tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31836103919329451982023-11-16T06:14:13.204-07:00Homesteading with the WildWe started our homesteading odyssey more than 35 years ago with the desire to live more simply, sustainably and in harmony with natural world around us. Over the years we have changed our location four times finally coming to rest at this special place in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-73391655076224591322017-11-12T12:58:00.001-07:002017-11-12T14:49:33.660-07:00The Shepherd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW7q0KwTGVdYPImAa3uiNalKy-4Bg8Gm1b5z3Tyv0xHVJWPPiSls7-Uo5VaM7vsV72BeBS3IbjYJwad8_fVchN3CVgjVG6Kr3Tp9-U2tujBwLX-3lfKFcM9urOoLIiLr299DlC7XoMQ8/s1600/Shepherd%2526pups+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="400" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW7q0KwTGVdYPImAa3uiNalKy-4Bg8Gm1b5z3Tyv0xHVJWPPiSls7-Uo5VaM7vsV72BeBS3IbjYJwad8_fVchN3CVgjVG6Kr3Tp9-U2tujBwLX-3lfKFcM9urOoLIiLr299DlC7XoMQ8/s320/Shepherd%2526pups+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is something deeply satisfying in the ancient profession of shepherding. I can feel that I have done this before, maybe in past times. It's not surprising. My mother's family came from the Persia-Iraq region where sheep were first domesticated more than 10,000 years ago. My father's mother was born in Scotland, not far from where the Vikings left their primitive sheep on the Shetland Islands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The teamwork of the shepherd and the guardian dog and their love of the sheep creates a sense of pleasure.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrxlbBotRS4Z0PyxrFXBwoDwQsyMTHpGEb5pnaBEQ35KVC0y4SNdoX3rYcqSOBcVpGoJITwRm6PVM8WWjp2A-BfozDsa8QtcCI7fq14ZOBfii3WRaq4YMhFRsq5ptRtR8ouNt8zD6LVc/s1600/20171111_130928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrxlbBotRS4Z0PyxrFXBwoDwQsyMTHpGEb5pnaBEQ35KVC0y4SNdoX3rYcqSOBcVpGoJITwRm6PVM8WWjp2A-BfozDsa8QtcCI7fq14ZOBfii3WRaq4YMhFRsq5ptRtR8ouNt8zD6LVc/s320/20171111_130928.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And for the sheep there is the comfort of security and safety. From that comes the rich fibers for the shepherd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes, I have been here many times before. It feels good to be back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a>.</span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-27326792892842274092017-10-19T16:08:00.001-06:002017-10-22T15:37:03.984-06:00Honey Harvest<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After all the challenges we had with our <a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2017/08/" target="_blank">bees this year</a> we sure didn't expect to have any honey. Literally all six of our hives were new; one was purchased this year, one was a swarm capture this year, and the other four swarmed. Of the hives that swarmed three had to produce new queens and one was re-hived into a failing hive. We couldn't imagine that any of the hives would have the time to produce any excess honey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As summer transitions into fall beekeepers start preparing their hives for winter. Among other tasks, the beekeeper will remove any honey supers (those are the hive boxes where bees can store excess honey) and start concentrating the colony down into the lower hive boxes. The "beek" will check the hive's resources to make sure they have plenty of stored honey and pollen to feed themselves during the winter months and either add frames of resources or make plans to provide food in the form of sugar and pollen patties. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Don was stunned to discover that the two newest hives had not only filled their main resource hive boxes but had also filled their honey supers. We knew it had been a very good summer for pollen and nectar because of the amazing wildflower season but we didn't realize just how good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last week we started the exciting and very sticky job of harvesting the honey. The old cabin became the "honey house", another of her many uses. When we were done we had six gallons of the beautiful golden stuff. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ready, set, go!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Removing the wax caps from the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">honey cells</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Loading the un-capped frames into<br />the extractor</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And out flows the raw honey</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Putting the extracted frames out<br />for the bees to cleanup</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pantry full of six gallons of honey!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cabin is cleaned up and ready for the next project - wool processing! (Yes, I know - I said I was going to send it out but changed my mind.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-50205526550819595522017-08-06T16:36:00.002-06:002017-08-06T16:40:24.347-06:00Bees are Buzzing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don would be the first to admit that after three years of beekeeping the most important thing he's learned is that he has a whole lot more to learn. The apiary came out of winter with three strong hives and one that looked kind of weak. In mid-March he started feeding them a concentrated sugar syrup to help them start building back up. This year Don added a new supplement containing essential oils and kelp (<a href="https://hivealivebees.com/usa_visitors" target="_blank">Hive Alive</a>) to their sugar syrup. Hive Alive's components are proven to strengthen a hive and help them resist disease and parasites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The plan for this year was to add two more hives, one purchased as a package and hopefully one caught as a swarm. We picked up the package in early May and Don installed it in Hive #5. Then in mid-June we got a call from a neighbor that they had a swarm in an old apple tree. We loaded up the swarm capture supplies and headed over to find that the swarm was in almost the exact same spot as one we collected in 2015. The new swarm capture went well and Don installed it in Hive #6. All was well in beeville.....until it wasn't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By early July it was obvious that Hive #3 was definitely failing and the bee numbers were dropping quickly. And then in mid-July the event that beekeepers dread happened - three hives swarmed. Bee hives swarm when they sense that their conditions are too crowded. The existing queen takes half the colony's bees and departs, seeking a new home. The remaining bees make a new queen (hopefully) and continue on in the existing hive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The positive effects of the Hive Alive and our lack of knowledge lead to the over-crowded hives. An experienced beekeeper would have noticed the problem and provided more space in the hive by adding empty frames or another box but we did neither and off went they went. Hive #1 swarmed first and Don was able to capture them. Several hours later Hive #2 swarmed and again Don was successful in capturing them. Since he was pretty sure that Hive #3's queen had failed he installed the swarm from Hive #2 in with the remaining bees from Hive #3. With no extra hive boxes available he gave the swarm from Hive #1 to another beekeeper. Then two days later Hive #4 swarmed and departed before Don could collect them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So now we had bees in Hives #1, #2 and #4 without queens because they had left. It can take three to four weeks for a new queen to be created, to go out on her maiden flights, get mated, return to the hive and then start producing brood for the next generation. Don breathed a sign of relief when he found evidence that all three hives had new successful queens and that Hive #3 (with the captured swarm from Hive #2) was also successful. And the new Hives #5 and #6 were in full production. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The bees have several more weeks before preparations for the fall and winter begin. Somehow we got lucky and our plan for an apiary of six bee hives with a nice diversity of genetics is on track.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
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Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-32507812687857895272017-07-28T17:10:00.000-06:002017-07-28T17:13:32.506-06:00Meet Rose and Yeti<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having a small sheep flock is supposed to be simple. They can graze around the house to keep things mowed and otherwise pretty much take care of themselves. Then it seemed like a nice safe barn and pen would be a good idea in addition to a well-fenced pasture. When I discovered coyote and bobcat tracks in the snow of their pasture last winter I realized we needed another layer of protection (so much for simple). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We read up on all the options from llamas and donkeys to dogs but in the end realized that only livestock guardian dogs could handle our bigger predators - lions and bears. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The livestock guardian breeds were developed and used for thousands of years throughout the lands from the western Iberian Peninsula and Pyrenees mountains, into western Europe, Turkey and central Asia, all the way to the Himalayas. Each area developed a breed that was well suited to the locale and the predators found there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our research into livestock guardian dogs (LGD) identified several breeds that would be well suited to our situation and needs and in the end we decided on a Maremma and Karakachan team. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Maremma Sheepdog traces its heritage back to the dogs of shepherds in central Italy who protected the flocks from wolves and bears. They are independent thinkers who bond very closely to their flock so they tend to stay close to home and are dominant yet accepting of non-threatening people. They were first imported to the U.S. in the 1970s for the first extensive studies on the use and effectiveness of LGDs. Maremmas proved to be one of the most successful breeds in those studies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Karakachan Dog of Bulgaria </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">was developed by an ancient group of nomadic people who traveled over the region with their herds of sheep and horses.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> This traditional way of life continued into the early twentieth century. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The breed is not well know in the U.S. as importation did not occur until the mid-2000s. They are one of the smaller breeds of LGDs but their fearlessness is legendary. Cat Urbigkit in her book, <i>Brave and Loyal</i>, calls the Karakachan the "bear brawlers of the Balkans" and in Bulgaria those are brown bears! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were very fortunate to find a very knowledgeable breeder in Iowa with a litter of each and in early March our pups, at three months of age, arrived by livestock transport. Rose is a female Karakachan and Yeti is a male Maremma.