Winter WWOOFing

When we were telling friends and family about our plans to go WWOOFing through October, November, December and maybe the new year, we heard many skeptical questions along the lines of, "It's going to be winter, will they even have anything for you to do?" Haha, you silly people. We're getting busier and busier as the season goes on.

For one thing, routine tasks take much longer when the temperature drops below zero. Feed and water buckets freeze and need to be thawed twice a day. Animals such as the horses and cows, which usually get their water from the ponds and streams outside, now need to be given water as well. Eggs need to be collected more often, some animals need more feed. Your fingers turn numb and clumsy, making everything harder than usual to complete (try tying a hitch knot while your fingers are numb inside bulky work gloves). Water really does get everywhere and freeze at the worst times, causing equipment malfunctions (we've had the tractor, the chainsaw, and a washer we use for vegetable break on us in the last few days). All of these added time-sucks mean that what would have taken us half the morning to complete might take us all day.

She blends right in, wha?

We spent the last couple of days clearing brush from field perimeters, to keep the trees from encroaching on the cow pasture. We collected any evergreen boughs that were cut and spread them over the planted garlic beds. Contrary to what we believed, the boughs actually provide shade to keep the beds frozen. If the garlic beds were to thaw on a particularly sunny or mild day in mid-winter, the baby garlics would start to grow, and be "winter-killed" when the ground became frozen again. The evergreen boughs help to ensure that the beds don't thaw before spring.

The brush we were clearing was in the middle of the cows' pasture. They have acres and acres of fields to graze through, but of course they had to be right where the action was.

This is the bull. He is kind of derpy. His horns are intimidating but he is not aggressive at all....so far, anyway.

This is after he rocketed up and down the row, mrrping.

We're also still attending the market in Fredericton on Saturdays, so Thursdays and Fridays are full of harvesting, which Rex was eager to help out with. We picked lettuce and spinach from the greenhouse today, and will be taking carrots, kale, and eggs as well. Maybe onions.

Speaking of Fredericton, we were there last Saturday and we still haven't put up pictures of it. It was our first time to Freddy and we both really liked it. Adrian was with us and we had a great time walking around the waterfront and downtown area, sightseeing and shopping.

This was the old train bridge and is now part of a system of walking trails. It was pretty neat to walk across, and we even saw a bald eagle :)

Emily is conjuring her leaf minions to attack.

And this happened.

Oh....okay.

So besides regular chores and brush clearing, we have finished the firewood for the season (yay!) and Adrian and Ted have done some work on leveling an old shed on the property. We've been cooking a bit too, since Louise is away in New York this week, and are quite happy to be back in the kitchen :)





We went for a walk to Frog Lake today. Ted said to walk west from the house and we'd hit it in no time. The picture to the right is what is to the west of the house.

Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time with a camera.

It was a bit of a brambly bushwack at times but it did end up being a very nice walk. We went in the late afternoon so the lighting was beautiful.

We eventually came out of the woods and onto a road (Frog Lake Branch, indeed). After half an hour of walking, it was getting very cold but we were determined to find the lake that Ted had assured us was "right there".

And we did find it. But much further away than we had been told. It was worth it though, it was a beautiful view in the sunset.


That's it for now! It's snowing here and we're tired and going to bed. News soon about our next move (Monday!).

Farm Facts

Checking the pond ice for thickness.

Fact: this farm is something out of a fairytale about farming. Is there such a thing? Doesn't matter. This is it. Fuzzy sheep, hens sitting on eggs, big docile horses, cows that look like shag carpets, wood stoves, homemade pies, skating ponds, forest trails, lakes, and a garden of plenty. Plus four loving pets to keep you company. Be jealous.

Fact: Clydesdales make Emily look like a hobbit. This is Bailey, and he is actually slightly smaller than the other one, Bud.

