Monthly Archives: June 2010

The calf has arrived!

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Nathan

Maureen, our dexter cow, gave us a calf last Thursday morning. Continue reading →

Posted in Cows, Farming | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The calf has arrived!

A successful honey bee swarm cut-out

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Nathan

I received a call from a landlord in Maple Valley who had a swarm of honey bees move into the wall of his rental house. I told him that yes, this is something I’m interested in, and no, I don’t charge to remove honey bees. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged , | Comments Off on A successful honey bee swarm cut-out

Shifting my Beehive from Langstroth Frames to Top Bar Hive

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Nathan

I moved a 5 frame conventional (Langstroth) nucleus hive into a top bar hive so they would have space to grow. The bottom corners of each frame are cut off to make the rectangular frame fit into the trapezoid shape of the top bar hive. Since I’m running only top bar hives now, it makes sense for me to have a consistent setup.
Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Farming, Top Bar Hives | Tagged , | Comments Off on Shifting my Beehive from Langstroth Frames to Top Bar Hive

Permaculture & Christianity, part 3 – “Native vs. Exotic Plants”

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Nathan

God is the ultimate “permaculturist”. He was using the permaculture design principles before Bill Mollison ever wrote them down. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Permaculture, Farming, Soil | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Permaculture & Christianity, part 3 – “Native vs. Exotic Plants”

Cool weather continues

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Nathan

Today is June 15th, and Seattle has yet to break past 75° F/24° C this year. This means it’s been a great spring for growing grass, but the rainy weather has taken a toll on my apiary. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged | Comments Off on Cool weather continues

Geese mow my lawn

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Nathan

It has now been 7 weeks since my goslings hatched, and they are about half-way feathered out–about 3 lbs each. It’s been cold and rainy since they hatched, but their parents have done excellent work keeping them protected. Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, Geese, Grazing, Pastured Poultry | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Geese mow my lawn

Got thin eggshells?

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Nathan

In my experience, an egg with a thin shell is a problem that can be easily corrected. In order to put a shell on its egg, the chicken mainly uses calcium, phosphorus & vitamin D. If any one of these factors is missing, the bird will not be able to create a healthy shell. Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Ducks, Eggs, Farming, Fluoride info, Geese, Pastured Poultry | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Got thin eggshells?

Free to a good home: Blue Orchard Mason Bees

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Nathan

Since mason bees are a native insect here in the Pacific NW, you can “grow your own” just by providing suitable homes. It will take a couple years to build up your local population this way, but you don’t need to purchase your initial “start”. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Farming | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Free to a good home: Blue Orchard Mason Bees

Our milking routine

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Nathan

Here is a quick roundup of how our milking routine works. Kathy has gone through several different routines, and this one is working well for us. Continue reading →

Posted in Dairy, Farming, Goats | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Our milking routine

The taste of raw milk

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Nathan

I learned about barn odors & milk flavors in a cheese making seminar I took a couple years ago, and it’s true. We’ve tasted the difference in our goat’s milk between the days where they are out in the pasture vs. closed up in a pen–though they were eating the same food. Continue reading →

Posted in Cows, Farming, Goats, Grazing, Soil | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The taste of raw milk