Kids are here, Milk is flowing..... February 23 marked the start of the official "kidding season". We had 2 goats kid in late January, that is because we bred those 2 mothers early. We have 15 babies and many more to come. On Sunday, March 2 we had 2 sets of twins and today a set of twins and a set of triplets have been born. I had a bit of a scare this morning. I walked into the barn at 4:45 a.m. I turned on the main light, then walked into the back barn to check on the babies. There was no electricity, so the heat lamps were off. I could hear no sounds coming from the babies and it was too dark to see them. I thought they all froze in the very cold night. I ran to the house to get a flashlight, ran back to the barn and shined the flashlight into the baby pens. All the babies were fine, whew! Then I needed to scramble to get all the kids together and warmed up. I have a temporary heat lamp set up, and am still waiting for the electrician. There was electricity to use my milking machine, but no light in the milkroom. The goats were milked in the dark, "a little mood lighting." With milk now available, cheese making will soon start. We have shares available if you would like a Dreamfarm Cheese Share. Check out our website at www.dreamfarm.biz We hope you will join us.
Here
we find ourselves. February is already looming large on the horizon, but we are
still settling into the new year’s routine with undeniable hope and a sense of
bewilderment at the inevitable passing of time. This is my second winter off of
Dreamfarm, but my first winter in the city. Last Sunday my sister, Alicia, and
I made the trek from our Madison flat back home to the farm. As we left the
metropolis behind and rural Wisconsin came into view, I found the expanse of
winter in front of us had settled with a kind of grace not evident within city
limits. Fields, flourishing with corn, alfalfa, and soybeans mere months ago,
now seas of white shimmering in the late afternoon light. As we pull into our
driveway, we are greeted by our faithful, old farm dog, Oliver. My parents,
Diana and Jim, emerge from the barn, bundled against the cold and wave hello.
The first words out of my father’s mouth are, “Come check out Little Jimmy!” He
is referring to the newborn lamb born just a week before, on my father’s birthday,
thus his namesake. We do so, check out Little Jimmy, that is. A mere fraction
the size of his mother, Alicia and I take turns holding him, this little bit of
sheep, and nestle into his tiny warmth and familiar lanolin scent. The first of
many newborns that will grace Dreamfarm’s pastures in the coming months and a
sure sign that spring, somewhere through all this cold and snow, will
eventually emerge. Little Jimmy’s mother on the other side of the fence grows
impatient, reluctantly we return her son to her, he runs beneath her
round winter belly and begins to nurse. We make our way through the barn; the
milking does lay in their bedded pens, their silky summer coats replaced with
thick, fluffy winter ones. They rest for the season, allowing their energy to
be put into the babies growing inside of them, ensuring the furtherance of the
tiny circle of life my family has created on Dreamfarm. My parents finish up
the afternoon chores hours earlier than they would on any given summer day.
Operating a seasonal dairy not only allows our animals to rest, it gives our
family the chance to slow down as well. And slow down we do, but never too
much. This time of year my mother does much of Dreamfarm’s desk-work; ordering labels,
applying for grants, organizing the CSA, renewing our farmers’ market
membership, and has recently completed a new and improved Dreamfarm website (up
now!). She also sends our Jacob sheep’s wool to be spun at Blackberry Ridge
Woolen Mill. It returns in long scanes in which she winds and labels to be sold
at the farmers’ market. In addition, she finds enough free time to embark on a
few knitting projects of her own, a hobby that is simply impossible to
cultivate during the farming season. My father, who balances a full-time job
along with doing his part on Dreamfarm, has been splitting wood since early
fall to feed our wood burner. He finally takes some time to enjoy the warmth he
has labored to create, finding time to read or paint another beautiful barn
quilt. This year, he is creating our first official farm sign using a
traditional barn quilt design. Upon completion it will hang on the building
that houses our cheeserie. And of course, they finally get off the farm on occasion as well, if only to snowshoe the
nearby portion of the Ice Age Trail or to catch a local folk show. This winter
season of rest is vital to the way that we farm, allowing us to begin each new
farming season with a feeling of replenishment. It allows us to find joy in all
that arises as the days grow longer, and subsequently busier. To many, the
conditions of winter are less than favorable, but for the seasonal farmer, it
can be a saving grace. Living in the city, my loathing for winter it much
greater than it ever was on the farm. It is when I return that I find my place,
once more, among the outbuildings and the fields, within the seasons, and
beneath that endless stretch of Midwestern sky. It all plays such a significant
part and serves such an important purpose within the
beautiful connectedness of all living things. Although my teenage angst only
allows me to admit it on rare occasion, the farm is my solace, it is home.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
April showers bring muddy pastures and restless
animals. With the weather unpredictable
it has been difficult for us and the animals to fall into a steady
routine. However, I think Mother Nature
has finally graced us with warm weather and sunshine! We all need it!
