Stark Hollow Farm

Custom-Made Rabbit Hutches Make for Sweet Living

2012-01-17T21:06:00.007-05:00

Vanessa's meticulously designed rabbit hutches make for some sweet living for bunnies at Stark Hollow Farm. Our forage-based meat rabbits are raised in Vermont on pasture three seasons, but during winter months they have a cozy set up in the barn loft with a view of the snow covered fields of Camel's Hump.

These modular rabbit pens provide for easy access for feeding, watering, and cleaning and they offer protection from winter drafts and wetness. The modular hutch-mobile attaches to either a cage, normally used in winter, or to a run for three season foraging. This allows for maximum flexibility in the structure's use from season to season and including breeding.

The trays shown below the cages are for cleaning. Rabbit poop makes great compost. The creative homesteader finds many uses on her farm for items which might normally be thrown away. An old dog bowl makes a great rabbit pellet feeder and an old nursery tray is modified to make a hay feeder.

Inquire about purchasing your own live rabbit(s) with one of our custom-made rabbit hutch-mobiles! These rabbits can also make great pets.

Hams & Bacons Are Here!

2011-12-10T22:02:00.002-05:00

Forest raise, heritage breed pork available at Stark Hollow Farm. Also pork roasts, chops, ribs, sausage, tenderloins and all your favorite cuts. See us at the Burlington Farmer's Market this Saturday, December 17th or order through our website in time for the holidays.

Our First Farmer's Market

2011-12-03T16:36:00.005-05:00

Stark Hollow Farm had a great debut at the Burlington Farmer's Market in Vermont today. We sold lots of forest raised pork and Icelandic lamb, made some new friends, and had a great time. Folks really seemed to appreciate our heritage breed focus and our small homestead feel. The enormous Icelandic sheep skin pelt was a huge success with the kids. Some of them weren't too sure if it was alive or not, but none of them could stop stroking the luxurious long locks of wool. There was also lots of interest from crafters for our Icelandic Roving.

Vanessa prepping the table just before opening

Stark Hollow Farm @ Burlington Farmer's Market

2011-11-30T22:13:00.010-05:00

Stark Hollow Farm has been accepted as a day vendor at the Burlington Winter Farmer's Market. Expect to see us there, at Memorial Auditorium, this Saturday 10 a.m. til 2 p.m. December 17th.

We'll have our popular forest raised, heritage breed pork cuts available. Come see us for your holiday roasts. Delicious holiday hams, pork tenderloin, pork shoulder & loin end roasts, and all your other favorite cuts including both hot and sweet Italian sausages, bacon, pork loin chops, country style ribs, ground pork. We even have leaf lard for your holiday baking. Are you hungry yet??

We'll also have our gorgeous Icelandic rovings and pelts for sale...

Our small homestead farm appreciates your support!

Laura & Vanessa

Acorn's Bunnies!

2011-11-24T10:17:00.003-05:00

Acorn has taken such good care of her little bunnies. They are growing strong and big. They are only a few weeks old. They are cozy and warm in their little nesting box. Four albinos, one brown and one spotted.

Running of the Pigs

2011-11-02T19:04:00.003-04:00

Six pigs,200 lbs on the hoof each, running through the woods trying desperately to follow the sounds of our calls and the smell of their delicious pig mash to their new paddock near the road. It was several hundred yards of loud dead-leafed scrambling through thicket, down the gully, over the stream, through the cattails, across the field and back into the woods. It was quite an adventure for both humans and pigs. At one point they had all scattered and run off into different parts of the woods! Repeated bucket banging and calls of "WIGGERS!", their feeding time chant, finally brought them home. Those darn pigger wiggers!

New Ram: Ursus

2011-09-30T18:24:00.004-04:00

At 18 months, Ursus is a handsome solid moorit proven Icelandic ram. He is 1/4 Bambi, 1/8 Kari, 1/8 Rector, 1/16 Serkur for a total of 9/16 AI genetics. Sire and dam both have a beautiful fleece, and very nice conformation. His fall lamb fleece won Best of Show award at the VT Sheep and Wool Festival.

Our rams have been selected for great quality genetics to produce solid breed stock, superb fleeces, meaty builds, great color, and diversity of blood lines.

Apple Drops for the Piggies

2011-09-24T20:58:00.004-04:00

Nature's abundance...we picked up about 200 lbs of apple drops for the piggies. Pigs love apples. They make a nice aperitif while Vanessa dishes up the main course.

The Scientist Farmer

2011-08-23T17:19:00.004-04:00

Vanessa last week checking the fecal samples of the sheep for parasite eggs. By conducting individual egg counts, we can treat only those animals who really need treatment vs simply treating them all. This is a more holistic approach and, combined with our rotational grazing method, keeps the parasite levels down. It also helps keep the parasites themselves from getting resistant to treatments, a problem faced by many farmers today. This addition to our farm management program will also allow us to become more effective at breeding for parasite resistant breed stock.

Haying

2011-08-13T18:14:00.004-04:00

Maple & Cream

2011-08-05T21:57:00.003-04:00

After a long hiatus at Bloomfield Farm in Charlotte, Maple & Cream come home to their ancestral family. An interesting ride in the back of our Subaru Forester. Perhaps we should submit this to Subaru...if only they knew how handy their car is.

Cream...ready to exit the Forester...

Rabbits arrive at Stark Hollow Farm

2011-08-05T21:39:00.009-04:00

Vanessa's latest addition to the farm include Acorn & Buttercup, two Spotted Giant/New Zealand breeding does, and Beet, a white New Zealand buck. They will be bred this fall, with meat coming available in the spring. As with all Stark Hollow Farm animals, these guys will be rotated on pasture with access to fresh pasture grasses and with lots of room to roam.

A few interesting facts about rabbit meat:
1. It is lowest in cholesterol of the primary meat products (turkey, chicken, pork, lamb and beef).
2. It is the highest in protein.
3. It is lower in % of fat than turkey, chicken, pork or beef.
4. Rabbits are among the most productive of livestock.

The Hutchmobile...soon to have wheels...

Beet...

Buttercup...

Acorn...

Rabbits!

2011-07-31T17:41:00.002-04:00

Vanessa is excitedly putting together her rabbit hutch for Stark Hollow Farm's newest offering: Rabbit. We are experimenting with adding rabbit to our meat offering. More info to come.

Icelandic lambs go to college

2011-07-25T08:15:00.003-04:00

Stark Hollow Farm sends two ewe lambs off to college. Corinna and Cavona were purchased by Basil Tangredi, retired veterinarian and professor at Green Mountain College. They will be used by students to learn about shearing, body condition scoring, parasite management, wound dressing and other general animal health care to support the pre-med vet program. Green Mountain College was voted the "nation's greenest school" by Sierra Magazine.

New Portable Chicken Condo

2011-07-24T18:10:00.006-04:00

The most artistic, beautiful coop ever, designed and built lovingly by Vanessa. The construction follows traditional timber framing principles. Soon it will have wheels and be moving around the pasture behind the sheep.

Under construction...

Building a Hay Stack

2011-07-03T21:11:00.008-04:00

There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh mown pasture grasses...except of course the smell of sheep on pasture. So sweet, so earthy, so ancient. Our ancestors, when they first domesticated animals, then had to learn how to keep them through the winter. The hay stack is a method for keeping hay for feed during the long winter months. Our first attempt is experimental. It's hard to learn an old-fashioned technique simply by reading about it. Like all farming, it's best learned by doing.
Here's how Vanessa did it:
~ First, she cut the field with our mower.
~ Then, she selected a spot close to the edge of the pasture, out of the wind to place the stack.
~ Then, she placed a center pole and tripod poles, with branches coming off them.
~ Next, she placed cut boughs and branches as the base to allow airflow under the stack.
~ Then, with a modified rake, the hay was raked up into long rows.
~ After that, the hay was spun up with a pitchfork and stacked on top of the boughs.
~ The hay stack grew taller and taller around the center pole.
~ Last, she will comb out the hay to allow it to shed water.

Laura rakes the hay into rows

One pitch fork full at at time

Pitching the hay onto the stack

Rotational Grazing...

2011-06-26T20:08:00.003-04:00

Rotational grazing on summer pastures at HOWL...

Raw Icelandic Fleeces

2011-06-18T09:54:00.005-04:00

Stark Hollow Farm's raw Icelandic fleeces are gorgeous and prized by handspinners. These fleeces are skirted and ready for processing locally at the Vermont Fiber Factory in Bristol, VT.

Grey Fleece

Cream/Tan Fleece

White Fleece

Vanessa Conquers the Ancient Disc Harrow

2011-06-07T22:17:00.005-04:00

This vintage disc harrow had two sections to it and was completely sunken into the earth at HOWL. Vanessa dug it out, separated it into the two sections and then repaired one to get my garden plowed up.

