My first Squirrel
Luke, teaching me how to skin a squirrel
Everyone gathered around and helped de-feather the duck
This is a duck! (minus a head)
And this is a feathery hat.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Squirrel hunting and Cave diving
We’re on the road again, on our way to our next destination, Minnesota. Right now Tiffany and I are at Starbucks in Des Moines, Iowa. It was raining pretty heavy out so we’re taking a break from driving to refuel and stretch our legs. The last few days have been chock full of new experiences and adventure. Our last day on the Lovell’s Orchard was bittersweet. They took us in to live on their farm and treated us like we were members of their family. Our time spent with them was a wonderful experience learning the ups and downs of farm life and getting to know who the Lovell’s were on a personal level. What we learned from them we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives. Our last day there just so happened to be the first day of squirrel hunting season. We have been wanting to go hunting for a while now and Luke knew this. So as a special treat he took Tiffany and I squirrel hunting. Even thou Tiffany was on rifle team in high school, I had never shot a gun in my life. So before heading out, Luke brought out one of his rifles and a shotgun, and we all took turns lining up the scope of the rifle and firing the shotgun. Twenty practice rounds later we had the scope lined up, than headed out. We drove the truck out to where the orchard meets the forest and walked into the woods from there. Tiffany saw the squirrel first and motioned to Luke to stop walking. She got him in her sights and aimed the rifle, but in a flash the squirrel had jumped trees. Luke told me to make a wide circle around and scare the squirrel back towards Tiffany. I proceeded to walk around and then I saw it. Right above me, and it was getting ready to jump to another tree. I didn’t hesitate to raise my shotgun, take aim, and fire. One by one, leaves fell from the tree and I waited for the squirrel. Then, all of a sudden, it dropped and landed right in front of me. I was so proud that I shouted back to Tiffany and Luke, “I got him!” They both ran up smiling, Luke took my knife and gutted the squirrel, then we went back to hunting for more. After about an hour of searching, the sun had set and it was just too dark so see. We ended the hunt, walked back to the truck, and drove back to the house. I walked into the house with the shotgun over my shoulder and the squirrel in my other hand, with the biggest proudest smile on my face. Then Luke took the squirrel and showed me how to skin it, and gave me the hide.
After washing up, dinner was ready, and we all sat down at the dinner table. Best meal ever! Rosi had prepared Roast duck fresh from the farm, Corn grown on Luke’s parent’s farm, potatoes, and Fried Okra,(Best fried Okra in the world). After dinner we all gathered on the deck and I introduced them to “Apples to Apples”. By the end of the game we were all laughing and smiling and having a great time. It got late, so we all went to bed, and the next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and drove off. Tiffany and I both cried a bit on the drive. The Lovell’s are great people and we loved our time spent with them, but the road was calling us. New adventures and new experiences awaited us.
One of those new experiences was our trip to Mammoth cave. After leaving the farm, we headed to Mummies’ house in Tennessee. There we had lunch with her family. Another great meal that left us feeling fat and happy! We reorganized our trunk, sat and talked with family, and downloaded a few movies online in case we get bored later on our travels. After everyone went home, Tiffany and I got out the squirrel we had been keeping in a jar of salt water, and put it on the grill. After about an hour it was ready to eat. I called Uncle Jamie out of the house and the three of us gathered around and all got to taste grilled squirrel for the first time. It was delicious! Better than I imagined it would taste, and because we kept it in salt water over night there was hardly any gamey taste. After eating our prize, we all went to sleep. Mumzie was more than too kind on insisting on giving up her bed for the night. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever laid in and we fell fast asleep.
Waking up well rested, we gathered our things and headed out to Mammoth Cave. We checked in, found our campsite and set up camp. After pitching our tent, Tiffany, Annabelle, and I all went for a walk. The walk was wonderful, and after about a half hour, we came upon a spring. As soon as my toes touched the water, chills ran up my spine. It was ice cold. I kept running back and forth between having my feet in the ice cold waters, and standing in the warm sand along the bank. Annabelle had a blast running around and playing in the sand, and after a few minutes I finally convinced Tiffany to take her shoes off and play in the water with me. We both felt like little kids discovering water for the first time. After a while, we headed back to camp, and set up our stove to cook dinner. After dinner, we built a fire and toasted marshmallows. I kept catching mine on fire, and Tiffany’s were all coming out perfect. I decided to humble myself and asked Tiff if she would make me toasted marshmallows for the rest of the night, she agreed, and they were all delicious! After the fire died down, we put it out and went into the tent to sleep.
The next morning we both woke up extremely early, and got dressed. Tiffany took Annabelle to the Kennel and I prepared breakfast. After filling up on oatmeal, we put our valuables in the car, and headed to the visitors center to pick up our tickets for the “Wild Cave Tour”. We met up with our tour guide, grouped up with about 12 others, and boarded the tour bus. After about 10 minutes of driving and debriefing, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, and proceeded to walk the steps single file down into the unknown. As soon as we entered, the temperature changed from cold to really cold! Thankfully, we were all wearing coveralls, which kept us warm. The caves were gorgeous! The walls and ceiling were lined with the most beautiful Gypsum we’ve ever seen, almost everywhere you looked, there were flowers made of crystal the size of a grapefruit hanging from the ceiling . The cave was about 10 ft high, by about 20 feet wide, but after walking a few minutes, watching the ceiling and the floor slowly coming together, we arrived at our first challenge. Before us lied a pile of boulders. In between a few of those boulders was an opening, about as wide as a doorway and about a foot high. After telling everyone all the ins and outs of caving, what to do, what not to do, how to follow the person in front of you, and what to do if you loose site of the person behind you, our guide crouched down on his hands and knees and squeezed himself in thru the gap, and one by one, all the members of the group followed after. Once I was in, I couldn’t believe how small the moving space was. In some places the tunnels were wide enough to crawl on your hands and knees, but throughout most of it, all you could do was lay on your belly and pull yourself thru with your hands and elbows. Re-adjusting your torso and legs to work yourself around boulders, corners, stalactites and stalagmites. This went on for about 100ft /about 20 minutes. Near the end of this tunnel, there was another gap about 2ft wide, and about a foot high, that you had to pull your head through first, than your arms, than drag the rest of your body through by grabbing onto something in front of you, and pulling yourself up and through. Only to find yourself in another tunnel only a little bit wider than the last one, and make your way through it before finally reaching the next standing room. Once there, the group met back together, and we all got debriefed on the next part of the tunnel. This time, the tunnel was going to be shorter than the last, but twice as cramped. In he went, and in we followed. There was no turning back now, I wouldn’t know how to go back the way we came anyways. We were in this till the end. The walls were closer this time, and the gaps were smaller, but we all made it. One by one we went in, and one by one we made it out the other side. Each of us helping out the person behind us. Letting them know what to look out for, and teaching the next person our technique on how to overcome each obstacle. If you needed a little help making it through the gaps the person in front of you would pull you through, and if someone behind you needed help making it through, you gave them a hand. Everyone worked as a team, and because of it, the tour guide took us through tougher and tougher challenges because he knew we could handle them. After about 3 hours of this, we arrived at a huge room in the cave, there were tables set up, people from other tours filled the room and in the back people were serving sandwiches and drinks. There was even a restroom. There were about 200 people from different tours in the hall but our group was the only group of people wearing thick coveralls, and hard hats with headlamps. After lunch, we were all debriefed on the next part of the tour and off we went. As we moved along through the caves, the challenges got harder, but the wow factors increased. Sometimes we were looking down into what looked like a bottomless pit, and other times we were looking up a thousand feet, there were rooms with the most intense acoustics you’ve ever heard, there were rooms covered in water, rooms decorated with gypsum, rooms filled with stalactites. The sites were beautiful, the challenges were exciting and the sense of danger was exhilarating. Once we reached the end of the final tunnel over 6 hours had passed. We all made our way to the surface. Boarded the bus that was waiting for us, and drove back to the visitors center to change out of our caving gear. Tiffany and I couldn’t stop talking about the caves. We retrieved Annabelle from the kennel, and headed back to our campsite to make dinner, toast marshmallows by the fire, and pass out in the tent. After such a long day we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
The next morning I woke up thinking someone had just run me over with a truck. Every muscle on my body ached, from my legs and back, to my chest and my arms. Along with the pain, my knees and elbows were both badly bruised up. I woke up Tiffany, and she said she felt the same way. Than when it came time to stand up, the pain only became more noticeable. A simple task such as kneeling on the ground to roll up your sleeping bag was a challenge. Though the pain was great, The idea of what we accomplished felt even greater. Not very many people get to see what we saw down there, so to us what we had to go through was worth it. Tiffany and I broke down the tent, packed up all are things, boarded the car, and checked out. All in a hurry to catch McDonalds breakfast before they switch to their lunch menu. We felt we deserved a hearty meal after what we endured. And every bite tasted like sweet sweet victory.