The first Saturday of the month we had the joy of meeting
fifteen students from a university group called Farm Mob. This student-run groupis a work share program that brings student volunteers from the UW
campus to Madison area farms. Students work with farmers on various tasks while
simultaneously getting the experience of what life on that particular farm is
about. We had the students help
us move the laying hens into their summer homes and escort our three pigs down
into their summer pastures. We had a
gate tied in a circle with the three pigs in the center and all of us following
along around the outside. Jim, Diana,
and Alicia had been debating how to go about this task for some time, but never
fear Farm Mob is here. With all of us
around, they behaved and walked right to their pasture. It was quite slick, and went much better than
we had envisioned. Many thanks to the
farm mob and their hard work!
The kidding is complete!
Our last doe had triplets on April 17th. We have all the little ones running in
outside pastures now. They are enjoying
the freedom to run, skip, and jump. We
are slowly weaning them off the milk and encouraging them to graze and eat hay
and grain. With most of the kids on milk
replacer now, we are able to save more of the milk for cheese making. Last week we made our 17th batch
of cheese! The farmer’s market has
opened! The first weekend was bitter
cold but the sun did appear and warmed up our toes and hands. We are happy to be back and look forward to
seeing many of your faces this summer.
And the first CSA delivery went out Thursday May 2nd!
In other barn news we lost our 18 year old sheep on April 17th. Saralee graced our farm for many years and
provided us with her beautiful wool and many sets of cute lambs. She was the
matriarch of our herd and is missed by us all.
However, on a happier note, Jen, our Jersey cow, had her calf on May 5th. Jim has named him Ben and he is quite a
handsome fellow. Jen is Jims’ sweetheart
and it is quite amazing to see how Jen trusts him. He will be milking Jen twice a day once the
calf is weaned. Diana and Alicia have
plans to make will cheese with the milk.
Yum! We got three more little
pigs over the weekend as well. To go
along with the theme of our three older pigs, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, we
chose the name Mumford & Sons (for lack of better names for the last two…). The ducks have started to lay again. It went from absolutely no eggs for 5 months,
to consistently getting three every morning.
A duck egg is bigger in size compared to a chicken egg, but in our
opinion tastes the same and looks the same, except for the whites; they are a
bit clearer looking. And I have heard
that they are great for baking!! Stop by
the market and pick up half a dozen.
We welcome the warm weather as much as the critters on the
farm.
Happy Sunshine!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
With our attention focused mainly on little goat kids, kidding does, and yucky barn
stalls, March snuck right on by. April 1st
was suddenly upon us and Diana decided to start saving the mother does’ milk
for our first cheese make. On Wednesday April 3rd we brought
190 pounds of goat’s milk from the bulk tank cooler in the milk house to the pasteurizer
in the cheeserie. As the season
progresses the pounds of milk will increase, as well as the different flavor
profiles. The goats have been on a diet
of grain and hay which compliments the cheese flavor differently. As soon as the spring weather allows their diet
will consist more of fresh greens.
Unlike a cow or a sheep, goats are browsers. This means they prefer leaves, bark, and
stems from plants over vegetation near to the ground. So, in other words, goats like to “work hard”
for their food. Stretching their necks to
reach that one tasty leaf.