Fact: trying to catch a sheep is chaotic and can be challenging, unless you're Emily. Emily is considering putting "sheep wrangling" on her list of natural talents (in case you're curious, that list is empty right now).

Fact: the sheep will eat all of those barrels of brewer's mash and two bales of hay in a week. Those barrels are about 55 gallons each.

Fact: leeks are delicious and quite pretty. We took vegetables and eggs to the market on Saturday, including leeks, lettuce, carrots, onions, and kale. The eggs were gone by 7:45 am and everything else was gone by 11:30 am.

Fact: mesclun lettuce contains three varieties - oakleaf, red oakleaf, and romaine. The lettuce will continue to grow in the greenhouse for another couple of weeks. We harvested half of a row (out of three) and got about a garbage bag full.

Fact: everyone should have bathtubs to wash their lettuce in. And then, an old washing machine to serve as a giant salad spinner to dry it.














Fact: Moragh's camera is waterproof.

Fact: Movember is almost over! We decided to get in on the action.

Fact: Emily cannot hold things with her upper lip like Moragh can.

Cats

Reason #1 that we don't get more blogging done.

Reason #2.

The cats here are true snugglers, and without fail they find and educate any person whose focus is centered on a laptop rather than on the obviously more enjoyable activity of patting a cat. Buckwheat is especially persistent and will stand on you no matter what position you are in - or where you are. Yesterday she tried to  jump on Moragh for cuddles as Moragh was sitting on the toilet - the cat put her paws on Moragh's pants (which were around her knees) and attempted to jump up for better pats...and got extremely miffed when Moragh's pants slid down and dumped her on the floor. So instead, she jumped up on the sink, put one paw on Moragh's shoulder, and stared at her until she was finished.

Rex also likes to torment Moragh in the bathroom, and Emily was extremely amused to witness the following scene: Rex, wearing his green jingle bell, excitedly attacking Moragh's feet by simultaneously biting her toes and clawing her ankles; Moragh, standing at the bathroom sink, looking confused and little bit pained, hopping from one foot to the other trying to avoid the cat, with - this is the best part - her finger stuck in the sink. She had somehow managed to get her finger snagged in the drainage hole that sinks have opposite the faucet. Rex was taking full advantage.

Hope these stories made you smile, and we will be publishing more posts later, after barn chores and a bushwhack to the pond! Hope everyone is having a good weekend :)

Words on WWOOFing

For a while now we've been meaning to take the time to give you guys a better explanation of what woofing is, or at least what our experience of it has been so far.

From Wikipedia: "WWOOFing aims to provide volunteers with first-hand experience in organic and ecologically sound growing methods, to help the organic movement, and to let volunteers experience life in a rural setting or a different country. WWOOF volunteers (WWOOFers) generally do not receive financial payment. The host provides food, accommodation, and opportunities to learn, in exchange for assistance with farming or gardening activities." Blah blah blah.

If you're thinking of wwoofing, expect to put in 5 or 6 hours a day, 7 days a week. Usually there are no such things as true days off on a farm, as plants and animals don't  quite understand that concept. For example, today was our day "off" here at Shepherd's Garden, but Adrian was up at 5:o0 am to take vegetables and eggs to the market in Fredericton with Ted. Moragh and I stayed back to do morning barn chores at 7:30 am before heading to the market ourselves. We left the market around 11:30 am and have had the rest of the day to ourselves, which was very nice. You have to remember that animals need food and water (and sometimes exercise) every day, and plants also need to be kept alive and in good condition, and those kinds of things don't wait for days off. 

Expect to learn lots, and experience new and really fun activities, but be prepared to work hard and work at whatever your host asks you to do, unless you are uncomfortable or incapable or cannot do it safely. Some days you'll be making pickles and beer, other days you'll be shoveling poop and picking rocks (we just finished filling in a French drain with about 6 tonnes of rocks yesterday...we had a tractor to help carry them from the field though thankfully). While your tasks may not always be the most fun things in the world, saying "I'm bored/muddy/above this, can I do something else" is generally not acceptable. 

