Water Harvesting Update and the Last of Monsoon 2014

We have been working hard on several projects around here lately.around here lately, as the school year begins and the monsoon season draws to a close. This week we were blessed with another quarter inch of rain. That really isn't much, but in a year where we have registered less than three inches total, we are thankful for every drop!

Recently, I posted the assembly of the first of our true rainwater harvesting barrels. Seeing as how many drought ravaged states are beginning to outlaw water harvesting, I am thankful our still encourages it, and fully intend to encourage others to keep the practice strong.

The day after we got it going, I got this video of our system in action. Clearly, we need to work on down spouts soon!

The blue one with the lid turned out to be very easy to maintain, with just a little apple cider vinegar keeping things clean and clear. Compared with the open buckets my husband has helpfully lined up while I work on the system, this is far superior, and I have been really excited by the ease the system is managed with. I really wish I had started this project earlier in the summer!

We started the weekend with full water barrels, though I was trying to use more of the water from the open barrels where the water doesn't keep as well, so when a little bit of rain came through yesterday (an I mean a LITTLE bit) there was almost no room in the blue barrel. Oh, well, I tried, but each of the barrels did get about 10 gallons, with the open one getting about 15, While that isn't much, it is enough to water for another day, so who would I me to turn that down?

It turned out the video of the barrels and the first watering can I filled was too big for uploading directly into the blog, but here is the link to it. So next, I need to pick up a couple more bulkheads and do the overflow barrels as well as the downspouts and the other corners of the house.

Link to the first watering can filling from the barrel!

Anyhow, that is the water harvesting update for now. What have you tried that has worked or not? It is so helpful to share information to help each other do better by the environment and take better care of our organic gardens. Thanks for sharing!

Baby Chicks Available at Local Hardware Store

A little over a week ago brought a new adventure for the little chicks of Patriot's Dream. One of the local hardware stores has begun carrying chicks. They ordered in some Ameraucanas from a hatchery, and since things were going well they wanted to add some local chicks as well. Four little ones from our recent hatch went along.

Wyatt packed the little ones in a crate lined with towels and played with them in the back seat on the way to deliver them.

I don't think they were too sure about leaving their friends in the brooder!

Here is Wyatt with the little ones, riding in to town.

Initially, the delivery went really well. But the littlest was just too little for the digs there, so Charlie stopped to pick her up on his way home from work (in the middle of a big rain storm, no less!) That little one came home and nestled right back in here. The Silkies long thought they were her mama, since she was younger than the rest, though in the bottom photo, she is nestled in to the feathers of a slightly larger chick of her own breed who we didn't take along since we believe it will be a boy. You have to look really closely in order to see the little one tucked under and a little behind the wing.

One of the many benefits of working with a local breeder is the support you get, and the service. For us, we are thrilled that the three little ones were sold to local homes, and things went so well, they asked for more chicks! We didn't have any at that moment, as we had cleaned out the incubator, but likely will soon.

Well, pretty exciting to have such positive partnerships with local businesses and good people! More exciting news to come as well!

Another Weekend...

Another weekend sets with the sun...

Last week began in the low eighties temperature wise, but topped a hundred by Friday. That is a lot of adjustment, and with no coolers as of yet, we haven't been nearly as productive as we would have liked to have been. Nevertheless, we have enjoyed a little fun and a little progress...

On Friday night, Bailey and I attended and volunteered at home school graduation.  It was really beautiful, and very individualized. I love that the youth shared their interested and future plans, and that they shared scriptures and the parents wrote each child a blessing. 

While we were off enjoying that, the boys loaded a new shed on the trailer and brought it home. I think it will be greatly useful, once we figure out how to get it off the trailer!

Despite not getting home until half past midnight Saturday morning, I awoke to run errands around 7. Not the 5:30 I was hoping for, but got my plants watered and animals fed and headed in to market on the move. Armed with four boxes, I went to go meet with some folks.about a free futon frame.  It was strong and sturdy, but will need a good painting - sounds like a perfect job for Wyatt. We bought the primer after church on Sunday, so once he gets that done he will decide whether to camo paint it or go single color so that it works with the camo bedding he really wants on it!

Wyatt will graduate from Sunday School up into the youth group in a couple weeks, but has decided that he really likes hanging out with the younger youth too, so he has volunteered to be a helper in the class while Bailey is teaching. Since they hadn't found a regular teacher to work with Bailey in the four and five year old classroom, this gave me time to join her, so we are now official. Bailey is really excited about doing the lesson planning and teaching with them!

After church, we picked up Wyatt's paint and a few other things, then went by the grand opening of the new tractor supply. Wyatt found a chicken feeder he thinks we should try in the big pen, and Bailey saw these pop top inspired table and chairs she wanted a photo of for future project inspiration.  Many of us were wondering what this would mean fr local feed stores, and aside from being open on Sunday, I don't think too much. THat have some neat things you don't already see around here, and I am told you can get a great price on hog panels for projects, but aside from that, they don't presently carry organic, and I don't see itt really competing with much of what I find locally. (Yay, local!)

