PUDDLE WATER IS BETTER

It is raining again.

Whereas parts of this country are having to adapt to drier drought like kinds of weather, and yet others have seas taking their roads and front porches, we seem to be getting wetter. The climate changes are moving fast – we need to be wide awake to keep up.

If they were able to change parts of the Midwest out of commercial inedible corn and beans dependent on inclement political overseas markets, and into actual food crops suited to short wet summers, we could feed a lot of America. Help take the load off California and it’s water problems.

They have bred a wheat that is suited to the Midwest and its damp short growing period. Specifically for the organic market. The University of Illinois has multiple trials going with wheat. We are growing one of the new wheats this year – Erisman.

Being on both sides of the wheat industry with the farm and The Mill and also on the sidelines of the development of new wheats to suit the changing climate makes me feel very fulfilled.

Until our wheat is ready we bought in some and milled it last week. Erisman is lower in protein and makes a really nice pastry flour. I will have it in small bags, this week.

We also have a couple of ancient wheats coming online soon – red fife, emmer, and another one with a name I have forgotten- oh – einkorn. But these are being grown in areas best suited to their growing characteristics on sister farms.

I look forward to bringing some of this knowledge home to New Zealand. My internet search tells me we have a dirth of whole kernel flour mills being such a small mountainous country. I will be in the South Island in January so I am going to get into the McKenzie Country and see what I can find.

Harlequin Pig.

His reflection in the water is so poignant.

Ok! So today I am going to pick the melons in the number two pig garden then shift the fence and let Poppy’s Six into their new food field. I hope the melons are ready as they have run out of time.

The meat chickens are living under a big tarpaulin, the big pigs are taking advantage of all the rain and digging over their field. We are collecting around ten duck eggs a day – at least three or four a day are small, from the new flock. So I am hoping that number continues to grow. Lots of new chicken eggs- we get three and a half dozen a day plus plenty of little pullets eggs from them too. I popped the rainbow chickens in with the big group last night so they can learn where to lay their eggs. And be safe. They are such dears.

The chickens and ducks really are good little money earners being a weekly hundred dollars in the summer and the ducks eat so little grain in this weather, they are particularly efficient.

Time for me to get farming. I work five and a half days a week. I just remembered that my Dad always worked five and a half days. Hmm.

I like the Mill Room when it is Mill Room when it is nice and quiet.

Oh – almost forgot. The Big Boss has acquired a Steel Cut Oats Machine! Just as soon as we build a food safe room for it we will begin our foray into Oats. Oats grow really well around here.

Stand by for steel cut oats in small bags.

I really must get a Mill Newsletter out soon. Everything moves so fast! Are you on that list?

OK. Pig time. I need to shift those electric fences.

Talk soon

Celi