Time to Say Goodbye to the Farm!

What an amazing week...time for surprises, learning, persevering and coming to truly value the lessons of taking from the earth and giving back.  By this last day of dairy farming, we are all veteran milkers and herders, companions to the animals and their caregivers.  Although we feel like experts, it's apparent to all of us that we are just starting to comprehend the significant place in the circle of life these kinds of farms represent.  We left our friends with hugs and kisses, tail-wags and "baa-a-a-as", and a couple of long Moooos!  Thank you, good and merciful Lord, God of the Universe, for this once-in-a-lifetime experience among some of your greatest miracles; those of birth and growth, of nature and nurture, of hunger and feeding, of compassion and support. Can't wait to visit again, thanks Margo and Georgie for your vision and persistence.  You will remain always lifted in our prayer.

Signing Out,
Simple Life on the Farm Project Term
Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills, 2012

Sights and Sounds, Sprout Creek, March 2012

Some special friends that we've made on the farm!

Canning, Pickling, Chores and a Baby Surprise!!

Oh, my!   How much is there to learn about farming?...I guess a week might not be enough to leave us experts, but we're certainly getting there!  After morning chores and fresh farm breakfast, our friend Heather shared with us her histor with and expertise of canning, pickling and basic food preservation.  We were able to taste canned pumpkin, tomatoes, apple sause, pickled cucumbers and beets...new flavor adventures for quite a few of us!  Lunch was a dee-lish taco salad with fresh canned salsa and then it was time for some "farm-maintenance" type of chores...We measured babies, yearling goats and calves, washed areas of the barn.  Basic work that farmers do when everything else is done.  But then....what is that?  Over there?  The bleating and fussing in the goat pen?   A mama goat delivered her kid 5 days early, and we were all able to see him come into this world!  Dee, the barn animal specialist, took the kid into her lap, vigorously toweled him off, wiping his nose, trying to promote him to sneeze, thus clearing his nose of amniotic fluid and starting his little goat life! And...here's the rub...By the time all of the baby excitement was over, it was time for afternoon chores.  And how did we know that?  The cows were all looking into the barn, ready to be milked and fed.  Just another day in the barn, and life goes on, I guess.
Afternoon chores started, and by the time they were finished, it was time for "Dinner with David", a local college intern who has come to have a "comparative breakfast" with us.  The conversation is directed toward discovering the difference between fresh and prepared food, and talk about the importance of supporting our local growers and farmers...of course!

Evening was filled with laughter-filled "mafia" rounds, during which this writer was included as murderer and murdered!  Mr. Kiefer then led us in a directed meditation, and off to sleep we went, recharging for the last full day of farm chores tomorrow!

Farm Flora and Fauna, March 2012

Some of the sights and beauty....

Walkway Over the Hudson and Bread Making, Day 4

Chores, chores, chores....Many things to get done between 6:25am and 8:30am!  After the cows were milked, goats were milked, babies fed, chickens fed, South Side chores finished...we went in for another great, fresh breakfast and get the plan for the day. We put on our walking shoes, took a short drive into Poughkeepsie ("small grass hut by the river" in Native American), and enjoyed time on the "Walkway Over the Hudson River".  It's about 1.5-2 miles across and back...It has been developed as a State Park, part of the Rails-to-Trails national project, and it was a wonderful day to participate!  It was also a nice break to get out, off the farm and see a little of the local excitement!  Returning, we were treated to delicious soup, fresh apple bread, garden salad and good conversation.  After lunch, we were able to help make fresh farm-baked bread,...Ahhhhh...Make sure to ask for the recipe when we get home...It's a winner!  Afternoon chores went smoother than ever, the clean-up, dinner and evening games and gigling were the event. See you all tomorrow.

Final Chore Rotation, God's Sunny Blessings, Day 3

We are divided into 3 chore groups, rotating through the morning and afternoon chores.  And TODAY will be the day that we have all been trained in EVERTHING!  So, off we go...into the barn, into the parlor, intothe garden and the kitchen, fully loaded with experience and new skills!  No more 20 questions, just expectation for a fun and productive day.  We did some "cold frame" gardening in raised beds, layered with different ages of compost and cardboard.  This little boxes with plastic lids allow the farmers to grow produce in tropical environs, even if it's 35 degrees!  Yes, like little greenhouses!  The rest of us were busy with barn and milking chores, and feeding babies; lambs and kids and calves!  Christine then took us all for a big, sunny walk through the pastures and properties, told us about the value of the flood plain, how the herd is localized in certain areas for grazing, how they farmers here really work this property with science, forethought and respect for the blessing of this land.
Lunch was another delicious meal of creamy and savory tomato soup and quesadillas!  We all took some personal time to change into summer clothes, as the summery part of the day was on us all!  Then, after lunch, we were able to go into the creamery for a cheese orientation and tasting!  Mel told us all about how the cheeses were made, how they differed by recipe and aging, and how very soon all of this produced milk is put into a useable product,...like cheese, cream, consumable milk and feed for baby animals.
The girls were treated to a yard game afterward, while our mentors were treated to a little quiet rest time.  Afternoon chores were next on the agenda, and by this time, we were old hands at this business!  Afternoons include a cooking segment for one group, and they produced a very tasty shepard's pie, fresh garden salad and,..CARROT CAKE!  Yum!

This reporter was happy to note, also, that our little farmgirls were very anxious to get to bed, quietly (!) and store some energy for tomorrow.  After all, tomorrow is another day. Zzzzz....

Let's Get Milk! Day 2

Okay, we're in the swing of things NOW! 

We rose @ our traditional 5:45am (yes, we did!) and were in the cafe to meet our mentor, Ella, for a quick morning snack befoe chore training.  And before we could say "who let the cows out?" we were separated into 3 chore groups:  Cow milking, goat milking and cooking!  The milkers wentto the barn to follow closely along and learn for afternoon chores.  The milking process is almost identical for cows and goats, although the goats are ushered into "the parlor", where they are elevated and then mechanically milked.  The cows are also milked by machine, but in their stalls,...and everyone (critters) gets to eat while they are milked, thus making it a possitive and friendly experience.  A cow can produce up to 50 pounds of milk in a session (!) so between the two, there is lots of milk captured.  We took to this task of cleaning teets, hooking up the machines and cleaning again very well (someof us) and bravely left our comfort zones to try (others of us).  After lunch and a fun craft activity, we were on our own to do what we came to do...be helpful and learn.
Our cooks, in the meantime, were busy in the kitchen, and the chicken coop!  They went to collect eggs (63 chicken and several duck), and went into make an a amazing dinner of fresh macaroni and cheese, fresh chocolate brownies and hand-whipped cream! 
Our evening started with reflection and journaling.  And then,..the real treat.  We went out into a pasture for a country astronomy lesson!  The stars were amazingly brilliant, and we were able to share information that we all had about constellations and how they've been used before GPS! 

Off to bed and ready for "cold-frame gardening in the morning!