The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams
-Eleanor Roosevelt
The spring is an exciting time to be on the farm. Little packets of seeds litter the counters as we plan, design, and dream up how we will expand the farm this year. My previous career was as a teacher for kiddos with special needs. That means I like data. So I keep my own data on what plants worked well, what struggled and what yields did I get. This incredibly nerdy pastime helps in managing the livestock as well. Animal husbandry is very date specific, take lots of notes, you’ll be grateful you did.
At this point we have a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats, which are basically puppies that give us milk. They are sweet, lovely little animals that are a pleasure to have on the farm. Their milk is very high in butterfat which means it makes great cheese, and tastes just like cow milk.
We raise both egg and meat chickens, as well as meat rabbits for protein. Our goal is to produce all of our own meat. We are trying to be ethical omnivores. Next year we are hoping to add pigs which will bring us very close to this goal.
The vegetable garden is the base of all of it. Feeding our family as well as most of the animals. It’s wild and full, growing in all directions. This small space produces hundreds of pounds of foods per year. It’s a joy to watch it grow. For me, its worth all the work.
When I look to the future, I can see spending the rest of my life turning this little piece of earth into exactly what it was always meant to be, paradise.
Swallowhurst 