Thank you!

Thank you to my special blog readers who have ordered soaps! They will ship out today (mocha latte) and tomorrow (lemon verbena). Thanks to you, I have $32.50 to sent to the Verbena Historical Society!

The Chicken Plan: fresh eggs & pure-breed chicks

We have implemented the plan we "hatched" for the farm. Through advertising in the Mule Trader and The Bulletin Board, I have sold many pullets to happy fresh-egg-wanting "chickeners." Through other means . . . (don't forget that even though we are very "green" and animal-loving - these are EDIBLE creatures) I've pared down the chicken population on our farm (while filling the freezer). (Oh, STOP IT! I didn't do it myself!) I have now 2 hens and 1 rooster of each of the following breeds: Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Silver-laced Wyandotte, and mixed-breed bantams. I'm getting an Aracauna rooster (for my 6 original hens) and a Gold-laced Wyandotte rooster. Now I can hatch my own pure breed chickens whenever, and have fresh eggs all year round. I also have a breeding pair of White Silky Bantams and French Black Copper Marans that should begin laying soon. WHEW! That was a long 7 months with all those chickens - over 300! It feels good to know where we're headed with this!

The farm is going commercial!

It's been 3 months exactly since I posted here on Pioneer Stock. Monty and I are very busy working at our computer repair company in Clanton - The Nerd Guy. Also, I've been substitute-teaching in hopes of landing a job at some point in my chosen career.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, the chickens and goats still need to be fed. So, we are selling lots of fresh, vegetarian-fed eggs. As soon as I'm sure the dog fence is secure, I'm going to allow them to range every other day and they'll be laying GRASS-FED eggs! (Otherwise, the dogs will be chicken-fed dogs!) These eggs are healthier than eggs at the grocery store. Here is a link to an article on the nutritional value of grass-fed eggs: www.grassfedeggs.com and look WAY down the article for nutrition info. I reuse people's styrofoam egg cartons to keep them out of landfills, only buying paper ones from the feed store when I'm out. The eggs are $3 dozen and we keep them in the fridge at The Nerd Guy. The eggs are delicious and the farmer is trying to be a good, "green" farmer. ;-)

We are (once again) selling pullets locally and selling hatch-able chicken eggs, too.

Seemingly off-topic, I enjoy making soap. I'm selling that now, too. My favorite recipe up until a few weeks ago is "Mocha Latte" with coffee grounds and cocoa. Made from oatmeal-base soap with lots of added moisturizers, it is a wonderful soap! Guys - it looks manly, but it's rich, un-perfumey smell and exfoliating texture make it a favorite of ladies, too. It's also great for sensitive skin!

Recently, in honor of an upcoming musical festival in my hometown of Verbena, Alabama, I decided to make "Lemon Verbena Soap." This is a wonderful combination of the same oatmeal-base soap with lemon essential oil and crushed Lemon Verbena. It's delightfully light citrus smell combined with ultra-moisturizing ingredients makes this a wonderful soap for every bath! Through the festival on May 1st, all proceeds go directly to the Verbena Historical Society.

Check out my event announcement on this page, or look up Verbena on Facebook!

This concludes all commercial announcements for today.