Animals
This year we took the plunge and planted one of our larger fields with an orchard grass mix with the hopes that next year we will be able to harvest enough hay to meet our demand for the entire year. We have turned what was once a corn field into an oat field for now. The oats will hold the soil until the grass germinates and takes over (next year). We had plans to sell the oat harvest. This weekend, however, I had the bright idea that maybe we should try to use some of our own oats for oat meal, etc. 
How cool would it be to eat oatmeal from the oats that we grew ourselves? Pretty cool, I thought....until I realized how labor intensive the process of picking and cleaning the oats is; not to mention drying and cutting them. Each stalk has several oat groats clinging to it. Picking is not difficult. But cleaning....well that is just a whole other story. Each kernel is covered by 3 seperate coats...almost impossible to pick off by hand. Ok, so we will continue to buy our oats at the store... but it was a good thought. I suppose all of that specialized harvesting and processing equipment really is a necessity!
- The Marketplace Re-opens
Back by popular demand....(Ok, well, not really...but I thought it would be fun to say that.) I have re-opened The Marketplace at Bee Haven Acres.(see tab beneath the header above....and another link at top of sidebar)It's been a long time coming,...
- Feeling Their Oats
We are enjoying our second straight week of cool nightsand temperate days.And everyone around here is "feeling their oats!" The horses go out to pasture early in the morning. Because of the cooler weather, they enjoy kicking up their heels a bit.And...
- More Things We've Learned
When you live on a farm and deal with so many living creatures...both plant and animal...you learn through experience, mostly.Oh sure, there are always great guide books out there,but the best lessons seem to come from trial and error. I can tell you...
- The Nitty Gritty
This post may be old news to you who have your own chickens,but to you who do not....well....a little chicken education.(and hopefully not as gross as the past two days, right?) I thought today we might explore the digestive system of the chicken.Fun,...
- Sunset...
We have tried to create special places to visit around the farm. One of this year's new additions is the sunset bench. Located on the northwest corner of our land, we placed a bench at the edge of the woods, cleared a path to it and lined it with...
Animals
Sewing Oats
This year we took the plunge and planted one of our larger fields with an orchard grass mix with the hopes that next year we will be able to harvest enough hay to meet our demand for the entire year. We have turned what was once a corn field into an oat field for now. The oats will hold the soil until the grass germinates and takes over (next year). We had plans to sell the oat harvest. This weekend, however, I had the bright idea that maybe we should try to use some of our own oats for oat meal, etc. How cool would it be to eat oatmeal from the oats that we grew ourselves? Pretty cool, I thought....until I realized how labor intensive the process of picking and cleaning the oats is; not to mention drying and cutting them. Each stalk has several oat groats clinging to it. Picking is not difficult. But cleaning....well that is just a whole other story. Each kernel is covered by 3 seperate coats...almost impossible to pick off by hand. Ok, so we will continue to buy our oats at the store... but it was a good thought. I suppose all of that specialized harvesting and processing equipment really is a necessity!
- The Marketplace Re-opens
Back by popular demand....(Ok, well, not really...but I thought it would be fun to say that.) I have re-opened The Marketplace at Bee Haven Acres.(see tab beneath the header above....and another link at top of sidebar)It's been a long time coming,...
- Feeling Their Oats
We are enjoying our second straight week of cool nightsand temperate days.And everyone around here is "feeling their oats!" The horses go out to pasture early in the morning. Because of the cooler weather, they enjoy kicking up their heels a bit.And...
- More Things We've Learned
When you live on a farm and deal with so many living creatures...both plant and animal...you learn through experience, mostly.Oh sure, there are always great guide books out there,but the best lessons seem to come from trial and error. I can tell you...
- The Nitty Gritty
This post may be old news to you who have your own chickens,but to you who do not....well....a little chicken education.(and hopefully not as gross as the past two days, right?) I thought today we might explore the digestive system of the chicken.Fun,...
- Sunset...
We have tried to create special places to visit around the farm. One of this year's new additions is the sunset bench. Located on the northwest corner of our land, we placed a bench at the edge of the woods, cleared a path to it and lined it with...