High 77   Low 49  It is finally clear, blue and sunny!

Our young Buck Harpo and his sister Shug are for sale. If you are looking to increase your herd or want to start one, these two herbally raised Nubians are the way to go! Both have good form and come from very good milking stock. Born March 21, 2010. $100 Harpo/$150 Shug

Summer is here! The newest version of our newsetter is available. If you haven’t subscribed, now is a great time!

http://songcroft.com/index.php/the-songcroft-self-sufficiency-newsletter/

Farm Camp begins August 22nd. Register now to reserve your spot. http://songcroft.com/index.php/farm-camp/

The registration for the 2011 Self Sufficiency Apprenticeship Program is already starting to fill up. If you have been sitting on the fence, now is the time to register. We have filled up for the past two years in a row! http://songcroft.com/index.php/the-songcroft-school-of-self-sufficiency/

Yesterday we finally broke 75 degrees and it feels like summer is here. It was our seventh day this year without rain. Folks here are happy to see the sun out. It is suppose to be in the mid 90’s by tomorrow.

Although the sun’s arrival is definitely welcomed it will prove to make gardening a bit of a challenge in that a sudden change can be hard on plants. Growth has been slow at best this year. Corn in the valley is only about a foot tall and the farmers are frustrated. Our garden is no exception. The only things that have really enjoyed this long wet season with its deep chills have been the fava beans and weeds. They are about 5 feet tall.

When the weather switches rapidly from a cool damp stage to dry and in the mid 90’s, plants are going to bolt. This means they will think it is their last hoorah before fall and they will go to seed. They will no longer put their energy in to growing lush foliage or fruit but instead focus on sending seed out so that their genetic material will be around the next year.

This week will keep me busy weeding and trying to keep the seed I planted for fall and winter moist enough to germinate.

Also on my radar this week is making sure all of the animals have enough water. Sudden changes in weather can be hard on them too. The goats and rabbits have automatic waterers, which will be very helpful. They chickens will need to be checked on at least twice a day until I get their water system done (There is always something that needs do’in). The bees will also enjoy water set a bit closer to them as our creek will likely dry up this week.

Speaking of bees, I checked the new swarm today. The queen was present but she doesn’t seem to be laying much. It has only been a week so I will give her a bit more time to see if she starts laying better. There has to be enough workers and drones to keep the honey coming in so they set up enough to get them through winter. Otherwise, I will be feeding them in fall.

Okay, it’s time for me to get out there and get some work done. (The earlier in the day the better when it’s real hot.)

High 61 Low 45  Drizzly but warm. ( Our seedlings are loving this!)

Farm Camp

http://songcroft.com/index.php/farm-camp/

This month has been busy with all of the usually Spring chores of getting the cover crops turned in, garden planted, pullets out to forage, hens in their Spring/Summer home, goat kids birthed and settled in, does milked, cheese made, rabbits bred and the post-construction landscaping started, all the while enjoying the flush of green that has taken over our land.

Although these things have me excited, it’s Farm Camp that has been on my mind. In August we will be opening SongCroft up to those who would like to live and learn about how to run a family farm. This is so exciting that I am finding it hard to concentrate on other projects. We’re going to have a lot of fun!

You’ll experience instruction on dairy goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits as well as growing your produce year-round and preserving the harvest. Mushroom logs, the basics of permaculture, food forests, alternative energy and home arts are all part of the program. It’s great to read books and dream about living a more self-reliant lifestyle but it’s a rare opportunity to be welcomed on to a farm where you are able to learn and try things out for yourself!

Checked out the Farm Camp page. Tell us what you think, what you would most like to learn and if you intend to enroll don’t wait because space is limited.

It’s that time again. We are opening registration for the 2011 apprenticeship program. The 2009 and 2010 programs filled up super fast and we are anticipating the 2011 class to be full within a couple months.

SongCroft School empowers our community by providing one and two year apprenticeship opportunities in self-sufficient living, real-life examples of permaculture landscapes, community connection and cottage industry development. We assist our apprentices to be better equipped to deal with changes in their lives and environments.

If you are concerned about current changes in food and fuel prices, if you want to actively supplement your grocery budget, if you want to hone your skills while reconnecting with nature and it’s rhythms or if you long for a strong community enroll in our program!

