Category Archives: Turkeys

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Happy Christmas!

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Runner up to the Winter Solstice as my favorite time of the year is Christmastide.

We have fresh snow out there this morning. I enjoyed watching my kitties tiptoe about the front stoop at about 3:30, and by 5:00 their prints were filled in again.

Just finished prepping a goose which I’d bartered from “Garden of Spices” in Greenwich, NY, where I get help processing my turkeys. I rubbed it with a plethora of zest from oranges, limes and lemons, as well as various other spices and salt. My sticky-bun dough has risen, hallelujah, it has risen indeed. I’m starting to hear showers and footsteps, so there are just moments to go before this morning quiet is dispelled.

My favorite gifts? Last evening, my daughters and I presented music at our church’s candlelight service and it is always rich being able to share that kind of work with them. Old friends and new friends have been making many appearances. My kids are all home from college. The hens are laying again. The sheep and horses are frisky & healthy. There’s snow on the ground.

Advent, leading up to Christmas, is so much about hope, so much about how I live my life. Christmastide is a joyful season, and though there are moments in every day that we have a thought of a loved one that isn’t with us anymore, oftentimes, sorrow is deeper during the holidays.
So it is, a time steeped in significant sentiment. For me, I take every ponder as a gift. Blessed to have love in our lives, blessed even when we lose our loves because of how we can carry on for them, in them, with them in spirit.

Holiday greetings from all of us at the farm!

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Christmas Card 2012

Farm, Holidays, Turkeys

Dressed or Undressed

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Before processing the Thanksgiving turkeys(30+), we went into the field to see if we could get some guesstimate weights.  Some of the Bourbon Reds were to be “pardoned” if they were underweight.  That’s fine, we allow for that as far as pre-selling goes, and they are such lovely birds to have around.

How do you weigh a turkey?  Well, it’s easy.  You go out into their field and pick them up, then step on the scale.  However much more than you weigh is what they weigh.  Dressed.

But it’s not really a science out there and our scale is lousy.

And I can’t really tell you how much the bird will weigh undressed.  As in, plumage, etc. removed.

I know that my terminology is opposite what the processing industry calls it, but practically speaking, with our plumage and barn coats intact, we are dressed.

And there’s no way I was going to weigh them naked.  They would’ve shivered.

Everyone is a little shy to step on the scale

Dressed

Undressed

The end result was that we had a broad range of weights – from 35 pounders to 6.5 pounders.  Five birds were pardoned to stay on and put on weight, forage, just hang out with the other poultry around here.

Promise to clean up our act in the next post.  This is meant to be a family friendly blog.  Anyway, now you know how we handle weighing of the turkeys.

Agriculture, Barns, Health, Holidays, Music, Turkeys, Weather

Turkey/Tofurkey Thanksgiving 2012

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Tweedling accompaniment to the march into the barn

Cue Chopin‘s “Funeral March“…

Tomorrow is the big day for processing birds around here for 35 Thanksgiving tables in this Tri-State area.  In their last week, my Bourbon Reds and Giant Whites have been consuming 50 pounds of organic grain a day.  I had brought them in the other day because we had a sudden, wet snowfall and they don’t have shelter now that the leaves are off the trees in the pasture.

Shivering off their weight is not part of the plan of raising the turkeys.  Also, as soon as they were snug and warm inside, we had cozy, bonding time together.  They’re so sweet.

Puppy dog eyes

I’ve said it before.  I love turkeys.  I love my turkeys. People in this area love our turkeys and they are exceptional.  I’m o.k. with eating turkey – I think it’s fine.  I’d rather have borscht or wonton soup or mushroom anything – those are my favorites(also, chocolate.)

But it’s time.  So today I tried feeding them a pile of tofu.  I accidentally over-ordered tofu through my local food co-op.  I meant to order 6 containers, but I ordered 6 cases.  That’s 72 containers.  That’s too much tofu for this family.  I gave away a fair amount to the local homeless shelter and tried to share with the local food cupboard.  The food cupboard folk said, “No thanks.”

But the turkeys – hey!  The primary ingredient in their pelletized grain is soy.  So why not organic tofu?  And then if we want to be savvy marketers, we can tout them as “Tofurkeys!”