On that note, communication with your hosts is very important, so if you are not an open and friendly person, wwoofing may not be for you. You must be able to tell them if you need help with something, or if you're too worn out to safely continue a particular task, and be able to ask questions to make sure you do a job properly the first time. Being able to work independently is an asset to most host/wwoofer relationships, as a host can double the amount of work they get done if they don't have to watch you constantly to make sure you're not trashing their farm.  Having reasonable expectations (most people don't cook just like your mom), an easy-going attitude (sure, I can get up earlier tomorrow) and clear communication with your hosts (I didn't quite get that, can you show me again) will go a long way.

Just to be clear, even though we work hard as wwoofers, we are in no way being taken advantage of. We eat like kings and queens. We have our own bedroom, a spot at the family table, and free life lessons at every turn. Also, our hosts work even harder than we do - at Shepherd's Garden, Ted is up two hours before we are and he works until dusk while we finish around three. In return for our efforts on their farm, we live for free in some of the most beautiful places in Canada. We have all the amenities we would have if we were living in an apartment somewhere (highspeed internet, long distance phone line, laundry, etc) AND we get to live on a farm and spend all day outside. And we sleep like logs.

Anyway. If anyone has other questions for us about what wwoofing is like for us and what it's all about, feel free to leave a comment for us below. If you can't leave a comment, send us an email at epmcguire@gmail.com! We'd love to spread the word.

All Hail the Yellow Bucket

The video speaks for itself, but we want to bring your attention to a new feature on the right hand sidebar: subscribe by email! If you enter your email address in the box provided, you will receive an email alert whenever we publish a new post. Handy dandy. Thanks to Sarah Buetens for this suggestion!

Shepherd's Garden

 First of all, for those who didn't know, it was Moragh's birthday on Monday (Nov 19th), which was also our first day at Shepherd's Garden, our third woofing host farm! And, she totally forgot it was her birthday until Emily reminded her. The picture above is her "I'm the birthday girl" pose.

Shepherd's Garden is located in Harvey Station, New Brunswick, which is about halfway between Fredericton and the Maine border, ish. Both times we drove into Harvey have been at night but it seems like a nice little town and reminds Emily a bit of Rustico (a town on PEI near where she grew up). The farm and buildings on it date back to 1864 and with 65 sheep plus assorted other animals, it is both our oldest and largest wwoofing host farm so far.

We've been really lucky with clear, frosty weather these past two days. The property is beautiful and we look forward to exploring the lakes and ponds some afternoon.

Buckwheat is wondering why the pats have stopped.

 Now, the animals :) there are so many here for us to love! There are two housecats, two unnamed barncats and two dogs. Buckwheat is an older tortoiseshell/tabby female who has decided we belong to her now. We can't be in our bedroom for two minutes without her showing up on the bed. She has no regard for personal space and even as we write this blog post she is taking turns standing on Moragh's stomach or Emily's chest, looking for attention. Which she gets. She has us all figured out. Rex is the other housecat, an orange tabby who is so laid back he tends to fall off the couch and just sleep wherever he lands. He wears a green Christmas bell to warn birds of his approach. We don't see him as often but when we do, he is also in-your-face with the snuggling. Picture of him soon.

Maude, Moragh, and Blue.

 There is a slightly senile border collie named Maude and an Australian shepherd named Blue. Poor Maude has many idiosyncrasies but is very pretty and sweet. Blue is probably the happiest and most obedient dog we've ever met and lives to be outside with the sheep. They both love Moragh, as all dogs seem to. Playing on the porch is a morning routine.

The mature herd, waiting for morning mash.

Our work here revolves around taking care of the animals and also - our favourite - getting firewood ready for winter! Each day starts with morning chores: three different sets of sheep (male lambs, female lambs, mature herd) get hay and mash (brewer's mash actually, from a local microbrewery), the horses come in for oats and hay, two sets of chickens need feed and water, eggs need collecting, and the barn cats get a bit of dry food.

