On the farm this week, we all felt the pressure of heat as a heat wave swept across the country, and we saw unusual temperatures in the high 90s during the day. Chickens were hot, pigs needed a bath, and the humans were somewhere in between. Gratefully, nighttime temperatures still dropped back down into the 70s, so it was okay sleeping weather.
I love the cadence of national holidays for their capacity to remind me of all the different ways we can approach a topic. In our nation's independence, and in the celebration of that holiday, there is history, both past and present.
Terron and I weaned another round of piglets this week. Weaning is the process of separating piglet from mama. This may sound like a hear wrenching process, and it can be. However we wait until the piglets are much older than a ​conventional piglet operation. Allowing piglets to be with their mamas for ​8-10 weeks.
Back by popular demand! Jamaican food and music by Ploughman's Lunch
Join us to move and meditate in a farm-nature classroom. $20/person/class.
I have a confession to make: I have been planning this moment for a long time. More than two years ago, Lovett and I went to visit Essex Farm to see their piglets. Lewis came along and was interested for a little while, but Lovett was enthralled: by the little babies running around, by the attentive moms, by the incredible size difference between baby and mama, and of course, by the utter cuteness of a piglet.As dinnertime came and went and I continued to check my watch, I tried to pull Lovett away, which proved to be about as difficult as pulling myself away. As hunger finally took over and we managed to extricate ourselves out of the barn, Lovett turned to me and said, "Papa, can we have piglets on our farm?"I can admit now that in that moment, I had a vision of piglets on our farm, Lovett helping me care for them, and a general feeling of me, Lovett, and our family growing together with a group of pigs. When I say "vision" I mean that literally, I am a visual person, and my memory and mind works in images. I saw Lovett and me kneeling in our barn with piglets all around us.I can see now, in hindsight, how that vision has shaped many choices over the years, all the questions I have asked different pig farmers and pig breeders, and the decision we made over a year ago to begin investing in and building our own breeding stock.This week, I felt as though I was able to live a piece of that vision.On Tuesday, after Lovett got home from school, she wanted to go down and see the pigs with me. So we went down and sat in the barn, and sat there long enough to really let the animals get used to us and come investigate. Many of the piglets were curious, nibbling our fingers and our pants, and a couple of the mamas came up to say hello as well. Once again, Lovett did not want to leave.The magic of being part of this gigantic blended family, over 50 piglets and 7 mamas, was real for both of us.Once again, hunger pushed us home. On our way back, Lovett told me, in her eight-year-old words that are so difficult to recreate: "I love this, Papa. I love being with the animals. I feel so at home here." Thank you Lovett for sharing these moments with me.​
Support a neighbor, gift forward Reber Rock products. Get food credit, eat well.
The outside thermometer read -10F this morning as the sun was rising. The wind was gusty last night and I was eager to check on the animals this morning. I stoked the wood stove in our living room and poured myself some nettle/mint tea and admired the sun's glow on the mountain tops to the west.
Thank you to all the many people who responded to my email last week with their own thoughts on what to bring into the new year. I am inspired by the the intentions, opportunities and kindness.
I love to teach and to learn. Since I was little, both have been a way of life for me. When we started our farm now more than 12 years ago, we sold a few beef and pigs by the "whole" or "half" and I learned to be the butcher.
But what is Broth? How do we make it? What makes one broth different from another? There are so many ways to make broth, and the process has evolved over many years. Our broth is a rich, golden broth, which is ready to drink as a sipping broth, flavor your favorite dish or be the base for your next soup.
It was a big week for us, hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc in Jamaica where 4 of our staff are from (we've setup a GoFundMe donation page to support them and their families), we found solace in work and made chicken broth all week (back in stock) and we finished up a big batch of chicken sausage.
Reber Rock Farm is a small family farm in the Adirondacks producing pasture-raised certified organic chicken, pastured organic-fed pork, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, and maple syrup.
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