After washing up, dinner was ready, and we all sat down at the dinner table. Best meal ever! Rosi had prepared Roast duck fresh from the farm, Corn grown on Luke’s parent’s farm, potatoes, and Fried Okra,(Best fried Okra in the world). After dinner we all gathered on the deck and I introduced them to “Apples to Apples”. By the end of the game we were all laughing and smiling and having a great time. It got late, so we all went to bed, and the next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and drove off. Tiffany and I both cried a bit on the drive. The Lovell’s are great people and we loved our time spent with them, but the road was calling us. New adventures and new experiences awaited us.
One of those new experiences was our trip to Mammoth cave. After leaving the farm, we headed to Mummies’ house in Tennessee. There we had lunch with her family. Another great meal that left us feeling fat and happy! We reorganized our trunk, sat and talked with family, and downloaded a few movies online in case we get bored later on our travels. After everyone went home, Tiffany and I got out the squirrel we had been keeping in a jar of salt water, and put it on the grill. After about an hour it was ready to eat. I called Uncle Jamie out of the house and the three of us gathered around and all got to taste grilled squirrel for the first time. It was delicious! Better than I imagined it would taste, and because we kept it in salt water over night there was hardly any gamey taste. After eating our prize, we all went to sleep. Mumzie was more than too kind on insisting on giving up her bed for the night. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever laid in and we fell fast asleep.
Waking up well rested, we gathered our things and headed out to Mammoth Cave. We checked in, found our campsite and set up camp. After pitching our tent, Tiffany, Annabelle, and I all went for a walk. The walk was wonderful, and after about a half hour, we came upon a spring. As soon as my toes touched the water, chills ran up my spine. It was ice cold. I kept running back and forth between having my feet in the ice cold waters, and standing in the warm sand along the bank. Annabelle had a blast running around and playing in the sand, and after a few minutes I finally convinced Tiffany to take her shoes off and play in the water with me. We both felt like little kids discovering water for the first time. After a while, we headed back to camp, and set up our stove to cook dinner. After dinner, we built a fire and toasted marshmallows. I kept catching mine on fire, and Tiffany’s were all coming out perfect. I decided to humble myself and asked Tiff if she would make me toasted marshmallows for the rest of the night, she agreed, and they were all delicious! After the fire died down, we put it out and went into the tent to sleep.
The next morning we both woke up extremely early, and got dressed. Tiffany took Annabelle to the Kennel and I prepared breakfast. After filling up on oatmeal, we put our valuables in the car, and headed to the visitors center to pick up our tickets for the “Wild Cave Tour”. We met up with our tour guide, grouped up with about 12 others, and boarded the tour bus. After about 10 minutes of driving and debriefing, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, and proceeded to walk the steps single file down into the unknown. As soon as we entered, the temperature changed from cold to really cold! Thankfully, we were all wearing coveralls, which kept us warm. The caves were gorgeous! The walls and ceiling were lined with the most beautiful Gypsum we’ve ever seen, almost everywhere you looked, there were flowers made of crystal the size of a grapefruit hanging from the ceiling . The cave was about 10 ft high, by about 20 feet wide, but after walking a few minutes, watching the ceiling and the floor slowly coming together, we arrived at our first challenge. Before us lied a pile of boulders. In between a few of those boulders was an opening, about as wide as a doorway and about a foot high. After telling everyone all the ins and outs of caving, what to do, what not to do, how to follow the person in front of you, and what to do if you loose site of the person behind you, our guide crouched down on his hands and knees and squeezed himself in thru the gap, and one by one, all the members of the group followed after. Once I was in, I couldn’t believe how small the moving space was. In some places the tunnels were wide enough to crawl on your hands and knees, but throughout most of it, all you could do was lay on your belly and pull yourself thru with your hands and elbows. Re-adjusting your torso and legs to work yourself around boulders, corners, stalactites and stalagmites. This went on for about 100ft /about 20 minutes. Near the end of this tunnel, there was another gap about 2ft wide, and about a foot high, that you had to pull your head through first, than your arms, than drag the rest of your body through by grabbing onto something in front of you, and pulling yourself up and through. Only to find yourself in another tunnel only a little bit wider than the last one, and make your way through it before finally reaching the next standing room. Once there, the group met back together, and we all got debriefed on the next part of the tunnel. This time, the tunnel was going to be shorter than the last, but twice as cramped. In he went, and in we followed. There was no turning back now, I wouldn’t know how to go back the way we came anyways. We were in this till the end. The walls were closer this time, and the gaps were smaller, but we all made it. One by one we went in, and one by one we made it out the other side. Each of us helping out the person behind us. Letting them know what to look out for, and teaching the next person our technique on how to overcome each obstacle. If you needed a little help making it through the gaps the person in front of you would pull you through, and if someone behind you needed help making it through, you gave them a hand. Everyone worked as a team, and because of it, the tour guide took us through tougher and tougher challenges because he knew we could handle them. After about 3 hours of this, we arrived at a huge room in the cave, there were tables set up, people from other tours filled the room and in the back people were serving sandwiches and drinks. There was even a restroom. There were about 200 people from different tours in the hall but our group was the only group of people wearing thick coveralls, and hard hats with headlamps. After lunch, we were all debriefed on the next part of the tour and off we went. As we moved along through the caves, the challenges got harder, but the wow factors increased. Sometimes we were looking down into what looked like a bottomless pit, and other times we were looking up a thousand feet, there were rooms with the most intense acoustics you’ve ever heard, there were rooms covered in water, rooms decorated with gypsum, rooms filled with stalactites. The sites were beautiful, the challenges were exciting and the sense of danger was exhilarating. Once we reached the end of the final tunnel over 6 hours had passed. We all made our way to the surface. Boarded the bus that was waiting for us, and drove back to the visitors center to change out of our caving gear. Tiffany and I couldn’t stop talking about the caves. We retrieved Annabelle from the kennel, and headed back to our campsite to make dinner, toast marshmallows by the fire, and pass out in the tent. After such a long day we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
The next morning I woke up thinking someone had just run me over with a truck. Every muscle on my body ached, from my legs and back, to my chest and my arms. Along with the pain, my knees and elbows were both badly bruised up. I woke up Tiffany, and she said she felt the same way. Than when it came time to stand up, the pain only became more noticeable. A simple task such as kneeling on the ground to roll up your sleeping bag was a challenge. Though the pain was great, The idea of what we accomplished felt even greater. Not very many people get to see what we saw down there, so to us what we had to go through was worth it. Tiffany and I broke down the tent, packed up all are things, boarded the car, and checked out. All in a hurry to catch McDonalds breakfast before they switch to their lunch menu. We felt we deserved a hearty meal after what we endured. And every bite tasted like sweet sweet victory.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Last Day at th Orchard
Since this is our last day at the orchard we figured enough had happened to fit into another update.
The day after posting the last depressive blog, we were sad and mentally exhausted. It was the last day the store was going to be open and we were anxiously awaiting Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were planning on stopping by on their way from Michigan to Florida. From 7am to 5pm we had one customer. They went out picking with 4 boxes and a half hour later came back with only a box worth. After they left, Daniel’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Carolyn showed up. We closed up shop and took them around to see the farm and the animals. Carolyn was ecstatic about the whole set up. It really brightened up our day to see their reactions and remember how fascinating the farm was to us when we first arrived. Around every turn was a photo opportunity and in every picture, the little goat Alpha made sure to be seen. They took us out to eat at Applebee’s, which was a massive treat for us. We hadn’t eaten at a restaurant in a long time and missed it. We cleaned our plates spotless. Over dinner, they told us about a job opportunity we might like in Alaska. From what we heard, ski and hunting lodges in Alaska will hire people to come and work four months of their busiest season. You call around February to try and get in, then they fly you out there, you work, and they fly you back. It reminded me a lot of wwoofing, since they provide you food and lodging in exchange for work, but if you stick it out and work the whole four months you make out with around $15,000. Daniel and I REALLY like the sound of that. Two people, each making that much, and we’d have enough back up money to go Wwoofing in Europe, which we really want to do. After dinner we said our goodbyes and gave hugs. It was nice seeing a familiar face after months of new people.
A few days later, Daniel and I were sitting in a pile of hay drinking our morning coffee when we experienced the most horrible and fowl smell. Six feet in front of us, Momma Duck launched herself out of her nesting box holding an egg shell, shaking her head viciously and proceeded to eat it. I decided to take one for the team and open the nest box to see what had happened. Lifting the lid, the smell was even worse and I dry heaved. But there, sitting in the middle of a circle of duck eggs was a tiny newborn chick. Apparently Momma Duck had been sitting on her eggs and two chicken eggs. One egg was a dud and must have cracked open after the other hatched. Since chicken eggs hatch much sooner than duck eggs, I scooped up the chicken (who was covered in rotten egg) and took it into the garage to see if we could build it a little house. We lined the bottom of a peck box with hay and grass and Daniel cut the bottoms off two 20oz plastic bottles to make a food and water bowl. Since drowning is a big concern with chicks, I filled the water bowl with pebbles before putting water in; that way the chick could sip the water from between the rocks and be in no danger. Daniel took another peck box and cut holes in it for windows and cut a flap for a door before duct taping it on as a lid. I figured that the chick (who we named Colonel Sanders) would imprint on me but I was wrong. The Colonel decided that Annabelle was going to be it’s mother. It follows her around, perches on her paws, and peeps when she is out of sight. Annabelle tolerates the baby very well. If it peeps, Annabelle checks on it. If it perches on her, she sighs and lays her head down. If it lags behind while following her, she’ll sit down and wait. The constant peeping from the tiny bird really grinds on our nerves; it makes noise 24/7, even when it sleeps. Unfortunately, the little guy fell sick after four days, and he passed on. Annabelle is very sad about this. I know I shouldn’t get too depressed over it because 10% of chicks die in the first two weeks. Rosi put in an order for 100 baby chickens that day and yesterday she got a call from the post office saying that they had come in. I emptied, bleached, and filled a container with straw and we piled all the chicks into it. They are so cute. 75 are Cornish cross, 10 are golden comets, 10 silver laces wyandottes, and 5 oraconas. The oraconas are mine and Daniel’s favorite because they are brown with black stripes.
We were all busting around early a few days ago. Luke wanted Daniel to take the chainsaw out and cut down dead peach trees and told me to take the loppers and cut the tiny apple sprouts that were popping up around the bases of all the trees. Luke took off on his tractor to get some mowing done. We were doing all this because some census government people were suppose to drop in and count every tree on the orchard. If the Lovell’s don’t have as many trees as they did in 09’ then they might get a grant. Daniel cut all the dead branches and trees and I made it through the first five rows of apple trees before my sprained ankle swelled up. Eventually, the people showed up and it sounded like they are going to get the grant. Fingers crossed.
Last night, I suggested that the younger ducks look delicious and that we should process one. We spotted the biggest of the ducks and tried to corner it but it got past me, Daniel, and Luke. I yelled to Annabelle “Go get it!” and she took off like a bat out of hell. She chased it around the garage and trapped it; running circles around it and snapping her jaws as a warning. Annabelle may have been quick to corral the loose duck but Luke was quicker at grabbing another. He snatched one up like it was nothing and cut the head off, handing me the carcass. Annabelle got the head for being such a good herding dog. She ate it all, Skull, brains, and bill. I held the headless, twitching thing in the air as Rosi boiled a pot of water. They carried the pot out and we dunked the bird in, ruffling the feathers to make sure it got soaked to the bone. The boiling water loosened the skin’s grip on the feathers and we all got to plucking the bird. With four people pulling feathers, it didn’t take long at all. We took the carcass inside and Luke finished cleaning the outside of the bird in the sink. Afterwards, Rosi took over and showed us how to gut the bird. It was crazy seeing the crop of the duck filled to bursting with grass. Once it was all done, we put the bird in a pot of salt water, adding basil, garlic, and other seasoning to it, and put it in the fridge. It sat over night and we’re gonna eat him tonight. It’s going to be delicious.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us at the orchard. Since peach season has ended, I’ve wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into another sweet and juicy peach but they are all gone. Luckily, Daniel and I took a long walk yesterday and found that the apples that are starting to come in are just as good. Rosi, Luke, and all of the kids are so friendly and are fantastic hosts. We are very blessed to know them.
We leave here tomorrow and we have a tour reservation at Mammoth Cave for the 16th. We are so excited and cant wait to head out to our next destination!
The day after posting the last depressive blog, we were sad and mentally exhausted. It was the last day the store was going to be open and we were anxiously awaiting Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were planning on stopping by on their way from Michigan to Florida. From 7am to 5pm we had one customer. They went out picking with 4 boxes and a half hour later came back with only a box worth. After they left, Daniel’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Carolyn showed up. We closed up shop and took them around to see the farm and the animals. Carolyn was ecstatic about the whole set up. It really brightened up our day to see their reactions and remember how fascinating the farm was to us when we first arrived. Around every turn was a photo opportunity and in every picture, the little goat Alpha made sure to be seen. They took us out to eat at Applebee’s, which was a massive treat for us. We hadn’t eaten at a restaurant in a long time and missed it. We cleaned our plates spotless. Over dinner, they told us about a job opportunity we might like in Alaska. From what we heard, ski and hunting lodges in Alaska will hire people to come and work four months of their busiest season. You call around February to try and get in, then they fly you out there, you work, and they fly you back. It reminded me a lot of wwoofing, since they provide you food and lodging in exchange for work, but if you stick it out and work the whole four months you make out with around $15,000. Daniel and I REALLY like the sound of that. Two people, each making that much, and we’d have enough back up money to go Wwoofing in Europe, which we really want to do. After dinner we said our goodbyes and gave hugs. It was nice seeing a familiar face after months of new people.
A few days later, Daniel and I were sitting in a pile of hay drinking our morning coffee when we experienced the most horrible and fowl smell. Six feet in front of us, Momma Duck launched herself out of her nesting box holding an egg shell, shaking her head viciously and proceeded to eat it. I decided to take one for the team and open the nest box to see what had happened. Lifting the lid, the smell was even worse and I dry heaved. But there, sitting in the middle of a circle of duck eggs was a tiny newborn chick. Apparently Momma Duck had been sitting on her eggs and two chicken eggs. One egg was a dud and must have cracked open after the other hatched. Since chicken eggs hatch much sooner than duck eggs, I scooped up the chicken (who was covered in rotten egg) and took it into the garage to see if we could build it a little house. We lined the bottom of a peck box with hay and grass and Daniel cut the bottoms off two 20oz plastic bottles to make a food and water bowl. Since drowning is a big concern with chicks, I filled the water bowl with pebbles before putting water in; that way the chick could sip the water from between the rocks and be in no danger. Daniel took another peck box and cut holes in it for windows and cut a flap for a door before duct taping it on as a lid. I figured that the chick (who we named Colonel Sanders) would imprint on me but I was wrong. The Colonel decided that Annabelle was going to be it’s mother. It follows her around, perches on her paws, and peeps when she is out of sight. Annabelle tolerates the baby very well. If it peeps, Annabelle checks on it. If it perches on her, she sighs and lays her head down. If it lags behind while following her, she’ll sit down and wait. The constant peeping from the tiny bird really grinds on our nerves; it makes noise 24/7, even when it sleeps. Unfortunately, the little guy fell sick after four days, and he passed on. Annabelle is very sad about this. I know I shouldn’t get too depressed over it because 10% of chicks die in the first two weeks. Rosi put in an order for 100 baby chickens that day and yesterday she got a call from the post office saying that they had come in. I emptied, bleached, and filled a container with straw and we piled all the chicks into it. They are so cute. 75 are Cornish cross, 10 are golden comets, 10 silver laces wyandottes, and 5 oraconas. The oraconas are mine and Daniel’s favorite because they are brown with black stripes.
We were all busting around early a few days ago. Luke wanted Daniel to take the chainsaw out and cut down dead peach trees and told me to take the loppers and cut the tiny apple sprouts that were popping up around the bases of all the trees. Luke took off on his tractor to get some mowing done. We were doing all this because some census government people were suppose to drop in and count every tree on the orchard. If the Lovell’s don’t have as many trees as they did in 09’ then they might get a grant. Daniel cut all the dead branches and trees and I made it through the first five rows of apple trees before my sprained ankle swelled up. Eventually, the people showed up and it sounded like they are going to get the grant. Fingers crossed.
Last night, I suggested that the younger ducks look delicious and that we should process one. We spotted the biggest of the ducks and tried to corner it but it got past me, Daniel, and Luke. I yelled to Annabelle “Go get it!” and she took off like a bat out of hell. She chased it around the garage and trapped it; running circles around it and snapping her jaws as a warning. Annabelle may have been quick to corral the loose duck but Luke was quicker at grabbing another. He snatched one up like it was nothing and cut the head off, handing me the carcass. Annabelle got the head for being such a good herding dog. She ate it all, Skull, brains, and bill. I held the headless, twitching thing in the air as Rosi boiled a pot of water. They carried the pot out and we dunked the bird in, ruffling the feathers to make sure it got soaked to the bone. The boiling water loosened the skin’s grip on the feathers and we all got to plucking the bird. With four people pulling feathers, it didn’t take long at all. We took the carcass inside and Luke finished cleaning the outside of the bird in the sink. Afterwards, Rosi took over and showed us how to gut the bird. It was crazy seeing the crop of the duck filled to bursting with grass. Once it was all done, we put the bird in a pot of salt water, adding basil, garlic, and other seasoning to it, and put it in the fridge. It sat over night and we’re gonna eat him tonight. It’s going to be delicious.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us at the orchard. Since peach season has ended, I’ve wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into another sweet and juicy peach but they are all gone. Luckily, Daniel and I took a long walk yesterday and found that the apples that are starting to come in are just as good. Rosi, Luke, and all of the kids are so friendly and are fantastic hosts. We are very blessed to know them.
We leave here tomorrow and we have a tour reservation at Mammoth Cave for the 16th. We are so excited and cant wait to head out to our next destination!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The Dark Side of Farm Life
Since the day we arrived at Lovell’s Orchard, it’s been nonstop peach picking, peach canning, store tending, and farmers markets, and that’s been a lot of hard work. But when it comes to farm life, there are many other hardships that rear their ugly heads at the worst times. The number of animals here, unfortunately, has been steadily dropping. To start, three of the original five kittens have gone missing, (one day they were all here, and over the course of only a few weeks, more just kept going missing) and now there are only two left. One of the four Geese have disappeared without a trace as well. Daniel and I both feel like the red foxes we have been seeing on our trips home from town are the culprits to blame.
Before we arrived, The Lovell’s had purchased this mesh like electric fence to keep predators away from their livestock, but since they started using it, a billy goat, a sheep, and a baby pig have all somehow managed to get themselves entangled in it overnight and have all died before we could hear their cries come morning. Needless to say, they no longer use the fence anymore. But there is a price to pay when you let your animals roam free on your property. The three remaining goats that now run free were curious and hungry last Sunday morning, and wanted the food in the rabbit cage containing the baby bunnies. So they flipped the cage over and broke it open, (while Luke, Rosi, and the kids were all away at church, and Daniel and I were away helping the Brevard’s bottle wine) causing momma bunny and two baby bunnies to escape. It’s been a week now, but even with all our combined efforts, we cant seem to catch momma bunny, and immediately after the cage was flipped, the two baby bunnies that escaped were both killed by the farm cats. Everyone was very broken up about it the day it happened, and it still weighs on mine and Daniels heart.
The worst story that we feel the need to share, concerns the baby ducks that were born a couple weeks ago. When they first hatched, there were fifteen ducklings. By day 2 or 3, we counted only fourteen. A couple days later, only thirteen. By the time there numbers had dropped to about ten or eleven, Luke thought maybe something was killing the ducklings, so he made the decision to put the Momma duck, and all the remaining ducks into the chicken tractor (a small metal 10x10 mobile enclosure that sits on the ground). Well, they did fine in it the first day, but when I went to check on them the next day, to my shock and horror, their were three dead ducklings laying in it. They had food, and plenty of water, and there was no possible way an animal could have gotten to them to kill them. I just don’t know why they were dying. Two days ago, Daniel checked on them, and found two more dead, leaving only five still living. And as if we didn’t all see this coming, Rosi and I went out to check on the last five yesterday while Daniel was out in the orchard picking peaches, four were laying in the grass dead, and the last one was barely hanging on to life. Rosi and I immediately rushed it into the house, and tried nursing it back to health. Holding its little beak up to some crumbled bread soaked in milk just waiting for it to try and eat something, anything. After an hour or so of trying to resuscitate this baby duck, Rosi had to leave and take the kids somewhere more positive. (And I understood this) But after she left, I made it my mission to bring this duckling back to life. I sat at the table with it for another two hours talking to her, comforting her, and trying my hardest to get her to eat or drink something. But she just stood there, lifeless. The damage, from what I can only assume was the extremely high summer heat we’ve been having, had already done it’s work, and after about another hour or so, the last remaining duckling died…
I guess in the rush of the harvest, it’s easy to give all your attention to the task at hand and put everything else of a lower priority on the back burner. By doing this, you keep the store shelves fully stocked with peaches and customers happy, in exchange for the goats eating the decorative plants outside the store, loose ducks and geese excreting all over the porch, and 500 pound pigs breaking down sections of fencing to take a swim in the pond…
Though this is all frustrating, we’ve been trying not to let it get us down. Everything that’s happened so far has just been another lesson Daniel and I have to learn before we can properly own a farm of our own one day. We only pray it doesn’t keep happening to the remaining animals. We don’t know how much more of this we can take.
Before we arrived, The Lovell’s had purchased this mesh like electric fence to keep predators away from their livestock, but since they started using it, a billy goat, a sheep, and a baby pig have all somehow managed to get themselves entangled in it overnight and have all died before we could hear their cries come morning. Needless to say, they no longer use the fence anymore. But there is a price to pay when you let your animals roam free on your property. The three remaining goats that now run free were curious and hungry last Sunday morning, and wanted the food in the rabbit cage containing the baby bunnies. So they flipped the cage over and broke it open, (while Luke, Rosi, and the kids were all away at church, and Daniel and I were away helping the Brevard’s bottle wine) causing momma bunny and two baby bunnies to escape. It’s been a week now, but even with all our combined efforts, we cant seem to catch momma bunny, and immediately after the cage was flipped, the two baby bunnies that escaped were both killed by the farm cats. Everyone was very broken up about it the day it happened, and it still weighs on mine and Daniels heart.
The worst story that we feel the need to share, concerns the baby ducks that were born a couple weeks ago. When they first hatched, there were fifteen ducklings. By day 2 or 3, we counted only fourteen. A couple days later, only thirteen. By the time there numbers had dropped to about ten or eleven, Luke thought maybe something was killing the ducklings, so he made the decision to put the Momma duck, and all the remaining ducks into the chicken tractor (a small metal 10x10 mobile enclosure that sits on the ground). Well, they did fine in it the first day, but when I went to check on them the next day, to my shock and horror, their were three dead ducklings laying in it. They had food, and plenty of water, and there was no possible way an animal could have gotten to them to kill them. I just don’t know why they were dying. Two days ago, Daniel checked on them, and found two more dead, leaving only five still living. And as if we didn’t all see this coming, Rosi and I went out to check on the last five yesterday while Daniel was out in the orchard picking peaches, four were laying in the grass dead, and the last one was barely hanging on to life. Rosi and I immediately rushed it into the house, and tried nursing it back to health. Holding its little beak up to some crumbled bread soaked in milk just waiting for it to try and eat something, anything. After an hour or so of trying to resuscitate this baby duck, Rosi had to leave and take the kids somewhere more positive. (And I understood this) But after she left, I made it my mission to bring this duckling back to life. I sat at the table with it for another two hours talking to her, comforting her, and trying my hardest to get her to eat or drink something. But she just stood there, lifeless. The damage, from what I can only assume was the extremely high summer heat we’ve been having, had already done it’s work, and after about another hour or so, the last remaining duckling died…
I guess in the rush of the harvest, it’s easy to give all your attention to the task at hand and put everything else of a lower priority on the back burner. By doing this, you keep the store shelves fully stocked with peaches and customers happy, in exchange for the goats eating the decorative plants outside the store, loose ducks and geese excreting all over the porch, and 500 pound pigs breaking down sections of fencing to take a swim in the pond…
Though this is all frustrating, we’ve been trying not to let it get us down. Everything that’s happened so far has just been another lesson Daniel and I have to learn before we can properly own a farm of our own one day. We only pray it doesn’t keep happening to the remaining animals. We don’t know how much more of this we can take.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Newly born baby ducklings
This Lunar Moth flew into the Cider room just after nightfall the other day
All the baby kittens relaxing in front of the store one afternoon
That's one proud mother
The highlight of the week occurred a couple days ago. A film crew from a television show called "Bluegrass & Backwoods" came to the farm to interview The Lovelle's and shoot footage for their upcoming season. All that morning we we're running around the farm preparing for their arrival. Getting the grounds cleaned up and the store organized, getting the lawn mowed, cleaning the porch, and making sure the store was fully stocked with peaches. Just as Tiffany and I were putting the last peaches on the shelves, They were pulling into the driveway out front. So Tiffany and I bolted upstairs to shower and change out of our sweaty clothes. Once we were clean and dressed we ran downstairs as fast as we could only to find out we had to go and change back into our picking clothes because the film crew wanted us to pick peaches on camera. So we ran back upstairs and changed once again. After that we all proceeded to pile into the truck and Rosi drove us out into the orchard, and the team followed. Then we all picked a few boxes on camera while we talked amongst ourselves. While picking, the host of the show interviewed Tiffany and I about woofing and our travels. After the picking was thru, we changed out of our sweaty clothes again and I showed the film crew around the property. Showing off everything from the Baby ducks and the baby pigs, to the baby bunnies and the baby kittens. Then once Luke got home from work, it was time for the important interview. Luke and Rosi looked so nervous at first, but after the first couple of questions, they both warmed up to the idea of being on camera. After the main interview, the crew left and everyone could relax. Everyone except for Luke, who doesn't know the meaning of the word relax, he immediately found something that needed to be done, and started working on it. The whole day was alot of fun and now we're all ancy to see the show once it airs. Apparently it will air sometime next spring on 2 networks in Kentucky, and even a few in Europe. Don't worry, we will post the video to our blog, as soon as we get our hands on it.
