McFadden Ranch

Today when I went to check for eggs I discovered that our big gorgeous Buff Orpington rooster was dead, lying in the back left corner of the upper chicken pen. I was sad. He was beautiful. He was the son of another outstanding Buff Orpington rooster that we started with and we were so happy to have his offspring. As I went around the corner of the pen to lift the coop doors to check for eggs in the nest, I looked down at the bottom corner of the chicken pen. To my utter shock I saw a rattlesnake tail sticking out of a rodent hole that was in the same corner that coincided with the dead rooster on the inside. I counted one, two, three, four, oh no, ten or eleven buttons! But, it wasn’t moving. Maybe it was dead. I called Jim to let him know. I ran up to the house to retrieve a hoe, a gun and a flashlight. I maneuvered the flashlight beam into the back corner from the front of the chicken pen and there he was, behind the dead rooster. I saw the flick of a tongue. He was alive. And I had three more hens in the cage. Jim stayed on the phone with me. We concluded that the goal was to keep the snake in the pen. If he tried to get out of the rodent hole, then I could kill him with a hoe. We decided it wouldn’t be best to try to shoot the snake from my position as I would have to shoot through the chicken wire and avoid a rock that the snake was using as partial shelter. The other goal was to try to save the three hens from getting bitten by the snake. This was very tricky as they kept wandering into the back of the pen where the rooster lay and within inches of the snake. I scurried and gathered tomato branches, worms, and anything else I could see to give to the hens to distract them and keep them at the front end of the pen. I couldn’t go into the pen through the primary entrance in the wire enclosed portion to close the weather doors to the wood chicken house where the snake was hiding because that would have sent the hens running to the back and right into the snake. Luckily I was successful in keeping the hens away from the snake until Jim arrived. But my heart raced as I watched them walk within inches of losing their lives several times. When Jim got here he went into the pen with a rake and a shovel. He successfully protected the hens while the snake struck at his shovel. He killed it and saved the day and saved his wife from more stress. I hate losing the animals we raise for senseless reasons. I know the rooster was trying to protect our hens and he lost his life for it. I am ever so thankful that we did not lose more hens and that our dogs did not discover the rattlesnake. We lost a hen earlier this year to a large gopher snake and I was shocked at that. All the years I lived on a ranch prior to moving to Lakeside I do not ever remember losing a chicken to a snake. Though we have had some recent showers, we must remember that we are still in a severe drought. Animals of all types are on the hunt for water and they are hunting for prey that is looking for water. This year has yielded some unusual activity because of that. Typically, we don’t kill rattlesnakes when we are hiking or visiting remote areas. However, we did eliminate this rattlesnake due to its proximity to livestock and human activity. We will be using the skin as a hatband and saving the meat for a special occasion. Needless to say, gathering eggs is no longer just a happy-go-lucky chore. I now watch much more carefully due to this year’s snake activity. (Note: Photos of the rattlesnake can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/McFadden-Ranch-136314514167/timeline/

Another long, hot, dry summer has finally come to pass, though a few warm autumn days still lie ahead.  However, cooler evenings have already arrived and seasonal changes at McFadden Ranch are moving forward.  The last sweet corn has been picked, cut, and stored.  Pumpkins are maturing as well as wonderful sweet persimmons which will become delicious persimmon jam, bread (http://www.food.com/recipe/mcfadden-ranch-persimmon-bread-195069?layout=desktop) and cookies.  Guavas will soon turn color announcing the arrival of their pink tropical flavor.  An abundance of chilies and peppers remain to be picked for salsas and hot jellies. 

It is now time to start the long process of preparing the garden for planting next spring’s vegetables.  This includes mapping out the garden and alternating rows and vegetable locations for highest nutrition and productivity.  It also means digging up each row to be planted and mixing in aged fertilizer from the goat pen in order to allow several months for decomposition.  But time is short because roses must be pruned in January and stone fruit trees must be pruned in February.  Then new seeds will be planted at the end of March or the beginning of April depending on soil temperatures.  Mouth-watering boysenberries and peaches will follow in short order.

New products are in development and will be introduced soon.  These artisan-style delicacies include rose petal jelly and rosemary mint jelly.   Like the Kilcher family (http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/alaska-the-last-frontier), we feel like we are always in preparation and looking ahead.  Each season offers its own rewards and its own challenges.  Just when we feel the crisp visit of fall breezes, we long to sit, relax, and enjoy the change.  It is then, as we look out at the garden and orchard, that we realize it is time to get back to work.