Yesterday Diana and Alicia moved a group of goat kids, 10
bucks (boys) and 10 does (girls), to outside pens. They are loving the wide open space to run,
skip and jump. We are still feeding them
milk from the nipple bucket but they are starting to enjoy a bit of grain and
hay. Soon Diana will decide which kids
she will keep for next year’s production and which she will sell to other
producers. We have 43 kids altogether
and 7 does yet to kid!
In addition to April being the start of Dreamfarm cheese
making, our various markets will also begin.
Willy Street East and West will start carrying our cheese again starting
next week, the West Side Community market opens on April 20th, and
the first CSA delivery for the spring share is April 25th.
We will move the chickens into their summer housing soon. The melting snow will allow the pastures to
grow and make for great chicken scratching.
Until then they have reveled in their freedom of the farm. We open the coop doors every morning and one
by one they emerge, eager for the day’s finds. Sometimes we’ll even get
visitors on the porch. The pullet eggs
are slowly growing and the outside pastures will make for nutrient-rich, deep
yellow yolks and delicious eggs! We’ll
be selling them at the market again and Trillium Natural Foods in Mt. Horeb has
already started to stock them.
The season has officially begun! Let us revel in it!
Spring has hit Dreamfarm. Not weather wise, but the barn is filled with new life. All of our sheep have lambed, and 9 goats have had 19 kids. Belle, one of our matron goats, had 4 kids on Friday afternoon. They are all doing well. We have 20 more goats to kid (have their babies). Goats usually have twins, triplets are common.
Because it is so wet and cool outside, the animals tend to stay inside the barn. It is important to have clean, dry pens for birthing. So we have been spending a lot of time cleaning pens. That job is done by hand with a pitchfork.
Kids drinking from a bucket (last year) Notice there is no snow!
We bottle feed the newborn kids for about 2 days, then we teach them to drink from a bucket filled with moms milk. The bucket has nipples attached to straws that sit in the milk and once the kids learn to suck they can drink of good amount of milk. Each bucket can feed 10 kids.
The month of March will be filled with taking care of the kids. By early April we plan to start making cheese again. Diana has refinished the outside of the vat pasteurizer and the bulk milk cooler. She also painted the inside of the milkhouse. It all looks so nice white and clean! We will wash down the walls in the Cheeserie and clean all the equipment and utensils, then we are ready to make cheese.
Our daughter, Alicia, who has been living in Brooklyn, New York for a little over a year, has moved home and will be working on the farm and in the Cheeserie this season. Alicia has a soft spot for the animals, and she has worked with the cheese in her earlier days on the farm, so she is a great asset to Dreamfarm.
The path shoveled for the pigs.
Happy pigs outside!
We purchased 3 black mulefoot pigs (a heritage breed) in February. This is earlier than we usually get pigs, but it was the breed we wanted, and the pigs were weened and ready to be sold. We named them Crosby, Stills and Nash. With all the snow, we had to keep them in the barn rather than their pasture. But last week we needed to get them out of the barn to make room for the goat kids. So we pondered how to move them. We tried to pick them up, but they were too strong and we could not get a good hold on them. We had an idea....let's shovel a snow path from the barn to the pasture, could that work? So shovel we did. We let Crosby out, he started down the path and then took off toward the road. Our plan wasn't looking good. But then he suddenly went back to the path and followed it all the way to his pasture, wow! So we let Stills and Nash out and they walked right to their new home on pasture. Life is good, and they are thoroughly enjoying the outdoor life.
The 200 chickens we brooded as chicks in November are just starting to lay their little pullet eggs. As soon as the snow melts, all of our chickens will move to their outdoor hoophouses on pasture.
So many changes are happening on the farm this time of year, it is exciting but we look forward to the days when everyone (animals and people) are settled in a schedule. As life goes, we will be at that place in time soon.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Welcome to Dreamfarm’s 2013 CSA season.
This year our farm is celebrating its 10th season
as a CSA farm. We thank all of you who
have supported us and we are honored to be producing our farmstead goat cheese
for you!
