New Things on the Farm

Now that spring is officially here, the farm is in full swing once again. Even the egg production has doubled since end of February! Above is a picture of our blue egg laying hens lounging in the sun. They really know how to relax after a day's work. 

Here's the new addition to the farm to start the year off. The arrival of the sheep and their lambs! 

Where mommy goes the baby follows. 

This marks a milestone for our farm...the first lamb to be born right here in our barn! The mommy was a little unsure as to what the heck that baaing little thing was at first but the lamb's persistence paid off. 

It took about five minutes or so and the little lamb was on his feet and snuggling with mommy. The ewe next to them was really jealous. She kept poking her head through the gaps to get a glimpse of the new lamb. 

Meet Magic Panda the ram. He settled into his new house very fast.
He is a really nice ram warming up to us really quick. 

While the animals were busy....the veggies weren't slacking off either.
There are trays and trays of these waiting to be transplanted! 

Hopefully, we will have some nice salad mix ready for the first market.

Mozart on the lookout of any "misbehaving" chickens/ducks/sheep and kids!

First market event of this year is coming up pretty soon. 

We will be there for the Earth Day celebration on April 26 from 10am-2pm. Hope to see you there!

New Year New Start...

The short month of freeze and snow...

hope that's enough to kill off all the bugs. 

Eat up! Need to eat fast otherwise Molly will hog all the hay! 

Molly: "I need my own individual stall."

Walking on tight fence...

Those two in the middle are suppose to be on the right...

the one on the right is suppose to be on the left...

Ahh what can you expect from chickens!

Cute fluffy chicks! In about a weeks time they will start to grow and molt...the ugly stage. At this stage it is very important to keep an eye on "chicken stacks". They love to pile on top of one another and the poor chick on the bottom usually end up as a chick-pancake.

Snow Snow Snow! 

Mozart's favourite weather out of the entire year. Whenever it snows, he would prefer to stay outside and freeze....

with that lovely fur coat I think I would too! 

Mozart surveying his property before he calls it a day.

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us. We would like to wish everyone a 

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here is our Christmas tree for this year. Its loaded with eggs and chickens and everything else you can possibly find on our farm! 

The snowfall that covered the ground earlier in December was fun for some animals but not others...
Our ducks didn't mind the snow but they missed their bathing water...
which was frozen solid. 

The vegetables didn't like the white stuff as much as the ducks...these were kale that we forgot to cover. Now that the freeze is over, some survived but some ended up in the chickens' feeding trough. 

Our lovely frozen pond. There is not a creature in sight. 

The silkies were the other animal on the farm that didn't mind the snow especially those with fuller feathered feet. Those with less feathers on their feet stayed inside and sulked. 

We would like to thank everyone for your support throughout this year.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and see you at the market next year.

Stay warm.

Thank you! 

From all of us at Nature and Living

Our Last Markets of Year 2013

November already?!? This year sure fly by fast. 

Here one more look at all the green stuff before the frost-BITES. 

Sorrel - one of the other strange things that graced our market table this year. It didn't receive much love and attention at the market but our goats sure loved them! 

This was taken before the big freeze. Ducks await their turn at the kiddie pools for a duck bath. There are 3 pools available but everyone seems to only like the one with the hose attached!

Slurping foot-bath water....surely hope the one in there didn't in track any mud....

Tasty water! 

Male duck - drake has orange beak

Female duck - hen has pink beak

So we were told....but we found out that yes the ones with pink beaks are definitely hens but that didn't guarantee that all orange beaks are drakes!

Here we are at our last market showing. We were indoors at Grow and Gather for the last 4 markets. Although it was still cold but at least we didn't have to battle the cold, wind and rain at the same time.  

Thank you all for your support and patronage throughout the year. 

We sure would love to hear from you - our wonderful customers from the market as to what you would like to see us grow for the next year's market. Please email us and let us know so that we can continue to grow the things you love - info@natureandliving.com

Its October Already?!?

When pumpkins start to appear on market table...we know its officially AUTUMN! 

So far we've got pie pumpkins and mini pumpkins gracing our tables at the market. Soon we'll also have some carving pumpkins as well. 

