Hello beautiful peeps,

Once again, it has been a long time since I’ve given you guys an update. My apologies. Life is just running by me at breakneck speed at the moment. Is it the same for you? 

Some of you have been added to Peaceful Heart Farm mailing list from my Village Wisdom Herbs website and mailing list. I’m combining it all into one website. If you no longer wish to receive emails, I understand. You will find the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this newsletter.

My main purpose for today’s newsletter is to announce the above about Village Wisdom Herbs and to reconnect to everyone else. I’m going to make one additional announcement here near the top of the newsletter before I go off into details about where we are today and what’s coming up.

The second piece of information that I want to get up front is our beef availability. I have an abundance of ground beef coming up in about two weeks. As a result I’m running a great sale. Ground beef is normally $9.00 per pound. During this short window of time I’m selling larger quantities at a discount. You can get 50 pounds for $7.50 per pound ($375), 25 pounds for $8.00 per pound ($200) or 10 pounds for $8.50 per pound ($85). Click or Tap HERE to check availability. Local pickup on everything in our store. 

We are getting very close to finishing the milking parlor and cheesemaking facility. Scott has been making posts on our community page https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. This platform is designed to be a community and to be able to support itself. Not only will Scott and I post, but as a subscriber, you can post as well. You can view content without becoming a subscriber, but there are significant benefits to taking the subscriber route. To get you started, here is the promo code for a 30-day free trial. FREE30 is the code to enter when registering.

I have two areas of subscriber-only content that I am in the process of creating. One is short presentations of various types of cheeses. The other is short presentations on various homestead medicinal herbs.

After the FREE30 days, it is $5 per month to become a subscriber. Subscriber status gives you access to ALL content, including the subscriber-only content I just mentioned. Additionally, Subscribers can make posts and comment on our posts or any other post in the community. Start conversations around local food, homesteading, cheese or any other topic of interest in this realm. Maybe ask a question about an issue you are having with your home and/or homestead. Get feedback from me and the entire community. Think of it like Facebook groups without the trolls. I post and we all comment. You post and we all comment.  

The pay wall does more than support your local food chain and our farm, website and podcast, it also keeps out those trolls. Anyone who wants to post in the community pays a nominal fee. Those who only want to be angry and destructive will not usually invest any money to be able to post their tirades. There are too many free ones, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and TikTok, and who knows how many others, where anyone can make any comment without fear of coming in contact with a real person. You know what I’m talking about. People saying things they would never say to a person in a face-to-face interaction.

In any case, check out Locals and let me know what you think. Here’s the link again: https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. 

PODCAST DETAILS

I realize it has been a long time since I updated you on goings-on here at the homestead. There are lots and lots of changes. I’ll just hit the highlights. My habit is to only send out an email when I have announcements with very brief homestead updates. Podcasts are where to find everything you ever wanted to know about the homestead as well as additional content regarding cheese, raw milk, medicinal herbs and homesteading.

Honestly, there has been a significant lag with the podcast publications as well. The last one came out in January. It has been a whirlwind of a spring, summer and fall. A new episode will be published in the next few days getting you up-to-speed on as much as I can cover in a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Subsequent episodes will bring you more details on the cows, dogs and sheep. There is just too much to get into one episode. 

Here we go with the very briefest of updates on the homestead. 

HOMESTEAD UPDATES

Finn, Charlotte and Mack 

If you are new, these are our livestock guardian dogs. Currently, Mack is in charge of the sheep (except for the ram) and adult cows. Finn and Charlotte are in with this years’ calves, the goats and our new ram that will join the sheep in just a few days.

Mack has turned into an exceptional guardian dog, though he does like to intimidate the sheep. That could be a better relationship but he is diligent in staying with his animals.

Charlotte still roams just about anywhere she pleases but mostly stays with those calves. Finn is tethered on a very long lead to keep him from roaming. He gets lost and has trouble finding his way back home. Also, he has an autoimmune issue with his eyes and receives treatment twice daily. This is a life-long treatment for him but, so far, it is very effective. He is not making tears and the medicine keeps his eyes in good shape. I’m loving my dogs. 

Sheep and Cows 

The latest count is six ewes and two wethers in the sheep flock. Everyone is doing great. Nothing exceptional to share there. 

As far as cows, I’ll give you a run-down on all of the girls.

We are currently milking nine. Butter, Cookie, Rosie, and Princess are all Jerseys. All are registered and certified A2A2 — except for Cookie. She is not purebred, but is mostly Jersey. She came from an A2A2 herd but we don’t have official paperwork on her. Then we have Wanda, Virginia, Violet and Ginger. These girls are all registered Normandes. This is our seed stock for building the herd. We have the genetics we are looking for in these girls. A2A2 and BB Kappa casein are what we need for our milk and cheese. Then there is Molly. She is 25% Normande/75% Jersey. We got her just because she is so beautiful. All of these girls are currently in milk.