With February upon us, Dreamfarm is gearing up for the
season. These winter months have been
spent planning and preparing for the CSA season. Our website, www.dreamfarm.biz is updated and the 2013 order form is ready. Please consider
joining our Farmstead Goat Cheese CSA this year, we would love to have you join
us.
Dreamfarm is a member of the FairShare CSA Coalition. FairShare has teamed up with
Heartland Credit Union for the “Give Local” campaign, a campaign to raise funds
to help low income households. Here is what Kiera, the Director for
FairShare CSA Coalition, passes on to
you:
"Thanks to all our supporters who've already contributed
their dollars to help families of modest means afford to eat healthy, fresh
food from local farms. If you haven't given yet, we're down to the wire! The
campaign closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1.
Dozens of local families will be connected to area CSA
farms thanks to your help in this year's Give Local campaign. We're two thirds
of the way to our goal. If the community raises $5,000 for FairShare, then
Heartland Credit Union will match that gift with another $5,000.
This is our last big push! Please give now and Heartland
CU will DOUBLE your donation! You may also drop off a check made out to
FairShare at any Heartland CU branch.
Watch the story on the links below to see that families
are getting much more than fresh food when they get a CSA share through Partner
Shares. It's a deeper connection to the land and each other.” www.heartlandcu.org/Go-Local/Give-Local.aspx
Important Notes: WE NEED JARS........please return your empty, clean jars and lids when you are done enjoying the cheese. You get bonus points if you remove the Dreamfarm label on the lid as well. Thank you!
Welcome Back! Welcome back to the infrequent Dreamfarm newsletter. There is always so much going on, but not always enough time to actually sit down and share it. The summer has busy, and we're not quite sure where June, July and half of August have gone!
The summer heat and drought has been a force for so many of us to reckon with. Gratefully, the pastures and hay fields are greening up again, thanks to the recent rains. Things were starting to look pretty bleak around the farm, with the pasture getting more bare each day. All farmers have been dealing with different outcomes of the hot and dry weather. At Dreamfarm, the main effects have been on the animals and the hay. The goats don't like the heat too much, and all that warm weather decreased their milk production significantly. The chickens suffered as well. On the feed side, the conditions were not optimal for hay production. The fields didn't grow as tall or robustly as usual for the second cutting in late July. The growth was too short to mow with the equipment on the farm. After renting newer equipment that could mow a shorter stand, we collected a measly 5 bales of hay in the second cutting. Compare that to an average 100 bales of hay off the second cutting. Thank goodness for the rain and the cooler temperatures! The fields are green again, and hopes are high for the third haying of the season. For Dreamfarm, hay is important. This is the forage our animals consume throughout the winter (alfalfa and mixed grasses) when their access to pasture is limited by snow and wet soils. It's our way of bringing the pasture to the herd!
Jen, the family cow, and one hay field in the distance.
Mint in the pasture. The walk smells good.
Adventures in the Barn Life is, as always, goofy and unpredictable in the barn and in the fields. The barn swallows are abundant this year. Each year they return to their mud nests in the rafters of the barn and hatch out a few batches of young. The birds flutter through the barn, and land gracefully in the nests, bringing food for the four young birds peering out of each nest. Click on the pictures below for a better view! In other news, this week the rebel barn chickens were found perched on the backs of the goats, both parties enjoying the company. Gandalf, the Nigerian Dward Goat buck was found with his head stuck in the pasture gate. He's a smaller, white goat with a beard akin to Santa Claus, and he appeared as quite a site with his long Santa Clause beard hanging through the gate. The ducks are getting larger and braver by the day. Although the still move only as a unified gang, they now roam through a much larger section of the farm. Be sure to watch the very short video of the Jacob Sheep below. They are a heritage breed of sheep, and in the video you can see a ram, an ewe and a lamb. Look at those horns!
