Happy New Year!??

I hope you are having a great start to the New Year!! We have been blessed with a few Springlike days and have started a few farm chores that we usually put off until nicer weather.

THE FARM & MARKET

Our sheep are due to begin lambing any day now, we have new litter of Kunekune just born and the chickens have picked up their egg production! Spring will be here….eventually.

With the New Year here I want to try and be more diligent with my blog and getting our story out to the people who enjoy our story and want to follow along. I hope you’ll follow along, but if you don't like this new blogging, let me know.

As you may or may not have heard, we are in the process of opening an restaurant and market in our town of Fort Payne. We owned a restaurant many years ago and have been asked regularly if we will ever open another one. We needed a location to sell our farm products and sell for other farmers, and I love to feed people so we are going to give it another shot.

I have always LOVED to cook and create. As I’ve gotten older I have realized that I’m probably equally left and right brained. I have always been artistic and leaned into creative fields. When I went back to Nursing School, I realized that I also loved science (especially Microbiology). Maybe that explains my love for cooking, it is the perfect mix of art and science. I like food and enjoy eating it, but I love to watch the people I love eat the food I’ve prepared. Feeding my people is how I show love.

I had fallen out of love with cooking after we closed our last restaurant. When the economy forced us to close the doors, I was heartbroken… literally. I stopped creating and just basically kept my people alive. Spaghetti, Stroganoff, Hamburgers and occasional baked chicken were the highlights. I wouldn’t even go into our historic building that housed our restaurant. I just shut down to any thing that had to do with the failure and heart break. I think buying the farm and beginning that journey allowed me to heal and move forward - FINALLY. David and I had a discussion last week that if Heaven is our farm, I would be perfectly happy everyday. Even on the bad days it is our hearts’ desire and we are blessed to be able to share it with so many. The only thing I would change would be to live onsite and that may happen this year.

Anyway, back to the restaurant topic. I am looking forward to opening the doors and feeding our community. I have been blessed with strong southern women in my life who taught me how to cook and how to expand my knowledge of Southern cooking. I look forward to bringing the meals that we, as southerners grew up eating and evolving those foods into a healthy, tasty staple for our community. Our meals will be served fresh and also available in our freezers/coolers to take home for later. We look forward to seeing all of you @ Meal & Market in the near future!!

THE FAMILY

Our boys are always in training and eat very healthy. Cooper and Oliver have the “Yuka” app on their phones and scan almost everything they eat. They have helped us to eat better too. We cook a lot now and tailor meals to fit our schedules. David recently developed a shrimp sensitivity, so we removed shrimp from our diets (unless he is out of town). If you know David and follow his Instagram page “Franksroadfood” then you know he was eating out a lot and every meal was accompanied by a beer or mixed drink with bourbon. He has changed all of that and is feeling good about his changes. Parker and Miranda are both working nights (him with FPPD and her at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga), they are both also going to school full time and have a new puppy, so they are very busy! We see them when they have off days or when we grab their pup to run off some energy at the farm while they sleep. I (Stacey) am finishing up Physical Therapy next week and going to back to my Neurologist to see where we go next with my back injury. I feel a lot better with PT and dietary changes so, hopefully I’ll be able to avoid surgery. Oliver has started Indoor Track season and we are excited to see how this year goes for him. We also finally found him a better vehicle (even though he refused to sell the 1970 F100 Truck he was driving), he is now in a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee and is liking it. Cooper is in his 2nd semester of College and has gotten into to rock climbing. He, Parker and Miranda climb outside a lot together and he climbs indoors with Oliver and friends.

That’s the update! Thanks for reading and we’ll get into farm and market specifics as the year proceeds.

I want ALL of the animals!... Wait, What?

Ever since we met, David and I knew we wanted a farm. We started with chickens and ducks on a. piece of land we had when we were first married. We added a few goats, but our fences weren’t the best. One morning I heard a strange sound and came out to find the herd of 6 standing on the hood and top of my (hard top) jeep. They left our place soon after. We’ve kept chickens almost continuously since.

In 2016, when we realized that David’s family farm was still in probate and there was some debt from his father’s estate that was never paid off, we proceeded to pay off that debt and own the land. It wasn’t that cut and dry or easy at all. That’s a story for another day.

