One Last Bang! - October 13 2009

This morning started out somewhat mellow. Ben and I met at 6:45 to wrangle Lightning into the animal carrier. His destination: the auction!

Ben was somewhat sad to see Lightning go, and I agreed that he was a big personality on the farm.

After securing Ligntning in a lead and securing the lead to the building we worked to harness the Karakuls. (Side Notes: Karakuls are possibly the oldest domesticated sheep breed, native to Central Asia and are named after a village called Karakul. Karakul lies in the valley of the Amu Darja River in the former emirate of Bokhara, West Turkestan. This region is now known as Uzbekistan.)

Ben caught one of the Karakuls and I held the horns while he fastened a collar. Meanwhile, Lightning was slyly planning his last HURRAH! Without a moments notice Lightning charged into Ben, knocking him at least 5 feet backwards! Thankfully Ben was harnessing the karacul and had his arm between Lightning & his chest, preventing a harsh blow to the ribs.

Ben, the Karaculs, myself and Lightning are all okay. But Lightning proved once again he cannot be trusted!


Also, to go along with the Karakul history I propose we give the two Persian or Uzbek names. Any ideas?

Corpses: Old & New - October 02 2009
On arrival home today my first task (as I always have my leather gloves) was to remove the two dead red squirrels from the front lawn. Yertle, the cat, is a great hunter. He decapitated one squirrel so I was priviledged enough to carry it in TWO pieces to the woods.

Then, after driving the tractor (yes, I can drive the tractor now!!!) Ben, Anna and myself looked for a reported dead chicken in the field. We found it, still really gooey, but missing a head & insides. We think the mink was brazen enough to kill in daylight with humans around. This may add a new element to our coop safety plan.

Lastly, Anna, Ben & I worked to repair the old ancient cement mixer. We took off the original cord while learning the basics of electrical work. Then, we put on a new cord, added an ON/OFF switch & re-wired it back together. Works like a charm! But, I am now very cold and tired.

Time for warm green tea & Friday's pizza from the Bakery:)

The Diary of Dairy Adventures - September 10 2009
This week I've been ambushed. Ambushed by the cold bug. No fever, so I've decided it's not swine flu. I'm fighting it with the big guns: tea( licorice root, elder flower, peppermint, yarrow, eucalyptus, linden and chamomile flowers), herbal decongestant, garlic & miso soup, shots of Emergen-C Immune Support and as much sleeping as possible.

However, that said, Anna and I decided to venture out and try to make out own yogurt this week!

Long story short, we failed. And, because my fermentation book doesn't have a troubleshooting section, we failed without knowing WHY we failed. We just knew we had tangy milky liquid that had separated into watery parts and curdled parts.

Then, we called Paul and Amy at Sidehill Farm, which is the local source of yogurt and raw cows milk. Now, I've never met Paul or Amy, so using their first names is odd, but everyone knows them because of their products. Anna met them by working at the farmer's market so she left a thorough message detailing our adventure and asked if they could give us some tips.

Now, here is the amazing part: Paul called our house at 8:30 pm to tell us how to make yogurt! So picture Anna and I sitting at the table taking notes on how to make yogurt and Paul is just chatting away on how the milking process works and how 102* is the optimal temperature for yogurt bacteria to grow, and how you can't have real organic cows unless the calves have also had organic milk from organic mothers and so on.

Tell me the farming community isn't cool now!

Cummington Fair 2009 - August 29 2009

This morning was rough. Cloudy, rainy, cold and the tightest shoulder and back muscles I've ever experienced. That's what unloading, tossing and stacking 232 bales of hay & straw (and carrying two at a time) will do to you. The Orchard down the road delivered the hay and straw in two consecutive loads, and Jen and I held our own with all the boys.

But, back to today. We loaded up the oxen and took of for the fair at 7AM. Yes, we LEFT at 7AM. On arrival we weighed in the team. Jack weighed 2,160, and Joe 2,341. Yep, they are a tad chunky (by about 200lbs for Joe.)

