The Refarmery

The last batch of fresh pastured raised poultry is available now. After this we will be taking a break until mid spring for the next set of birds. These birds are on pasture playing in the sun and acting like normal chickens. As they are more active than most caged birds, they take longer to grow out at just over 10 weeks, almost 40% longer than conventional. Part of why we say everything tastes like chicken is that most birds are processed at such a young age they have not d...eveloped the flavors that we would recognize as chicken. At 10 weeks these flavors are just staring to develop and not something that will be overpowering, next season the plan is try raising out some heritage birds that will even be stronger in flavor, more like the types of birds we would have been eating in America prior to the 1948 when industrialized birds really started to take over with the addition of antibiotics in their food. Since then, industrialization of the chicken has been able to selectively breed for birds that do not stop eating which results in putting on weight rapidly while raising them side by side in environmentally controlled barns. This is akin to a hydroponically grown plant in a closet as opposed to one grown in the garden. Our birds are fed free choice a corn-free, soy-free, non-GMO feed that does not have antibiotics added with occasional veggie scraps. Their coops are moved across the pastures, so they have fresh grass to eat, and helps us keep the weeds down. The manure they leave behind also helps improve the soil, which is where the fruit orchards are going in. Animal husbandry on the farm is viewed through the base meaning of husband "to manage carefully. This management is in respect to the quality of life of the animal, care of the soil, and the impact that these animals have on the farm and environment. Raising them this way requires more resources appearing as costs to the farm, which is why when you buy meat from small farms it costs significantly more. Assuming everything goes perfect the farms material cost to produce each bird is 2-3 times that of what you would pay for a chicken from a factory sold in the grocery store.

Pictured here is the start of a real goose pond being dug. Farmer Deno from @thenatomasfarm was kind enough to help providing the tractor work for heavy lifting setting the framework on this small pond. It will be about 4000 gallons when all done, enough for the geese to swim and play in a space that will be more fitting than the stock tank they have now. Hopefully, it will also help as a location for water to collect in years we have the big storms that can causes minor floo...ding on the farm as its built at a low point that naturally collects water. It should also help build habitat for frogs and other small critters which should not have any issues from the geese as they are vegetarian. Planting trees along the edges of this pond along with the water should lower the ambient temperature during out hot summers making nicer space the for the geese to lounge about while helping to keep the grass mowed short, one of their favorite foods. On our small farm we never invested in a tractor. There are a few projects each year that a tractor would make the job much easier, and if its going to be a significant change we either rent or borrow one. Most of the time though our work is done with hand tools, wheelbarrows, and carts that move everything around the farm by human power. We did recently add a riding mower that helps move materials while towing a cart which has been a welcome hand. I do not foresee us adding a full-size tractor to the operation any time soon, perhaps a small skid steer or forklift one day could be handy, but as we grow the need for large machines is becoming less important. The only heavy things left to move are compost and animal feed, which farm design should help make easier. With careful planning we can use more of the space available rather than making it all roads for tractors or trucks to move through. We did design all the main roads through the gardens to be large enough for an ATV pulling a trailer to move through when we begin producing more food than can be easily moved by hand out of the fields. Not using fossil fuels is pleasant by not having the smell, noise, pollution, or consumption of a finite resource while working outdoors.

