Little ones

We have some new baby's, some we are still waiting for.

PMU horses

Jewels

Today is the day one year ago I lost my Jewels.
She passed overnight in the pasture next to her best friend,Hound Dog.
Jewel was a PMU rescue mare who came to live with me for a retirement home but turned out to touch our lives in ways we would never have guessed.

Jewel was terribly ill,with heaves or COPD, (Horses with COPD will often “heave” to expel air out of the lungs towards the end of exhaling. A wheezing sound at the end of exhalation may also be detected. Coughing, weight loss, lack of energy and intolerance towards exercise are also signs of COPD.

Sometimes, a horse with COPD may have a mucopurulent nasal discharge (composed of mucus and inflammatory cells), particularly following exercise. The abdominal muscles of horses with COPD may enlarge and form “heave lines.”)

Jewel was 15 years old when she passed, she foaled 12 times,her life was cut short because of life on a PMU farm.

I encourage you to be more aware of what goes in to your body and how it's made,it may just be by animal cruelty! You have the power to change this.

Jewel touched our lives in a very special way,she will always live on in our hearts!
I know she is now running free and is not struggling for a single breath.

Earth Oven Workshop ****Canceled****

Regretfully Hidden Meadow Farm will not be hosting this workshop.
Please note Hidden Meadow Farm is not associated or connected to Gena Aurthur in ANY way.

Knitting Anyone?

I'm in love.These are some of my favorites.
I have found the perfect site and I must share.
If you knit or crochet you wont want to miss out on being a member.
Enjoy, I think I'm officially addicted!!!

www.ravelry.com

HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION - Radical Change Taking Root

Be the change, live the solution

I wanted to share this video, it is powerful and lets you know no matter how small of a land base you own,you can still be the change.

Momo and Olive

Well baby Olive is doing well, she loves to be cuddled and loves to play.
Her mom, Momo, is healing fairly well, she suffered tearing from the large birth weight of Olive,this is her first lamb as well.
Momo is receiving treatment of penicillin for five days to help her with swelling and allow her to heal.
It's wonderful to see what a great mother she is, very attentive and I even caught her nursing little Roman.
I love little Olive and I'm so proud of Momo to be strong enough to birth her and bless us with this miracle.
Now our baby Momo just needs to get better, she was our very first ewe and is very special to us!

A little angel was born

A hard delivery for Momo today, little ewe lamb.
More later.

Planning Ahead

We took delivery of a years supply of sawdust bedding for the horses and chickens yesterday.
It was great to get as supply seems hard pressed to keep up with the high demand in the Valley, it's just like gold, priced like it too.
We still had enough to get us into September but no one want's to end up buying it by the bale a $5 each when you use minimum 4 a day. A 18 wheeler load is the way to go.
I'm fortunate enough that the first year farming hubby built a bedding shed off the side of the barn so it stays nice and dry all year.

I have another ewe moved into the maternity ward of the barn,a empty horse stall.
Momo (means Peach in Japanese) is very close to lambing, it's all just a waiting game now.
She is so big I worry about her, this is her first time, I don't want to miss it encase trouble should arise.
I keep wondering how many is in there, if it's just one I hope it's not to big.

Today was the day we had our chickens vaccinated against ILT,Infectious Laryngotracheitis.
It is a devastating acute respiratory disease of chickens caused by a herpes virus.
The outcome is a complete cull of your birds.
We are very pleased to be protected for 1 year.
I strongly recommend everyone to take these precautions, the cost was only $15.75 for all our birds, a cheap way to insure flock health.
We owe it to them to keep them healthy, after all they provide us with fresh eggs daily.

Our total count was 63 beautiful chickens.
It was a hot day causing sticky, dusty conditions not to mention the deep scratches and bruises on my arms and stomach.
The birds are generally quite calm but different people handling them made for stressful situations.
The vaccination was a simple blue colored drop in the eye followed with a numbered wing band for record keeping.
By vaccinating you agree to a quarantine of 30 days, no birds in, no birds out.

Homemade Greek food for supper,perfect way to end a busy day.

Ram Lamb 4 hours old

Lambs Are Here!

Today I went to the barn still feeling the effects of the flu.
I opened the door,let the geese and ducks out and went to check the sheep.
Well Whoppi was in the first stages of labor.
She had her water sack showing, a few pushes and a healthy, strong, beautiful ram lamb was welcomed in to this wonderful world.
This is her second lamb.
I was fortunate enough to see it all happen.
I'm so proud of Whoppi for having a easy birth and taking care of her lamb this year.
Her last lamb she would not take care of, so we had to help him nurse the put him separate from her to sleep as she would try to hurt him, it was only when they were on pasture she would let him nurse with out help.
This little ram is also our first colored ram, we have only had white Cotswold born thus far.
He is so perfect.
This guy is so strong that within 5 minutes of being born he was up on his feet nursing, I have not yet had a lamb so eager.
Congratulations to my Whoppi and Prince on a beautiful baby ram.
What a perfect day!!!

Rhubarb Rosemary Lemon Spitzer

Here's is a great recipe using a ingredient you would not expect with rhubarb - rosemary.
They go PERFECTLY together, trust me I was skeptical too.


Rhubarb Rosemary Lemon Spritzer Recipe

Ingredients

* 1 pound rhubarb/8 cups, cleaned, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
* 2 cups water
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 3 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* Soda water or carbonated water

Method

1 Put rhubarb pieces, water, sugar, and rosemary leaves into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Rhubarb pieces will disintegrate.

2 Remove from heat. Strain out the solids with a fine mesh strainer. Add lemon juice. If too sweet for taste, add a little more lemon juice. Chill until ready to serve.

3 To serve, fill a quarter to a half of the glass with the lemon, rhubarb, rosemary syrup, and the rest with soda water or 7up.

Makes about 3 cups of syrup, and 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of spritzer.

Mmmmm Rhubarb

Fresh Organic Strawberry Rhubarb just picked from the garden



Rhubarb is one of those food I just don't want to live without.
I LOVE the tangy bite and mouth watering goodness.
Last night I had the pleasure of drinking rhubarb, yep that's right drinking.
What a fantastic way to have a refreshing drink to cool you down,I think it may be a new favorite!
here's the recipe for

RHUBARB LEMONADE
Ingredients:

6 C. finely chopped fresh rhubarb
6 C. water
1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 C. sugar
1 liter lemon-lime soda, chilled

Procedure:

In large saucepan, combine rhubarb, water, lemonade and sugar. Cover and cook about 20 min. until rhubarb is very soft. Strain to remove pulp. Chill liquid. Just before serving, pour rhubarb mixture over ice cubes . Carefully pour in chilled soda.Mix 1/2 and 1/2.

Prince relaxing

Prince our white Cotswold ram enjoying life. Prince has been with us since our first summer farming. His offspring is due any day, yesterday was the due date and with teats nearly full of milk I expect lambs within 2 days.