Ben then hooked them up in their yoke and we all took off for the show building. The boys won the First Place Blue Ribbon!! Hooray!

Jen and I wandered around with Ben eating terrible foods such as: fried dough (this is New Englander for "Elephant Ear"), fried Oreos (gross, plain Oreos are much better), and stuffed pirogies. I wanted a fresh Lemon icee, but after the Oreo I felt sick. My body was freaking out, as were my sugar levels.

Back at our trailer we camped out on the hay and played a few games of Boggle. Then I crashed for a good nap in the hay, trying to sleep away my fried food woes.

At 1:30 that afternoon Ben and Ted competed against each other in the Teamsters competition. Ben placing 2nd and Ted placing 3rd (each using the same oxen!)

All in all the day went well and we all had a great time.

In The Dark of Night - August 27 2009
This afternoon saw the completion of a large project. Ben and I constructed the perches, Jen and I put in fresh hay in the laying nests, and cedar sawdust as a floor covering. Then, we waited. Later, after the sun set and the stars came out Operation Chicken Combo went into action. After 3 long weeks of hard work, the construction of "Mobile Chicken Coop version 20.09" was finally finished.

At 9pm there came a knock on the front door. There stood Ben, decked out with both a headlamp AND a giant Maglite beckoning us to follow him. Out into the dark we crept, stealthily, setting up a relay team. I as the one to cross the boarder, Jen as the middle man, and Ben as the stuffer.

I quickly went into action with my own headlamp, creeping into the barn, quickly and quietly snatching chickens while the others slept. One by one they were handed off and re-located to their new coop.

Then, we too went mobile. Climbing aboard the tractor we took off into the night to gather more numbers.

Stopping at the far end of the field we pulled aside a smaller neighborhood of chicks. I again went into action, this time able to grab two chickens at a time while Ben stuffed them into the coop.

All in all, we combined 73 chickens into a new housing unit, and went back to our normal civilian lives just as quickly as we left.

There Are Some Things Money Can't Buy - August 24 2009
*Water barrel: $50
*Tractor to transport: $500
*Electric fencing: $1000
*Watching your roommate grab the electric fence TWICE within a 10 second span: PRICELESS.

--------
Edit: Jen ended up touching the electric fence THREE times this week. The third time the electricity jumped to her because her hand was too close.

Please be aware our fences are ON and in GREAT operating condition!

The Daily Sm?rg?sbord of Events - August 21 2009

Today we moved the sheep to a new field so they could actually eat. It was uneventful (thankfully!) and went very well. Oh, well except for the one ewe that ran into the fence then nose-dived into a complete flip on the ground, ha.

Off to weeding around the solar greenhouse and praying for rain to cut the incredible humidity.

Harvested Kentucky Wonder green beans, Patty-Pan squash, zucchini, Zephyr squash, kale and pickling cucumbers. Oh, the joyous bounty of a huge garden! Alas, we have zero tomatoes!

Let me introduce you to BLIGHT (insert dramatic horror music.) It is the bane of every farmer in the Valley. Quick history lesson: Blight is the lovely water mold resembling fungus that caused the Irish Potato Famine 1845-1852 (1857 for other parts of the UK & Europe as Ireland wasn't the only country that was devastated by the famine, yeah History!)

Anyways, blight is brought on by excess water, which we've had the entire summer. We tore up all potato and all tomato plants yesterday- which was smelly and pretty disgusting. Blight causes tomatoes to just turn brown, but causes the inside flesh of potatoes to turn into a milky custard which explodes when pulled from the ground. Gross. Hopefully blight wont return next year.

The end of today was marked by a grand dinner of roasted squash, beets and rescued potatoes, kale chips, and a red coconut milk curry with squash, frying peppers, hot peppers, and brown rice. Dinner ended with almost-vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Girl Power - August 20 2009

This morning the birds were singing as I fed the chickens, the grass was full of dew as I watered the chicks and Lightning the Ram peeked out from his hiding spot in a barn as I was watering the sheep.

LIGHTNING THE RAM PEEKED OUT AT ME FROM A BARN!!!???!