Each year we gather in our homes for traditional family occasions and special meals shared with loved ones.  Over time the ladies of the house have developed time-honored culinary traditions for these gatherings, while continuing to test new recipes with new flavors.  One thing we have learned together is to think beyond the standard dish of cranberry sauce.  Pomegranate jelly is an exciting new flavor to add to your holiday banquet.  After all, it is the nectar of the gods. 

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A family's heritage and the family's desire to follow time-honored principles and convictions do not always "dove-tail" with increasingly strict governmental regulations, fees, and license requirements.  Therefore, we respectfully request your response to a few insightful questions concerning your own convictions and shopping requirements.  Does it matter to you where the materials in your products come from?  Do you read the "country of origin" labels when shopping?  Are you aware when you are and are not buying products that are made in this country?

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As with all organic farms and ranches both big and small, the continuous annual cycle of ranch work is dictated by the seasons.  Thus preparation for the spring and summer planting of vegetables begins in the fall when foot-deep trenches are dug for each future row of garden plants.  Organic fertilizer is then dug from the goat and chicken pens and the wheelbarrows of combined manure and mulch are hand-mixed, using a shovel, into the soil of each row in order to provide sufficient time for the winter rains to accentuate the decomposition and integration of the fertilizer into the soil.  Organic fertilizer is also provided for all fruit trees and berries.  

January marks the time for pruning of all of our beautiful roses as well as the time to start pruning the peaches, apricots, plums, nectarines, and persimmons.  Pruned deciduous fruit tree branches are then chipped into mulch or cut into short sections for soil enhancement and erosion control.  February and March are traditionally the “wettest” months in Southern California where the annual average rainfall is no more than eight inches, while recent drought years have produced no more than three inches of annual precipitation.  

The spring days grow warm toward the end of March and all gardeners and ranchers have difficulty being patient and waiting for the soil to warm sufficiently for optimum plant growth.  On the McFadden Ranch we typically plant the first vegetable seeds at the end of March, but new corn planted a month later in April often grows much faster and quickly matches the March-planted vegetables in size.  New boysenberry vines also begin to emerge in spring and the old dead canes must be removed to provide space for the new growth.  It is always amazing to watch new vines emerge in March and then rapidly grow, flower and produce succulent bucketfuls of mature fruit in May and June.  

The rains of winter and spring also give life to every wind-borne annual grass and plant seed transported from the adjacent fields.  These seeds quickly germinate and start to grow on our thick topsoil.  All such weeds are regularly cut by hand and only with a wood-handled hoe.  A rancher’s hands were made to hold and work with wood-handled tools, and the hoe and shovel are used on a daily basis at the McFadden Ranch, whether cutting weeds, digging in the garden, or excavating gopher holes.  Never forget that a rancher keeps in mind four primary reasons for cutting weeds.  These include a reduction in fire danger, a reduction in lost irrigation water, a reduction of rodent populations, and a desire for his land to be neat and orderly.  

Fruit and vegetable harvesting begins in earnest in late spring and early summer.  At McFadden Ranch we typically plant new corn every four to six weeks, as well as planting other vegetables on a staggered cycle in order to harvest fresh “summer” vegetables as late as November.  Winter broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuces also grace our dinner table.  McFadden Ranch fruit tree selections were also made to provide year-round crops.  Valencia oranges provide juice and sweet fruit in the summer and fall, followed by bursting naval oranges in the winter and spring.  Peaches, mulberries, nectarines and apricots are favorite early summer treats, followed by luscious apples, pears and then late summer black figs.  Plums, mandarins and limes also provide seasonal flavor, while our lemons are available year-round for homemade lemonade or specialty seasoning.  Rich red pomegranates and aromatic pink guavas give us special winter treats.

In this manner the continuous annual cycle of work at the McFadden Ranch is ongoing throughout the year.  This is an extremely favorable manner to concurrently enjoy the cycle of migratory and resident bird species found at our property (52 species counted so far in 2009), as well as the cycle of bird nesting and the raising of young.  The unstoppable urgency of life in March, April, and May is particularly phenomenal, with all species of flora and fauna growing, singing, expanding, and full of life, just as our jams, jellies, chutneys, and relishes will provide that full taste of country life in your own home.  We invite you to taste the bounty of our harvest at any time of the year.  You will not be disappointed.