Squished pig organs in a paste.

Scrapple, that is what folks call squished pig stuff in a paste.
You take all the remnant meat from the pig, the heart, kidneys, livers, bones, and pretty much anything people wont eat by itself. Sounds pretty appetizing so far doesn't it? You put it in a large pan filled with water and boil to make a stock. Once the stock is good and cloudy you pull out all the meat, pick the bones clean and discard them, then grind everything else up together and put it back into the stock. Finally you add some buckwheat flower and spices, put it in a bread pan and wait till it be comes a gelatin mass. Really it sounds quite nasty, but its really good cut thin, fried up, and smothered with maple syrup.
And that is what we ate for breakfast on our first Saturday morning on the farm. Scrapple a great way to start you day yes? Squishy, crunchy, sweet spicy goodness.

Lambskin and woodstove, I'd sleep too.

The rest of the day we cleared dead fall, pulled vines, dug up invasive little trees, cut falling limbs, just all around cleared up their over run back yard. Once you have all those sticks what do you do with them?! The quick way, and what you do with the invasive species and vines is burn them. This insures that little bits of them don't creep around come spring and pop up new growth. Burning though makes it so that the carbon is released into the air, and all your left with is ash which does no help on the farm. You could make biochar, a type of charcoal that you mix in with your flower beds to help release carbon into the topsoil to help with the growth of plants. We have yet to try making biochar so I am unsure of how hard it is to create. A third and my favorite way is by creating a hugelkultur. A hugelkultur is stacked wood covered with compost, and dirt, then you plant things on top, and vola a raised flower bed! It requires no tilling, and over time the wood decomposes and breaks down putting carbon into the soil.
A lot of small farmers or homesteaders are interested in a sustainable way to work their farm, so everything you do should have a positive outcome that contributes to the farm and the environment, otherwise known as permaculture. A great pioneer of permaculture is Sepp Holzer, some of his work is amazing.

(A 5 min video about what Sepp does)

We'll get more into permaculture, bio-char, and hugelkulturs on another post

Later that week MrMan made a new suspended chicken roost, moved the feeder, and added a light to the chicken house. It's funny how that seems like such a small amount of work when you write it down, but when actually DOING the work it takes HOURS. 

(Insert diagram of roost here)

It took 5 cut pieces of 2x4's and 4 chains to suspend the roost, then 2 more chains to suspend the feed and the calcium/rock feeders. Now the roost swings! Haha, we found that the chickens don't really like the swaying motion so we ended up stabilizing the roost with four 4 feet fiberglass poles. 

On Wednesday we went to the whole foods store, Nitya has worked out an agreement with the local whole food store, she gets all their left over, or scrap produce. Anything that they can't sell any more she takes off their hands to feed her chickens with. A whole lot better than throwing it away! We sorted it between what they will and wont eat. Bugga helped!

Fuzzy the fluffy cat.

Unfortunately on Thursday MrMan stepped on a nail! NO GOOD! So work on mulching the garden got pushed back. Friday he went to the VA to get antibiotics while I helped Nitya shovel fermented barley, chickens LOVE it, and she has worked out a deal with a local brewery, if she can get it she can have it! I've seemed to noticed that, at least at this farm, the community helps each other out. 

Tuesday and wed the next week I wrapped Henry up and we took up 3 hog fences stretching 50ft each! it took cutting zip ties, pulling wire, separating wire from chicken wire, and wrapping it all up. Again it seems that doing takes a lot more work than what you see on paper.

Cemetery we went to on our day off. Graves from 1772!

That along with daily chicken duty and stuffing envelopes was our week! 

First farm; First day; Woodsong Hollow

Woodsong Hollow

Nitya and Jeff

          Pennsylvania south of Allentown, and west of Philadelphia, a dirt road off a couple back roads off route 100 we found Woodsong Hollow. Right next to the road sits a large barn, a few small buildings and a house. It appears to be something out of an old black and white movie, which is close to true being as it was built before 1900! Large trees dominate the area along with a sprinkling of rock pile walls give a picturesque quality to the landscape.
           As we approach the house a large one eyed husky greeted us with a wagging tail and a playful bounce behind a wooden fence. Quicker than MrMan the fluffy white dog darts through the gate as it is opened and runs down the gravel drive. Nitya appears from inside the house with a smiling face, laughing she lets us know that it happens all the time, that Lance likes to play chase with new wwoofers.