Lightning the Ram lives in a field, surrounded by electric fence- he is NOT,ever, ever, EVER supposed to be out and about in a barn.

Needless to say, I was trapped atop the lawn mower by a 200lb crazy Ram at 8am this morning.

I yelled for the two Jens, which came running, but stopped short so they didn't spook the Ram- who was now nibbling on the garden hose I had been using. Meanwhile, I pulled my legs up onto the mower seat in case he charged the machine.

We tricked him back into the barn with grain (oh boys and their food) and Rugby Jen pounced onto his back while the other Jen and I wrestled harnesses onto him. We then dragged him into a pen- where he spent the day while we fixed the fence.

At 4pm we re-harnessed him and Jen & I used all of our might to drag a very stubborn Ram up to his field. To make sure he understood the fence was back on, we fed him grain next to a wire and *ZAP!!!*, his nose got a jolt and Lightning the Ram might now have a better understanding of his name.

Hopefully that's the last of his shenanigans.

Return To Red Gate Farm - August 17 2009
Hello! This is Natalie (of the "Justin & Natalie SCA/AmeriCorps Team") back again on the farm. SCA Mass Parks AmeriCorps ended this past Friday so I've transitioned to living life at Red Gate Farm.

It feels really nice to be back on the farm. Although, so much has changed since I left it in March! All the animals are in their summer quarters, the garden is in full bloom, and there are lots and lots and lots of summer projects in the sun.

The garden is awesome. I've had my lunch and dinner from the garden each day. Patty-Pan squash and zucchini saute?d over quinoa. Potatoes and eggplant over rice. Eggs in the morning. Not to mention the other farms nearby that supply me with fresh raw milk to have with my morning coffee from the local coffee roasters, as well as whole milk yogurt with the neighbors blueberries. SO GOOD!

Today the two Jens and I went into Ashfield Hardware and Elmer's Country Store. I needed a new pair of gloves (I demolished two pair over the course of 5 months of trail work) and Jen K. and I needed knives. Jen B. the Farm's Program Coordinator, has a sweet little French number with a wooden handle by Opinel. Intern Jen and I hoped to find something similar, but we found the EXACT SAME type of knife! I plan to burn my initials into the wooden handle to differentiate between the three. Hooray!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight! - March 27 2009

Today marks the end of Justin and my time here on the Farm. It's really quite sad. Farm days became my sanctuary of sorts. A change of pace, routine and surroundings does a soul good.

Our last day was made really special by Marbles the Ewe having her baby! It is a little white boy. Except for the family dog, Snowball, I've not experienced an animal giving birth, which made the experience really cool. It's amazing how the teeny tiny lamb waits patiently til just the right moment to start breathing oxygen, much to the concern of onlookers!

Justin and I also learned how to work with the oxen, Jack and Joe. They weren't really feeling the work, but went along with us for most of it. However, Ted received the bad end of the stick when he bent down to unhook the chain from the log. One of the oxen decided he didn't really want to be working and shot explosive diarrhea onto Ted's had and face. Justin and I would have warned Ted, but we were taken by surprise just as much as he was!

Justin learned to operate the farm truck (it's a manual) and drove into Ashfield, too! We then transfered most of the sap from the holding tank in the woods to the holding tank near the sugar shack and moved hay from the big barn to the sheep barn.

The day was really nice, and only started to rain towards the end! Hooray!

We are both sad to leave the farm and all the friends we made (human and animal), but will surely return at least once during the coming months. You can't just leave Red Gate and stay away forever!

F = -kx or Springtime (It's a physics joke) - March 19 2009
Jack and Joe frolicked in the field while spring lambs marched with ewes in pairs of twos. The animals enjoy the sun just as much as we, stretching their limbs to explore exposed collines and to search for greens. I, myself, absorbed as much of the sun's rays as possible, "sunbathing" in the bathtub in the oxen pen.