Weekly pickup of mixed veggies for the chickens from #oakparksoil Much of the diet for chickens comes in the form of processed corn-free, soy-free, non-GMO pellets, balanced for all their needs. However, that is a boring diet, we give them all the waste produce and weeds we pull form the gardens and collect these scraps set aside from Oak Park Soil in South Sacramento which as an agricultural collective is helping to divert this waste from landfills. The food scraps are co...llected from homes, restaurants, and other businesses with kitchens and then separated, the best goes to animals and the parts that are no longer consumption quality for animals are turned into beautiful compost that goes back into the community feeding the soil. Most animals that free feed seem to be able to identify what is best for them and what they should leave alone unless it is a special treat which they will keep eating, cannot blame them as I do the same with a box of donuts. When dumping these buckets out for the chickens they rush the dark greens and soft fruits devouring the grapes before anything else, then move to strawberries and peppers. As they have the pellets available, they do not seem to ever get desperate enough to eat any stray potatoes that ends up in mx, rather the potatoes get scratched and buried in time breaking down and becoming part of the soil. The funny one to watch is avocado which they love but have yet to figure out how to get into, I will step on them and very quickly the chickens flock to the broken skins eating out all the flesh leaving behind the pit and skin. Citrus is the same way; they do not love it as much as avocado but eat it up so long as the skins are broken. These buckets of food also provide hours of entertainment as they can dig through them looking for the best bits, which they will swallow right up if its small, and if its larger they run away with them which triggers the other birds to chase and try and steal whatever is good enough to run with. I have wondered if I should offer a higher protein feed source for them when they are getting large amounts of scraps, they seem healthy and happy though which is the goal for a farm animals’.

Pickle is the cat on the tarp, who I refer to as my field supervisor. Rain or shine, if work is going on in the garden, he is there to make sure it is done right. Today for example, he was closely monitoring that I was hoeing the weeds properly, despite being soaked through from just a bit of rain. Pickle is generally a shy cat in most places, typically preferring to watch not getting too close to people. However, in the garden he comes up and wants to be everyone’s friend, a... characteristic that has not shown itself in any other cat on the farm before. Winter is normally the slowest time of the year, perfect for relaxing, reflecting, and preparing for the rush of a million spring tasks. This year the plan is a little different, there is still plenty of slower time during the evenings that start so early with the sun dipping away early. During the days, the tarps that cover the garden beds are being pulled back and any aggressive weeds that have shown themselves are removed. Then amendments are added as well as compost and then the beds are covered back up. This is done so that in spring we can pull back the tarps and plant right into these prepared beds in the hopes that the spring rush can be spread out during the winter slow time. The tarps warm the soil, causing many of the weed seeds to germinate below them and then die out under the tarp due to their inability to get light, tarps are a big help in our commitment to avoid the use of pesticides. I am accustomed to struggling with depression during winter’s dark days. This feeling lasts anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. This year, rather than hiding indoors I am working outside in the soil, which is lifting my spirits. This added side effect was not anticipated, but leads me to think that farming year-round is better for my mental health than taking a few months away. With the cold dark nights, there is still be plenty of rest, reflection and planning for next year (which will have the best variety in CSA we have done so far). You can sign up at www.therefarmery.com to join us in sharing the bounty of the farm with tasty and healthy produce staring in spring.

This ground had small hills and pits all over making it terrible to bring the carts over or even walk through. It could have been fixed earlier but with coming into a deal on a greenhouse and this location being the best spot on the farm for it the ground was broken up with a tiller, raked level and then had a sod roller ran over it to tamp it back down somewhat smooth. On the farm tillage is avoided in the garden beds, though it comes in handy for leveling land such as in pr...eparation for the new greenhouse going up this spring so we can grow many more starts for the fields which is what is happening here. Tillage is avoided due to its destructive nature, by churning up the soil it breaks the structure, adds oxygen and displaces or kills much of the life in the ground. It is very destructive to small animals such as worms, and to fungal life in the ground, transition soil from fungal dominated to bacteria dominated. Most plants need bacteria and fungal life in the soil to grow the best, while annuals generally prefer bacteria while perennials such as bushes and trees have more of a fungal relationship. Tillage became popular in the United States as we cut down old forests to make way for human expansion, after removing the trees tillage transitioned the environment to be bacterial dominate and the crops would grow better that first year. It takes much longer for animals and fungal life to return to the soil after tillage than bacteria though which is why the advantages begin to fade after the initial tillage when transitioning a forest to cropland. Tillage has also been used as a method of weed control, by breaking up the roots and bringing them to the surface they dry out and die. This is true for some, but many of the more aggressive and problematic weeds such as Bermuda grass, nutsedge and bindweed as examples of ones on the farm all you really end up doing is chopping them up and spreading them out, so they come back in greater numbers than before. It looks great for a few weeks, but it does not hold up for long. I feel like there is a joke here, but I do not have space left in this post for one about the man who invented the modern tiller, Jethro Tull.

