Look at this dog with his mouth full of melted butter. Like butter would not melt. In his big mouth.
Now look at the destruction. I shall have to add sunglasses to my shopping list.
And he has begun to pick himself sweetcorn too. He leaps at the stalks, grabs the cob of corn and runs off with it. Dragging the corn stalk right out of the ground. Then he strips and eats the corn. For a while there I thought we had a most unusual deer problem but no. It is Boo.
When I am picking apples he runs straight up the ladder and picks himself an apple then gallops off to play with it.
He is a Bad Boo says LuLu. Put him on his Naughty Boo Chair.
He is learning though. Slowly. He can sit, lay down and stay now. All on command. He has his own seat in the car, waits his turn to get in and out and twice a week he lays outside The Old Codgers door waiting quietly for Ton and I. The Old Codger is still Tons special friend. Dogs need lots of short repetitive training sessions frequently throughout the day. Altogether his training takes about twenty minutes a day. But it has to be every day.
It rained yesterday and half of last night. Very gentle, persistent welcome wet rain. Now it is dawning foggy and damp. The gardens are thrilled. I am thrilled. The hay field is still so short that every drop will have reached the soil. Lovely.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with the Big City so I will be taking the 8am train. As you know the train station is 45 minutes away so to get all the chores done and myself on that train I will be starting work at 5am. So it is possible that there will be no blog tomorrow morning.
The exciting news is that the Get Fat Chickens will be coming on Friday. The Post Mistress has been alerted to be on the look out for their arrival and today I shall set up an extra big brooder. I have stolen a big rubber water trough from the field and today I shall clean it and drag it into the cellar. I hope my heating lamp still works! They will be in there until they grow feathers then out onto the field in their great big mobile run.
I have been talking to an Amish poultry slaughter house and it will cost 2.85 per chicken. It is a two hour drive from here. So I will need to build a special comfortable covered box for them, that fits in the back of a pick up truck. This is the only facility for miles around, and in fact the closest one I can find and is essential to my plan. It does not take long to grow meat chickens so we need to be on our toes.
And while we are on subject the four sheep will be going to the abbatoir next week. Almost time to say our thank yous.
As I have been pickling and preserving and now that I am about to start getting meat in the freezer, I am getting closer to my goal of being able to feed myself from the farm for 52 weeks of the year. Self sufficiency at its most terrifying.
This summer has been so good so far that I am beginning to feel confident about the coming winter. I am only eating from the farm now, and I am going to see how long I can go into the winter. I am not sure that John will join me in this experiment. I bet he will cheat every time he goes to town. But very soon. Maybe as soon as next summer, I am going to dare myself to go a whole year only eating chemical free home grown food from the farm. But in a pioneerish kind of way in that I can hitch up the metaphorical wagon and go buy coffee, flour and seeds once or twice in the winter. And I will be using electricity. And visiting the city every now and then for a treat! I am not that crazy!
So you see there is a goal as well as the lifestyle. And so far I have been practicing and learning all the old ways towards achieving that goal. And maybe I will write a little book as I go. I am practicing for that too.
Have a lovely day.
your slightly crazy friend, celi.
P.S. What we were doing a year ago! A very rare shot of miss c and the shush sisters who were SO LITTLE only 12 months ago!
The Kitchen's Garden 
53 responses to “The Naughty Boo’s Chair”
My goodness! Eating solely from your farm for a year!?! I of course have questions about lemons, caffeine, and cooking oil!!!
I will have stocked up. Lemons are already on the Treat list. The wording of the Dare is something I am working on. Obviously I cannot go without olive oil or grapeseed oil. And tea or coffee. But when i am not milking there will be no milk, no cheese, and only the butter i have made and frozen. It will take ssome working on. But I am still searching for that headline. A chemical free year. A year off the farm. i don’t know. What do you think. A supermarket free year? c
A year of eating mindfully
Funny reading your comments about surviving a year on home grown – I am reading a book at the moment that is ALL about that! It is called “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and is written by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s about a family that moves from Tucson AZ to Virginia and onto a small farm, with the pledge to only eat what they produce themselves, or other farmers in the area. Has some hilarious bits in it, but also some great tips. Highly recommend.
Sad news my end, one of the kittens didn’t make it. Only had him two days (black and white guy called Oreo), but he had real bad diarrhea and Monday when I took him to the vet he had a seizure. Vet said it was kindest to euthanize him 😦 Not sure the cause, that young could be a number of things. Oliver is doing well, though he has a lump on his tail the vet thinks is from a bite. If it doesn’t heal will have to have part of his tail removed. Waiting a couple of weeks before I get him a playmate, just in case what ever Oreo had is infectious. Oliver is in guarantee in my office so the other animals are safe.
that should read quarantine!!
Oh dear, that is always a worry when you bring animals home. Lucky for you he was already at the vets and did not have to suffer longer. Lets hope Oliver comes through ok. I have also been reading the same book. in fact i was a wee bit peeved as i have been working on this plan for years as you know. The recipes are good! Like us she has a committment to good food, and unlike us she is a celebrated author which I am sure helps keep the farm running. In a few years John will be quitting his day job then we really will be dependent on the farmy. But that is the plan. Doing it alone for a year will be a trial! c
Well with your determination and ‘guts’ I know you will do it! I try to do the same, and have to compromise on some things (I don’t grow oats for my granola or nuts etc.), but I think if everyone did a small part in keeping to this kind of plan, the world would be a much better, safer place, and food would be edible again! I live alone so I know how hard doing things alone can be, but heck I now have muscles I didn’t before LOL
Good Luck my friend and I will certainly buy YOUR book!!