When we once officially took possession of the land, we started looking for animals, in addition to making the much needed repairs on the barns. We were so excited to finally be able to have a farm and animals!

Fast forward 6 years and we have SO MANY animals!! The plus side is that we are able to run a closed herd and only occasionally bring in an animal for a different bloodline. All animals are born and raised on our farm.

Now we are at the point of wondering if we possibly have too many animals. We are able to sell animals occasionally and that helps with the numbers. But now were are wondering about the all of different species, should we reduce the numbers? Then the question is what do we get rid of? Or do we reduce the herd numbers and keep the same species? I honestly love all of the animals on our farm right now. Well, there may be a few goats that I do find annoying.

Then I stop and think… is this just growing pains? Post 2020 syndrome? We paused our Kunekune breeding program last year and maybe that caused a lack of excitement that we had before? I’m not sure what is going on. but I do know that we still have a love and commitment to the farm and raising our meats.

I will keep you posted on what transpires.

Pre-Spring on the farm

February and March bring lambs and goat kids to the farm! It really is my favorite time.

Living in the South means that we experience all four seasons in ONE WEEK during pre-spring. We may be at 30 degrees on Monday and 70 by Friday. This weather takes a toll on my sinuses and I battle the weather and mud to get to the babies.

This year, we moved the sheep and goats to a new paddock for the winter and birthing season. Grass is short so everyone is on hay right now, therefore we have them in a sacrificial paddock where they can freshen (birth) in private and without the worry of a predator grabbing a baby. Another worry with having swine on the farm is them smelling the new birth (and blood) and eating a newborn. Moving the sheep/goats allow us to keep the afterbirth and young away from the pigs as well. This method has proven to be effective for our farm. We are able to provide our moms with extra protein and minerals while nursing without other animals taking it from them. Our moms and babies are all on Shegogg Mineral, fresh hay and a species specific protein tub. We are pleased with the development this year. We also look forward to getting everyone back on pasture! We are currently planting supplemental greens in our paddocks. We’ve recently attended several classes about forages and plantings. (Winter is a good time for expanding your knowledge or taking refresher classes). We look forward to putting what we’ve learned into practice!!
We’ll let you know how it goes!

Until next time,

Stacey

Winter

Winter is hard. That’s the COLD hard truth, especially on the farm. Water lines freeze, so do hoses and watering becomes its own tough chore.

Livestock will almost always birth in the winter if left to live naturally. Which means cold stress and extra work to keep babies alive. Sometimes moms and babies are removed to cozy, warm stalls to start their journey together. By doing this, we are taking extra stress off of them and giving them a better start at life.

Heat lamps present their own challenges too. We use Premier 1 safety lamps. These lamps are completely enclosed in a hard plastic casing. We use cables or chains to hang them and also clip them to a hook so they are double, triple secure. Many farm structures have been lost due to heat lamp fires and we want to ensure that does not happen to us. We also only use these safety lamps when completely necessary. Heating with the lamps also adds to the power bill!! We also add thick hay and pine shavings to our shelters ( where we do not add lamps) to help with keeping the animals warm. Our thought is that warm animals conserve energy by not needing to shiver for warmth and are able to continue growing into a healthy animal.

Feeding is the most important during winter. Unlike the spring and summer months when grasses are lush and plentiful, winter grasses are minimal (even in the South) and animals must be fed twice per day. Free Choice Hay and Alfalfa is left out as well. Several really adventurous pigs will still be able to find a few acorns, walnuts and cedar berries in the ground for supplemental snacks.

Sunny days are a welcome site even if the temps are in the 20s’. We love to walk up on piglets sleeping in the sun. Their little faces actually look like they are smiling. 😊

Keeping ourselves warm presents its own challenges this time of the year. On cold mornings, we layer up and head out knowing that we will heat up as we work and will be peeling off layers like an onion throughout the day. Also knowing that we will be adding the same layers back as the sun sets. Over the years we have learned to invest in quality and it will last! Base layers are a favorite. The boys like to sleep in theirs so they are toasty from the start. I have always LOVED overalls, even before farming. Overalls are great in the winter b/c you can have layers under and over. The boys have discovered coveralls this year and love them! They can wear their school clothes under them and go straight to school or practice from the farm without wearing the pig snout love on them. I’m thinking about adding a pair of coveralls to my farm wardrobe myself!