In front of me, they want nothing to do with the tofu.  As soon as my back is turned, they gobble it up.  Go figure.

Tofurkeys

Agriculture, Chickens, Ducks, Family, Farm, Goats, Horses, Morning, Neighbors, Seasons, Turkeys, Weather

Grain run

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H.N. Williams, Dorset, Vermont

Here is where you’ll find me once a week, early in the morning, to stock up on organic grain for my turkeys, chickens, sheep, goats, ducks, horses & bunny.  Inside this fine establishment, a jury of gentlemen are assembled with coffees and donuts, cordial greetings and conversation ranging from the price of gas to whether you should fib when your wife asks you if “this dress makes me look fat.”  Sometimes I am the consult on certain topics, and so I weigh my words carefully in response to the chat-du-jour.

It’s out of my way, but they take great care of me here.  I’m grateful to live in a part of the world where you can pick up a car full of chow for your livestock and a freshly baked scone-to-go, get the bottom line on politics and the weather, and lean on the counter to share a farmyard story or two.

My family and I are grieving a recent loss.  My youngest brother.  A frequent compliment/condolence was that he lived a hundred years in his 50. He was the type of guy that had a thousand friends in the community.  He was just such a fella that took the time to chat.  They jokingly called him “the Professor” in his town, at his job, because of his knack for throwing himself into lectures and debates with his neighbors and co-workers, but finishing always with a joke and a smile.  I hadn’t recognized the value, the importance of my weekly grain-run ritual, spending time with this micro-community, until I sat down to write and fell to thinking about Larry….

I’m not sure how long I’ll be feeling so reflective, friends, so bear with me.  I’ve got a lot of blessings to count.

Driving, Farm, Fences, Hurricane Sandy, Morning, Turkeys, Weather

Great Turkey Walks

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“I’ve always been fond of birds, poultry in particular.”  - Simon Green

In the last couple of days, I’m reminded of an amusing and clever novel that my children and I enjoyed called “The Great Turkey Walk“, by Kathleen Karr.  Our star of the story is oversized Simon Green, who has just completed third grade(for the fourth time), when his teacher tells him that maybe it’s time he made his way into the world of 1860.  He may not be book-smart, but he sets out on a journey with a rafter of a thousand turkeys from Missouri to Denver to cash in on the meat market.  His caring teacher, Miss Rogers, bankrolls the trip and he and his dog, four mules, a driver and a wagonload of shelled corn are off.

This past weekend had our family prepping the farm before Hurricane Sandy’s arrival.  We couldn’t be sure of the extent of damage we might suffer, so we made the best possible plan for putting up hooved and feathered friends for the long haul.  This included stalling all of our free-ranged turkeys so they would not end up in the next county or state after the projected 60 mph gusts were upon us.

The morning of Sandy’s arrival, dawn broke lovely and lavender and our gang took on a “Breast Cancer Awareness” pink hue.  I waited to move the birds until I was sure that they’d foraged enough for the morning but we weren’t going to be fighting the elements for our short trek through the sheep chute and into the barn stall.  Also, I wasn’t quite sure they would follow as necessary and I didn’t want to run short on time while chasing and corralling 40ish birds on my own.

Today dawned less pink, with a Sandy-surprise in the pasture, but blessedly no casualties.  And after leading the gang back out to the pasture for some fresh air and foraging, sans too much wind-beneath-their-wings, they were delighted to find the new roost.  The rest of their day was spent arranging themselves and ornamenting the old Beech tree that had elegantly heaved from the earth and ho-ed to the ground.  I rather like the new set-up myself.

The day after Hurricane Sandy arrived, Wing and a Prayer Farm turkeys ornament the new pasture roost.

Last, but not least, enjoy walking the turkeys to and fro with us in the following clip:

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10-11-12

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Thought I’d throw 33 photos out there to catch you up on the past month around here.  Thanks for visiting the farm!

Son Jody and some little fans: He took 3rd place in the FLW Northern Regional Conference Bass Fishing Tournament at Philpott Lake in Virginia.  He has qualified for the second time, now, for the National Championship in his 4 years at Virginia Tech.  He is excited to represent Virginia Tech, with two other teammates, in April, 2013 for the FLW National Championship.  Some adorable youngsters brought their t-shirts to him to autograph after Day 3 in Martinsville, VA.  He was speechless!

