmed down.

I had just decided what to have for breakfast, when they broke out barking again. NOW WHAT?? With the thought of a dog on the loose, I went back out to check the sheep. An aside here, more sheep are maimed, severely injured or killed by pet dogs than any other type of predator. So, a check of the sheep paddock was in order.

All the sheep were facing down the hill, staring intently at something. My immediate thought was that it must be the rogue dog. Since it was far enough away that the dogs couldn’t get to it and I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, I got my camera in order to use the telephoto to see better. I could tell it was a bird of some type. The size indicated a bird of prey. I figured it was a red-tailed hawk. We see those quite often. The hunting is quite good with all the undergrowth along the fencelines.

As I watched, one of the more curious sheep walked closer. When she did, the bird took flight. Jed and Ellie went nuts! What in the world? It was NOT a hawk, but a great blue heron. Herons are frequently seen fishing along Back Creek. This creek runs through the front of our property.

Jed and Ellie were not satisfied that the heron flew into the neighbor’s field. They fussed and worried over him/her until finally the heron flew away, and has not been seen since.

The rest of the day was relatively peaceful…...as Jed and Ellie Mae rested up for another round of farm patrol.

Poor Popeye!

While watching the cartoons as a small child, I always wondered how a can of “black glop” squeezed into Popeye’s mouth would instantly give him super strength. Yes, I am dating myself here; yes, it was in the days of black and white television. However, I did wonder HOW that “spinach” worked so quickly.

As an adult, I realize it was some slick propaganda to get kids to eat their veggies. Perhaps the whole Popeye concept was dreamed up by the spinach lobbyists of the day. At the dinner table where I grew up, we were expected to eat our vegetables…no questions asked. If you didn’t eat them…you didn’t leave the table. That, my friends, is how I learned appreciation for the “lowly vegetable”.

Looking back, I really feel for poor Popeye. I cannot imagine anything worse than canned spinach. Blech! Canned vegetables do not have the nutritive value of fresh, or even frozen. The texture and taste leave much to be desired. Spinach, fresh from the garden, is a delicious, nutritious addition to any meal. I do not want to consider what canned spinach must be like.

Spinach is one our most popular offerings for sale. This is presumably because of its highly nutritious reputation. I have heard it said that a serving of spinach has four times the vitamins as the same amount of lettuce. Although, I should think that this would depend on the type of lettuce.

“Nutritional Benefits
Spinach is rich in a number of essential nutrients, including calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin A. Each of these nutrients plays a crucial role in our bodies health, from maintaining bone structure, preventing neural tube defects, assisting in red blood cell production, regulating our heartbeat, fighting free radicals and nourishing good eyesight.
Eating spinach feeds a healthy body. Spinach is also a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoid phytonutrients that are important for healthy eyes.”

(http://www.lifescript.com/food/articles/s/spinach_nutrition_facts.aspx)

We grow a number of varieties of spinach. By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each type and providing the proper growing environment, we are able to have spinach year round. I have yet another reason to love the hoophouses.

This past summer, I was witness to the bolting phenomenon of spinach. While I know that spinach seeds came from spinach plants, I had never seen them in their growing stages. It was most interesting. Here are some shots of the forming seeds.

These are spinach seedlings. They look very much like chubby grass at this point.

This is the very beginning of the bolt. These little hairy things hold the spinach pollen.

Here they are just a little more mature.

These are very tiny spinach seeds. Cool process, huh?

We don’t attempt to save our own seeds for most crops. Although there are those who are great proponents of seed-saving, and there is a worry that genetic diversity may one day be lost without effort on the part of growers, we simply do not have the space to have a seed stock crop AND a crop for profit. So, we’ll do our part to keep the seed companies in business.

When I pick spinach in the hoophouse in the middle of the winter, and even in the middle of the summer…I do so knowing that we (or our customer-friends) will enjoy the fresh taste in salads and on sandwiches, boiled on its own or in other dishes.

…and I think….”oh, poor Popeye! …if he only knew what he was missing!”

Apples to Oranges

Oh, ARRRGGGGHHH!

I need to rant. It doesn’t happen often… No, I take that back…it happens almost every time I read an article about local, organic, sustainable food. I would like to take the time right here, right now to educate SOMEONE…anyone.