The disc harrow in parts.

Vanessa scavenges for metal along the rock walls.

Mounted on the tractor.

Ready to go!

The finished product...the garden is ready to plant!

Tamworth Pigs Arrive at Stark Hollow Farm

2011-05-31T20:45:00.007-04:00

Vanessa picked up six lovely Tamworth pigs from Matt & Michelle Whalen of Vermont Heritage Farm in Chelsea, VT. These are heritage breed pigs that will be rotated this year in wild woodland lots at HOWL.

Vanessa & her lambs

2011-05-24T20:50:00.002-04:00

Splish, Splash

2011-05-24T20:37:00.004-04:00

Splish, splash, he was takin' a bath, along about a Saturday night...

Hello, Daddy!

Fiddlehead Fern Hunt Successful!

2011-05-06T17:08:00.003-04:00

After a 40 minute walk through the woods along the edges of the pastures and along the streams and spring run off, I found a small cluster of fiddlehead ferns. I saw many types of ferns, but the ostrich fern is harder to come by. I asked the spirits of the land for guidance and this small gift was offered. I harvested only a few leaving many to grow. These will be cooked for dinner tonight with virgin olive oil, butter, garlic, and bacon from our pigs.

My next hunt will be for wild onions!

Mouflon Lambs

2011-04-28T16:28:00.006-04:00

Our new ram, Ember, threw 75% mouflon color pattern. We also found out that he carries the spotting gene. Here is Poppy's spotted black mouflon ewe lamb...she is definitely a keeper. Her name is Chamonix.

You can see the mouflon pattern on her ears, her chest, over her eyes and under her chin. On the second photo there is also a small spot above the horn of her hoof.

Here is a full mouflon:

You can see the pattern more clearly on this black mouflon ewe lamb.

The Icelandic sheep breed has complex genetics that determine the color and patterns shown in the individual sheep. One of the neat things about this breed, is you often don't know for sure what you might get. It make raising Icelandic sheep fun.

More Icelandic Lambs

2011-03-24T18:13:00.004-04:00

Mara's lamb "Codina" which mean "little tail" in Italian. She got this name due to her breech birth...she came out tail first. Shepherdess Vanessa was amazing in her vigilance, patience and courage getting this little girl out and breathing. She is beautiful!

Mocha's ram lambs are black with the two patterns, mouflon & badgerface, sitting on top. They were out, up, and milking within an hour! She is a great mom.

2011 Lambing Season is Underway!

2011-03-23T23:31:00.001-04:00

The first three lambs are born. Mocha and Mara both had their lambs tonight. Mara has a beautiful black mouflon ewe lamb and Mocha gave birth to twin mouflon badger-faced ram lambs.

Here is Mocha with her first ram lamb.

Sheep shelter gets new floor!

2011-03-07T21:14:00.005-05:00

We had a torrential downpour here on Saturday. The sheep shelter became a soggy mess. We spent most of the day on Sunday installing a new floor to keep them up off the soggy ground. It came out beautifully.

1 x 6 x 12 foot hemlock boards from P&P Lumber in Starksboro...gorgeous.

Lots of fluffy, dry straw!

Icelandic Lambs on the way

2011-03-01T21:53:00.002-05:00

Our registered Icelandic sheep are getting close to lambing. The first lambs are due the end of this month. Vanessa is busy, busy building a modular lambing shelter...

Beverina must be part goat!

2011-02-10T19:50:00.003-05:00

Little Bevera seems to be part goat! With all the deep snow, Bevera has managed to figure out how to get up onto the roof of the lamb's shelter...I had to take a steel shovel to remove the snow to keep the little rascal off the roof!

Hams & Bacons are in!

2011-02-07T13:18:00.008-05:00

Order delicious pasture raised pork from your local farmers, Laura & Vanessa of Stark Hollow Farm.

Our hams and bacon are just in, having been cured and smoked to perfection by Vermont Smoke & Cure. There are both small hams and ham steaks. Bacons are sliced in 12 oz packages. We still have plenty of sausages, loin chops, and roasts. Ribs are almost gone. Order now!

An easy recipe for a shoulder roast:

Place the roast in a large crock pot with 1-2 cups of water.
Cook on high for 1 hour, reduce to low and cook for 6 - 7 hours.
Remove pork, pour off juices, remove fat & any bone (keep for soup or as a wonderful treat for you pet!).
Place pork back in crock pot and shred with two forks.
Add your favorite BBQ sauce, a dollop of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of the juices.
Stir and cook for one more hour on low.

Some nice organic whole wheat buns and you have delicious BBQ Pulled Pork Sammies! Trust me, you can't go wrong with this one and it is so easy!

To find out more and to view our price sheet, follow this link: Stark Hollow Farm Pork

Contact us for orders and delivery/pickup options.

farmer@starkhollowfarm.com

Laura's cell 734-0180

Ember Comes Home

2011-02-07T13:10:00.004-05:00

Ember comes home after his breeding season visit to Bloomfield Farm in Charlotte. Matt, co-owner of Bloomfield Farm and Vanessa off-load the rambunctious fellow. He was very happy to be home to his flock at Stark Hollow Farm.

Pearl Heads to West Corinth VT Farm

2010-12-19T20:20:00.000-05:00

Our beloved Pearl "of Siam" headed off today in the back of a mini-van contentedly munching away on hay. She was sold as a bred ewe to a farm in West Corinth. We are sad to see Pearly leave us, but know that she will have a great place in West Corinth. We'll miss her complaisant gaze and bossy demeanor. She is a good, hardy mother and will make a fine addition to the flock at her new home. Farewell Pearl!

Orn Rocks Alaska!

2010-12-18T21:14:00.003-05:00

From our friends in Alaska where Orn has apparently settled in nicely:

Hi Laura, Orn is awesome! Everybody at Delta cargo crowded around to take pictures as we transferred him from the crate to our trailer, lol. He is such a sweet guy, and of course a hit with his new ewes. An artist friend of mine is painting him also - he's quite popular here! Trimmed his hooves the other day and he was even polite about that. I only have this one lousy picture taken with my blackberry. I keep waiting for a chance to take a better one, but seems like it's either -10 degrees below zero or dark... I'll send more soon. Happy Holidays!
Sarah Donchi 907-252-1929
Kenai Feed www.kenaifeed.com
Funny River Outfitter www.funnyriveroutfitter.com

Handsome Guy!

2010-11-14T12:13:00.002-05:00

This beautiful guy is doing a great job with the ewes this fall...I hope some of his offspring are as handsome as he is!

Pumpkin carving @ HOWL

2010-10-24T11:25:00.003-04:00

We had a blast pumpkin carving at HOWL last night, just past the full moon. Our pumpkin carving event morphed into a dance party!

HOWL Blog

Shearing Day

2010-10-20T22:35:00.005-04:00

Shearing Icelandic sheep is both challenging and rewarding. The Icelandic breed is typically shorn twice per year, in the spring and in the fall. We handled the spring shearing our self this year, but decided to bring in the professional this fall. Jim McRae made short work of our 11 ewes and ram. Vanessa got a lesson out of it. People in the sheep world are very giving of their knowledge and expertise. It sure is appreciated. Vanessa, with the help of Laura and Anya, sheared the 7 ewe lambs. This time of year in Vermont, the weather is unpredictable, but the animals must be shorn or their spring fleece with be very matted and dirty. Their fleece will grow out about an inch within a couple of weeks and they will be sporting almost full fleeces by Christmas.

Spinning Class!

2010-10-20T12:50:00.001-04:00

I took my first spinning class at the 2010 Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival in Tunbridge, VT. It was way harder than it looks, but I did manage to spin up some fleece and put it onto my niddy noddy. I am hoping to get a double treadle spinning wheel soon and practice my fledgling skill.

Setting up the wheel for spinning...

A lesson in hand action...

On my own...

Gettin' niddy noddy with it!

Orn Heads to Alaska

2010-10-09T08:01:00.003-04:00

Stark Hollow Farm's 2.5 year old resident Icelandic ram heads off to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to become the new breeding ram for a small farm up there. We will miss him, but we are so happy that he is going. He flies out this morning on Delta Air Freight. Thank you Orn for all the beautiful lambs!

New Icelandic Ram Arrives at Stark Hollow Farm

2010-09-18T16:09:00.005-04:00

Our newest addition to the farm arrived Thursday in the back of Vanessa's Subaru Forester. Believe it or not, this 200 lb beast traveled from NY 2.5 hours north to our little farm in Vermont. According to Vanessa, he was quite calm on the journey, spending most of it on his feet swaying with the road. When she got him home, he laid down and refused to get back up. The two of us pulled him out and led him to his new paddock for quarantine.