Freedom Rangers ready for processing -this was their last day of the good life before we put them in the freezer.  We sell them as meatbirds, and they are also all the chicken that we eat throughout the year.  It’s a good feeling to be able to put your own food on the table, especially knowing that they had a great life running around, foraging, comfortable and clean.

Turkeys are constantly getting themselves trapped in the garden.  They know how to get themselves in, but then they forget out to get out.  This is a daily thing.

Some intense cobwebs in the rafters of the barn.  We did a BIG clean this past week to prepare for an annual barn party.  It’s so much more satisfying to clean when you can really see the difference, don’t you agree?!

Morning Glories still blooming in October.  They certainly do make us happy going in and out the front door.  Sadly we will get a killing frost sooner than later and it’s difficult to cover them when that happens.

Lucky for Char & I, the Virginia Tech botanical gardens are gorgeous any season.  These Calla Lilies were all abloom in front of the water garden.  We try to take the gardens in every chance we can when we are in Virginia.

Char & I were very much rewarded in a quest for ice cream one evening while college-visiting in Asheville, NC.  Here is the menu at Ultimate Ice Cream.  I had the Brown Sugar, Bacon & Maple +  Piney Branch Pear ice creams.  Amazing!

Loved these container gardens outside a cute cafe in Asheville, NC

Puppy prints on the tile of “Three Dog Bakery” in Asheville, NC – We asked the lady at the counter if they actually sold all of those decadent dog biscuits.  She astonished us by saying that one woman orders $200 worth of biscuits each month!  It was a very fun store to visit for pet lovers like ourselves.

Piggies were our fave at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC.  Sadly, the class that Char was going to visit was M.I.A..  We still don’t know if it had been cancelled or what, but we sat around waiting for the teacher & students to show up for about 15 minutes before someone came and told us that for some reason, the class wasn’t being held that day.  Well, we did enjoy the campus and most especially, the piggies!

Abe gets the whole backseat to himself.  This dog has had an amazing month, fighting a nasty infection that had him pretty seriously set back.  In spite of the slew of meds he’s on now, it was all worth it for him – he is on his feet in a flash when you say, “Abe, do you want to go see Jody?!”  Visiting his boy in VA was the reward for quiet riding in the backseat for 2800 miles.  You may notice the wet window behind him – rained almost non-stop for the entire journey.  Yay.

Apple, Pear Ginger, Pumpkin, Raspberry Currant, Cranberry Apple, Blackberry, & Blueberry Pies were happening and happening and happening!  We are now at a pause for the season as the market that carried our pies is now closed for the season.  The pies will be back on the “shelves”, so to speak, for Thanksgiving CSA shares.

“The Park” in our backyard -Ruger is glad to have been freshly shod, everyone heading out for afternoon grazing.

Trunk full of Mums

Shaftsbury, Vermont is a beautiful part of New England – sometimes we feel like hobbits.

3 week old hen chicks in their new coop – settling in for winter.  Sold about 60 hens this past year and am replenishing our flock.

Schilling likes to type – hence, I don’t get around to it sometimes.

Iz had a salon visit with Char one afternoon – pretty girl!

Big sister SJ & her friends’ motivational posters for Char before her SAT

Caramel Apples – SJ & her crew of college friends made a batch this past Columbus Day Weekend.  They were delicious.

Martha, the indispensable personal assistant, taking a breather after helping me to prepare for the Myers Road Pumpkin Party.  It was so much fun, without about 100 neighbors & guests, and this gal is my amazing sidekick to keep it frolicsome!

SJ gives Caroline, a college friend & Floridian, a lesson on Ruger Jac.

The turkeys attend the Myers Rd. Pumpkin Party – and yes, I did have to hose everything down after shoo-ing them away.

Giles, experiencing his first autumn.

Jackie & Cricket in the front seat on the way to their vet check – they were fine but they act like they’re going to die every time they get there.

Azalea blooms in October!

Char’s comfort food choice on a sick day.

My choice for lunch – energizing Minestrone that I’d made the day before.  It’s so delicious I eat two bowls at a time!

Kitties curl up

Shaggy Shetland Sheep, day before shearing!

Goats mug the camera!

Turkey time of year – they are underfoot everywhere you go outside

Apple Crisp Cookies for choir night – made up this recipe myself!