We all own a well worn pair of Muck boots that are a must in the soggy winter months. We own other boots, but Mucks are the “go-to”. Socks are SO important! I love Swiftwick! They are warm, not bulky and come in great patterns/colors. David and the boys are Smartwool fans. They like the soft merino wool of Smartwool socks.

I can’t stress the importance of a HAT! It took me a long time to come to this decision. I’ve never liked toboggans, sock hats, skullcaps, whatever you call them. Keeping heat in (from the top) is a plus! Wearing a hat really does make a difference. If you insulate your entire body, but not your head, it is likely that you will lose 10% of your body heat.

I hope you are all staying warm and toasty this winter!! Get OUTSIDE!! It takes some work to keep warm but your body needs that Vitamin D and even more as we get older!!

Until next time,

Stacey

Our Pasture Raised Pork has arrived

We have been working really hard to raise our heritage breed pigs on pasture without antibiotics and as nature intended. The end product has not disappointed! We are so proud of our pork and the hard work we have put into this venture. Our farm has been recognized by A Greener World as “Certified Grass Fed” and “Animal Humane Certified” due to our efforts.

And now, the pork is back and in our freezers and ready to come home with you! I am posting our price list below and will begin delivering pork this week. Please feel free to email or call me for pick up or local delivery and we’ll get together on a time/day.

Pasture-raised Heritage Breed Pork Prices

Bone-in Pork Chops 1inch - $8.00 lb

Mild Breakfast Sausage - $7.00

Ground Pork - $7.00

Pork Steaks - $7.50 lb

Boston Butt - $8.00 lb

Pork Shoulder - $7.50 lb

1 Qt Pork Bone Broth - $8.00

1 Qt. Rendered Pasture-Raised Lard - $8.00

1 Qt.Rendered Pasture-Raised Leaf Lard $11.00

Call: 256-674-0075 or email: stacey@redboatfarm.com

It's been a busy summer at the farm!

I haven’t had a lot of extra time to blog lately. The farm has been so busy and Meal & Market is coming along.

We have had A LOT of piglets born at the farm since May/June. Most of our Kunekunes have had piglets and those piglets are old enough to leave the farm. We are just waiting for our DNA verifications to come back from UC Davis and they are super backed up this year! We also bred our Gloucestershire Old Spot piglets to our Kunekune boar for an experimental meat pork grow out. We LOVE Kunekunes and their meat is incredible. The drawback to the Kunekune is also the thing that makes their pork so good and that is slow grow out. Kunekunes mature around 18 months to 2 years. The GOS grow out much faster and do extremely well on pasture grasses. Right now our GOS X piglets are around 3 weeks old and are larger than 6 week old kunekune piglets. The GOS X are already out on pasture and eating grasses. We are excited about this project along with our other pigs on the farm. Stay tuned for pork and piglet sales.

Summer is in full swing in Alabama! It has been a fairly mild summer, but this past week has made up for the nice temps. The 90s are here and so is the humidity. We have recently added 2 more barn fans for the animals and added a Stock tank pool for the humans 😉. Before we purchased the 8ft, 700 gallon stock tank, we were doing a lot of “creek sitting” in the afternoons to cool off. Wills Creek runs along the back of our property and is always flowing. It is perfect for cooling off and taking the dogs for a swim.

We are picking up around 1000 lbs of pure GOS Grass Fed Pork tomorrow from our USDA processor. After we get it sorted and to the freezers, we will post it up for sale next week. We will have local pick up only or delivery to Birmingham. Our Pork will be marketed under the name Rally Point Pork. RPP is David’s Pork venture that nods to his military days. Our other meats will still be marketed under the Red Boat Farm and Meal & Market brands. David has envisioned this pork business since the beginning of our farm venture.

We are beginning to start “talking” about building a home at the farm again. Life would be so much simpler if we lived onsite and dinner wouldn’t end up being at 9pm after a long day of farm chores. We’ll see how far we take it this time 😊. We have downgraded our design to more of a cabin instead of a larger historic 4 square design. Lumber is so expensive and we aren’t really going to need all of the space as the boys get older and move on with their lives. And we want to get in! We have some ideas, so we’ll move forward and see what happens. Stay tuned!!

