LillyZoo Farm

Building a maple evaporator

2012-02-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

This has been our way of boiling sap in past years. We have wanted to buy a little half pint from Leader then Ant had an idea... He will make one from our old tank.

He borrowed a stainless steel welder

cut our old stainless tank down

Began adding the dividers

and welded away

Great Job honey but you better hurry the trees are dripping...

Bracing the fire box with angles

Adding the flue

cutting out the fire door on the fire box

Leveling and adding the fire bricks to the fire box

Man GO make FIRE!

January views from the Micro Farm

2012-01-30T16:18:00.000-08:00

First night

Collecting the eggs

First snow of winter

Enjoying the snow while it lasts

Winter sunset in the trees on the hill

Its the end of January... should there really be sap dripping?

Wild Turkey

2011-12-07T17:15:00.001-08:00

This toms breast was huge and lasted for at least 4 meals. I also used the legs for soup stock and dog treats. The wings, tail and beard were saved just because they were so beautiful.

Turkey cutlets sliced thin and turkey roast.

2011-07-30T04:23:00.001-07:00

The girls have moved their pet japanese silkies into their new home.

Late evening chores

2011-07-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Harvesting and washing garlic

I have a bushel of garlic for the year

our rusty farm helper

A look into our world

The hubby and a havana special

Bessy getting ready for bed

This week I attended an educational retreat and neglected many of my chores. So, with the kids in bed here is my Saturday night of chores while enjoying the company of my hubby and a nice local wine.

is this summer?

2011-06-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

baby bunny in my cutting garden

bees are busy

the pond

farm rust

potatoes and tomatoes

freshly shorn sheep

araucanas

our friendliest mama chicken

Morels in May

2011-05-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

We have a special patch of morels that are ready by May Day.

This year we harvested 16. I know there are more out there!

Its not much but its growing and makes a fine May Day Dinner

E chopping Morels

Z washing Dandelion flowers

Sauteing our morel pasta dish

Dandelion Fritters

Our wine and a foraged May Day Dinner

Happy May Day

Dandelion Fritters

3 eggs

Tablespoon of Flour

about a pound of washed and de-stemmed dandelion flowers

Salt and pepper

oil spray for pan

Mix all together and cook in hot oiled pan

Linguini alla Morels

6 to 8 Morels

Handful sundried tomatoes

6 found onion grass onions

Small bunch Dandelion leaves

EVOO

Butter

All chopped and sauteed together and served over al dente linguini

Bee Installation at the Farm

2011-04-07T07:37:00.001-07:00

We picked up the bees yesterday after their long journey up from NC. They were mine! I have been very nervous about this day but once they were in my hands I strangely felt at ease with how docile they seemed. It was about 50 degrees F so maybe they were just cold. They were huddled around the queens cage to keep her warm. There were half a dozen bees on the outside but not moving. I put them in a wine bucket and drove them home.

Once home, I dusted the outside of the package with powdered sugar to give them a little something. With 3 little ones under foot I waited for my husband to come home before I took them out to the new langstroth hive that we built and painted. At the site we leveled a pallet and set up. The little ones and planted bee attracting flower seed in a wild flower patch in front.

By the evening, the bees had consumed the powdered sugar I gave them so I dusted the entire package and went out to the site prepared for them.

This is what followed. It was lightly raining so once placed the queen in and shook the package in I set an empty super on top so the bees could move in from the package. Normally you would set the package in front of the entrance and let them bee... but it was lightly raining. I will remove the package box and the queens cage in the next couple of days and see if the queen and workers have set to work. I am definitely nervous that I messed something up!

preparing for spring!

2011-04-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have never had much luck with seed starting but I am well on my way to a batch of tomato plants from Nonno's garden

Seed set up is getting larger as the seedlings come up. First I start them in the pizza box with organic starter. When they come up I spoon them out into egg containers. Seems to be working well except the egg containers wick the water out faster then plastic trays. I just have to stay on top of the moisture situation.

preparation for our new cut garden in the shape of a spiral inspired by our children's advent garden in the winter.

Flower seeds growing. My list is enormous. But here are only two types

Wish us luck!!

{this moment}

2011-03-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

Spring is on it's way

2011-03-22T05:19:00.001-07:00

And peas!

When the forsythia/crocus bloom or you see red winged blackbird females -
time to plant peas.
When the chickadees build their nests, plant peas and spinach.
When dandelions are blooming plant potatoes, beets, lettuce, spinach and
carrots.
When the iris bloom, plant the peppers and eggplants outside.
Plant beets, lettuce, spinach when lilac is in first leaf.
When lilac blooms, plant beans, cukes and squash.
Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of squirrels ears.
Plant your corn when apple blossoms start to fall.

-Edith of the Rockland County Gardeners

How many times... everyday

2011-03-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

I was out this evening and it occurred to me that I go out to my animals at least 4 times a day. breakfast to let them out for the day. mid-day egg check. evenin' meal time. and before bed to close the condos so the hens aren't eaten by the raccoons, foxes, or skunks (which I have smelled lately.) Sometimes the hens decide it's a party night. They hang out in the cage below sipping martinis and dancin to dean and sinatra. Drives me crazy cuz on a cold winters night I just want to snuggle up an get some zzzz.

spring summer fall and winter. (summer days are even longer) I am now a farmer... this is what I do...

tonight was cold quiet and calm. My ladies were all up on there roosts (its a friday night don't they know...), the sheep were nestled in to their hay. the sky was cloudy and bright from the light pollution. the things that go threw my mind when I go out by myself into the darkness: I saw that there was a pack of coyotes sited this week in this area. I hear them yelping sometimes along the creek. We have a lot of deer back there too. hmmm I am surrounded by cemeteries (which is why it seems we have so much land to ourselves in this urban setting) when will the zombies come up and start hunting the living? or worse how about zombie sheep and chickens hehehe (for you craig.)

Anyway I thought, how fast can I get back up to my house... I know I will dream about this later while the owls are whoooooing.

Its not even a full moon...

Our eggs

2011-02-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

we are getting about a dozen a day

At the farm we are getting ready for winter

2010-11-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

Winter means taking the sheepies off the grass and into a winter yard. We had a few trees taken down on the property that were diseased and loosing limbs. The wood chips make a nice bedding in the winter yard and compost faster under the sheep.

Moving logs for milling and firewood. There were logs all over the yard.

My hens are also taken off the grass and have to be plugged into supplimental light so they will continue to lay eggs as the daylight grows shorter.

Goings on at LillyZoo Farm

2010-09-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Fall has begun and that means harvest and wine making.

We don't let the moss grow under our feet.

Vintner Anthony racking his wine in what we call our 'General Store' it contains a treasure trove of interesting antiques that came with the house. This cellar room maintains a 55 to 60 degree temp which is great for making wine.

Our 2010 wine list will be a Cab Sav, Merlot and a reserve Malbec. about 60 gallons of wine which will be ready to drink in 2012

Vintner Anthony show off some ready to drink Merlot 08

Pickled harvest: Jalapenos and pickled green beans

one days harvest with my herders/farmers

Chestnut harvest came and went

pear harvest was small this year

lots of beautiful winter squash this year

More Roosters...

2010-08-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

We received a rescue rooster last year that we named Van Gogh. He is a gorgeous enormous Buff Orpington but meeeeannn. His name should be Diablo. He has attacked my oldest daughter and myself despite attempts to kill'em with kindness. He is a rooster of the worst kind. Once they are bad there is no way to retrain the dominance out of them. I thought I would make some soup but couldn't bring myself to do the deed because he is so pretty. We made him a smaller coop to try and tame him and tone down his roosterness but he is none the less aggressive. Well now we have an up and coming 11 week old araucana (we'll call romeo) that could be trained to be nice if I show myself to be the dominant bird.

Did I mention the constant screams coming out of these birds that started this morning? Ugg

6mo Rooster VanGogh

I guess it is time to make a giant soup...

Happenings

2010-08-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

The garden is a little over loaded

Flowers are helping attacted all the right helpers. The girls and I saw our first hummingbird the other night

Our mix of araucanas and americanas are 10 weeks now and should begin producing blue and green eggs in October

Ant and I have been painting and he is rebuilding the sitting porch

Sitting porch

We cristened a new addition to the farm

Nicey nice!

Harvesting in the LillyZoo

2010-08-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Just finished a Chicken harvest of 26 Cornish X Rocks and now on to a daily harvest of:

Tomatoes,
Blackeberries,
Dried Pinto Beans
Chard

More on the chicken harvest in a later post

1 down and 26 to go

2010-07-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

chicks at 3wks

So last night I harvested my first chick. The chicks are about 7-8 weeks now and I need to get busy. I built a fire to boil the scalding water. When the temp it 150 I gathered one little chick, lit a candle in her honor and put her in the cone upside down. It was quick but felt like it could have been quicker. She had a better than expected life for a Cornish X Rock. (protected but out in nature and eating bugs and garden leftovers.) Now for the scald and plucking by hand. I quickly decided against that since it was late. I skinned the bird and cleaned her out. Now for those of you out there who are thinking this is a foreign concept lets just compare it to going fishing. Cleaning the catch it is pretty much the same thing.

1 down 26 to go and I will be a little lighter in the chore load... with food in the freezer.

Ps. If you are wondering, my girls were sleeping and Daddy was holding the baby who decided this would be a good night not to go to bed.

Garlic harvested

2010-06-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

June 16

2010-06-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

It is not quite clear enough how large the cornish X chicks are compared to the aracana but the differences is amazing and they are always hungry. Someone half criticized why I would buy this breed since it is the breed of big business but honestly with 3 children and no extra help 6 to 8 weeks is enough time with these chicks before harvest. I am interested to see if I feel a weight lifted when the work is done.

Keeping the weeds from over taking the garden is a daily job, but the pulling is worth it and the girls enjoy their time harvesting.

E my 3 year old sowed the seed for these California Poppies along with other flowers which cut well and look lovely around the house.

Garden Update

2010-06-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Radishes gone to seed, corn is 18inches high, egyptian onion front and center

california poppies, lettuce, arugula, beets, kale and lots of grass

sheepies top left, blackberries flowering, bed left: snap peas, red fingerlings, bed center: blue fingerlings, yellow onions, dianthus, pinto beans, bed right: pumpkin and corn

Groundhogs

2010-05-31T06:05:00.000-07:00

Every year groundhogs make there way into the gardens and once they are in they must be caught. As I have learned from a couple of old timers there is nothing else to do. It is against the law to transport them elsewhere, so I am sure you can guess the ending

Harvest this week

2010-05-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

Lettuce and radishes

We had to separate our meat birds from our egg layers. The meat birds are growing so fast.

Garden Update

2010-05-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes and peppers are planted scored from the Pfeiffer Center plant sale.

baby lettuce is ready daily as are the radishes

Grass is high, potatoes, onions, and beans with some flowers. Blackberries in the background

Grapes and quince tree loaded

Corn is growing pretty good

Garden in full force,

The sheep have been sheared

2010-05-04T06:36:00.001-07:00

Morels in season

2010-05-03T05:37:00.000-07:00

Last years morels were a nice surprise. This years harvest was an even nicer surprise.

Joel Salatin talks chicken tractors and turkeys and broilers

2010-04-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Our Chicken Tractors

2010-04-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

I designed them with the help of my hubby and he built them.
See more HERE

Weekend work

2010-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished turning over 17 beds of the garden by hand.

moving the premier fence to the next grazing spot.

Pruning Grape vines

Protecting Chicks from the foxes

Taking a ride around the pond.

All in a weekends work.

Turning over the Garden

2010-04-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

Thats me with my Broadfork. I love this tool. If you look close you can see a little sheep in the background grazing and right behind me are my fat as your thumb blackberries on a trellis that needs work.

This week at the Farm

2010-04-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

The beds are being turned, Coops have been moved from the winter spot, clean up is underway, forsythia is popping, daffodils are up, seeds are going in, chickens are free ranging.

Chicks are out and movin around

In the garden

Sheep are grazing

Comfrey

building the garden

2010-03-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

Goals for LillyZoo 2010

2010-03-17T07:45:00.001-07:00