Milk & Cheese
As mentioned before, the goats can be sensitive to heat and this can change their milk too. The high temperatures caused a decrease in milk production, and the diminished quality of their drought-stricken pasture caused milk changes too. Milk production is down significantly, and will remain low for the rest of the year. Despite the unpredictable effects that temperature and forage quality can have on the goats and their milk, there are regular changes in the characteristics of the milk throughout the season as well. At this time of year, after the does have been producing milk for about five months, the milk will change naturally too. In case you haven't been out to the farm for a visit, here's s quick visual of the bulk milk tank. This is where the milk is collected and stays cool (actually cold!) between cheesemaking sessions. This past week we cut into the first wheels of Arthur, the raw milk cheese made from spring milk. All raw milk cheeses must be aged for at least 60 days, so it was thrilling to cut into the first wheels. They look and taste delicious, for photos click here to see them on the Dreamfarm Facebook page.
This is where milk hangs out before it turns into cheese.
Out in the Wooded Pasture
Last year, a new pasture was added to the farm. A wooded pasture, dense with multiflora rose and wild, old apples trees and a pond was fenced to provide new quarters for some farm inhabitants. Last fall the three steer were moved there. This spring the two bucks took up residence as well, along with the new batch of three young beef steer.. A few weeks back, the population grew again as 27 of the young bucks born on the farm this spring were moved their as well! On the first attempt, we tried to lure the young goats toward the pasture with grain. Only a few decided to join us. On the second attempt, we caught a few of the boys by their collars and 'walked' them down to the wooded pasture. Young goats are stubborn and strong (but who of us isn't?) and a few put up quite a fight headed down to the lush new pasture. This method didn't go too well either! On the third attempt, we lifted the young boys into the back of the pickup truck, drove them to the fence at the edge of the pasture, and lifted them over the fence to their new home. The sight and sound of a truck full of young goats is worth a smile indeed! Now that almost all the males on the farm are in one place, we sure hope that the older generations are teaching the young bucks how to be police gentlemen! At the very least, the goats are doing a tremendous job of clearing out brush and invasive species in their wooded pasture.
This used to be a multiflora rose bush!
An older buck and his new young friend!
Chicken Update The chickens, of all the animals, took the hardest knocks with all the heat. Egg production dropped significantly, and they all just sat around panting. (Yes, chickens pant!) The girls were all just moved to fresh pasture, which means they are happy to have a fresh batch of grass and bugs to eat.
The Pigs! This year's six resident pigs seem to be growing by the day, if not by the hour. They are fenced in to a few acres of wooded pasture, with a few goat friends to keep them company. In the photos below they are enjoying some of the whey from the cheeserie, which they will happily squeal and fight for whenever possible. With their ever increasing size comes a steadily growing attitude! Don't get between the pigs and their trough
(literally), or else you'll find yourself nosed over and pushed to the ground! And boy can they make a lot of noise! Because they are mostly left on their own, they associate human visitors with feed time! Here's a little
snippet of the pig pandemonium to give a sense of the racquet they make when a human pays a visit.
Bike the Barns! Last week we had some very special visitors, the Bike the Barns planning crew from the FairShare CSA Coalition. This year, the Bike the Barns tour on Sunday, September 16th will include a stop at Dreamfarm. This fantastic bike ride is both a fundraiser for FairShare CSA Coalition, an opportunity to eat delicious local food prepared by the Underground Food Collective, visit beautiful farms and enjoy a delightful (and hilly!) bike ride. If you want to take part in a fun-filled day that supports a great cause, click here to register or learn more.
Thanks for being a part of the farm, and thanks for reading. Enjoy these savory August weeks, and maybe we'll see you for Bike the Barns!
The goat pasture, and some bee hives in the distance!
As if you need any help eating all your fresh goat cheese, we'll be posting a few recipes from time to time. Please check back here for recipe updates from Dreamfarm cheese and eggs.
Here's a good one for this slightly cooler weather! Enjoy for breakfast or dinner.
Goat Cheese Grits
4 cups water
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) Dreamfarm fresh goat cheese
2 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and remaining ingredients.