Not the way the weekend was supposed to go…

This weekend was supposed to be a weekend away for David and myself. The boys were going to stay home and take care of the farm, but things didn’t work out that way.
We had planned to drive to Knoxville on Friday and spend the weekend with my brother and sister-in-law to celebrate my nephew Tate’s high school graduation. We planned to drop by my parent’s house in Cleveland to drop off a few hens for their new chicken tractor. On the drive to Cleveland I was not feeling well at all. By the time we arrived in Cleveland I was sick.
I don’t know about you guys, but I want to be home when I’m sick. Even though my mom and stepfather were both trying to take care of me, I just wanted to be home. So, we turned around and drove back home. David stopped 3 times before he could find Propel waters. I’m not sure why everyone was out of them.

We hated so much to miss Tate’s graduation and our weekend with family. But things happen and apparently I have had the Norovirus all weekend. I would have been so upset to have passed it on the everyone else.

David and the boys jumped in and did laundry & dishes, completed my farm chores and theirs, they even put the new hay into the barn loft. I’ve been in bed most of the weekend but started feeling better Sunday and was able to clean up my computer and blog.
I hope no one gets this wicked thing! Parker & Miranda had it first, then Oliver had it, followed by Cooper and then me. I hope David has managed to escape it.

Diversifying and learning new things!

We have been trying to build the farm into a year-round added income source. I am asked regularly “what all do you raise at the farm?” I begin to list off the and their mouths open to make the “WOW” sound. Especially where we live. Most farmers are cattlemen, raising only cow, calves and steers. So, when they hear all of our variety of animals they don’t really get it. Our belief is that diversity is the key to making our small farm work for us in the long run. If one area isn’t producing at the time, another one will.

Cooper and I recently went to Seattle for a rabbit husbandry class. We are working to produce Rabbit meat for our family and for sale. We have learned that rabbit is the most sustainable animal you can raise on the farm. Rabbit leaves a very small footprint on the earth. It is easy to feed and maintain, when done correctly. Rabbit manure is an excellent fertilizer too!!

We recently had our shearer visit the farm and he ended up clipping 7 bags of fleece from 3.5 alpacas. The fleece will be washed, dried, carded and fluffed into roving to sell to knitters. AND we just bought 3 more alpacas who will be cleaned up later this month. We plan to attend an alpaca workshop in July in the Nashville area to learn more about fibers and naturally dying fibers. We are excited about this venture and the extra income it will bring to the farm and family in the future.

We have started to bring a variety of barrow pigs to the farm. We currently have Mulefoot, Gloucestershire Old Spots, Mangalista and Kunekune pigs. I am amazed everyday by the difference in their personalities. Even though they are all the same species, the different breeds behave differently. I guess that should make sense, we have learned that different goat breeds behave differently as well. Our hope is that the different breeds will produce different qualities to their meats and that our consumers will find a pork they prefer. I must admit, some breeds are easier to take to the processor than others. ☺️

All of this is part of our diversification. We now have chicken, eggs, lamb, pork, rabbit, and alpaca fleece. We seasonally have fresh herbs, dried herbs, vegetables, pears and locally foraged medicinal plants. We have LOTS of plans and hope to bring more to all of you soon!

Thanks again for coming along on our journey!

Living Offsite stinks!

I had planned to blog about our lamb and pork, but we have had many questions lately about living offsite. I thought I would address those today.

When we purchased our land, we had planned to continue living offsite, our home in town was paid off and it would allow us extra money to put into the farm. Since then, our farm has grown so much and continues to grow! The time we need to spend with the animals and working on the farm is growing as well. We also made the decision to open a restaurant and market in our historic building downtown, therefore using our “house” money to refurbish and redesign the building. So….. we will continue to live offsite for a bit longer. Yuck.

During the winter months, I really dislike living away from the animals. The shorter days, mud and cold cause many restless nights for our family. I think I’m wearing out Hwy 51 running back and forth between the house and the farm. The summer months are much better!

Lately, I have had to explain to everyone who comes to the farm to pickup an animal or eggs that I don’t live there. I am then forced to explain why (there is a house at the end of the driveway). Even though there is a house on the property, it belongs to someone else and they are not interested in selling (we’ve offered). The house sits empty with holes in the roof and busted windows. The couch in the yard is their’s too ;) The last storm blew their front door open and I had to go inside to get our cat, I believe the house to be irreparable now so even if they were to sell, it is too late to remodel and be livable.

We will continue to live offsite and build later in the next year or two. I had originally wanted to build an American square styled house. I’ve always been drawn to the design of the four square, even before I knew what they were called. I now just want to build and live onsite, I don’t care if it is a one room cabin. No, that’s wrong. I don't want a one room cabin. I would be miserable.

I say all of this to say to people who are just starting to purchase land and want to farm, build a small house and live there first! You can always add on and improve your home later, but once you start farming it gets so busy that you won't have to time or money to build your house. The time you will spend running back and forth would be better used on your farm. Laundry can be switched over, dinner started and projects finished. Fortunately, I have help and my boys either work at the farm or start dinner most days. But when I’m at home, I’m thinking about what needs to be done at the farm and vise versa. Poor David is still working hard out of town and I’m sure his feelings are far worse than mine.

Anyway, someday I hope to be blogging from my porch swing, on the porch of my little farm house. For now, I am thankful for this life I am blessed to be able to live everyday, wherever I that might be.

Where does your food come from?

So, my last blog post was in the Fall. I obviously have time management issues 😩. My email campaign has come to a screeching halt too. Although, I really doubt anyone noticed. According to my account, most of the emails went unopened anyway. People want useful information as well as updates. My brain is FULL of farm information!! I’m going to start blogging that information for all of you to enjoy and benefit as well.

My thoughts lately are around focusing on how far my family’s food travels to get to them. We’ve all read information and have heard about buying locally. BUT, do you really KNOW where your food in coming from? Even if you purchase from a local farm, is it really their products? I recently heard a story about a local farm selling meat as their own that wasn’t produced on their farm. Misrepresentation. When you purchase your meat/eggs from a farm, it should be what you expect. Make sure the label on your product says their farm name. Just saying USDA isn’t enough. That can come from CostCo or Sysco and have that stamp. Products packaged at a local USDA facility will have the processors name and/or the farm name on the label. Walmart buys beef grown outside their business and slaps their label on it. And while I’m at it….WalMart. They have built a meat processing plant in GA, I can only imagine the demand for “local” meaning “in country” to them has forced them to make that move. BUT….. their Angus beef is grown in Texas and Nebraska on a feedlot, then transported to Kansas for slaughter before moving to GA for processing. What? Yes, look it up. I can tell you from my experience that any travel is stressful on animals. We aren’t in the beef business, so I’m just another consumer, like you when it comes to beef. Even if we order meat from a farm in California that is grown and processed all within a few miles of where it was born is better than Walmart beef!

https://thecounter.org/walmart-new-angus-beef-plant-thomasville-georgia/

Now, something I do produce - EGGS! Although some commercial suppliers have said to be converting to “free-ranging” that doesn’t mean your eggs are FRESH! My research has shown that 4 large producers of eggs for a grocery chain have facilities from Minnesota to Mississippi. One grower has plants in 15 states with 6 distribution centers from Florida to Utah.

When eggs are packaged their carton is stamped with a number. 1-365 based on the day of the year they are packaged. But…. how long were there in transport to the packaging facility? So add a week at minimum for transportation. They aren’t flying them 😂. I’m not going to dive into the washing and handling practices.

Anyway, buy eggs from a local farmer! Of course, they are not going to be the ALDI (I love ALDI) .79 per dozen but they will be fresh and have minimal hands on them. Go a step further, take a farm fresh egg and crack it into a bowl and then a grocery store egg. Compare the color and consistency. There is NO comparison. Heck, I’ll give you an egg for your test! Just message me.

Okay, that is it for today! I’ll touch on the 2 other meats we raise next time - Lamb and Pork. By the way, We have lambs going to processing this month and will have it available to purchase later this month. Get on the list now!!

For now, try to be mindful of the food your family eats. Even if it is making small changes a little at a time. I totally understand that buying locally is usually more expensive, so make the small changes that you can afford. When we get the market open our goal is to try our best to keep the prices as low as possible so you can feed your family with breaking the bank. 😘

Happy Fall!!

We have been blessed with cooler temps in Northeast Alabama lately!! It definitely makes some chores easier than when it’s 98 degrees with a heat index of 103! There are some chores that we just label “Fall work” or “Winter work”.