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCZ1PGLpOmujFz1xfLgm13x1GdeRWh22qZ6fuFDpHwZqOUMoTkc7CBZMwRq3AejLAXiCoKNBzG6zbVIo31C3pxcs_bk542khkaEUUGCgMpu0AQsKo6TtSUCAQ6N8SeaWHKwI6tTvK_KY/s1600/Rose+%2526+Yeti+in+transit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCZ1PGLpOmujFz1xfLgm13x1GdeRWh22qZ6fuFDpHwZqOUMoTkc7CBZMwRq3AejLAXiCoKNBzG6zbVIo31C3pxcs_bk542khkaEUUGCgMpu0AQsKo6TtSUCAQ6N8SeaWHKwI6tTvK_KY/s320/Rose+%2526+Yeti+in+transit.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose, Yeti and Cody (who went on to a farm north of Denver).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Both pups were born in a barn in the dead of winter surrounded by sheep and goats. The perfect start for future LGDs. It can take up to two years for LGDs to be fully mature and capable of 24/7 protection of the flock especially against our bigger predators. In the meantime our pups spend a good part of their day with our small flock but everyone is locked up in safe surroundings for the night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So meet Rose and Yeti, two adorable goofballs who have enriched our lives so much!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_AiSEeWZ_vkXDbAOieItNd49OuOA4Vetdh_q2QUL3CJVrpr8epxuQsDKYUaw6caqrravaxePiBBf_2U3uM9XtyVkXDSmJ2gpIoh_7AGXEONTdvc8o_PDO6GtIOqbmXWo9uQ12EplU9c/s1600/Rose1-6.27.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_AiSEeWZ_vkXDbAOieItNd49OuOA4Vetdh_q2QUL3CJVrpr8epxuQsDKYUaw6caqrravaxePiBBf_2U3uM9XtyVkXDSmJ2gpIoh_7AGXEONTdvc8o_PDO6GtIOqbmXWo9uQ12EplU9c/s200/Rose1-6.27.17.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX84smyG9F2Z4uBEmrGFekuYMfcY7JpXdjlTf7GgAaKlMo3TnqYWomrKDgEnGir3bPo0HDtfsYewQSGaTFa6wYwDMk2sntwR8690MQwW_m4cjrn4WRDxbq0ctpcqypw62Q6VTLIE9vRc/s1600/Pups2-6.27.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1432" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX84smyG9F2Z4uBEmrGFekuYMfcY7JpXdjlTf7GgAaKlMo3TnqYWomrKDgEnGir3bPo0HDtfsYewQSGaTFa6wYwDMk2sntwR8690MQwW_m4cjrn4WRDxbq0ctpcqypw62Q6VTLIE9vRc/s200/Pups2-6.27.17.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeti</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5jhsW_28LXFAVy49XBlAoUlnY16jXfHp3hPVJbxBF7dW0YDfFKTf-9PzsNxGvnVHBM3cXOo2xyOGxXIGuWR-HLwJTtrtwLOoQD_wpRMEyc6nFGkg9b6L8CF7glGCOZGns8GNTOppxuQ/s320/Pups%2526Ian+7.14.17.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ian (black pile at the bottom of the tree) with Yeti and Rose</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
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Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-61944446883153901062017-07-23T11:11:00.001-06:002017-07-23T11:11:42.621-06:00From Fleece to Yarn<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's hard to get on a professional sheep shearer's schedule when you actually need them if you only have four sheep so this </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">was our first year to try shearing the sheep ourselves. You can read everything out there and watch a bunch of videos on YouTube but at some point you just have to go for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We started with Hershey, our smallest Shetland, and over the course of a week worked through the flock. The professionals can shear a sheep in 4 - 5 minutes. It took us 45 minutes each for the first three. Ian, the last one, was a real pill and we had to do a section at a time over a three day period. He looked pretty ridiculous during this adventure. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjguIZKvpWdCo4zJ9YdDZRJX5tkAAQsjL2JX7LkzvSlb73kaJV9y5X2bj7-EUJNc32PvhLxdlk0ULC0UGE_jgdMYJiRYxfBZn9m6VcdO9_nL7TW8xxVNeQb7Vxu6LUyb6ek2zQbO5xUII/s1600/Sheepies+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1000" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjguIZKvpWdCo4zJ9YdDZRJX5tkAAQsjL2JX7LkzvSlb73kaJV9y5X2bj7-EUJNc32PvhLxdlk0ULC0UGE_jgdMYJiRYxfBZn9m6VcdO9_nL7TW8xxVNeQb7Vxu6LUyb6ek2zQbO5xUII/s320/Sheepies+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etta, Mac, Ian and Hershey minus their winter coats</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The next step is to skirt each fleece </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(remove the nasty parts)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and then bag them up. Then it's off to the wool mill to be turned into yarn.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoG3kxIn8sikk-zk4sFwd6V_livr-iyVuax5l32lh8Dkg3dIq5o7X-LJu2NlkjVuYU5eQ0m-_wBxrUOBUbE-p6rSU1uic-6duTaUHTKG0oZSmDu3Xg0ndAlICdcjq1MckbpNeLLk2Jbs/s1600/20170618_121628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoG3kxIn8sikk-zk4sFwd6V_livr-iyVuax5l32lh8Dkg3dIq5o7X-LJu2NlkjVuYU5eQ0m-_wBxrUOBUbE-p6rSU1uic-6duTaUHTKG0oZSmDu3Xg0ndAlICdcjq1MckbpNeLLk2Jbs/s320/20170618_121628.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etta, Mac, Ian with Hershey in the front</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Etta and Ian each had 2.9 pounds while Mac had 1.85 pounds and Hershey had 1.5 pounds which all together will probably yield around 4.5 pounds of yarn or 5000 yards. Over next winter I'll turn that yarn into a variety of projects on my simple loom. I can hardly wait!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
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Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-83826323728565451832017-07-16T14:13:00.002-06:002017-07-16T14:14:15.494-06:00Protecting the Harvest<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've finally given up trying to write an all encompassing blog of everything that is going on and decided to break it down into small stories. I just might be able to keep up with this format - maybe...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Several days ago, while moving the irrigation water around, Don discovered that the cherries were starting to ripen and it wouldn't be long before the birds noticed it too. So one of today's tasks was to put up the tree nets. This is no simple task since the trees are 8 to 15 feet tall. Several years ago we devised a primitive method of lifting the 30 x 30 foot nets up in the air and over the trees using 10 foot pieces of conduit. With one of us on each side of the tree this almost works. Of course the nets get tangled on everything possible but the thought of a glass of wine later this afternoon (and cherry desserts this winter) keeps me from hurling the conduit like a javelin. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hVUBI089im26xYejqH-1PBgBBwaMDSKFThhdTn_w4naskM2U80p9oPp7k_aBeJx8wgjn-0_EiuGRRigiVu9BL_XUOIY5zbZUAKPvoif3xQUZnWxv-Tull1z4DdeCa-xAsid6aiDCOOA/s1600/B%2526C2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hVUBI089im26xYejqH-1PBgBBwaMDSKFThhdTn_w4naskM2U80p9oPp7k_aBeJx8wgjn-0_EiuGRRigiVu9BL_XUOIY5zbZUAKPvoif3xQUZnWxv-Tull1z4DdeCa-xAsid6aiDCOOA/s320/B%2526C2017.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCzkL7Ed8b4Av1LDCWfeVMRv5bX79fMwFQQRvmz5Qs_XOA9J6KrPzBAIeO8Y76uCicrW6Qpyld1r9hhbEuS1L11mfDEG35sO9XsBKr-5rKVZt2MKkq4BW8wQ9Xzlky7zlushDvFiX0vQ/s1600/Balis2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCzkL7Ed8b4Av1LDCWfeVMRv5bX79fMwFQQRvmz5Qs_XOA9J6KrPzBAIeO8Y76uCicrW6Qpyld1r9hhbEuS1L11mfDEG35sO9XsBKr-5rKVZt2MKkq4BW8wQ9Xzlky7zlushDvFiX0vQ/s320/Balis2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mission accomplished and on to the next task. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-76374115189411014852016-12-21T12:46:00.001-07:002016-12-21T13:38:34.691-07:00Even Sheep Have Jobs on the Homestead<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9kC-N-WhtravLfmdiL1hbqj7BKU1dQdJWv_UpjQN6VeSyQWGy5rPg2xEBd_5kdUwPtDoJ-bOnusvDFUGa4UAFOoiZGiGLebChXq-Dz5WBnhv0g_swoxB8SGnOHNwFdqX63fev-bzbQA/s1600/20160809_140256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9kC-N-WhtravLfmdiL1hbqj7BKU1dQdJWv_UpjQN6VeSyQWGy5rPg2xEBd_5kdUwPtDoJ-bOnusvDFUGa4UAFOoiZGiGLebChXq-Dz5WBnhv0g_swoxB8SGnOHNwFdqX63fev-bzbQA/s320/20160809_140256.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilda, Mac, Etta and Ian</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our sheep have three main jobs on the homestead. First and foremost
they are here to perform fire mitigation by keeping the grasses under control. The West is known for its cycles of drought,
fire and flood and we are definitely moving into another drought cycle. In the
23+ years we have lived in this high elevation valley the mountain range that
defines the valley’s western border has had four forest fires. Three of those
fires, in 1993, </span><a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2011/07/six-million-dollar-campfire.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">2011</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
and 2016, have come knocking on our door. </span></div>
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Forest fires are a part of the ecology of western forests but their nature is
changing due in part to the changing climate and to past fire suppression which
completely altered the dynamics of the forest. In the past the fires would
rarely burn more than 500 acres; this summer’s fire consumed nearly 18,000
acres in the blink of an eye.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For now our sheep will be grazing in the areas where we
don’t want cattle – around the house, in close up pasture areas, along
roadways, and in riparian zones. By rotating through these areas their impacts
are limited to light grazing, minimal soil disturbance, and natural
fertilizing. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wupeLYmRdFxWJfBKfMC9n9RJTODoAb_VmG6MxuWTdgOI_3a3fus9hUFwHHn-QZiv2Gk2P-TSjKoE4C-FWvgKHNs_XLJKbMs1EEl1jKj_vI7uEskdhEwdU9DLIRD7GuqbHaNYqpfev5Q/s1600/20160705_135004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wupeLYmRdFxWJfBKfMC9n9RJTODoAb_VmG6MxuWTdgOI_3a3fus9hUFwHHn-QZiv2Gk2P-TSjKoE4C-FWvgKHNs_XLJKbMs1EEl1jKj_vI7uEskdhEwdU9DLIRD7GuqbHaNYqpfev5Q/s320/20160705_135004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilda, I see you!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our sheepie’s second job goes hand in hand with their
grazing – helping us build healthy soils. Grazing, light soil disturbance and
manure pellets are the keys to recycling nutrients back into the soil to feed
the microorganisms that nourish the soil and feed the plants. While some people
consider purchased hay as an expensive input, we see it as additional nutrients
that are recycled through the sheep and spread on the pastures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSI7COBjssYHWAqK-7Ezw-j45b173tqdjQIJWeirnipxPQKnG1TCF2LSaieyrZn9S84bPg-zKDlBoRDbTV63m5bo-QRflrPAf3L1N2Xcav2ZRZLMBugik3jJD0WiztH5MmIqDzlNDrqA/s1600/20160611_170229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSI7COBjssYHWAqK-7Ezw-j45b173tqdjQIJWeirnipxPQKnG1TCF2LSaieyrZn9S84bPg-zKDlBoRDbTV63m5bo-QRflrPAf3L1N2Xcav2ZRZLMBugik3jJD0WiztH5MmIqDzlNDrqA/s320/20160611_170229.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etta's 2016 fleece</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And their third job – well that’s the beautiful wool they
produce which when spun into yarn will feed my desire to be creative. For years
I’ve wanted to learn to weave. Now I have the wool makers.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Shetland yarn from <a href="http://www.okacres.com/" target="_blank">OK Acres, WI</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
