our wwoofers (helpxers) summer 2011

we are mostly moved to Bulger Rd with the sheep safely? enclosed by over a thousand dollars worth of movable electronet fencing...and none too soon as I heard coyotes right behind the corral two nights ago. The meat bird chicks are growing and eating ravenously and we just brought the laying hens and settled them into a wired enclosure in the big barn. They'll get their very own chicken coop very shortly but priority now is bringing the piggies over. It has been a hectic two weeks and I don't know how we would have accomplished all we needed to do without Mike and Amal who worked tirelessly alongside us as we all moved furniture and livestock and feed barrels and freezers and frozen meat and books and fences and cheesemaking equipment and so on. We had a lot of fun with them, great meals and were able to take a day off last week to visit the fall colours in Algonquin. Earlier this summer, our lives were made easier with our first two helpers, Elsa and Etienne from France who were fabulous shepherds and spent hours in the field with the flock, and then our cheerful Australian Isaac who also put in his time in the field as well as digging post holes at the new farm, moving bales and baking a darn good apple pie. Thanks to all of them and wish them luck and fun in their future travels.

And another happy diner.

 Had a chance to sample your lamb this weekend; delicious!
 

Some reactions to our tasty lamb!

I just wanted to say a big thank you for providing us with the lamb for our event. Everyone loved it

shepherding summer 2011

So far this summer I have protected my flock from the coyotes and wolves and yesterday I had my first visit from a big black bear. He stood on the stone fence surveying the flock and then started advancing toward them. For once, I was darn thankful I was in the truck (it was drizzly and raining and early morning). I drove toward him but he kept coming. I tooted my horn. He kept coming. I finally was no more than fifteen feet away from him, shouting out the window and blowing the horn before he reluctantly shambled back into the fencerow, where he took up his post on top of the stone fence and sat watching me and the sheep. I rounded them up with the truck and pushed them closer to the house then drove like hell to yell for Tom to come with the gun. (which of course, i did not have with me). By the time we returned, bear was gone. Now my favorite spot for reading with my back up against the fence rocks has become a possibly dangerous location. I am not afraid of wolves and coyotes, but I am very wary of bears.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Last night, after I finished my delicious steak dinner and glass of wine surrounded by my sheep, I looked up and saw a beautiful buck step out from the fence. I've seen him a couple of times before but this time he continued walking right toward the sheep and me. I was sitting in the grass surrounded by fat lambs who like to come by and nibble on my hair and clothes and I guess the deer didn't notice me at all. He came closer and closer and I was wishing I had my camera...just like the gun, it is never with me when I need it...a beautiful huge rack of antlers and so calm and stately. He crossed right in front of me and went over the fence and started eating grass in Wingle's just mown hayfield. I went for the camera and he was still there but by then it was too dark to get more than a grainy shot.
This morning, hot and brilliantly blue, a huge raptor circling just overhead. Creamy white with some brown markings on the underside of his wings and mottled brown on top. Wonder what he was.

our new farm location as of end september

We discovered earlier this summer that this farm will no longer be available for us next year so we have had to go in search of a new home for ourselves, our flock of sheep, laying hens, pigs and meat birds. I sat down and envisioned what we wanted and then put all my intention in place that we would find the farm of my dreams. As well as trusting the universe and the goddess, I also did my share of the work

by phoning up all the farm landlords I knew in the area we wished to live. In particular, I phoned the owner of a place I had always admired, which is actually right next door to my sister's farm. Although the landlord always rented the farmhouse, he had not been renting the barn and the land. As it turned out, his current tenant was leaving end of July. I told him what we were looking for and suggested we might rent half his gigantic barn (he uses the other half for storing his boat and workshop tools) and that we could perhaps also rent about 20 acres of pasture for our sheep. He thought about it and called us back...and voila: thus we will be moving to 1083 Bulger Rd Eganville, next door to my sister Chris, just down the road from my sister Henrietta and two doors over from my sister Mary.

East-Friesien-Texel lambs

Organically raised lamb now available

Our lamb is now available for orders, large and small.
whole (approx 45 lb) or half lamb(approx 20-25 lb) , cut and wrapped $8.50
per lb. You choose the cuts or we can have the butcher do the standard cut.s for you which includes leg of lamb, stew, rack of lamb, chops and minced lamb
Lamb by the cut starting at 8.50 lb.

Order now for delivery from mid-August to mid September. We can arrange to deliver. We also attend the Pembroke Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.