Just last week, in an effort to cover the “local food movement”, one of the local TV stations sent a reporter to the Market, covered a chef shopping local and featured the story on the nightly news. In an attempt to make a price comparison, they also checked prices at one of the local grocery stores. The upshot of the story ended up being that “local” food is twice as expensive as the “other stuff”.

WAIT A MINUTE! Wait just one daggone minute here! Not to go all “Herman Cain”, but this is like comparing apples to oranges!

This brought to mind my reaction to a letter to the editor in the local paper during the summer regarding high prices at the Farmers’ Market. I knew I should have posted that one earlier. The discussion about local food cannot be summed up in a discussion about cheap prices.

Bear with me…I’ve just gotta get this one out there…

Before I get rolling, I want to say…I think, no, I know that we need corporate farms to feed the world. I don’t even want to get into the discussion of superiority of any type of farming or food. My intention is merely to point out that comparison between grocery and Market is bogus.

Anyone who does any amount of grocery shopping knows what kind of prices one might pay for produce. There are stores that have a reputation for being “high-end” and others where you can get a “bargain”. Both definitions are highly subjective and open to personal interpretation. Ultimately, personal tastes and priorities make the basis for purchase decisions.

While I will concede that there are prices at the Market that seem steep. There are also products at the Market that cannot be found elsewhere. You will never get anything in the grocery that is even remotely as fresh as the produce from the Market! Thus, I don’t believe an accurate comparison can be made at all.

Most the folks who feel that the Farmers’ market prices are MUCH TOO high have never even shopped the farmers’ market (in Staunton or anywhere else). Most times, the prices are close to the grocery prices, as the vendors realize what the public is willing to pay. Although, lower prices do not always mean more sales, and there is a point when it is no longer profitable to sell an item. Many times, farmers don’t know exactly what they put into a crop, what they should get out of it, so they go by the grocery, check the price and either use that price or something slightly higher. This is not a necessarily a good plan, as vegetables are often the “loss leader” (the low price that gets the shopper in the store, only to have them spend far more on other things).


During the “holiday season”, turkeys and hams are priced cheaply to promote their sales. The turkeys and hams have been produced by farmers working for the big names in the food industry. The producers have grown out HUGE numbers and the most basic tenets of economics state that the larger number produced, the smaller the investment in each unit, and ultimately the higher profit per unit. This is one reason a Geo is far cheaper than a Bentley. The stores get quantity discounting and know that when they get the shoppers in for a DEAL they will also buy the rest of their holiday food at regular or in some cases, inflated prices.


In all fairness to farmers, they should be able to make a good living growing food for other folks’ consumption! They are professionals, after all. They possess a knowledge that most do not when it comes to producing food in a safe, economical and delicious manner. Try farming, just for a day, you’ll come away with a new appreciation.

Years ago, I had a conversation with my father as he was watching me prepare beans for canning. He said, “Why should I bother to put up any green beans when I can buy them for 29cents at Rack and Sack (a local grocery)?” I attempted to argue freshness and food safety, knowing full well that the almighty dollar was always the deciding factor to him. I conceded that if price alone was the criterion, then, by all means...buy the beans. A side note...apparently Rack and Sack found that cheap wasn’t sustainable...they went out of business. On the other hand, I still put up beans, and know exactly where those beans grew, how they were processed, and that there are ONLY beans in my jars or freezer containers.

If the “bottom line” is the only deciding factor, then everyone would eat the very cheapest thing they could. Flavor, nutrition and personal preference would no longer matter. However, freshness, quality, food safety, and investment in the community are some other issues that shoppers at the Farmers market consider. Most shoppers find those attributes very important, and are willing to make the commitment to shop the market in order to obtain them.

Food in the grocery has often travelled across the continent, if not the world to get to the shelves. There is no way this can be considered “fresh” when Market produce has been picked just the day prior to its sale. Most “fresh” produce in the grocery is at least a week old before it lands on the consumer’s table. For the record, “local” and “organic” do not mean what a lot of folks assume. Do a little research, you will be amazed.

