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The Biggest Little Farm Review

Yesterday we went to the Alamo to watch The Biggest Little Farm. We felt we could relate to the day-to-day activities of this pioneering couple the Chesters, who like us, are trying to develop their land into sustaining cycles of life between the plants and animals in a way that enhances the quality of both.

We bought our 230 acre farm in June, 2000 and they bought theirs about ten years later. While the sizes of the farms are comparable, they seem to have had much more investment income, being able to do very large clearing and excavation projects.

But it is on the daily trials and successes that their story is so moving. Like us, they have predator problems. For them it is mostly coyotes, in our case it is an assortment of possums, raccoons, foxes, snakes and even the periodic fisher that eats our chickens and Bantams. A blue heron even drops in from time to time to eat our fish, and completely cleaned one of our small ponds of Koi. The Chesters solves this in much the same way we do, encouraging the dogs to patrol the animals in their care, with mixed success.

When they state in the movie that they planted over 75 varieties of fruit trees I had to chuckle to myself. Our vineyard has over 20 varieties of grapes, and we have planted about 20 kinds of fruit trees on a property that when we arrived only had only apple tree. We agree with their desire for diversity. Not only do most trees ripen at different times, but some will show more resilience to the specific soil of the area. It is this trial and error process that eventually leads you to the best varieties of trees and plants for you area. Doing this means that you can limit sprays and treatments that would be needed by a weaker plant.

They have solved other problems by seeking solutions that benefit another part of their plant/animal cycle. For example, when inundated with snails that devoured their citrus trees, they released their flock of ducks into the vineyard to devour the pests. Food for the ducks, fertilizer for the trees, and no pesticides. Problem solved. Many of their processes and philosophies echo Sepp Holzer’s permaculture methods, but his name, or the work permaculture, are never mentioned.

We try to solve problems in the same way. I used to spend hours weeding the hoop house (low tunnel), or seeking a safe way to get rid of pests like aphids. Now I pick up the phone and call Moyers chicks for a batch of Broiler chicks. They eat the plants and aphids and I get a fertilized hoop house and 9 weeks later excellent quality chicken. I call this a win-win situation!

The Chesters use this method to solve many of their farm problems, including installing owl houses to control the gopher problem. They found that their farm thrived on the checks and balances of nature and achieving equilibrium. It was a delightful movie.

We have been trying to attain this equilibrium here as well, but we are fighting against the stream. The predators that we have the biggest problems with are ones that have few natural predators to keep them in balance. Snakes abound, and the DNR released rattlers some years back to keep the turkey population in check. As a result the rest of the natural bird population took a hit. We haven’t seen a grouse in years, or quail. DNR states they are concerned about a dwindling Whip-poor-will population, but I wonder if it occurred to them that the snakes might be an issue. Years ago we scarcely saw snakes but this year alone we’ve sighted over two dozen and just this morning had an almost five foot snake in our family room. Still seeking to protect the animals we raise, and always looking for more solutions, just like the Chesters.

Meduseld Pick-Your-Own Grapes

April showers have provided beautiful May growth on our grape vines, and weather permitting we will have these to sell at the Market at Silver Lake Farms later this year. Next year, we will provide the option to pick them here at our farm.

Enjoy these pictures!

Sommerset Seedless Grape

Sommerset Seedless Grape

Concord Grape

Concord Grape

Traminette Grape

Traminette Grape

St. Vincent Grape

St. Vincent Grape

Chambourcin Grape Cluster

Chambourcin Grape Cluster

Wild Grape

Wild Grape

More information on West Virginia wild grapes can be found HERE – WVDNR

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc

Wine Grapes – Staedler Noir

My tour of the gardens this morning showed this wonderful vine nearing ripeness!

The extra rain this year has had a devastating effect on trees this year, especially the grape vines. The extra moisture has been an ideal breeding ground for fungi such as black spot and powdery mildew.

We grow a wide assortment of wine and eating grapes in our one acre experimental vineyard. We are doing that intentionally in order to see which adapt best to this region’s climate, soil, and our farm’s own micro-climate. Our goal is to have as minimal a spray program as possible.

This year’s winner for adapting to the weather is this Staedler Noir, now almost ready for harvesting. We had this vine on our last farm and literally dug it up and transplanted it here 18 years ago. It is of the Noir grape family that includes Pinot and Baco, but we have been unable to identify it. It reliably produces gorgeous clusters of grapes each year, and this year was no exception. We have named it after my Prussian grandmother Margarete Steadler who was an avid gardener and inspiration for my gardening pursuits.

Staedler Noir - grapes and leaves

Staedler Noir – grapes and leaves

This vine’s biggest challenge this year was Japanese beetles. As you can see, there is minimal damage on its leaves despite the incessant rain. I have trimmed many of the leaves in order to let sunlight hit the fruit, and to encourage fresh air under the leaf canopy. They should be fully ripe in a few days.

Staedler Noir Grape Vine

Staedler Noir Grape Vine

Fortunately, I started about two dozen cuttings this Spring from this vine. Since it has displayed such resilience, it has earned a permanent larger section of the vineyard.

March 2015 Sustainable Seed Company Code

Here it is!

Sustainable Seed Company’s discount code exclusively for Meduseld blog readers!

Use Meduseld0315 at checkout to get TEN percent off your order, not including shipping.  Cannot be combined with any other coupons.  Good until March 12, 2015.  Go to http://www.sustainableseedco.com/

For those of you who do larger scale gardening and farming, Sustainable Seed also has the ability to handle bulk orders.  Here’s the link for that: http://sustainableseedco.com/bulk-heirloom-seed/

Please visit their site and see the incredible variety of seeds that they have!

 

Vegetables Grown at Meduseld

Vegetables Grown at Meduseld

New Sustainable Seed Coupon Code Coming Soon!

Peppers hidden in the foliage.

Peppers hidden in the foliage.

Exciting News!  Meduseld and Sustainable Seed Company are once again coordinating in order to provide YOU with another discount code for orders placed on their website!  This code will be announced in the next few days, so be sure to check back often!

From their website….

Welcome to Sustainable Seed Co. – Your Source for Certified Organic Heirloom Seeds

Since 2008, offering heirloom seeds, garden seeds, and organic heirloom seeds – non-hybrid vegetable, flower, and herb seeds.. America’s best source for for heirloom vegetable seeds, heirloom grain seeds and heirloom herb seeds.

From the beginning, we wanted to only offer heirloom seeds for one reason: they’re not only our history but our security. You can save the organic seed from the open-pollinated seeds we offer, and with the proper methods, reliably get the same plants for generations to come. We’re also a CERTIFIED ORGANIC seed farm – setting us apart from many others who only resell seed. With over 1,800 varieties for you to choose from (over 700 of them bulk seed and 600 of them organic seeds), we’re also the web’s premiere source for backyard gardeners and farmers alike.

http://sustainableseedco.com/

It won’t be winter forever!

 

Lambs 2015

We have had some more lambs the last few days.  Here is an angelic darling born this morning.  Her mother is a Jacob-Shetland cross named Elsa, and her sire is Samson, a very friendly Romney.

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Here is another photo of Aslan, who was born a month ago.  He has already grown a good deal and is looking very fit.

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We have been liming the pastures and will be over-seeding them with mixed pasture grasses and legumes.  The legumes fix nitrogen in the soil and provide more diverse grazing for the sheep.  February and March are good months for doing this since with the thawing ground the animals can “hoof it in.”  In other words, the sheep’s hooves press the seeds into the ground and save us from having to till the seeds into the earth.

The groundhog saw his shadow last week, but I don’t believe him.  The birds are making spring calls outside already, and the geese have been mating on the pond.  Hoping for an early Spring :)

 

 

Winter Photos

We had some wonderful guests this weekend.  They took some lovely pictures that we’d like to share with you.

photo credit: Lee Avrashov

photo credit: Lee Avrashov

 

photo credit: Lee Avrashov

photo credit: Lee Avrashov

 

photo credit: Lee Avrashov

photo credit: Lee Avrashov

July Farm Life

A large pot of pasta sauce is simmering on the stove to be canned later.  Rows of jars of beans and other vegetables already line up on cellar shelves to be consumed during the winter months.   Two of the children have poison ivy – all signs of summer.

It’s only July – the middle of the summer, and we are already thinking about the cold months.  It seems strange to not stop and just enjoy the moment, but taking time to pause would be a luxury when there is so much work to do as the harvest starts pouring in!

 

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All the ingredients in the pasts sauce are from our garden – even the oregano, parsley and basil.  We use the book Putting Food By (PFB) as our reference for safe canning, but I confess I really call it the Paranoid Food Book, since its author wrote the entire book about canning while constantly talking about how dangerous it is.  Her favorite bit of advice seems to be to can a food exactly to her specifications and then throw it away…. :)

 

Indigo Cherry Tomoatoes beginning to ripen

Indigo Cherry Tomatoes beginning to ripen

As we harvest areas we replant for fall crops.   Hopefully, we will harvest beans from these plants until the weather cools.   Speaking of cooling weather, today will only be 73 degrees thanks to the second July polar vortex that is dropping cool Canadian air into our area.

