Blueberry Hill Farm

This past Saturday at the Tailgate I wasn't particularly busy, having taken only chicken and duck eggs, and the market was a little slower than usual, which usually happens around time for school to start.  So I had time to talk to some of my favorite "regulars" who consistently buy our farm's eggs, blueberries, and other offerings. 

Kevin is a young man who frequents the market on both Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.  He reminds me so much of my son, Sammy, and I've told him the same.  He is so cute -- a bit shy, mid-20's, career man, who absolutely "gets" local, sustainable agriculture.  He faithfully gets eggs from me and purchased a good many of our blueberries when they were in season.  I am so impressed that he supports our market and the farmers and artisans who work so hard to bring the "fruits" of their farm labors.

Marilyn gets eggs from me quite often.  She and I share the fact that we have children who recently graduated from Law School -- her son from Duke University School of Law; my daughter, Miriam, from Florida State University School of Law.  Miriam took the Florida bar exam last July.  Marilyn's son took the Mississippi bar exam just a couple of weeks ago.  So while she shops at our farm booth I am able to catch up with what is happening with her son and spend time thinking aloud about my daughter.  Small world. . .

Andrea is another huge fan of farm-fresh, free-range eggs and is already lamenting the closing of the market for the year -- a few months away, yet.  She is like so many of us in that once she's tasted the difference in local, fresh, wholesome free-range eggs, it's next to impossible to go back to grocery store eggs.

Jenny is a faithful duck egg buyer.  Her son is on a gluten-free diet, and last year, when she discovered that the extra protein contained in duck eggs made it possible for her to cook gluten-free pancakes that were thick and fluffy, rather than the crepe-like pancakes she had had to cook for him in the past, she became a duck egg fan.  Yeah for duck eggs!  Jenny is a master knitter and I always enjoy talking to her about the various projects she's working on.  I learned from her, just recently, that yarn is made from bison fiber and she's knitting one of her own pattern creations from bison yarn.  Fascinating!

Beth gets either duck or chicken eggs, just depending on what she's cooking or baking for the week, and is such an interesting individual.  She is never in a hurry and chats with us on a number of fun and entertaining subjects.  She is also interested in using chicken feet from some of the broilers my friend, Willi, can come up with.  I understand chicken feet are great to use in broths and in other cooking dishes.  I find that extremely interesting and only a little disturbing, as I've seen where the feet of MY chickens have been!

Elizabeth is another of my favorites and always gets chicken eggs.  Last year she bought a couple of skeins of alpaca yarn to try her hand at knitting a scarf.  She hasn't finished yet, but assures me she will by this Christmas.  Elizabeth is a sociology professor at UNC-Charlotte and has two of the most beautiful little girls, Lily and Lena.  They move throughout the market, chatting with each vendor, delighting all with their smiles and the girls' newest antics.

There are many other faithful, loyal, terrific customers who bless me with their presence weekly at the market.  I just wanted to share some of them with you.  And then, there are the other vendors, but that's another entry for another time. . .

I'm feeling for all the world like an expectant father tonight.  Rather than pacing I've decided to write.  

Our beautiful alpaca girl, Runaround Sue, is about to have a baby.  We've been waiting on this baby for 348 days.  Sue is not very impressed that I'm impatient.  After all, who's been carrying this baby for nigh unto a year??  She is hot and ill these days - especially today.  

Late this afternoon it became obvious that things looked different.  Sue is breathing a little more labored.  The baby has dropped far down, with Sue's huge tummy down close to her knees.  She doesn't seem to be very comfortable "cushing" with her legs folded up under her in the camelid way.

I've turned all the barn fans off so I can be sure and hear all barn noises very clearly over the baby monitor that's down at the barn.  Any excess "humming" I'll hear and will know something is up.

I should be packing up blueberries for tomorrow's market, but I can't.  It'lI just have to wait until 5:00 in the morning.  I feel as restless as Sue.  Truthfully, I'm a little worried.  This baby looks quite large and Sue is a small girl.  The vet at Alpaca Jack's in Findlay, Ohio, where Sue was bred last year, has already told me that, because of her small size, she may need assistance delivering the baby.  I'm not real sure I have what it takes to be an alpaca midwife!  Guess time will tell. . .

Sue's baby will be the third cria born on the farm.  Such a miracle.  As I've watched closely Sue's tummy the past few weeks to make sure I could see the baby moving, I've thought about air mattresses.  I'm amazed that all those long, skinny legs and that long, skinny neck, could get all packed up inside Sue's tummy.  Just like a new air mattress that WILL NOT go back into the box it came out of once it has been blown up and let out, I'm pretty sure there's no way one of those crias can ever be folded up and returned to the womb.  Within twenty minutes that baby will be up on her feet nursing and walking around.  Again, just another of the "ordinary miracles" that occur with regularity on this farm -- just another affirmation that "all Creation bears witness to the Glory of God."

Good night, Sue.

Today has been a really neat day, farm-wise, and one of those days that make me so glad to be farming.  Nothing really special, but just a combination of good things.

The day started off with a feed run.  I realized Saturday that I was dangerously close to being out of chicken feed.  I usually travel to Gaffney once a month to stock up on alpaca and chicken feed.  It was time.  Going to get feed is one of my favorite chores.  The feed store at which I get both alpaca and chicken feed is owned by Jeff, who is a truly great guy and has bent over backwards to make sure I have alpaca feed when I need it.  Not just any alpaca feed.  I use Golden Blend by Custom Milling and the Gaffney feed store is the closest one to me that carries it. It is a good, solid feed that I feel good using, mainly because the formula never changes so I know what I'm going to get each time I get it.

This is going to sound crazy, but I actually enjoy off loading the feed -- 12 bags of chicken feed go into the horse trailer, which acts as a storage building when not being used to haul alpacas.  Another 3 bags of pellets, along with whatever alpaca feed I get goes up to the big barn.  The pellets are for the 10 hens that insist on roosting at the barn.  I'm convinced they like hanging out at the big barn because they've learned that  barn fans are on when it's hot, and they like loafing in front of the fans.  Two more bags at the blue coop, then four in the garage for the ducks.  No alpaca feed today as I still have plenty left.  It makes me feel strong and alive to lift and unload those 50 pound bags of feed.

My biggest enjoyment today came from talking with several people throughout the state in regards to an upcoming project about which I needed several questions answered.  One little question posed to one person opened up the door for finding the information for several huge questions.  So, even though I spent too long on the phone today, the folks with whom I spoke were all so nice and helpful that it was a joy to make their aquaintance.  These folks took time out of their super busy schedules to answer questions for me and all of them seemed sincerely interested in what I was hoping to do and all shared valuable information to help me on my way. Those I spoke with included horticulturists from NC State University; greenhouse production plug producers, and fellow farmers who had led the way in early work on the project of interest.  It's always such a joy and blessing to meet up with nice folks who enjoy their line of work and who are so willing to share their experiences with rookies like me.

I spent quite a while today watching Sue for signs of her impending birth.  She's been pregnant since last August and I'm more than sure she's ready to have her little alpaca baby, called a "cria".  This past Saturday was day 335.  She may go to day 350 before all is said and done.  She is huge and hot and miserable and ill!  Arabella, the other adult female she's bunking with and Izzy, Arabella's yearling daughter, are very patient with Sue.  Arabella doesn't retaliate when Sue bombards her with spit.  I guess Arabella remembers feeling miserable the two times she was pregnant toward the last days and realizes that Sue is not her normal self.

Then it was out to the berry bushes for another of the many days picking blueberries.  These will go to the Tailgate Market tomorrow afternoon.  I'm hoping it's not going to be as terribly hot as yesterday and that the day will be as pleasant as today, in spite of the heat.  I'm sure it will be because of the market.  I love meeting up with fellow farmers at the market as well as the customers that make it possible for us farmers to make farming a livlihood.

So there you have it -- a little glimpse into my neat day.

Cold Blueberry Soup

1 ½ cups unsweetened grape juice, divided into 1 cup and a 1/2

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 T. frozen unsweetened orange juice concentrate, thawed, undiluted

1/8 t. ground cinnamon

1/8 t. ground ginger

1 T. plus 2 t. cornstarch

Combine 1 cup grape juice, 1 cup blueberries, orange juice concentrate, cinnamon, and ginger in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 3 minutes or until blueberries pop.  Combine starch and remaining ½ cup grape juice; stir into fruit mixture.  Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute; stir constantly.  Cool.  Serve, topped with a dab of sour cream, cool whip or yogurt.  If you want to serve with "crackers", try vanilla wafers.

Overwhelmed.  This one word describes it all right now.   It's the peak of blueberry season here and blueberries are all there is right now.  Big picking Monday and Tuesday morning, go to market Tuesday afternoon/evening; pick all day Wednesday for egg club customers orders Thursday; pick all day Friday for market on Saturday.  Church Sunday.  Crash Sunday afternoon for a heavenly NAP. Yay for Sunday afternoon naps!  When I close my eyes to sleep I see BLUEBERRIES!! I'm not griping here.  Honestly.  It's been a very good season thus far and I'm psyched to finish it out. 