 Thanksgiving won't be the same without some of these delicious Brussels sprouts. For those of you that never did like them, try the fresh ones sliced up in a stir-fry. You might be surprised by how good they taste fresh compared to frozen. 

 Portabella mushrooms have been appearing at our market at end of every month since June this year. They usually sold out before the market is over. We love ours done up with a bit of shredded mozzarella, garlic powder, and pepper. How about you? Come by and share/swap recipes. We always love to hear new ways of cooking produce we grow and sell. 

 One of the most popular goodies on our table is the cauliflower. If you want one, make sure you come to the table early or email us and place your orders through email. 

Kohlrabi....a stranger to most people....what to do with this wonderful yet alien veggie? Well, the simplest way to use up a kohlrabi is to shred it and add a pinch of salt to it and let it sit for an hour or two in the fridge. Before serving, drizzle with a bit of sesame oil and voila...you got yourself a refreshing appetizer. 

 What would a Caesar salad be without romaine lettuce? These wonderful yet easy to use veggies are growing very well now that weather has cooled down a bit. Add a bit of arugula to your salad to spice it up. 

 Spinach also benefits from the cool weather. Now we can finally harvest some leaves instead of watching the plants bolt after the first set of leaves appear. 

 We had our giant zucchinis now we've got giant cucumber! When the plants are grown in good compost, you never know what monsters you'll get. 

Fall is Here but Everything is Still Lush Green

Many people that came by our stall at the Haney Farmer's Market asked about the blue egg chickens. 

They are the Araucana/Americana with quite interesting feather patterns. 

Here's a picture of the rooster. He is very feisty. Even when you think you have him under control, he would sneak a peck or two every now and then just to test out who is still the boss on the field.  

Too bad for him though, a lot of the hens on the field are Cuckoo Marans and Javas which are a LOT bigger than him and could easily throw him off their back or put him to a chase. So at the end of the day he would hop on the highest roost in the coop and sulk. 

Above is the Araucana hen. See the tuff of feather on their cheeks? These two hens are specially kept in a cage because they were severely attacked by other Rhode Island Reds in the coop. Due to their all white feather, they were easy target for the RIR when they first moved into the coop.  

Ever seen real chicken dance? 

These two are practicing their synchronized chicken double bar routine!

Look to right...

Hop on other bar and walk together....need more practice on the feet rhythm.

Back on the same bar for the grand finish!

These two hens are both Araucana but one of them has the look of a hawk and the other looks more like the other white Araucana in the picture above. 

Araucana are quite capable of flying. They usually occupy the highest "roost-able" spots in the coop top door frame ledge, roof beams...you name it....they will make their way up there somehow.  

Vegetables Available this Month

Now that the heat wave is upon us, a few new vegetables have also made it to our market table.

Beans Beans Beans!

Wonderful to add in stir fries the beans are a staple for summer season. 

Malabar Spinach

This veggie may be strange to some but they are a nice crispy addition to salad mix. Their thick and juicy leaves make them really nice for use in soups and stir fries. Malabar Spinach is a good source for vitamin A.

Red Amaranth 

They are good alternative to the regular spinach for the summer season. In most areas spinach is not available during summer because they have a tendency to bolt really fast in the summer. Red Amaranth can be cooked similar way to spinach and they really becomes tender when cooked. 

Water Spinach

These are also good alternative to the regular spinach. They are much crispier than spinach and red amaranth and do not leave any strange after taste in your mouth. Water Spinach is a good start for people who are new to Asian greens and are interested in adding some to their cooking. 

Strawberries

Yummy juicy fruits that is the trademark of summer season! These are not available at every market but if you would like us to contact you when we do have some available, give us an email and we would be more than happy to reserve strawberries for you. 

Bantam Cochin Rooster

The feather feet rooster! He may be small but he is packed with a fiery temper. 

Silkie Rooster

One of the better looking silkies in our flock. He is also smaller in size but he is a mighty protector of his hens. Whenever one of the hens wanders out of the netted area he would go in panic mode and get everyone else into the coop and wait for us to help him get his hen back inside the net. 

Last but not the least of the feather feet! He is a Buckeye / Silkie cross. He has inherited the mellow temper of his Buckeye mommy and the dainty appearance of his Silkie daddy. He is one of the best looking birds in this coop.