Summer CSA Week 15 – It’s a Meat Week!

This week’s email is written by Rachel

Rachel is one of our Apprentice Farmers and does animals on Sundays & Mondays

Where are you from?
I moved here from Jackson, Wyoming.

How did you find yourself at Rainshadow? 
I applied for the Apprenticeship and here I am. I have followed Rainshadow Organics for a while on Instagram and that’s how I learned of this position.

What is your goal for the season? 
Goals, mmm… I have so many. A basic goal. To grow really good food. And, SHIT, WE SURE DO THAT!

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find my inspiration in almost everything on this farm. The people I work with, the dirt that is constantly under my fingernails, the mass amounts of horse poop I have to pick up, the robins that whistle very loudly in the mornings, the vegetables and meat that enrich my body daily. I have a big smile on my face constantly and it’s the best feeling.

What do you like to do when you aren’t farming?
Outside farm activities include riding many different bikes, hiking, camping, being in cold water, drinking coffee and sailing!!!

Farm News

I am the part time animal lady, which means I work with the animals (pigs, chickens, turkeys, horses, cows, and a miniature donkey) twice a week, and am out in the field the other 3 days. The gist of my days consist of feeding, and cleaning up and collecting. The same movements with an overall goal, the animals health and well-being.

Through out the summer, we have 700 chickens of differing shapes, sizes, and age. The new born chick that requires constant attention, their little legs, inches tall, can only reach a watering/feeding station that is also inches tall. (They can’t be left in an environment where there are obstacles taller than them or the little 3 inch chick gets lost.) The growing meat bird, that gets fed and watered, and lives its best meat bird life! And then the laying hens (and one rooster) who are vigilant in their duties to lay an egg once a day and make a lot of noise doing it.

These past two weeks have been full of new life. Two sows have given birth to PIGLETS. WE HAVE BABY PIGS ON THE FARM!!!! It is literally the best feeling in the world seeing a tiny pig face with its cute little snoot making tiny squeaky noises. We have the pleasure of welcoming 23 new piggies to the farm. A momma pig is pretty protective of her brood. She is very aware of the happenings around her. Making a deep guttural noise to alert her babes if something is amiss, which is often when I am in her pen cleaning or feeding her. The sows have gotten comfortable with my presence, though they are still quite intimidating to me, all 300 pounds of them.

I really enjoy working with our heritage turkeys. Just like the chickens, we have varying ages of turkeys: adults, adolescents, and chicks. Because 70% of their diet is from foraging food, the turkeys are found out in our pasture.  Turkeys, just like pigs, have different warning calls. The typical turkey “gobble”  grabs anyones attention within a quarter mile. The toms have a beautiful thrum, like a bass drum in their chest, to attract the ladies. The female turkeys cackle, purr, and yelp, all varying degrees of communication to the flock. And the baby turkeys whistle 3 or 4 times when they are lost….. which is constantly.

As I go through my day of animal choring, I am often found carrying buckets. 97.3% of the time it’s feed for animals, the other 2.7% is carrying other buckets inside buckets. BUT every animal that sees my bucket knows its go time. The chickens parade behind me, like I am the queen of their chicken world. The pigs sprint across their pen, racing to see who can get the food scraps first. And the turkeys are like little velociraptors, bobbing and weaving, and making funny noises. All this to say, I feel very special when I get to feed them all.

It is a lot of life to take care of and I am honored to do it.  I am very proud to be the part time animal lady.

~ Rachel

Top left: Baby pigs truly are the cutest! (Photo Credit: Rachel Hansen)

Top right: In the first days after piglets are born, they rarely venture too farm from momma. Instead it is  suckling, snoozing pile of cuteness. But you don’t want to pester Momma too much, she is very protective right then. (Photo Credit: Ray Hansen)

Bottom left: The meat birds and the turkeys share a pasture and when it is feeding time, they get very excited! (Photo Credit: Ray Hansen)

Bottom right: Bitty the donkey now gets to hang out with us all day! He loves his n ew pen up by the Farm Store. His new location ensures that he gets a head scratch anytime someone walks by. (Photo Credit: Ray Hansen)

Veggie CSA

Every week, we include this section with what we think will be coming out of our fields and hoop houses for the CSA pick up. Keep in mind, that we send this email on Monday just as we start harvesting for the week. That means this is a guess/estimation/extrapolation of what we think we are seeing in the fields. Sometimes we are spot on, but other times we are not.

Harvest List will probably include:

asian greens, napa cabbage, yod fah
green onions
kale & chard
head lettuce, salad mixes, arugula
kohlrabi
beets
basil
beans
hot & sweet peppers
okra

eggplant
tomatillos
zucchini & yellow squash
cucumber
fennel
carrots
tomatoes
broccoli & cauliflower
corn

Meat CSA

Each week we will let you know what you can expect in your meat CSA. Occasionally (although we try very hard for this not to happen), we do the math wrong and your CSA might look different then what is here. Embrace the surprise, we really tried not to have that happen.

Check the links below and the Wednesday email for recipe ideas and more information.

1 package pack rump/bottom round/sirloin tip roast (this is a slow cooker or a make deli meat out of cut)

1 bacon
1 pack bratwurst links
+/- 1 package ground beef

1 whole roasting chicken
1 pack sliced ham
1 pack bone-in chops

1 quart lard
+/- 2 packages ground beef

2 packages chuck roast (this is a slow cooker cut)
2 packages bacon

1 whole roasting chicken
+/- 5 packages ground beef