The Farm / Day 1

It came and went. I spent 2 weeks on the farm, and it was exactly what I wanted and needed. I wrote alot, thought I lost it all, freaked out, found it, and here we are. I’ll post each day separately, over time (I’m a bit busy trying to get the rest of my life in order). Excited to share this adventure with you all.

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Day 1

Wow, I am in the middle of nowhere. It is glorious. Driving the back roads to get to the farm was so exciting and scary. Alot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre jokes.

I saw a waterfall and creek when I came in. Need to explore more. We are right in the hills. (JB, half of the couple that owns the farm, corrected me when I said mountains). I can’t wait to get a minute in the sun tomorrow to really soak it in.

There is no cell service, no WiFi. I think I can get a signal on the road out front, but I may need to wait until we go to get the hay and call Mom. I don’t want her to worry. Everyone else can wait 2 weeks. I love that I only need my phone to take pictures.

The house is cute. A bit busy, but lived in. Comfortable, not stuffy. I feel comfortable.

2 dogs, 3 cats, a pig (Porkchop, just a pet), chickens, goats, sheep. So many animals. It’s really nice to be surrounded by them.

I talked to JB for hours. I’m already learning so much. I’m so excited to keep learning and asking questions. He has so much energy it’s insane. He has so much knowledge I can’t wait to pick his brain. Heather’s too (when I meet her).

The moment I got here, I was put to work. We walked up this STEEP hill — so muddy — slipping all over the place. Thank God for my Muck Boots (please sponsor me). Arrived in my Red Wings (also, sponsor) and already got mud on them…My calves already hurt — looking forward to getting a good workout in.

I moved chickens. Each breed of chickens is in its own “tractor” (sp?) or hut. Once a day, we use a dolly to leverage the tractors and shift them to the next patch of clean grass. We drag it, the chickens just follow along. Once got caught underneath it — she’s fine. We move them so they don’t keep stepping in their own shit and mud. Pretty simple.

The moving part was for the Broilers. Those are the ones they eat and sell. JB said he lost over 100 chickens to raccoon attacks. He went up there to feed them one day and there were slaughtered chickens everywhere. The living ones were terrified. It happened a few times. I can’t imagine being so dependent on so many elements to make sure I’m making money. All of those chickens can’t be sold now. Bummer.

We also looked at the Layers. They lay the eggs. JB reached behind and grabbed the eggs right from under their chicken butts. He said you have to be quick or else they’ll peck you. I learned that unless a Rooster has sex with a Hen and fertilizes the egg, and then the hen sits on it for 21 days (or you use an incubator), it’s just an eating egg, not a chick.

We roasted a chicken (I forgot to take a picture). It’s funny how Patrick and I did it the other day and how different the process was. This was so raw — primal. Pat and I used whipped butter and stuffed it under the skin, tied its legs so it cooked evenly, brined it with salt water and bay leaves, coated it in salt and pepper (see left). JB and I took the bird from the fridge, sprinkled some dry rub and salt on it, and shoved it in the oven. Both delicious, both different approaches. It reminded me that cooking doesn’t have to be anything, it can be simple and straightforward. You learn as you go. You don’t need to be a professional chef to prepare a good meal. Nourishing food can come from so many different sources.

We talked about the food system and about my desire to learn more about farming and agriculture. He seems very excited to have me here — I am too. I told him that I want to learn about putting something in the ground, growing it, and eating it. I want to know where my food is coming from. I want to be a part of it. I want to learn so I can eat well and teach my family and friends. I want to be able to support small farms like this with my purchasing and eating. I want to be a part of these communities.

We started to talk about their website and I have already broken the ice on suggesting some improvements to help their sales and communicating with the outside world. We started talking about e-commerce and selling their soaps online. I think I can help. I already told them to buy their own domain and that Google didn’t register the site on search. Soon I’ll tackle social media. This is a great way for me to start building my potential freelance portfolio of working with farms on their sites/social. PUMPED.

We’re going to process chickens. I am going to kill a chicken. Or at least touch it after it’s dead (JB might do the killing so I don’t stab myself to death). I’m not afraid — I’ll try it. If I’m uncomfortable then I’ll stop. I’m excited.

I went to bed at 8:30. Tomorrow morning’s task is picking up hay bails from 30 minutes away. I think we have to build some fences. Tomorrow I meet the goats and get a tour of the ferment room (!) Tomorrow I meet Heather (she’s at a craft fair selling soap).

It feels great to be here. I’m ready to learn, work, and eat awesome healthy food.

BRING IT ON, DAY 2.