Then there are the heifers from last year, Jill and Penny. They are both exposed to the young bull. We hope to have confirmation on their pregnancies soon.

Lastly are the calves from this spring/summer/fall. We have sold a couple and currently have five that are being bottle-fed and one that is already weaned. Katie was our only spring calf. She is by far the most beautiful calf I have ever seen. Her colors are just amazing. The younger, bottle-fed group were born between mid-July and mid-September. Hazel (who had a heart problem at birth but seems to be doing well at this time) and Peter are July babies. Lila and Paul are August babies. Andrew is bringing up the rear — the last one born in September. These are all gorgeous calves. Check out Scott’s pictures of them on Facebook and on the Locals platform.

Chickens

I went through a lot of changes with the chickens. Originally, I hatched six Black Copper Marans and six American White Bresse. Check out the podcasts on these guys. Eventually I decided to let go of the Bresse chickens. There were two roosters in the hatched group and they are simply too aggressive. These red, white and blue chickens are beautiful but I would get attacked just about every time I went out there. Perhaps I could find better genetics, but I decided that it was not worth the trouble at this time. In the spring I may purchase a few day-old bresse chicks to raise for meat. We shall see.

At one point a friend and neighbor gifted me a half dozen hens. A mixture of Rhode Island Reds, Cinnamon Queens and one that I have yet to identify. These are all great chickens.

This spring I hatched out some Black Copper Marans from my girls as I wanted to increase their numbers. I also hatched out some of the American White Bresse. I did keep one hen from that hatching. She was just too beautiful to go into the pot. So I have one white hen. Currently there are eight Black Copper Maran hens and one rooster. He is gorgeous. He stopped being aggressive when I got rid of the Bresse roosters.

Then there are the young Rhode Island Reds and Cinnamon Queens. These were from a group of day-old chicks I purchased in late May. Just a couple of days ago I started getting small eggs from that group. There are 11 hens in this group. Four RI reds and seven Cinnamon Queens. Looking forward to a lot more eggs in the very near future. I also kept one Rhode Island Red rooster for breeding purposes.  

I’ll be hatching more Black Copper Marans and Rhode Island Reds in the spring. The Cinnamon Queens are a hybrid chicken so I won’t be breeding any of them. They sure do lay lots of eggs and are a good breed to have on the homestead.  

Creamery 

Scott just ordered the last of the large items — sinks and such — he needs to complete the plumbing. Once that part is done, we are ready for inspection. It has been a very long road but there is a huge light at the end of the tunnel.

We already have lights and propane hooked up. Scott is using the large bulk milk tank in the milk room. He has a temporary set-up for using the water for lots and lots of cleaning in a much larger space, even while waiting on the sink. It is working — after a fashion. 

That’s it for farm news. 

ITEMS OF NOTE FOR SALE AT THE FARM AND INDEPENDENCE ONLINE MARKET:

Canned Stuff

• Medium Hot Salsa (pint jars)
• Sweet Pickle relish (1/2 pint jars)
• Dill Pickle relish (1/2 pint jars)
• Grandma’s Golden Relish (pint jars)
• Cowboy Candy (1/2 pint jars)
• Apple pie jam (pint jars).
• Pickled pepperoncini (pint jars). I have a variety with red pepper if you like a bit of spice.
• Pickled Beets – Four varieties (pint jars)

Baked Stuff

• Scones
• Muffins
• Dinner Rolls
• Black Magic Cupcakes
• White Magic Cupcakes

Herd Shares

I’ll see you in my usual location in Independence or here at the farm.

Add on as you desire. All cheeses and butter are at your service. Looking forward to seeing you on your scheduled pickup days.  

Pickup locations for the Independence Farmers’ Market is the Court House parking lot Wednesdays 3 pm to 4 pmor at the farm Saturdays 3 pm to 5 pm or Wednesdays 10:00 am to noon. Email me to let me know if you want anything extra this time. 

I still have raw milk cheese shares available. Contact me via email (melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com) or phone (276-694-4369).

Please go HERE to learn all about Herd Shares.

Peaceful Heart FarmCast

A new podcast is in the works. More on the homestead updates there.  

Free Downloads

I want to follow up on my previous FarmCast, The Taste of Cheese where I talked about developing your expertise with using descriptive words. The FREE downloads of Classifying Cheese by Type and Category and Expand Your Cheese Vocabulary are still available at our website. Please stop by and get your FREE resources. 

You can LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE. Or, if you have an Alexa device, just say: “Alexa, play podcast Peaceful Heart FarmCast.”

