Soap

Everyone uses soap but rarely does anyone know what's in it. I only just realized the components to soap when it became a solution for our 20lbs of lard from our pigs. I started freezing the lard but I could only make so many pie crusts before lard started taking over our freezer. Now we are avid soap makers and sell it at our farmer's market. We make it with lye, water, lard, and essential oils. It's very interesting to see the public's reaction to our lard soap. I think it's interesting enough to share.

1. “Oh, I don't use lye soap.” said one customer.

Our reaction was to inform her that all soap is made with lye. If there is no lye then it's NOT soap, it's detergent.

2. “Isn't lye bad for your skin?”

Lye mixed with water and fat chemically reacts in a process called saponification. Once that happens the finished product of soap doesn't contain lye because the fat neutralizes the lye.

3. “On an ingredient label of Dove or Irish Spring it doesn't say lye.”

Lye became a word that consumers didn't want to hear so labels now use a different name for it. It is more likely saponified oils or sodium cocoate, which is sodium hydroxide (lye) mixed with coconut oil. Each soap manufacturer has their own recipe which can make it less harsh based on how much fat or oil they put in it. All the recipes start with lye, water, and some sort of fat, oil, or butter.

4. “Why do some soaps advertise no lye.”

Some people use soap melts to make their soap. When they use soap melts, they are using soap chips that they are melting, adding color and fragrance to, and pouring into their own molds. They are finishing the soap making process, but someone else did all the work to make soap chips or melts.

5. “I can smell the lard.”

Yes, plain soap with no fragrance will smell like whatever fat or oil that is used. However, it washes away clean and doesn't leave you smelling like lard. It is also very moisturizing.

We have learned a lot since we started making soap. We were completely unaware of the process or what went into it. Now we have over a year of soap making experience and are happy to educate the public about soap. We enjoy making it, but the best part is using the lard that our pigs give us.

The Good Things

As we go into the 4^th of July weekend, we are reminded that 2020 is half over. Sometimes I think it has flown by and other times I think that it will never be over. 2020 has seen an impeachment trial, a global pandemic, a country wide lockdown, the death of George Floyd, and global protests. With all the devastating events, I like to think of all the positive things going on around our farm.

Here are all the good things:

1. Our local hatcher offered us baby chicks back in March. We hadn't ordered them and weren't ready for them, but we said yes anyway. That was dumb luck because our hatcher wasn't able to get us any more chicks until June.

2. We let Mother Nature do its thing for our broody hen. We gave her some fertilized eggs and she hatched out a chick. That is the first time we have taken a completely hands off approach and let the hen do all the work.

3. Our pig developed a prolapse, which had us making plans to butcher him. Instead, we named him Kermit and put him in a pen by himself. Within a week the prolapse healed and we took the chance of putting him back with the other pigs. Currently, he is happily enjoying life with his brothers and sisters.

4. We built a greenhouse completely out of recycled parts. My husband had a vision and used pieces that he had salvaged over the years. I'm proud to say that all the plants on our farm were started from seed.

5. The pigs are in tractors, which means they are moved to new grass every couple of days. Planting gardens behind them is new this year. Our boys each have their own garden that they planted behind the pigs. They planned it and picked out the seeds from our collection.

6. When our garden showed initial signs of pests, we put the laying hens in their run surrounding the garden. A couple of days eating bugs made a huge difference. Their natural pest control saved our plants.

7. With our kids homeschooling, they had time to help with the animals. They have successfully tamed the pigs. They named them and even give them belly rubs. This makes it much easier for us to work with them.

8. We created a worm farm that is the ultimate recycling center. We dug up red wigglers from last years pig pen and gave them a new home with kitchen scraps. They eat through compost very quickly and in return give us castings.

9. We are lucky to be part of the Cartwright Farmer's Market. It's a great agriculture resource and a great community of hard working people.

10. Our customers are showing up at the farmers market despite the risk. We are grateful to have loyal customers year after year.

It's hard to think of the positive things when there is so much negative. It hasn't always been roses and chocolates around our farm, but the good far out shadows the bad. That is what keeps us going.

Stay safe and healthy. 

It Starts At Home

I was relaxing on the couch snuggling under a blanket with my 7-year old and 8-year old when the evening news came on the TV. When the top story showed the horrific video of the George Floyd murder, I was about ready to turn the channel. I'm in the habit of shielding the kids but this time I realized that they needed to see it. They stayed quiet and just watched. I tried not to interrupt their confusion while I looked on in horror. I answered any questions they had and gave explanations to their whys as best I could. I had a lot of why questions myself.

We are a white family in Iowa. We are well intentioned, but my sons will not know what it feels like to be discriminated against. It becomes our job to make them understand that Black Lives Matter. It will be our job to make them understand that just by saying we treat everyone equally isn't enough. Equal is not fair. That motto was something I used to teach high school students. Every student wanted everything to be the same; however, every student had different abilities and backgrounds. Many students complained about other students getting into college because of their race. My answer to that was with a question, “Would you trade places with them?”

My husband calls himself a white privileged male. I have reservations about putting the chickens to bed at night because of the heavy coyote population, which is when my husband first called himself a privileged white male. He explained that I was taught, as a woman, to be cautious and prepared, even afraid in some cases while my husband has never needed those teachings. Now African American children are being taught to be cautious, prepared, and afraid of the police while I'm teaching my children to go to the police for help.

Parents that are keeping silent about race are contributing to the problem. Ignoring race or believing that we are all equal means that we will all ignore the issue. Will you stop someone from being racist or will you ignore it? Many people don't want a confrontation, so it's easier to ignore the problem. Three other police officers didn't stop George Floyd's murder.

In this country's dark hour, I will be holding my children close and asking them about how they are feeling when they watch the news or asking how they would respond. I will be reading more anti racism books and watching more videos about MLK and Rosa Parks.

For the adults reading this, I encourage you to educate yourself. What if George Floyd was your son, brother, father, or friend? If you respond on social media to Black Lives Matter with All Lives Matter, I feel like you don't understand and need more information. All lives do matter, but don't diminish black lives by saying that we are all equal.

I'm a supporter of peaceful protests. If there is something wrong it's everyone's duty to say something or do something. As an adult, I can vote for local officials and find ways to contribute to my own community. This community that my husband and I live, work, grow our business, and raise our children in needs everyone to be in this together. We are all human beings, 99.9% of our DNA is the same. Don't stay silent, teach your children.

Food System

According to the National Farmers Union, farmers and ranchers receive only 14.6 cents of every dollar consumers spend on food in the US. The rest of that dollar goes to marketing, processing, wholesaling, distribution and retailing. With so little money going back to the farmer, they have to produce more and more to make a living. So instead of producing a hundred pigs in a year they are producing 10,000. This also contributes to why only 2% of the population are farmers and why one farmer can feed 155 people. It's out of necessity. They have to produce a lot to stay in business.

With that knowledge, I knew we wouldn't be able to survive farming the conventional way. We couldn't afford the infrastructure and being at the mercy of the markets. Our farm business model is based on personal food production. We know we can't compete with the efficiency of the corporation farm models. However, we can compete at being effective. We are the marketers, retailers, and distributors.

Our farm has been the home for our black and white pigs for about a month. Six of them are rooting up grass while dodging rain and snow in their movable pig tractor. The runt of the litter is all white with a black head. Her little body and happy wagging tail remind me of my late rat terrier, Annie. So much so, that I named her Annie. I know that Annie is destined for the dinner table. She will feed many families. I have always explained to our four kids that we treat them the best that we can and in return they gift us with their meat.

Raising our kids to have that kind of relationship with the food system has always been a goal, so it breaks my heart to see the global food system broken. Milk being dumped because the DFA doesn't have any businesses to take it. Vegetables being plowed under for the same reason. Hundreds of pigs being euthanized because processors are shutting down. This problem comes from relying on the “King” corporations for our food. The food system relies so heavily on 5 main corporations that when one aspect of a corporation fails, it's devastating. This will trickle down and impact every town in America. Many people are quick to condemn the farmer for not finding other ways to market their commodity. We have even gotten questions about why farmers can't just hold the pigs until they can be processed. The world sees it as so much waste when people are starving. Not many people are thinking about the farmer. That farmer that has to dump his hard work down the drain. That farmer that has to spend more time and money destroying what he spent months nurturing. That farmer that has to kill an animal that would have fed people. These farmers are controlled by the corporations which are dictating the market right now in response to the pandemic. These corporations that are so big, that if even one of them has a hiccup, it will affect the entire food system.

In the last six weeks, our farm has seen increased sales in our meat products. Most businesses that sell farm products direct to consumers has experienced growth. I feel like consumers are finally seeing more clearly how their food gets to their table, and it's not the green pastures they thought it was. I want consumers to stop turning a blind eye to the food system. I want all consumers to be completely aware of how that food got to their table. I also want consumers to find local farmers and purchase their food from them. Farmer's markets are opening up in the next week, at least here in Iowa. I can't tell you what a difference buying local will do for the community. Keep your money local.

As always, stay safe and healthy. 

Homesteading

A friend of mine asked me what homesteading was. I was a little shocked that she was unfamiliar with the term, especially now. I gave her my definition, which is being self sufficient. A person working towards self sufficiency grows their own food and makes their own things. This could be done anywhere.

During this historical time of the pandemic, I have busied myself more intensely with homesteading. Being self sufficient has always been a goal for us, now the lifestyle has sucked me in completely.

These are our homesteading adventures during this time:

Homeschooling: One Sunday night, the governor announced her recommendation for schools to be postponed for at least 4 weeks. The following Monday morning, I had a schedule for my first and second graders that coincided with my schedule that was already in place for my preschooler and 2 year old. I know that I thrive in schedules and so do my kids. That was something that I could control when everything else felt uncertain. School is also something that gives me comfort, so it seemed natural to homeschool.

Bread Making: I have a bread machine where I can dump all the ingredients in. That is my kind of bread making. My husband also introduced me to beer bread. It's quick and we like to experiment with adding things to it like cheese.

Soap Making: With so many pigs being processed, we have a lot of lard. I tried using lard for pie crusts and cooking, but I still couldn't go through a 5lb block. When I tried soap, it was a great experience. It just takes lard, lye, and water. I add lavender essential oil to make it smell nice. Now it's all the soap we use.

Gardening: I love to grow things. Planting a seed is the ultimate hopeful act. A seed is a baby plant waiting to be born and grow up. I have been planting my garden by covering the raised beds with corrugated plastic sheets. With the soil temperature warm enough, I plant the seeds. I will keep the beds covered until May 5 which is roughly the last day of frost. I have also been planting in the greenhouse. We just harvested our microgreens, which can easily be grown in a south facing window in the house.

Chicken Wrangling: The laying hens wander around our farm. I like to train them with kitchen scraps. Really, I like to carry a bucket around the yard and have them follow me. The broilers, meat chickens, are still in the brooder that is in the corner of the greenhouse. We have their chicken tractor next to the greenhouse waiting for them. I'm tracking the weather to decide when they will move.

Fences and Tractors: We have been reconfiguring our layout of the pig's and chicken's pasture to make better use of our land. So the permanent pens that we inherited will be made into our sweet corn patch while the pig and chicken tractors are improved.

Hoarding vs Larder: I grew up with my parents preserving food through canning or freezing. Their larder was usually full. Our larder isn't full; however, we are still enjoying our homemade applesauce, crushed tomatoes, salsa, bone broth, and maple syrup from 2019. I despise going to the grocery store, which has given me motivation to preserve our own food. Now that the rhubarb is starting to pop, I'm researching jam recipes.

Being a homesteader is a passion for my husband and I. We love this lifestyle. I think the world needs more homesteading.

I hope this finds you all safe and healthy.

Greenhouse

When my husband brought home six steal cages, I thought he was crazy. I thought he was insane when on closer examination they were all different heights and dimensions. I never figured out how they all fit together. These steal cages were designed to transport a giant machine halfway across the world and were headed to the junk yard when my husband saved them. Whenever I asked, “Why do we want these?” He would answer with a shrug of his shoulders and list off projects, “chicken brooder, chicken tractor, pig shelter, enclosed trailer, greenhouse.”

My husband's passion for reusing things almost always produces something great. So when only one cage was left, we moved it to a heavy duty pallet base, which was another save. I still couldn't envision a greenhouse. However, when the cage was secured to the base and the roof was slanted, I could picture it down to the plants growing inside.

When a relative passed away and his greenhouse was being disassembled, we were offered much of it. Of course, we loved every bit of it. The corrugated plastic sheeting that covered his orchid filled greenhouse for over 25 years, now proudly clad our greenhouse.

The door to the greenhouse was found when my husband and I were walking through the lumber yard, which is our name for the storage stall formerly home to the past owner's ponies. When I gazed fondly at the front door that we replaced with French doors, I new it would be perfect for the greenhouse.

The heating and cooling were a bit more difficult. I used a thermometer to document the temperature difference before we decided on a heater or fan. On sunny days it got to over 100 degrees, but at night it dipped down to 30 degrees. The first purchase we made was for a digital temperature controller thermostat. When it gets above 70 degrees, it automatically kicks on a heavy duty metal box fan that I found in the shop. When it drops below 60 degrees, it turns on an electric radiator heater. I have another heater waiting to be added because it's still cooler at night.

I started planting radish, broccoli, and lettuce micro greens. Micro greens are shoots of the veggies harvested when the true leaves are starting to develop. Since radish, broccoli, and lettuce all love cool weather, I thought they would be perfect. I can harvest them within 3 weeks, so it will also make eating our crops that much quicker.

So here's to a happy March and happy planting!

2019 Year in Review

As a New Year's strategy, I was introduced to reviewing the following year to decide what should be cut, kept, and improved. I love the idea of reflecting for improvement, but finding an accurate record of the year was a little more difficult. I checked multiple calenders; however, those only highlighted the kid's doctors and dentists appointments. Then I looked through my Google pictures. Since I'm a fanatic about taking pictures, I captured most of 2019 with the great detail. It took me so long to go through all the pictures with multiple starts and stops it's already the middle of February.

So here is my reflection on 2019:

January:

• Took last 5 pigs to market. I wouldn't do that again. It was far too cold for those pigs and loading pigs in January was terrible.
• Science experiments with the kids. This is the month that we ramped up the indoor science activities: volcanoes, snowflakes under the microscope, grapes in the microwave. I would like these activities to be all year round, not just January.

February:

• Detailed farm plan. A plan with planting dates and drawings was so helpful, but we need to stick to the dates and plan more into the fall.
• Chickens laid more than 2 eggs. I would continue to allow the chickens to go through their annual molting stage. We can give the ladies a break.

March:

• Tapped maple trees. I think we will cut this out for 2020. We love the maple syrup, but we don't have any Maple trees on our property. We also have left over maple syrup.
• 100 chicks arrived. That was tough because the weather was cold and wet. Depending on the weather, it might have to be later this year.
• Planted radish seeds. I created a hot house in the garden, which I'm already planning for this year.

April:

• Lard soap. We continue to regularly make lard soap. It's a regular at our farmer's market stand. We have also eliminated the use of purchased body soap.
• Boys took chickens to school for sharing, a baby chick and a laying hen. I would gladly take a baby chick, but the laying hen did not appreciate it.
• Opening day at Adventureland. This will definitely be cut. It was 30 degrees. The roller coasters weren't running because the tracks were frozen. However, our 6-year old loved it for his birthday.
• Planted potatoes in the garden. I'm already making plans to plant potatoes earlier.

May:

• Started the farmers market. We will continue to be part of the farmers market family, it was a great way to meet customers.
• Went on vacation. Family vacations are my favorite. This year we are planning a trip to Seattle.
• Released the Painted Lady butterflies. Raising the caterpillars into butterflies is a fun experiment for the kids that we all look forward to.
• Finished planting in the garden. I would change the dates to plant everything earlier, but that all depends on the weather.
• Chickens to the butcher. I would move this time earlier to have smaller chickens.

June:

• Second set of 100 broiler chicks arrived. I would adjust this date to have the first batch overlap the second batch.
• First set of pigs arrived on the farm. I would move this date earlier in the spring and put them directly into a pig tractor.
• Second set of pigs arrived into the pig tractor. I would move this date earlier too.

July:

• Made new chicken tractor. I would make more chicken tractors like the new design.
• The turkey's arrived. I would get turkeys again, but raise them to be only 12lbs instead of 20lbs.

August:

• Last 5 pigs arrived into the second pig tractor. I would move this date earlier in the year to avoid cold weather.
• Transported parts of a greenhouse. We are assembling the greenhouse now.
• Harvested potatoes and replanted. I would continue to double crop the veggies that we consume the most.
• Our chickens went off to be butchered, and our third batch of 100 broilers arrived. I would time the departure and arrival better. Either overlapped or separated by a week, but not in the same week.

September:

• Butchered the turkeys. The turkeys were way too big!
• Canned salsa, green beans, and apple sauce. I would plan better to provide enough for the entire year.

October:

• Chickens and pigs went to the butcher. I would get pigs sooner to get them butchered sooner.
• Garden dug. I would keep radishes and carrots going through December.
• Harvested the pumpkins. I would plant them earlier.
• The last day of the farmers market was on the 30^th. I would probably plan to end our booth sooner.

November:

• Winter housing for pigs. I would get the pigs earlier to avoid winter weather.
• Cooked up one of our turkeys for Thanksgiving. We grew almost all of our Thanksgiving meal this year, and it was such a great reward.

December:

• Our last batch of pigs went to the locker. I would move the date earlier to avoid winter.

2019 marked the second full year on our farm, and we are so grateful to be here.