It is a good year for our lemons which seem to be ripening a few weeks early. The farm has largely focused on vegetable production for the last 5 years with just a few fruit trees on the property. To keep variety in the CSA shares fruit from other local farms has been added and we plan to continue doing so. We are working towards offering a wider selection of produce grown on the farm there are 90 fruit trees arriving in the few weeks and possibly another 70 citruses in the s...pring if it all works out. This will add 10 more types of fruit that will come into season over most of the year, more if the citrus works out. It will still take at least 2-3 years till we start to get enough fruit to fill out the CSA and we plan to continue adding fruit from local farms even after we expand our fruit production. These trees will not only produce fruit but will also change the microclimates where they are planted. Shade from these trees once grown up will help shade the chickens and geese, also reducing the winds that tear through the property in the fall and spring protecting the animals and the plants. Adding a diversity of trees, and shrubs, will also increase the soil microbial, water holding capacity, air quality, and potentially reduce smells from the animals something that after living with animals you become nose blind to save for the worst of it. The trees should also make the space more enjoyable to be in, the farm is already my favorite spot to be and this addition should only make it better. Management of the trees is planned to be like the row crops in that we will not be using pesticides on them, rather promoting diversity and physically removing pest and diseased branches. This has been effective in the handful of fruit trees we have on the farm now, through when adding so many more we will likely see new issues. As the farm is small and managed intensively the trees like the row crops will be planted tighter than a large commercial orchard requiring more training of the branches to not cause issues as they grow, this has also been trialed with the first trees on the farm planted years ago.

The late planting of garlic is coming up strong enjoying these cool nights and warm days with just a touch of rain. Garlic has been one of our most popular crops for the last few years and though the use of plastic is something that we try to avoid, using landscape fabric with holes for the garlic has proved to make growing a consistent high-quality crop much easier. Landscape fabric is a breathable material that allows water to pass through but is woven tight enough to keep ...out the light and thus the weeds which have been problematic in the past particularly in wet years when its extra challenging to weed when you are tearing out much of the soil and compacting what you leave behind. After trialing different growing methods and finding this to work on the farm the garlic crop of this season should be about four times larger than the last, hopefully we do not run out early during the CSA season again. There is also more variety of garlic planted, all of which are exceedingly rare to find in a grocery store. Spanish Roja, Music, and Chesnok Red are all hard neck varieties that have excellent flavor and normally only 4-8 cloves per bulb and produce a flowering stalk or scape that we can eat in the spring. Then there is a new experiment this year, Inchelium Red, which is a soft neck variety that from Washington state which is supposed to grow well and have great flavor. Soft neck garlic does not require as much chill during the growing season for the cloves to bulb out and propagates itself by producing lots of cloves rather than a flower, soft neck varieties being what we normally find in the grocery store. Garlic is a great crop to understand seasonality of produce. When it is first harvested the skin is soft and the flavors are very mild. It is then cured or dried and the skin gets to be papery with a little more definition to the flavor. As the months pass and a little more of the moisture escapes the bulbs the oils develop strong pungent flavors, we are so accustomed to. You can experience all of this by joining purchasing any extra garlic we have for sale from our farm store after harvest, both options can be found at www.therefarmery.com