Fall brings our next piglet season! Pippen is due 1st and is on piglet watch right now. She is a 1st time mom so we excited to see her piglets! Miss Mark, our 1st cow is due again anytime. Fall is a perfect time for calving. Last year, our cows delivered in the heat of the summer and that is a “rookie'“ mistake. Flies deposit their eggs in the afterbirth of the new calf which results in maggots and the calf will die if not cared for. We had 2 calves that had to be washed immediately after birth to remove all afterbirth and maggots. It’s an awful thing. One of the calves had to be bottle fed b/c the mom refused to feed it after the bath. We figure it didn’t “smell” right to her after we washed it. The result is our bull calf, SALt and he is absolutely rotten! We prefer to keep the calves with their mom for the immunity and we all know “mother’s milk is best”.

We had a great weekend at the farm this past weekend! Our niece Savannah and her husband stayed over on their way to the beach and again on their way back. Parker was home and brought his friend Miranda too. We had a full-house and it was GREAT! Oliver and I made a large pot of homemade Jambalaya and griddle corn cakes for dinner. We all fed/visited with the farm animals, walked to the creek and played pool into the evening. We LOVE weekends like that and cannot wait to build our house on the farm! The new build has been postponed for a year while we get the Market open. We have too many projects on the ground right now and the house would push us over the edge. Next year will be better for that project and David will be home more to oversee the process.

The Market is coming along nicely. Plumbing is almost finished. New toilets are going in this afternoon. I did not realize how many toilet options there are today! Our older 2 toilets each used about 10 gallons (seriously) of water per flush. AND they were tiny. The old ones also looked like toddler toilets, like they belong in a day care. I met with our awesome electrician earlier this week and we put together the plan for the new wiring. He will start next week. David and I are picking the Vent hood and exhaust fan this weekend and it will be ready for wiring next week. We are purchasing several used (with warranty) products from The Liquidators in Birmingham. Jason, the owner, has been great to deal with on all equipment. We may need to purchase some equipment new, but used has been a great option for keeping our costs down and moving forward.

We have received so much positive feedback from our town about the new Market and Restaurant. We’ve met several of the neighbors on our street and they are encouraging. The only issue that seems to be a concern is parking. The smaller stores are concerned that another business will take up parking spots that their customers need to use. We have rectified that issue with adding extra lighting on the back of the building and using the back entrance as an additional entrance. Hopefully, this will help with maintaining a positive relationship with other downtown vendors.

I will try to update more but things are crazy busy right now! Until then, Happy Fall Y’all!!!

Big News!

We have a lot going on with the farm businesses. Yes, we said BUSINESSES. Plural. The farm is expanding into several areas. We are opening a restaurant and market where customers can support local farmers!! We will be highlighting a menu that focuses on locally sourced foods. These locally sourced products will also be for sale in the market. Think - Farmer’s Market: every single day! We are also adding a FOOD TRUCK!! What?! Yes! We have had the opportunity to purchase a food trailer and will be getting it up and running in the coming months.

We’ve recently added a new Heritage Breed of pig. Gloucestershire Old Spots have been on our radar for a while now. We were finally able to add 4 gilts and 4 barrows. We love the grow out and quality of the GOS meat. They are docile, like the Kunekune, but do root a little more than Kunes. We have several areas that need attention and we will utilize the GOS to root up vines and prepare the ground for sowing seeds in the fall. We like the idea of growing our Heritage breed pork. The Kunekunes grow out in 12-18 months. The slow growth allows for an exception marbling quality of the meat. The GOS grow out in 9-12 months. They still have a great marbling quality and grow out on grass, like the kunekunes, and their meat is high in Omega 3. Utilizing both of these breeds will allow us to bring meat to our customers with the consistency and quality we desire. We are still producing Kunekunes for breeding pairs, pets and pork. The GOS just brings another option to the farm.

Another upcoming venture is Agritourism! We are adding an Airbnb and HipCamp site to the farm. Guests will be able to stay onsite and experience the farm from the inside. Accommodations will range from campers to campsites with access to our Bathhouse. We hope to have this up and running for the Fall tourist season!

So, that’s a little bit of what is coming! Thank you for stopping by and following along with our journey!

The Pereas

David, Stacey, Parker, Cooper and Oliver