He is a gorgeous black mouflon Icelandic ram, with award winning fleece. He is a proven yearling and we are very excited to see what he will do for the flock (no doubt he is too!).

Nick & Lamb

2010-08-25T12:14:00.003-04:00

Nick, my nephew, visits the farm this week. Our surprise addition to the farm is named Birch. He was born last week to one of our yearlings who apparently got together with the ram. He is a handsome spotted lamb, who as a single, gets lots of mother's milk. He has plumped up considerably in the last week.

Gardens at HOWL

2010-08-13T07:58:00.003-04:00

Our gardens at HOWL - A Vermont Women's Land Trust, pictured below about 2 weeks ago, are in full swing. I have canned 8 pints of green beans. Numerous meals have been accompanied by this wonderful legume, which is so rich in vitamin C, iron, potassium & fiber. The piggies have had their fair share as well.

Summer squashes abound and a few tomatoes are finally ripening. Swiss chard, beets, turnips and of course lots and lots of basil. About 10 servings of pesto are now in the freeze. Soon the tomatillos will be turned into salsa verde and more pesto will be made. Potatoes survived an early tussle with the Colorado potato beetle. With some vigilant hand picking of those pesky larva, I managed to eliminate them. The early blight and I are having a time of it...so far I am winning. I heard the late blight was here in Vermont, but I am hopeful that I won't get it.

The piggies have been given the remains of the spinach, arugula and broccoli, and I chop up the really large zucchinis for a nice side dish at dinner time.

Wiggers move to new paddock!

2010-08-07T13:48:00.005-04:00

There is nothing more entertaining to see than a piggy on pasture. They run, they play. When we move them to a new pasture, they explore the boundaries of the paddock, immediately rooting around for the new, tasty tidbits. They'll leave your wild berries alone, but all else is fair game.

This is one of the Tamworth pigs coming through the thickest part of the new paddock.

Clearing the pastures

2010-08-01T20:07:00.004-04:00

Slowly clearing and improving pasture is a lot of work. With our new mower, we can mow down all the weeds that the sheep don't eat...but only after we cut out all the saplings. Look at this pile!! Icelandic sheep eat most all weeds...even some that are toxic! Icelandic sheep are perfect for Vermont climates and conditions and are really helping to bring these fields back.

Lambs get ear tags

2010-07-20T06:44:00.004-04:00

Not the most popular job on the farm, but the lambs were becoming increasingly difficult to tell apart...well, the white ones anyway. They all are ear tagged and hoof trimmed in early summer.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly...

2010-06-03T23:05:00.002-04:00

My friend Jude took this photo of two of our Plymouth Barred Rock chickens...I couldn't resist...

Stark Hollow Farm animals have arrived at HOWL

2010-06-03T19:48:00.005-04:00

The Icelandic sheep, Tamworth pigs and layer hens of Stark Hollow Farm have moved to their summer home at HOWL - Vermont Women's Land Trust in Huntington, Vt. The grass was already hip high by the time the animals landed over the Memorial day weekend. The critters are so happy to be there. There are 24 sheep, 4 pigs and 9 chickens right now with a few more layers on the way. We are working with HOWL on stewardship of the land to help bring back the fallow pastures. This year we hope to have the sheep graze out the labyrinth so that it may once again be enjoyed by HOWL caretakers and visitors alike.

Vanessa & her new truck

2010-06-03T19:16:00.006-04:00

Ain't she just a farmer now! Our new (well, really used) Ford F150 was a real asset as we moved all the animals from Starksboro onto summer pasture at HOWL. Oakley loves the bench seat. It's got a hitch for the trailer and everything...every farm has gotta have a truck!

Snake meets chickens

2010-05-22T07:28:00.005-04:00

This friendly little guy lives near the chicken coop...he has struck up a mutually cautious relationship with the chickens. The garter snakes are not poisonous and are very common in Vermont, but I did witness the snake go into full strike mode and actually strike out at the chickens the first time they saw him. Chickens, being naturally curious and sure that anything small that moves must be food, walked cautiously over to check him out. He coiled up as you see here and held that position until all chickens were done and made a few warning strikes. The chickens for their part, not being the brightest animals in the kingdom, knew enough to leave him alone!

Chicks move to new home

2010-05-22T07:15:00.004-04:00

The chicks are now fully feathered and moved to the main coop to finish growing out to pullets. Plymouth Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds with a Black Star thrown in for good luck! Cooler Vermont weather requires them to be well heated until their feathers come in, but now, a 5 weeks of age, they are almost ready to withstand the cool nights we still have this spring. Of course, capturing 46 flappering chirpering birds was no small task. But, a few lost feathers and about 45 minutes of my time and the birds were all settling in to their new home!

Piglets

2010-05-02T11:05:00.004-04:00

This year we have decided to raise 4 piglets. Our pork from last year was so tasty that we have several people who would like to purchase pork this fall.

We've decided to try a heritage breed of pigs called Tamworth, which is one of the oldest, and therefore, most primitive breeds hailing from across the pond in England. We'll also be raising two mixed breed pigs, which are more domesticated and tend to grow faster. All four pigs will be raised on pasture and woodland areas where they enhance their diet significantly with plant matter, bugs, grubs, worms and what ever else they root up from the top layers of the soil which palatable to these omnivores.

Chicklets

2010-05-02T10:49:00.008-04:00

Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Barred Rock chicks have arrived and are thriving in the chick brooder which was custom crafted by Vanessa. They are now 2.5 weeks old and are feathering out nicely. We have had a 100% survival rate and are pleased to see them doing so well. Four were sold at a couple of days and the remaining 46 chicks will consume a gallon of water per day and a couple of pounds of crumbles. The grow quickly and soon will be moved into the main coop as the adult flock is moved onto pasture.

Storm of April 28th, 2010

2010-04-29T06:06:00.009-04:00

The weather in Vermont never ceases to amaze me. It was a crazy day on the farm with 20" of heavy spring snow. Power went out during the wee smalls of the night and the chicks had to be heated with hot water bottles and eventually needed to be moved inside next to the wood stove. With fence lines down everywhere, the chain saw came out and offending tree limbs were removed. As we worked, the snow kept coming down. The silence was broken every 10 minutes or so by the sound of a cracking and falling limb or tree. It was scary for a while with trees coming down around us. The little piglets got out and had to be chased down, which, thankfully, wasn't too hard with the deep snow. In between clearing the electric netting and fence lines, we stopped to admire mother nature's work...and feed a bottle to little Bibo our last little lamb of the season, a triplet out of Mara who needs a little extra help. Once the snow stopped in the late afternoon, the sheep came out to scavenge the many fallen buds and leaves that were lost by the trees in the storm. They washed them down with fresh snow and tramped back to their hay lined shelters to ruminate on things.

New born Icelandic lambs

2010-03-24T22:08:00.007-04:00

The first of the 2010 lambs were born yesterday afternoon to our beautiful Polly. A tall, white ram lamb and a tall, long bodied black spotted ewe lamb. Vanessa was in attendance to supervise and assist in delivery. Polly did a great job and is a wonderful, milky mother. She speaks in a guttural rasp to them and the sound of her calling, stimulates the newborn lambs to struggle to their tiny feet in search of their first bellyful of milk: the all important colostrum with it's critical nutrients, vitamins and antibodies to help them survive in the world.

Momma Polly cleans them up. Vanessa cleans their naval and we weigh them. Large lambs. With their hunger satiated, the begin to explore their surroundings. An occasional astonishing hop into the air belays the fact that these little ones are barely an hour old.

Teenage is a Condition of Sheep Too

2010-03-22T15:30:00.001-04:00

As we’re getting ready for lambing here at Stark Hollow Farm, the sheep flock has been divided into 2 groups. The pregnant ewes have been placed near the barn where all pens and equipment is ready for the upcoming lambs. The ram and two yearlings (i.e. 1 year old ewe lambs) have been left at the top of the pasture with access to the round house where the flock has spent the winter.

Already late last summer, the 2 Icelandic lambs, now yearlings, started proving to have quite a personality! After fixing and re-fixing tear after tear in the shade tents, I caught the two of them running, leaping into the air, and landing right on top of the tents eventually touching ground as the tear they caused during the jump reached the edge of the tent resulting in the whole thing to collapse. It seemed they found joy in this. I recall their look when I caught them in action… it was almost a smirk… almost defiance. As I was screaming half in disbelief and half in despair, they looked at me and it was like they were telling me: “whatever”. I thought I felt what teenagers parents feel like when they yell at their children who seem to have lost the ability to listen as they grow taller.

As fall progressed and winter weather began, the jumping and tearing ended, the mended shade tents went away, and I forgot all about my growing lambs behaviors. In the winter, we had a couple of surprises here and there -- a spilled water tank, broken hay feeder part, some rocks from the small wall surrounding the round house moved over, etc. -- but nothing serious. In addition, the frequency of these occurrences was low enough to assume they are due to normal management and/or wear & tear of equipment/structures. But now that the yearlings make up the 2/3 majority of the group at the top of the pasture, my feelings toward empathy for parents of teenagers seem to be resurfacing. Suddenly, I find the sheeting that makes up the temporary walls of the round house taken down (i.e. note that the sheeting has been in place for at least the past 5 months through snow, ice, blowing winds, etc. and 10 sheep), I discover poop in the water tank, I walk up to a bucked down feeder with all salt & mineral spilled onto the pasture, and the list goes on daily. Then as I discover these nice little gifts of entertainment -- since I have nothing better to do all day -- and express my astonishment, I have to listen to my yearlings going baa-baa, baa, baa-baa while they look me straight in the eye. As my shock begins to morph into distress that borderlines outrage, but of the peaceful kind, I am interrupted by two even more closely approaching yearlings yelping out baa-baa, baa-baa, baa. At this point, they actually manage to shut me up.

As I look at them, while they turn around and walk away stomping their little hooves, that fiery feeling that bordered outrage is gone. Absolute bewilderment sets in as I stand there with my mouth opened and my jaw dropping down slowly. I am not sure whether I should focus on the damage those two have caused for the day or on their demanding yet defiant behavior. But I force myself to step back, remember my morning meditation, take a deep breath, and move on to fix whatever they managed to destroy/buck/etc. I feed them, water them, and clean up their bedding. When everything is finally back in order and my two yearlings and ram have been well taken care of, I look around and pat myself on the back. Walking away with the optimistic view that I have everything under control again, I also don’t pay too much attention to the baa-baa, baa, baa-baa of my two yearlings… but I swear I know that if I did turn around to look back, I would see my dear yearlings smirking and chuckling away as they plan a new prank for tomorrow!

Inspiring Local Newspaper Article

2010-02-12T13:00:00.009-05:00

A newspaper article you might ask? No, I did not find it on the internet and yes, some still do read a paper newspaper you can hold in your hands. No, it wasn't me who had the paper -- although I actually would like to read a real paper newspaper i have no time to read (i.e. also am not the most prolific reader), do not want to use up paper if I don't have to, and do not want to waste money... so no paper for me, but I really like the idea.

In any case, now that I have managed to ramble along about nothing (i.e. thankfully i have no time to waste!), the newspaper article was given to us by Laura's parents. I admire them for reading the paper and am grateful to them for giving us the article. OK, at this point I really think you need to read the article otherwise you'll think that I'm rambling again, start thinking I am just writing a dissertation between news on paper on online, or most likely just think that I'm nuts! Oops, looks like you're still waiting; with no further due here is the: ARTICLE. Please read it.

OK, now that you have read the article -- unless you got too bored by my special ability to write nonsense -- here's a summary of the conclusion of my brief review: it's our story and our current condition as we strive to be farmers, but it's so inspiring to know we're not alone! Just such an amazing injection of energy in these days when industrial factory farming seems to be the only way or the highway.

I am going to frame this ARTICLE -- kind of like those motivational posters you find on walls of offices to make you more "productive". But in this case with a VERY different motivation (i.e. as if i actually needed one when i have no troubles being out at 6:30/7 AM feeding animals. carry 5-gall water buckets in 0 degrees F, shovel manure, and the list goes on). But i do need some inspiration at times, here and there. In those times, when I feel beaten down and exhausted from trying to make my "little" sustainable farm viable and juggle 2 jobs (i.e. 1 of which is the "paying" "daytime" job), I will read the ARTICLE.

My final words: I have a smile from cheek to cheek because I am on my way out to feed my sheep!

Stark Hollow Farm joins the Vermont Sheep & Goat Association

2010-02-06T09:08:00.005-05:00

It's official folks! We love raising our Icelandic sheep in Vermont!

VSGA (follow the link)

Bye Bye Fancy Pants

2010-02-04T16:15:00.004-05:00

Fancy Pants, our rooster, has found a new home with a family who is breeding and raising chicks. We expect he'll have a good life at his new home. Now, Vanessa can roam the barn yard free from fears of a rooster attack. She spent last night re-vamping the coop...adding the heated poultry waterer she got for christmas, re-wiring and general clean up. The girls seem happy and are still laying lots of eggs. One broody girl has been moved to a brood area to see if we can hatch some of Fancy Pant's chicks. We should know in about 15 more days!

VT Grazing & Livestock Conference

2010-01-23T08:54:00.001-05:00

Laura and Vanessa attended the Vermont Grazing & Livestock conference in Fairlee, Vermont. The theme was Farming for Modern Markets and we attended a variety of workshops including Partnering Retailers and Producers to Feed a Hungry Public, Bedded Pack Management for Winter Housing, Managing Small Ruminant Parasites, among others. We enjoyed a presentation by Brian Moyer, Director of Rural Vermont. We networked with numerous other farmers small and large who care about sustainable farming and agriculture. It was a great day.

(follow link)
Vermont Grass Farmer Association

The rythm of farm life.

2010-01-18T16:27:00.008-05:00

The sheep are loving the round house and all the girls should be bred now and into their 2nd trimester. They were all rounded up yesterday for a good hoof trimming, which meant a taste of grains which of course they just love.

We've put our name on the list for some English Saddleback pigs, a rare heritage breed. Hopefully some gilts for eating. If not, we'll get some Tamworths. All the chickens are laying now and we have a regular surplus of eggs which find a home in the frying pans of several friends. Researching meat recipes for ham and salamis and will begin curing soon. Also researching natural remedies for parasite management and getting ready to cut and split more firewood for next winter.

Still trying to find a home for one snappy Silver Spangled Hamburg rooster...it may just have to be the stew pot.

The rhythm of farm life.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

Ready for Winter

2009-12-15T06:21:00.001-05:00

The sheep are ready for winter. The Round House has a temporary wall covering to block out the wind and the sheep love to be in it at night.

Organic Farming - NY Times Op Ed

2009-11-28T19:09:00.005-05:00

Read this wonderful piece by Maira Kalman about organic farming and urban living. Back to the Land

Vanessa cuts up pork for the freezer

2009-11-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

The pigs were slaughtered and the pork prepared for the winter freezer. It was a long, exhausting day of work. Sausage making and smoking of hams and bacons is next.

Chickens peruse the garden

2009-11-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

The chickens peruse the remains of the summer garden.
The rooster peruses the hens.

Vanessa & Rose work on the Round House

2009-10-24T10:24:00.001-04:00

Vanessa and Rose (a.k.a. Sherpa) spent several days getting the sheep's Round House ready for winter. The roof required expansion of the woven sapling support system. They then cut aluminum "shingles" to tile the roof with. Next will be the sides, which we will temporarily board up. Eventually we want to cob the sides. Icelandic sheep in Vermont at Stark Hollow Farm.

Blueberry & Cider arrive at Stark Hollow Farm

2009-10-15T22:28:00.000-04:00

Blueberry (black) & Cider (white) arrive at Stark Hollow Farm. Their sire and dam are both from our farm...they return to their roots after an extended stay with Bloomfield Farm in Charlotte, Vermont.

Photos shown here before and after shearing. These two girls are in great shape and will be bred this fall to Ember, our new black mouflon ram.

Vanessa calls the sheep...

2009-09-20T20:03:00.002-04:00

The sheep know to follow their shepherdess who always leads them to greener pastures...

Sheep Wrangling

2009-09-17T17:26:00.010-04:00

Sheep handling at Stark Hollow Farm is an adventure. First the sheep must be rounded up and then each sheep caught to be body condition scored, tagged, tattooed, hoof trimmed or provided preventative care. Vanessa has become quite good at wrangling these beautiful icelandic sheep....Laura remains the (hand wringing) stalwart assistant...

Got Grain?

2009-09-12T11:01:00.003-04:00

Sheep on HOWL pasture...

Photo: kaweahArts

Milkweed

2009-09-11T23:33:00.005-04:00

Never was there a meaner plant than the milkweed. Like the tiny hair on your chinny-chin-chin, you fear to pluck it lest 5 more grow in its place. Its milky sap is poisonous and causes the flesh to pucker and itch. The odor hangs on your clothes like a veil of mortal corruption...its pungent stench resistant to the strongest detergent. Were it not for its subtly scented flower so loved by the butterfly and the delicate, feathery milkweed spoors that float like snow on the fall breeze to be used by birds and rodents to feather their nests, I would wish the obstinate milkweed gone from this world.