Freeze-thaw pumps Mother Nature's blood during New England springtime. It unearths rock from deep within her soil and makes the sap flow in her maple trees. We extract this blood from her trees, this sweet-water sap, and transform gallons of clear liquid into brown gold bubbles over an evaporator's flaring fires in this season of thaw. We seek a viscous, sugary syrup in a 40:1 boil-off conversion. *Maple syrup for sale (poetry not included)*

We will soon have a "choose your own adventure" on the website, in pictorial representation, so that you can see what farm animal best represents you. Nat and I have put some time into it so definitely take a look at it.

Sigh. Our time at the farm is nearly at a close. It's been more than great. Nat and I will soon be full time trail workers, sent to conserve and beautify Massachusetts state parks.

Signing out,
--Justin

If a tree falls in a forest...... Ben might have 6 SCA members pulling it down. - March 16 2009
This week at the farm has been wonderfully warmer than usual. As such, we've been able to enjoy the sunshine while we work. Thursday morning was spent working on the Farm Animal quiz for the kids website. We re-vamped our idea and sketched out how it should work. We are now in the process of selecting pictures for each portion of the quiz and hopefully writing the code for the pages. (And thanks to Jen for taking the quiz. We tested our quiz on her... multiple times.)

Thursday afternoon was spent working with Ben and Jim setting up a long tube to transport sap for the new sugaring production! Growing up in the Midwest meant that maple syrup was a really gross brown viscous material that people apparently enjoyed on their pancakes and french toast. Aunt Jemima's is actually just colored high fructose corn syrup colored and flavored with sotolon, which smells like maple syrup at low concentrations.

Now that I have tasted REAL maple syrup here in New England I cannot wait to taste syrup from the farm. I'd also like to mention that I've learned a "sugarbush" is NOT a bush, but a collection of maple trees, and syrup is pronounced differently here in the North East. In Indiana, we say Sir-up, not Sear-up.

Moving on to Friday. Yes, we did in fact work at the farm twice in one week! It was a fantastic Friday, too. Almost the entire SCA corps visited the farm Friday to help out with a long list of projects.

Emily, Michelle, Gwen and I mucked out the sheep barn ENTIRELY, all the way to the rubber floor mats.
We then put down lime powder and fresh bedding. Moving on we tackled the chicken coop, re-decorating it with a beautiful collection of wood shavings. From there we moved metal bed frames from the program building to the big red barn and lastly, we spruced up the oxen shed.

The guys helped Ben tap more maple trees, move hay, free the greenhouse door and cut down a couple ash trees for firewood. Although, a few of us girls also helped to pull down the trees- which was really fun!


A few of the SCA corps members hadn't really interacted with farm animals prior to Friday, so it was quite amusing to watch them freak out when a chicken squawked or a goat nibbled on their jacket. One corps member in particular, Laurie, who is from LA, was really proud of herself for catching a chicken. But she held it as far from her body as possible.

All in all, everyone had a blast and the general consensus once we returned home was that they ALL wanted the Farm internship. Good work Red Gate!

-Natalie

Plan Ahead & Prepare - March 05 2009

For those like me who have aspirations of one day owning a farm, being an intern at Red Gate lets me share in both the joyful and the trying moments of farm life. The phrase "plan ahead and prepare", one of the tenants of Leave No Trace outdoorsmanship, consistently pops up, for better or for worse.

Let's talk about the joy. We're expecting, or rather, the sheep are expecting lambs! With freshly trimmed woolen coats, the ladies look quite plump. We planned the lambing "jugs", or pens, where the mothers can care for their young after birth without hindrance from other ewes, offspring, or distractions from food. After disassembling the jugs and arranging them for efficient setup, we ushered the ewes inside and corralled them to evaluate their date of expectancy. We looked at their udder size and vulva to determine how close the ewe was to giving birth. Ranking the sheep in this fashion allows Ben to more precisely monitor the sheep's readiness to lamb so he can be prepared to handle such an event.

