The Shire

Thank you for the questions about our Ranch and practices. Jennifer; We do are not offering Verified Turkey Hard Winter Wheat for sale at the present time. We are growing it and after it is rouged any excess is sent to a Gentleman actively working to bring this variety back to production levels. It is a Landrace grain and does not always breed true. We are currently only offering Stone Ground flour from the harvest that is not considered eligible for planting. We do offer seed from the Canadian Variety Kharkof for planting as it is genetically nearly identical to the Turkey variety. To the person that tried to leave a nasty comment; Our Headquarters and Farm Store are in New Plymouth but our holdings stretch from the Jordan Valley in Oregon over the border and into Idaho. We are dedicated to keeping our holdings as pristine as possible and access to our operation is strictly regulated to ensure that no contaminants are brought in by vehicles randomly entering the area. Tracking your ip address places you over 800 miles away from us and a bit of research indicates that your claim of being a former resident with farming family members in the area is false. Our information puts you in Southern California from your time of immigration to this country. I do thank you for the demographic composition that you sent. Should you truly wish to visit us a name and telephone number needs to be included with your request so that we may contact you to arrange it. Julie; Your Kettle will be ready for shipment next week, Please contact me privately to confirm if you want the kettle itself footed or a set of fire dogs. We work very hard to maintain our lands and produce the best products we can offer while adhering to Old Word and pre-industrial traditions and practices. The people that live on this land do so because they love it and want to preserve it for future generations to enjoy. Talented people have come together to create a unique environment where Sustainability is a way of life. We believe that Margaret Meade said it best, "Never Doubt That a Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens Can Change the World." That's our philosophy in a nut shell. Laohaire

It's Cheese making time here at The Shire. We have Cheddar, 4 differrent cows milk Blue cheeses, 4 sheeps milk cheeses, and 2 goat cheeses going into the cave as well as some fresh curds and farmstead cheeses. Next week will be Swiss style cheeses and Jacks as well as some Basque style cheeses.

Dry cured sausages and hams will be put down in a few days and I will list the varieties here as soon as they are decided on. Parma style ham and Lanjaiger Sausage are ready as well as some Boerwars. Fresh/frozen sausages that are available include; black pudding, Calabrese, Merguez, Country Lamb, and Highland spice.

Outdoor planting has begun despite 2 nights of freeze and the less hardy vegetables and fruits will move out of the long house in the next fortnight.

There are several spring lambs ready for harvest and 3 steers.

New Brakes went on the stone skid today so that rock can be moved down for the new oven. We will be able to produce enough bread to have some available for sale as well as stone ground flours. Wheat, Oat, Amaranth, Barley, and Flax. We also have a limited supply of spelt and sorgum flour.

Hand forged cooking tools and Kettles are available as are a few adz, sickles, and axe heads. We will be hosting a Smith's Gathering in June that will last 5 days with some of the best Blacksmiths in the US attending and teaching. 10 spots are available in the Keep and there is plenty of room for campers. Just remember that vehicles must park at the headquarters buildings and it is about a mile in to the Keep. Wagons will run several times a day for bringing in supplies and horses are welcome. No Propane forges will be allowed within the Keep. Anyone wishing to order hand forged items please email your requests.

We raise several breeds of cattle for specific purposes, Sussex for draft, Irish Moiled for milk and beef, British White for beef, Guernsey for milk, and Red Angus for beef. We also have some truly rare breeds solely for conservation. Galloway, Devon, and Pisgaure. Occasionally calves are available for purchase but most females remain to enhance the herds and males are either breed stock or beef.

We raise Welsh Mule, Texel, and North Country Cheviot sheep. All very hardy wool breeds that produce good staple and lovely lamb. We will be introducing Oxford and Clun Forest sheep into our program in the near future and are considering some hair breeds.

We also have Boer,Kiku and Oberhasli goats for meat and milk.

Our Pigs are Berkshire, Tamworth, and Glouchester Old Spot respectively. They are held on seperate areas of the ranch to ensure that cross breeding does not occur. Occasional accidents do happen but we are careful to tell our clients if they are purchasing a cross.

Our Poultry is a motley mix indeed! We started with Dorkings and Barred rocks as well as several varieties of Orpington but over the years they have all cross bred so now we have Large brown egg layers. The plan is to purchase some of the more rare varieties but these that we have now have become accustomed to our climate and rear their chicks without any interference.

This will be our third year raising Heritage Turkeys. They need to be self sufficient around here and the commercial types just can't make it.

More on day to day activities in the near future.

Laohaire

Greetings!

Welcome to our Community! We extend from The Owyhee Mountains to Treasure Valley and would love for you to learn about us. We raise Ancient and American Heritage breeds of livestock and produce. We have reproduced an Iron Age Keep and a Native American Winter encampment that is open to visitors. No Modern vehicles are allowed beyond the 1840's era Ranch headquarters. Everything is managed using Ancient methods where possible and no modern equipment is used in the tending of livestock or the gardens with the exception of a long house for starting young plants. Our water is from springs, streams and rivers, and we are completely off the grid. Our electricity comes from solar and wind generators. We cook and preserve with wood and hand craft our own vinegars and sorghum syrups and sugars. Any items that come from outside are verified to be chemical free and unadulterated. We Proudly use Real Salt(t) as our only source for salt, all spices and herbs are grown here or guaranteed Fair Trade and Organic. We want to extend the opportunity for those of you with an interest to experience a truly self sustainable living environment and have access to the cleanest foods and faire available today. With a nod to the Modern age we will have a storefront here on Local Harvest where you can purchase our Bounty. Thank you for your interest and support.

Laohaire