Örn - Resident Ram

2009-09-04T06:27:00.005-04:00

Our handsome ram Örn is really coming into his own. His horn conformation is beautiful. He is looking forward to the upcoming breeding season at Stark Hollow Farm. I just love this Icelandic breed.

Happier than a pig in...

2009-08-29T16:41:00.004-04:00

This really fits the saying, doesn't it? Except the saying really should be "Happier than a pig in mud", because pigs are actually quite clean....doing their business in only one designated area of their run...contrary to popular belief, they do not roll around in their own sh*t, unless they have not been provided with enough room to live comfortably.

Summer Pasture @ HOWL

2009-08-01T09:19:00.000-04:00

Stark Hollow Farm and HOWL (Huntington Open Women's Land) have entered into an arrangement to graze sheep on the land trust land in Huntington, Vermont. HOWL was established in the mid 1980's and is a 50 acre women's land trust devoted to providing a sanctuary to women in transition, loving stewardship of the land, and to ensure that all women may have access to the healing energy that comes from the earth. Once an old Vermont dairy farm nestled onto the side of Crouching Lion Mountain, the land includes a house and barn with two studios. HOWL is run by a collective of women and decision making is handled by consensus. We will spend about 75% of our time at HOWL during the summer months with our sheep, pigs & chickens.

Oink Oink...Piglets Arrive!

2009-07-12T20:03:00.002-04:00

Piglets arrived today at Stark Hollow Farm. We had to stuff them into gunny sacks with small nose holes for them to stick their little snouts out. Though they tried to struggle, they are so porky, they barely fit into the bags...

Two 8 week old piglets will follow along behind the sheep on pasture. The put up quite a struggle as we transported them from a farm in So. Starksboro to our summer pasture at HOWL. They are huge for their age and should flesh out nicely. These are Gloucester Old Spot/Duroc/Landrace cross and a Pure Bred Hampshire Boar bred via artificial insemination. Their pink skin is quite delicate when exposed to intense sun, which shouldn't be too much problem here in Vermont as we mostly have seen rain and clouds this summer. We've been hard at work on a pig pen and Vanessa's design has turned out to be quite deluxe. Oakley is a little jealous...

Icelandic Sheep Workshop @ HOWL

2009-06-20T21:21:00.000-04:00

Stark Hollow Farm conducted its first ever workshop on the Icelandic Sheep breed. Vanessa led the workshop for about 15 women at HOWL's annual solstice celebration. Vanessa delivered a brief talk about the Icelandic breed's origins & characteristics followed by a lengthy question and answer period. Laura brought two of the lambs over so that workshop attendees got to touch their fleece and look into their eyes. The ram, with his impressive horns, was also coaxed over for some up close and personal viewing.

Poet Cora Brooks, who attended the celebration and workshop, added her artistic talent...

Her words speak volumes,

Hooray for birds peeping
and sheeps bleating
and eating and trees leafing
and women meeting
Cora Brooks

Thank you Cora.

New Layer Chickens

2009-06-18T20:49:00.001-04:00

In order to expand our flock, this year we purchased 25 day old chicks. We choose Plymouth Barred Rocks for their wonderful egg laying abilities and their beautiful feathers markings. The flock now consists of Buff Orpingtons, Australorp, and these new Plymouth Barred Rocks. We also received one "exotic" bird from the hatchery which we have tentatively identified as a Silver Laced Wyandotte. Eight will be added to our flock for a total of 16 (including the exotic) with the balance to be sold as pullets. Vanessa built an awesome brooder for the chicks which kept them warm during May and June. Now they are free ranging and happy. 16 have been sold to local, small farms who plan on using the eggs for their own consumption. They make a wonderful addition to Stark Hollow Farm.

Ugali & Ada join the flock

2009-06-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

Ugali and her ewe lamb join Stark Hollow Farm from Knoll Farm in Waitsfield. This beautiful ewe has lovely black fleece and her lamb is a black grey as evidenced by her grey cheeks in this photo. Vanessa's mom asked that we name her Ada after herself and to keep with our naming convention (all lambs in year one begin with the letter A).

Spring Shearing

2009-05-04T08:34:00.003-04:00

Removing the winter coats of icelandic sheep is not an easy task. Jim McCrea, an experienced shearer and his assistant took charge of our sheep. Poor Mara had a particularly matted undercoat... after he removed her fleece and handed it to us, he comment "throw a couple of buttons on this and you'll have a coat!" With the heat and humidity here in Vermont, however, these sheep will be happy campers as they head off to summer pasture at HOWL (Huntington Open Women's Land...more to come).

2009-04-05T14:16:00.004-04:00

The Meatrix

(click on image)

Check out The Meatrix...from Sustainable Table to see why locally grown meats are better for animals, humans and the environment. This is why we do what we do at Stark Hollow Farm.

Extreme Sheparding

2009-04-05T10:48:00.005-04:00

Here is a little example of what our wonderful animals could so someday!

Poppy's Lambs Are Born!

2009-04-04T09:47:00.010-04:00

Poppy gives birth to Stark Hollow Farm's first lambs. Ewe lamb Alba and ram lamb Ansel were born March 25th, 2009. It was exciting and a little scary this being our first lambing. Both lambs presented normally and Alba was up nursing within 20 minutes. Her little brother, born 10 minutes after her, was a somewhat slower to get going. We intervened to express milk from Poppy so that he got good colostrum and had to help him find his mother's teats. It took a couple of hours but now he is plump and frisky growing even more quickly than his sister. They are beautiful, healthy lambs.

Poppy is a great first time mother. Very attentive to her lambs and quick to care for and protect them. She has produced a lot of milk and the lambs are fat & happy.

Miami R.U.

2009-03-23T09:44:00.008-04:00

Laura, Betsy, Teresa & Mary Katherine went to the Miami R.U. and had a blast prancing around the pool!

I Finally Gave Into Winter Weather

2009-02-16T21:49:00.035-05:00

This is long overdue as I actually gave-into cold temperature a while back. My fingers finally cried-out for an end to having to work tying knots and weaving tree saplings into the roof and walls of the winter sheep pen in 10 F/-12 C degree weather (i.e. on good days). They had it… and they put the foot – or better digit – down and demanded no more work in below freezing weather. They said that it didn’t matter whether the sun was out or the fact that work had begun occurring in the middle of the day as opposed to in the evening to take advantage of warm sun rays… it was just too cold, period! So there you have it: completion of the sheep round house had to be suspended until Spring.

However, because I try to be a good shepherd to my flock, I had to temporarily cover and winterize the round house for use by the sheep this winter. Of course, my fingers wined and complained, but they had to be ignored except for the purchase of nice new mittens to be worn during frequent warm-up breaks. Why mittens and not gloves that might give me increased dexterity and allow me to work with protected fingers you might ask… well it’s simple, yet inexplicable and unusual: my hands and fingers freeze to death when I wear gloves. However, they stay much warmer if I work without gloves and take frequent breaks to warm them up inside mittens. Yes, I have tried different gloves, including different sizes and different kinds. But it doesn’t matter... it’s all the same… gloves suck or more likely they freeze! I love my mittens though… don’t like the price too much (a nice $86), but they are worth every penny. First off, they keep you warm no matter how cold, be it at 32 F/0 C, 0 F/-18C, -25 F/-32 C; second you can handle snow and ice, deep them in the sheep water bucket and your hands stay dry (did I mention warm too); third you can handle wood, metal, sheet metal, etc., but because they are leather w/ extra layers nothing penetrate your hands (and yes they keep staying warm); fourth… well I shut up since I think you get the point: mittens rule on my little farm!

To return to the main topic, the sheep round house got a nice cover, both walls and roof, of something I don’t love, but must admit its usefulness and as far as I know unrivaled quality: plastic. The original plan was to cover roof and walls with sustainable natural materials. But to support these and ensure their durability, I had to provide a good skeleton, which was taking a toll on my poor fingers as mentioned above. So the plan got postponed to the Spring when the weather should allow for a bit warmer temperatures – all I ask is for 30’s-40’s F/0-10 C. So the plastic went up.

But for all the goods of plastic sheeting, it wasn’t easy and took a few days. The draw-back being, among the fact that I hate plastic for being a manufactured and a petroleum based product, that plastic sheeting is darn slippery. Also and although I got 10-mils, it is easily punctured, which is not good if it rains or if snow’s melting… poor sheepies –they got a nice weather proof coat, but it isn’t made of plastic! To overcome the fragility of plastic sheeting, I devised a spider-web like belt around and over the roof, used staples on the walls, and rocks along the bottom of the walls. That worked, even during the unusually strong winds we’ve had this year!