When a shopper buys from Homestead Hill Farm, they are assured that the food they have chosen has only traveled the 12 miles to town from our farm. The only exception is the lamb, which had to travel north of H’burg to be processed in a USDA facility. This is federally mandated, not simply our choice. The entire market is held to a 50-mile radius to keep us truly “LOCAL”. One note about the Farmers’ market…everything there is NOT organic…the consumers really need to educate themselves. (do not rely on the media)

When shopping for the food you put in your body, your fuel as it were, there is far more at stake than “cheap” produce. Your own health and well-being may well be affected by your choices. As produce ages, it loses its precious nutritive value.


If you are concerned about freshness or safety, I can personally assure you an answer. Try that one at the grocery; I can almost assure you a blank look and a “I dunno!” The Boss and I have had personal involvement with everything we offer for sale.

If you value the rural beauty of our area,
if you wish to have the ability to share this with your children and grandchildren,an investment in the fabric of the community is necessary. The effort put forth by the farmers in our area to maintain their crops and fields is part of the reason that folks travel from around the world to enjoy the loveliness that is our own Shenandoah Valley.

Farming is hard physically, mentally, and sometimes emotionally. When the farmers’ investment is considered, particularly of time and effort, no one would ever say prices are too high. One summer day, SiL#1 was picking beans with me and daughter #1. He had never done it before, and wasn’t too thrilled at the idea. He picked a while, and then said...”you need to charge more for your beans!” WHY? “You work HARD!” (yep, he sure scored points with the old mother-in-law!) He just chuckled when I told him to come to the Market and tell people that. A little personal experience goes a long way in promoting a consumer’s appreciation for farm products.

Don’t get me wrong…I love what I do! I would actually do this type of work regardless of the return; it is so deeply ingrained in my very being. However, to compare the products offered for sale from here on the hill and those in the grocery is just wrong. There is NO comparison plain and simple.

Food choices are intensely personal. Leave it at that. Let’s not attempt to make them simply a matter of economy.

Thanks for listening!

The "Off " Season

The Market is over for the 2011 season. November 19 was the final Saturday. It was an incredibly successful season, and we are grateful to each of our customer-friends for their continued support.

This week, instead of hustling around in the dark and the cold, getting everything ready for a morning of sales, the Boss is drinking coffee and checking the news. Instead of feeding the animals by flashlight prior to driving to town, I am sitting here writing and reflecting on the season that was.

A lot of folks think that once the Market ends for the season that we are “on vacation” until opening day of the following season. Nothing could be further from the truth. While we took it easy this week in anticipation of Thanksgiving with the family, farm work never takes a vacation. So, we’re back at it today, allowing for the seasonal changes in our work routine.

Planting and harvesting slow down to a crawl,
although the cycle continues in the greenhouses year-round. There is a lot of focus on repair and maintenance, planning and preparation. Sorry, no trip to the islands this year. Not that we could, or would, even want to leave our farm here on the hill. Okay, on a real cold, snowy day, I must admit, the islands look REAL good!

Years ago, when we would get the question…WHAT do you do all winter? My answer was “all the stuff we don’t get done in the summer!” That was definitely true. Our homeschooling was a definite “low priority” during the Market season. We tried to buckle down to lessons during the winter. We took family day-trips, caught up on paperwork, and I sewed furiously for the girls to be clothed the next season. The Boss’ winter priorities for the farm were keeping the cows in hay and water to the rest of the animals, while keeping our home warmed by the wood in the woodstove. Winter crops were un-heard of; we were focused on subsistence and survival. Our life was very much like “little house on the prairie” for a while…

Now, we are not quite so isolated, not quite so self-sufficient, although the woodstove still warms us. The girls are grown and married, so our homeschooling is a distant memory. The cows (and their dairy products) are gone, and the sheep don’t eat near the amounts of hay the cows would. We have developed winter crops for sale, and deliver them on a weekly basis. The winter season seems far shorter, somehow.

Winter sales, lambing season, seed starting, researching new crop varieties and farm bookwork all take a toll on my time.
Somehow, all those little things I overlooked during the season are waiting for my attention as well. The Boss is busy with those big building projects that can’t get done in the summer.

New construction, repair, revision…there’s always something that needs his attention.He is also thinking ahead to next Market season. As manager of the Market and committee member, he spends a great deal of time focused on assuring the ongoing viability of the Market.

There is a lot of “behind the scenes” work that enables us to provide products to the Market every single week from April to November. So, the term “off season” is more than a little misleading.
It's only by putting effort into the "off-season" that we are able to be successful during the Market season.