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Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-32197540340958378242016-08-24T16:24:00.001-06:002016-08-24T16:29:04.303-06:00Sheep Join the Homestead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ian, Hilda, Etta, and Mac</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Depending on how you look at it, 2016 was either the year we started a new livestock adventure or lost our minds. Adding sheep to our homestead was not a decision we made lightly. We spent years researching breeds, handling requirements, pros and cons, and anything else we could find. In April we finally took the plunge and brought home two ewes and their lambs in the back of our 26 year old Toyota truck. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After information overload from the internet and talking with other sheep people, we decided on the Shetland breed. Shetlands are small (about half the size of standard sheep) so handling would be a little easier. They are very hardy having been developed on the Shetland Islands north of Scotland and probably bred from sheep left on the islands by the Vikings. Shetlands are also known for the beautiful and very fine wool so they have excellent economic value. And they are incredibly cute. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our two ewes, Etta the whiteish one and Hilda the black one, are registered Shetlands. Their lambs are crossbreds. Did I mention that Shetlands are naughty (the breeders' term for their disposition)? Etta's lamb, Mac (named for my Scottish grandmother's family name - MacGinnis), is the result of an unintended breeding to a Soay ram, another very hardy, primitive breed. Hilda's lamb, Ian, is the result of a secret breeding to a Black Welsh Mountain ram. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After a short period of adjustment, we started them on their main summer job - mowing. Using electrified netting, we move them all around the house and close up pasture areas where we can't or don't want to graze cattle. They are dainty little grazers and fertilizers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In June they lost their heavy winter fleeces. Initially we thought that might be a job we could learn but have watching numerous YouTube videos we thought better of it and hired a professional shearer. In fifteen minutes Tom had them slick and ready for the summer weather. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tom, Etta, and Don</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My cousin, Margaret, is a long-time spinner and weaver so I sent her the two fleeces. She's washing, carding, and spinning and will return half as ready to use yard. Next year we'll have fleeces from Mac (a beautiful rich brown) and Ian (black, black) and maybe one or two additions to the flock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Over the summer we've learned more about their grazing preferences and what they consider barriers to movement. Initially we ran temporary fencing along the creek to keep them from crossing or floating away but we've realized that they don't like to get their feet wet so we can use the creek as a "fence" which allows even more grazing opportunities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Their first home was more of a mobile home - the livestock trailer which provided a safe location for the evenings. From dusk to dawn they are locked in the trailer. When the sun is up they are out on grass. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In June we started building their own barn and it should be ready for occupancy in September. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We still have a lot to learn but I can say this much - the sheep are really enjoyable to have around. They can be naughty and are definitely characters, but they have filled a void I didn't realize I had. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-35757075900479199102016-04-20T13:04:00.000-06:002016-04-20T14:27:11.775-06:00No. 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We've had cattle grazing here every summer for the past 10 years or so. They've always been someone else's cattle - a neighbor down the road with cows and calves, a nearby rancher and his</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">yearling</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> replacement heifers, unwanted feral bucking bulls (that's another story) and so on. When we had horses, the cattle and horses grazed together. We've never had one we actually owned until last summer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last April the nearby rancher (and now good friend) mentioned that he had a yearling steer he couldn't sell to his normal buyer because of a couple of antibotic shots the steer received for an infection </span></span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">when he was a young calf. Did we want him? Over the years we've considered buying a steer to grass-finish and put in the freezer at the end of the grazing season but we've always resisted because neither of us were entirely sure if we would end up with a freezer full of homegrown beef or a 2000 pound pet oxen. We decided that 2015 was the year to give it a try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No.3 (his ear tag number) arrived with his half-sisters in early May to graze away the summer. I always work with the cattle over the summer because I enjoy it and it makes them easier to handle. In an attempt to keep our relationship professional, I resisted the urge to scratch No.3's chin, give him a pat on the back or even eye contact, something most of the heifers enjoy. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">About a month before "the End" I started enticing No.3 and an older, barren cow into the corral to enjoy a handful of alfalfa pellets. It didn't take long before they would come in on their own for their little treat. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In June a new butcher shop opened in town offering on farm processing - the perfect solution to a stress-free experience for everyone involved. On "the Day" we walked No.3 and his friend into the main corral to enjoy their pellets. Then I quietly moved No.3 and his pan of pellets into a smaller corral where the butcher ended his life with one rifle shot. Of course I stood on the other side of the barn. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I like to think that No.3 enjoyed his last six months of life. He had the company of his siblings, shelter and lots of fresh grass, and then it was over. No time spent at a disgusting feedlot, fed a massive quantity of grains that cause great intestinal distress and illness; no cramped trailer ride to a slaughterhouse when the smell of fear and death permeate everything. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I go to the freezer I think about No.3 and thank him for his sacrifice. I also think about how fortunate we are to have meat that was raised in a healthy and humane manner and whose footsteps and manure will help improve our soil for future grazers, both domestic and wild. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-39162610673463741012016-02-02T16:43:00.001-07:002016-02-02T16:44:52.960-07:00Shelter from the Storm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What makes a house become a home? I know some people use those terms interchangeably but to me they are very different. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To me a <i>house</i> is just a structure where people reside but a <i>home</i> is something more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A home is the place that welcomes you back and wraps its arms around you as you enter. A home is the place that shelters you from the storms, both physical and emotional. A home is the place where you feel more content than any where else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On this winter morning as I walk up the path to the front steps, I know that I am at home. And what a wonderful feeling that is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
<br />Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-48675621419336291592016-01-24T14:12:00.001-07:002016-01-24T14:29:07.559-07:00Pygmy Rescue<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A loud thump caught Don's attention several mornings ago. This sound usually means a bird has flown into one of the windows so he hustled outside to discover a tiny Northern Pygmy-Owl face down in the snow. Don gathered the little owl up to assess its condition only to be glared at by piercing bright eyes. After five minutes of calm and warmth snuggled into Don's gloved hands the little guy regained its senses and flew off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny (about the size of a bluebird), but it's a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help find these unobtrusive owls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These owls are found in forests ranging from deciduous woods along streams to high-elevation fir and spruce forests at timberline. They also live in cottonwood, aspen, and mixed-conifer forests. In winter, Northern Pygmy-Owls move to lower elevations and may come into towns to hunt songbirds at bird feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like other cavity nesters, pygmy-owls need standing dead trees as nest sites. Forest management practices that remove dead wood can reduce habitat quality for them. Pygmy-owls rely on other species to excavate holes for them which makes them indirectly dependent on populations of woodpeckers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most sources list the Northern Pygmy-Owl as relatively uncommon in Colorado. This is the second time we have seen one on our place. We feel pretty lucky to have enjoyed these special encounters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-87610193490691347302015-12-21T16:33:00.000-07:002015-12-21T16:33:47.666-07:00Winter Solstice, Christmas Full Moon, and A Wish for You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Winter begins tonight but the days lengthen starting tomorrow. I always find that interesting. You wouldn't think that the two concepts should go together. Maybe it's to give us hope at this difficult time of year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then on Christmas Day we will enjoy a full moon but not again for another nineteen years. Maybe that's to remind us of the fullness of life at this moment rather than to always look ahead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we send our wishes to all for an inspiring Winter Solstice, a joyous Christmas, and a New Year full of happiness, prosperity, and hope. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-51472441000792525622015-11-18T13:19:00.000-07:002015-11-18T14:00:18.112-07:00Harvest the Sun with Bees<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2015 marked the year when we finally gave into our bee-envy and became beekeepers. Our first exposure to beekeeping came ten years ago when a local beekeeper put ten hives on our place. We quickly became fascinated with these amazing creatures - how their hives were really more like complete communities dedicated to the survival of the whole not the individual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last fall Don ordered all the hive components and supplies to start three hives and over the winter he worked on the construction of the hive boxes and the place where we would keep our hives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We decided that our challenging elevation and climate could be mitigated somewhat by creating our "bee yard" in a portion of our barn. We re-purposed our old stallion's east-facing stall (he passed away in 2011) so that the hives would enjoy early morning light and warmth. Protected from the strong winter winds, heavy snow and the hot summer sun, this spot seemed perfect. Plus it was easy to add electric fencing to keep out the bears, raccoons, skunks and anything else that thought the bees and their honey were easy food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now for the bees. There are multitude of ways to get bees but we thought the best way for totally inexperienced beekeepers was to purchase small colonies know as "nucs". A nuc includes a mated queen, several thousand of her young daughters, developing larvae which would produce more young daughters and several combs of pollen and honey which would serve as early food sources. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most of the commercial bees are produced in the south from Florida to Texas because the climate makes it easier but these bees are not always well suited for life in the mountains of the West. After some research we decided to get two nucs from <a href="http://www.ziaqueenbees.com/" target="_blank">Zia Queenbees</a> from northern New Mexico. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In early June we traveled to Taos to meet with the Zia folks and pickup our bees. The three hour drive home in our Su-bee-ru with 20,000 bees in the back seat was interesting but uneventful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once home we transferred the bees from their nuc boxes into their new permanent hive boxes and added a feeder box on top of each hive. Inside the feeder box was a container of sugar syrup to feed them until they could start foraging on their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zia Queenbees names their "survivor" queens and tracks their life history. Our queens are both daughters of Ester (a two year old breeding queen) who is a daughter of Eclipse (a four year old breeder). Definitely impressive survivors! In keeping with the "E" names, we named our queens Emily and Erin. From this point on the hives are know as Emily's and Erin's. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the next few weeks we added more hive boxes to give them more room for the increasing number of bees and the food storage they were building. We continued feeding them so that all their efforts could go to developing their community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In early July a neighbor called to report a swarm of bees in her apple tree. We gathered up our swarm catching supplies (thanks YouTube for all the swarm videos) and headed over in the pouring rain. The capture went remarkably well and we installed our new bees in the third hive box collection Don had built. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now for a name for the new queen and hive. We decided to honor our location by naming her with an "H". Hannah and her young hive quickly developed over the summer and we added hive boxes as needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The bee's forage season winds down in September and its time for the beekeeper to help them focus their winter preparations on the core part of their hive (which in these photos are the lower hive boxes decorated with a flower painted on them). This first season we chose not to collect any honey but rather give all the hive resources to the bees to improve their chances of surviving the winter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don now has the bees tucked in for the winter with their hive reduced to the boxes necessary to overwinter and the hive wrapped in a reflective bubblewrap to help hold in some of their own heat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We'll check on the bees periodically through the winter to make sure that they have plenty of food stores and if necessary we'll provide both cane sugar and pollen patties. But for the most part, they are on their own and doing what bees do. In February or March the queen will start laying new eggs which under the care of the worker bees will develop into larvae and then new bees and they will be ready for another season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our goal from the beginning of this project was to develop a group of bees that could handle our climate and flourish. By starting with survivor bees from Zia and adding a feral swarm with local genetics, we hope we are on track. We're looking forward to the coming years when we will also have a source of very local honey for both eating and medicinal use. But mostly we will have tried to help honeybees in general by nurturing a group of bees in a healthy location.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And we consider the bees one more way to Harvest the Sun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you want to learn more about Zia Queenbees, here's a great YouTube video:</span></div>
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<h1 class="yt watch-title-container" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #222222; display: table-cell; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 13px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 823.333px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Breeding Survivor Queenbees in New Mexico"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5IOpQvSCgQ" style="font-weight: normal;" target="_blank">Breeding Survivor Queenbees in New Mexico</a></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
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Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-26665285788061580752015-10-21T16:31:00.003-06:002015-10-21T16:32:49.097-06:00Hi-tech Harvest of the Sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyone who lives in a rural area usually has multiple plans to handle emergencies from extra food and goods to medical supplies and backup power. You never know when things might go "upside-down". </span><br />
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We've always had a 5000 watt gas generator that would run about 6 hours on 5 gallons of fuel. It was a good solution for short-term power outages but not such a great idea if the power was out for days or longer. Plus it was noisy and smelly.</span><br />
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Like all other technologies, photovoltaic (solar) systems have been getting less expensive while significantly improving in output and simplicity. With the federal credits for installing a system expiring in 2016, we decided this year was the time to start.</span><br />
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We initially contacted several solar contractors only to be handed estimates that were grossly more power than we needed and grossly more expensive than our budget could handle. </span><br />
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Finally we found a solar consultant who was perfect - Roger. Roger is a retired chemistry professor who spends his retirement years designing and helping regular people build their own PV solar system. In mid-July we started the process and two weeks ago we "flipped the switch" and started producing our own electricity. </span><br />
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We did the majority of the slave labor and saved Roger's skills for the technical stuff. Actually Don did the majority of the hard work while I worked on the backup to the solar system - four cords of firewood. In the perfect juxtaposition, the brains of the solar system hang on the outside of the woodshed - the old and the new.</span><br />
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Rather than bore you will all the details I'll just share some photos. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhL0uHHwYJDlusT1kZysVMB_dmpGN9ULXd4CJrzTmJEpWAVwD3127oAFiRPzoud3Azjy29L78Ywu2fvRseXAdYIg4WPY3_-rjxk-OKPTg1dMG8hMKRFxkfeMe3sqJCVdcVAAxa3FB4YsI/s1600/Layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhL0uHHwYJDlusT1kZysVMB_dmpGN9ULXd4CJrzTmJEpWAVwD3127oAFiRPzoud3Azjy29L78Ywu2fvRseXAdYIg4WPY3_-rjxk-OKPTg1dMG8hMKRFxkfeMe3sqJCVdcVAAxa3FB4YsI/s1600/Layout.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Layout of the solar panel array</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IwrOYCSOdP1oEjQHAFWvw-4fTHUOwlkjr3l9R4rACB7jJ79dAu1QM1olBX0zTE9_X8rgeCZuuRfxcXSAwmE2uupY6yPud1yeHdMxI3vp81_4Mpsje4uGHy-cu3NYqRzibIKIQgsaw9o/s1600/Holes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IwrOYCSOdP1oEjQHAFWvw-4fTHUOwlkjr3l9R4rACB7jJ79dAu1QM1olBX0zTE9_X8rgeCZuuRfxcXSAwmE2uupY6yPud1yeHdMxI3vp81_4Mpsje4uGHy-cu3NYqRzibIKIQgsaw9o/s1600/Holes.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Digging the holes</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRWN6e6S17dJMrEHgTPYEm_eTfd0rXBgK1UtdeJgKqDgq80w_hJ6M7JZr4OwDl99lra6OGKMBjEUdhxzbTGP_IVPbEAWW2EOjg-CuNU_nuTJCsltw6hZ5VQQa6sCyVK-SvUpkNP00ozI/s1600/Framework.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRWN6e6S17dJMrEHgTPYEm_eTfd0rXBgK1UtdeJgKqDgq80w_hJ6M7JZr4OwDl99lra6OGKMBjEUdhxzbTGP_IVPbEAWW2EOjg-CuNU_nuTJCsltw6hZ5VQQa6sCyVK-SvUpkNP00ozI/s1600/Framework.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Setting the panel framework</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzc1Bwlowe0j2CtAitNkmML1bq9aHTAESl1eKVoLt_6Wzk4-n_soHVX6GJDwlh9Ws3lPfsPY3FliW1_ED8Y_rwomDnkxfQIrh9ET-zntNKfeF92WCPHnuXlHe31X_LLWZxnXoH1ijVMY/s1600/Concrete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzc1Bwlowe0j2CtAitNkmML1bq9aHTAESl1eKVoLt_6Wzk4-n_soHVX6GJDwlh9Ws3lPfsPY3FliW1_ED8Y_rwomDnkxfQIrh9ET-zntNKfeF92WCPHnuXlHe31X_LLWZxnXoH1ijVMY/s1600/Concrete.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pouring concrete</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHUNzSDiqhLysHQ7Eo_BcivbhG4HpVeltWuwPHmcA2Gyoy7_Pj7DM1k7aa6yqHRkgm9AwxaQf2m9JScn0CFW-ZrhkxotJSOdwd4QIDOMWL77IKRg2aJtgMCUDqjTsH6Zg9H8pKDixG1E/s1600/20150809_164459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHUNzSDiqhLysHQ7Eo_BcivbhG4HpVeltWuwPHmcA2Gyoy7_Pj7DM1k7aa6yqHRkgm9AwxaQf2m9JScn0CFW-ZrhkxotJSOdwd4QIDOMWL77IKRg2aJtgMCUDqjTsH6Zg9H8pKDixG1E/s320/20150809_164459.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Solar panels installed</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSM0y5ppVE-PLEvnP-20jSHIY3_mtTRDkXdePRuJynwqHWWxVcTkLrwsfeec_qb8ZnOL3pen_-t9rNuG5GGH1L_ajubn0SLJSxP50FMVHtq0d03K2_O7NcVxvgnEBmd3JNTpUeo80ulI/s1600/Battery+cellar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSM0y5ppVE-PLEvnP-20jSHIY3_mtTRDkXdePRuJynwqHWWxVcTkLrwsfeec_qb8ZnOL3pen_-t9rNuG5GGH1L_ajubn0SLJSxP50FMVHtq0d03K2_O7NcVxvgnEBmd3JNTpUeo80ulI/s1600/Battery+cellar.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Building the battery cellar</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkJap43o_t9UjGg0PKbhaWy2s7-SM7vwhrQZU_L82ufTk128kOIWo77yW-TdFwcWR3GRdYlkq7CmkrljjB0uYUARlwwzX-SGwmSqU7dlD_McO_kVzkfrC8v64aP3CgqK8LHKGmCT5s-I/s1600/Cellar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkJap43o_t9UjGg0PKbhaWy2s7-SM7vwhrQZU_L82ufTk128kOIWo77yW-TdFwcWR3GRdYlkq7CmkrljjB0uYUARlwwzX-SGwmSqU7dlD_McO_kVzkfrC8v64aP3CgqK8LHKGmCT5s-I/s320/Cellar.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Battery cellar housing 8 - 6V batteries</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UKb8NQC5ulAGXMbZR3tBPBwB8aIb-9HgJVVI0vSW5F9iHh8k2CX-AjYWJzHgSk2e1DI8xFpdPXN-Z_wNhW65EqJDDpGttkCCNwQlhFJrN4TmOHv4Mdbds4giH7U4jafcMo4exIK2g5Q/s1600/PDP+closed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UKb8NQC5ulAGXMbZR3tBPBwB8aIb-9HgJVVI0vSW5F9iHh8k2CX-AjYWJzHgSk2e1DI8xFpdPXN-Z_wNhW65EqJDDpGttkCCNwQlhFJrN4TmOHv4Mdbds4giH7U4jafcMo4exIK2g5Q/s320/PDP+closed.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cabinet for power center</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ql3nC9Ws-3jPHZKx85pc2YdNeK30ZTfPOIXtx4qT1mdEAkItaH0Jn0Zjzx7iJvZ1PPsIL2_l_yiUl9yikcLs1rG21N9KzzZ-HEqfT0JbRl70qdDY4yFQk1mVjdjeD2qMhrJfJ8LtTh0/s1600/PDP+open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ql3nC9Ws-3jPHZKx85pc2YdNeK30ZTfPOIXtx4qT1mdEAkItaH0Jn0Zjzx7iJvZ1PPsIL2_l_yiUl9yikcLs1rG21N9KzzZ-HEqfT0JbRl70qdDY4yFQk1mVjdjeD2qMhrJfJ8LtTh0/s320/PDP+open.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Power center with inverter</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MQo_xxsEpm-Hgm_5T4y9e3a25UxoQ6UEGp4gD5qdGchTV4Wm3Ynsy1r931-4dcl2RzOPl6fQpaFhcpUZ-eidgh353Y28kutWFfZktNf1HE37JLEn16RUoCgiOaip46ik3gDB6hXBuUg/s1600/Woodshed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MQo_xxsEpm-Hgm_5T4y9e3a25UxoQ6UEGp4gD5qdGchTV4Wm3Ynsy1r931-4dcl2RzOPl6fQpaFhcpUZ-eidgh353Y28kutWFfZktNf1HE37JLEn16RUoCgiOaip46ik3gDB6hXBuUg/s1600/Woodshed.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Woodshed with solar power center on right side</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our system, as configured, produces between 6 and 9 kilowatt hours per day. We designed it (ok, Roger designed it) so that we could double the output by just adding six more panels. Thus far we have the freezer and office running on 100% solar. Over the next few weeks we'll be adding another freezer and the media center - TV, sound system - plus some lights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It still amazes me that you can produce your own electricity. And it's nice </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to know that when the power goes out again we'll have a little more comfort than in years past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch for the next edition of <i>Harvesting the Sun</i> - Beekeeping</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-42868739016235365702015-08-11T17:02:00.000-06:002015-08-11T17:02:59.388-06:00Harvesting the Sun<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We spent a bit of time over the last winter thinking about ways to better utilize the natural resources of our place - clean air, exceptional water, lush grass and of course sun. Lots and lots of sun. More than 300 days of sun. So that became our focus. How could we better use the sunshine both directly and indirectly? </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next few blogs will offer more detail on our two projects but here's a little something to peak your interest.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbWpkjPRF1y6vbVqd1OLgi7GAnLVVSBkeGRytyiHpduJowHSLie2cMfLv-Zfm5INR6F_XI6bTlOOGX1KIq9QW5foh9X_xkvBkuCg-8OLSUSUFYLhbLdxzRDpD1kcbAIzfL0H24C0kd-4/s1600/20150710_133501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbWpkjPRF1y6vbVqd1OLgi7GAnLVVSBkeGRytyiHpduJowHSLie2cMfLv-Zfm5INR6F_XI6bTlOOGX1KIq9QW5foh9X_xkvBkuCg-8OLSUSUFYLhbLdxzRDpD1kcbAIzfL0H24C0kd-4/s320/20150710_133501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's right - beehives! 2015 became the year we quit talking about having bees and actually got started. Don spent the winter building and painting the hive boxes in anticipation. We got two bee colonies from a master beekeeper in northern New Mexico in early June and collected a local, feral swarm in early July. All three hives are buzzzzzzzing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yup! Solar power. Compared to the bees, this project involves a bit more work from us and is still ongoing. By the end of this year we'll be producing enough power to handle all the office equipment and backup of key appliances when the conventional power is down. And if all goes well we'll double that by the end of next year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So stay tuned for lots more information as we complete these projects and plan new ones to harvest the sun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-29222434467466078392015-02-28T13:52:00.000-07:002015-02-28T14:34:23.822-07:00End of the Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDi_v86fs6DBttGrDa95Vv49unYyhSZHUbrYSu4wYXk6dgpTgb4UuxzKw3B6aH3Sbbtt4PWZ7KgMIQT5lJbbZbwyXSgoyoPDZ57dVFhbRdQGBDJOJhq-Lc3JjPBEHEAXu92Jy8r74LrM/s1600/Road+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDi_v86fs6DBttGrDa95Vv49unYyhSZHUbrYSu4wYXk6dgpTgb4UuxzKw3B6aH3Sbbtt4PWZ7KgMIQT5lJbbZbwyXSgoyoPDZ57dVFhbRdQGBDJOJhq-Lc3JjPBEHEAXu92Jy8r74LrM/s1600/Road+sign.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is something special about living at the end of the road. For one thing not many people drive by this time of the year. The county road leading up to this point is less than ideal but from the Dead End sign on it degrades rapidly into a rock strewn, two-track path. A couple of summer cabin residents travel by when they are here. The folks from Trails End Ranch, which wraps around this area on the north and west sides, access the south end of the ranch from this road. Occasionally a Sunday afternoon tourist, neighbors on horseback or illegal hunter passes by, but that's about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course there are always a few people every year who are not convinced by the Dead End sign and plod forward only to get stuck in the snow, lost, or find themselves having to back out a quarter mile or more. In fact that's the reason for the little sign below the Dead End sign - No Forest Access, No Turn Around. Just trying to save people from themselves. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_oX_QK5t6zF8TcTvQkWMPs9VvgUQFXBqEaRAYJLqIcnLkyD2jlDBPOeUFDJCogQ_sS5nPOHIEF-N-wUbHq_J0Eu2G0b18T0EYVzcO8yIfmwf1BlfUGk4Bsmr50UT1g0Y5mGhw5iA9nM/s1600/Driveway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_oX_QK5t6zF8TcTvQkWMPs9VvgUQFXBqEaRAYJLqIcnLkyD2jlDBPOeUFDJCogQ_sS5nPOHIEF-N-wUbHq_J0Eu2G0b18T0EYVzcO8yIfmwf1BlfUGk4Bsmr50UT1g0Y5mGhw5iA9nM/s1600/Driveway.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's another special aspect of being at the end of the road and that's the spiritual one. It's good knowing that beyond this point it's more about the woods and the animals that inhabit them than people. And it's about our conscious decision to live beyond the reach of most things, to live quietly and in harmony as much as possible, to work together to accomplish a simple yet beautiful life.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrTEp-Likslf7xyL04eQG3G6sdMmCskWkHFmgxG-nlUqkpnklhOkJ9gWIqHl5d8Tw1H3aA7_tU6hHv0yAK1VQ2LFV6rbiu0LxAvwx-u1ohTuCyQ04LsJ3W9CYnNdQXGeZd87fqG6ehF0/s1600/pasture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrTEp-Likslf7xyL04eQG3G6sdMmCskWkHFmgxG-nlUqkpnklhOkJ9gWIqHl5d8Tw1H3aA7_tU6hHv0yAK1VQ2LFV6rbiu0LxAvwx-u1ohTuCyQ04LsJ3W9CYnNdQXGeZd87fqG6ehF0/s1600/pasture.jpg" height="190" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am reminded of the famous poem by Robert Frost, <i>The Road Not Taken</i>. I think the final lines say it best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I took the one less traveled by,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>And that has made all the difference.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So true.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-86282310059008381642015-02-16T15:57:00.000-07:002015-02-17T07:44:15.870-07:00Cats of Our Forest<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heading into the woods after a fresh snowfall is one of my favorite things to do. It gives me a chance to see who has been out and about. Last week's four inch wet snow was perfect so I laced up my hiking boots and headed for the woods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It didn't take long to come across numerous tracks of a bobcat (<i>Lynx rufus</i>). Since bobcats are generally solitary the tracks were probably from one animal moving back and forth across the area in search of food.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZ600HYVxMYLEtWgyk_LpGXID-g5OKwjY7f6iWxNvwv9395BO-W7Lyh492f2RB6aiX2kztK3r8OCjMPklh_-YfaaGo2m6X-z24LxYzvtmCjNFRBWC2U7MeNzldR_r1bAUDdIqvsHuxOE/s1600/bobtracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZ600HYVxMYLEtWgyk_LpGXID-g5OKwjY7f6iWxNvwv9395BO-W7Lyh492f2RB6aiX2kztK3r8OCjMPklh_-YfaaGo2m6X-z24LxYzvtmCjNFRBWC2U7MeNzldR_r1bAUDdIqvsHuxOE/s1600/bobtracks.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bobcats hunt by stealth, relying on surprise rather than a lengthy chase. Opportunistic, bobcats will feed on practically any prey including mice, chipmunks, squirrels, prairie dogs, rabbits, porcupines, small birds and even deer. Bobcats are active all year and most of their hunting occurs at night or at dawn and dusk. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZqeWuefL2gVXFFjnkIwsg0cQFv0HZOIkuKl9ER9hxlu5b51JaXzfzcAwyI5i4SnkdXX2CFEtkZ3aIg4px6mCu7Nv7qc70fizbp_QsQSknc5oOXujk_zh_GsxKSm0SJ3uuNYEUlsiAPo/s1600/Bobcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZqeWuefL2gVXFFjnkIwsg0cQFv0HZOIkuKl9ER9hxlu5b51JaXzfzcAwyI5i4SnkdXX2CFEtkZ3aIg4px6mCu7Nv7qc70fizbp_QsQSknc5oOXujk_zh_GsxKSm0SJ3uuNYEUlsiAPo/s1600/Bobcat.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado Parks & Wildlife</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bobcats favorite habitats are pinon-juniper woodlands and montane forests making them quite at home in our forest. In fact just after I took the photo of my foot and the bobcat track, the long-legged cat ran across the clearing in front of me and disappeared into the trees. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After enjoying my personalized visit by "Bob" I continued on, studying the tracks of all the little creatures of the woods. There were the tiny tracks of a deer mouse and the hopping tracks between trees of the pine squirrel (Chickaree). Since the snow cover wasn't very deep I also came across the tracks of a raccoon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as I was about to turn back I noticed the tracks of the largest winter predator of the forest, the mountain lion (<i>Felis concolor</i>).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8w9kqAlr5EbpqslX0ZsR40Cb8GSKoUKZ_shVJhBzlTnk3eUZomKASEBlns5lQnXaUotDxP153I3ZZHQg8ufKk22CN0FmyVVeWojuM_WleczAN-MRuAR3qBKIeEpczFZ0qGYsQ-NJtO4/s1600/liontracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8w9kqAlr5EbpqslX0ZsR40Cb8GSKoUKZ_shVJhBzlTnk3eUZomKASEBlns5lQnXaUotDxP153I3ZZHQg8ufKk22CN0FmyVVeWojuM_WleczAN-MRuAR3qBKIeEpczFZ0qGYsQ-NJtO4/s1600/liontracks.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Seeing these tracks gave me both a thrill and a chill. This elusive and solitary cat is rarely seen. Lions mainly prey on deer but this time of year the deer have moved to lower elevations and the lions are left with rabbits, porcupines, raccoons, mice, an occasional young elk, and around here, wild turkeys. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkTjR6Ut2IPpMGR2Qf_UTjozuybOabihKtpwGtcDU8y4mJaFrr9UIajsBPrFtU7eLfZHB-tE2vsDIodSUq53iPs31NjyE88_A3iTUPCVjC-Bvot_l2bFUf3zTNd7D0cVRmMAPBSnBTys/s1600/MtnLion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkTjR6Ut2IPpMGR2Qf_UTjozuybOabihKtpwGtcDU8y4mJaFrr9UIajsBPrFtU7eLfZHB-tE2vsDIodSUq53iPs31NjyE88_A3iTUPCVjC-Bvot_l2bFUf3zTNd7D0cVRmMAPBSnBTys/s1600/MtnLion.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Colorado Parks & Wildlife</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the years I have found the remains of several lion kills and I am always reminded that with respect to the lion, we are not the top of the food chain. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-26010834267400574892015-01-21T14:52:00.004-07:002015-01-22T08:14:04.855-07:00Wassailing the Orchard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKciYGVwx5K6MNCES4hRRnv-bf0oZDDFelr_3otPzPo8UVtG3sNT2GZW9lv1pJqbTAybJdADbi4G5rYEtR0r3b-cZMAmic6MPFNK0jFX2SuuGqqq7RnTH9TaL-Q2xQPUyS7B2pIWfJVdo/s1600/Big+orchard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKciYGVwx5K6MNCES4hRRnv-bf0oZDDFelr_3otPzPo8UVtG3sNT2GZW9lv1pJqbTAybJdADbi4G5rYEtR0r3b-cZMAmic6MPFNK0jFX2SuuGqqq7RnTH9TaL-Q2xQPUyS7B2pIWfJVdo/s1600/Big+orchard.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Original orchard started in 2004</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last
