Curiosity becomes obsession!
It began when I decided that driving for nearly two hours to get to a supermarket is a little inconvenient, and that because the road is sometimes closed due to avalanches, depending on distant suppliers is improvident. I started growing veggies in the back yard.
After watching a video on the living conditions of commercial laying hens, I wondered whether to give up eating eggs, or learn to raise chickens. The first chicks arrived that spring.
Veggies, eggs...what about milk? Neighbours with a property that I coveted announced that they were leaving the valley, and that their place was for sale. I scrambled to rearrange my finances...the deal went through...and after some delays, the first two delightful Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats came to reside at Blackbird Creek Farm.
I took a course in Permaculture, planted fruit trees and berry bushes, and experimented with when to weed, and when to let the "weeds" work for me. (Really, there is no such thing as a weed.) There have been ups and downs with predators and equipment failure. But it seems that if one area of production performs poorly, another will prosper. Didn't get around to planting seeds for spring greens? Young dandelion leaves are storehouses of vitamins and minerals, and are far cheaper than trendy salad greens. Spinach bolted? Try lambs' quarters--I actually prefer them to spinach. (Wildcrafting will be included in the blog as the season progresses--watch this space!)
This mini-farm is an experiment in "what works" at 1000 meters above sea level with an average of ninety frost-free days, at an intersection between coastal and interior climates, on post-glacial soil. My notions about what is "supposed to" work are continually challenged, so my direction keeps shifting in response to what the local conditions demand. Whether you are trying an identical venture in identical surroundings (unlikely), or are on a similar quest in the spot where you happen to be (much more likely), I hope that you find something of value, when you visit this site. Please check back from time to time--this website is, like everything it discusses, a growing concern!
After watching a video on the living conditions of commercial laying hens, I wondered whether to give up eating eggs, or learn to raise chickens. The first chicks arrived that spring.
Veggies, eggs...what about milk? Neighbours with a property that I coveted announced that they were leaving the valley, and that their place was for sale. I scrambled to rearrange my finances...the deal went through...and after some delays, the first two delightful Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats came to reside at Blackbird Creek Farm.
I took a course in Permaculture, planted fruit trees and berry bushes, and experimented with when to weed, and when to let the "weeds" work for me. (Really, there is no such thing as a weed.) There have been ups and downs with predators and equipment failure. But it seems that if one area of production performs poorly, another will prosper. Didn't get around to planting seeds for spring greens? Young dandelion leaves are storehouses of vitamins and minerals, and are far cheaper than trendy salad greens. Spinach bolted? Try lambs' quarters--I actually prefer them to spinach. (Wildcrafting will be included in the blog as the season progresses--watch this space!)
This mini-farm is an experiment in "what works" at 1000 meters above sea level with an average of ninety frost-free days, at an intersection between coastal and interior climates, on post-glacial soil. My notions about what is "supposed to" work are continually challenged, so my direction keeps shifting in response to what the local conditions demand. Whether you are trying an identical venture in identical surroundings (unlikely), or are on a similar quest in the spot where you happen to be (much more likely), I hope that you find something of value, when you visit this site. Please check back from time to time--this website is, like everything it discusses, a growing concern!