        After wrangling Lance we exchange quick introductions with a hand shake and are quickly set on a tour of the house and grounds. My favorite place in the house is in front of the big black wood burning stove in the kitchen, a perfect place to sit and have a cup of tea on a cold day. Some thing that I well and truly want in our house on our eventual farm is a wood burning stove, it keeps a small house comfortably warm in the daily living area.

        Nitya is a very welcoming middle aged lady, with a lovely Australian accent. She is a ideal host to us, and I'm quite glad we came to her farm as our first wwoofing place. Henry seems to enjoy being around her, and completely out of character he warms right up to her with coy smiles and a game of peek-a-boo. Full of new ideas, she is the lead in the hands on side of the operation.
        Through the walk around the grounds Nitya points out all the little places she wants work on. Burn piles here, cleaning brush there and there. She takes us down to the name sake of their property a small hollow, or valley set off on the back of their property. To me it appears to be nothing but a swampy patch of land, but I'm sure it has more meaning then face value.
       That evening Jeff comes home from work, he helps protect rural areas from development. A covenant is placed on the land that says that even if sold it cannot be developed into commercial or industrial land. Jeff is a quiet thoughtful middle aged man who seems to say less than what is actually on his mind. Just as accommodating at Nitya, again a perfect host for our first farm.

     And that my friends was our first night.

Chickens, easier to care for than write about.

 Chickens

           At night there are a few things you need to take care of chicken wise; Refilling the water and the feed are the first things, here they use a mix of grain and corn. Next you go on an egg hunt, usually the chickens will lay their eggs in the nest boxes but sometimes you get a spare egg floating around. Then you have to check the bedding, if it smells like ammonia or is thick and clumpy when you kick it they need a whole new layer of wood chippings. The bedding keeps the chickens clean, which in turn keeps the eggs clean. Also you want a good mix of chicken poo and wood chippings as it later gets used as compost. Finally you tuck the hens in for the night, latch the gate and your done until morning.

           In the morning there are chicken tasks as well; You need to check the water to make sure its not frozen, and refill if necessary. Give them fresh produce, they like anything green but will also eat pretty much everything! They don't really like citrus fruits or root vegetables raw, though if you cook them they may eat them. But even if they don't eat everything their bedding will be used as compost later on. Another egg hunt before you leave the chickens for the day, keeping the windows open as they like most creatures enjoy sunlight.

        Some other chicken information: Chickens are night blind, they roost and then stay put once it gets dark. They like to roost up high because it keeps them away from predators; you also want to keep their feed high to keep vermin like mice and rats out of their food. Most laying hens will lay every other day, with older chickens laying less often. Their eggs are usually dirty and you need to wipe them clean, but the cleaner you keep their bedding the cleaner the eggs will be.

(will add more the more I learn)

Crazy dirty hippies!

Why yes, yes we are.

But I bet we'll be happier than you.

    Recently we have started telling people our plans for wwoofing, and most are not happy with this. They can only see why they wouldn't want to wwoof. Instead of taking into account of why we want to wwoof. A lot of our friends and family are highly materialistic people, which isn't a bad thing, its just not how I want to live my life.

    The most common comment we get is "Y'all are going to be dirty hippies!"
                   Depending on where you look for the definition of "hippy" we will be, and we wont be.



taken from this blog



merriam-webster

 

 a usually young person who rejects the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocates a nonviolent ethic; broadly : a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person

cambridge dictionary

a person, typically young, especially in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who believed in peace, was opposed to many of the accepted ideas about how to live, had long hair, and often lived in groups and took drugs

urbandictionary

someone who has a bright outlook on life and cares about the world instead of trying to ruin it. they are often member of groups such as greenpeace and antiwar groups that care about the environment.
they reject the established culture and are a subculture originating in San Francisco in the 1960s who advocated universal love and peace, usually had long hair and used soft drugs, usually listen to acid rock and progressive rock music, reggae music such as that of bob marley.

    Well I guess you could say we will be because; We will be living part time in a tent, traveling around the county working on farms. We will also be dirty, we most likely wont be taking showers on a daily basis. We will be using and reusing and reusing our clothes, patching them up when they get worn, then repurposing them when they can no longer be used for clothing. Eating mostly organic food, grown or raised by local farmers. Not participating in today's consumerism or capitalism, so we will be rejecting today's social norm.
But, at the same time we are not hippies because its not 1960 anymore, we wont be doing drugs, and I honestly don't think our music choices make us who we are considering we listen to everything from Bob Marley to 5 Finger Death Punch.


How do you see the word "hippy"? Does it have a negative or positive connotation in your mind?

Travel and living arrangements.



Housing, and travel.Needs are a whole lot different then Wants.