Farm, Fences, Goats, Honeybees, Inspiration, Morning, Music, Night time, Photographs, Pies, Saturday, Travel, Turkeys, Vermont, weeding

Eine Kleine Bee Swarm

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First off, weighing heavily on my mind and heart this weekend is the fact that I haven’t seen my white peacock, “Figaro”, for two days.

Where are you, Figaro?  Please come home soon.

Such a Sunday.  This morning we attended a concert given by youth at a summer music camp in the Carriage Barn of the historic Park McCullough House in North Bennington.  My two daughters are violinists and one was there as a camper, the other as an assistant staff member.  So lovely to see them playing side by side in the sea of young faces.  ”Eine Kleine Nacht Music” and “Allegro -from Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G” were featured by their ensembles and I thought they were perfectly performed.  I always say that I have to pull them off the ceiling after orchestra nights, and this week’s practicing and performance yielded no exception.

Dear Julietta, a friend of the family’s, arrived for an afternoon of assistance on the farm.  She is an extremely hard-working young woman and interns in Rupert, Vermont at “Merck Forest” which focuses on sustainable agriculture and living.  She loves to come to our place and visit while weeding, tending the animals, working in the kitchen or just about anything.  She makes amazing biscotti, by the way, and today brought a recipe which featured her own homemade candied orange peel.  I ate almost all of it.

Following a lunch of scrambled eggs with chives and cheddar, we weeded the vegetable garden.  Julietta weeds like a fiend. I’d love to employ her every day and reveal the true Eden that is beneath the jungle-growth around here!  Let us just say that a dent was made.

While I ran a very brief errand, my bees swarmed.  Yes, they up and swarmed.  And flew away.

I arrived home and the fam announced that my bees had just gone. Over. There.  Over.  Those.  Trees.  Over.  Those.  Woods….gone.

Where are you honeybees?  Please come home soon.

It was one particular swarm, not all of my bees, thankfully.  I had just been saying to Julietta before I drove off that we would tend the bees after the garden work because I was afraid they were outgrowing their boxes.  My son had called it the day before, saying “Mom, I think the bees are going to swarm.”

“Swarm in July, let ‘em fly” is what the farmers say.

So they flew.

By the way, this implies that if you catch the swarm and are able to rear them, then they’re not likely to develop and put up enough stores before winter to keep them through.  So maybe even if I had caught the swarm, I’d not have any more of a success story.  Just trying to comfort myself.

Julietta and I donned bee suits and dove into the other hives, adding honey supers to the industrious, removing old feeders from some that had drained their stores, and adding brood boxes to others that were growing so well.  We spent over an hour fussing over the honeybees and in our fussing found some honey-rich comb that had been attached to one of the hive tops.

Lastly, we scraped the wax comb and honey onto some platters and picked them over, removing the honey-drunk bees, so that we could harvest a bit for ourselves.  We spent at least an hour painstakingly removing each little gal, trying to spare their lives as we did so.  We collected three quart jars of comb and honey and came inside for the evening to dip salted popcorn into the dregs on the platter for a snack with a cup of tea.

And that, my friends, is the way to top off a full and glorious weekend.  August is around the corner and my youngest turns 17 on Monday.  Good friends from out-of-town are dropping by on Tuesday, 50 pies will have to be made and delivered Thursday through Saturday,  A friend that is hosting a round-table discussion on localvores at a nearby t.v. station has invited me as a guest on Wednesday and another wonderful photo-journalist friend is coming to follow my daughters and I around the farm on Thursday as she works on what is called “Farm Woman.”

I am grateful for my husband and son’s hard work in putting up new fencing (attempt Number 8 this summer) to keep the goats in their new pasture, for fat chicks and turkey poults becoming fatter and for layer hen and peafowl eggs in the incubator developing.  I’m thrilled that the Faverolle chicks were introduced to the 3 week old hatched out hens and they’re fast friends in the little coop.  I’m satisfied that deliveries of pies and zucchini chocolate cakes were made and the last of the eggs was used up in a Gingersnap recipe this afternoon.  And I’m feeling very fortunate for an outing yesterday to the Historical Society to take in a pretty fantastic writer’s workshop, presented by a local friend, inspiring me for SOMEday…when I may write more formally…

So many blessings, so many blessings.

