Chores in the Snow...

Excessive snow brings a new challenge to feeding and watering animals. No more quick trips to the field; this is a battle with the elements! :o)

A Tribute to Sven

(A cat)

"Alas, how the mighty have fallen!

The prince of the Lenz residence brought low.

He was feared by all pests

But loved by his masters,

He was Sven, the lord of the shed.

His eyes were like flaming emeralds,

His teeth like daggers, his claws scimitars,

The muscles of his body rippled with power

Beneath a luxurious coat of fiery blond,

All his enemies knew and feared his lion-like tread.

Weep, kitties, weep! The father of a nation,

The last of the proud race of Hon-ites

Struck down at the height of his glory

By the cold hard undercarriage of a car,

Never to return to his great halls again.

Alas, how the mighty have fallen!

The prince of the Lenz residence brought low,

He will be remembered with love by his own

And as his progeny rise up in his place

He will never be forgotten, Sven, the lion of his race."

~ Garrison Lenz

(posted with permission by Aubrey Lenz)

dedicated to Sven's youngest offspring: Pancake, Hamburger and Pattymelt

From The Six Arrows Farm Update...

‘I beg your pardon,’ said the Mole, pulling himself together with an effort. ‘You must think me very rude; but all this is so new to me. So-this-is-a-river!’ 

'The River,’ corrected the Rat

‘And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!’

‘By it and with it and on it and in it,’ said the Rat.

~From The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Well we have lived by and with and on a river for quite some time, but now we are literally in it as well…and I can tell you, that is nothing to sneeze at.

Howdy from soggy Pine Island!



It is a little hard to tell in the picture on the left, but that is not a river…it’s a main road through town!!! The rain started early Wednesday afternoon and has fallen steadily ever since. I think the current precipitation is around 8 or 9 inches with no let-up in the foreseeable future.

Roads all around us are completely washed out to the point where it is difficult to leave or enter Pine Island at all. I took the boys to work this morning and we marveled at all the water during the 15 minute drive. This afternoon, it took me over an hour to pick them up and bring them home. I had to drive miles out of the way to circumnavigate the worst of the flooding.

 

Even then, we had to cross the river twice over bridges that looked like they were floating. The boys spent much of the afternoon helping sand-bag in town and taking furniture out of a friend’s house. Please pray for folks who are trying to save their possessions from flooded basements. We are so thankful no one has been hurt.

 

All the fields in the immediate area are either lakes or surging floods. Our backyard had a small torrent gushing through it (above). Today I personally understood, for the first time, the phrase, happy as a duck in water. A neighbor of ours has ducks, and when we drove by on the way to town they were dabbling swimmingly. Now there was nothing so very remarkable in this aside from the contrasting fact that everyone else has become almost cat-like in our discomfort with all the surplus water. Ducks are “In their element”, but I think that Kenneth Graham hits the proverbial nail on the head again in his cheery nonsensical, yet profound fashion.



Ducks’ Ditty

‘All along the backwater,

Through the rushes tall,

Ducks are a-dabbling,

Up tails all.

‘Ducks’ tails, drake’s tails,

Yellow feet a-quiver,

Yellow bills all out of sight,

Busy in the river!

‘Slushy green undergrowth

Where the roach swim -

Here we keep our larder,

Cool and full and dim.

‘Everyone for what he likes!

We like to be

Heads down, tails up,

Dabbling free!



‘High in the blue above

Swifts whirl and call -

We are down a-dabbling,

Up tails all.’

The flood truly has a bright side as well in spite of all the damage done.

 

1. We were forced to have a short respite from farm projects, which always gives new enthusiasm when we resume operations.



2. After looking at the forecast Wednesday, we decided to process the remaining chickens a day early. It was a mercy of God that we did. Thursday morning would have found the chickens all drowned, since the portion of the field where their pens still repose is under a foot of water. One customer did make it out this afternoon…he was very happy to relate his adventures in attempting the trip when he arrived and victoriously claimed his chickens!

3. The neighboring population turned out in force to repair damage and try to prevent more. Disaster always brings that camaraderie out in a community and it is often rewarding in spite of the difficulty, anxiety and even loss.

4. Now all the farmers in the area will have something truly exciting to discuss and digest over in the morning coffee groups for weeks on end. If you know the right people, you never miss out on the best information gleaned from what one of our “connections” calls a “support group for farmers.”

Tomato, Tomahto

The bounty of our tomato plants yielded over 50 quarts of stewed tomatoes this year!...