Let's talk about the trying. Unfortunately, not everything on the farm goes according to plan. During the winter, most of the animals stay inside to keep warm as well as to be fed. The sheep, for example, would eat grasses and wild greens in the field during summer, but during the winter the pastures are covered by snow. In the fall, hay is purchased so that animals have plenty of feed for the winter months, hay which Nat and I give to the animals at chores. Trouble arises when, for whatever reason, that hay becomes unexpectedly unusable, as is the case for Red Gate at the moment. I, for one, worry how long the usable hay that is left will last.

A farm is a balance of the good and the bad, humbling, moderating, yet somehow satisfying with its rewards. We learn never to expect but rather to hope and appreciate what we are given.

Them's the facts, Jack.

--Justin

Shearing Day! - February 27 2009
Leading the goats down to the sheep barn to be sheared.


Stuffing a skirted fleece in a bag to be washed:

Chickens Are Dinosaurs - February 26 2009

Justin and I spent the morning clearing sheep barn doorways of debris and sheep manure. This sounds fairly smelly and gross, but because it's winter most of it was frozen solid. We utilized a pick-mattock, two pitchforks, a rake and a large iron bar with a flat end to hack away at the frozen mass. My arms have a wonderful burning sensation now:)

Afterwards we loaded first and second cut hay onto to the truck and found EGGS!! Those chickens are sneaky sneaky. The eggs were frozen solid so they probably aren't very recent.

Then we went back and finished working on the doorways in the sheep barn, but not before I snapped a picture of the sun streaming through the big red barn's windows:



Lastly, we separated one chicken from the flock due to a pecking injury. We put her in a cage with food and water and hopefully her injury can repair itself. Did you know chickens are one of the closest relatives to dinosaurs as far as DNA is concerned? They are intense creatures.

-Natalie

Hot Cocoa, Veggie Burgers and Wipeouts! - February 21 2009

Tonight was RGF's Fire & Ice event. What a great success!
I convinced one of my fellow SCA crew members, Lindsey, to come out to help set up, tear down and have fun at the event. And let me just say, there was quite a lot of fun.

We brought our own sleds, but decided to try out one of the red plastic models sported by many of the sledders that night. We had great form, but the sled was a tad substandard. Lindsey and I not only kept our perfect form the entire ride down the hill, but managed to keep the form (and continue moving forward in said form) even after the sled decided it didn't need to keep up.

Next we tried the Mad River Rockets which hail from Vermont by way of Jim, Amy's father. My first attempt was quite a sight. Imagine a sled with 3" foam knee pads. Okay, now kneel down on these pads and pull a seat belt like strap over your knees and thighs. Still with me? Okay now pull this strap tight so you are cinched into the sled. Maneuver yourself so that you are now facing downhill and shimmy yourself towards the edge. Okay, now you are ready!
So there I was, ready to go, and off I went. The sled was fantastic, right up to the point where I hit a bumpy patch of snow and literally flipped end over end TWICE, before coming to rest in the snow... still strapped in and laughing maniacally. Great sled!

At this point Lindsey and I decided to do some actual work and helped set up the grill station, marshmallow stick station and be two extra sets of hands the rest of the evening.

A one point in the evening, I paused while walking from the Program Building back to the bonfire. The scene was beautiful: Tiki torches lining the pathway, the greenhouse glowing like a gigantic paper lantern, the smell of a bonfire, and the sound of laughter and kids zooming downhill. What a great night:)

-Natalie

Seasoned Seed Savers Sell Seeds so Society Sows - February 08 2009
This week at RGF Justin and I built a box. But not just any box...a seed box! This box contains 20 compartments for the various seeds sold through the Farm's Seed Bank. Thoughts of gardening and fresh tomatoes, especially the Green Zebra and the Orange Banana make spring and summer seem that much closer even if the temperature for the day was around 10 degrees, maybe less.

So, why build a seed box? We built it to take with us to the Greenfield Winter Fare! (AKA Winter Farmer's Market) Ben, Ben's mom Caroline, Jen the Program Coordinator, Justin and myself set up our table with RGF information and our beautiful seed box and had a wonderful afternoon meeting lots of different people and selling seeds to first time gardeners as well as seasoned seed savers. (Say that three times fast)

The Market was a huge success in my eyes. The crowd didn't start to wane until the very last half hour or so, and I heard one vendor say he sold out of his fresh breads in two hours! The products available were just as great as the conversations. My personal favorites were the dark chocolate covered strawberry Chevre goat cheese and the black radishes.

