March on the farm required a lot of ice storm clean up and prepping of the gardens for spring planting. We also fired up the drip torch and managed some controlled burns. The burns are necessary to remove the undergrowth before it gets so dense that an accidental fire would be too intense and kill the trees. It also removes the dense briars and invasive vining plants and allows more native plants to thrive, creating habitat and food for the wildlife. All of the intentional forrest fires were tiring, napping with a narcoleptic bunny appeared to help.
Another project we worked on at the farm during March was making Mushroom Logs. We drilled holes in the logs, injected spawn (mushroom mycelium filled sawdust), and covered the holes with wax to prevent wild spores from getting into the logs. These logs were set aside on concrete for a few months to allow our magic to take hold. Later in the season, we will place the logs in an appropriate environment to allow the mushrooms to fruit. The spawn we used was for Shiitake mushrooms. The girls had fun with the wax and the spawn injectors.
A friend visited the farm, and brought a playful Lab Mix with him named Bridgett. She was great on the farm, she didn’t even chase the ducks. One evening, when we arrived back at the farm house from a day out on the town, she went outside to take care of business. It was dark outside, and the girls were in the farmhouse living room with the light on. Bridgett got so excited when she saw the girls, she ran through the glass door. She was terrified, and bleeding really bad from three major cuts on her legs and one across her nose. She was in shock, and got aggressive with her owner, who was very nervous about the situation and she could probably sense that. She actually let me pick her up and load her into Boober for a saturday night ride to the Vet. Since it was after hours, the Vet needed someone to assist so I jumped in. We weren’t really looking for another dog, but she really did pick me. She trusted me when she wouldn’t trust anyone else. I knew if it were an option, she would be our dog as she sat on the seat with her head in my lap all the way to the vet.
Since we decided to set up SC as a home base for a while, we also purchased a 5th wheel trailer to park at the farm. Here are a few pictures of the trailer we purchased. Our plan was to lease a lot from the farm to park the trailer on. This gave the girls someplace to stay when I went to the Sugar Beet Harvest later in the year.
March also included a free workshop on different fermented foods, offered by Fermentation On Wheels, in Charleston. We quickly made friends with the teacher, Tara Whitsitt, and took her to one of the many restaurants in Charleston for lunch. We learned a lot from her, and quickly made some kimchi and kraut to enjoy. The kimchi was great on breakfast taters… The fancy spread on the table in front of the girls has an even fancier french name, Charcuterie. Basically, it is a smoked and preserved meat tray with out of this world flavors. The girls loved it, and I wanted more for sure…
Leave a Reply