Pigs on Pasture

 Last Thursday morning, the skies opened and released an unnecessary amount of rain on our already flooded farm.  With farming, there either is not enough rain or too much rain.  May has proved to be the latter and we have been fretting over extremely wet and muddy fields, hoping that our crops survive the excess rainfalls.  The rains last week were also not welcomed because Thursday was the day we were getting our pigs!

Despite being a vegetarian for the past 6 or 7 years, I have no problems with caring for these eleven creatures even though in a few months, they will be slaughtered and eaten.  If people want to eat meat, I want to assist in supporting livestock farming where the animals are treated respectfully and are allowed to express their natural instincts in natural environments.  Not only is our meat healthier for you and the environment, everyone raves about how delicious the meat is.  If you haven't had farm fresh food, you are missing out!  Check out Local Harvest to find a small, sustainable farm near you and your taste buds will thank you! 
 

Taylor hitching up the pig trailer to the pick-up truck in the pouring rain.

Solar panel and car battery to power to the electric fence that surrounds the pig pasture.  It may seem cruel that we use a single electric wire sandwiched between two rope strands to keep the pigs in their pasture but it sure beats keeping them crowded inside a "barn" with concrete floors, no mud, no windows, no where for pigs to express their pigness (compare).  The piglets will get zapped once or twice by the electrical wire, squeal & run away, and then go back to rooting up something to eat in the field.  They learn very quickly to stay within the bounds of the simple fencing.  

Nicole setting up the fencing.

Perfect Pig Real Estate: 

Pallet pig house with private pig puddle for mud baths and plenty of green space for exploring.

 Farmer Jeff taking a nap while driving the tractor between pig pastures.

 Wagon selfie!

 

Some of our piggies!  I named the pretty one Scarlet.

Taylor also picked up three pigs for fellow farmer Jess Niederer, owner of Chickadee Creek Farm in Pennington, NJ.  One of the many wonderful benefits of being a farmer in this area is the community.  Many of the farmers know each other and help each other out when possible.  We picked up Jess' three piglets (this will be her first year with pigs) and this week another farmer gave us their left over potato seedlings that they won't be using because we ran out and needed more.  The farming community is strong and supportive of each other and I really appreciate that.

I included this picture because we are all making funny faces as Taylor is shifting a 40 pound 

squirming, squealing piglet from the trailer to the back of Jess' pick-up truck.

The fields were too muddy for the pick-up to drive the pig trailer out to the pasture so we hitched it up to the Kubota....and it still got stuck.  Ugh!  There are 16 pigs in that trailer that need to get out!

I do not have pictures of the rescue but Jeff and Taylor pulled the stuck Kubota out with another tractor.  Here the trailer is backed up to the pig palace.  Five pigs will share this smaller pasture in the u-pick fields so visitors can see the pigs while the majority are kept further away in a larger pasture.

Five piggies in the piggie palace for the first night.  Can you see Scarlet?  The one next to her I named Spot.  What should the other three be named?  (Most farmers do not name their livestock but since I won't be eating them, I figured it'd be ok!)

Eleven piggies.  Well you only see 10 because one is under the pile!

Fresh grass!

We had other exciting events going on at the farm last week such as getting to talk with this group of high school students.  I miss educating so much and this quenched that desire just a little bit.  I probably talked more than was interesting but I just couldn't help it!  I really wanted this young adults to know that knowing where your food comes from isn't just about eating healthy.  It's about creating healthy communities.  If you support a local farm, that farmer then can support the local family-owned hardware store who can then support the local coffee shop who can then support....it's a never ending line of locals supporting locals which then creates a stable, healthy community.  I also wanted to get across to them that loving your work is so important!  Americans spend most of our waking hours with our co-workers at work so of course that time should be spent doing something that inspires you!

We don't need the rain but it sure offered a beautiful photo op!

 The mighty Friday team.  With eleven people, sh*t gets done at the farm!

