Well. I’ll say the farm experience has been…fun, sad, exciting, stressful, hot, and above all, educational. Almost 4 years here- we moved in with two babies, a toddler and a kid- we leave with a pre-teen and 3 big kids.  They have loved the land- the freedom to roam, the pets to love, the projects to complete. We’ve learned so much from the animals- and the land. I feel pretty confident in our abilities to fend for ourselves if we had to! However- all things change, and it’s time for us to move on. We’re headed to Tallahassee for a few years- and I’ll be sure to post on what type of life we make there.

Here’s a shot of the pretty eggs the girls gathered one morning. One was a Delmer (our Black Giant) egg- she lays big ones every so often…double yolkers- or, as the kids say, twins! Later I’ll post some pictures of our yolks versus the grocery yolks. We bought eggs to dye at Easter time (the kids were like- look! They’re WHITE!!), and we cracked one open to see the yolk…it was so gross! Pale, watery…bland! Anyway- here’s the pictures!

Okay, they’re not black…but we did finally add sheep to our farm! We bought 3 mommas and their babes a few weeks ago. They are darling of course! Doug is calling them Chops, Rack, Leg, Gyro…you get the idea.  I’ve progressed from thinking that by not naming them, we’re somehow less attached at butchering time. It’s simply not true.  So, I’ve named them Domino  (her baby is Spot), Ivory (and Snow), and Fiona (just for Joyce!) – her baby is Ram-a-Lama. He (duh) is a ram lamb- our only one- and he’s all brown.  Really darling, except the little butt keeps slipping through the fence (to nibble the roses, blueberries, beans, corn…)- and he brings the other 2 babes along to be his partners in crime. Grr….!

The sheep are a Katahdin cross. The Katahdin have hair and therefore a milder taste (something about lanolin), but since these are a cross, they are slightly wooly. Now they are shedding (no shear- another plus) and look so funny. The kids love to go out in the fields and find the wads of hair/wool. The girls washed and dried a bunch to use as Barbie rugs!

We love having the mowers out there in the field! They are much more fun than the riding mower! Better for the environment too! I’m trying to decide if wool is something I want to get into…I’ve always wanted to do the carding and spinning and what-not, so we’ll probably try it at some point…however, much as I like the sheep, I think I’d rather have cows to mow the grass. Maybe Dexters…or Belted Galloways….

I took this just before Easter- I can hardly believe how much they’ve grown! Ram-a-lama is laying down, Spot is in front of him, and Snow is to the left. Fiona is next to Spot, Ivory is in the middle, then Domino.

It’s been a busy spring so far at TTF…we’ve been trying to get a bunch done outside before the temp really heats up. Recently we’ve cleared out the winter crops, started the warm weather stuff, added sheep to the farm, placed all the puppies from Bella and Humphrey’s first litter in new homes, celebrated the twins 5th (???!!!) birthday, joined 4H, created a wormery…it’s all a blur! More details to come! Happy Spring!

Here’s a few pictures of “Tinkerbell”  

Spring has arrived here in the panhandle. The cardinals are becoming a less frequent sight- robins are taking their place at the bird feeders.  This weekend we planted strawberries-yum! Currently growing in the garden- peas, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic, leeks, turnips, carrots, radishes, beets, collards, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. This week we’ll start the tomatoes and corn. Our sunflowers are coming back and the azalea’s are blooming. I’m sad to see the cooler weather leaving because I know it will be a long, long hot time before it’s back, but it’s always a gift to watch the Earth wake up from it’s winter nap!

All of our puppies have new homes! Everyone went to nice families, and we are very excited about that! 3 are currently with their new families, and we are delivering the other 3 this week. Our pups will be spread along the state from down south in Naples and Cape Coral to Tampa to near Tallahassee, over to Jacksonville and right here in the panhandle. We think these puppies will be a great size and display the perfect mastiff temperament- loving with family and reserved with strangers, protective without being aggressive. It has been amazing watching this litter grow, and we’ve really enjoyed meeting all the families!

We’ve got ants…not in the pants. In the garden and yard. Let me be specific here- these are no wimpy little black ants- these are nasty mean red biting fire ants. It is “winter” here in the FL panhandle, so the colonies have died back some, and the bites cause only a simmer in the blood when they bite now- not the rapid boil that will come with the warmer weather.  I’m looking for a way to get rid of these ants, but I need something that 1- is safe for the kids, chickens, dogs, and cats and 2- is safe for the environment. We have a well, so I’m not anxious to contaminate the groundwater with poisons…plus, we prefer to use natural methods when possible. Ideas are welcome!

In the past, we have tried -unsuccessfully- : boiling water, digging the piles up, “flooding” with the hose, and a borax/sugar mixture. Last year, after the kids and I were bitten to pieces, I resorted to poison bait. All the agonizing I did over using the harsh posion only to find out….it didn’t help much.

These buggers are bad- I don’t mind them out in the field or in the woods too much, but in the garden and yard where the kids play…they gotta go! I’m thinking DE…supposedly it “dries” out the exoskeleton of bugs. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Today the puppies had another checkup! They all had some wormer, and were vaccinated for:

• Distemper
• Hepatitis
• Parainfluenz
• Leptospirosis
• Parvo
• Bordetella

The vet said they looked great and issued each pup a health certificate. In just under 2 weeks they will be able to head to their new homes! “Red” and “Brown” – a female fawn and male brindle- already have new homes.  The pups can be seen at www.teenytinyfarm.com under the “mastiff”  page.

Today is a day of mixed emotions here at Teeny Tiny Farm. It was the pigs….graduation day.  That is the day they graduate from farm pig to freezer pig (a term we read -and laughed over-  at Vaughnshire Farm’s blog. (There are tons of blogs full of help for those of us learning about farming!)…but I’m rambling.  Back to the day…

We headed out to the field at about 7, the trailer was in place and the pigs weren’t fed last night.  As soon as I headed out this mrning, I could hear them squealing for me-  or corn to be more exact.  I opened their gate and led them down the field to the pen we had set up for their transfer to the trailer. PigPig 1 (the black pig) headed right in for her scraps. PigPig 2 (the pink one, smaller and smarter than her sister!) wasn’t so eager to climb in. We did eventually get her to head in- bribed in with saltines soaked in sweetened condensed milk! It took three of us- Doug, Amanda and myself- to get them in, but we did it! Then we headed off to the butcher. And I cried.

The butcher shop we chose is run by a husband and wife- nice people- they run a clean,  inspected shop and were very helpful. We chose to have the meat prepared in a variety of cuts. They are saving the “parts” (liver, etc.) for our dogs and the fat so that I can use it to make soap.  The husband does the killing and he promised me it was quick and humane. I still had to cry a little.

Clearly, I’m not a hundred percent sure about eating our animals! However, I cannot support the corporate run/factory farm industry. The damage these farms do to the environment and the animals is not something I can condone by giving them our hard earned cash. (Remember- vote with your wallet! Support humane farms!)

I feel good that our pigs had a great life- plenty of attention, fresh grass and water, mud holes to roll in, and no antibiotics or hormones. I am glad we chose a butcher that will not treat our meat with sodium nitrate or gassed with carbon monoxide. But I do miss my pigs!