Nothing else is getting done on this farm, though.  Grass and weeds abound.  No time to mow.  No time to get plantings started for the fall.  Everything is on hold until I can come up for air.

Once a season I take a load of berries to First National Bank.  I've done it for years.  FNB is very supportive of farmers.  I guess that's why so many of us bank there.  They welcome farmers with their labors' fruits to stop by and sell a bit.  While there today, a lady, who bought several pints of berries from me, promised to share a new recipe for Blueberry Soup she makes every year.  She says it is a truly delicious cold soup and I'm excited to try it and to share it with you.  It'll be something different, anyway.

On a non-blueberry note -- we are on "cria watch".  Any day now I am expecting a new alpaca baby from our girl Runaround Sue.  She is huge, hot and miserable and spends the majority of most days laying in front of the barn fan.  Any time she sees me with a hose in my hand, she comes up and demands to be sprayed.  I'm always glad to be of assistance as Sue is a good girl and, having had my first child in mid-August, suffering through one of the summers with many consecutive days in the upper 90's, I can empathize with her situation.

In other alpaca news, our handsome boy, Salzedo, has finally become a "man" and has begun servicing a couple of our girls.  It took him a while to figure out the "birds and bees" stuff, but he's gotten the hang of it and has been doing quite well, thank you very much!

Well, that's the latest from Blueberry Hill.  Onward and upward . . .

Here we are, in the height of blueberry season.  I am loving every minute of it.  The two months of my favorite season will whiz by but while the season is here I'm going to enjoy every delicious minute of it.  I'm going to drink in every touch, taste and smell.  As a matter of fact, while I'm sitting here "blogging" about it, I'm enjoying a smoothie that contains a whopping portion of last year's frozen berries.  It is yum!  And, I should be out picking instead of on this computer, so I'll be brief.

In an earlier blog entry I promised I'd pass along my recipe for Blueberry Sonker, so get your vanilla ice cream ready (Bryer's is my favorite) because a big glob of vanilla ice cream is a sonker's crowning glory.  As for the word "sonker" -- my Daddy always used that word in relationship to this particular dessert.  He was a born and bred foothills North Carolina native, so I'm assuming that, like the word "mommick", it is in the rural mountain/foothills dictionary.  To give it credence, an article about sonkers appeared in Our State magazine a couple of years ago.  (To chase a rabbit here -- my mom always used the word "mommick" when I was growing up, the meaning being "to mutilate, mess up, trash" -- usually used to refer to my bedroom or other projects I was involved in but probably shouldn't have been.  Example:  "You have mommicked up ....."  It fits all the rules of English.  Mommick, mommicked, mommicking, etc . . . It was not until I was grown, married and with children that my husband and I were having a debate over the word.  He, being from the midwest, had never heard the word and I was trying to educate him concerning it.  The blow came when he told me to look it up in the dictionary and I found IT WAS NOT THERE!  WHATEVER!  It's still a good word and fits many a situation, so I will continue to use it, whether Noah Webster knew it or not!  End of rabbit chase!)

Here's the recipe.  ENJOY!!

BLUEBERRY SONKER

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg (either chicken or duck)
• 1 stick butter (use the real stuff, the fake stuff doesn't work)

 In an 8X8 baking dish spread the rinsed blueberries.  Add a little water -- maybe 1/8 cup, and sprinkle a little sugar over the berries.

Mix together the flour and sugar.  Add the egg and blend with the flour mix.  It'll take on the consistency of cornmeal and be lumpy and all the flour and sugar won't mix completely, but it's OK.  Spread the flour mix over the blueberries.

 Melt the stick of butter. (I place the unwrapped stick in a glass measuring cup and put it in the microwave for about 45 seconds.)  Drizzle the melted butter over the flour mixture.  If every little space is not covered, that's OK too.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees until it's golden brown.  About 45 minutes.  It'll start smelling really good when it's about done.

Let cool for a little while, but while it's still warm, flop a generous portion of vanilla ice cream on top of your serving and prepare yourself for one of the best treats you've ever had.

***

The sonker recipe can be used with any fruit.  I've made blackberry, peach, and apple.  With the peach and apple, you won't need to add any water to the fruit as they are juicier than the berries and when I make an apple sonker I use cinnamon in the flour mix.  I can't tell you how much -- just "some".

This recipe is also good if you need to take a dessert to a covered dish.  It's very easy to double the recipe.

And now, the blueberry bushes are calling and I must obey!

Because I have laying ducks, I guess I think about duck eggs more than most folks.  Over the past year that I've added duck eggs to our farm's list of offerings, I have observed that a good number of folks I come in contact with locally and at the farmers market at which I participate, have a negative reaction to the thought of eating eggs from ducks.  Most of these folks have never eaten a duck egg, but for some reason -- a reason that most of them cannot articulate -- they turn up their noses and almost react with an "ooouugh" sound.  Why, I do not know.

We may be the only country that has a negative reaction to the thought of eating duck eggs.  Asian folks love them.  I've had European folks ask for them out right.  So I feel compelled to say a little something in favor of duck eggs.

Duck eggs, in appearance are larger than chicken eggs -- about the size of a jumbo or even double yolker large chicken eggs.  The shell is satiny smooth.  Because ducks are very shy about leaving their eggs out in the open, if left out doors, they will lay their eggs under bushes or in clumps of tall grass and cover the eggs with leaves, many of which may be wet.  Therefore, the egg shell will be stained and mottled in appearance.  When "forced" to lay in a duck house nest area the eggs will be off white or green.  This coloration will depend  on the breed of duck.  I need to say right now that the ducks I have the most experience with are Khaki Campbells, which are a breed designed for egg laying.  Also, let me go back and explain the "forcing" of which I referred.  At night I close my ducks up in their duck house -- mainly for their protection, as I have had ducks killed in the past by raccoons -- but also to better collect their eggs, which they are now "forced" to lay in the duck house, as my ducks lay very early in the morning before 8:00. 

Duck eggs have more protein than chicken eggs.  The yolks are very large and dark orange.  It is this extra protein that make duck eggs wonderful in baking.  Duck eggs make THE BEST quiches ever, yielding a rich, fluffy quiche.  Duck eggs are wonderful for cake baking, giving lots of rise to cake batter and holding that rise.  They can be used in all the ways chicken eggs are used -- scrambled, boiled, deviled, over easy.  The only "warning" would be that, when frying, to use a low heat as the extra protein will cause the whites to become a little rubbery if fried on high heat.  Also, when using eggs in recipes, one duck egg for two chicken eggs is usually the standard.  Duck eggs make outstanding flans and custards. Several of the chefs on The Food Network herald the praises of cooking with duck eggs.

Plus, ducks are every bit as sweet as hens and are as much fun to watch. In place of the constant "scratching" of chicken hens and the little dance that goes with it, there is the "dabbling" of ducks and, when a source of water is provided, the swimming and dunking, splashing and preening of wet feathers makes for enjoyable viewing.

So, if you've not yet tried duck eggs -- be brave and give them a try.  After all, most of us have finally discovered sushi to be quite tasty, after overcoming our initial reaction to eating raw fish and eel.  Duck eggs will probably be just as enjoyable after overcoming the early bias against them.  As the old jingle goes "try it, you'll like it!"

The Charlotte Tailgate Market, at which our farm participates, cranked back up on April 25th.  It was good to see return customers for our eggs.

The months of January through April have us eating lots of quiches, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, and hard-boiled eggs fed back to the chickens for extra protein.  I can't seem to convince the girls to take those months off as a much needed vacation, thereby resulting in more eggs than we know what to do with!

May through December end up with us selling every available egg and always have me considering purchasing more chickens to keep up with the demand for true farm fresh, free range eggs.

When I returned home from opening day at the market and shared with the girls that folks were lined up at our booth for their eggs, the hens squawked their excitement and vowed to do their part to try and keep up with demand.

They are hard working girls and deserve the extra treats I manage to throw their way.  Even Clancy, the Rhode Island Red rooster, who, by the way, is my favorite, does his part by working hard to protect his girls with a watchful eye, and by scratching up as many bugs as he can share with them.

If we all had the work ethic and pleasant personalities of laying hens, this world would be a much better place!

The blue coop houses the pullets and Dandy, the Americauna rooster.  The news from the blue coop is, that during April and May the pullets began laying eggs -- always a much anticipated event.

Some people are confused as to the term "pullet" and wonder what breed of chicken it is.  For those of you who may not know, a pullet is a young hen less than a year old who has just begun to lay.  Kind of like a human teenager.