I must admit that last week a section of the roof collapsed under the weight of melted snow and water – yes we had a warm spell of well above freezing temperatures – Indian Summer? – and I should have probably put in some work on placing more sustainable materials. But given the melt down lots of manure had to be handled and cleaned-up. I do try to be a good and “clean” shepherd!

As you can see in the photos the sheep round house for the winter is up and staying -- it’s not running anywhere fortunately -- and the sheep love it.

Did i mentioned my favorite and most personal touch is the vent system on top of the reciprocal roof opening!

Portable Sheep Shed Collapses

2009-01-04T10:27:00.011-05:00

Based on the title, you might ask why should it matter that the portable sheep shed has collapsed since it is meant for summer grazing, it is winter, and I have been working on a permanent winter pen? Good question and the answer has to do with the fact that the permanent pen was nowhere near completion when the portable shed collapsed. In fact, the sheep were using the portable shed as their shelter during the winter weather we've been having... and as the locals know, it has been winter weather alright. The worst of it is not temperatures hovering at 0 to 10 degrees F (i.e. -18 to -12 degrees C), but the wind. For some bizarre reasons -- mmmm... global warming? Oh no that's a scare tactic, there's no such thing! (i.e. yes that's a joke) -- the wind has been strong and from the south this year, which means it has been whipping us and especially the top of the pasture where the sheep are. You see, we have a hill in the north so luckily we're sheltered from north winds (i.e. north winds are generally much colder than south winds), but in the past we have not really had much winds coming from the south, meaning we have not had to really deal with windy conditions. Well, this year it all changed. It has made the air feel even colder thanks to the now noticeable wind-chill factor, not to mention the fact that the winds have created havoc on my portable sheep shed just when the sheep need it the most -- they usually use shelters in high wind conditions, driving rain/snow, or extreme cold... yes essentially what we've had.

(at left: the portable sheep shed still standing)

I was able to resolve the wind beating of the portable shed, after first chasing the shed down the slope of the entire pasture and then after being thrown around the pasture while stubbornly holding onto the shed as it acted like a sail driven by the wind all over the pasture, into the fence, and over the fence -- it was like watching sail-boat or wind-surf in the San Fransisco Bay under the Golden Gate bridge (i.e. if you have been there, you know what I mean). In any case, the resolution was to take 6 large pieces of bedrock -- we have a lot of rocks and bedrock outcrops on the property -- and set them onto the wood/PVC frame of the portable shed: it worked... that was until the snow started to fall and pile high! One morning I go out to feed my woolen girls just to find the tarp cover of the portable shed detached at one of the grommets; I pull at it to reattach the string and snap... the grommet breaks! OK, I just need to pull gently at the other end, shed some snow, and I can make a new hole. I do that and snap... the PVC angle holding 1 of the 2 peaks of the frame shatters into several pieces of plastic thanks to what I can surmise to be: cold temperatures. OK, I can still fix this, since the PVC angle is at the top and away from the reach of the sheep, I can just use rope to attach the wood and PVC pipes making up the frame. So I readjusts the wood/PVC pipes and... snap another PVC angle shatters at 1 of the bottom corners, 1 of the wood breaks in half, and the entire tarp tent of the portable shed collapses under the weight of the snow. NOW I'm screwed! I would need a miracle to fix all this mess.

Stay tuned for how we managed to provide shelter for the sheep in less than 24-hrs, outside in 10 degree F weather...

(at right: a preview of the workshop for the winter pen)

Vanessa's Tattoo

2008-12-19T20:58:00.007-05:00

Finally, Vanessa got her tattoo. Probably most don't know, but she has wanted one for a few years now. What has held her back is not really knowing what tattoo, although she has always known she wanted her own design. At first it was going to be a stambecco in Italian or an alpine ibex in English, a beautiful animal that lives in the Alps and is an excellent rock climber. The reason for the stambecco/alpine ibex is because I love mountains, I love to hike/climb, and I especially love to trail run through mountains with lots or rocks where you kind of have to leap around.

Then it was going to be a newt to catch the meaning of Nature and its potential fragility from our own human hands since amphibians are very susceptible to pollution and loss of habitat.

Years went by, but it was always going to be an animal because I love animals, I find them fascinating, special, almost (or totally) spiritual and able to provide humans with a connection back to Nature... where after all we come from -- even if accounting for God there is Nature between God and us.

Then for just over a year or so, I have been reading about the fact that my interests and feelings of a spiritual connection with Nature might be well founded (i.e. not just typical Vanessa's craziness) and are very ancient; this brought me to neolithic Celtic culture or older, another interest and spiritual connection of mine. This in turn and brought me again to more realizations: the ancient Celtic origins of where I come from (i.e. Gallia Cisalpina), which I actually studied in school and guess what... managed to forget with my powerful ability to remember – not!

In any case, after an iteration of personal/spiritual growth/search, I have arrived to making my own design! The design does capture what I wanted: animals, specifically deers, for which I have always had even more special awe, the number 3, which carries many important meanings in ancient and Celtic cultures as well as in my life, and the circle or wheel, which again is a spiritual symbol throughout many ancient cultures.

So here's what I came up with... yes that is my leg or calf to be more precise.

I must explain the reason for the location: at first, at the time of the stambecco/alpine ibex I actually wanted to tattoo on my leg, but it was going to be the thigh; then at the time of the newt it was going to be exactly the same, the calf; then while creating my latest design it was going to be my lower arm. What changed you might ask? I guess you can call it something not very spiritual, but purely practical and related to today's world: work. Yes like everybody else I got to eat and have a roof over my head... so I got to work and make money and since the path I have chosen does not usually allow for tattoos to be visible the arm was not going to work; no way I am wearing long sleeves throughout the summer!

A Little Pictorial Catch-Up

2008-11-30T20:46:00.020-05:00

Well, i had tis grand idea that each week i would create a new blog with a "catch-up" topic to summarize what has been happing at Stark Hollow Farm. But too much keeps happening and/or there is never enough time... or i am just lazy and/or cannot look at a computer in my "free" time off the paying job! In any case, i have given-in and that grand idea is not going to work. So below are a few photos to summarize the major highlights of what has been going on in the last few months.

PORTABLE SHEEP SHED (built by me w/ fallen wood from our land, left over PVC, and a tarp)

THE SHEEP HAY FEEDER (built by me w/ fallen wood from our land and scrap plywood/sheet metal)

with lid opened

BRINGING & STORING IN HAY

CHICKEN COOP PROGRESS
(not 100%, but good enough to use for now)

Please note that i am leaving for future posts my Mom's visit and the winter sheep shed.

Doggie Sitting

2008-11-30T20:14:00.009-05:00

During the Thanksgiving holiday we have welcome again in our home Gorgeous, the brindle dog we looked after last year for a nice month or so. Gorgeous is approximately the same age as Oakley and as Oakley she's of the "Heinz 57 sauce" breed... a.k.a. a pure mutt. The best kind of domesticated wolf! Gorgeous and Oakley seem to like each other, they eat, play, eat, sleep, eat, snooze, eat, run around, eat, beg for human food, eat, play, and -- almost forgot -- eat together nicely. At first there is always a little jealousy on the part of Oakley, but it last less than 24-hrs and then it's all good... best partners in crime.

Gorgeous is well behaved like Oakley; she may venture around through the woods and hills, but does not usually strays far and comes right away when called. The other day as i was cleaning up around the sheep quarters in the wooded top pasture (i.e. it will become pasture), i called onto Gorgeous as i usually do when she's not under my eyesight, but this time she did not come back. Then i called again, then again, then again. Then i moved to the barn area and called onto Gorgeous again, then again, and again.... nothing still. Darn dog where could she have possibly gone!?! She's such a good beast... doesn't make sense, back to calling and calling.... nothing. Try howling, then howling more, then again howling... nothing. I almost lost my voice, but gave it another change calling the dog again and again... nothing. Then i gave up. Then right before the vet came by to check up on the sheep (they're all well and healthy) Gorgeous miraculously shows up; it's all good. I see Gorgeous in the distance playing with something, possibly a stick of wood or something like that. But the vet has just arrived and Gorgeous seem to be doing fine. The vet and i go to the sheep and the dogs remain outside the fence doing their own thing. When done with the sheep as the vet and I discuss billing, we both notice that Gorgeous' toy consists of some bone-like object with dangling pieces of meat and tendons -- i noted that we do not have bones kicking around on the homestead and she must have found something around. But looking at the fun Gorgeous was having trashing around bones, tendons, and meat, we couldn't resist and had to go take a look. Sure enough it was a deer leg... or whatever remained of it, which actually was a nice remainder sample with 3 full bones, meat, tendons, skin, hairs, and hoof even. Poor deer... at the very least it was already dead thanks to a hunter as we're in the thick of hunting season. In any case here's a photo taken after Gorgeous had already decimated half of the booty!