You can check out more about the program at http://songcroft.com/index.php/the-songcroft-school-of-self-sufficiency/#skills

Spaces fill up fast so don’t delay!

High 56             Low 45                 Warm afternoon breeze

Spring ahead? Not us, we’re taking giant leaps! There’s been a ton of stuff happening at SongCroft this week. Where can I begin…?

Over the course of the week we brought in a bit more hay to get us through until it is haying time here in the area. With a couple extra goats this past Winter, we went through more hay than usual so our estimate in August was a bit off. But no worries, I hauled the bails across our land. It is rugged terrain as we haven’t filled that side of the property yet and it is very uneven. It is hard to keep a bale on a hand-truck since they all want to fall downhill. Then I had to stack them under cover. At eighty pounds a bale, this job takes that take all by 5’4” frame has to offer. To keep the goats from leaning from their stall over in to the hay storage area, I installed a wooden barrier. Now they can only look at it longingly instead of gorging themselves until they look like someone ought to tie a line to a hoof so they don’t float away as giant goat balloons.

We also got almost all of the fencing around the vegetable and forest garden done. We just need to install a few gates. This means even if the goats do get out, they wont be eating my cabbages and strawberries!

The Winter rabbitry was converted in to a brooding house for the 17 pullets and 6 ducklings we are raising. We also have a hen on a nest in there. It is a good use of a small space. I will post photos and a video later.

All but the vegetable garden beds got compost on them. I will make another go at it over the coming week. The goats ate part of the garden in front of the house, that’s what happens when the kids leave the gate unlocked, so I put the compost down there first hoping it would help the poor plants survive. Even our big horse trough full of bamboo looks like Giant Panda’s attacked it!

Rhubarb and asparagus were planted. Only a few more years until we get our first harvest. (That was sarcasm incase you didn’t notice)

We cleared out an area so that we can bring in soil to level the land on the side of our house. This will make getting to the hay a lot easier. This is going to be major work.

We taught both our first year and second year courses from Saturday through Monday. We covered soils science, composting, fertilization and pruning. It was really busy and a lot of fun. Folks learned to do soil samples, test for ph and how to make compost. We mixed bedding and goat poo with a beautiful combination of scrap vegetables and juice bar compost. The colors were amazing and the results will be powerful. We also made a worm bin and were able to send it one with one of the student’s family. I truly love being with all of the course participants and am blessed to live such an amazing life.

Sometimes the songs here are the chirpings of birds and others times they are the grunts made while heaving bales of hay but it all makes for a beautiful rhythm that we love to live in.

High 59              Low 34 The sky was clear blue.

The weather was at a record high for February in Western Washington. The warm air and the bright blue in the sky felt lovely. It was a perfect weekend for having the SongCroft Self-Sufficiency Skills School Classes.

The first year course participants were on the land on Saturday and the second year participants were on the land on Sunday. It was busy and fun.

The first year group spent the day learning about starting their own seeds. We discussed why they would want to start seeds of their own, different techniques for starting the seed and how they would transplant the seed. They planted their own seed trays to bring home and care for as well as potted up some seedlings I had started in advance. It was a very fun day. We had a good sized group but what warmed my heart the most was that my twelve-year-old daughter decided to join the class and start seeds for her own garden. She grows a small vegetable garden each year so learning to start her own seed will build upon those skills she is already cultivating. These skills are part of our legacy.

The second-year course participants, learned about setting fence posts, espalier trees and greenhouses. I demonstrated how to train young fruit tree branches to grow against a fence to create a two-dimensional tree and walked the land showing which wild greens were ready for harvest.

I feel fortunate to be in a place to share the things I know well with others. Life is very good.

Some of our course participants were interested in learning more about the world seed bank. Follow the link for more information.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/26/norway.seeds/index.html

Washington State University Extension has been hit really hard. As a Master Gardener, I know value of the many programs that the extension services offer. In these changing times things are harder for many people. Teaching our communities how to grow their own food, preserve food and food safety are important roles. Helping farmers (new and existing) with new business information, technology and sustainability skills are vital to our food supply. The WSU Extension programs are needed.

