Moon in the Pond

Campster adored the farm's kitten

Today we visited Moon in the Pond Farm.  This is a wonderful place that practices old-school, sustainable farming practices.  They have pastured, heirloom breeds of cattle, sheep, geese, duck, turkeys, chicken, and pigs.

While Grace was here, I wanted to go to farm for a walk.  I love seeing all the new life of early summer.   Jor Man and Campster chose to come with us.  Sher Bear had been there last fall, and wanted to stay home with Big Dad.

They should have called it "Frog in the Pond"

It was a glorious day!  So sunny and warm.  And we saw many wonderful creatures.  The favorite by far was the kitten we found "guarding" the baby ducklings.  Campster wanted to take her home.  But I told her I didn't think Princess Miss Kitty (our cat) would appreciate that.

Out in the fields we identified the various vegetable plants we found growing there.  I thought about Jamie Oliver's show and how school kids couldn't identify potatoes!  My kids could identify most of the vegetables growing at the farm.  There was only one which we did not recognize.

Campster catches a Swallowtail at the farm.

This weekend, we butchered our eight chickens.  I didn't want to have to find someone to care for them while we are in Guatemala.  And, I didn't like them as much as the Amerucanas we used to have.  So I have ordered 10 Amerucana (hens) and 15 Cornish Cross (roosters) - all day-old chicks to arrive the week after we return from Guatemala.  We will raise the hens for eggs, and raise the roos for meat.  Tonight we had Coq Au Vin for dinner.  Yum!!

I was surprised at how much fun we had butchering.  Two friends who wanted to learn how to butcher helped.  So we had four adults and the three kids.  Sher Bear helped plucked, and then decided she wasn't into it - so she took a bath and watched a movie.  But the big kids loved it.  Once the rooster (who was such a big, mean bird) was dead, they were fearless.  They crawled into the coop and grabbed the hens.  Then they killed them, plucked them, and gutted them.  Amazing.

Baby cow.  Awwww!

Jor Man did not like the turkeys at Moon in the Pond.  They would gobble loudly, and Jor would go running.  But Campster was brave.  Campster also caught another butterfly, a swallowtail, which we released after pictures.  I don't know how she does it!

The baby pigs were super cute.  But Grace and I adored the calf.  So beautiful!!  He came right up to the fence and let Jor Man pet him.


Wish you were here!