And don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the Peaceful Heart Farm podcast on Apple Podcasts, Android, TuneIn, Stitcher or Spotify

Hello beautiful peeps,

We are inviting all of you to come and visit us on Saturday, November, 26 between 12pm and 4pm. That’s Saturday after Thanksgiving. Bring the family. We will have baby goats to visit, chickens, and calves. We will have cheese for tasting and all sorts of jams, jellies, salsa and relishes available for purchase. Christmas gifts for the hard-to-shop-for person. Grass-fed beef and lamb will also be available for your holiday dinners. We’d love for you to shop with us instead of those boring chain stores. Or just come out and have a good time on a Saturday afternoon.

How about some homestead updates? 

HOMESTEAD UPDATES

Sheep, Goats, Finn, Charlotte and Mack 

It has been six months since I last sent out an email. How do I know? Because in the last email Finn had disappeared and not returned. Well hallelujah, he showed up again — after six months. He is a little worse for wear, but doing well. He is in charge of the two doeling goats we recently purchased. And doing a fantastic job, I might add. He is not really trying to escape. I’m not sure what has changed and it may not last. Right now I feel blessed to have him back and satisfied to stay home.

Mack is hanging out with the main cow herd and doing well. Charlotte does not stay contained where I put her. She goes pretty much wherever she wants. Fortunately, she wants to stay pretty close. I actually like that she can go where she needs to in case a predator comes too close. She’s not waiting until they are right there in the pasture.

Not much to say about the sheep. They are all doing really well. We have one ram lamb that is keeping company with the buckling we recently purchased. The does are too young to be bred so we have to keep him separate for a few more months.

The goats are the Kiko goats that I’ve spoken of in past newsletters.

Cows 

The cows finished the artificial insemination process a few weeks ago. We had such a problem getting them pregnant via AI, we finally purchased a bull to get the job done. He is a gorgeous Guernsey bull. We may have three that were artificially inseminated. The final results will be revealed in the first week of December. Ferdinand will take care of the rest of the girls. Calving is going to be late next year. It’s always rolling with the punches on the homestead. 

Chickens

We no longer have quail. The chickens I hatched have been reduced to 7 American Bresse and 8 Black Copper Marans. We had 8 Bresse, but Mack played with one a little too hard. That’s why he is with the cows at the moment. I’m not getting nearly as many eggs as I thought I would. Look for changes in that situation in the spring when we start hatching chicks.  

Creamery and Scott’s Other Stuff

Scott is getting closer and closer to finishing the creamery. We can hardly believe it has been nearly six years since we broke ground. It’s a beautiful and very functional building. I hope you’ll come on Saturday and take a look at all of his hard work. The electrical is about half done. The floors are nearly completed. The plumbing has yet to be started. That’s a job Scott is not looking forward to doing. He was going to contract it out, but the one bid he was finally able to obtain was way outside of our budget. Scott is a trooper and he will make it happen whatever it takes.   

Garden

The garden is put to bed for the winter. Nothing to say there. It produced well throughout the summer. Which is why I haven’t been putting out emails. I simply did not have the time.  

That’s it for farm news. 

Our Locals.com Community

Though I have been AWOL, Scott has continued to make regular posts on our community page https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. This platform is designed to be a community and to be able to support itself. Not only will Scott and I post, but as a subscriber, you can post as well. You can view content without becoming a subscriber, but there are significant benefits to taking the subscriber route. To get you started, here is the promo code for a 30-day free trial. FREE30 is the code to enter when registering.

I have a few areas of subscriber-only content that I am in the process of creating. Right now two are still only “in the mind” stage of development. One is short presentations of various types of cheeses. The other is short presentations on various homestead medicinal herbs. I do have one “subscriber only” playlist started. It will be three different mental exercises to improve your mental health. Concentration, memory, and imagination are the areas I address.

After the FREE30 days, it is $5 per month to become a subscriber. Subscriber status gives you access to ALL content, including the subscriber-only content I just mentioned. Additionally, Subscribers can make posts and comment on our posts or any other post in the community. Start conversations around local food, homesteading, cheese or any other topic of interest in this realm. Maybe ask a question about an issue you are having with your home and/or homestead. Get feedback from me and the entire community. Think of it like Facebook groups without the trolls. I post and we all comment. You post and we all comment.  

The pay wall does more than support your local food chain and our farm, website and podcast, it also keeps out those trolls. Anyone who wants to post in the community pays a nominal fee. Those who only want to be angry and destructive will not usually invest any money to be able to post their tirades. There are too many free ones, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and who knows how many others, where anyone can make any comment without fear of coming in contact with a real person. You know what I’m talking about. People saying things they would never say to a person in a face-to-face interaction.

In any case, check out Locals and let me know what you think. Here’s the link again: https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. 