Another great book on farming to feed yourself is The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimbal. It is kind of like the Barbara Kinsolver book but more fun because the normally cautious author is persueded to give everything up to try her hand at starting a CSA farm on rented land in upstate new york. The persueder is her new partner who is inspirational and indomitable but also a little bit bonkers. My abiding memory of the book is the sheer amount of hard physical work they did in their 1st year and the necessity of learning new skills on the fly if they had any chance of surviving.
Will have to try this one – love reading how others ‘overcome’ obstacles when playing in the dirt!
Gosh, some times I think about something…like a zombie apocalypse, ( 🙂 as you do)…which would make me move to the cabin and live off the land without electricity, flour, salt or toilet paper. Maybe I’m taking this a bit too far…lol, but I absolutely love your enthusiasm and commitment and stand behind every hard decision you have to make and am cheering you on thru all your hard word and dedication. (Looking very forward to the possibility of a little book.)
But look at his face! He’s so cute. 🙂 Oh the visual of him grabbing the corn and running. LOL Dogs make a home but they sure are a handful!
I do hope you write a little book. Or a big book.
At least Rufus doesn’t steal things…I went through that with my Late, Lamented Chloe-Dog…
Sad that all the little slaughterhouses are gone…at least you could find one. Have a good day, c!
I love a resourceful dog! Shows gumption!
Thank goodness for the metaphorical wagon – what would life be without the essentials, coffee and sunglasses? Celi you have put soo much hard work into the Farmy it is going to be much deserved to enjoy the harvests. Your mail must do much to liven up the Post Mistress’s work day 🙂 Laura
I love Boo even if he is a little ornery at the moment. So glad the Farmy is giving you so much bounty—you have worked so hard and it is paying off. Yay You!
Hi Cecilia… firstly talking of corn, don’t know if you’ve ever tried the South African “vetkoek” I give a link to a recipe (http://www.rainbowcooking.co.nz/recipes/quick-vetkoek) now if you take this recipe and add fresh corn to it and after cooking fill with a currie mince or the like or for that matter just as is… I die for these… Linda makes small ones without any filling for snacks … ummmm to die for, try it…
I just love Boo and his antics… we had a fox terrier that used to climb the apricot trees and pick fruit to eat… only the ripe ones mind you…
Now for something different, I popped over to last years post specially to see the elusive Ci… I want to say, I think there are an awful lot of your followers that have the greatest of respect for you and what you do.. what you are trying to achieve is so commendable.. that a few photos of you at work every now and then will put the things you do in far more perspective… reading the other day of you moving all that hay by yourself had me thinking you must be built like an All Black rugby player, and yet you are actually a wisp of a woman… the pioneering spirit certainly comes through in your posts, now gives us a few inspirational photos of you hard at work…
Glad you got the rain after cutting the fields, should get good growth again for another cut…
Have a good day…
Thought of this the other day when I was on the tractor turning the hay. You would have loved a shot of that. But WHO will take the pictures, as I am here all by myself 6 days a week. However you are right, maybe on the seventh day, I shall work on it. Though I am terribly camera shy, too long behind one i guess. But i shall take on board your comments and thank you.. now i am off to check out this new corn thingy! Thank you for the link! c
You are not going to believe this but my mother used to make something like this when we were kids. And she died before I could ask her for the recipe. (and many other recipes and family secrets for that matter) How incredible. I remember them with honey. They were divine. Now, to stuff them with the mince I cut a hole in them? After they are cooked? And should I add the fresh corn to the mixture? I am excited. These were a grand childhood memory for us. Thank you very very much.. c
Poor naughty Boo, though I’m sure he’ll be fantastic when he’s fully trained 😉
Wouldn’t you consider dispatching the chickens yourself? It shrinks your carbon footprint and is free! One chicken per day and two on the last is how we do it, then no one is alone.
Christine
Altogether there will be about 70 chickens. (We have neighbours who are culling their hen house so we will take them too to save on gas). We are feeding four households and their freezers, plus once winter hits they will die out in their little houses in the fields.So I cannot take my time. They will grow fast too!! Though it sounds like you have an excellent plan for dealing with your lot. As to the carbon footprint, I will bury some extra charcoal this year and we should be only be doing this once a year.. cc
When I was young and growing up on our farm we had a day set aside for nothing but butchering chickens. Each one of us had a job. I always plucked feathers. My Mom of course was the last to handle the chicken…making sure all was clean and ready for the freezer. Or can you not do this yourself because you are selling some? By the way..our apples are very similar so this weekend I am making applesauce. Thanks for sending me a couple to look at!
You will have 50 chicks in your mail room on Friday. No, I am not selling them, but the others are buying their own chicks and contributing feed and paying their own charges. You want a couple? Excellent news about the apples. i had better get another load on the stove! c
Sure..I will come out and help you butcher mine! 🙂
You are doing so well at being self sufficient C – super proud of you! Oh dear poor Boo, seems he is just being a normal teenager pup.
Have a beautiful happy farmy day.
🙂 Mandy xo
We lost our marmalade cat for a few days and i was glad i had not named him and worried about how to tell you. . But there he was this morning eating dog food (he wont eat anything else, not even meat!).. so I guess he has a wandering soul. I thought ‘Tiba would be a nice derivative of your name suggestion. It seems he is visiting the neighbours too!! She just called to ask if he had come back!! c
Glad to hear a book is in the plans. Based on your posts here, it’s sure to be a great success. You already have a rapt audience.
poor Boo..it must be very hard being a puppy..learning right from wrong. maybe eating your sunglasses is going a bit too far..but eating sweetcorn and apples just shows his appreciation for your chemical free growing, and how much he enjoys eating natural food.
that’s my answer for him…xxxxx