  

What I want is a small RV; not much just a 18-24 footer. I'd like: shower, toilet, a kitchen/living room, and a few beds. I would want to be comfortable, heating and air would be nice. Unfortunatly it is not fiscally sound. Theres no way we could afford that with this life style. With gas prices, this baby gets like 6mpg! Plus it costs an arm and a leg to purchase one.







78 VW bus



 The next step down, a old school VW bus. It has a bed and a small kitchen. No bathroom but a place to sleep and prepare small meals. The down side to this one is it can't go faster than 45 mph. On second thought thats not all that bad, travel accross the country taking back roads? Hmmmm..... But still these buses are really hard to come by.

We were also thinking about getting a small 4x4 suv, nothing to large, just something that will store what we need, a back seat that folds down to make a little bed. Anything bigger than my compact car!





Sierra camping tent

  If we keep my car though (which might be our only possibility) we will be tenting it. This is the last resort, so hopefully the wwoofing hosts will have a room/building for us to stay in. But if not, we have a tent, a blow up mattress, a a couple of tarps. It might be a hard way to live, but it is competely do-able.



Wwoofing with a Toddler?!

  How do I plan on Wwoofing with a toddler? What will we do, how will get get anything done? Isn't it risky? What if he hurts himself? Will he be happy? What will I need? Do I really think this is a good idea? Oh gosh so many questions! If you can think of more, please do ask. It will help me plan better.

Getting work done.
  The way I would think would be to start with a clear understanding between me and our host. Of course tell them Buga is with us, let them know his personality. Find out their expectations of me; how many hours they expect us to work, and when and how long breaks are. I also will use a wrap to wear Buga on my back whenever he lets me. Of course he wont want to be carried all the time so when he is down I'm hoping we will be delegated duties that he can "help" with. I imagine these tasks would be any sort of digging, weed pulling, washing vegetables, stacking firewood, feeding animals, etc. Another thing would be splitting up the work between me and MrMan. Say for the first half of the day I'm the parent that has one eye on Buga and MrMan works without worrying about his child. Then we switch after lunch, MrMan will keep track Buga and I'll work.



Buga loves being wrapped!


Physical and Emotional health.
  There are going to be risks. Its a farm, there will be so many risks its unbelievable. I believe that falling down is good for little kids; it gives them confidence when they get back up. I'm going to let him run and play, but still be attentive which will hopefully keep him away from most major mishaps. All minor accidents I will have a first aid kit and some love to solve the problem. If something serious does happen he will have major medical insurance. We qualify for Peachcare which is a Georgia lower income family health care.
  As far as emotional goes Momma and Poppa (MrMan) will always be there for him. He'll wake up every day next to us and fall asleep next to us. He'll know that when he ventures off Momma will be waiting, if he falls down Momma will kiss his booboos. But deeper than that we will have a set aside time every night to cuddle and read and be together as just us three. I plan on going to farms that agree with a one week trial before we launch into a long stay. That way if Buga doesn't get a feel for that farm we can leave.

What to pack?
I will be adding to this as I come up with them.

Clothing
cold weather hat
sun hat
gloves

Insulated toddler coveralls

duck canvas coveralls
medium jacket
light jacket
2 sweatshirts
3 shirts
2 pair of jeans
2 comfy pants
shorts
2 sets of long underwear
24 cloth diapers
36 wipes
4 soakers
10 covers
10 pairs of socks
boots
water shoes


Toy stuff
shovel
rake
hoe
bucket
dump truck
watering can
durable books
quiet book
ball
teddy bear
favorite blankets

Everything else
sun screen
aloe gel
first aid (band aids, saline spray, Neosporin, gauze, baby Motrin, ice pack)
wrap
identity documents

http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/ - Site I recommend if you want to learn how to use a wrap for baby wearing

http://didymos.com/ - A company that sells fertilizer/pesticide free hand picked cotton wraps of great quality.

http://www.peachcare.org/ - Government funded health care for lower income families

http://www.wwoof.org/WWindynews/feature/feature15.htm - An article about Wwoofing with a 1yo.

http://www.wwoof.pt/about/articles/articles/228/?cHash=f21ea2b13f - An article about Wwoofing with a 3yo and 1yo.

http://thenewsbase.com/2009/12/wwoofing-with-kids/ - Another article about Wwoofing with kids.

Who we are, Why we Wwoof.

Wolf, Buga, MrMan

Me.

