This is our first spring on the farm. Pea shoots are starting to rear their heads, the garlic is up, and our first harvest of the season is in. Stinging nettles. This was one of those, “we hope the internet is right” moments. The nutritional benefits of nettles are widely accepted but after you have …
Author Archives: Amanda Nelson
An apple a day…
I think we are all looking to keep the doctor away lately. What an apropos time for our apples to arrive. Saltspring Apple Company delivered twenty beautiful apple trees today. We are so grateful for their knowledge, vision, and dedication to growing heritage varieties as well as modern, naturally disease-resistant varieties of certified organic apple …
Pigs and Figs
Spring is just around the corner and things are starting to pick up here. Everyone is enjoying the longer days. We can get more done and everything around here is becoming more productive. Mike is a pro gardener now. He spent last weekend grafting a patch onto our girdled mulberry tree and time will tell …
Snow Pigs
This is our first official big snow since starting this adventure in the summer. Fortunately for us the fences are holding, the shelters are strong, and the pigs are hardy! These particular piggies have brothers and sisters who scoff at -18 weather so they are no stranger to Canadian winters. We are pretty spoiled here …
Who is who at the zoo!
I wanted to take a second to introduce our two of our lovely gilts (at the time of these photos) and boar, Cedar, Willow, and Forrest. For breeding reference and herd improvements, I find it super useful to visualize each animal as they grow out as well as the phenotypes of their parents. This dynamic …
The herd has arrived
Monday afternoon was an exciting time for us. My whole body was full of adrenaline wondering how we would complete the unloading portion of this journey. Five little piggies travelled from as far as Quinte West, ON and Carstairs, AB to arrive at our farm. These beautifully and mindfully selected pigs have been raised for …
The Blueberries are in
A few years ago the farm planted 300 various blueberry plants. When we moved in they were completely overgrown in grass taller than me – for those of you who know me. This is a big accomplishment! The pigs rototilled the field and a couple of months ago while they still had some leaves, I …
Fonts, fonts, fonts
Branding… it isn’t something I ever really think of until I received my first order of swag from Vistaprint. I love swag and it is even better when it is something you created. I love everything about our farm logo. It is lime green, it is simple, it is easy to craft with (not tons …
The Running of the Pigs
Mouth noise, it does nothing for me. Like a nail on a chalkboard the sound usually sends me packing. Not when it comes from these delightful little piggies though. I could listen to them crunch and munch all day. This week I took a few videos to immortalize these piggy little moments. Pumpkins are in …
Pumpkin time!
This is our first year starting out and I couldn’t find any established squashes on the property. So, that means we needed to outsource some this year. One thing I love about these guys is that they are true to seed. That means we will have lots next year. Plans include carving pumpkins, sugar pumpkins …