ITEMS OF NOTE FOR SALE AT THE OPEN HOUSE:

• Medium Hot Salsa (pint jars)

• Various cucumber and squash relishes (1/2 pint jars)

• Spiced pear jam – a hint of ginger and cloves (pint jars)

• Apple pie jam (pint jars).

• Cherry Jam (pint jars).

• Pickled pepperoncini (pint jars). I have a variety with red pepper if you like a bit of spice.

• Pepper jelly in 1/2 pints. One hot and one super hot.

• Eggs by the dozen

• Grass-fed beef (Roast, Steaks, Brisket)

• Grass-fed lamb (Chops, Roasts, Leg of Lamb, Frenched Rack of Ribs) 

Herd Shares

Pickup locations are at the Independence Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays 3 pm to 4 pm or at the farm Saturdays 3 pm to 5 pm or Wednesdays 10:00 am to noon. 

I still have raw milk cheese shares available. Contact me via email (melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com) or phone (276-694-4369).

Please go HERE to learn all about Herd Shares.

Peaceful Heart FarmCast

The latest podcast “I’m Back From My Podcast Vacation” is an update on goings-on here at the homestead. Per usual, there are lots and lots of changes. This podcast covers a lot of ground. Listen to this latest one to get many more details on what’s been going on around the homestead.  

Free Downloads

I want to follow up on my previous FarmCast, The Taste of Cheese where I talked about developing your expertise with using descriptive words. The FREE downloads of Classifying Cheese by Type and Category and Expand Your Cheese Vocabulary are still available at our website. Please stop by and get your FREE resources. 

You can LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE. Or, if you have an Alexa device, just say: “Alexa, play podcast Peaceful Heart FarmCast.”

And don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the Peaceful Heart Farm podcast on Apple Podcasts, Android, TuneIn, Stitcher or Spotify

Hello beautiful peeps,

I have a new podcast episode out there. Please give it a listen and share with others who you think might enjoy my content.

I have two beef quarters available. Let me know if you are interested. It is 100 lbs of packaged and frozen grassfed and finished beef. About 40 to 45% is ground beef, the rest is ribeye, filet, NY strip, and sirloin steaks, various roasts, brisket, short ribs, soup bones and liver. I probably forgot something in that list. This is very high quality beef from our Normande herd. 

PODCAST DETAILS

How about a brief look at a day in my life? I also give a few homestead updates. It’s short and sweet. This is the first time I’ve created a podcast while making cheese. It actually worked out quite well. I might try it again.

I’ve finished my series of podcasts with very basic information on growing your own food. Next up for podcast series will be all about herbs used for herbal medicine. Most of that will only be available in my Locals community. You can find it at peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. 

My Social Media Community

My social media platform of choice is Locals.com. Our Locals community can be found at https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. This platform is designed to be a community and to be able to support itself. Not only will I post, but subscribers can post as well. You can view all of the content without becoming a subscriber, but there are significant benefits to taking the subscriber route. To get you started here is the promo code for a 30-day free trial. FREE30 is the code to enter when registering.

After 30 days, it is $5 per month to become a subscriber. Subscriber status gives you access to ALL content, including the subscriber-only content. Subscribers can post and comment on my posts or any other post in the community. Start conversations around local food, homesteading, cheese or any other topic of interest in this realm. Maybe ask a question about an issue you are having with your home and/or homestead. Get feedback from me and the entire community. Think of it like Facebook groups without the trolls. I post and we all comment. You post and we all comment.  

The pay wall does more than support your local food chain and our farm, website and podcast, it also keeps out those trolls. Anyone who wants to be part of the community pays a nominal fee. Those who only want to be angry and destructive will not usually invest any money to be able to post their tirades. There are too many free ones, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and who knows how many others, where anyone can make any comment without fear of coming in contact with a real person. You know what I’m talking about. People saying things they would never say to a person in a face-to-face interaction.

In any case, check out Locals and let me know what you think. Here’s the link again: https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. 

Homestead Updates

Cows

We are in the process of artificial insemination with our cows. It is not going well. In fact, it is going so badly that we are seriously considering keeping a bull. We used to keep a bull but got tired of feeding him through the winter. A full grown bull can eat a lot of hay. He only provides a benefit to the farm about two months out of the year. We shall see. There is still time to make a different choice. 

Mack and Charlotte 

I can’t remember if I mentioned that we lost Finn a while back. He escaped one last time and never returned. It was bound to happen. I had just determined I was going to try one of those “shock” collars because we were so afraid something was going to happen to him and to Charlotte. We were too late for Finn. And Charlotte has at least been staying nearby. She still gets out occasionally, but never goes very far. I have the collar now but am not going to use it at the present time. As long as she does not wander far, she should be fine. Finn would roam for miles and miles.

So Charlotte and Mack are getting to know one another. Everything is going well so far. They are both in with the sheep out in the front field. That is where we had a coyote attack earlier this year. I feel confident that is not going to happen again with these two guardian dogs on the job. 

Quail and Chickens

The quail are all gone now. We finally processed them and now our focus is on the chickens. There are 14 American White Bresse that are doing very well. The roosters are crowing up a storm now. Six hens and eight roosters. We will have a few chickens in the freezer soon.

There are nine Black Copper Marans. Better numbers there. Six hens and three roosters. I’ll be keeping all of the hens of both breeds and two roosters of each. The rest will be meat birds for our freezer.

In the spring, I’ll hatch out a bunch more so we can keep the freezer stocked. I expect the girls to be laying lots and lots of eggs starting in about a month. I’ll probably run out of quail eggs about that time so it will all work out well.  

Creamery and Scott’s Other Stuff

The electrical installation is getting ramped up. The ceilings and insulation will go in right after that. I think we are doing one room at a time. Scott tells me the “milk room” is ready for the ceiling and he needs my help with that. He has some of the electrical stuff in place and now I will help hold the ceiling panels up while Scott operates the electric screw driver. It’s easy work and I love helping out. 

Garden

The garden is amazing. This is our fifth year with these raised beds. Each year we have added compost from our farm. It has paid off big time this year. I have the most beautiful plants I have ever seen in any garden. Summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers, Swiss chard, eggplant, tomatoes — it is all amazing. 

That’s it for farm news. 

Farm and Farmer’s Market Items for Sale:

• Mild and Medium Hot Salsa in pint jars

• Sweet and sour pepper relish (pint jars)

• Spiced pear jam – a hint of ginger and cloves (pint jars)

• Pickled quail eggs in 1/2 pint jars.

• Apple and Peach pie filling (quart jars).

• Pickled pepperoncini (pint jars). I have a variety with red pepper if you like a bit of spice.

• Pepper jam in 1/2 pints

• Quail eggs by the dozen (limited quantities)

• Quail meat in 1 lb packages (limited quantities)

• We have ground goat (approx 1 lb)

• I’m out of ground beef (approx 1 lb) until the first week of September

• Grass-fed ground lamb (approx 1 lb) 

Herd Shares

I’ll see you in my usual location in Independence.

Add on as you desire. All cheeses and butter are at your service. Looking forward to seeing you on Friday.  

You can pickup at the farm Saturdays 3 pm to 5 pm or Tuesdays 10:00 am to noon. Email me to let me know if you want anything extra this time. 

I still have raw milk cheese shares available. Contact me via email (melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com) or phone (276-694-4369).

Please go HERE to learn all about Herd Shares.

Peaceful Heart FarmCast

Homestead Musing is now available. See the description above. Please like and share with others on all of your social media platforms. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app. 

Free Downloads

I want to follow up on my previous FarmCast, The Taste of Cheese where I talked about developing your expertise with using descriptive words. The FREE downloads of Classifying Cheese by Type and Category and Expand Your Cheese Vocabulary are still available at our website. Please stop by and get your FREE resources. 

You can LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE. Or, if you have an Alexa device, just say: “Alexa, play podcast Peaceful Heart FarmCast.”

And don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the Peaceful Heart Farm podcast on Apple Podcasts, Android, TuneIn, Stitcher or Spotify

 Hello beautiful peeps,

I’m back, I know it has been a long time and it is high time for a farm update. Getting back on track with everything has taken more time than I thought. Along the way, I’ve made advances in getting us off of the Facebook platform and onto another social media platform that is made for the people and not for gathering the people’s information. 

My platform of choice is Locals.com. Our Locals community can be found at https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. This platform is designed to be a community and to be able to support itself. Not only will I post, but subscribers can post as well. You can view all of the content without becoming a subscriber, but there are significant benefits to taking the subscriber route. To get you started here is the promo code for a 30-day free trial. FREE30 is the code to enter when registering.

After 30 days, it is $5 per month to become a subscriber. Subscriber status gives you access to ALL content, including the subscriber-only content. Subscribers can post and comment on my posts or any other post in the community. Start conversations around local food, homesteading, cheese or any other topic of interest in this realm. Maybe ask a question about an issue you are having with your home and/or homestead. Get feedback from me and the entire community. Think of it like Facebook groups without the trolls. I post and we all comment. You post and we all comment.  

The pay wall does more than support your local food chain and our farm, website and podcast, it also keeps out those trolls. Anyone who wants to be part of the community pays a nominal fee. Those who only want to be angry and destructive will not usually invest any money to be able to post their tirades. There are too many free ones, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and who knows how many others, where anyone can make any comment without fear of coming in contact with a real person. You know what I’m talking about. People saying things they would never say to a person in a face-to-face interaction.

In any case, check out Locals and let me know what you think. Here’s the link again: https://peacefulheartfarm.locals.com. 

PODCAST DETAILS

I realize it has been a long time since I updated you on goings on here at the homestead. There are lots and lots of changes. I’ll hit the highlights here and provide details in my podcasts. I only send out an email when I have an announcement. Podcasts are where to find everything you ever wanted to know about the homestead. 

General homestead updates are covered in detail on my podcasts. The last 10 episodes are now listed on our Locals page.

There has been a significant lag with the podcast publication as well. I believe the last one came out in September last year. A new episode will come out in the next few days getting you up-to-speed on the cows. Subsequent episodes will bring you up to date on the dogs and the sheep. There is just too much to get into one episode.

I’m also starting a series of podcasts that include information on growing your own food. The first in the series is a brief introduction to types of soil conditions involved in container gardening, raised-bed gardening and the conventional row-type garden. In the podcast, I only have time for a very brief description following the homestead updates. More detailed information will be forthcoming separately on the Locals platform. This will be subscriber-only content. Get started with your free trial to see if this is something you want to learn.

This newsletter is getting long. Here we go with the very briefest of updates on the homestead. 

HOMESTEAD UPDATES

Sheep, Finn and Charlotte 

Last time you heard about the addition of a new ram and three ewes, bringing our total to five breeding ewes. We can expect the first lambs in just a few weeks. They could come as early as the first week of March.

Finn and Charlotte, the two newest livestock guardian dogs are doing a great job protecting these guys. It took a while, but I think they are beginning to see these sheep as something to be protected. It’s hard to tell. New dogs are not completely settled and trusted with livestock until we’ve gone through an entire four seasons — one year. We have a plan for keeping the sheep and lambs safe during this first lambing season. We don’t want any accidents between the dogs, sheep and lambs. Once the dogs see what’s going on and learn to bond with the lambs, we will be good to go in future years. 

Mack and the Cows 

Over the past few months, the cows have all been brought together. At first Mack was with the calves and yearlings. Next, we added the three new heifers, Molly, Ginger and Wanda to Mack’s responsibilities. After a while we put all of those guys in with the rest of the herd. Mack stays with them throughout the day. He has adopted all of them as his charges.

Same as with the cows, during calving in late March, we will have to watch closely and take some precautions, too. We don’t want any slipups.

Quail

The quail are hanging in there in this cold winter weather. They seem to have no difficulty whatsoever with the cold. The biggest problem is keeping unfrozen water in their cages. 

We are still getting lots of eggs. Sometimes there are fewer when it gets really cold. But for the most part we get 25 to 30 eggs a day.  

Creamery and Scott’s Other Stuff

The electrical installation is getting ramped up. The cut list for all the electrical parts is done (I think) and estimates are being gathered. The power guys have been out and seen what needs to be done to connect the power. We have that estimate. The propane gas folks have also been out and we have that quote.

Scott is ordering construction materials to finish out the entire building all right now because the prices on materials are currently double or more. Even if it will be months before he gets to it, the floors, ceilings, electrical and plumbing parts are being purchased now. So far, we have been able to get everything we need.

There are lots of horror stories out there of having to wait months to get materials for construction. How are the supply chain issues and inflation affecting you?  

Garden

I’m still undecided about what to grow this year. I need to make up my mind soon for anything that needs to be planted indoors ahead of time. 

That’s it for farm news. 

ITEMS OF NOTE AT FOR SALE AT THE FARM AND INDEPENDENCE ONLINE MARKET:

• Mild, Medium Hot and HOT Salsa in pint jars

• Sweet and sour pepper relish (pint jars)

• Spiced pear jam – a hint of ginger and cloves (pint jars)

• Pickled quail eggs in 1/2 pint jars.

• Apple and Peach pie filling (quart jars).

• Pickled pepperoncini (pint jars). I have a variety with red pepper if you like a bit of spice.

• Pepper jam in 1/2 pints

• Quail eggs by the dozen

• Quail meat in 1 lb packages

• We have ground goat (approx 1 lb)

• Grass-fed ground beef (approx 1 lb)

• Grass-fed ground lamb (approx 1 lb) 

Herd Shares

I’ll see you in my usual location in Independence.

Add on as you desire. All cheeses and butter are at your service. Looking forward to seeing you every other Wednesday. Next pick up date is the 2nd of February — Ground Hog Day. 

You can pickup at the farm Saturdays 3 pm to 5 pm or Tuesdays 10:00 am to noon. Email me to let me know if you want anything extra this time. 

I still have raw milk cheese shares available. Contact me via email (melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com) or phone (276-694-4369).

Please go HERE to learn all about Herd Shares.

Peaceful Heart FarmCast

No new podcast yet. I’m working on it. Until then, listen to the last podcast where I’m giving you details on getting the two cows to freezer camp. It was quite the fiasco with the neighbors calling at 9:15 at night for us to come and get them out of their yard. “Homestead Update and Health Update” also has more information about Scott and I as we journey through cancer treatment.  

Free Downloads

I want to follow up on my previous FarmCast, The Taste of Cheese where I talked about developing your expertise with using descriptive words. The FREE downloads of Classifying Cheese by Type and Category and Expand Your Cheese Vocabulary are still available at our website. Please stop by and get your FREE resources. 

You can LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE. Or, if you have an Alexa device, just say: “Alexa, play podcast Peaceful Heart FarmCast.”

And don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the Peaceful Heart Farm podcast on Apple Podcasts, Android, TuneIn, Stitcher or Spotify

Hello beautiful peeps,

I’m back. I know it has been a while. Scott has completed all of his treatments and is doing very well. We are slowly getting back on track. The whole experience turned our lives on end in subtle ways. Getting back into a reliable routine is a blessing.

As a result of our encounter with cancer, I am rethinking my life and mission. We will no longer be vending at the Wytheville Farmer’s Market. This Saturday, December 11th, will be our last market at that location.

After re-evaluating my life, I determined it was too far to drive — especially with gas prices as they are now. I’m still delivering to the Independence On-Line Market. Independence is currently the only farmer’s market that we are serving. Farm sales and visits are still the same. Tuesday mornings 10 – 12 noon and Saturday afternoons 3 – 5 PM.  

Half Beef Sale: As the title suggests we have a couple of 1/2 beef meat packages for sale. The price is still the same as last year but will go up in the coming year. As with all things in our lives, inflation is taking its toll. Hay, organic supplements and processing fees have all increased dramatically.

We have only two (2) halves available. The cost is $1,300 or buy both for $2,400. The packages are just over 200 lbs each (400 lbs for both). About 40% of it is ground beef. The rest is a variety of steaks, roasts, ribs, brisket, soup bones, and liver. Let us know ASAP if you want one or both of these packages. You can order on-line here. You can also contact us via phone or email (276-694-4369 or melanie at peacefulheartfarm dot com).

I realize it has been a long time since I updated you on goings on here at the homestead. There are lots and lots of changes. I’ll hit the highlights and provide details in later updates. 

HOMESTEAD UPDATES

Sheep 

The last you heard was that the vet was out to preg check the cows and we had her look at the sheep as well. She tended a ewe with a growth and tried to help Lambert our ram. The ewe recovered, Lambert did not. We had to put him down. It was hard as he was a bottle baby.

We have now added another flock ram and three ewes. They are happily hanging out with our two veteran ewes and the one wether lamb. We got some really good stock and look forward to increasing the flock over the next couple of years. 

Mack Plus Two More

We now have three livestock guardian dogs and we just love them all. You’ve heard some about Mack. He liked to chase the sheep so we put him in with the calves and yearlings instead. He has now bonded with them. Plus we added three (plus one being boarded) more heifers to our cow herd. More on those ladies a little later. Mack is taking care of all of them.

Finn and Charlotte are getting to know the sheep. Finn (Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd) also chases the sheep but we are taking lots of time and effort to break him of that habit. Charlotte either does really well with the sheep or ignores them. We can trust her not to chase them but I’m still skeptical that she feels obligated to protect them.

She is as great dog as well as a Great Pyrenees. Her problem is that she was abused at a very young age and is really skittish. I have to trap her and get a leash on her to get to pet her and give her some love. She is slowly coming around. However, the jumpiness seems to be a permanent part of her. She jumps at things I don’t even see. I’m thinking of giving her CBD oil to see if that helps her anxiety. I have a pet formula of a brand that works well for me and my exaggerated startle response. Perhaps it will work for her also. More on these wonderful dogs later.

Cows 

Because of the results from the vet visit, we have two cows that will be culled from the herd soon and a third shortly thereafter. I talked a bit about that last time. We just happened to come across these three new heifers that have the exact genetics we are looking for in developing our herd. Scott had to drive all the way to Wisconsin to pick them up. We also picked up a fourth heifer for a friend and herd share member that is going to raise their own milk cow for the family. We are helping them get started with that and all the learning that it entails. Check out our Facebook page to see photos and videos of the news girls. We have Wanda, Ginger and Molly. The fourth and youngest (and smallest) is Daisy.