I am going to become rich and famous when I sell a trillion copies of my song "I Want to Lay You Down in a Bed of Lettuce."  I haven't written the song yet but I can assure you it's going to be great since I can seek help from my Aunt Debbie, singer and songwriter in Nashville.  

Top Chef!

On Wednesday, our boss told us that we have special lunch plans for the next day so bring a clean shirt to put on.  As farmers, we obviously have dirt, tractor grease, and sunblock all over us the whole workday so we were intrigued as to why we would need to be clean for this mystery lunch!  Thursday late morning, still not knowing where we were going, we changed our shirts and hopped into the car.  Twenty minutes later we arrived at Mercer County Community College to be judges for the culinary class final!  How fun!  If only I had been an avid "Top Chef" viewer, I would have had more intellectual feedback besides "It tasted delicious."  A fellow judge, who is also a chef, used the phrase "flavor profile" which sounded really fancy but I couldn't bring myself to use it in a sentence.  Those two words would not have sounded as authentic coming out of my mouth!  But the class really appreciated having farmers eating the meals that they just prepared and some were even interested in working at farm to table restaurants.  An odd disconnect exists between chefs and the origin of where their food comes from but a shift is a-brewin'.  More and more culinary professionals are getting in the know with local farms and farmers.  Chefs know that fresh is best so obviously working with a local farm is the best choice for taste, quality, and supporting a farmer!  Check out this Eat Local Guide by Edible Jersey to find a farm to table restaurant near you!    

Julie showing off our first lettuce harvest of the year!

Potato plant!  If you have never had fresh potatoes from a local farm, then you do not know what you're missing out on!  If I really like you, I may just give you some in the fall.  But I would really have to like you to share these potatoes.

Mud cracks and weeds.

Farmer Jeff getting down and dirty while checking on our crops.

We brought kale from the farm to be used in the meals.  Eating our own harvest made the experience even more special.  I taught this young chef how to quickly get the kale leaf off of the stem by grabbing the base and just running his hand along the stem while ripping off the greens.  Such a time saver!  

An English inspired dish of mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, Fernbrook kale, and peas.  It was delicious!

Farmers and chefs unite!  What a great afternoon we had eating delicious food and exchanging stories with the chefs about how stressful but rewarding it is to be working in our chosen fields.  Best of luck to these soon to be graduates!  If we can get more chefs to make the connection to local food, our world will be happier and healthier.  And keep local farmers in business!

Twine in a Box

Last week was such a smorgasbord of amazingness that it is hard to sum it up in an introductory paragraph so just enjoy the pictures and captions!  

Did I mention the farm has a beautiful waterfront view complete with a lovely pair of ducks.

Another view of our lovely pond.  Want to take bets with how 

long the water will keep us from planting in this field?!

Each week, we take a tour of the farm so our Farm Manager Jeff can tell us things to look for in crops (flea beetle damage), how to tell if a crop is ready to be basket weeded, and so we are all on the same page with the happenings of all of our hard work on the farm!

Nicole sitting in the cover crop of rye and vetch.  The tall green grass just 

makes me want to take a nap right there in the middle of the field.

Knee high cover crop!  Yeah baby!

Another flooded field where we had planted brassicas.  Heart break for a farmer 

because all of the money, work, and food is lost when fields get this flooded.  

We needed rain the previous week but 7 inches was more than we could handle.

Taylor stuck in the mud!  Julie held on to him and I held on to Julie to pull him out!

Checking on the lettuce that we protect with row cover.  Deer, groundhogs, and rabbits would love to eat this crop right up so we take extra precaution against wandering nibblers.

Throughout the season, we will go on farm tours to learn how other farms farm!  Last Tuesday, we traveled about an hour northwest to Manoff Market Gardens near New Hope, PA.  This farm is mostly an orchard, specializing in peaches.  They also produce a lovely abundance of apples, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, eggs, tomatoes, and peppers.  I hope to make it up there in a few weeks once the fruits are ready to be picked!  

Front view of me weeding a bed of peas with shovels hooked on to the center of my tractor.  The shovels dig in between the rows of peas to kill the weeds and then we hand weed between the pea plants so ensure we get as many weeds out of the bed as possible!  A large amount of farming chemical-free is spent weeding.  Jeff says if you weed a crop really well three times, then you've won.  We'll see how these peas think of the mentality!  Hopefully, they agree. 

Back view of me weeding the peas.  Behind my tractor is an implement to weed the tire treads.  Even though the soil is heavily compacted in the tire treads, weeds still find a way to grow there!

Thursday forecasts were calling for some rains and there was still a lot of tractor work that needed to be done so Jeff bribed us to stay and work late in exchange for some food!  Who can say no to that?!  Certainly not hungry farmers who also just happen to love farming!  Since I do not eat cheese (lactose intolerant), one of the pies was a tomato pie which I spiced up with some french fries.  I try not to eat fried foods but when in Rome, right?  (Or when working late on the farm and it's the only food available and you're a starving farmer!)

This picture is taken inside of our field house (which is like a greenhouse but not heated).  We put stakes in between every third plant and wrap twine on either side in order to train the tomato plants to grow up right.  The box of twine has to slits in the back so you can attach it on your belt.  Hands free box of twine!  Does this remind anyone of a very funny SNL song?!

Four rows of tomatoes.

Wee little plants that we will add a row of twine to each week as they 

grow up to produce us lots of amazing tomatoes!

The picture is a bit blurry but how beautiful are these seeds for Plum Regal tomatoes?!

Found a duck egg in the pea fields!  Perhaps from the 

Mallards who have taken up residency in our flooded field/pond.

Friday's crew!  This photo was taken after four hours of weeding and we are all still smiling!

Before taking this picture Jeff said to us "Look sad."

What do farmers do on Friday after work?  Why balance stakes on their chins of course!

Matt working on our new (to us) cooler because he is amazing.  Yahoo!

Muddy Puddles

Bed of Lettuce

What a week of crazy weather!  Tuesday we were all bundled up as we planted lettuce in the cold wind, Wednesday we took shelter in the Greenhouse while 5.25 inches of water fell from the Heavens, and Thursday we were sweating with the temperature almost at 80 degrees!  The drastic weather changes definitely kept our farm manager on his toes with deciding what to do when.  Muddy fields prevent us from driving the tractors on them so in preparation for the coming rain, on Monday evening I stayed an hour and a half later to do tractor work that wouldn't be able to get done for the rest of the week.  And no, I didn't get to come into work an hour and a half later the next day.  With farming, if something needs to get done, you stay to finish it without hopes of extra rest the next day!  One of my favorite moments this week was on Thursday when two little girls in pretty flower dresses were jumping and dancing in the muddy puddles.  One of them asked me very excitedly "Are you a farmer?!"  I replied equally as ecstatic "Yes, I am!"  She smiled and continued jumping in puddles.  Little moments like that make life just a bit more sweet.    

Tuesday was a great day to have three extra people come out to the farm and help us plant lettuce and onions!  Many hands make light work!  Find a local farm near you and go volunteer.  It is so much fun!

Raining drive in the pick-up truck on Wednesday.

Thankful for Muck Boots!

Muddy Princess.  How adorable are they?  I was so jealous that they got to splash around and play in the mud and wished I could join them.  And then Jeff, the farm manager, brings out to do work in the garlic fields where my wish came true!  We got to crawl around in the mud!

Dirty, happy farmers!

Nicole's mud straw dance break.

Garlic in the foreground, onions & leeks in the pool....We needed rain but 5.25" was a bit much.

The way Muck Boots should be - Muddy!

Getting the straw off of the garlic while playing in the mud.  If only I had a flower dress and tiara!

Poor garlic plant sopping wet!

This is how farmers do pre-wash.  On the drive way with a hose!

Trying to get the dirt chunks off before putting them in the washing machine!

I have work Mother's Day weekend so if you want to come visit, let me know!  I'll be on the farm all day Saturday and Sunday.  There will be a plant sale going on so if you need flowers or vegetables for your garden, come on by and I can give you a tour!