TGFG: Thank Goodness For Grass!

Yesterday was a big day in our farming calendar here at Terravita Farms. We anticipate it every year but with hay prices as high as $9.50 a square bale and $90.00 a round bale our favorite past time lately has been walking the pastures and watching the grass grow. Yesterday afternoon we decided the time had come and we spent the remaining daylight putting up the portable electric fences we use to keep the animals in, moving stock tanks for water, feed bowls, batteries, and various other things necessary for a move from haylot to pasture. When the time came the cows literally stampeded to their appointed square of grass--have you ever seen a bull kick up his heels? Stand back! The sheep didn't have to be asked twice, and the lambs, having only nibbled on bits of grass here and there in their winter lot didn't need any training on how to put their noses to ground and tear off mouthfuls of green goodness. 
This morning, when checking to make sure everyone was still where they were supposed to be after their first night in new surroundings, I was greeted by the following scenes. I'm sure if they could smile, they would all have been grinning wide!

**For best effect, click on the pictures to 'biggify'**

The Terravita Farms Randall herd--all 9 of them!

Lucien, the bull, leads the girls.

Guys always have to flex their muscles . . .

Last fall's 4 calves, "Hey, let's see who that is!"

"Hey, move over!"

"Would you tell her to move over?"

"Ok, I guess we have to yell!"

Mother and daughter, Jacob sheep.

Priscilla, Shetland ewe, "Wait a second, I need a scratch!"

Jasper, Shetland wether. "Yes, it's that good and it's all mine, mine!"

68th Annual Granville Garden Club Daffodil Show

This weekend was the 68th Granville Daffodil Show, at Bryn Du Mansion, an event I always look forward to--even more so since Terravita Farms began growing daffodils for florists two years ago. My appreciation for and admiration of the daffodil continues to grow! 

Before I get to the pictures I'd like to share a happy coincidence that took place at the show. As I was getting ready to leave I decided I would wear a daffodil in the lapel of my jacket. I have quite a few daffodil bouquets in the house and was debating the strengths of the various flowers I had to choose from and finally settled on 'Accent'. I felt 'Accent' had something unique to offer as the clear white petals surround a trumpet that begins as yellow at the base, changes to gold near the middle, and finally ends in salmon, quite striking. The last room of the show has individual daffodils displayed in vases and each variety is available to pre-order as bulbs for fall planting. I noticed that one vase had a picture of the daffodil variety rather than a real flower--and that daffodil just happened to be 'Accent', the one in my lapel! I offered to give my flower to the show and it was quickly placed in the vase and exchanged with the picture--what a happy coincidence!

What follows, in no particular order, are a series of displays I found beautiful, interesting, and or eye-catching. Enjoy.

Duck Eggs: The Other Egg

At Terravita Farms we raise two breeds of endangered ducks, the Saxony and the black and white Magpie. Each of these breeds is considered critically endangered (fewer than 500 breeding pairs worldwide) and at risk for extinction by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, a non-profit organization that tracks and promotes rare breeds of livestock.

A pair of Saxony ducks. Hen on left and drake on right.

Our duck eggs are available for purchase now by the half dozen from The Going Green Store in Granville, OH. Your purchase ensures that these rare breeds continue “working” at what they do best and as a result continue to add their unique genetic footprint to an ever shrinking range of breeds in American agriculture. Our ducks are raised on pasture and always have access to a custom-dug pond for swimming. In addition to what they forage, we feed them an all natural diet.

Magpie ducks, like their namesake, sporty in black and white.

Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs, their shells have a waxy cuticle layer which protects the eggs from absorbing excess moisture as ducks live in wetter environments than chickens. When you crack a duck egg for the first time you'll notice that the shell doesn't crack quite the same way as a chicken egg and the whites are more opaque and don't release from the shell as easily--this is normal. When cooked sunny-side up, you'll notice the whites will have a firmer consistency than a chicken egg. Hard-boiled duck egg yolks are creamy, fatty and delicious--far superior to a hard-boiled chicken egg. Use them for plain hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs, and for a real treat--poached. Recipes online abound! Diversify your cooking and try some today.