Our animals on the farm eat the best feed that we can find for them. This picture is of the feed for egg laying hens from Kaniksu feeds that we purchase from Delta Farm in Loomis. Many types of feeds have been tried on the farm and none have kept the animals as healthy as this. There are far fewer health issues with our animals when eating this line of feed compared to what we were buying for less from the feed stores locally. This is milled fresh then shipped down arriving o...n the farm typically within a week of milling, why this is important is that grains begin to break down quickly once milled be that animal feed or the flour we buy at the grocery store. Whole grains hold their full nutritional value for about 6-12 months in most conditions and are still edible long after that, but the quality begins to degrade. Once it has been milled or ground it should be used within 2-4 weeks otherwise the nutritional quality starts degrading rapidly. This is one of the reasons that farms bring in whole grains and then mill what the animals will eat for the week an idea that appeals to me but would be another project with some expensive tools to keep it from taking a bunch of time. There are five different feeds, four of which are for poultry that we get from Delta Farm. The majority of which are made without any corn or soy and all non-GMO. The soy is something that I prefer not to be in the feed, it is a cheap source of protein that is replaced with peas in these mixes which is quite a bit pricier. Corn I have mixed feeling about. Most of the corn grown is not done in a responsible manner and receives quite a bit of subsidies as does soy, part of what makes these feeds inexpensive. However, corn is also very productive and produces a lot of feed per acre which makes me wonder if a quality heirloom corn were grown for feed could it be part of a healthy feed for animals? Beyond these feeds which normally show up in 1 ton bags our animals also get, pasture grasses, fruits and veggies from the farm as well as from around town that are not nice enough to be fed to people. If it is still nice enough for people we prefer to see those sold or go to foodbanks.

Happy #csasunday !! This week our members are enjoying: Zucchini Dessert, Tomatillos Purple, Tomatoes Green, Hot PeppersBeauna Mulata, Sweet Peppers Mini rainbow peppers, Eggplant Annina or Orient Express, Butternut Squash from Terra Firma, Spaghetti Squash from Terra Firma, Pomegranates Wonderful from the ReFarmery and the Natomas Farm, Herbs Rosemary and Lavender, Bonus ReFarmery chili seasoning. End of Summer special on pasture-raised poultry still on at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com

I have heard stories all my life about how dumb turkeys are, and after having this group on the farm for the last 5 months I know now that is not true. After lots of research these Narragansett heritage birds were ordered early spring. It was a hard pick between them and the Bourbon Reds, both breeds which are supposed to be some of the best tasting out there, with both breeds appearing on the Slow Food Ark of Taste. These birds come from a cross between Wild turkeys and dome...stic turkeys brought by colonists. Improved and standardized for production qualities, the Narragansett was the foundation of the turkey industry in New England. When the turkeys can’t see people around, they have many sounds for each other, and when they see people, they have another set of distinct calls they let out. All the sounds they make have been much quieter than the chickens, geese, or even the quail I might go so far as to say they have the most soothing sounds of all the birds around. They are very curious birds as you can see here, they all wanted to know what I was doing with the camera. They like to watch whatever people are working on near them, and though they do not want to be any closer than about six foot away they are content to stay back and just observe. The turkeys have figured out how to escape their enclosure, even with clipped flight feathers. They climb up into the mulberries that are growing in their pen for shade and then hop the fence from there, normally early in the morning. Once I am out making my morning rounds feeding and checking on all the animals as soon as these guys see me they run over and follow me to their enclose so I can open the door and let them back in. The Turkeys have been growing on me this season and I’m pretty sure we are going to keep a few of them around, hopefully hatching out some turkey eggs next spring available for those who wants some local heritage turkeys.

Happy #csasunday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Hot Peppers-Buena Mulata, Lavender, Thai Basil, Tomatoes-Red Slicers from Perry’s Garden, Chard-Rainbow, Kabocha Squash-from Terra Firma, Acorn Squash-from Perry’s Garden, Pomegranates-Wonderful, Cucumber-Tokyo Green, or Suyo Long, Eggplant-Annina or Orient Express. End of Summer special on pasture-raised poultry still on at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com