Sunday morning Tiff and I had the opportunity to go to the Bravard's and help bottle more wine. We jumped on the chance, and spent all morning bottling wine. The first half of the morning went smoothly, but once we hit the third kind of wine the "Lady Genvieve", Things started going wrong. First off Jim forgot to clean the remnants of red wine out of the reservoir tank before pumping white wine thru it, So by the time the wine reached the bottler, it was a dark amber color. We tried to fix the problem by dumping the discolored wine back into the main white wine tank, but we didn't want to do that too much or else the whole batch would be ruined. So we attempted to bottle some of the wine into personal bottles, and that got rid of much of the tainted wine. But as soon as we started bottling the wine to sell we managed to reach yet another snag in the line. Within less than a minute of pumping the wine thru, the filter clogged. Jim cleaned the filter and turned the pump back on only to see the gauge shoot back up to maximum capacity within less than a minute. So Jim made the executive decision to call it quits for the day and send us on our way, but not without first paying us for our time and giving us a couple complimentary bottles of wine. The Bravard's are such nice people, and Tiff and I both love going out there to help them out.
As soon as we arrived back at the farm, everyone was in panic mode. There were no peaches picked for the store, Rosi and Luke had just gotten home from church, and there were cars lined up outside the store waiting for peaches. We pulled in, loaded the car with boxes, and pulled out again to pick. Filling two boxes, driving back to the store, delivering the peaches, driving back out, picking three more boxes, driving back and delivering, than driving back out to pick again. It went on like this for about an hour, until we pleased every last customer and the store was stocked again. It's work like this that really makes you appreciate a good nights rest come nightfall. Thankfully, peach season is almost at an end, and we'll probably run out of peaches by the end of the week. It's been a whole lot of fun, but it will be a nice change of pace to work on projects that arnt just picking peaches.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Murphy's Law
Things have been more than busy here on the orchard, we had no idea it could get this intense. When peach season is in full swing, everything else is instantly put on pause until the end of the season and every peach is gone. Their most popular peach, the red havens, just happened to ripen at the beginning of the hottest week of the year and it seems like every family in a 50 mile radius wants them. Parents with kids come out to pick a box or two, elderly couples come in and buy the pre-picked boxes and the Amish come by at last twice a week and pick between 10 and 20 bushels. Apart from keeping the store fully stocked at all times, our biggest goal is to try our hardest to keep up with Luke, the owner of the farm. This guy is a machine. He wakes up before everyone else, goes to work in the coal mines all morning and afternoon, then comes home and works on the farm until it’s too dark to see. Always going, no breaks, from sun up to sun down. He’s a hard one to keep up with, but Daniel and I are really building up our endurance. I feel stronger now than I’ve ever been. I just wish it was enough.
Since the heat had been so stifling (with humidity, it felt about 110) we could only go out picking 5am-9am then 5pm to sundown. To fill that space, the Lovell’s friend’s the Bravards who own the Vineyard they took us to a week ago called and said they needed some help bottling wine. This sounded like an amazing opportunity for us. So with Rosi and Luke’s permission we took the side job. The bottling room for the vineyard is amazing. It’s a big building made of concrete blocks and stone that he built himself. The door to the building is 4 in thick wood and makes the whole thing look like a castle. They are prepared to withstand a siege. Jim Bravard is a really nice guy and was more than willing to share all his wine-making knowledge with us, from the different kinds of wine to the most important thing; Sanitation. We basically manned assembly line jobs. Jim bottled the wine, I corked it, then Daniel put on the seals and boxed them up. Even though it was repetitive work, the good company and air conditioned room made it a fun time. We went out to help twice bottling white wines and would have gone back but the orchard really needed our help.
The walk in cooler for the store broke down and the peaches couldn’t stay in there anymore. We moved the peaches where ever we could find cool air. All the refrigerators got filled first, then we resorted to cranking up the AC in the house and packing the boxes in the kitchen around the floor vents. Of course the moment the cooler went out and we had to watch how many peaches we could store, everyone wanted the prepicked ones. Murphy’s Law. Dan and I were out all day picking bushel after bushel. Rosi even called up a few Amish families and they came out and picked. Then a school called in the mist of all the "crazy", and scheduled a tour for 25 small children the morning of a farmer’s market. We had to decide whether to go to the market and sell the peaches we had to get rid of or take the school group. We picked the school and ran around the whole night before and morning of making sure everything was perfect for them. We even prepared 25 goodie bags of peaches for the children to take home with them. We were all excited after all our hard work then we sat back and waited. And waited... And waited... Finally, Rosi called them up and talked to one of the administrators. They said that they had never even heard of a tour scheduled, so they told her they would call back once it got straightened out. They never called back. Again, Murphy’s Law.
Things really started turning around yesterday. Me, Rosi, and Daniel decided it was going to be a good day regardless of anything. In the morning we listened to some relaxing music sitting on hay bales under a tree then went in and ate some fantastic French toast Rosi had made to celebrate Maddie’s 9th birthday. I cleaned the dishes then Dan and I went and over tended the store while Rosi took Maddie and Hank to the humane society to see if a stray puppy they found had an owner. It didn’t and Maddie got a puppy for her birthday. YaY! When Luke got home that night and the kids were gone we piled into the truck and drove down to the back of the orchard to check out which peaches were next to be picked. The Bounty peaches were huge! The size of a baby’s head and just as soft (awkward joke). We decided that these were the peaches that would make farmer’s market and proceeded to pick as many as humanly possible. We filled the truck to bursting then munched on some wild blackberries before heading back to the house. All the peaches got lined up on the kitchen floor next to the vent until there was only a little bit of walking space. Daniel and I then vacated the house and moved back to our apartment to shower and eat steak and watch true blood.
At 5 o’clock in the morning we woke up and loaded up the truck and Rosi and I got to the farmer’s market by 6. We were sold out by 7:30. It was like god shined down on our truck and announced that these peaches were the key to eternal life.
After we got back, the day was kinda chill. I crochet some stuffed animals then made raised beds for Rosi’s herbs. I took the idea for them from the farm in Indiana and used some of the old tires that were laying around and made them look all pretty. Daniel cleaned up and organized around the front and back yard. Its nice doing things outside that make them happy that also isn’t just picking peaches. It was like a vacation.