Sites: Baldwin, Baldwin-EOW, Crestwood, Farm, Hampshire, Just Coffee, Mason, Mt. Horeb, Orchard Ridge, Research Park, Seminole, Shorewood, West Lawn
Cheese of the Week: Fresh Cheese - Peppercorn
Important Notes: With last week off, we just want to make sure all you B Week folks know it's your turn to get cheese this week! Also, if you happen to have any empty glass cheese jars and lids hanging around your house, please scoop them up and bring 'em to your drop site for reuse. Bonus points if you peel the Dreamfarm sticker off the lid too. Thank you!
Title of Post/Topic
First things first! We just want to make sure that you all know this week is a B Week, and the above sites will be receiving cheese this week.
Well, in case you were on vacation all last week, you noticed that it was quite warm in Wisconsin. It would be fair to say the temperature was downright hot, and dry too. Of course, the unusually warm temperatures were exhausting for everyone, but the heat creates certain issues just for farmers. First off, with the lack of rain and moisture, things are getting pretty brown. This includes our pastures, the main food source for the goats and sheep during the summer months. They are nibbling everything green in sight, and I think they are hoping for rain too! Not to worry, they all get supplementary alfalfa and hay during these lean pasture times, so no one is going hungry. The goats really don't like to heat too much, and their milk production goes down during these hot spells. Less milk means less cheese, another reason to be glad things have cooled off a bit. The chickens aren't too comfortable in the heat either, and they protest by laying fewer eggs. To keep cool they cozy into their cool little dust baths and just pant. (Exactly like a dog, but just without the tongue sticking out). We can even feel the heat in the cheeserie, as all this warm dry air caused some of last week's cheeses to finish much drier than usual. We're all just glad to see the mercury drop a bit this week, although we look up at each cloud passing overhead in hopes it might drop a bit of rain on us.
The ducks. Just chattin' around the water cooler.
Have you met the Dreamfarm ducks yet? Now's your chance! This cute little brace of ducks (yup, a brace is the technical term for a group of ducks) is the newest addition at Dreamfarm. The baby ducks were ordered from Sand Hill Preservation Center early this spring and should start laying eggs in about a month or two. A mix of breeds were ordered, and we're sure to have Khaki Campbells, but we can't get ID on the other breed of duck. They are adorable, and stinky, ducklings were brooded in the same house as the baby chicks, and then moved out to pasture in their own, special duck house when temperatures were warm enough. The duck house was moved frequently to a fresh patch of grass, and recently the ducks got their own fenced run. The best part about the fence is that the holes are big enough for the ducks to walk through, so there are now ducks wandering around near the barn. So far the rebel chickens and escaped ducks get along, hopefully there will not be a Cross Plains version of West Side Pasture. The ducks were very, very shy when they arrived, but seem to be getting braver by the day. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a short duck video.
The ducks when they were a bit younger
In other farm news, as we mentioned in the last newsletter, we're keeping a lot of the kids (baby goats) from this spring and raising them out for meat. Because the main pasture is getting a bit thin, it was time to move some of young boys to the wooded pasture where the two bucks and six steer hang out. This is the pasture that was fenced last year, has delicious forage and browsing for goats, and could use more help getting cleared out. So there we were last Friday, in the heat, shaking a bucket of feed grain and trying to lure as many of the 17 young boys as possible to come with us toward the new pasture. In case you didn't know, goats don't seem to listen very well, and didn't seem motivated to answer our request. The grain helped a little, but I think they also have a short attention span. We had about seven takers who crossed through the first gate with us, and then had to be herded and picked up and carried through the second fence to their new, lusher home. At first they were hesitant, but it was no time at all until they were chomping on multiflora rose and ready to explore their new home. This afternoon we'll try to lure the remaining young goats down there too, so if you need a good laugh you can just imagine us hollering at goats, encouraging them to come with us and chasing them if need be!
Steer, goats and Diana in the lush wooded pasture!
Hope you enjoy your cheese this week, along with the cooler temperatures! And, as promised, if you want a little more duck action, below is a short video for you to enjoy.