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12 Months of “To Do” for 2012

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Pond girls - January 2010

1.  I will skate more in January.  I’ve got a great pair of speed skates that need to be sharpened so that I can get back on the short track.  I’ve also got some knock-abouts from my teen years for the pond.   And I will jump in Lake Paran in North Bennington at the end of the month for a fundraiser with my Youth Group for Vermont Special Olympics.  We are “Team Healing Waters” and this will be our 3rd year jumping in.  We wear masks and capes and we are crazy.  I thought about doing Yoga or some sort of exercise program, but I’m not going to get hung up if I don’t follow through.  I figure jumping into a frozen lake at the end of the month in Vermont in January sort of overrides other ambitions.  And I will ride Izzy if it’s not too icy.

Dedicated kids bringing the song and the cake to mum!

2.  I will blow out 47 Candles in February to the strains of my family’s singing, no matter how we can arrange their voices together…and, sing to Jody for his 21st birthday while he is fishing a tournament far, far from Vermont, and make and send Valentines (my inner child comes out!) and skate on the pond with my Youth Group for our annual Superbowl Party after we’ve sold a zillion subs for a fundraiser.  And  I will ride Izzy…

Spring does eventually return!

3.  I will force forsythia and repot seedlings in March.  Hurray for seed catalogs in December!  And I will put on a Talent Show/Boiled Supper Fundraiser with my Youth Group on St. Patrick’s Day, and put on my brogue for St. Patrick’s day(this drives my kids CRAZY!), and have a sugar-on-snow-party with 2012 Maple Syrup.  And ride Izzy…

Nite Nite with her trainer, Char, during the end of Mud Season

4.  We will put a cart on that pony in April!  And I will sing for Easter, and bowl with my Youth Group for Big Brother/Big Sister Bowl for Kids’ Sake, and find some time to celebrate Sarah Jane’s 19th birthday -I already know what she wants for her birthday dinner, but sadly she won’t be home :-(   And if she does get a chance to come home, go for a ride together….

Char cuddles the lambs: Maggie with Iglesias & Buttercup, Ruva with Daisy & Obaamaa

5. I will lose sleep when we lamb in May, this time hopefully with 5 ewes due! And I will attend end-of-year concerts, and welcome home college kids for their summer vacations, and get turkey poults started and maybe more chicks…haven’t decided yet.  And if there is any time, which there will not really be much of, I’ll ride Izzy.

Late day walks in hay fields

6.  We will make it, finally,  to Mel’s Solstice Party in June…and hay, of course, and plant and weed the garden, and soak up summer, and ride Izzy!

Jody with a bass on Gale Meadow

7.  I will go fishin’ with the family in July.  Actually, SJ, Char & I like to read & take photos while we accompany the fishermen.  And  we’ll celebrate Jim’s & Char’s birthdays -55 and 17, and we’ll garden and tend the flocks of sheep and poultry and kid goats, and ride Izzy.

a lane of hives

8.  We will harvest honey in August.  Last year, our bees didn’t have a productive enough year to share with us, so I am hoping that this will be a better year for them for their sake, and for ours.  I sure did miss having my own honey!  And in August, spend time at Lake Champlain with the family for our annual vacation, and hopefully bring the horses again so that I can ride Izzy.

wooly friends

9.  We will shear the sheep in September. And, sadly, say goodbye to Jody & Sarah Jane as they start their senior & second years in college, as well as see Char through college applications!  Oh let’s not start thinking about that now…Char & I will have to ride in September.

little Cooper with the 2011 entries

10.  We will host the Myers Road Pumpkin Party in October, and harvest the garden, and attend the Mount Holyoke Fall Concert, and hopefully have a long weekend with Jody, and watch the Red Sox in the World Series, and ride Izzy in the fall foliage.

Porch Turkeys

11.  I will harvest Thanksgiving Turkeys in November, but this year there will be a no fly zone declared on the front and back porches…I just can’t devote two hours a day to cleaning the porch off!  And probably rehearse Christmas music for December singing, and we will be enjoying my kids’ visit home for Thanksgiving break, and preparing the barn for wintertime tuck-ins for goatsies, sheep and horses, and get out on my Iz whenever I can.