A male lamb!

This picture is for Ayden. Sheep have long tails!! Sheep with short tails have been docked.

Moragh with Bud and Bailey.

Did we mention the horses were Clydesdales? Their names are Bud and Bailey, and they're huge. Their hooves are the size of dinner plates. They are very mild-mannered though and we're excited to get to know them better.

Ted and Louise, our hosts here, raise two different kinds of chickens, meat birds and laying hens. The meat birds are no longer with us this season but there are two sets of laying hens on the farm right now. The birds in the picture to the right are younger birds, about to come in to their first and most productive year of laying. They are sleek and quiet and live in an enclosure in the large barn.

The other set of laying hens have just finished their first year of laying and are all going through a major moult. They live in a separate shed between the barn and the house. They are scraggly looking and loud and little bit crazy. We love them. In the morning they crowd the door waiting for the grain bucket to show up and when it does, they all start carrying on with this noise that sounds like they're saying "ohhhhhhhhhh maaaaahhhh gaaaaaaaaad" over and over again. We now join in. So if you're outside the shed, we all sound crazy. These hens are being sold and will be replaced by the younger set soon.

There are also 11 Highland cows! They are so sweet and shaggy. They don't need much care right now, they keep to themselves in the pasture.

woodshed we intend to fill.

Other than animals, we've mostly been doing firewood. Emily strung an electric fence yesterday, and today we dug a hole to find a leaky pipe and helped load some sheep on a truck, but mostly, it's been the wood.

At least the view is nice. This is the end of the really long lane, where the wood splitter is set up.

Name one thing you don't want to find inside a log you are splitting.

Our answer: live, but hibernating, black ants.

SO. MANY. ANTS.

This is how we keep in shape around here.

We are having lots of fun, and keeping very busy. Ted is great at planning a reasonable and structured day and making sure we participate in all aspects of the farm. We hope to update soon with some anecdotes about our experiences here!

Wishing you all well,
Emily and Moragh

Videos Unrelated

There should be two videos included in this post. If you can't see them, perhaps you're using an Apple brand device (iPad, iPhone, etc). Try it on a PC and if you still can't see them, we probably messed up.

The videos are completely unrelated but they're all we have the energy to upload right now.

Heading West

We're on the road again. Destination: Harvey, NB.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Mish Mash, Mish Mish Moshy

Sarah McGuire, that blog title is for you. :)
This blog post is going to be a mish mash of the last bits of our time here...we can't believe it went so quickly!

To the left is the long awaited photo of inside our little cabin. Those are handmade bunk beds just inside the door. Sorry for the mess everywhere, we don't spend much time in there and when we do it's freezing and all we want to do is change in and out of pyjamas without getting hypothermia. There is a little heater that you can see on the floor but it takes about four hours to heat the cabin and when we turn it on and go to sleep we wake up in deadly heat. It's a toss-up between roasting and freezing and we usually take the cold (inside the sleeping bags warms up pretty quickly). The lamp you can see by the bed is (wait for it) a unicorn patterned touch lamp. Unbelievably awesome. There was also an Aladdin themed lamp in there, with Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie on it, but we had to give it to the goats.

That's a picture of the other side of the cabin, taken from the corner by the beds. The air mattress is blocking the view to the toilet in the corner (there is no wall or partition or anything, just a simple see-through shelf and as close as we are, it's a lot easier to go to the bathroom when you can't see anyone else). It's a simple toilet with no tank, flushed by pouring rain water from an outside barrel into the bowl. The water pump for the sink isn't functional yet either, so we carry water in a jug from the house up the hill every day. The entire cabin and most of the furniture in it was built by Betty and her family and a score of wwoofers.

