[Ag-eq] Apple harvest

Mon Aug 24 01:31:28 UTC 2015

Danielle:

Where do you live that you can grow all those citris fruits?

Nella

Quoting Nella Foster via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:

> Danielle:
>
> I am totally blind, don't know about the other members on the list.
>
> One of the ways I manage the goats is by not allowing my herd to get to big.
> I
> handle all the animals a lot so the are gentle.  Usually when I need to catch
> one it will come right up to me.  I keep bells on a couple of the goats so I
> can here where they are.  They tend to stay pretty close to each other.  My
> lead goat is an older nanny and the goats tend to follow her, so I keep a
> bell
> on her.  When I find her the others are usually very close.  I also give mine
> a
> tiny bit of grain everyday.  They come up to the barn and I can get my hands
> on
> them to make sure they are all doing o.k.  When the are being milked and a
> couple of months before kidding I feed them twice a day.  I know it is more
> time consuming for me, but I feel it pays off.  My goats are healthy,
> friendly
> and easy to handle.
>
> When I breed the goats I just put the dose that I want to breed in a pen with
> the buck.  I can usually tell by their behavior when they are in heat.  I
> keep
> a wether goat with the herd and I call him the heat detector.  He will start
> acting like a buck when the girls start to come into heat.  I just keep track
> of when they were with the buck and hope they will kid in 5 months.  I watch
> them to see if they come back in heat.  I can tell by their bodies,
> especially
> their utters when they are close and I pen them in the kidding area then.  I
> watch them closely then.  So far I haven't had any have trouble kidding.
>
> Goat poop is a lot like rabbit poop so not nearly as messy as cow poop!  I
> have
> boots for winter and some for summer that I wear when in the animal areas.
> The
> goats and horse are usually in the pasture so there isn't a lot of mucking to
> do.  I keep the pens raked out.  Sometimes I pay a teenager to do any heavy
> mucking jobs.  I do use fly sprays and traps around the barn and smaller
> pens.
> So far there has been very little smell here.  Unfortunately I can smell the
> cows from next door and the giant chicken house that is a couple of farms
> over.
>
> I use raised beds and large pots for most of my plants.  All of the
> vegetables
> are in raised beds and big pots.  It is so much easier for me to keep track
> of
> the plants and control the weeds this way.
>
> Tracy is the gardening queen so she may have some good suggestions for
> gardening.
>
> Zach works on a large dairy farm so he probably has developed better
> techniques
> than me.  I've learned a lot from trial and error!
>
> I did grow up on a farm and my parents expected me to carry my weight, so I
> got
> good hands on experience that way.  I've helped with a lot of difficult
> calvings so feel that I have some experience when that happens with the
> goats.
> I was required to help my Mom in the garden so learned about plants at a
> young
> age.  I've also learned from reading, talking to others and as I said before
> trial and error.
>
>   The most important thing for me is being organized and having a good set
> up.
> Having good fences and the right kinds of shelters can make a huge
> difference.
>
> Sorry to go on so, hope I answered all your questions.  I'm sure the other
> members can add a lot more.
>
> Nella
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Danielle Ledet via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
>
> > Wow that's cool. I don't know how yall do it. Can yall see some? One
> > thing about farm animals and such I would not like stepping in manure,
> > and how do you keep things sanitary? What about breeding and welping?
> > Do you require assistance with the birthings? I am assuming you all
> > were expected to help out on your family farms which is why you all
> > are so comfortable. We had a dairy farm here when I was very little
> > and most I did was maybe go in the barn and pasture amoung the animals
> > I was taught how to pick and shuck corn, and pick oranges, Kumquats,
> > figs, and tangerines, but that is all. Oh yeah, I was taught by my
> > father how to tell if fruit was ripe. I enjoyed the fruits of my Daddy
> > and uncles and my Pop's labor. As for your gardens how do you map out
> > plots and rows?
> >
> >
> >
> > On 8/23/15, Zach Mason via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > > Could you explain what GMO free meat is?
> > >
> > > Zac
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella Foster
> via
> > > Ag-eq
> > > Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2015 1:17 PM
> > > To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> > > Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> > > Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> > >
> > > Tracy:
> > >
> > > I plan on keeping the young doe goats asuming they are healthy and grow
> > > well.
> > > My dose have all kidded easily and are good milkers, so hope their
> > > daughters
> > > will be the same.  Two of the dose are getting older so can probably only
> > > breed them one more time.
> > >
> > > I will casterate the young bucks and they will go to someone's table.
> I've
> > > made contact with a couple of butchers in the area that specialize in
> grass
> > > fed and GMO free meats.  I plan on following their guidelines so they
> will
> > > buy the kids I don't want.  This is hard for me, but I cannot keep all of
> > > them.  I could sell any unwanted doelings as milk goats since they come
> > > from
> > > good milking lines.
> > >
> > > I will be selling milk; we are allowed to sell raw milk here as long as
> > > it's
> > > picked up from the farm.  There are a few regulations you have to meet to
> > > sell the milk, that is why I'm building the milk barn.  I've met a family
> > > that live a few miles away that are selling fresh Jersey milk and they
> > > cannot keep up with the demand.  Unfortunately I'm not allowed to sell
> > > cheese, only the milk.
> > > I can sell the goat milk soap since it's not being eaten.
> > >
> > > Nella
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> > >