Bennington Children's Chorus members line up to process at the Old First Church in Bennington, VT

12.  Finally, in December, attending the last Candlelit Service at the Old First Church in Old Bennington in which one of my daughters will be singing with the Bennington Children’s Chorus.  Ah, magical evenings they are.  I’ll hopefully be doing some singing myself in this month, and attending Mount Holyoke’s Vespers Service, and not being ready for Christmastime, and shovelling snow(hopefully?), and welcoming home college kids for winter break, and tucking in Shetland flocks that are successfully bred, and collecting eggs a-plenty for December baking, and be as healthy, grateful and blessed as I have been these past 47 years!  I’m not sure I’ll be riding Izzy in December ;-)

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Happy Christmas Tales

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Fireside chat on Christmas Eve?

When I delegated the tucking in of the animals on Christmas Eve to my husband and son,  I was grateful to have their assistance but sorry to miss out on my  little Christmas Eve chat with everyone.  Typically I give everyone extra carrots, hay, grain, apples, even peppermints sometimes.  I sing carols to them and tell them that tonight is the night that Santa comes and brings treats to good little ponies, and the like.  I also ask them if they wouldn’t mind letting me in on their midnight conversations and send me some sort of sign so I know it’s time.  I refer to the old legend about how Christmas Eve is the night that the animals talk…  Silly, you might think, because they talk all of the time!  From what I can only trace to early European superstitions, at midnight they are all able to speak the same language, the language of humans.

Indeed Jim  had actually remembered to give them the word!  He reminded them that it was a special night and I was relieved and delighted.

What would they be saying?

We decided the goats would be full of toddler chat and enthusiasm for Santa and the reindeer. I happen to think that the Sheep would speak with a Scottish accent and comment largely on the sparseness of the grazing material and the quality of the hay they’ve been getting and who looks good in what color and such.  There are a dozen of them now, and they have been spending time together 24/7 since Balrog went buh-bye.  (He was the ram I’d used for 2 breeding seasons.)  The wethers and ewe lambs and pregnant ewes have been dining and sleeping pretty peacefully and it sure does simplify things around here for me.  So they might also discuss their new togetherness and whether it is agreeable to them or not.

The horses would probably be engrossed in a gossip-session as they are the few animals on the farm that have gotten out and about.  They’ve gone swimming in Lake Champlain,  know the neighbors, the neighbors’ horses, pets and the geography of the area far better than the sheep.  I would guess they enjoy the night sky, also, and are on lookout for eight tiny reindeer and a jolly little elf.  I mean, really, there would be a wonderful opportunity for an exchange with the reindeer to find out what is going on in the world so it would be worthwhile to be alert.

Bean-the-bunny is in her own stall on the far end of the barn, but if the barn kitties, Wasabi & Niska, cared to stroll by, they could have a catch-up.  Seeing as Wasabi and Niska spend time in the woods and fields, hunting rodents of all sizes, including rabbits, Bean might not enjoy that they are her only companions to share with.  She’s been shorted, I realize, and so next year we’ll have to make sure she is situated near the goatsies or sheep so that she can have a less-threatening convo.

The poultry, except for the peafowl, are all of the same species so they don’t have a language barrier anyway.  Perhaps the peafowl speak a dialect, of sorts, but I’m betting the Araucanas could interpret for them.  The turkeys are now in folks’ ovens or freezers and so they’re not part of the equation.  The Indian Runner ducks are in a separate yard and have each other to communicate with also.  No need for the special gift that Christmas Eve brings for them under those circumstances.

I used to lie awake listening for, not Santa, but my dogs and cats to talk.  Now that I am an adult, I still have a smidgen of hope that I would catch them in the act!

Yes, there is room for silliness this Christmastide.  The celebration of holidays is always special and with the ups and downs, an opportunity for finding deeper meaning in life.  But you just can’t knock a holiday that has a legend associated with it as being a night the animals talk.

the lion and the lamb

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(nearly) Wordless Wednesday-One Year Ago

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One year ago in the henyard,

and one year ago Balrog arrived,

one year ago some fat Broadbreasted Bronzes were waddling around (note Rogue-the-Rooster above!),

one year ago Abe was still patiently waiting for a stick,

and one year ago, Nite Nite was still ADORABLE!

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