Murphy the Marvelous

About three weeks ago, we got a new addition to our family. We adopted Murphy, a  two and a half month old Border Collie mix puppy!  We adopted him from West Hancock Canine Rescue, which is a volunteer run non-profit organization based in Illinois.  Click here for their link.

Murphy goes to puppy class every week, and we work on sit, stay, come, lay down, and have puppy play time. At home, he loves playing with chew toys and running in the pasture with Rosie. Everybody has fallen in love with him because he's an adorable little puppy (except for when he gets mouthy or chews shoes)

Paw Paw Trees

Tropical fruit.......... in Iowa?! Yes, there is a VERY unique tropical fruit that can grow in Iowa, and it just so happens that we planted two of those trees recently! They're called paw paw trees. Did you know that the paw paw is the largest fruit native to North America? Their fruit is very interesting because it is a combination of a mango, a banana, and a pineapple. Paw paws are considered a very nutritious superfruit. Be careful when you are eating it though, because the seeds are poisonous! These fruits grow in clusters, and the trees can get up to 15-20 feet tall!

The cover over the paw paw is to temporarily protect it from harsh wind and sun.

PRAIRIE

Caroline mixing up a batch of seeds.

This April we took on a project we had been wanting to do; restore an acre of prairie in our pasture. To make a plantable seed mixture, we had to combine one part seed to ten parts sand. Then we sowed the seeds all by hand. With the help of Mother Nature, the prairie is growing. 

partridge pea

One of the plants that's blooming is called the partridge pea. This plant usually blooms in mid July to mid August. Interesting factoid about the partridge pea: the leaves fold up when touched. This flower offers nectar from small orange glands at the base of its petals for honeymaking.

Black-eyed Susan

We also have some black-eyed Susans springing up.
We'll keep you posted on the flowers and forbs in our prairie.

Cool Chicks

Sunny cooling off in the sled

This past week we have been experiencing temperatures much higher than average. Our chickens have been panting and sticking their wings out; telltale signs of a hot chicken. We came up with a few things we can do to make sure they don't fry, such as filling plastic sleds with water and making frozen vegetable/fruit blocks.

Carlos the rooster showing off

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This week the New Pioneer Co-op is having an eat local week. You can submit photos of dishes made from local ingredients, and for each post, they will donate $1 to Field to Family. It just so happens that this week was mom's birthday, so we made a DELICIOUS chocolate zucchini cake, and decided to enter it.  If you want some more information, visit their website: http://www.newpi.coop/

2 c all-purpose flour 

2 c white sugar
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt 
1 t ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
3 c grated zucchini
1 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan or bundt pan.

2.In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini. Pour into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Cool cake completely before adding powdered sugar or frosting.

                        

• 
  
  • 
    
    

End of summer update

Carlos the rooster and Betty the pullet

Over the summer, there has been LOTS of excitement around the farm. Perhaps the most exciting event is the addition of Carlos to our flock. Carlos is a Bantam Buff Cochin, and the cutest rooster ever. We got him from a family at the fair who had extras, to replace Waffles. He is the fastest, fluffiest and has the cutest crow of any rooster you will ever meet.

 Last time you saw our little pullets, they were just fluffy chicks. But now they are healthy laying pullets. They are just a few days from being 6 months old! We've been getting 15-20 eggs a day!!







We have also been working with Backyard Abundance to create plans to transform our yard into a garden. It will be filled with fruit trees, a sensory garden, a berry patch, a cutting garden, and much more. If you want  some more information about this organization, click here. Along with our yard, we also have plans for our barn in the works. We are hoping to turn our barn into a country inn. We'll post more about that later.

New Life Around The Farm

With summer around the corner, things are blooming on the farm! We recently bought Wilbur, a weeping willow tree, for our pond. The strong winds have been hitting him hard, so dad made him a brace. His trunk will grow up to six feet in diameter, and he can grow five to six feet a year!

Our pond is also home to multiple frogs and HUNDREDS of eggs and tadpoles! What we want to know is how did the frogs even get here?!




Our asparagus is popping up all over the place! We mowed down the unruly grass and now the asparagus gets lots of sunshine. We have harvested enough for a few dinners. Yum!








Our friend Ken brought one of his bee hives out to our farm. They are happily buzzing around by the garden. Our farm provides a dry, protected area with plenty of pollen and a direct path to water. We are hoping to sample some of their honey later this year.