Yesterday, another program was cut. Master Food Preservation and Food Safety Consultant. Does this sound like a good idea to you? With all of the issues that have happened with commercially processed food, I doubt that many of us are going to do much worse at home but the reality is that except for in rare cases aunties and grandmas no longer gather to preserve the harvest, where are people going to learn these skills? How will they learn them safely? Will they be forgotten all together or will people get sick following outdated books that no longer apply to the genetically modified foods who’s acid levels have changed?

These are some of the issues that brought SongCroft in to being. Whether you participate in the programs or read the newsletter, we hope to pass on some of these essential practices before they are lost.

If you are interested in food preservation, you can purchase the Fall 2009 issue of the SongCroft Newsletter. There is a lot of good information to be had there.

High 42 Low 39       Light sprinkling of rain in the early evening

I Can Hardly Wait!

A currant ready to burst!

Okay, I know it’s only February but I can hardly wait for Spring! There are tulips up on my front porch and the current buds are swelling so big, I swear I’ll hear them when they burst!

This time last year we still had at least a solid three feet of snow!

Earlier today the children, goats and dogs were all out on the land running, browsing and playing. It was fun to watch them together, all one herd–Human kids and goat kids all umping, bouncing and calling to their mamas.

The latter part of the day was spent measuring parts of our land with Sofie. As I measured, I explained to her what I was doing and why. I sometimes asked her to tell me why I would want to know the distance from this to that.  Mapping and surveying were part of our homeschooling today. She is a bright girl who catches on to things quickly.

We plan to move a few things around (Isn’t that what gardeners do?) and finish some projects as soon as Spring blesses us with warmer weather.

I relocated a few currants and a young cherry tree. I drew plans for new plantings and perused plant catalogs to find a few hard-to-get items.

While in the garden, Sofie rolled a log over and we marveled at the many earthworms that were squirming around in the rich soil. Flipping things over in our garden is almost like looking for crabs under rocks at the beach. No matter how many times you see them, they are still always fascinating.

Tonight I will put my measurements to graph paper and create a more detailed design. I will tell myself to be patient as the sun begins to rise higher each day until Spring and I will dream of hyacinth and flowering currants.

High Temp 52 Low 40
Slightly overcast with patches of blue sky              

Tuesday January 19th, I took my twelve year-old daughter to Wild Thyme Farm inOakville, WA. It was a great opportunity to spend time around other permaculture enthusiasts and two people well experienced in the herbal world. Michael Pilarski is a well-respected teacher of all things permaculture and herbal. He has been teaching folks in the Northwest for decades. It was a privilege to be able to bring my young daughter to learn from him. Also there was resident Marisha Auerbach. Marisha is an inspiring young woman who is also a well respected permaculture teacher and herbalist. We spent the day collecting Devils Club, Usnea and a several other plants. We worked together to clean and process the what some might refer to as plant material. I consider our harvest gifts from the land. Some would make good potherbs and are great eaten fresh.We brought some home to dry and put in to tinctures and tea. They will become part of our home apothecary. Life is good.

http://www.wildthymefarm.com/

High Temp 52 Low 40
Early shower and clear afternoon

Brian giving apprentices a tour

It’s a beautiful day here on SongCroft. The January sun is bright against the blue sky. It is a sky of optimism after a great start to the 2010 Self-Sufficiency Apprenticeship program.

This past weekend we had a group of excited people here to learn more about how to live more self-sufficiently. We talked about how local dependence and community  are a large part of the equation. The weekends all have themes. We spent one day this weekend going over sustainable housing options. We toured SongCroft and explained the methods and reasoning behind the way we built our home. Cob, strawbale, structural insulated panels, passive solar designs, radiant floor heating, solar arrays and plenty more were included. We showed a slide show of projects we have worked on and places we have visited. Within the month, our apprentices will have garden plans ready for fine tuning and will be returning with lists of what they want to grow.

We are blessed to have an interesting mix of people with a variety of experiences, including three yoga instructors and two teens in our course. This means break times begin with stretches and moments of connection. Does it get better than that?

I cannot express enough how deeply fortunate we feel to have the opportunity to share our knowledge and skills with others. We are also thankful to be on this journey and to have recognized it when it called.

Apprentices touring the land

There is one space available in the Self- Sufficiency Apprenticeship program that begins January 16th.(We might consider a couple) Apprentices will have a full year of lots of creative experiences that will help them to move towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle.