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2014 Hay Season

This years hay has come in and it is beautiful but super expensive!  For hundred plus pound bales last year of high grade hay I paid $13 delivered.  This year for the same level of hay I’m paying $19.  Ouch!

haytruck

California is having serious drought conditions and it has affected this years growing season.  There wasn’t enough rain for a lot of crops to grow and some fields didn’t even get planted.  Because of this we are looking at higher demand for the hay that was grown.  Word around town is there just won’t be enough hay to go around this year so regardless of price people are having to stock up while they can.  I know some people have had to sell off a lot of their animals which is so sad but I understand the predicament – less grass grew because of less rain, meaning they would have to buy extra of already pricey hay.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday will be my last delivery load and I’ll be done buying hay for the year.  Its been an expensive month!  But to see my critters happily munching on some tasty grass hay or alfalfa makes it well worth it.

barnhay

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Plum-A-Palooza!

freshly picked plums in bowls  All of the sudden it seems every plum on the tree directly in front of the house was ripe at once.  Pounds and pounds of plump fruit needing attention immediately!

 

 

 

 

I started Monday with plum muffins which I luckily got to share with some friends passing through town.  I used fresh duck eggs in this yummy recipe.

plum muffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday is made a delicious plum clafoutis, which is a crustless tart. I used this recipe with almond milk instead of cream/milk and it turned out perfect!

plum crustless tart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I spent a few hours in the hot kitchen canning plum jam.  I made two batches from two recipes, this was a new one for me.

plum jam

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FAQs for the Shepherdess

black sheeps eye

I often get a lot of the same questions over and over when I am sitting in the booth at fairs.   Just in case any of you are having the same questions I thought I would answer a few of them here:

eucalyptus peppermint soap

What is a felted soap?

Easy to grip, this 100% wool covered soap gently exfoliates, leaving skin feeling clean and soft.
Also, works great for cleaning hard-working hands.

Wool will shrink along with soap. When soap is gone you will be left with a little scrubby which can be re-filled with soap slivers, guest soaps or used with your favorite liquid soap.

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How many sheep do you have?

34.  25 Wensleydales, 7 Karakuls and 3 Corriedales.

Do they all have names?

Yes!  They are all individuals and have unique faces and personalities.  When I first met them I had no idea how I would ever tell them apart but now there is no way I could ever confuse one with another.

Do you shear them yourself?

No luckily I have a wonderful shearer I trust and who I think is worth his weight in gold.

Do you do all your own dyeing?

Yes!  Dyeing is one of my favorite parts of the creative process.

Do the dryer balls actually work?

Yes!  I have had nothing but enthusiastic reviews from my dryer balls.  They reduce static, cut down on drying time and soften clothes all without the use of harsh chemicals found in dryer sheets and fabric softeners.

pbfdryerballs

How did you get into this?

I feel like I have always been headed toward this lifestyle.  As a little girl I always connected more with animals than with people.  I have been drawn to the country and a simpler way of life for as long as I can remember.  The sheep, bless their souls, helped me see how suited I really am for rural life and at the same time share their wool to give me a healthy creative outlet.

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Yolo Wool Mill

Today I went to pick up half of my fleeces from Yolo Wool Mill.  They washed, picked and carded my fleeces together.

When I arrived they had both the carder and the yarn machines going.  Pretty cool to see!  Below is the big, old carder they use.

carder

Here you can see the roving being pulled up by the machine to be spun.  It works so fast and produces beautiful results!

yolo yarn millyarn spools

Here you can see the wool being spun.  They are at the same time pulling wool from already spun spools to create double ply yarn.

Follow the link below to see a quick video watching this machine in action.  It’s so fun to be there when the machines are humming along and working with so many different, gorgeous fibers!

yolo wool mill in action

 

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Shearing Day

Waiting for shearing

Shearing day is always stressful but exciting!  This was the first time I got to measure what a difference once a year shearing creates versus twice a year.  The flock was sheared in October and then again recently.  I had read some papers that reported that on average sheep will grow a pound of wool more when sheared twice a year.  For my flock it turned out to be half a pound per head more on average.  The fleeces were so clean and had very little vm in it though.  I only had to lightly skirt most of them and some of them not at all.  I was able to keep almost all the wool that came off of them!

everyone in line for shearing

All is well now that shearing is done!

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May Heat Wave

two sheep in front of fan

This is the third day this week of over 90 degrees here in Cloverdale.  Today is supposed to reach 95 degrees which in my opinion is too hot for May!

The animals seem to prefer cooler temps too.  The ducks now hide in the shade and come running any time they hear the garden hose turn on.  They love a refreshing shower!

The sheep stay hunkered down in the barn with the big fans and I try to keep plenty of cool, fresh water around.  They go out to graze in the morning and evening but lay low in the heat of the afternoon.  Poor little darlings!

Luckily the heat is supposed to break a bit tomorrow and be in the 70s by this weekend- thank heavens!

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See you in Walnut Creek this weekend!

pfa

Plum Blossom Farm will have a booth at the Walnut Creek Fine Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend, April 26 and 27.

Artists arrive in Downtown Walnut Creek for a spring celebration during the 36th Annual Fine Arts and Crafts Festival. This semi-annual event extends along the sidewalks of North Main and the close street of Cypress, between North Main and Commerical lane.

Dates:
Saturday, April 26th 10am-6pm
Sunday, April 27th 10am-5pm

Location:
Sidewalks of N. Main Street between Mt. Diablo Blvd. & Civic Drive, & the closed street of Cypress (between N. Main & Commercial Lane)

Sponsored by Walnut Creek Downtown, these Fine Arts Sidewalk Festivals are free to the public.

For more information about the Sidewalk Arts Festivals or to apply for a spot contact Pacific Fine Arts at (209) 267-4394 or visit www.pacificfinearts.com.

If you can join us for a fun day out come and say hello!

 

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New Girls Have New Names!

I am delighted to inform you all that we have a winner in the “Name the Ewes” Contest! Our winning entry came from Karen of South San Francisco.  Who sent me the following ideas:

Demey -(short for Demeter) Greek mythology Goddess of Harvest/Grain
Persephone- her daughter, Goddess of Spring/vegetation
Flora – Roman mythology – Goddess of Flowers and Spring

I will be naming Mama Demeter, her daughter Persephone and Auntie will be Flora.

I am so excited about these beautiful names and am looking forward to informing the ladies of their new elegant labels this evening.

Thank you so much to all of you who sent in your wonderful names!  I was so impressed with the participation and with the stature and quality of the ideas that were submitted!

Karen will be receiving a $50 gift certificate for Plum Blossom Farm to be redeemed either on our website or in person at an upcoming fair.

 

 

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All Together Now!

 

meeting new friendsAfter two weeks of quarantining the new girls and hearing a lot of baaing between them and the main flock it was time to combine the two groups.  I turned all the Wensleydales out to pasture and then let the three new girls out with them.  The three stayed tightly together and went baaing through the group.  I was just so proud of my Wensleydales who were so sweet and polite to the new comers.  They would say hello, touch noses and then go back to eating.  No following or harassing them and the meeting went as smoothly as could be hoped for.

two flocks combine

Since then I have watched the girls settle in nicely.  Baby who I was worried would have the most trouble since she had never met another sheep other than her mom and auntie, has adapted the best.  She is with the rest of the flock a lot of times now and following their cues.  She baas at me when they do like a teenager trying to fit in with the crowd.  Auntie is still the most jumpy and constantly wants to be near her sister.  If she gets separated she will call and call till she finds her again.  After watching her I don’t think anyone could ever doubt the bond between farm animals.  I anticipate that over the coming months the group will fade easily in with the flock but always enjoy each others company.

chrysanthemum and new girls