Attention!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just harvested the first tomato of the season.

This is huge for us!  Last year, we lost our tomatoes to late season blight.  It was a major setback for us and expecially hard since we are such tomatoes lovers.  I never would have imagined that losing tomatoes would make me question myself so much.  But as I was pulling those vines out last year, I was asking myself if I was truly cut out for this kind of life. Maybe I would be better off in the city with a small garden in the backyard, I thought.

I have checked this years tomato plants every day since starting them in February; examining each and every one to check for signs of disease.  So when I saw this little guy, I had to have him!  As you can see from the picture, he’s still a little green on top, but I couldn’t resist.  And the flavor?  Words just can’t describe…

Beautifully, after I took my first bite, ‘Here Comes the Sun’ played on my ipod.  So fitting.

Maybe I’m meant to do this after all.

~Kelly

Patrick’s Market

Our friends at Patrick’s Market in Omaha have agreed to supply our pigs with their favorite foods: fruits and veggies. Patrick’s is collecting their damaged and expired produce, and in exchange, we are naming one of the barrows after them. With their help, we are diverting a usable resource from the landfill and using it to feed our animals.

 

At long last, they’re finally here!

Late last night, we maybe woke all of Bennington with the sound of squeeeeeels.  Our piglets arrived just after 11pm and were not too thrilled to be wrestled out of their soft, cozy bed and introduced to their new home.  For little guys, they sure are strong!

This morning, they got a delicious breakfast and have made themselves right at home.  I think they’ve decided to stay.

A huge thank you to Mary Ann and her son for delivering them to us safe and sound.  We are thrilled to finally begin this phase of our journey.

~Kelly

Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin was one of the inspirational forces in our choice to start farming. He bolstered my confidence when I needed it and still provides me with mental support. I call Joel “the voice of the rebel farmer.” You may have seen him in Food, Inc. We are fortunate to have his influence in the modern food movement.

A couple of his books that I recommend are:

You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise

Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front

One Year Later

On July 5th last year, we traveled to a farm in Iowa to check out their Guinea hogs and make new friends. We had contacted Sherri and John to ask about their pigs, and they invited us out to visit. We had more fun than we knew how to handle. Jackson got to bottle feed a calf, Comet rode bareback/hung on for dear life, and we got the chance to see Guinea hogs up close.

Guinea hogs are a critically endangered breed. They are smaller and more docile than modern pig breeds, which makes them very interesting to us. Guineas are incredibly difficult to find, but we recently made contact with someone in North Dakota who is selling off her herd. In a couple of weeks, we will have our own Guinea hogs. We won’t be renaming ourselves Black Pig Farms, but they’re sure to be a focal point for a long time.

This marks an important leap for us. Up until this point, we’ve only had poultry: chickens, turkeys, peafowl, guineas and ducks. Of course, we’ve kept dogs and cats, but this will be our first attempt at keeping mammals. Wish us luck!

-Brian

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