The 'Turducken Egg Sampler'

Terravita Farms is taking a twist on the famous--or infamous--Thanksgiving dish, 'turducken' with our own 'Turducken Egg Sampler'. Rather than having a duck stuffed into a chicken stuffed into a turkey, we're offering a dozen eggs--4 turkey, duck and chicken respectively. This makes a unique gift and an excellent way to experiment with new types of eggs. All the eggs come from our own free-range, pasture-raised birds. Stop by The Going Green store in Granville, OH to pick up a dozen.

In addition to the 'Turducken Egg Sampler', we'll also be supplying The Going Green store with duck eggs by the dozen beginning this weekend.

The 'Turducken Egg Sampler' (from left to right, chicken (4), turkey (4) and duck (4) eggs)

Terravita Farms Yarn!

We're so excited to share our full line of yarn with everyone.  We raise two breeds of sheep at the farm, Shetlands and Jacobs. Shetlands are generally (not always) solid and come in 11 natural colors. The colors are shades from white to black and from the lightest champagne to the darkest brown. Jacobs on the other hand are always spotted, black/white or 'lilac/white'('lilac' in Jacobs is considered a light gray color). People usually mix the two colors during processing and the resulting yarn comes in a variety of shades, all with a distinctly heathered appearance.

We've recently launched our full line of yarn and have it all available for sale on Local Harvest for online ordering, or, if you're in the Granville, OH area you can purchase it at The Going Green Store. The colors are completely natural--never dyed. In addition to the 100% pure Shetland and Jacob yarns, we added two luxurious blends: Jacob /Angora and Jacob / Silk. 

All the yarns are 3-ply worsted weight with the exception of the 100% Jacob which is 3-ply bulky weight. The skeins weigh 4 ounces each. We shear sheep each spring and send the raw fiber to Ohio Valley Natural Fibers in Sardinia, Ohio to be scoured, carded, spun and plied into beautiful yarn. I think you'll agree that the colors are simply irresistible!

A selection of Terravita Farms' yarns.

100% Pure Shetland Sheep yarn --brown heather

100% Pure Shetland Sheep yarn --dark brown heather

100% Pure Shetland Sheep yarn --white

Jacob Sheep / Mulberry Silk blend (85% / 15%)

Jacob Sheep / Rabbit Angora blend (95% / 5%)

100% Pure Jacob Sheep yarn, bulky weight

Photographing the yarn and creating as true-to-life an image of each skein as possible was undertaken by David Patrick of David Patrick Photography. He used the white-box product photography method and we think achieved beguiling results. Thanks David!

Randall Cattle: New Arrivals!

It's now been 2 years since we started our Randall Cattle breeding program here at Terravita Farms. We started with 4 cows and now have doubled our herd to 8, with another calf shortly on the way. It's been an exciting ride helping to preserve this highly endangered--and highly beautiful cattle breed. We have 3 calves on the ground at the moment, 2 heifers and bull. If the law of averages plays out, the next one on the way will be a bull too.

2013 CSA Sign-up Begins!

Happy New Year! This is, of course, the time for resolutions. A resolution I heard all too often at my farmers' market stand this past season was "I wish I had signed-up for a CSA sooner--by the time I got around to it they were all full."

January officially kicks-off the CSA sign-up season at Terravita Farms. Send in your contracts and come June, you'll be awash in fresh veggies from Terravita Farms. Head over to our website (www.terravitafarms.com), click on the 'CSA' tab and print the form. This year we're cutting back a little so we can take more time with our little guy who just turned 3. As such, we'll only be servicing the Granville Farmers' Market, so spots will be especially tight.

Best wishes to everyone in 2013!