We did quite well with our seed selling. All Sugarsnap Peas, one tomato variety and two bean varieties sold out completely! And, I had a blast. Did I mention that Farmer's Markets are a high point in my life?

Mark your calendars for next year! And stop by the farm or call about our remaining seeds. You don't want to miss out on the delicious veggies in store.

To find out more about our seeds visit our Seed Bank website.

-Natalie

Detox This! or Super Bowl Saga - January 29 2009

About a week and a half ago, Natalie and I started the "Ultimate Detox Diet", a diet aimed at cleansing the body while still eating healthy, balanced meals and snacks. In essence, the first two weeks consist of eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Why tell you this? Well, Ben predicted that we'd be "weak as kittens" by the time we came to work today. Let me tell you, these weak kittens did chores, shoveled snow, chopped and moved wood, and hauled another log out of the forest. We also discussed the Red Gate website for kids and what it would take to prepare for the winter market in Greenfield. Weak kittens get eaten by fisher cats.

Yes, yes, the winter market in Greenfield! We are so excited! Saturday, February 7th Red Gate will be setting up a stand at the winter market to discuss programs at the farm in addition to selling seeds. Come by to check us out as well as other vendors and a good old-fashioned barter!

Finally, Ben invited us to a Super Bowl viewing at the farm. Little did he know that I was a "rabid Steelers fan" (again, Ben's words). Poor Ainsley didn't know how to handle all of my excitement. Natalie baked a super delicious chocolate espresso cake that neither of us could eat but received rave reviews for. The night ended with me grabbing Natalie by the knees and screaming, "Make them go, Natalie!" to the Steelers eventual winning touchdown.

There's never a dull moment at the farm.

--Justin

Green Eggs and Ham (or mutton) - January 23 2009
Today on the Farm was really nice. The weather finally cooperated and was at least 25 degrees...HEAT WAVE!

Justin and I worked on loading firewood to be split, clearing off snow from the greenhouse roof, as well as our daily chores.

We are sad to report that dear old Oliver, the goat, has now passed on to that great wonderful green pasture in the sky. He was 12 years old and is survived by four fellow goats and a company of ewes.

The afternoon consisted of brainstorming plans for the new kids portion of the Farm website! The plans are brewing so make sure to check back often for more updates.

The later portion of the afternoon was spent learning the in's and out's of what actually goes into a small farm production, and just how much goats and sheep cost.

Lastly, I accomplished a childhood wish of collecting eggs in a basket. I grew up in the country, but ALWAYS wished I could live on a farm and collect eggs in a basket. My dream finally came true, and I completed the task by giving each egg a good wash, and placing it into a beautifully colored carton. (The eggs were a really great green hue and some were speckled too!)

Until next week,
Natalie

Not So Jamaican Bobsled - January 15 2009
It was a usual bitter cold morning: Natalie and I did our chores, noting today that it was cold enough today to freeze our nostril hairs. After attending a staff meeting by a roaring wood stove we chopped wood until our feet were too cold to stand. We came in to warm our feet in front of the stove until a rush of blood and feeling reentered our appendages and then we were off to salvage parts from chicken poops.... errrrr coops covered in poops. Lunch was quite welcomed in the warm office, for little did we know our task that afternoon would be such an adventure.




Running low on wood in such cold temperatures leads men to attempt superhuman feats. Ben, Natalie, and I dig out logs from under a foot of snow and manipulated them onto a makeshift bobsled made from skis, plywood, and boards (2 by 8s or 4 by 6s... what were they??). The sled was then attached to a tractor at the top of a hill by multiple chains and straps and hauled backwards, with the sled remarkably gliding atop the snow. The sled slalomed through saplings, with adjustments given to the rear and front, which eventually guided our precious cargo to the safety of the precipice. Will we be chopping this wood next Thursday??? Who can say for sure.

--Justin