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Our onion harvest has met challenges.  We laid them out on a table to dry and form their outer skin that protects them for storage.   Who knew that sheep love onions?  I didn’t, at least until I found them devouring the onions as if at a banquet.   We saved just enough for the next few batches of pasta sauce.

The garden expansion project continues.  We pulled a permit last week for the small tool shed I had proposed.  My husband has held contractor licenses in several states and has done projects in some of the most rigorous jurisdictions, including Alexandria, VA.  But, up until now he has never had to pull a permit for a tiny tool shed/agricultural building.  It is sad that Hampshire County has such excessive reach into the life of its residents.  He started the shed yesterday using a window and materials recycled from past jobs, and I look forward to sharing a picture of it when it is done.

I’m off to the kitchen.

 

How to Lay Pavers for a Patio

As part of our 2014 garden expansion, we added a pond with waterfall.  In order to enjoy the beautiful, serene koi and goldfish, we planned a small patio made with pavers so that we can sit and enjoy the surroundings.

Pond with assorted Koi and Goldfish

Pond with assorted Koi and Goldfish

We cleared an area at the lower end of the pond and have placed rocks at the edges to contain the dirt and “blue stone,” a type of crushed stone dust available at hardward stores.  Blue stone, or stone dust, can be leveled and compacted and makes a durable under-surface for pavers and stones.

Stones show future edges. Also note tool called a tamper.

Stones show future edges. Also note tool called a tamper.

Start backfilling some dirt into the area that will be raised for the patio surface.  If you are making your patio  flush with the ground, omit this step.  If making it flush, you will have to dig down and make a level area.  Plan on about two inches of stone dust and add the thickness of your pavers or stones, and this will give the the depth to dig.  In our example above, we are building up the level to accommodate the natural slope in the garden.

Whether you have dug down or added, it is important to make sure that your surface is level.

Checking with a level.

Checking with a level.

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Now it’s time to add the blue stone or stone dust.  A small two by four can help spread the stone.

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Check again with a level.  A surface that appears level can still be off.

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Tamp your surface again firmly.

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We have now prepared a good surface to bedding the pavers.  The pavers are going to be set at a random pattern to imitate cobble stone streets in Europe.  Even the pavers are in assorted colors in order to give a more historic feel.

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If necessary, you can cut pavers with this tool, available to rent at many tool rental places.

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Once you have laid the final pavers, pour a bag of stone dust onto the surface of your pavers.  Take a stiff broom and push as much stone dust between the stones as possible.  This significantly firms up the surface and will stabilize your patio, in addition to giving it a finished look.  We do not recommend sand for this step as it will eventually wash out between the stone when it rains.

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Here is the finished patio.  Small, so that it does not take up valuable garden space, and perfect for intimate dinners and conversation over a glass of wine.

If you ‘d prefer to have one of these installed, please click on the Culver Design Build, Inc. link for more information!

Edible Weeds

I have been fortunate to meet special people, such as Eva Taylor of Ironwood farm who introduced me to permaculture.  Recently, I have gotten to know another amazing person, who has expanded my appreciation of nature and the garden, Leenie Hobbie.

Leenie and I share several mutual friends and I have often heard the statement, “you’ve got to meet Leenie Hobbie!”  She is a frequent guide for “Weed Walks” in our area, teaching people about the local flora and showing people how to identify edible plants. 

Fortunately, Leenie and I finally connected and we spent some time in my garden, which I admit is not entirely weed free.  Perhaps my German heritage makes me more fastidious about it than I need to be, but there were definitely  more than enough weed samples to be found.  I’ve always felt that their existence in my garden was a source of irritation, taking up precious space for my darling cultivated plants.  Until Leenie’s visit.

She quickly identified several edible varieties and even knew their nutrients and historic medicinal use.  She described how they could be used in cooking, and those loathsome plants suddenly turned into recipe potential!  Lambs quarters in quiche?  Sounds delicious!

Invader or Ingredient?

Invader or Ingredient?

Since her visit, we’ve gathered various types and even made “weed chips”  Collecting the leaves of a thorny vine called Greenbriar that Leenie showed me, we fried them in olive oil, producing a delightful crispy treat.  And I am willing to tolerate more weeds in my garden, and am even finding some favorite tasting ones, such as Purslane.

Leenie has a delightful and informational  blog, 3 Herb Mamas, that I encourage you to follow, and I am placing it on my list of favorite blog links.  She is also creating an Etsy store for her herb-based creams and salves, so stay posted for when that is launched!