The two breeds of pullets that roost in the blue coop are Australorps and Black Sex Links. Both are large breed birds that will lay large eggs in a few months.  For the time being, their eggs are rather small.

I usually include a couple of pullet eggs in each carton and compensate for the smaller size by including a couple of jumbo eggs.  The new girls always appreciate being included and feel their efforts are more worthwhile when their eggs are as valued as the older, more seasoned layers.  After all, everybody's got to start somewhere!

 Pullet eggs are as tasty and nutritious as larger eggs.  And, just so you'll know, it takes the same amount of ingredients to produce a small egg as it does to produce a large one.

In the ebb and flow of "hendom" and the egg laying that goes along with it, there are always times when some rest, some molt, and some are just starting out.  Those are the realities of real farming and go along with the "lay of the land."

There is no time on the farm as busy as the month of May, ESPECIALLY a May as wet as the one just passed.  Everything needs to be done NOW and there's never enough hours in the day or week to begin getting the many needed chores accomplished.

 This May was especially frustrating to me, because all the hundreds of plants started in March and April needed to go out into the ground.  Unfortunately, because of all the rain, many transplants, which were out "hardening off", drown.  Even some of the summer squash "babies" have rotted on the ends, indicating that the "mother plant" had way too much moisture to deal with.

 The weeds have gotten out of hand and there's constant mowing that need to be done!! Add to that the bi-yearly chore of completely cleaning out chicken coops and you've got a few chores too many!! WHAT'S A FARMER TO DO!!!!

Well, the only thing to do, is to express gratitude to God for the replenishing of the state's water table, which, in the scope of things, is far more important than whether we keep the place mowed.  Wasn't it just last spring that I was whining and complaining about the LACK of water.  While that certainly isn't the case this spring, rather than grumbling about all the spring chores that haven't even been started, I need to remember that there is a greater picture and a greater purpose.

 The GOOD NEWS is that the hens are laying like crazy and the blueberry bushes are loaded.  I'm beginning to focus my attention to blueberry season that will be upon me in just a matter of a few weeks.  For about two months I will be in the bushes, smelling the wonderful aroma of ripening blueberries.  I confess I'll be popping more than my fair share into my mouth as I pick, because nothing is better on a hot July day than the taste of a fresh blueberry, still warm from the sun.  Unless, of course, it's a fresh baked Blueberry Sonker, still warm from the oven with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.  That is too yum for words!  As the time approaches, I'll be sure to pass along my recipe for Blueberry Sonker so that you can bake some for yourself!

 And, what didn't get done this May during the busiest month of the year, may or may not get done in June.  Thankfully, grass always dies back in the winter for a fresh start next spring!

Since this is a week specifically set aside to reflect on those multitudes of blessings for which to be thankful, it has occurred to me, yet again, how thankful I am to be counted among those whose "profession" is farming.  To be able to participate in, oh so many, "ordinary miracles" which happen on a daily basis is thrilling.  

 I never tire of gathering eggs.  It is a "chore" I look forward to with great anticipation; sort of like Easter every day!  I love to sit on a bale of straw in the hen house, watching quietly as the girls go about their daily mission.  They never complain or act like the process is unpleasant in any way, but remain focused and cheerful as they go about their day.  That is certainly an attitude I could stand to have more consistently.  

I've learned that farming develops the valued attribute of patience.  During the eleven and a half months it takes a baby alpaca to "bake"; during the long winter while the blueberry bushes are sleeping and through the spring as first the flower, then the fruit appears; during the weeks and months it takes for a seed to become a coveted vegetable;  all of this waiting is growing something unseen in me -- patience and endurance.

 Farming also develops acceptance.  When an April freeze ruins an entire blueberry crop; when a drought makes it almost impossible to produce any vegetables; when a hawk comes out of nowhere and takes the life of a productive hen, there's nothing to do but accept what has happened and move on.

 I am thankful to have the opportunity of farming on my daddy's land because when I work on the land he cleared off and developed, I feel close to him even though he is no longer alive.  I know he would be pleased by all the bustle of activity of living things.

I am thankful that I have the physical strength to do what needs to be done and the mental health to learn all the new and exciting aspects of farming.

I am thankful for all the wonderful people I've met at farmer's markets, both vendors -- fellow farmers -- and customers -- those people who support my efforts in a tangible way, and offer encouragement and support.

 I am thankful for other farmers who are always willing to lend another set of hands, equipment, or advise.

During this season of thankfulness, I am truly thankful for my family, friends and my farm.

 To all of you who took the time to share in my thoughts, have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

 Carmen Coles