Cranky n Stinky.com

Just a few quick thoughts for this evening...

1. Why do cats after falling or some other clumsy moment invariably look like they were trying all along to do something else (like scratch or clean themselves, or rub your legs etc)? Today our bright kitty went sailing off the bathroom countertop. Of course she then proceeded to try and make me think it was fully intentional. Too funny! She does this a lot though, so I was only mildly amused by it.

2. I think our alpacas have learned how to turn on the barn lights. We have a weatherized outlet missing its top and the light switch is exposed. This is the second time "someone" has mysteriously turned on the lights!

3. I picked up a 23 lb fresh local turkey today, for a big feast sometime in the next few days. We weren't able to get one for Thanksgiving since we were out of the area, but I ordered one for this season instead. YUM!

4. There is nothing prettier than driving around snowy rolling New England backroads just at nightfall. People have their barn cupolas illuminated and it's just beautiful with the lights of the season glinting all around. We have a cupola too and it really is lovely when I turn on the light. Too bad no one can see ours (well, maybe the neighbors can). I think all barns should have one. I think I may go on a cupola photography binge.

5. Our fish have gone back in the tank and seem MUCH happier. We're hoping for it to stabilize and introducing some cleaner crew in about a week.

6. The egg count is being restarted. The storms of the last two weeks threw it all out of whack. We think we've gotten 48 eggs in that time though. The storms may have disrupted us, but not so much the hens!

7. Last, but not least, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone reading! Enjoy the time with your loved ones!

We'll be back with more soon!

Well it has been a very, very long time since I've shared any thoughts on farming and food. Since it is finally starting to feel like winter may end (it did snow today, but the days are getting long now) Aaron and I have turned our thoughts to making some progress on our farm. Our objectives for this summer are fairly simple, yet also complex enough that we will be taking on a lot of new changes. We want to have a garden, establish a chicken flock (egg layers), and at least as of now, get the boys (alpacas) here. I think the girls will continue to board for a bit longer so we can acclimate to alpaca care without having baby arrivals enter into the mix.

There are many steps for each of these activities to occur, but this wasn't meant to be the focus of this entry. But I will say as a side note we'll be starting with our chickens first with a brooder set up, and chicks in April. It will be about four months, so let's say August, when we will get to egg production, but in the meanwhile we'll be enjoying seeing the chicks grow up.

Given all our conversations of farming and food, we share a desire to be producers of some portion of our food, and where we cannot be, to buy local well produced food. Well doesn't necessarily mean organic, but more importantly that food is not overly mass produced, and is raised/grown in a way that is considerate to the animals, plants, and environment. There are other advantages to local food as well - we contribute to the local economy, our neighbors and communities. We cut down a little bit on the environmental impact of moving food around. We also get food that is usually much fresher and flavorful than corresponding store shipped food. It's true we can't know the source of all our foods, even the local ones, but knowing for example that we are buying milk from VT farmers who're milking hormone free cows makes a difference to me.

Getting local isn't easy, especially from the months of November to May where fresh vegetable and fruit just doesn't really exist from local sources. Even so, we are trying to be more attentive to the food supply chain, and in some cases we have gotten foods directly from remote growers such as our annual order of Texas grapefruit and avocados. This, plus some stores of produce we dried in the fall help us make it through the winter. I think it would be extremely hard for me to do the 100 mile challenge year round, but I think we get reasonably close to this in the summer time, and I'll be curious to try and keep track of how we do this summer.

So, here are some of the foods we think we we will be able to get as locally produced over the next year. I am defining local as roughly an area 150 miles from our house. We will probably join a CSA but Aaron is still researching them. A (P) means we think we will produce this ourselves sometime during the year. I'm sure the list will change, but I'd like to get your feedback.

Fruits/veggies:
Raspberries (P)
Blackberries (P)
Strawberries
Blueberries
Apples(P* - we won't grow em but will dry them)
Cranberries
Tomatoes (P)
Corn
Peaches
Pumpkin(P)
Beans
Squash
Zucchini
Turnips/Radishes
Beans
Cucumber (P)
Broccoli (P)
Potatos

Dairy/Ovo:
Eggs (P)
Milk
Cheese
Ice Cream
Sour Cream

Meat:
Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Lobster
Clams
Fish
Bison
Lamb

Prepared foods:
Bread
Potato chips
Pita chips

Other:
Maple syrup
Honey (we'd like to produce but not this year)
Herbs (P)
Wine

I'm sure this is not an exhaustive list but I would like to think about this as the year goes on. Obviously we don't have a lot in the way of local whole grains but even looking at this list there are a great deal of staples here. There are also foods I love and I would be reluctant to give up if I really did a 150 mile challenge, but having a list like this at least ought to keep me thinking about getting local options first. In fact, because we have a good local meat supplier, we really ought to be able to avoid most western grown meat, with their attendant large scale moving, feedlot, and slaughter operations. If nothing else, I think our venture into being small scale food producers will bring us closer to the food supply chain on many levels.

What will you be buying locally this year? What will you be producing? How do you feel about where your food is coming from?