Pet pictures! The dogs here are great. Always a source of entertainment. Here is Moragh playing with Zada and Bam Bam...they are both going after a little squeaky pig that Moragh has in her hand. Bam thinks she is the big dog. Zada could fling her to the road and back but she always plays tug of war on the little dog's level.

Zada also likes to drive the truck.

Smelly, smelly man-goat.

We've had a few goat adventures in the last couple of days. Betty has five female goats, two with names. Marney is the oldest and her daughter is Sammy. Sammy has a cyst on the side of her neck (a contagious condition called caseous lymphadentitis) that needs to be drained every so often so that it doesn't rupture on its own and spread to the other goats. So we lanced it and drained it for her.  She flailed and tried to kick and bite. Was one of the grossest things we've ever done. No more details.

We also gave de-worming meds to all the goats as a routine precautionary measure. Grab goat by the neck, restrain head, shove plastic syringe into corner of mouth, inject goop, step away and watch as they struggle with it. Sammy got her meds right after we drained her cyst and she was so mad at us that after she swallowed the goop she curled her upper lip up over her teeth and stared us down.

That same day, we took a trip to a neighbouring farm to pick up a billy goat for some quality time with the ladies ('tis the season). He reeks. So bad. So rank. Betty tried to warn us but we were not ready. There are no words to describe it, except perhaps to tell you how he gets so smelly - in Betty's words: "he sticks his pecker out and pees all over himself." Seriously, everywhere. Especially his face. Then he sticks his tongue out and snorts at the lady goats and thinks he is super studly. The smell is musky waxy thick, kind of like the after-taste of goat cheese in perfume form. We can smell him from across the farm.

It's like we shrunk dozens of orange socks.

Tuesday, we went to Betty's mother's house to pull her carrots for her (her name is June, she is 83 and lives alone in a beautiful house she built herself and she still plants and tends a huge garden - she has pictures of black bears on her front porch too). As it turns out, Moragh is a weeny carrot advocate and wouldn't let us throw out the tiny ones that June didn't want. So we took them back to Betty's and spent about two hours sorting them and taking the green tops off...and then we threw them in the WASHING MACHINE.

Yes. Yes we really did. Betty learned this trick from the Mennonites. Once you take the majority of the soil off your carrots, you can throw them in a wash cycle with some dishcloths and scrubbies and they will come out sparkling. And you'll never have to peel them, and they will stay fresh for longer. Who knew??

Since a lot of the carrots we took back with us were pitifully small, we decided we would juice them. Best. Decision. Ever. The juicer is the most fun kitchen implement we've ever used. We have a video on Emily's phone that we will hopefully upload soon.  You simply stuff a chute full of whatever you want juiced, turn the juicer on and use the "food pusher" to push the vegetables/fruit/roast beef/cake down into the blender part. A magical fan (we think) blows liquid out one side and fluff out the other.

Carrot-man! With an apple hat.

Carrot fluff comes out the consistency of wet, superfine sawdust. And it was very shape-able.

We made a batch of pure carrot juice, and also a batch of carrot-apple-lemon juice, which was gone in about two hours. So delicious.

Moragh was really into it.

By the way, we actually finished moving all the split firewood into sheds for the winter! 16 cords of it. For anyone who doesn't know, a cord is a unit of wood that measures 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. In essence, we moved 2048 cubic feet of wood. What we had left over was about a cord of unsplit wood, which we finished splitting today. Not by hand, thankfully - the splitter ran on gasoline and slowly drove a huge wedge down a platform and by sheer force drove the wood apart.

This log is doomed.

Stage 1...

Stage 2...

Stage 3

Emily was pretty into it too.

We'll be very sad to leave here, we've become very attached to Betty and her human and animal family. We loved cooking for everyone and have learned many new recipes while we were here. All good things come to an end though, and we are looking forward to continuing our travels!

We'll leave you with pictures of us on our favourite toy here.

Emily trying to look dudely and failing so hard

That's the pile of wood we split in the background!