Just a little bit more about Molly. She is actually 75% jersey and 25% Normande. When bred to a pure bred or full blood Normande bull, her calves will be registerable with the North American Normande Association. She was just too beautiful to pass up. Check out her pictures. She has the darkest red coloring, called mulberry, made even darker with the Normande blood lines. I cannot describe to you how gorgeous she is so you must see her pictures. I’ll add more on the cows in later newsletters.

The calves are all weaned and they, along with the newbies, will be put in with the main herd for the winter very soon.   

Quail

We hatched out 19 babies this last time. Not a good hatch rate but it was enough to replace all of the roosters and add a few more hens. All of these guys were in the top left penthouse, but I have since spread the roosters around to the other cages. Our current situation is one rooster and six hens in two of the three bottom breeding pens. There are two roosters and 9 hens on each side of the penthouse. The third breeding cage only has the six hens with no rooster. Unfortunately, they took him out. I don’t know which one was the culprit but they beat him up so badly over night that he died. Birds of all kinds are vicious and very territorial. It always breaks my heart, but you can’t change nature. Though we do try to cull the overly aggressive hen that does this if we can find her. We certainly don’t want to breed more of those genetics.

We are getting lots of eggs. The newest hens just started laying a few days ago. Only two are laying at the moment, but again, there are nine in that cage. 

Creamery and Scott’s Other Stuff

Scott finished radiation treatments on November 1st. The last week of treatment was really hard on him. He got to where he was on a liquid diet only — and that in very limited quantities. The healing afterward went very quickly. We thank you for all of your prayers. His recovery was swift.

On November 4th he had carpel tunnel and cubital tunnel surgery on wrist and elbow. That is also going well. Tomorrow he gets the carpel tunnel release on the right wrist. We expect that to go well also. It will be months before we know the full benefits but just yesterday he was saying there was as marked improvement in the feeling in his fingers.

In between all of the radiation, trips to Wisconsin, carpel tunnel surgery, Scott completed the walls in preparation for electrical installation. He painted everything else after putting up some waterproof panels in the milk room.  

The electric plans are on paper. He watched tons of YouTube videos. His next step is getting quotes for all the pieces and parts he needs to make it all happen. 

Garden

There is not much to say about the garden. We finally got a few good frosts and everything is now put to bed until the spring. I’ll talk about some plans in that area in a future newsletter.

That’s it for farm news. 

ITEMS OF NOTE AT FOR SALE AT THE FARM AND INDEPENDENCE ONLINE MARKET:

• Mild, Medium Hot and HOT Salsa in pint jars

• Sweet and sour pepper relish (pint jars)

• Spiced pear jam – a hint of ginger and cloves (pint jars)

• Pickled quail eggs in 1/2 pint jars.

• Apple and Peach pie filling (quart jars).

• Pickled pepperoncini (pint jars). I have a variety with red pepper if you like a bit of spice.

• Pepper jam in 1/2 pints

• Quail eggs by the dozen

• Quail meat in 1 lb packages

• We have ground goat (approx 1 lb)

• Grass-fed ground beef (approx 1 lb)

• Grass-fed ground lamb (approx 1 lb) 

Herd Shares

I’ll see you in my usual location in Independence.

Add on as you desire. Yogurt, all cheeses and butter are at your service. Looking forward to seeing you every other Wednesday. Next pick up date is the 15th of December. 

You can pickup at the farm Saturdays 3 pm to 5 pm or Tuesdays 10:00 am to noon. Email me to let me know if you want anything extra this time. 

I still have raw milk cheese shares available. Contact me via email (melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com) or phone (276-694-4369).

Please go HERE to learn all about Herd Shares.

Let’s Get Together

As always, you may visit us at our dairy farm in Claudville, Virginia Tuesdays from 10 am to 12 noon and Saturday afternoons from 3 pm to 5 pm. Find out how we raise our animals and why you will love the taste of tradition that is inherent in all of our products. Herd share holders will be able to see up close how their cows are cared for and the cheese operation and where it is stored. 

Peaceful Heart FarmCast

No new podcast yet. I’m working on it. Until them listen to the last podcast where I’m giving you details on getting the two cows to freezer camp. It was quite the fiasco with the neighbors calling at 9:15 at night for us to come and get them out of their yard. “Homestead Update and Health Update” also has more information about Scott and I as we journey through cancer treatment.  

Free Downloads

I want to follow up on my previous FarmCast, The Taste of Cheese where I talked about developing your expertise with using descriptive words. The FREE downloads of Classifying Cheese by Type and Category and Expand Your Cheese Vocabulary are still available at our website. Please stop by and get your FREE resources. 

You can LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE. Or, if you have an Alexa device, just say: “Alexa, play podcast Peaceful Heart FarmCast.”

And don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the Peaceful Heart Farm podcast on Apple Podcasts, Android, TuneIn, Stitcher or Spotify