Since the heat had been so stifling (with humidity, it felt about 110) we could only go out picking 5am-9am then 5pm to sundown. To fill that space, the Lovell’s friend’s the Bravards who own the Vineyard they took us to a week ago called and said they needed some help bottling wine. This sounded like an amazing opportunity for us. So with Rosi and Luke’s permission we took the side job. The bottling room for the vineyard is amazing. It’s a big building made of concrete blocks and stone that he built himself. The door to the building is 4 in thick wood and makes the whole thing look like a castle. They are prepared to withstand a siege. Jim Bravard is a really nice guy and was more than willing to share all his wine-making knowledge with us, from the different kinds of wine to the most important thing; Sanitation. We basically manned assembly line jobs. Jim bottled the wine, I corked it, then Daniel put on the seals and boxed them up. Even though it was repetitive work, the good company and air conditioned room made it a fun time. We went out to help twice bottling white wines and would have gone back but the orchard really needed our help.
The walk in cooler for the store broke down and the peaches couldn’t stay in there anymore. We moved the peaches where ever we could find cool air. All the refrigerators got filled first, then we resorted to cranking up the AC in the house and packing the boxes in the kitchen around the floor vents. Of course the moment the cooler went out and we had to watch how many peaches we could store, everyone wanted the prepicked ones. Murphy’s Law. Dan and I were out all day picking bushel after bushel. Rosi even called up a few Amish families and they came out and picked. Then a school called in the mist of all the "crazy", and scheduled a tour for 25 small children the morning of a farmer’s market. We had to decide whether to go to the market and sell the peaches we had to get rid of or take the school group. We picked the school and ran around the whole night before and morning of making sure everything was perfect for them. We even prepared 25 goodie bags of peaches for the children to take home with them. We were all excited after all our hard work then we sat back and waited. And waited... And waited... Finally, Rosi called them up and talked to one of the administrators. They said that they had never even heard of a tour scheduled, so they told her they would call back once it got straightened out. They never called back. Again, Murphy’s Law.
Things really started turning around yesterday. Me, Rosi, and Daniel decided it was going to be a good day regardless of anything. In the morning we listened to some relaxing music sitting on hay bales under a tree then went in and ate some fantastic French toast Rosi had made to celebrate Maddie’s 9th birthday. I cleaned the dishes then Dan and I went and over tended the store while Rosi took Maddie and Hank to the humane society to see if a stray puppy they found had an owner. It didn’t and Maddie got a puppy for her birthday. YaY! When Luke got home that night and the kids were gone we piled into the truck and drove down to the back of the orchard to check out which peaches were next to be picked. The Bounty peaches were huge! The size of a baby’s head and just as soft (awkward joke). We decided that these were the peaches that would make farmer’s market and proceeded to pick as many as humanly possible. We filled the truck to bursting then munched on some wild blackberries before heading back to the house. All the peaches got lined up on the kitchen floor next to the vent until there was only a little bit of walking space. Daniel and I then vacated the house and moved back to our apartment to shower and eat steak and watch true blood.
At 5 o’clock in the morning we woke up and loaded up the truck and Rosi and I got to the farmer’s market by 6. We were sold out by 7:30. It was like god shined down on our truck and announced that these peaches were the key to eternal life.
After we got back, the day was kinda chill. I crochet some stuffed animals then made raised beds for Rosi’s herbs. I took the idea for them from the farm in Indiana and used some of the old tires that were laying around and made them look all pretty. Daniel cleaned up and organized around the front and back yard. Its nice doing things outside that make them happy that also isn’t just picking peaches. It was like a vacation.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
All the Volkswagen parts they could ever need
Homemade, handcrafted Spearhead
This woman demonstrated Pressure Canning
This is the man who made the spearheads and arrowheads
The man who owns this farm carved this statue out of a single piece of wood
Me, standing next to another statue he carved
The vegetable garden
This is how they heat the water for the outdoor shower
The pantry, stocked full of self canned goods
The raised garden beds made out of old tractor tires
Quail eggs
The homemade wine press
The food dehydrator
The outdoor shower
The 500 gallon tank of Vegetable oil
The reconditioned air conditioning unit that cools the entire garage
(That runs completely on vegetable oil)
The Cooler they turned into a meat smoker
The Self Sufficient Farm
So 2 days ago Tiffany and I had the experience of a lifetime!
The day started with us waking up at 5 in the morning and hauling the loads of peaches we had picked the night before onto a trailer and taking them to the farmer's market. Since they are the only peach orchard for miles there were people waiting for us when we pulled in and parked. Well over half was sold within a few hours and once the crowds had slowed Luke decided it was time to take the rest of the peaches to an auction out in Amish country. The drive out there was full of corn fields, (as previously discussed). We pulled in to a huge empty lot with a large covered loading platform in the middle. We backed the trailer in and started loading the peaches onto small 5" x 5" movable pallets. (Apparently after dropping off your good at this auction, you can just leave, and the organization will just send you a check once the auction is over), so after signing in and lining up all the peaches in a neat row next to all the other venders goods it was off to our next destination.
After about 20 minutes of driving, we pulled onto a small dirt road and drove up to a small house in the woods. Luke and Rosi surprised us again by taking us to a small, independently owned vineyard for some wine tasting! Tiffany and I were blown away by how delicious all the wines were that we tasted. After trying about 5 or 6 different wines, they let us pick the one we liked best and purchased it for us. The owner was extremely kind and really seemed to love his job. He told us all about the ups and downs of the Wine Making business, as well as other places of interest in the area that we should visit while were in town. After that we headed back back to the farm, but not without first stopping at a wonderful Amish family's farm to buy some raw milk and a pound of freshly churned butter.
Rosi and Luke had been planning on going up to Indiana for a get together hosted by a homesteading magazine called "Country Side". They hold the event once a year over 4th of July weekend and have people camp in their property and have demonstrations on all different kinds of things (self-sufficient related). Rosi invited us to tag along so we packed some water bottles, piled in their 4-door, and started the 2 hour drive through the country.
Once we arrived at our destination, we got out of the car, stretched our legs, and walked up to the house. Making our way past the saw mill, the tents, the motor homes, and between the house and the garage into the back yard, we started to see all the people. People set up with blankets on the ground giving demonstrations, children running around with their dogs, and people sitting on picnic tables sampling homemade soups. Everyone looked like they were having a great time, and everyone seemed very interested in everything everyone else had to say. After Luke and Rosi found someone they knew to talk to, Tiffany and I wandered until we found someone giving a demonstration on how to make your own arrowheads. Sitting next to him were a few arrows, with arrowheads that he just made, and we walked up while he was making a spearhead. We sat and listened for a while, as he honed and sharpened the spearhead, and answered questions that people had. After that, we sat in on a lesson in pressure canning.