Sites: Research Park, Just Coffee, Baldwin, Baldwin EOW, Mt. Horeb, Orchard Ridge, Seminole, Crestwood, Hampshire, Shorewood, Mason, West Lawn, Farm
Cheese of the Week: Fresh Cheese - PLAIN
Important Notes: Just a reminder! Please return your clean jars and lids when you're done. Bonus points if you peel the Dreamfarm sticker off the lid too. Thank you!
Back in the Swing of Things
Your cheese CSA has been in action for a few weeks now, but we're just getting back to a weekly newsletter to accompany your share. As usual, the farm is a bustle of activity which keeps everyone busy. Most notably, this year the farm decided to keep the majority of the kids (baby goats) that arrived in the spring. This means more time feeding and caring for all these adorable little troublemakers who are roving the pastures and getting their small heads and horns stuck in fences (ok, just one little troublemaker). There is nothing to make you feel as special as a swarm of adolescent goats running toward you and making noise from all parts of the pasture come feed time. This year is an experiment in raising these young goats for meat, and we'll let you know how it goes now that there are almost 70 goats enjoying life on the farm!
We're again raising pigs this year. They started as six adorable young ones, a cross of a variety of heritage breeds. They are spending this season in the very lush and shady wooded pasture that the bucks lived in last year. They happily gulp their whey, left over from the cheesemaking, and root around for delicacies in the pasture. Three new calves joined the farm too, and they just moved out to the big wooded pasture with the older steers and the bucks to graze and make whatever kind of trouble they can get into. The Jacob sheep graze the large pasture with the younger goats and seem, as always, content.
And, of course, there are the milking does. This year there are 27 girls on the line, including two Nigerian Dwarf goats that joined the farm last fall. Their milk is touted as being exceptionally rich and creamy. They are much, much smaller than the other goats, and they are talkative too! They are so much smaller that Rebecca and Story (the two Nigerians) have taken to lounging in the hay manger while eating, with the other goats and sheep standing around them and eating. All the girls spend their days at pasture, and we are always so grateful for the milk they give for cheese.
That's the latest from the farm. Thanks for joining us as a CSA member this year, we're so glad to have you! If you're a Facebook kind of person, you can join our page by clicking here. We're posting semi-regular picture from the farm, updates of what you'll see at the Saturday Farmer's Market, recipes and more.
And here's one last snippet of Dreamfarm life to help you through the end of your week. There is a renegade gang of chickens who hang around the barn all day with the cats and dog, and here is a short video of their, um, pursuits! Looks like everyone here is good at sharing. Enjoy.
Enough said! The perfect picnic dish for this wonderful outdoor weather.
Enjoy!
Warm Potato & Goat Cheese Salad
2 1/2 pounds cubed, peeled Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped, fresh flat lead parsley
1 cup Dreamfarm fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine warm potatoes, wine, salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss gently. Add onion and parsley. Combine goat cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add cheese mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat.
Sites: Dreamfarm, Baldwin, Crestwood, Cross Plains, Vermont Valley Farm, Hampshire, HospiceCare, Jackson, Just Coffee, Mason, Middleton Hills, Monona, Mt. Horeb, Nakoma, Oakridge, Orchard Ridge, Parmenter EOW and Standard (together), Seminole, Shorewood, UW-Hospital, Verona, West Lawn
Cheese of the Week: Chive! Fresh Cheese
Important Notes: A kind reminder about the glass jars. Please rinse and clean your jar and lid and return them to your pick-up...AND it would help us out A LOT if you could please remove the label from the lid before returning it. Thank you in advance!
Back in the Cheese - Spring Cheese CSA!
The second (and last) delivery for the Spring Share is this Thursday, May 10. We harvested young chive and garlic chive to add to your cheese. This brings a nice fresh spring flare to the cheese. Let us know how you like it. Your feedback is helpful.
Summer shares will begin in June. We will notify our summer shareholders when your first pickup begins.