Saturday was the day for our annual Orchard Wassailing. In years past it’s been
just Don and I with a cup of apple cider, standing in the snow, toasting our
apple and cherry trees. This year’s celebration was very special because it wasn’t
just us, it was the neighborhood and the wassailing was organized by a
wonderful neighbor who just started her own little orchard.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeKDp4JPuqghVpaAvc7lku1bEzMegOPZ2R2redpCnjltD1o3Y3yMcUY1jloL2EW07CyLPlmyIk4FkXPdXM0ilWi5XDGMsDAU6WZB40bjDiV-JdmeI0RDNDS7kZHx1ki3YTPipEzGayfs/s1600/Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeKDp4JPuqghVpaAvc7lku1bEzMegOPZ2R2redpCnjltD1o3Y3yMcUY1jloL2EW07CyLPlmyIk4FkXPdXM0ilWi5XDGMsDAU6WZB40bjDiV-JdmeI0RDNDS7kZHx1ki3YTPipEzGayfs/s1600/Group.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We first learned about fruit tree wassailing in </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Grower-Guide-Organic-Orchardist/dp/1931498911/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421876093&sr=1-2&keywords=apple+orchard&pebp=1421876103766&peasin=1931498911" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Michael Phillip’s book, <i>The Apple Grower</i></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. According to Wikipedia the purpose of wassailing is to awaken the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the autumn. In the cider-producing regions of west England (primarily the counties of Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire) wassailing also refers to drinking (and singing) to the health of trees in the hopes that they might better thrive.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwL7CJThhWI76O5npSD1EbAFcZhcOyynbfopK7IBwqa2NboV9KUSTh_greVrU9cFuhm1ye5dPl_Pv9SUvT6Cbs9kAn1v43YXzjVUkWljjh77YA9q6a1_fOvatusP9ZJ5ZJNQ6VzpJnIY/s1600/Heirloom+orchard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwL7CJThhWI76O5npSD1EbAFcZhcOyynbfopK7IBwqa2NboV9KUSTh_greVrU9cFuhm1ye5dPl_Pv9SUvT6Cbs9kAn1v43YXzjVUkWljjh77YA9q6a1_fOvatusP9ZJ5ZJNQ6VzpJnIY/s1600/Heirloom+orchard.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Heirloom orchard started in 2014</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The
ceremonies of each wassail vary from village to village but they generally all
have the same <i>core</i> elements. On January 17th (the old Twelfth
Night) a wassail King and Queen lead the song and/or a processional tune to be
played/sung from one orchard to the next, the wassail Queen will then be lifted
up into the boughs of the tree where she will place toast soaked in Wassail
from the Clayen Cup as a gift to the tree spirits (and to show the
fruits created the previous year). <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Then the
assembled crowd will sing and shout and bang drums and pots & pans and
generally make a terrible racket until the gunsmen give a great final volley
through the branches to make sure the work is done and then off to the next
orchard. Private readings about people in Somerset in the 1800s
revealed that inhabitants of Somerset practiced the old Wassailing Ceremony,
singing the following lyrics after drinking the cider until
they were "merry and gay:"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Perhaps
unbeknownst to the general public, this ancient English tradition is still very
much a thriving tradition right here in the mountains of southern Colorado. There
are already plans for next year and who knows, maybe by then another neighbor
will start an orchard and we’ll have a third location to visit. And just in case you wondered we don't yet have a wassail King, Queen nor gunsmen but there is always next year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>Apple
tree, apple tree, we all come to wassail thee,<br />
Bear this year and next year to bloom and to blow,<br />
Hat fulls, cap fulls, three cornered sack fills,<br />
Hip, Hip, Hip, hurrah,<br />
Holler biys, holler hurrah.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-27307754402084682622014-12-15T16:43:00.001-07:002014-12-15T16:43:59.492-07:00Season's Greetings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cQxHV5cAGvIoSFgqVvxAWzIOlybCopevKaG-5rPlNVVai96hG21XOMqaXwlov34XFFE4WeXnwqdFrxCpNx-Fho06Jl_Y9IUerSPHqbrZQthHHMC-cEAzov6Ag-aG8UFVxg_q6dILTvo/s1600/Sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cQxHV5cAGvIoSFgqVvxAWzIOlybCopevKaG-5rPlNVVai96hG21XOMqaXwlov34XFFE4WeXnwqdFrxCpNx-Fho06Jl_Y9IUerSPHqbrZQthHHMC-cEAzov6Ag-aG8UFVxg_q6dILTvo/s1600/Sunrise.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another spectacular day begins as another year glides to the end. Its been an interesting year as we started an <a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2014/06/heirloom-orchard.html" target="_blank">heirloom orchard</a>, had <a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2014/05/its-spring-somewhere-right.html" target="_blank">winter in May</a> and summer in November, enjoyed the best grazing season in four years, broke my ankle in early July and hobbled around for three months, and reminded ourselves what is truly important in life. If 2015 is half as enjoyable as was this year, it will be a beautiful one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've tucked the gardens and orchards in for the year, started working down the wood stacks and woodshed as winter finally settles in, are studying what a neighbor calls "garden porn" in the form of seed catalogues, and find ourselves enjoying the time when the natural world rests.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2015 will bring a new project to the homestead - beekeeping. We've thought about it for years but finally made the decision this fall. The hives are now constructed and painted and awaiting the bees. In May we'll travel to northern New Mexico and bring two bee colonies home. It will be a big learning curve but Don has armed himself with lots of books and we are blessed with some excellent beekeepers in the Valley who are willing to share their knowledge and experience. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the year comes to a close we want to take a moment to wish you the beauty and blessings of the season. Take comfort in the love of family and friends and look forward to a happy and prosperous New Year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a> </span><br />
<br />
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-24934989694008109612014-06-20T14:57:00.000-06:002014-06-20T14:57:52.643-06:00Heirloom Orchard<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It has been
ten years since we started our little orchard. In 2004, tempting climate and
altitude, we planted two strains of cherry trees (Bali, Montmorency) and three
strains of apple trees (Sweet Sixteen, State Fair, and Haralred). In past blogs
I’ve written about the trials and tribulations, challenges and failures, and
the joys and successes. <br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-orchard-comes-of-age.html">Orchard
comes of age</a><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2013/07/keeping-up-with-summers-tasks.html">Keeping
up with summer’s chores</a><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2013/07/orchard-fence.html">Orchard
fencing</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Not ones to
learn from our past frustrations, we decided 2014 was the year to start our
heirloom orchard. Don spent a good part of the winter researching various
strains and the nurseries that carried them. Our goal was not so much to create
another production orchard as it was to continue these wonderful old strains of
apple trees and test them at our less than ideal location (for fruit trees
anyway). </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Don settled
on four strains, all zone 3 or 4 though untested at 8000+ foot elevation, and
purchased them from <a href="http://www.treesofantiquity.com/">Trees of
Antiquity</a>. The bareroot trees arrived in early May, just in time for three
nights of 20 degree temperatures. We had already decided that we would start
the youngsters in large pots of good quality soil before planting them in the
ground this fall so we hustled them into the old cabin where they waited out
the cold nights. We have ordered bareroot shrubs and trees in the past and are
always a little disappointed by how small they are, looking more like sticks
than trees. I was stunned to see how robust and healthy these trees from Trees
of Antiquity were.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">So here are
the new heirloom additions to the orchard:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsLT3joqQJVVmNWflArPbgKZ5yGPar2LI6E2PvEukkGEtW27gRLw8YiWIk-paf1_jAE5X2zRkQKbjMaTH24_rnYOhacDVsWq0IoiRxA8vp9b1kwgFZmMXuwYubiHUGbK4gwQv3BKTL44/s1600/Summer+Rambo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsLT3joqQJVVmNWflArPbgKZ5yGPar2LI6E2PvEukkGEtW27gRLw8YiWIk-paf1_jAE5X2zRkQKbjMaTH24_rnYOhacDVsWq0IoiRxA8vp9b1kwgFZmMXuwYubiHUGbK4gwQv3BKTL44/s1600/Summer+Rambo.jpg" height="191" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;">Rambour Franc (c1535)</span></u></b><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;">:</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> A 16th century French apple popular
with American colonists. Rambour is a French name given to certain varieties of
red apples of a large size. Crisp, very juicy, breaking flesh, a great apple
for early season eating out of hand and also good for sauce. Large red fruit,
bright striped. Precocious, vigorous, hardy and productive tree. Displays some
resistance to scab and fireblight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bloom: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Midseason<br />
<b>USDA Zone: </b>4,5,6,7,8,9<br />
<b>Pollination: </b>Select another midseason bloom apple variety<br />
<b>Fruit Storage: </b>Fair<br />
<b>Mature Size: </b>Large<br />
<b>Ripens: </b>Early<br />
<b>Uses: </b>Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter),
baking<br />