The highlight of the trip occurred when we were asked by the owner to tour the the property. It started out with a tour of "The House That Junk Built", we were shown the kitchen with the free cast iron sink dragged in from the woods, and the free kitchen cabinets reconditioned from a tear-out job from another house. Than it was on to the master bedroom trimmed with paneling and framework and wood flooring given to them from another tear-out job. Upstairs we toured the hole in the wall pantry complete with all the canned food to last a nuclear holocaust. After the house we were shown the beautiful garden complete with lettuce, okra, beans, raspberries, blackberries, cabbage, corn and everything else you could think of.
They had an outdoor shower heated with copper tubing coiled thru a trashcan filled with water sitting over an open fire, and cold water pumped up from one of the many ponds surrounding their property. They had raised garden beds made out of old hollowed out tractor tires, an herb drying station heated by a single light bulb and fan, a wine making station where they utilize a garbage disposal to puree their grapes/apples/peaches or whatever else they wanted to turn into wine, and a meat smoker made out of an old 2 door soda cooler. The best part of the tour was when we reached the garage. Sitting in neat little rows were about a hundred 2 gallon jugs filled with spent cooking oil that they've collected over the years. After sitting for a while, the oil separates into 2 parts, they turn the bottom half (the pure fat) into soap, and just inside the garage, was a 500 gallon tank filled with the top half, (Pure vegetable oil) which they use to power all the diesel engine vehicles on their property, as well as an air conditioner taken off the back of a refrigerated semi truck. All ran completely on the free vegetable oil they've collected.
The tour we took was a once in a lifetime opportunity, full of information and examples that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives, and eventually use to build our own house one day. This couple has finally reached full self sustainability. And can now life fully off the land without the necessity of depending on society for the things they need. Tiffany and I now know that one day we will be able to live like this ourselves. And that is our goal. Freedom can be achieved. We now have proof.
After we left, Rosi and Luke took us out to dinner at a country buffet called Moonlight BBQ, They had the most amazing ribs on earth. And supposedly President Clinton once ate there, Which is pretty cool.
Needless to say, after such a full day, we slept good that night.
The day started with us waking up at 5 in the morning and hauling the loads of peaches we had picked the night before onto a trailer and taking them to the farmer's market. Since they are the only peach orchard for miles there were people waiting for us when we pulled in and parked. Well over half was sold within a few hours and once the crowds had slowed Luke decided it was time to take the rest of the peaches to an auction out in Amish country. The drive out there was full of corn fields, (as previously discussed). We pulled in to a huge empty lot with a large covered loading platform in the middle. We backed the trailer in and started loading the peaches onto small 5" x 5" movable pallets. (Apparently after dropping off your good at this auction, you can just leave, and the organization will just send you a check once the auction is over), so after signing in and lining up all the peaches in a neat row next to all the other venders goods it was off to our next destination.
After about 20 minutes of driving, we pulled onto a small dirt road and drove up to a small house in the woods. Luke and Rosi surprised us again by taking us to a small, independently owned vineyard for some wine tasting! Tiffany and I were blown away by how delicious all the wines were that we tasted. After trying about 5 or 6 different wines, they let us pick the one we liked best and purchased it for us. The owner was extremely kind and really seemed to love his job. He told us all about the ups and downs of the Wine Making business, as well as other places of interest in the area that we should visit while were in town. After that we headed back back to the farm, but not without first stopping at a wonderful Amish family's farm to buy some raw milk and a pound of freshly churned butter.
Rosi and Luke had been planning on going up to Indiana for a get together hosted by a homesteading magazine called "Country Side". They hold the event once a year over 4th of July weekend and have people camp in their property and have demonstrations on all different kinds of things (self-sufficient related). Rosi invited us to tag along so we packed some water bottles, piled in their 4-door, and started the 2 hour drive through the country.
Once we arrived at our destination, we got out of the car, stretched our legs, and walked up to the house. Making our way past the saw mill, the tents, the motor homes, and between the house and the garage into the back yard, we started to see all the people. People set up with blankets on the ground giving demonstrations, children running around with their dogs, and people sitting on picnic tables sampling homemade soups. Everyone looked like they were having a great time, and everyone seemed very interested in everything everyone else had to say. After Luke and Rosi found someone they knew to talk to, Tiffany and I wandered until we found someone giving a demonstration on how to make your own arrowheads. Sitting next to him were a few arrows, with arrowheads that he just made, and we walked up while he was making a spearhead. We sat and listened for a while, as he honed and sharpened the spearhead, and answered questions that people had. After that, we sat in on a lesson in pressure canning.
The highlight of the trip occurred when we were asked by the owner to tour the the property. It started out with a tour of "The House That Junk Built", we were shown the kitchen with the free cast iron sink dragged in from the woods, and the free kitchen cabinets reconditioned from a tear-out job from another house. Than it was on to the master bedroom trimmed with paneling and framework and wood flooring given to them from another tear-out job. Upstairs we toured the hole in the wall pantry complete with all the canned food to last a nuclear holocaust. After the house we were shown the beautiful garden complete with lettuce, okra, beans, raspberries, blackberries, cabbage, corn and everything else you could think of.
They had an outdoor shower heated with copper tubing coiled thru a trashcan filled with water sitting over an open fire, and cold water pumped up from one of the many ponds surrounding their property. They had raised garden beds made out of old hollowed out tractor tires, an herb drying station heated by a single light bulb and fan, a wine making station where they utilize a garbage disposal to puree their grapes/apples/peaches or whatever else they wanted to turn into wine, and a meat smoker made out of an old 2 door soda cooler. The best part of the tour was when we reached the garage. Sitting in neat little rows were about a hundred 2 gallon jugs filled with spent cooking oil that they've collected over the years. After sitting for a while, the oil separates into 2 parts, they turn the bottom half (the pure fat) into soap, and just inside the garage, was a 500 gallon tank filled with the top half, (Pure vegetable oil) which they use to power all the diesel engine vehicles on their property, as well as an air conditioner taken off the back of a refrigerated semi truck. All ran completely on the free vegetable oil they've collected.
The tour we took was a once in a lifetime opportunity, full of information and examples that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives, and eventually use to build our own house one day. This couple has finally reached full self sustainability. And can now life fully off the land without the necessity of depending on society for the things they need. Tiffany and I now know that one day we will be able to live like this ourselves. And that is our goal. Freedom can be achieved. We now have proof.
After we left, Rosi and Luke took us out to dinner at a country buffet called Moonlight BBQ, They had the most amazing ribs on earth. And supposedly President Clinton once ate there, Which is pretty cool.
Needless to say, after such a full day, we slept good that night.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The store where we sell peaches, and the apartment above it is where Tiffany and I live
Blackberry cobbler that Tiffany made for me for my birthday
Tiffany, picking peaches to sell in the store
Annabell and I resting after the three of us went for a walk
Duck!
Alpha, the baby goat (She LOVES Annabell)
Duck, with all her babies
All the kitties in a pot, ready for cooking. Lol
The view of the Peach and Apple orchard from or balcony
Sheep!
Their home is a pig sty
Momma pig and all her babies
They even have a Peacock!
This bunny had 5 babies!!!
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