> > >> Hi Nella.
> > >> Chocolate sounds very nice!
> > >> What will you do with the kids?  Will your herd get bigger and bigger,
> > >> or will your neighbors be eating roast kid?
> > >> Tracy
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella
> > >> Foster via Ag-eq
> > >> Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2015 9:30 PM
> > >> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> > >> Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> > >> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> > >>
> > >> Tracy:
> > >>
> > >> I recently got a dehydrator and so far have only dried some peppers
> > >> and herbs.
> > >>
> > >> The buck goats can get aggressive, but this little guy has been
> > >> handled since birth and I continue to spend time with him.  He is very
> > >> friendly and will follow me around like a puppy.  I think he will be
> > >> o.k. as long as I keep handling him and don't let him get away with
> > >> bad behavior.  I've met several bucks that are friendly and the people
> > >> were petting them and spending time with them.  I've seen a couple
> > >> that were aggressive, but they were just out in a pasture and didn't
> have
> > > a lot of human interaction.
> > >>
> > >> The worse thing about a buck goat is how stinky they get.  so far
> > >> Chocolate isn't very smelly because he is still young.  They get more
> > >> smelly when they reach adulthood.  His name is Chocolate, which fits
> > >> right into my heard, the girls all have candy names.
> > >>
> > >> I purchased Chocolate from a nice Amish family.  All their animals
> > >> were so healthy and friendly.  He is registered and their herd has
> > >> been tested for certain diseases, which is what I wanted to find.
> > >> They even called to make sure he is doing o.k. and didn't get to
> > >> stressed by the move.  I've kept their contact info so that we can do
> > > business again.
> > >>
> > >> I think they had to call from a neighbors, they don't use phones.
> > >> When I called I spoke to the neighbor; it was strange, but all worked
> > >> out.
> > >>
> > >> Nella
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> > >>
> > >> > Hi Nella.
> > >> > My apples are Golden Delicious, sweet/tart, the way I like them.
> > >> > I'd forgotten about drying, and I have a dehydrator.  I'll have to try
> > > it.
> > >> > This morning, I separated the apples into "use today" and "will keep
> > >> > a
> > >> bit".
> > >> > After lunch, applesauce!  And maybe more.
> > >> >
> > >> > Your barn sounds great! And your buck sounds cute.  Do male goats
> > >> > get aggressive, when they reach maturity?
> > >> > Tracy
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > -----Original Message-----
> > >> > From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella
> > >> > Foster via Ag-eq
> > >> > Sent: Friday, August 21, 2015 5:00 PM
> > >> > To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> > >> > Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> > >> > Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> > >> >
> > >> > Tracy:
> > >> >
> > >> > What kind of apples?
> > >> >
> > >> > I'm so jealous, love fresh apples.
> > >> >
> > >> > Wonder how long until my little trees start bearing fruit?
> > >> >
> > >> > Do you ever dry them?
> > >> >
> > >> > I'm still getting tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.
> > >> >
> > >> > I bought a little buck goat and put out with my doe goats.  He's
> > >> > kind of young, so don't know if he is old enough to do his job yet!
> > >> > He is very cute, will grow up to be a handsome boy.  He and 2 of my
> > >> > dose have genes for spots, so hoping I get some spotted babies.
> > >> >
> > >> > I'm turning my shop building into a milk barn.  The guys are working
> > >> > on it right now.  There will be a room to store hay, a room for
> > >> > milking and a room to put the goats when they kid and to keep the
> > >> > really young kids out of the weather.
> > >> > It is going to make milking so much easier.  There is a pen on one
> > >> > side where I will bring the girls, then I can take them into the
> > >> > milk room to milk and put them out a door on the other side.
> > >> >
> > >> > I finally have goat proof fencing around the whole pasture, so the
> > >> > goats and Cruiser can all be together.  Hopefully by next spring I
> > >> > will have more fences up to divide the pasture so I can rotate the
> > >> > animals around.  They graze it more even that way.
> > >> >
> > >> > What is everyone else up to?
> > >> >
> > >> > Nella
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> > >> >
> > >> > > The apple harvest is starting to roll in.  Literally, since I'm
> > >> > > picking them up off the ground and often finding them by
> > >> > > accidentally kicking them.  My young retriever is also good at
> > >> > > finding apples.  He has a soft mouth, and can pick them up without
> > >> > > a scratch, but I'm trying to teach him not to pick up
> > >> > > miscellaneous things
> > >> off the ground.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Yesterday, I took a medium-size bucket and filled it to the top.
> > >> > > I'll have to sort them this weekend, green or ripe. Then I'll
> > >> > > start making
> > >> > applesauce.
> > >> > > I've also found a pandowdy recipe that sounds yummy.  Applesauce
> > >> > > is the easiest though, since all I have to do is boil the apples
> > >> > > 10-15 minutes, then run them through the whatchamacallit that
> > >> > > squeezes out the good stuff and leaves the seeds and skins in the
> > >> > > pot.
> > > Yumaroo!
> > >> > >
> > >> > > They're little apples, 2-3 inches across, so it will take quite a
> > >> > > few to make a pie.  But it could be worth it.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > And then there's just plain eating them.  Or wrapping some up to
> > >> > > store for later.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Tracy
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >> > > me
> > >> > > zo
> > >> > > ne.com
> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
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> >
> > --
> > Danielle
> >
> > Email: singingmywayin at gmail.com
> >
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