 I'm a 21 year old female. I'm a friend, lover, mother, sister, and daughter. I hate living in suburbia or the city; to much hustle and bustle. To much emphasis on what car you drive, clothes you wear, and the latest fad restaurant/bar/club you went to. All the clothes I wear are second hand and I like it that way. I live in a beat up trailer, its not a grand place, actually its quite crappy, but I like it. Its set back on a gravel drive, I can't see my neighbors from my front porch.

 Yet still I feel boxed in here.

 I don't have many close friends, and the friends I do have I don't ever see face to face. My hands go unused except for cleaning up after my son. My mind is thirsting for knowledge, it is dormant from this ho'hum lifestyle I've been living.

I'm bored and restless; like a caged tiger pacing behind its zoo walls.

 Here in Georgia, where I've been the majority of my life, is not where I want to stay. I'm living on ground that I can't fix to be better, to be how I want. I'm not meeting new people, seeing new places, learning new things. Sure I could meet people at bars, or fitness centers, or clubs; but those aren't my type of people. I don't drink, I don't work out, and I don't like loud social settings. I could learn by going to school; but I don't want to learn from a book something, anything, just to get a piece of paper.

I'm a gypsy soul I tell you!

MrMan

 MrMan is the love of my life; I love every minute I get to spend with him. There is nothing I'd rather do all day then have deep meaningful conversations in bed with him. Sadly, right now in life I only get him 2 days a week; the rest of the week he's somewhere else doing IT work for gas stations. To say I hate it is putting it lightly. He hates it too. Well no, I'll take that back. He loves working with his hands and his mind at the same time. He likes that its a challenge sometimes and takes problem solving, troubleshooting, ingenuity, smarts and luck. He hates that it takes him away from his wife and son.

 He's a real smart guy, able can do anything he sets his mind too. A fast learner MrMan was in the army as a driver, has done plumbing, general contracting, flooring, restaurant jobs, and IT. He has a strong work ethic that I hope he passes in our children.

MrMan is a truth talking, get the job done kind of guy. At the same time he's a total goof ball that can always make me laugh. Laid back most the time he's not quick to start a fight; A good ol' country boy, born and raised on the back roads of Georgia.

Buga.

 My son, oh god how I love my son. He'll be a year old in December and he such a wonderful little Boy. He's already walking, climbing and getting into stuff. He's so inquisitive about everything, he absorbs so much information from the sights around him. Not a very social guy, he's apprehensive at first; But once he warms up to you he'll want to cuddle and babble and show you his toys.

 We cloth diaper, baby wear, bed share, and breastfeed. Some would say we practice attached parenting, I say I do what comes naturally for our family. We plan on him learning similar to the Montessori and Waldorf ways of education, a freedom to learn at his own pace what he wants to learn. Though he is young he already loves playing in the dirt, and getting messy. Buga loves experimenting with textures and sounds, they are his favorite things to do thus far in life. He loves animals and enjoys petting them with squeals of joy, sometimes he gets to rough but we're working on it.

 Buga loves to eat! Anything you put in front of him he'll gobble down. His favorite is pickles, but he'll eat any type of meat, veggie, or fruit he sees momma eating.

Why?
 So I guess now it's why. Why do I want to take my family down this curvy dirt road? Because I think we can do it! I think we can work hard and be happy. I think being able to spend every day with each other working can leave a heavy positive impact on all our lives. I think it will be a great thing to learn, grabbing from each farm we visit little piece of information. Pasting all that information together in the long run. Even if we don't start our own farm, we could.
 I want to work with my hands and mind. I know the job will be boring at times, and hard and thoughtless, or puzzling and complex. I'm ready for it. I CRAVE it. Being sore and tired from working all day coupled with being happy and content nestled in the family bed will be the perfect fix to my brain never shutting down.
 I think this will be a great way to tech my son. He'll have life long knowledge of how food gets from farm to plate; heck we all will! It will also cement the strong family ties I want. It will be a way for him to grow and learn and experience life the way it should be, not from a book, but actual life. he will: get dirty, play with animals, run around, fall down, get back up again.
 It will further my knowledge of food, good food, and how to eat good food. Right now we live on a process foods diet and that doesn't seem healthy. I'd love to eat better but I don't know how. I figure by immersing myself in the organic lifestyle it will be sink or swim, and I'll learn some really good recipes fast.
 And the social diversity that we'll be able to see. Even if we stay only in the US, there are 100's of farms to visit all across the country. Even if the traveling bit is only a perk and not the point its a great perk.
 There's probably so much more that I can't think of right now, but that's the gist of it. I'd love to get my family out to learn and do. No more standing by the wayside of suburban life. Wwoofing here we come.




WWOOF!