It has been a very busy spring on Dreamfarm. We had over 65 kids (baby goats) born from March 1 through April 22. We decided to raise all the kids this year. In past years, we sold most of the babies when they were about 2 weeks old. So this means many mouths to feed, and they are all getting milk, every day. We start out by bottle feeding each individual baby. After a couple of days, we teach them to drink from a "nipple bucket". The nipple bucket can feed 10 kids at a time.Most of the kids catch on to this fast and learn that the faster they drink, the more they can get. They are on milk for about 12 weeks, which means we are getting ready to wean some of the older kids. They are eating some grain and pasture, the transition should go well.
We had 11 students from the University of Wisconsin Rural Sociology class come and help on the farm on April 29. They were a bunch of hard workers as they helped us move chickens to new pasture, they cleared brush from our pig pasture and helped remove old fencing. It is great to talk with these students and hear about their goals.
Six pigs joined our menagerie on April 20.They will be raised on a new, large pasture this season and fed all the whey from our cheesemaking.
There is so much happening on the farm. We will update you soon. Please enjoy your cheese share, and please help us by returning your jar and cover, and please peel off the label first, the would be a great help.
Delicious as an appetizer, and you can be as creative as you like!
Goat Cheese in Olive Oil Marinade Warm 1/4 cup olive oil in a small cast iron pan or heavy-bottom pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic, dry tomato or your favorite herbs. Try different combinations depending on what is in season! When softened, add and additional 1/2 cup of olive oil and warm. Take a 7 oz. tub of Dreamfarm fresh goat cheese and invert it into a shallow bowl. Pour the olive oil mixture over the cheese. The cheese will warm and soften. Serve with chewy bread - make sure there's plenty to soak up the delicious oil!
We've taken the leap into the world of social media! You can now find Dreamfarm on Facebook by clicking this link or going to Facebook and searching for "Dreamfarm". When you get to the page, be sure to "Like" it (that little button that says "Like" in the upper right hand of the page) to bring farm updates to you, along with adorable kid photos like this one...
...along with updates about what we're bringing to the market and what's going on at the farm.
March came in like a lion on our farm. It started on March 1st, with a set of triplet goat kids. We had a one day break, then on March 3rd we had a set of twins, and on March 4th we had two sets of quadruplets, which is extremely rare. In all our years of raising goats we had only one set of quadruplets, and then we had two sets born in one day, and they were born of a mother and daughter pair. Now every day more kids are born. At Dreamfarm, we have 30 mother goats (does) expected to kid. Usually we estimate to double that in kids, so we plan to have about 60 kids. But if we continue with these multiples, we will have many more than expected. When the doe kids, she starts her milk production. All their milk is bottle-fed back to the kids at the start. The kids are fed 3 times a day until they are about one week old, then we feed them twice a day. All this interaction causes the baby goats to bond with us and they become so friendly!
By the end of March, we hope to have most of the kids on a schedule. We should have extra milk by then, and we will start the cheesemaking. If you have not signed up for a Dreamfarm Goat Cheese Share, we still have shares available. Please go to our website: www.dreamfarm.biz and print off an order form. We would love to have you join us again for the 2012 season!
We're all enjoying this wonderful spring weather, animals included. Just yesterday our yard was full of snow, now it's all melted and a fresh spring smell is in the air! Warm weather is ideal for birthing season and we all have a severe case of spring fever.
Dreamfarm will hold their Farm Day Open House on June 24. More details will be posted at a later date. Please plan to join us! We'd love to meet you and you're sure to have a good time meeting all the animals!
I had a bit of a scare this morning. I walked into the barn at 4:45 a.m. I turned on the main light, then walked into the back barn to check on the babies. There was no electricity, so the heat lamps were off. I could hear no sounds coming from the babies and it was too dark to see them. I thought they all froze in the very cold night. I ran to the house to get a flashlight, ran back to the barn and shined the flashlight into the baby pens. All the babies were fine, whew! Then I needed to scramble to get all the kids together and warmed up. I have a temporary heat lamp set up, and am still waiting for the electrician. There was electricity to use my milking machine, but no light in the milkroom. The goats were milked in the dark, "a little mood lighting."