When the sun goes away for winter life on the farm slows down for a bit. Without the light our plants grow terribly slow which leaves time to peruse other parts of farm life such as winter reading list. Every year a title or two on how to grow better shows up, this season The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments made the cut, following with the farmer principals to use what it available locally it seemed fitting to look near home for ways to feed the soil and hope...fully this book helps. There is also one on raising pastured rabbits, we have raised rabbits on the farm for years but more as a background project rather than one of our primary endeavors, perhaps that will start to shift as animals play an important role consuming what would otherwise be considered waste, leaving manures that when composted help to feed our soil and plants. Looking at this stack the part that surprised me most was how many cookbooks made the list. Without even realizing it improving the recipes that are included each week in our CSA seems to be one of the goals with most of the pages in the season’s readings dedicated to preparing food. Along those lines a possible new crop group being researched is grains. Most people’s calories come from grains and proteins, which is not the majority of what the farm produces. If we are going to try and feed people, this is something that needs to be considered and potentially addressed One of my favorite parts about learning from books is that they answer questions you did not even know to ask. Much of my research is done on the internet, some in conferences and talking with other farmers but books are designed to be a complete idea, the author organizing what they want to tell you, and then reviewing it multiple times to be a complete picture which is then edited prior to release. If course there are still things that are missed, or information that does not apply to all situations or even just plain wrong, but that whole picture application is something I find helpful when trying to learn more about just about any subject. What are you planning to read this winter?

Now that the day time work has ended I will be baking fresh bread in preparation for this event at The Natomas Farm tomorrow. Come out to support local farms and crafters tomorrow at a social distanced event

We have pasture raised chicken available fresh this weekend, just in time for thanksgiving. You can order on the website or send a message and arrange a pickup before Monday morning. Pastured poultry was a new project for this year starting with the traditional model of raising the birds in a mobile coop that is moved daily. Those mobile coops work well for growing out a bird and keeping it on fresh ground with the daily or twice daily move. With this these last couple batche...s of birds I wanted to try something new; day ranging which is where you use the mobile coops but in addition add fence and let the birds out of the coop during the day to forage and play. The first day the door was opened for the birds to play outside there were visible changes in their behavior, in just a few minutes they were preening which I have not seen the Cornish Cross breed do before. As the weeks go on these birds have grown more alert and active than any of those raised before them, acting more like the heritage egg laying birds we keep. They now eat more grass, as much as they want, and you can see the difference in the color of their feet which are now a very deep yellow rather than a pale yellow from before. There is downside for this method too. As the birds have more space to run around, they play in the sun all day but also eat a lot more and burn more calories which results in a smaller body on the table. Comparative they are almost 25% smaller than birds using the mobile coop and have almost no fat on them. The birds that we have available right now were intended to be massive birds raised out on lots of extra feed to be an alternative for turkey at the anticipated smaller thanksgiving celebrations, instead with all the extra feed and time on pasture they are right on target weight for what was seen for the mobile coop birds from the rest of the year but cost and extra $4.90 each to raise. They should taste better, which is yet to be confirmed. I am not comfortable raising birds in the mobile coops anymore, but I do not know if day ranging can be profitable enough to continue. I have committed to raising birds for 2021 and would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Happy #csasaturday !! Please forgive the very late post. Last week our members enjoyed (from top left) Summer Squash-Patty Pan, or Tempest or Desert, Rosemary, Kale-Dino from H&K Farm, Oyster Mushrooms, Butternut Squash From H&K Farm, Eggplant-Annina or Orient Express, Cucumber-Tokyo Green, or Suyo Long, CornFrom Perry’s Garden, Sweet Pepper mix from The ReFarmery and Angel Wing Farm. End of Summer special on pasture-raised poultry still running at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasunday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Onions-Mix of the last Red Torpedo, Candy, Ringmasater and Walla Walla, Asian Pears, Basil-Genovese, Hot Peppers-Mix of Beauna Mulata, Jalepeno, Pablano and Yellow Hots from The ReFarmery and Angel Wing Farm, Tomatoes-San Marzano, Summer Squash-Patty Pan, Tempest or Desert, Eggplant-Annina or Orient Express, Cucumber-Tokyo Green or Suyo Long, Chard-Rainbow. Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry available at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Herbal Tea Mix-Lemon Verbena, Basil flowers and Stevia, Butternut Squash-From We Grow Urban Farm, Eggplant-Annina, Summer Squash-Patty Pan, or Tempest or Desert, Cucumber-Tokyo Green or Suyo Long, Garlic Chives, Microgreens-Salad Mix, Sweet Pepper Mix-from Angel Wing Farm, Kale-Dino from H&K farm, Tomatillos-Purple, and Sweet Potato Greens from We Grow Urban Farm. Plus fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry available at our Online Farm Stand at TheReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Rosemary, Shallots, Lavender, Chard-Rainbow, Hot Peppers: Buena Mulata, Jalapeno-Big Hot Boys, and Yellow Hot Chiles, Cucumber-Tokyo Green, or Suyo Long, Carrots-Rainbow, Eggplant-Annina, Summer SquashPatty Pan, Tempest, or Desert. Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com