<b>Rootstock: </b>Semidwarf</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAb66xI-dp42MNzWfm5up2SDaKNlVN0TdbeFunFXhKj_Cx3te6wxDwFeGTiDGT2ZwNt7L0afnkzpHi3_oUiuUYmMXAhniaCaf8IbulL6cPaMZU12n0rBdYlLaWaEp_0czWOMRldU95Bo8/s1600/snow_fameuse_toa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAb66xI-dp42MNzWfm5up2SDaKNlVN0TdbeFunFXhKj_Cx3te6wxDwFeGTiDGT2ZwNt7L0afnkzpHi3_oUiuUYmMXAhniaCaf8IbulL6cPaMZU12n0rBdYlLaWaEp_0czWOMRldU95Bo8/s1600/snow_fameuse_toa.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;">Snow Apple (c1739)</span></u></b><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;">:</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> From Canada and also known as
Fameuse, Snow Apple is one of the oldest and most desirable dessert apples, a
parent of the aromatic McIntosh. Flesh is tender, spicy, distinctive in flavor,
and snow white in color with occasional crimson stains near the skin. Very
hardy, heavy bearing tree that is excellent for home orchards. Delicious fresh
off the tree, in cider, or in culinary creations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bloom: </span></b><span data-scayt_word="Midseason" data-scaytid="1"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Midseason</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>USDA Zone: </b>3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10<br />
<b>Pollination: </b>Select another midseason bloom apple variety<br />
<b>Fruit Storage: </b>Fair<br />
<b>Mature Size: </b>Medium<br />
<b>Ripens: </b>late<br />
<b>Uses: </b>Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter)<br />
<b>Rootstock: </b><span data-scayt_word="Semidwarf" data-scaytid="2">Semidwarf</span> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoNi41VPSFbi0Ce40IXLg79fLEoK5xYI2slFaDmtF23kQ_qE4w4rUnut7DkcL1_gH6t34VBmRpx-thZL9vyb1A47ONu4ncKQNCE-9DfT58rRyTo2yUCo9ltXjEJRZBgvKgQRIViDFaYE/s1600/cox+orange+pippin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoNi41VPSFbi0Ce40IXLg79fLEoK5xYI2slFaDmtF23kQ_qE4w4rUnut7DkcL1_gH6t34VBmRpx-thZL9vyb1A47ONu4ncKQNCE-9DfT58rRyTo2yUCo9ltXjEJRZBgvKgQRIViDFaYE/s1600/cox+orange+pippin.JPG" height="320" width="268" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;">Cox’s Orange Pippin (c1830):</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> Highly esteemed in England as a dessert apple; produces
excellent fruit in cooler summer climates. Medium sized apple, red and yellow,
usually striped. The flesh is yellow, firm, crisp, very juicy, richly aromatic
and some say almost spicy. Flavor is enhanced when fruit ripens off the tree. A
heavy bearer and one of the best apples for espalier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bloom: </span></b><span data-scayt_word="Midseason" data-scaytid="1"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Midseason</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>USDA Zone: </b>4,5,6,7,8,9,10<br />
<b>Pollination: </b>Select another midseason bloom apple variety<br />
<b>Fruit Storage: </b>Fair<br />
<b>Mature Size: </b>Medium<br />
<b>Ripens: </b>Mid Season<br />
<b>Uses: </b>Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter),
baking, juice/hard cider<br />
<b>Rootstock: </b>Semidwarf</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEw2Kw2UltFL2RHAupUcrnY_qMHz4_BRmpIvj9GoUGaohTADvII3wiY9L1EWNie6t13dj95tqcVcn7cpEEua5lNlGrywy3EdoxoxWUV_26oL2etSWZCpjyiITnBhCsWBlc65REtu8lP9M/s1600/Smokehouse+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEw2Kw2UltFL2RHAupUcrnY_qMHz4_BRmpIvj9GoUGaohTADvII3wiY9L1EWNie6t13dj95tqcVcn7cpEEua5lNlGrywy3EdoxoxWUV_26oL2etSWZCpjyiITnBhCsWBlc65REtu8lP9M/s1600/Smokehouse+2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #4F6228; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent3; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 128;">Smokehouse (c1837):</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">
Smokehouse is a seedling of the ancient American variety, Vandevere. Smokehouse
originated in Lampeter Township, PA about 1800's adjacent to William Gibbons’
smokehouse. Tender, but firm, exceedingly juicy, yellow tinged flesh. Fresh
cider flavor. Young, productive bearer and a reliable cropper. Flattish,
red-striped yellow fruit. Hardy to -40 degrees F. Excellent keeper, very good
quality apple for multiple uses. Shows some resistance to fireblight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bloom: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Late<br />
<b>USDA Zone: </b>3,4,5,6,7,8,9<br />
<b>Pollination: </b>Select another late season bloom apple variety such as
Grimes Golden and/or Newtown Pippin<br />
<b>Fruit Storage: </b>Excellent<br />
<b>Mature Size: </b>Medium<br />
<b>Ripens: </b>Late<br />
<b>Uses: </b>Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter),
baking, juice/hard cider<br />
<b>Rootstock: </b>Semidwarf</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Wish us luck!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a> </span></div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-22872970516742522102014-05-14T11:24:00.002-06:002014-05-14T11:25:38.104-06:00Its Spring Somewhere - Right?<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />The wild turkeys who have spent the last four days with us are finally ready to get back to the task at hand - breeding season. This big tom is doing his best to impress the others but unfortunately there are no females in the small group. None-the-less, I was impressed enough to zip back inside and grab my camera. The scene seems strangely like one that might play out in a bar.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0WIrqqcq-CFpRKE3uOcNQRTSB_e_SdUwxzwyslypyqEBR9mtTzW-NFvJk0Nn3HYZfgTR6PhCSnaaLWgXH7wH0B7IxVh6EhmdSi06U4DjcAmDC_2V2BV5PzqbJ2ORqS4dZHpR9xQnxw0/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0WIrqqcq-CFpRKE3uOcNQRTSB_e_SdUwxzwyslypyqEBR9mtTzW-NFvJk0Nn3HYZfgTR6PhCSnaaLWgXH7wH0B7IxVh6EhmdSi06U4DjcAmDC_2V2BV5PzqbJ2ORqS4dZHpR9xQnxw0/s1600/009.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With camera in hand I captured a few more beautiful scenes. As I mentioned in the previous blog, there's a lot to be thankful for!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaSNpZ1u5SJQDs6DvN2_Ftju80BB2hPXo_ayTVR2xT99acBX1KoKTG3KNlZ6bLTz-Ks1Yjuu7g4pYyOqo39k8Ogq8sNnoUnqhl1iVK9tQ2fDbpYvn54Ph_tSh_jJU45iIWsrCMFtfWhI/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaSNpZ1u5SJQDs6DvN2_Ftju80BB2hPXo_ayTVR2xT99acBX1KoKTG3KNlZ6bLTz-Ks1Yjuu7g4pYyOqo39k8Ogq8sNnoUnqhl1iVK9tQ2fDbpYvn54Ph_tSh_jJU45iIWsrCMFtfWhI/s1600/014.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Natural Resources Conservation Service <a href="http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/site?sitenum=773&state=co" target="_blank">SNOTEL website on South Colony Creek</a> at an elevation of 10,800 feet recorded 19" of snow with 1.8 inches of moisture from our last storm. That's 4.3 inches of moisture more than this time last year. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0fGxqrmGzRujS2SmdakgHDqufp1jjTmPjXjz6x-0HM1tPHaLBWc1lYBKa2op9xukJcATTK5iPkIpU-PZOMOgDxLSZmjqqPQuegWhdm5g7dIeRKbLHyynuwcaGazZ2Cp3BdC1wDPK18g/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0fGxqrmGzRujS2SmdakgHDqufp1jjTmPjXjz6x-0HM1tPHaLBWc1lYBKa2op9xukJcATTK5iPkIpU-PZOMOgDxLSZmjqqPQuegWhdm5g7dIeRKbLHyynuwcaGazZ2Cp3BdC1wDPK18g/s1600/016.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The horses and cattle are content in the morning sun and with the big bale to munch on. By tomorrow plenty of fresh grass should be showing again. We are boarding two rescued Thoroughbred horses for a wonderful neighbor down the road and seven replacement heifers for a nearby ranch. It feels nice to have horses here again.<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpY6dKvu0eeVaM2MVifij843aKYRqO2u4kCVcufyuSwzU61HazZ3Vjai2nh2xf3V8oU3lDKLEyhNhvsPo56N0zlEpMJcneeHl_7nXnfcbxXUg-z7HBSlmlc5Z5jsF8m_GhT2_KOzJQug/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpY6dKvu0eeVaM2MVifij843aKYRqO2u4kCVcufyuSwzU61HazZ3Vjai2nh2xf3V8oU3lDKLEyhNhvsPo56N0zlEpMJcneeHl_7nXnfcbxXUg-z7HBSlmlc5Z5jsF8m_GhT2_KOzJQug/s1600/013.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />In case you missed the previous email about our mid-May snow storm, <a href="http://homesteadingwiththewild.blogspot.com/2014/05/natures-seasonal-battle.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span><br />
<br />Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-33510089454846113392014-05-13T11:29:00.001-06:002014-05-13T11:29:51.468-06:00Nature's Seasonal Battle<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Nature’s
seasonal battle is underway, a battle that occurs nearly every year when spring
attempts to arrive only to be blown back by winter. This push and pull of the
seasons leads to wonderful sunny days in the 60s followed by a snowstorm. <br /><br />The last
few weeks have been so beautiful that we tackled all kinds of outdoor projects
from fence repair, irrigation ditch cleaning, and garden preparation to fruit
tree pruning and fertilization. We woke up yesterday morning to 14” of wet snow
and temperatures in the low 20s. Last night another 3” of snow fell. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXkjrnFG7DF_gF1rN81-u1T1VfET3B8mwFCj1U0Pt-ssTeHY7Zg1n8DYJ0m-Rtbn3X882NKVePhHb8eZaqZK0QZ1LhVd8CZySNMIuJa09rE2Fc9lSB7ahzYFmPWFlTf12pswAu7cX5qA/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXkjrnFG7DF_gF1rN81-u1T1VfET3B8mwFCj1U0Pt-ssTeHY7Zg1n8DYJ0m-Rtbn3X882NKVePhHb8eZaqZK0QZ1LhVd8CZySNMIuJa09rE2Fc9lSB7ahzYFmPWFlTf12pswAu7cX5qA/s1600/004.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">We had some
warning that this winter blast was on its way when I received a text alert on
Friday from the National Weather Service. In a desperate attempt to save the
blossoms on the cherries and native plums Don took a clue from the Florida citrus
growers and sprayed the trees with water as the temperatures dropped below
freezing Sunday evening. The concept is that the blossoms encased in ice are
warmer than the 20 degree air around them. It will be several days, maybe
weeks, before we’ll know if it worked. The apple tree blossoms have not yet
opened so we are hopeful that they were spared the damaging cold temperatures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Several
weeks ago, I started squash, pepper and herb seeds in our small indoor
greenhouse. Today the little seedlings look out the windows at all the snow and
I’m sure they are thankful for the heating mat they are sitting on and the
bright lights that hover over them. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhBNkrlAG7jerMbV-qrzl5MR6am4XIDb-5sh6UcvNaqs8WdS_QQ9l-UOsQcj0I3huGg91VQJU32_4kXLeOVXozKPU32YVtiN-MvQlGYDGlBofr8P1qtTzujHlLR6e7jWyNV4EyRsKwRE/s1600/20140507_121614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhBNkrlAG7jerMbV-qrzl5MR6am4XIDb-5sh6UcvNaqs8WdS_QQ9l-UOsQcj0I3huGg91VQJU32_4kXLeOVXozKPU32YVtiN-MvQlGYDGlBofr8P1qtTzujHlLR6e7jWyNV4EyRsKwRE/s1600/20140507_121614.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br />Last week
we ventured over to our favorite garden center in Salida to take in the scene
and buy our geraniums. Last year we waited too long and missed getting the
color I like the most. I was not going to make that mistake again this year so
we came home with a dozen beautiful red plants. I’ve had enough experience with
the give and take of the seasons to know that these flower plants need to stay
indoors for a few more weeks so they are currently in the old cabin. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The scene
will be spectacular as the clouds slowly lift off the high peaks. Once the
ground reappears, we’ll see bright green meadows, brilliant blue skies and