I had been wanting to try some of that orange organic/ green cleaner folks keep talking about, so I looked up the recipe and threw some in a caning jar. Now, to wait two weeks and run an experiment on what it does and doesn't work on! Anyone have any advice for me on this one?

I moved the stack of fodder trays to a new spot, on top of the chest freezer, and brought back the older boxes. The open sided trays are allowing them to dry out too much. I have been researching and talking with Bailey about putting together a drop irrigated full system, this is our last set of comparison trials before that.  Everything we have in there right now is wheat for sprouting.

This two boxes of tomatoes we knew would have a lot of ones for the chickens. I also knew that with no cooler and the sudden heat, the good ones wouldn't keep long, so I took what I needed for a few night's dinners, turned the other good ones into tomato sauce, and sent the rest to the chickens!  Happy chickens, and a happy canning moment.

Shine and his brother Freedom's Prayer continue to grow and show their little personalities. We didn't get their weights done, so we will have to do feed and weight and an update on Monday.  Little Shine loves his playtime out in the pen, and his time racing Shadow through the yard.

Shine also especially loves playing with his patient old crazy aunt Treasure. Treasure and his mama, Silver, share a dam, while Treasure and Glory share a sire. 

We had really hoped to get more done on the doe barn, but hte heat made us a little nervous about doing quite that much exacting stuff over our heads when we continue to feel like we cannot possibly drink enough water. But we have more evening time at home Monday night, and hope to get the second roof truss up.

 We did, however, get the roof support we had been talking about in to the new project pen. I also got the door turned around, since I had it opening into an area where the roof hadn't been planned to be so high. After that, I might be able to get in an hour on it in bursts today, and the kids can start priming and painting their design for the front!

The cooler evening times go quickly. Still, we will post grades at the college this week, so I am looking forward to a little more time at home with the kids to get caught up on the school work and get through these big projects. I also need to get to several more!

Anoth good part about working outside in the evenings is the beautiful sunsets here.

I think the animals enjoy them just as much as we do, with Powerstroke smiling away and the animals coming into their energy as the earth cools and the sky turns its colors.

Well, now it is time to get moving into another wild week! All the best to all of you!

Poultry Available

The chickens around here are used to being spoiled, or in the words of chief poultry man, Wyatt, "well-cared-for".  We often have chickens available, from day-old to adult, in a variety of breeds. We do our best to keep this page up to date, but if you are inquiring about certain ages, breeds or birds, please feel welcome to email or call us.

This is Trooper, a blue ribbon partridge Silkie hen. She is still a wonderful mama hen, who keeps things in line around the Silkie area. When a couple young roosters moved in recently, they thought they would tell everyone who is in charge.  Trooper used the back of her head and backed the two young roosters up to the edge of the coop, then gave them quite a talking to. Their behavior changed radically, and there has been peace in the coop since, with the hens settling back in and eventually returning to sharing nests and setting on eggs as a team.

This is a group of younger chickens in the grow out pen. The Buckeye in the foreground is a blue ribbon, best of breed rooster now, and we only have one young Buckeye available at present.  The light Brahma behind him is among the blue ribbon hens (one of whom has recorded best of breed) that is the mama hen to the current grouping of young Light Brahmas. We have these available from day-old up to adults. These have been champion heritage meat birds, as well as breed winners in their own right.

Some of the Brahmas we hatched last year. We no longer breed the Buff Brahmas, but do have a few left from last year's hatch. They have such a wonderful disposition!

This Buff Brahma was determined to hatch little ones from her favorite rooster! Funny thing about the Brahma roosters, the ladies prefer them so much, they stand and talk to them at the fence, with their own roosters getting rather frustrated!

More of last year's Light Brahmas in the grow out area.  We have one trio of these available right now, who are about 2.5 to 3 months of age. The standard bred heritage day old chicks are $5 up until the age of one month, then $8, then after two months $10, and up from there to cover the cost of the soy-free, corn-free organic feed we use. We have calculated that by the time they reach four months of age, they cost us on average $15, with $20 by 5 months and $25-$30 by point of lay.

These are the babies in the brooder as of the middle of March. Two more little light Brahmas were hatched last night, and are not in the photos below. The little barnyard mixes we also have are a mix of Ameraucana, Phoenix, Brahma and Buckeye. They should be fun! As these are not purebred, they are available for $2 each as young chicks.

The little ones in the brooder get along so well, and even young roosters care for the younger ones as they come along.

Still the young chicks can also be found cuddling up to stuffed animals for a nap when the others are playing.