Happy belated #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Onion-Red Torpedo, Shallots, Cucumber-Tokyo Green, or Suyo Long, Herbs de province Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme bundle, Salsa kit San Marzano, hot peppers, onions, sweet garlic and thai basil,) Winter Squash-Delcatta From Tera Firma Farm, Summer Squash and Zucchini from Perry’s Farm, Sweet Corn from Perry’s Farm, Tomatoes-San Marzano, Eggplant-Annina Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasaturday!! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Chippolini onion, Garlic - From Tera Firma Farm, Scallions, Rainbow Carrots, Tomatoes - from Angel Wing Farm, Rainbow chard, Sweet Peppers - From Angel Wing Farm, Zucchini - Desert, and Cucumber - either Tokyo Green or Suyo Long. Fresh sourdough, free-range. Eggs and pasture-raised poultry are available at our online farm stand at https://www.therefarmery.com/farm-stand-order

Happy #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Rosemary, Lemon Verbena, Grapes, Summer Squash-Patty Pan or Tempest, Tomatoes- From Angel Wing Farm, Onion-Candy, Black Mission Figs- From The Natomas Farm, Eggplant- Annina, Hot Peppers- Buena Mulata, Jalapeno, and Poblano, Cucumber- Suyo Long or Tokyo Green Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at www.TheReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasunday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Tomatoes and sweet peppersfrom Angel Wing Farm, Garlic Chives, Salsa mix (purple tomatillos, Red Torpedo onion, Hungarian Wax pepper, and Buena Mulata pepper,) Purslane, Summer SquashTempest, Black Mission FigsFrom The Natomas Farm, CarrotsRainbow, OnionCippolini, and EggplantOrient Express. Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com

Happy #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Radishes-Black Spanish, Microgreens-Salad Mix, Onion-Candy, Eggplant-Annina, Scallions, Shallots, Black Mission Figs from The Natomas Farm, Cucumber-Tokyo Green, Suyo Long, or 7082, Peaches-O’Henry, Hot Peppers-Buena Mulata and Basil-Genovese (not shown.) Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Eggplant -Annina or Orient Express, Squash (Tempest), Zucchini (Desert), or Patty Pan, Celery -Pink, Cucumber -Tokyo Green, Suyo, Black Mission Figs from The Natomas Farm, Onion -Cippolini, Peaches from Lemos Orchards, Sweet and Hot Peppers mini purple beauties and others mixed (sweet) Hungarian Wax (hot,) Shallots, and Nectarines from Lemos Orchards. Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at The ReFarmery.com.

Happy #csasaturday !! This week our members are enjoying (from top left) Peaches from Polestar Farm, Microgreens-Salad Mix, Lettuce-Salanova, Squash-Patty Pan, Cucumber-Tokyo Green Suyo Long, Radish-Icicle, Carrots-Rainbow mix, Garlic Chives and Onions-Red Torpedo. Fresh sourdough, free-range eggs and pasture-raised poultry at our Online Farm Stand at TheReFarmery.com