This flatbed-full represents only a fraction of the harvest.

We make everything from fresh Salsa to V8, Taco Salad to Tomato Soup.

It means chili, lasagna, spaghetti, soup and canned salsa all winter long!

Ballooning Big Beefs, Rosy Cherry Juliets, Smooth Romas, Delectable Brandywine Heirlooms, Pearly Pink Beautys, Purpley Cherry Sugar Annes, Bright and Round Wisconson 55's...a tomato for every purpose.

Affectionately known as "ditter dats..."

What is Market Baking Day Like?

First Fruits...

Delicious Montmorency pie cherries; sweet and tangy...

...and frosty blueberries bursting everywhere, tantalizingly sweet crisp and juicy, looking like tropical rarities hidden beneath their bright thick shiny leaves!

I was originally only going to post pictures of cherries and blueberries but since it is around the Fourth of July, Mama reminded me of white strawberries for a patriotic atmosphere. :o) Wild white strawberries have a piquant sweet flavor much like a grape! And yes, this berry is fully ripe and ready to pick in all his creamy-white beauty!

The Secret Ingredients to a Joyful Processing Day...

Rich, piping hot coffee and cream...

A good hearty breakfast in the dim hours of the morning...

A warm scalder...

Cheerful music that makes us want to sing and dance (though not very long; our muck boots are heavy)...

Ready hands willing to work...

And most of all... Joy!

We're farmers striving to be good stewards of the land and by the gracious hand of Providence we were delighted to be able to offer our customers delicious fresh pastured chicken!

Snoring pigs on a rainy day...

Snoring in the Rain from Craig Lenz on Vimeo.
Rain falling on the leaves all around you, the smell of freshly turned dirt at your nose, the lingering taste of a ginger root, surrounded by the comforting grunts, huffs and snores of your co-pigaerators... Ah... the life of a pig on Six Arrows Farm!

On the subject of Capitola Peaches

or just "Cap" as you please... the latest farm mascot.

Harvesting, Mulching, Pruning, Training... and then lunch

Blueberries love pine needle mulch... 

We're strategizing how to keep birds away from our ripening treasures... because of course the birds will eat them when they are still sour.  :o)

Picking enough strawberries for jam...

Charlie putting together the last of the tomato cages...

And then home in the rain for Ben's grilled venison steaks!...

The Lenz Boys and Tractors...

A testimony to the influence of toy tractors on the minds of little boys... :o)

Yesterday, Charlie, Benjamin and Samuel helped our neighbor "drag" his field. Farmers drag their fields to help break down the old grain stalks, encouraging the fields to compost and prepare them for planting! It was so fun to see all of them working on tractors at once. Sam, especially, was in raptures! And yes, he is the one who waves at the end. :o) I remember trying to keep him awake in his carseat and failing miserably until one of us older siblings came up with the ingenious idea of saying, "Tatter!" in an awed voice and pointing excitedly out the window. He would eagerly sit up and watch them, fascinated. With this conditioning, is it any wonder he is captivated by them?! Ah, the joys of being the youngest child. :o)

Helping Mr. Berg with Tractors... from Craig Lenz on Vimeo.

Guess who's here!!!

The legendary "Itty Bitties have come! And we have recorded their cheerful little voices for you so you can get a taste of what the farm sounds like this morning...

Itty Bitties!!! from Craig Lenz on Vimeo.

You may want to turn the volume down on this video! :o) The chicks were so excited when we put them in the brooder, their ecstatic "cheep, cheeping" was almost deafening. They have so many new things to discover just a few hours after hatching; how to dart about on two feet without toppling over, how to drink from the water trough without hopping in it, how to slurp up water and let it fall down their throats, how to find the heat lamp and huddle next to another chick if they are chilly, how to pick bits of grain and just the right amount of grit to digest their food and etc. They are truly masterfully designed and their delight and enthusiasm is thoroughly contagious to those of us who love to watch them! :o)

A Closer Look... from Craig Lenz on Vimeo.

Six Arrows Farm Customer Interest Survey

Here at Six Arrows Farm, we love to find out exactly how we can serve you best. For this purpose, we have created the below survey which asks a few important questions especially on the subject: "Would you be interested in a Six Arrows Farm CSA?" We have heard a lot of positive feedback about these groups, so we're interested to know how many of you would be like to be involved in this venue. With that said, let us know what you think! Survey ends May 31.

Thank you for participating in our survey! We look forward to serving you! ~The Six Arrows

"Cheery Welcomes of the Spring..."!