Present Availability:

day old chicks:

2 Light Brahmas

one week and up:

4 Light Brahmas

2 Partridge Silkies

7 Barnyard Mixes

2.5 months and up:

3 Light Brahmas

1 Buckeye

1 Partridge Silkie

Point of Lay (7 months to 8 months):

not available until after county fair at the end of April

2 Light Brahmas

6 Partridge Cochins

While there are still several eggs in the incubator, after these hatch, we will not set any more until after County Fair, and those will be very limited. Discounts are available to 4-H youth.  Custom hatches are available, with a deposit to set the eggs.

Please feel free to call, email and message with any questions you have!

Build Your Own Gift Basket

Love the fun of gift baskets, but looking for more variety than you typically find? Or want something more personalized than what you may find elsewhere?  Or perhaps you have found neat things that can be personalized, but aren't variable enough for the price range you want for certain gifts?

Feel free to build your own gift baskets, even with custom items and baskets...

Feeling overwhelmed?

How about a build your own tutorial?

Start with the budget...
Truthfully, the budget is up to you! Whether there is  mug, basket, tote bag or gift bag changes how much you put in a package as well as the overall cost. If you would like, you can email me with a few parameters like what a person likes and the approximate budget, and I can get you some sample ideas.

Ideas to use as the basket:

Mugs, Plates and Glasses

Metal  and Wicker Baskets

Gift Bags

Tote Bags

Feed Bag Market Bags (also available in a plain tan)

Ideas to Put in the Basket:

These can be customized:
Glass mugs, tall glasses, tumblers and plates

Soaps and Lotions Bars, Scrubs and Lip Balms

 Hairbands, and Feathered and Ribbon Barrette and Clips

 Custom Jewelry Pieces

Earrings, Bracelets and other Jewelry

Jewelry Sets

Up-cycled Ceramic Tiles

AND MORE!
Got favorite pieces or things you want to put together? Got an idea for a coming project, but want to have it packaged for you to put together later? We are glad to accommodate. Just call or email and we can set something up special just for you, and of course we do volume discounts.

Yummy Heritage Poultry Recipe[ Chicken and Dumplings

For anyone who has tried, cooking heritage bred poultry is a bit different than cooking the genetically modified, juice and stuff injected poultry from the factory farms. I have spoken with lots of folks who absolutely understand the value of the traditionally bred, pasture raised birds, the cost of the organic, un-subsidized healthier farming practices makes this very difficult. Another issue, these birds tend to be drier, and need to be cooked more slowly.

I know this can be another factor in the choice to go with organic, heritage bred poultry for your food choice, despite the knowledge that the choice for the environment and the health of those who eat the poultry may seem such a simple one.  So I am slowly sharing recipes that have passed the test of our family- my toughest critics!

So this would be the first installment, Chicken and Dumplings:

I know that not everyone likes veggies in their chicken and dumplings, so feel free to omit as appropriate to you....

1 whole chicken, without skin.

6-8 cups water

poultry seasoning

salt and pepper

6 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

2 cups veggies, if desired

1 cup butter

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

enough milk or broth for dough

Place the whole chicken in the crock pot, rub with poultry seasoning until liberally coated, add 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh garlic (bottled or chopped and frozen works just fine), and add 6-8 cups of water (enough that the chicken is mostly covered.)  Feel free to sprinkle in a little salt and pepper, then cover and cook on low for a couple hours.

Coarsely chop six medium potatoes, add them to the pot along with a diced medium onion.  By now, the chicken should be cooking well, feel free to add additional spices to taste. Cover and allow to cook again for another 2-3 hours. At this point, you should be able to begin pulling out the bones.

Add 2 cups of mixed veggies, I used some carrots, corn and peas and beans. (Note, in my opinion, corn is fine as an occasional component, but not the central focus of nutrition. You can include or omit veggies as you wish.)  Cover, turn the crock pot up to high, and let the broth heat while you make the dumplings.

Mix 1 cup of butter, 3 cups of flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder, add milk or broth until a dough is reached.  You can choose to either roll out the dough and cut into strips, or roll into little balls or drop by spoonfuls into the hot broth of the crock pot. The broth being hot enough should seal the dumplings. COver and allow to cook to the desired dumpling consistency, serve hot.

Let me know how you like it!

New Arrivals at the Market Today...

Three new (or newly restocked) soaps have made their debut at the market today out in Marana:

Coffee with Sweet Orange, Cinnamon and Nutmeg Exfoliating Soap

This exfoliating soap uses coffee grounds for sloughing off dead skin cells, while olive oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil and avocado oil cleanse, nourish and soften the skin. Sweet orange, nutmeg and cinnamon essential oils bring aromatherapy and a great wake me up!

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Lavender-Mint Castille Soap

This soap is for the purist among us, who love their olive only castille soaps.  We get a lot of special requests from people who cannot have any nut based oils, even coconut, so we always try to have a true castille variety available for them. Lavender and Peppermint are great essential oils year round, and make a great combination as we head into fall and winter.