Pooty Tat Claws

2008-11-17T18:30:00.010-05:00

Micio (pronounced meecho) joined Stark Hollow Farm as the resident barn cat employed to keep the mouse population at bay. So far he is doing a cat fabulous job. Unfortunately, the song bird population is suffering too!

He is gorgeous and very friendly. He hangs out around the house and woods and barn all day. He comes in the house sometimes for a short visit, but likes to be outdoors. He and Oakley chase each other around and play together...we think Oakley thinks he is a dog! She growls at him if he gets too close to her bowl.

Catching Up: July, August, and September 2008

2008-11-02T08:50:00.028-05:00

Well, let's see where to start... it is November 1st and i got to keep my readers, if any*, informed. So let's start, we got chickens again, after the winter tragedy, or the way i prefer to look at it, natural food chain series of events. We got them in the middle/late summer, 8 full grown-up layers that already lay eggs, which is nice (i.e. not sure if all of you know, but it takes a bit, a few months really, for chickens to start laying eggs). So the day we got them, can't believe i actually remember this, was threatening rain all day and then, about 30 min to an hour after we got home, it poured hard and all night. Now i must update anyone of you that does not leave near us: this summer we apparently reached historical records for most precipitation since data have been taken, which is not super long, but i believe it at least goes back to the 1800s. In any case, this summer just kept raining, raining, and raining; soils were soaked, driveway was soaked, i was soaked, i think only the plants loved it! Although, i loved the fact that my pasture loved the rain because it sure showed :-). So anyway, the chickens... we got home and placed them in the electric poultry net i had set-up for them just prior to picking them up. Birds seemed happy checking out the new grass, or lack there of, and their new surroundings. We gave them water, pellets, and a bit of scratch; they put their heads and beaks down and began doing their thing: pecking and scratching.

So that was all good, but i had to put finishing touches on the portable coop, which after the food chain natural series of events last winter i had decided to rebuild -- this time they get 2 coops: a small portable one (but secured w/ no holes >0.25") and a permanent one behind the barn for the colder/non-grazing season. So i put my head down and began doing my thing: building stuff for the farm. Laura had to go to meet some friends and thought she might be back late, but i just had the roof to finish so no worries there... all was good. Then it began poring, but the birds seemed not to mind, i was working under the barn roof and all was still good. Then i found out i had less roofing material then needed, it got dark, but i had extra very small pieces, i had a head-lamp, and the bird seemed ok; it was still all somewhat good. Then it was thundering, i was having hell with the very small pieces of roofing material, the birds were all huddled-up together in the pouring rain; but i brought down the large card-board box and 2 old windows to create a small tent for them while i was finishing the coop; all was not good, but not too bad either. Then, i found out i ran out of good screws and rubber washers to secure the darn roof, Laura was missing in action (or chatting more likely), and the windows had collapsed onto the now soaked cardboard box that was supposed to protect the chickens; all was now not good. Then i gave in and decided that i would just temporarily close off the roof in some fashion and the next day go to the store and buy supplies so that i could build a normal/secure roof, Laura came back, and the birds seemed ok and happy for the coop, although a bit sleepy; all was good again.

[[* Hopefully there are still readers out there that have not gotten completely annoyed after checking and re-checking for new posts that never seem to occur.]]

Well that was a long story. At least i do not seem to have such hart-pounding adventures for the sheep; for some reason they seem well and happy with no drama. Must be thanks to my better preparation with gates, feeders, and portable housing.

But the good news is that the chickens are getting and mansion for a cold/non-grazing season coop, which i have begun building... it's so well structured i could relocate my office in there!

Before & After

2008-08-01T20:53:00.009-04:00

This is a short entry, as the photos really do speak a thousands words.

We have rotated the sheep through the so called power line pasture -- additional free pasture land that because of the power line we must keep free of brush and trees; or in other words and from a shepard's perspective... looking like a pasture. The area was actually quite overgrown and the sheep had a ball... or a leaf or too! They would get quite excited every time they were about to enter a new paddock, baaing away and making a lot of baaa noise.

In any case the photos below really do show what i mean and how much they loved it!

Overgrown Pasture At Start of Rotation

Overgrown (well Formerly Overgrown) Pasture about 36 Hours Later

Pearl the Baby Escaped

2008-07-27T10:07:00.009-04:00

The other day the sheep had too much grass to finish up eating in the morning and so i decided to keep them in the same paddock through mid-day; i would rotate them (i.e. move them to a new paddock) between my regular job.... doesn't take too long usually anyway and they are next to the road, which means it is nice and easy to go back and forth should i forget something or need some tools/supplies -- which pretty much, no strike, i almost always do (i.e. actually i think so far it's been every time that i forget something and have to go back to the barn).

In any case, that was the plan... a nice small break from a busy day at work. So, i go down ,start setting up the netting for the new paddock right next to the existing paddock. But to do so, as i have previously done, i have to kind of move over the existing netting so that the 2 don't touch each other and i do not lose precious grass for the sheep.

(For those of you who might not be as familiar with electric fences, an electric net is a net made of plastic, poly-wire, and very small conductive metal filaments, which carry electricity, if connected to an energizer, throughout the netting. There are also plastic stakes which are set into the ground so that the net can stand on its own.)

OK, lessons aside, i was saying that here i was doing the usual thing of setting a new net adjacent to the old one and picking up some of the stakes from the old one to make room for the new stakes... and then: as i lifted the net maybe 12" from the ground, being VERY conservative, and snap! Pearl is out... went under the net within seconds and is now looking around and eating every leaf she can.

Meantime ,the other 2 are like... ooh sweet how did she get out, let's go join her since we have no more decent chow in here... especially Pearl's mother Mara who is such a stubborn driven sheep when she's hungry -- well that would be all the time since she's always hungry.

All this happening in about 2 minutes... now Pearl has figured out that she's all alone out there and her flock is inside the fence... that's not looking good: she has food, but no flock, and now she has me trying to get her, gently, but intently, by the horns and to send her back. So what's next? Before guessing, remember Pearl is young and inexperienced... Anyway, she runs top speed into the old netting; straight on into 3' of netting, not even trying to jump it!

Thank God, the energizer was off and no electricity flowing because within the same 2 minutes i just mentioned, Pearl is completely caught and tangled in the fence: horns, legs, etc. She's falls to the ground and is struggling and gets herself even more tangled. Meantime, while i go over trying to free her up without scaring her even more, the other 2 are looking at a net down to the ground and easily passable. But fortunately the leader of the pack, oops flock and Pearl's mother, Mara is a bit worry about her daughter and hesitates. Because you must know where Mara, goes everybody follows. Now, Mara is essentially weaning Pearl and has placed much of her energy lately into getting food and more food, but mother instinct must have called on strong and that hesitation gave me just enough seconds to grapple and free her baby and get the net back up.... all sheep in and all fences working! Phew...

The end of the story: for 3 days Pearl was petrified of me; somehow i was responsible for sending her into the netting. However, being her mother's daughter, that did not last because i am the one who provides food, new leaf, and yeah candy too in the shape of grains once in a while! She does do her own thing now though when i rotate them and set up new paddocks! A moment in a day on Stark Hollow Farm.

Icelandic Sheep arrive at Stark Hollow

2008-06-07T06:14:00.005-04:00

After years of dreaming...the sheep are finally here. We have spent years talking about, planning and preparing for this moment. The whole thing started back when we lived in Oakland and decided that we wanted to live a more sustainable lifestyle that was more connected to nature and the land. We began discussing where we might live and it was an easy decision for us to come to Vermont. Vermont is where I (Laura) was born and raised and Vanessa had visited many times over the years. We both agreed that we loved Vermont and it would put us close to family and give us back our four seasons which we had been missing during the many years we lived in CA. Then we began discussing what we wanted to do in VT. We agreed to start with a small homestead farm where we would keep sheep and chickens and grow vegetables. From there we conducted extensive research into the breeds discussing exactly what we would do with the sheep. We agreed on a combination of wool, cheese and meat and found the Icelandics to be conducive to this type of mixed use. We are very excited by the arrival of Mara, baby Pearl, and Poppy, the first of what we hope to be many sheep who call Stark Hollow Farm home. See more pictures here: http://stark.hollow.googlepages.com/sheep2

Vamos a Mexico!

2008-05-15T15:57:00.003-04:00

We took a much needed vacation to to the southern most reaches of the "Mayan Riviera". We stayed at a fabulous ecoresort called Ecotulum in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. We swam, snorkeled, biked, hiked to the Mayan ruins and just laid in the sun with a good book.

Tragedy Has Struck the Stark Hollow

2008-02-28T16:27:00.010-05:00

Last week while Vanessa was traveling for work, we lost our chickens! First, Laura came home to find Yellow Foot dead in the woods. She could not find any prints or other markings. But because she had seen our large resident owl that morning and so she eventually came to believe that the owl must have killed the poor bird, tried to lift it away, but ended up dropping it due to its wait. That seemed reasonable...

The next day, first thing in the morning when Laura went to feed the birds and collect the eggs, she found the rest of the 3 birds w/ their throats slashed inside the pen! It did not take much to figure that this was no work of an owl, but probably a weasel. Later discussions by Laura w/ her Dad and research by Vanessa (who, because of growing up in Italy where most wild animals are dead and had thought that a weasel would be at least the size of a cat), pretty much led to a very reasonable assumption that the culprit was in fact a weasel. Weasels are described in a book we own as a mammal "shaped like a pipe cleaner [...] with teeth for efficient butchery"! Yeah, huh.

Yesterday, Vanessa saw the darn weasel next to the deck coming out of the former chipmunk's burrow. Lot's of thing began to fit even more: the resident weasel is very small (that's a 2" diameter pipe cleaner, which was about the size of the non-screened vent on the coop); it looks very light in weight explaining why no print were found on the icy snow; has a white coat so that we have not even notice it around in the winter. Also, additional research provided more confirmations: weasels take over nest/burrows of their victims (i.e. the chipmunks in the rock wall); weasels often turn to chickens when they run out of their favorite prey: rodents (i.e. lately we have noticed that all the squirrels, including the red one that has destroyed the screened-in porch, and chipmunks seem to have disappeared); weasels' instinct is to kill if more prey if available, such as in a coop, because of their high metabolic needs (apparently 40% of their body weight per day); weasels bite their victims necks and suck their blood (i.e. chickens' throats were slashed).

Well... it's sad, but then it's nature's course. In fact, I find it kind of cool how nature balances itself -- just when Laura had enough of the grey squirrels taking the birds' seeds, I was losing my patience with the defiance of the red squirrel, and chipmunks had taken over the rock walls and lawn, another critter came along and took care of it. Honestly, I'd rather have wildlife around and nature working properly, than living where wild animals are found only in museums, zoos, books, etc. Yes, even if I have to rebuild the coop!

Skiing @ Bolton Valley

2008-02-10T19:23:00.002-05:00

Look out ski patrol! You gotta love winter sports to live in Vermont. This is a shot at the top of Timberline lift at Bolton Valley, VT. Left to right: Cindy (Director of Sales for BV), Betsy C., Jude, Laura, Amanda and Vanessa. It was a great day...lots of powder.

Superbowl!!!

2008-02-03T19:10:00.001-05:00

It was a fabulous game....the fans were divided evenly 4 to 4, with the Giant's fan out shouting the Pat's fans with their sheer exuberance over the excitement of what was originally thought to be a no brainer for the Pats. As a Giant fan since I was a kid, I was so thrilled to see them play the game they played. Colorful Mardi Gras beads flew through the air and the food was fabulous. We all had a great time. ~ Birdie

V's First Kombucha

2008-01-27T13:11:00.001-05:00

Today I, Vanessa, finally started my very first batch of kombucha tea. For whom does not know much about this, it's an ancient (apparently ~250 BC) culture of yeast and bacteria that is used to make kombucha tea, a very good and health promoting drink. Here is also a link to a funny and informative short article about kombucha http://www.centerstagechicago.com/lifestyle/articles/green-thumb-kombucha.html.

First you'll ask why on the planet would I want to make this myself when I can run to any organic store and buy myself as much kombucha as I’d care to drink? Well here we go: no. 1 reason - a single serving bottle of kombucha runs between $4-$5; no. 2 reason – I find fascinating making a drink out of live critters (granted not visible to the naked eye, but still visible when they grow and reproduce). I have always wanted to make beer for the same reason (e.g. the critters), but I think kombucha is even better as it is good for you (e.g. although I have heard that one glass of beer -- or wine -- a day is also good for you, but lots of people don’t stop at one glass with beer or wine), it taste even better (i.e. at least I think), and it seems a lot easier to make (i.e. with continuous brewing).

My mail-ordered mother culture came in on Thursday and yesterday evening I began the process of getting it going as you have to wait 8-14 days for proper fermentation before you can start drinking it. However, it got late and I had to leave my tea + sugar chow for the critters near the wood-stove to keep it at comfortable room-temperature (e.g. 70-80 degrees F or 21-27 degrees C). By the way, I refuse to call my culture “mushroom” because it is not a mushroom and I cannot understand why anybody would call it that if it isn’t. FYI, it seems the correct name is symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, or in short SCOBY. I like the correct name as well the more affectionate names that some brewers use of “mother” and “baby” to refer to the starting culture and the new culture produced in a new kombucha batch respectively! I really like the fact of getting a culture of bacteria and yeast, feeding it well (w/ sugar), housing it nicely (at room temperature), and then getting the culture to propagate by forming a new one -- it’s really neat! I do like this stuff; that is why I wrote my only published article on other critters (i.e. clean up of groundwater and soil contamination by microbes). Side note -- I really should have studied at least more biology!

Well, my first kombucha batch is now near the wood-stove (see photos) and we’ll see what happens in a week or so. Hopefully, I won’t kill the mother and will manage to get a baby for my next batch and/or a back-up for the future. Sweet… or better yet sweet, sour, and fizzy as kombucha is!

Deer Me!

2008-01-20T09:45:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning at Stark Hollow...5 degrees above zero...very cold, but wonderfully sunny. We are working on our project list when four beautiful deer came to visit our bird feeders. Two doe with their babies. They stayed for about 1/2 hour and what a joy to watch them. One of the fawns decided she didn't want to share with a grey squirrel and kept stomping her hoof at him.

These are the mornings we love.

Introducing...Our Four Feathered Ladies..

2008-01-19T19:30:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know we have 4 Black Star type chicken layers. Their names are Messy, Yellow Foot, Brown, and Baby. Here's a brief description of how each girl got her name:

Messy got her name because she's a messy eater. She manages to launch all her pellets, corn, or whatever else, all over, then picks the little that is left, and then looks up at you wondering where all the food has gone!
Yellow Foot really has yellow legs, but "foot" sounds better. Also, foot is appropriate as she's quick footed: she is very good at running into places where she shouldn't be going (e.g. the garage, under the deck, etc.). The other day, I went out to put the birds to bed; 3 of them were in their pen, but Yellow Foot was nowhere to be found. Finally after Pupper, our doggie, and I looked all over the woods, we heard Yellow Foot clucking loudly... she was under the deck in front of the main home entrance making holes!
Brown is simply named such because she has the most brown feathers around the neck. Also, she is Vanessa's buddy and Vanessa loves brown! Brown has come to be Vanessa's buddy first because she always comes out first in the morning, but also because she loves to remove Vanessa's hat or headlamp (and the headlamp ain't too light with batteries in it, but she's is always successful).
Last, but not least, is Baby who is the smallest, and we think, the youngest. She's very sweet and the first to submit, but as a result gets very nicely treated, even when it's late and Vanessa needs to go around the woods to herd the birds in their pen (I guess the birds must know the sheep will be coming as they seem to want Vanessa to practice her herding skill).

As you may know, the girls were not laying before we left for Italy, but now they all do -- 4 nice organic eggs each day. As a matter of fact, once of them lays almost daily a double yoke egg! Oh did I mention, Vanessa readjusted the winter location of the chicken pen and the wood pallets (photos are upcoming).

Well, enough about the birds; since we've gotten back Vanessa has being doing wood -- her 3.5' cross-cut saw has been wonderful... no gas, no machine, no noise, just muscle, the smell of fresh cut wood, and the sound of trees and ice (yeah well we're in VT, but i love winter). Laura has been snowboarding/skiing and "strategically"planning our farm -- she indicated last summer we need a strategic plan to determine financial needs, accounting, production, marketing, permits, etc. (well you know we're serious when we get an idea in our Leo's heads).

Welcome to Stark Hollow Farm

2008-01-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Laura & Vanessa, owners of Stark Hollow Farm. We have created this blog to explore the joys and challenges of creating a small, natural and sustainable farm in the small hamlet of Starksboro, Vermont. We welcome your comments and questions as you share our journey.