snowy, white mountains. Its lot to be thankful for!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a> </span></div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-6225909483471780932014-02-04T14:07:00.000-07:002014-02-04T14:14:17.579-07:00Eating Locally<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Eating
locally produced foods is a popular topic these days and for good reason. Most
American’s foods travel 1500 to 2500 miles before reaching the table. That’s a
huge waste of resources not to mention a pretty risky situation. All it takes
is a natural disaster, terrorist incident or any number of other issues to
create a disruption in food distribution. And nothing probably creates more
chaos than a lack of food.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Locavores,
those who prefer to eat locally grown/produced foods, point to additional
benefits of eating locally including knowing who grows your food and how your
food is produced, supporting small farmers and ranchers, consuming fresher
foods, to name a few. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In colder
climates eating locally in the winter can be a bit challenging unless you’re
willing to be bored out of your mind or you are lucky enough to have some
summer garden produce stored, a freezer full of grass-fed beef from the pasture
and a friend with a greenhouse full of fresh greens. That’s us!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Here are a
couple of recent dinners:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Chile marinated beef, roasted
potatoes and fresh greens</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYry7UTOpuh9WYGV2Qoxx7xfQOzfatQuDbhJ3JYxq7j8b1vp5CEKf9qktrBeIKDft4o1061x4utMHBeDpggnmO1nEt1w3d4tzI6tpuy59_MMoe_96jyYuMMWhRZk_Jne_2sWJiFbEe4gc/s1600/20140127_181742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYry7UTOpuh9WYGV2Qoxx7xfQOzfatQuDbhJ3JYxq7j8b1vp5CEKf9qktrBeIKDft4o1061x4utMHBeDpggnmO1nEt1w3d4tzI6tpuy59_MMoe_96jyYuMMWhRZk_Jne_2sWJiFbEe4gc/s1600/20140127_181742.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Don made a
spicy Chile Colorado (red chile sauce from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Farming-Lessons-Recipes-Mexico/dp/1423601335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391545420&sr=1-1&keywords=Artisan+Farming">Artisan
Farming</a> ) which he used to marinate a sirloin tip roast overnight. The next
day the beef, in the red chile and some beef stock and dried onions, was slow cooked all day on
the woodstove until it was fork tender. We oven roasted some of the Yukon Gold
and All Blue potatoes from last summer’s garden that have been stored in the old
cabin and added a simple green salad of the fresh greens with oil and balsamic
vinegar dressing. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Traditional green chile stew</span></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Again using
the recipe from Artisan Farming (with a few additions), Don browned pork cubes
(from a local 4-H piggy), added our potatoes, dried onions, and garlic, tossed
in a big heap of roasted and chopped green chiles (from the famous chile fields of Pueblo),
plus some chicken stock and spices and let it cook all afternoon on the
woodstove. With a plate of warm tortillas, it was a great way to watch the snow
and temperature falling. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Summer squash soup</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Using cubed
and roasted summer squash (from bags in the freezer), Don adds dried onions and
garlic, veggie stock and spices to make a wonderful and hearty soup. He cooks
all the ingredients together for about an hour then runs everything through the
blender and puts it back on the woodstove. Just before serving, he adds a spoonful
of sour cream and serves with fresh, warm whole wheat biscuits. The whole wheat
</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">used for all our baking needs </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">comes from Gosar Ranch located in the San Luis Valley only 30 miles away as the
crow flies.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu792IO_-4rdwPslUc8xKXaxYlQelJ5nHrTS4WEnR0E9W3BGLWfulljfGG2PRbNfYi1e7ISDZotf_i6abn0hYw9f72goC3i4MP3xpp417t0YuzpZltqVmYunjWTIcCxVlBrK0IsJJ9vE/s1600/20140204_134559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu792IO_-4rdwPslUc8xKXaxYlQelJ5nHrTS4WEnR0E9W3BGLWfulljfGG2PRbNfYi1e7ISDZotf_i6abn0hYw9f72goC3i4MP3xpp417t0YuzpZltqVmYunjWTIcCxVlBrK0IsJJ9vE/s1600/20140204_134559.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Today was “baking
day”. Four fresh loaves of whole wheat bread! What better way to spend a cold,
snowy day?</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Don't have any local foods hanging around - no problem! A search of the internet can help you find producers with great local foods even now. Start with <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/" target="_blank">Local Harvest</a> which you can find tune to your location and need. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Now get cooking!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">FleurCreek Farm</a></span></div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-67337031292024691022014-01-21T16:52:00.000-07:002014-01-21T16:54:28.930-07:00Wild Turkeys 2.0<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It was
unusual to see wild turkeys when we moved here more than 20 years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We’d see an occasional turkey here or there
with the biggest group of a dozen or two along the back road to Salida. An old
rancher along that road would plant a small patch of oats every year for the
turkeys to enjoy during the winter. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">State
wildlife officers and sportsman/conservation groups began reintroducing wild
turkeys in Colorado in the early 1980s to strengthen dwindling populations.
Martin “Turkey” Burget, with the then Colorado Game & Fish Department, in
Southwest Colorado was instrumental in the effort distributing wild turkeys
throughout Colorado.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qpW5eW_CQAqu6jgpITMxSZ5RAvbivAnnZn1bY454gcS9aS3yJxpAM9edG2OZy9yxoAFoRGFbg_77spTQYWrgx6L_ghA6qbe7B-jIIZFMXCauiymgx3PvLM8KXgVNDKBK67vhIm1BFzk/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qpW5eW_CQAqu6jgpITMxSZ5RAvbivAnnZn1bY454gcS9aS3yJxpAM9edG2OZy9yxoAFoRGFbg_77spTQYWrgx6L_ghA6qbe7B-jIIZFMXCauiymgx3PvLM8KXgVNDKBK67vhIm1BFzk/s1600/015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The favorite
habitat of wild turkeys is a mixture of ponderosa pine and Gambel oak that
provides food, shelter and roosting areas. Many of Colorado’s mid-elevation
(7000 – 9000’) mountain areas include this preferred habitat. Wild toms and
hens mate in early spring in areas where they’ve spent the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hen then builds a nest hollowed out in
the ground, often a secluded site in a stream corridor where there will be
plenty of bugs for the newborn chicks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">I don’t
recall when we started seeing more turkeys nearby but sometime in the early
part of the 2000s their presence became more noticeable. At some point probably
around 2006 – 2007, we’d have a mother hen and her brood show up almost every
afternoon. The poults (young turkeys) weren’t much larger than a baseball and
covered in fuzz. We started feeding them cracked corn to help their survival
and because we enjoyed seeing them. In the months that followed the poults grew
and developed full feathering enabling them to fly into the trees at night for
roosting. By the time they left for the winter the poults were nearly the size
of their mother.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In the
years that followed it was not unusual for several hens and their poults to
show up for corn. We never knew if the hens were ones who had been here before
or if they were grown poults and their broods. Whatever the situation, the
number of turkeys that showed up every summer kept growing as did our cracked
corn budget. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Normally
winter weather sends the turkeys to lower elevations where they can get around
easier and there are more food options for them. For some reason they didn’t
leave this winter even though we started right off with 26” of snow in
mid-November. The turkeys stuck it out and we have anywhere from two to three
dozen ready for their corn every morning. Two other landowners in the area also
feed the turkeys so the neighborhood is full of the birds.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcbUiU0dCFdGyXeCyiEQFuF01ka_ZBRgdHMzqz8U00bWhrT02UEaFDoW26ErZx_HfxCjoKEXIGoTKEJGJggeddavGkLdm_JX6d9kg_O-RSxOqSMQkhikKjR1Cx9ZvqgSo8YKi6LdXkAY/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcbUiU0dCFdGyXeCyiEQFuF01ka_ZBRgdHMzqz8U00bWhrT02UEaFDoW26ErZx_HfxCjoKEXIGoTKEJGJggeddavGkLdm_JX6d9kg_O-RSxOqSMQkhikKjR1Cx9ZvqgSo8YKi6LdXkAY/s1600/030.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Last year
we decided it was time to put the turkeys to work by feeding them in a different
location each time. Their scratching and pecking loosens up the soil and there
is no better soil amendment than poultry (including turkey) poop. </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXflyrSrB8XXJkhlY9z9kIHk7EAV4Ru5FD0JNwJWnsm6Md6VqLtFUvuXTiGtba5Isn6ER08IYBLTwyizcw2GlF4OOopcxVkmW1JvdaW_Hpuzw1g8OB5R0_xFM0hGYtUDQSlPeOHPTBwT0/s1600/100_1704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXflyrSrB8XXJkhlY9z9kIHk7EAV4Ru5FD0JNwJWnsm6Md6VqLtFUvuXTiGtba5Isn6ER08IYBLTwyizcw2GlF4OOopcxVkmW1JvdaW_Hpuzw1g8OB5R0_xFM0hGYtUDQSlPeOHPTBwT0/s1600/100_1704.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Before you
think that the turkeys have a pretty easy life around here remember that turkeys
are prey for fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion and even bear on occasion. Just
last week we accidentally interrupted two foxes who were stalking the turkey
flock and later the same day, a coyote. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">We really
enjoy our turkey neighbors and are happy to be a part of their success in the
area. They are an important part of the ecosystem.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcx4EiSitiDdj2IknC-sHMYSyWBxnzD0pyIV21Okf1d8jaPLwxHZwxa6sXXyeCBPhAmASme4ZNEuLRQEos3xeYm-pGcx-yzPQQMEIWGZ9tn2EY15JBQDLOZiGQGfd-kpM-_HDocP2K2g/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcx4EiSitiDdj2IknC-sHMYSyWBxnzD0pyIV21Okf1d8jaPLwxHZwxa6sXXyeCBPhAmASme4ZNEuLRQEos3xeYm-pGcx-yzPQQMEIWGZ9tn2EY15JBQDLOZiGQGfd-kpM-_HDocP2K2g/s1600/006.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">FleurCreek Farm</a></span></div>
Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3183610391932945198.post-89767799136452237902013-12-20T09:48:00.001-07:002013-12-20T09:48:18.442-07:00Seasons Greetings from Fleur Creek Farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice and several days after that, Christmas. This is a beautiful time of the year full of spirituality and celebration. Its also a special time to reflect on the events of the year, look forward to the coming year, and take comfort in the love of family and friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From our home and hearts to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From <a href="http://www.fleurcreekfarm.com/" target="_blank">Fleur Creek Farm</a></span>Homesteading with the Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554058128571662873noreply@blogger.com3