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Orange- Vanilla Dreamsicle Goat's Milk Soap

This refreshing soap helps us hold on to the last beauty of summer, but embraces the luxury of goat's milk soap with avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, oilive oil, grapeseed oil and goat's milk. Sweet orange and vanilla essential oils bring a beautiful finish that might just have you thinking of ice cream popsicles.

Got any special requests? We are in a big restocking phase right now, so we would gladly put yours on the list!

Vegetarian and Vegan Soap?

I get a lot of questions about soap on the blog, at farmers markets, and elsewhere. Some folks are content by the notion that all products are natural, and wherever possible, locally sourced. Along with that, there are a lot of questions about whether our products are all natural, vegetarian or vegan, and what that really means.

All Natural
All Natural is one of those terms that leads to misleading information more often than not. I cannot tell you the number of times folks have asked me at the farmers market, "Is this all natural?" At that point, I want to launch into educating people, but also try to be mindful not to go too crazy.  As far as a legal definition from the feds...

 The FDA stated:

“Although the use of the term ‘natural’ on the food label is of considerable interest to consumers and industry, FDA’s intent was not to establish a definition for ‘natural’ in this rulemaking....   The agency will maintain its current policy … not to restrict the use of the term “natural” except for added color, synthetic substances, and flavors as provided in [21 C.F.R.] § 101.22. Additionally, the agency will maintain its policy … regarding the use of “natural,” as meaning that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in the food."

In the case of Patriot's Dream products, the bath products, including soap, lotion, lotion bars, etc, began because our eldest child was allergic to synthetics and preservatives. So even in the cases where you might expect such, they will be omitted on our products, because we expect more from ourselves and the performance of the products we provide. Curious as to what is in something or why we chose to put it there? Just ask! We are glad to make it public!

Vegetarian
Vegetarian is of special import to a number of our clients.  Sometimes folks are opposed to all animals products, sometimes only some products, sometimes to animals fed in certain ways. It is widely accepted that vegetarian will not include products which include animal fats or similar items, but that eggs and milk from animals are considered acceptable. In the case of soaps, goat milk is considered vegetarian, but not vegan. Some folks will like the goat milk, but only if the animals are fed organically or corn free or with other specific diets. Curious? We are open to these discussions, and it is important to honest with our clients! Just ask!

Interested in the origin of certain products? Shea butter comes from a tree in Africa, Cocoa butter comes from a plant. Olive oil comes from a number of sources, but we only use extra virgin, because this is the type which has been scientifically linked to the real health benefits.

While some folks love Emu Oil for their skin conditions, it is rendered from the fat of Emu at processing, so it is definitely not vegetarian or vegan. The same applies to lard and other animal fats often used in soap making, and for some these are excellent options, but not for all. You may find something listed on the site which was originally made as a special request for a customer, and the leftover is still available, so if in doubt, please ask and let us know what your concerns and restrictions are so that we may serve you better! As we often say, we love special requests, so we are glad to accommodate individual needs.

Also read on to the caveats of some less commonly known products rendered from animals in the next section.

Vegan
As I mentioned before, vegan means no milk, eggs, etc of any type from animals. While milk is fine in vegetarian soap, it is not permissible in vegan soap. There are some oils which, while they seem vegetarian or vegan, may involve processes in the rendering or acquisition of the oil which would not be considered vegan.

What names should you watch for? Tallow, suet, and lard are pretty straightforward. But there is more to it, things like oleic, palmitic, stearic, palmitoleic, linoleic and myristic acid can be sourced from animal fats or vegetable fats. If you have concerns, ask. I typically only use straightforward oils in our soaps, as this allows me one quick glance to know EXACTLY what is in a bar or bottle when helping a client at the farmers market.  

I don't believe I should ever need to hide anything from a client.  That is not why I do this. As a rule, I need to be able to look at any product, or my child should, and know whether she can use it safely.  She has me to interpret the label. My clients, or those they gift products to, may only have the label.

Wondering about other label items? Post as a comment, message or email me, and i will tackle that in a coming post! I am so glad you all give me the opportunity to have the privilege of serving you! Have a great night!

More on the law and all natural here:
http://www.natlawreview.com/article/does-fda-have-definition-natural-or-not

More about our Giveaway Prizes!

The other day we introduced you to the first two of our giveaway prizes- our handmade all natural soap and special Patriot's Dream tote, as well as our all natural lotion bar and Patriot's Dream tote, shown off by two of our little friends, fluffy and baby.

Also in this giveaway, are a feathered hair clip,

and handmade crystal earrings!

Who couldn't use a little pick me up on a Monday?

We will be announcing winners on Labor Day Monday, so you have this week to enter, and some entries can be put in daily!  Have fun, and please share with friends to give them a smile, too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway