Wednesday Daily Dose Of Cute:Staving Off Unwanted Advances

Bear Doesn't Play

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the bipeds aren't the only ones who have to resist the livestock guardian dog cuteness.

How To Cook Lamb: Recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms with Ground Lamb and Feta (& My Mother's Secret Ingredient)

Stuffed Mushrooms With Homegrown Lamb, Onion, Parsley & Feta

We always eat well when my foodie mother visits the farm. During her most recent stay we were so busy with lambing season (which is still dragging on by the way) most of our homemade meals came straight from the freezer. Last fall, however, we had a chance to do lots of experimenting in the kitchen, and I'm slowly but surely getting some of those new favorite recipes posted. Enjoy!

I'm embarrassed to admit that up until last November I'd never stuffed a mushroom in my life. I now realize this is tragic, and I'm determined to make up for lost time because I've also realized there are a lot of stuffed mushroom recipes out there. I mean, you can stuff a mushroom with just about anything! Who knew? Okay, probably everyone but me.

My late-in-life stuffed mushroom introduction happened purely by chance. After picking my foodie mother up at the airport last fall for her twice yearly visit to the farm, we stopped by Trader Joe's to stock up for our upcoming ten day cooking and eating spree. And there they were: packages of giant 'Stuffer Mushrooms' nudged up against the regular-sized mushrooms and screaming at me. "SUSAN! SUSAN! YOU NEED US! YOU WANT US! YOU REALLY, REALLY SHOULD TAKE US HOME AND STUFF US!"

Okay, maybe they didn't actually scream, but those giant beauties were definitely calling my name. I immediately thought of the nice hunk of feta cheese at home in the fridge and the freshly ground homegrown lamb I had earmarked for a shepherd's pie from Cooking With Shelburne Farms, one of my new favorite cookbooks (you'll find my raving review here). This was obviously fate, so I made a mental menu change - stuffed mushrooms it was going to be.

My mother agreed wholeheartedly with my decision. (Actually, at the time I may have implied that I would make her the shepherd's pie and the stuffed mushrooms, but I can't recall for sure because I was deep in the throes of love at first fungi sight). She even had an excellent stuffed mushroom recipe she used to make all the time. But she hadn't made it in at least a couple of decades. And of course it was somewhere back at her house in California.

"No problem," I assured her. "There must be a million recipes for stuffed mushrooms online."

"But they'll be for little appetizer-size mushrooms."

"No, they won't."

But yes they were. And the vast majority of them were stuffed with crabmeat. What's with that?

"We can adjust," I said.

"But we don't know how long to cook them," she pointed out.


Prepare To Be Stuffed!

"We'll wing it," I decided. "How hard can this be?" And I went into the kitchen and winged it. About 40 minutes later The Shack smelled divine, and I was serving us up a hot and healthy lunch.

"Do you want some of this juice spooned onto your plate with the mushrooms?" I asked her, then started wondering if there was actually enough of the yummy looking stuff for two sauce lovers or if I should have just kept quiet and slurped it all up myself.

"Of course I want some!" I knew it.

Yes, I can be that shameless about food - even when it comes to feeding my mother. But she's no Miss Goody-Two-Shares either, and she plays every card she can. At Christmas dinner a few years ago, I grabbed the heel of the homemade pain au levain out of the bread basket like I always do and received a death stare of disbelief.

"Oh, right. You like the heels, too, don't you?" More of the stare. "But I baked the bread, and the bread baker gets first pick."

"But I'm the guest. . . And the mother." Damn.

But back to the mushrooms. As I set our plates on the table, she suddenly blurted out, "Sour cream!"

"Sour cream?"

"I just remembered! That was the secret to my stuffed mushroom recipe. You stir some sour cream into the juice in the pan and make a sauce!" Yum.

And it was. The mushrooms would have been plenty tasty with just the juice straight from the pan, but stirring in that little bit of sour cream made them go from terriffic to totally divine.

I don't have a picture of the mushrooms with the sour cream sauce because by that point I was too hungry for a photo shoot. And besides, my mother probably would have stolen all my sauce when I wasn't looking.

So what's your favorite way to stuff a mushroom?


Let's Eat!

Susan's Super Stuffed Mushrooms
This quick and easy recipe would be great to make with kids. Because there's no need to cook the filling before stuffing the mushrooms, only a few minutes of prep work are required. They taste great reheated the next day, so try to make enough so that you'll have leftovers. Note I say try. These mushrooms aren't real easy to stop eating. Also note that unless you're the only sauce fiend at the table, there probably won't be any of the sour cream sauce left over to pour on your leftover mushrooms.

The amounts of everything depend on the size and number of your mushrooms and your own personal taste. This isn't the kind of recipe you can really mess up, so do like I did and just wing it. And feel free to mix whatever else strikes your fancy into the meat. Some chopped fresh rosemary, perhaps? Or maybe a couple of chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

If you can't find the super size stuffer mushrooms, smaller ones would probably work fine, though they'll take a little longer to prepare. As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients whenever possible. They really do make a difference - in so many ways.

2 to 3 'stuffer mushrooms' per person, washed, stems removed & set aside
Ground lamb, preferably all natural & grass-fed
Chopped onion
Chopped fresh parsley, preferably Italian flat leaf
Crumbled feta cheese
Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms in a small casserole dish. Chop the reserved mushroom stems. In a medium bowl, use your clean hands to combine the ground lamb, onion, parsley, feta cheese, chopped mushroom stems, and salt and pepper. Don't overwork the meat or it'll become tough.



Gently cram as much filling into the mushrooms as you can, mounding it over the tops. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until you see a few crispy bits of ground lamb and a lot of juice/water has cooked out of the mushrooms.

Place mushrooms on serving plates. Pour mushroom juice into a small bowl and whisk in enough sour cream to make a sauce the consistency you desire. Pour sauce directly over the mushrooms or around them on the plate, or serve it on the side.

Want to try some of my other easy lamb recipes?
—Onion & Herb Crusted Lamb Spareribs & Grilled Lamb Leg Steaks
—Grilled Lamb Burgers With Roasted Red Pepper, Parsley, & Kalamata Olive Relish
—Lamb Burgers with Garlic, Shallots, & Feta on Homemade Rosemary Focaccia
—Slow Roasted Dutch Oven Lamb Shoulder Roasts or Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic, & Rosemary
—Slow Roasted Greek Style Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Oregano, Potatoes, & Swiss Chard

Still hungry?
You'll find links to all of my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the sidebar under Previous Posts: Food Stuff W/ Recipes.

This is my contribution to the 9th edition of Grow Your Own, a wonderful monthly food blogging event hosted by my friend Andrea at Andrea's Recipes. Grow Your Own celebrates the foods we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we make using our homegrown products. This month's roundup will be posted at Andrea's Recipes tomorrow. Want to join in the Grow Your Own fun? Find out how here.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and everything revolves around the food.

Tuesday Daily Dose Of Cute

Ready For Her Close Up

Current Lamb Count: 22. Number of cute overload moments lately between all the new baby lambs, baby chicks, and fluffy white pups: More than should probably be allowed on one farm.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the new puppies are even softer than they look - not that we've been snuggling them or anything, because you aren't supposed to make cuddly pets out of the livestock guardians. But a little pat or two never hurt anybody.

Monday Daily Dose Of Cute

Meet And Greet With Cary

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the new puppies are growing faster than I can answer all your fun questions about them, but hopefully I'll have some answers posted soon. Thanks for your patience, and in the meantime, enjoy the cute before they get to be 125 pounds apiece!

Sunday Daily Dose Of Cute: Woof! Woof!

Our Latest Defense Against The Coyotes

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where just because you're adorable doesn't mean you can't be scary, too - and one of the toughest things about farm life is knowing that you're not supposed to cuddle the livestock guard dogs.

Wild Kingdom:A Big Sunday Feast & A Mysterious Little Owl

Screech Owl In The Farmyard On January 20th

Note: I wrote this back on January 26th. Unfortunately it's only the beginning of the story - and at this point there is no happy ending in sight. There is, however, a small bright spot in all of this sadness and frustration. Two small bright spots, actually, which even qualify for Daily Dose Of Cute status. Stay tuned.

There are days when farm life sucks, and last Sunday was one of them. I was here by myself, it was zero degrees, and all the water pipes were frozen. But that was no big deal. That was just January in Missouri in The Shack. But then around 11:00 am, two coyotes killed a sheep in the hayfield. Yes, during broad daylight. Yes, while the donkeys were out there with them.

The time between looking out the kitchen window and realizing what had just happened and getting to the scene of the crime was agonizing. As Bear and I ran the several hundred yards out into the field I switched between sobbing "No! No! NO!" to screaming at the coyotes in a vain attempt to scare them away from the white, unmoving lump I knew was a sheep. The rest of the flock had fled. I was pretty sure the sheep was dead, but I held onto the slim chance that it might still be alive. Not knowing who it was - that was the most awful part. I figured it would be 12-year-old Skinny Chip, one of my big pet wethers who has bad hooves and trouble walking. I prayed it wasn't Cary.

It wasn't. It was a healthy young wether who probably weighed 100 pounds and would have graced someone's table in a couple of months - and put a couple of hundred dollars in our pocket. Instead it had become this Sunday's dinner. It was a clean kill, and it had just happened. The body was still warm. The blood that covered my hands was still warm.

When I was a little kid I watched "Wild Kingdom" every week on TV with my dad, who loved nature and animals and died when I was just eleven. I want to say that it was on on Sunday nights, maybe at six o'clock, right before the Walt Disney hour. At least that's how I remember it. Mutual of Omaha sponsored the show. I had no idea what Mutual of Omaha was, but to this day I can still remember their 800 number.

We don't have TV reception down here in our little valley. Instead I look out a window and realize I live in Wild Kingdom.

I can't blame the coyotes. They live here, too, and they get just as hungry as I do. It's the dead of winter; food is scarce. I heard there weren't any acorns in the woods this year. Things like fences and property rights and animal ownership mean nothing to them. All they see is a field full of fat and easy targets. A lamb is a lot easier to chase down than a deer.

I do partly blame myself. We've become complacent about the coyotes. We know we're surrounded by them. We hear them at night, their howls and barks echoing through the hills. We know we've been extremely lucky all these years to have sustained so few losses to them. And yet a couple of weeks ago we chose to watch a mating pair of these beautiful creatures (because they are indeed beautiful) cavorting around in the hayfield through a set of binoculars rather than through the scope on a rifle.

We don't shoot 'varmints' for sport or to 'clean up' our property, and for that we have paid a price. This coyote couple had been hanging around, watching, scheming, waiting, wanting. We knew this, and yet we still didn't shoot them. People around here think we're crazy. Some of you reading this will think we're crazy.

On Sunday I watched the coyotes tear into the lamb. My lamb. Later I watched an enormous bald eagle eat his fill of fresh meat while he stood on the wooly body, nervously looking around between bites. I watched a flock of crows move in for their meal. I watched two friends shoot at the coyotes from the second story window of what will soon be our new bedroom and miss. I want them both dead, I said. They know the taste of lamb. They know how to get easy meat. They need to be killed. They need to be dead.

As he was driving the quarter mile from The Shack to the front gate late that afternoon, one friend saw a coyote standing in the front field by the sawdust pile, which isn't far from the barn. He shot and missed. His dad, one of the shooters in the bedroom, had seen a coyote at the top of our driveway that morning.

On Monday reinforcements arrived. A pack of men and a pack of dogs scattered themselves around the valley at dawn and spent the next 10 hours tracking and chasing and shooting. One dog attacked a coyote and had his face torn up. At four o'clock in the afternoon I looked out into the hayfield and saw both coyotes back at the lamb. Their lamb. And despite my yelling and Bear's barking, not to mention their having been chased all day by a pack of dogs and men with guns, the brazen, hungry coyotes were hesitant to leave their prize.

Loss is inevitable when you're raising animals, whether they're packed into a giant building under horrid conditions or out on the open range. You expect it, and you learn to take it in stride. You do the best you can, and you learn from your mistakes. You worry yourself to sleep. And you tell yourself it's okay to cry.

None of that lamb went to waste. By Tuesday afternoon there was nothing left but the pelt.

We're doing what we can to ensure the safety of the flock. Skinny Chip is in a big pen. The hayfield is off limits to the sheep. We've installed even more spotlights at the barn and turned up the volume on the radio that plays down there all night. I'm learning to shoot the varmint rifle. Because there are two coyotes out there who will no doubt kill again.



Fortunately it isn't all just death and killing in the Wild Kingdom. In the midst of everything that was happening on Sunday, I came across this little owl sitting on a fence post in the farmyard. Armed with only my pistol, I could do nothing except stare in awe and curse myself for being without my camera. I'd never seen anything like it. It held its face toward the sun, eyes closed, its feathers ruffling in the frigid wind.



It popped open its eyes and stared at me as I stared back at it. It turned its head almost completely around like you've always been told that owls can do but have never really believed. It didn't seem bothered by my presence at all. I really wanted to reach out and touch it.

I ran back to The Shack to get my camera in the hopes that it wouldn't fly away. It didn't. I couldn't believe it.



It was neat. It was gorgeous. It was adorable. I snapped photos until my fingers went numb. I was shocked to see that it hadn't flown away when the shots had been fired from a window directly above its head. I proudly showed it to off to the donkey peddling cowboy and his four-year-old son, who had answered my coyote phone call for help.

"That's a screech owl," the cowbody informed me. "Don't touch it!" he said to his son, who had cautiously reached out a finger.

I took more photos. I moved closer and closer to it, until I was standing just inches away. I was mesmerized.



The little owl stayed on the fence post for most of the afternoon. I checked on it every few minutes from the kitchen window. It was starting to seem a little weird. "What's wrong with that owl?" the cowboy had asked as the three of us stared at it and wondered why it was just sitting there in the middle of the farmyard.

Eventually it flew over to another fence a few yards away, where it sat for a couple more photos. Then it disappeared up into a tree.

Like I said, Wild Kingdom.

Note: After a week of thinking about it, I decided I wasn't going to write this. I was simply going to post a neat photo of an owl I saw in the farmyard. No backstory. It isn't easy putting yourself and your actions out there for attack, admitting that you've failed or that you made the wrong choice about something and somebody died because of it. But I know a lot of you don't just want the photos. You want the backstory - even when it's bad. You read my blog because you want to know what life is really like out here on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately right now this is what it's like - and the killing hasn't stopped.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares the good and the bad of life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Saturday Daily Dose Of Cute

Somebody Answered The Ad!

Actually there have been two responses so far, but the other interested party is a little camera shy and was hiding under its mother when this picture was taken.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the chickens have decided that the first batch of Daily Dose Of Cute photos had way too much wool, so the second series is going to be full of fluff and feathers - even if it did require sitting on a pile of eggs for three and a half weeks (and sneaking photos up a day late).

Friday Daily Dose Of Cute

Time Out

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and it's exhausting being this cute.

Thursday Daily Dose Of Cute: Country Classifieds

Single Chick Seeks Companion Of Like Size & Species

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where it's always more fun (and more cute!) with friends, but at least if you're the only kid you don't have to fight anybody for the landing pad - and you get all of mom's attention.

Wednesday Daily Dose Of Cute

Baby Talk

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where everybody talks with their mouth full. Or partway full. Or maybe just a little piece of hay full. Oh, wait. Last Wednesday I said nobody around here talks with their mouth full. Okay maybe she's just chewing. Or maybe I just shouldn't be trying think up captions and tag lines this late at night. At least there's no arguing that she's cute!

Tuesday Daily Dose Of Cute

Bear The Babysitter (among other things)

Current Lamb Count: 18, including three lambs born yesterday. Eleven more pregnant ewes to go!

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Liselotte, who looks like she's going to give birth any second, is now safe and secure in a bonding pen and has been ordered pleaded with to please wait until morning to have her lamb(s) because it's way past this tired farmgirl's bedtime!

Tuesday Farm Photo: Who Needs Ducks in a Row?

We've Got Chickens Lined Up

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the fine feathered foodie farm blog where sometimes you can't help but wonder if the chickens really do all see something that you don't, or if they're just entertaining themselves at your expense - and we still only have the one new baby chick.

Monday Daily Dose Of Cute

Milkface Moves Beyond Milk

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and even baby lambs know everybody needs some fiber in their diet.

Sunday Daily Dose Of Cute

Raa Raa Black Sheep! (You know I love the black ones)

Current Lamb Count: 15, including this itty bitty newborn cutie pie. Number of farmgirls getting a little tired of stealth milkers - baby lambs who act as if they don't know how to nurse (and refuse to drink from a bottle, so you end up feeding them every couple of hours with a syringe) and then take a nice little drink as soon as you turn your back: 1.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where it's late night sheep-related multi-tasking time: I've been ordering vet supplies (10 minutes before they closed), doing a prego/baby barn check (the moon is so bright!), and posting this lamb photo (the problem with black is that it always shows the dirt!) in between baking trays of banana bribe cookies (recipe coming soon!) for a farmgirl friend who's leaving her sheep tomorrow in order to come over to help me work mine. Baaaaaa!

Sunday Farm Photo: Chick Days Are Here!

A Little Freshly Picked Arugula While You Wait?

Three weeks ago, two of Whitey's chicks - who are now grown-up hens and laying little brown eggs of their own - decided they were in the mood for motherhood, so they each settled down on a pile of eggs in side-by-side nesting boxes for the 21-day incubation period.

8:56 am this morning



11:06 am

1:36 pm

Yesterday three chicks hatched but there was something wrong with them and all three died. Fortunately things are going much better today. This little bundle of fluff belongs to Cheeky (the hen on the left), who isn't in the picture because I had to briefly relocate her in order to check on what was happening underneath her. That didn't make her happy. Fortunately I was wearing thick gloves.

There are six more eggs under Cheeky and four more under the other hen (whose name is still being decided), so cross your feathers that this chirping little cutie pie will have some siblings soon - and that we don't end up with another bunch of roosters!

Want to see last year's chick pics?
5/12/07: Whitey's Gone Broody
6/1/07: Whitey Gets Her Wish
6/4/07: Peep! Peep! Peep!
6/2/07: It's Been Quite A Chick-Filled Day
6/5/07: I'm Just Wai-tin' On A Friend
6/17/07: Whitey & Her Baby Chicks
6/19/07: Caution - Foodie Forming
8/2/07: Wall Inspection & Farmgirl Inspection
8/3/07: Baby's First Perch
8/4/07: Baby's First Dustbath
8/5/07: Mother As Landing Pad
8/9/07: Little Rooster Showin' Some Style

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where no eggs, chicks, chickens, or farmgirls were harmed during the taking of these photos (thanks to the gloves), but Cheeky got so pissed off while being gently removed from her eggs that she started screeching like The Alien. And that was a little bit scary.

Saturday Daily Dose Of Cute

Dee Dee & Her Baby Boy, Milkface

Sometimes it can take a while to get a name around here. And when you do finally get one, there's no guarantee that it'll be a good one - especially if my mother happens to be around. During her first visit to the farm she renamed one of the cats. Crook, so called by his previous owners because he not only had an odd little crook in his tail but also used to steal food from other cats, became Patchy Cat because he "looks just like my Patchy Cat who got run over by a car." Okay, fine - though Joe still can't believe that our all doing, all seeing, all around manly Farm Boss feline is now named (use your best high pitched girly voice here) Patchy Cat.

Then several years ago she named Auntie Rose, which isn't horrible but isn't so great either. The ironic part is that not only does my mother have no recollection whatsoever of actually coming up with the name Auntie Rose, she also swears she doesn't remember the conversation she and I had during her visit last fall when I informed her that the sheep she was inquiring about was named Auntie Rose because that's what she told me I should name her, and I hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings by later changing it.

Then she decided to come to the farm this year during lambing season. And when she first arrived and was trying to figure out which lamb was which and who they each belonged to, I pointed to one and said that he was the little milk face baby whose photo I'd posted a couple of times. That did it. From that second on, every single time she was down at the barn she would look around and say, "Where's Milkface?" even though she'd never actually seen him with any milk on his face.

Naturally the name quickly stuck. Even I started referring to him as Milkface. At one point while we were watching him playing in the barnyard I turned to her and said, "I can't believe that poor little guy is gonna have to go through his entire life being called Milkface." She laughed.

Fortunately Milkface doesn't seem to mind. Although while my mother was here, and his name was constantly being said aloud, I did notice that he'd stopped sleeping curled up next to Dee Dee and was cuddling up next to the biggest lamb in the barnyard instead. I figure some of the other kids had started teasing him behind my back. They're just lucky my mother left before she'd had a chance to name them, too.

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where an Auntie Rose by another name would be as sweet - and cute little Milkface is pretty much just out of luck.

Saturday Farm Photo: Daffodil Delight

I Love Them Even When They're Soggy

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and we get the biggest kicks out of the littlest things.

Friday Daily Dose Of Cute: A Little Look Back

Cary (age 2-1/2 weeks) & The Nanny Bear In The Greenhouse, 5/06

Don't know who this little lamb named Cary is? Meet her in A Tiny Tail For Mother's Day. And find out how she's doing now in yesterday's Farm Photo 4/18/08: Cary Update.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we can't help but wonder if it bothers Bear that the sheep all start out much smaller than he is but quickly grow up to be three or four times his size.

Friday Farm Photo: Cary Update

Too Hungry To Say Hi

Wondering who Cary is? Meet her in A Tiny Tail For Mother's Day.

Many of you who have kindly asked how Cary's been doing since she lost her baby last month. Thanks to that late night visit from the vet, she made a full recovery and seems to be just fine. She's back to her pre-pregnancy bouncy self, and no longer looks as if she swallowed two bowling balls - though her appetite hasn't diminished any.

Cary still doesn't care to be cuddled or even pet much, but she does come over and give me dirty looks when I'm snuggling an adorable baby lamb. She doesn't seem to miss having a lamb of her own, and still acts very kid-like herself. The other day I saw a lost lamb run straight through her legs while searching for its mommy and she just stood there looking confused.

The lambs love to pack up and play Race Around The Barnyard this time of year, and more than once last lambing season I busted full-grown Cary racing right along with them like she was still a little member of the gang, kicking her legs in the air and shaking her head around like she does when she's really happy. It was hysterical. These were some of my favorite Cary moments, but of course she never let me capture any of them with my camera. Maybe I'll catch her at it again this year.

Want to see more Cary?
Cary Is Two Months Old Today!
Cary Is Three Months Old Today!
Cary Is Four Months Old Today! (And still allowed in the house)
Cary Is Five Months Old Today!
Cary Is Six Months Old Today!
Cary Is Seven Months Old Today!
Carybunga! Nine Months Old & Coming At You!
Cary Is One Year Old Today!
12/7/06: Cary Goes Grunge
1/7/07: What I Learned From Cary Last Year (Plus lots of links to photos of Cary laying waste to in the kitchen garden)
2/11/07: Cary's First Woolcut
12/6/07: Finally, A Cary Update

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where lambs will be lambs - and sometimes grownup sheep will, too.

Thursday Daily Dose Of Cute

Stretch Refuses To Eat At The Kids' Table

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where even four-legged kids in the country want to grow up as fast as they can - but some of us are wishing time would please slow down!

Wednesday Daily Dose Of Cute

The Sheep Equivalent Of The Kids' Table



Complete With Fighting

Wanna see more cute?
Other Daily Doses Of Cute
Lambing Season 2006 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2007 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2008 Photos & Reports
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where hardly anybody talks with their mouth full during dinner, but you wouldn't believe the racket while the food is being dished up.

Wednesday Farm Photo: What's In This Season?

Lots Of Bright Color!

Help! I love this flowering bush, but I have no idea what it is. Do you? You can see a photo of the whole bush and find out why I love it so much at my offshoot blog, In My Kitchen Garden.

Want to see more flowering color?
3/20/06: First Day Of Spring Daffodils
4/16/06: Tulips For Easter
4/16/06: Dogfoot Tiptoed Through The Tulips
4/27/06: Color Coordinated In The Garden
5/17/06: Lilac Iris & A Lamb Report
4/5/07: Lilacs!
6/25/07: Echinacea By The Cat Cabin
7/2/07: Holding On For Dear Life Or Just Hanging Out?
8/14/07: Joint Pollination Task Force (& Other Pollinator Pics)
9/11/07: Cavorting Around On A Zinnia
9/27/07: Squash Blossom Butterfly
3/22/08: Leaves On The Lilacs (And Lots Of Lilac Stories)
4/7/08: The Definition Of Cheerful? See Daffodils
Bright Blooms In My Kitchen Garden

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where after 13 years of clomping around in dirty overalls and rubber boots we're probably pretty lacking when it comes to fashion sense, but we do know that Mother Nature always gets her colors right.

Tuesday Daily Dose Of Cute

Tired

Current Lamb Count: 13, including three sets of twins. Number of sleep-deprived farmgirls ready for a nap: 1.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where twin lambs love to stick together - but they don't always share the best spot.

Monday Daily Dose Of Cute

Legs Up To There

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we never imagined baby barnyard animals would have anything in common with runway models, but there you have it. Too bad they don't wear clothes.

Monday Farm Photo: Scuffle In The Barnyard

Chick Fight



Chick Fight Referee

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where you're encouraged to make friends with everyone and talk out your differences - but some of us are more hard-headed than others.

Sunday Daily Dose Of Cute

Entwinned

Want to see more woolies?
Other Daily Doses Of Cute
Lambing Season 2006 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2007 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2008 Photos & Reports
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where where we like seeing double this time of year - and right now there are three sets of twins bouncing around the barnyard. So does that mean we're seeing sextuple - or just a whole lot of cute?

Friday Daily Dose Of Cute

A Tender Scene

The Whole Picture

I told you Lucky Buddy Bear loves his sheep. And he loves lambs the best. What he doesn't love is The Bonding Suite Inn, because those private little pens in the barn keep him away from his babies.

These photos were taken last Friday when Clara's baby boy was just a few hours old. This first time mother (who bears a striking resemblance to Cary) gave birth to twins, but the tiny girl died not long after she was born. I don't know why, and unfortunately a lot of times that's how it is; there are so many different things that could have gone wrong. It's never easy to accept the fact that there will always be losses during lambing season, and it always hurts to watch a baby die.

The good news is that after a rather slow (and frustrating) start figuring out exactly what each of them was supposed to do (her: be a mother, him: drink milk), they caught on to the whole mom/kid thing and are now doing just fine. Today they vacated their bonding suite and enjoyed a romp in the barnyard with the rest of the flock before curling up in the barn for bed.

Meanwhile, Bear consoles himself with the fact that once again it's time to herd all the baby lambs into the barn each night at tuck-in time. He lives for this kind of work.

Current lamb count: 12. Number of stockdogs wishing that number were about a hundred times higher? 1.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we love lambing season, but only one of us wishes it lasted all year long - and has enough energy to survive if it did.

Thursday Farm Photo: Surf's Up!

The No Crossing Zone Is Back

This is where everybody usually crosses when our usually meandering little wet weather creek is running. Not today. It isn't quite the raging river it turned into last month, though there is supposed to be another storm hitting tonight. We definitely won't be driving through this anytime soon.

Fortunately earlier today I was able to ford the creek further upstream on foot, but only after taking all sorts of safety precautions as demanded by my visiting and very concerned mother. I was decked out in ratty sneakers (so my rubber boots didn't fill with water and drag me down), thin summer pajama pants (so my heavy denim overalls didn't fill with water and drag me down) rolled up above my knees, and my old glasses (so my new ones didn't wash downstream). I was holding an enormous stick (to keep me from losing my balance and washing downstream) and had two syringes full of penicillin for the ewe battling mastitis poking out of one shirt pocket and a bottle of milk for her lamb in the other. I was quite the vision.

My mother also gave me instructions on how I should position myself when the water did start carrying me away - on my back with my feet out in front of me - which is apparently what you they tell you to do if you fall overboard when you're on a white water river rafting adventure.

The good news is I survived - and barely got my knees wet. The better news is that all the animals are okay, and none of our very pregnant ewes decided to have a baby (or two) during the seven hours I wasn't able to get down to the barn today. Just cross your fingers that they cross their legs until tomorrow, because my mother says I'm not allowed to cross the creek for my nightly 3 a.m. lamb check, even though I told her she could come along and hold the spotlight so she'd be able to see if I was in the correct position when I started to wash downstream.*

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the action and adventures never stop when you're living the so-called quiet, peaceful, simple country life.

* All lightheartedness aside, venturing into moving water can be extremely dangerous, and I know this from firsthand experience. The reason my mother was extra concerned today is because several years ago while she was visiting, the creek got up about 70 feet wide, and it rose so fast during the short time I was down at the barn that on my way back I was knocked down, pulled underwater, and seriously thought I was going to drown - and that was while holding onto a guide rope. It only takes a foot of fast moving water to wash away a car. When you come to a flooded area, the rule of thumb is this: If you have to stop and ask yourself if it's okay to cross, then it's not okay to cross. Stay safe.

Wednesday Daily Dose Of Cute

Chocolate Chip Biscotti's Twin Boy In The Barnyard

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where there's just something about a little pink nose - or even a big pink nose for that matter.

Wednesday Farm Photo #2: Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!

This is the one rooster we did keep - isn't he a beaut?

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog with some of the best looking tail feathers around - and a rooster who definitely needs a name.

Wednesday Farm Photo: Rooster Two-Step

More Chicken Dancing

Last June seven-year-old Whitey The Chicken decided that instead of dying of old age she wanted to try her foot at motherhood. Thanks to a kind friend who donated a dozen fertilized eggs to the cause, we soon had seven darling baby chicks hopping around. Unfortunately four of them turned out to be roosters, including this debonair dude. Four roosters on one farm is a lot of roosters, and since we never got around to eating any of them, back in January all but one went to live with the Donkey Peddling Cowboy.

Of course the roosters left with a story, but since it looks like I'm never going to get around to telling it, I figured I'd just go ahead and share this photo I took at their new farm since I still really like it.

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we just might have another batch of baby chicks in the works. Apparently the hens have decided to try and snatch back some the attention that's currently being lavished on all the adorable baby lambs.

Tuesday Daily Dose Of Cute

Charlotte's Baby Girl

Now I realize I posted a very similar photo of this spotted sweetheart for last Saturday's Daily Dose Of Cute, but it didn't let you see those ears.

Need A Bigger Dose Of Cute?
More Daily Dose Of Cute Photos
Lambing Season 2006 Photos
Lambing Season 2007 Photos
Lambing Season 2008 Photos
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where I need to go count and cuddle check on sheep so I can get some sleep.

Tuesday Farm Photo: A Fresh New Day

Our Morning Mist Is Back

Want to see more hazy photos?
8/3/05: Breakfast Under The Mist
8/10/05: View Through The Dew
8/26/05: These Misty Summer Mornings Feel So Peaceful
9/25/05: I Can't Resist These Pink Sunrises
10/11/05: Sheep Into The Mist
11/22/05: From Out Of The Fog, A Little Beagle Dog
11/26/05: October & November Same Scene, New View
3/12/06: Misty Morning Rose Lamb
5/25/06: Donkey In The Mist
8/16/06: Misty Morning Peace - Stop & Breathe It In
11/23/06: Thankful To Call This Place Home
1/1/07: Two Trees Dancing Under The Morning Mist
12/13/07: Slow Traffic Ahead
12/14/07: Good Next Door Neighbors

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where spring green-up has definitely begun - but the grass on the other side of the barnyard fence isn't growing nearly fast enough for our several dozen 'we're so sick of being on The All Hay Diet' sheep. (But keep those nightly grain treats coming!)

Monday Daily Dose Of Cute

Surprise Inspection

Attention dog lovers! Don't miss Julia Szabo's Nose To The Ground blog on FetchDog - it's full of interesting and informative dog news and dog issues. Do you know a neat dog blog or dog site - or have you written about your very own super dog on your blog? Share your cool canine links with us in the comments section. (Donkey links welcome, too!)

© Copyright FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where you never know who's gonna come sneaking up on you.

Monday Farm Photo #2: Who's A-fraid Of The Big Bad Creek? The Big Bad Creek?

That Would Be Our Donkeys

Back in February when the wet weather creek started flowing during all those snow and ice storms (this was before it flooded over), the donkeys literally camped out for three days up by The Shack (complaining loudly the entire time) rather than get their precious hooves wet crossing over to the barn. Begging, pleading, coaxing, and even a bucket full of treats dangled temptingly from the other side of the water didn't work. Fortunately they've gotten a little better since then. A little.

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where our motto is If you need more laughs in your life, just go out and get yourself a little donkey.

Monday Farm Photo: The Definition Of Cheerful?

See Daffodils - Or Even Just One

A year of Farm Photos ago:
3/29/07: Late Supper Picked By The Light Of The Moon
3/30/07: A Year In Bread Has Begun! (And it will continue!)
4/1/07: Making Mischief In The Morning Light
4/2/07: These Two Are On Top Of Breakfast
4/3/07: The Grass Looks Fake This Time Of Year
4/5/07: Lilacs! (Wow, we're way behind this year)

Two years ago:
3/28/06: It Seems Like They Never Stop Moving
3/29/06: They Certainly Do Learn Early
3/30/06: More Old Stuff Just Hanging Around
3/31/06: Doll Face & Her Baby Boy
4/1/06: Spring Has Sprung
4/2/06: Same Scene New View Of The Haybarn
4/3/06: Big World, Small Donkey
4/4/06: Babies Chew On Everything
4/5/06: The Lilacs Are Coming! The Lilacs Are Coming!
4/5/06: A Sweeter Sheep You Will Not Meet - Farewell
4/7/06: Purple Beet 'Greens' In The Greenhouse
Weekend Dog Blogging: Dogfoot
Weekend Cat Blogging: Molly Doodlebug & The Cat Cabin

And out of the kitchen came:
Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we love flowers like daffodils and echinacea that come up year after year despite being totally neglected - and a fenceline full of daffodils never fails to delight.

4/6/08 Daily Dose Of Cute

Chocolate Chip Biscotti & Her Two Day Old Twins (taken 4/4/08)

Need more than this double dose of cute?
More Daily Dose Of Cute Photos
Lambing Season 2006 Photos
Lambing Season 2007 Photos
Lambing Season 2008 Photos
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and lambing season is finally in full swing.

Quick & Easy Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup With Onions, Garlic, Garbanzos & (Oh Why Not?) Artichokes - And Lambing With Your Mom

Healthy & Homemade Fresh From The Pantry

How do you jump start a lagging lambing season? Try to make a flight at an airport that's 200 miles from your farm. Three lambs, including a set of twins, were born Wednesday morning as we were scrambling to get out the door.

Joe had to go out of town last week, so last fall we planned lambing season accordingly; it should have been mostly over by now. But apparently the sheep, or at least Studly Do-Right Jefferson, missed that meeting because most of our ewes are still pregnant. Or else they heard that my foodie mother, who I picked up at the airport after dropping Joe off, decided that this year she wanted to come visit during lambing season.

My mother's farm stays revolve around eating. Menu requests begin to arrive via e-mail as soon as she books her flight, and on the way home from the airport we stop at places like Trader Joe's and buy enormous quantities of food. Once she's here we make charts and lists of everything we want to eat and when we want to eat it (because my mother is a chart and list kind of person) and then we try to figure out how we can cram five meals plus snacks into each day.

Last fall when she was here we spent countless hours in the kitchen whipping up everything from Pina Colada Muffins (delicious! - recipe to hopefully be posted soon) to Beef Uncurry from The Breakaway Cook (delicious but needs more sauce - recipe to hopefully be posted soon) to the newest version of our favorite whole grain bran muffin recipe: ginger & fresh pear (delicious - and the recipe has actually been posted!).

Things have been a little different during this visit. By 2:00 am Thursday morning we'd driven the 200 miles home in the rain, unloaded the truck, tended to all the animals, and were more than ready for dinner. My mother stood in the kitchen eating cold leftover roast leg of lamb while I slurped up spaghetti with tomato sauce (gasp) straight from the jar and slugged down a glass of champagne.

A few hours later we were back in the kitchen, bleary-eyed and bundled up because I'd been too lazy to haul firewood and get the woodstove going and wondering what we were going to eat that day. I stared out at the rainy grey landscape and thought of the fridge crammed with food, the overflow of vegetables in coolers on the covered porch, and all the things we'd talked about making.

"I have some homemade soup in the freezer," I said.

"That sounds perfect."

My mother has learned a lot about lambing season. She's also learned that there isn't much time to cook or bake anything during it. So far she's helped feed hay, haul water, dock tails, put in eartags, give tetanus shots, make sure newborn lambs are drinking milk, feed newborn babies who aren't drinking milk, deal with skittish first-time mothers, administer wormer paste, halter a sheep, and of course cuddle baby lambs. Last night I overheard her tell a friend on the phone that she'd pretty much had enough of the whole lambing season experience. I have a feeling next spring she'll try to schedule her visit so that she misses everything except the lamb cuddling.

And as the days and nights pass by in an exhausting barnyard blur, her gastronomical expectations have become lower and lower. We did make a menu list, but only one thing has been checked off of it. Yesterday as we were hungrily polishing off Cream Of Artichoke Soup from the freezer she said, "Do you think we should defrost some lamb shanks for dinner tomorrow?"

"You mean the ones I told you about that I'd already cooked?"

"Yeah, then we won't have to actually cook anything."

"That sounds good to me."

Today when I asked her what she felt like having for lunch she simply said, "I'll eat whatever you put in front of me."

Welcome to lambing season - aren't you glad the freezers are full? Yes!



Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup With Onions, Garlic, Garbanzo Beans & Oh Why Not? Artichokes
Makes about 12 cups - Freezes beautifully

This is the soup I'd originally planned to make the day I ended up making Cream Of Artichoke Soup instead - and as you can see, the artichokes did end up in there. It's another quick and healthy recipe made entirely with ingredients I had in the pantry.

A jar of roasted red peppers is a wonderful thing to have on hand, as are canned tomatoes. If I'd had any left, I would have used a frozen container of my own heirloom paste tomatoes from the kitchen garden and tossed in a few handfuls of frozen homegrown Aconcagua peppers (my favorite sweet red peppers). This summer I'll try making it with chopped fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Homemade roasted peppers taste sublime and are something everyone should try making at least once.

Once again I used my favorite garbanzo beans as a flavorful, fiber-boosting thickener, but I have to admit that I caved in to my new status as a Serious Cream Soup Fan and also stirred in a cup of heavy cream from the top of one of my gallon jars of local fresh milk. This soup is delicious sans cream, but whether you add it or not I do strongly encourage you to cook up your soup ahead of time if at all possible. It'll taste much better after a night in the fridge, though even sitting around for a few hours does wonders for the flavor. It also freezes beautifully.

When I served this soup to my mother the other night, topped with lots of creamy Monterey Jack cheese, she made sounds that can only be described as food porn dialog. This easy recipe is definitely a winner.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients whenever possible. They really do make a difference in so many ways.

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 onions (about 2 pounds), coarsely chopped
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained (about 1 heaping cup)
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (about 3 cups)
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
1 14-ounce can artichokes (packed in water), drained, rinsed & coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup organic heavy cream (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat, then add the onions. Stir to coat with oil, cover, and cook until onions are soft and starting to brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add a splash of water to soak up any flavorful brown bits sticking to the pot.

Make a space in the center of the pot and add the garlic, stirring so it all touches the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring, about three minutes. Add the red peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, artichokes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid barely cracked for 30 to 45 minutes.

Purée with an immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender and very carefully purée, then return to the pot. I can't say enough good things about, or imagine life without, my KitchenAid Hand Blender; it's quite possibly the best $50 I've ever spent in the kitchen. Been thinking of buying one? Right now it's on sale in red for $44.99 plus free shipping at amazon.com.

Stir in the cream if desired, let cook a few more minutes, then salt and pepper to taste. Serve plain or dressed up with whatever you like, such as chopped scallions, a dollop of sour cream; fresh parsley or cilantro; some cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese; or a few big fat homemade croutons (perhaps from a Four Hour Parisian Baguette).

How about some bread to go with your soup?
Beyond Easy Beer Bread (my most popular recipe)
Quick Rosemary Focaccia
Whole Wheat Beer Bread
Onion Rye Beer Bread
Savory Feta Cheese & Scallion Scones
Parisian Four Hour Daily Baguettes
No-Knead Crusty Freeform Bread
Oatmeal Toasting Bread (makes great rolls, too)
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Italian Black Olive Cheeks
Carrot Herb Rolls (And A Bargain Bread Book For Beginners)
Three Onion & Three Cheese Pizza

You might also enjoy my other Less Fuss, More Flavor soup recipes:
Cream (or not) Of Artichoke Soup With Garlic, Onions & Garbanzo Beans
Broccoli Onion Garbanzo Bean Soup
Susan's Super Spinach Soup
Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup
Hearty Lentil Soup With Smoked Sausage
Use It Or Lose It Lentil & Escarole Soup
Spur Of The Moment Summer Squash Soup
Simple Summer Harvest Soup
Simple Summer Harvest Soup (The Autumn Version

Still Hungry?
You'll find links to all my sweet & savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the sidebar of the Farmgirl Fare homepage under PREVIOUS POSTS: FOOD STUFF WITH RECIPES. Enjoy!

This is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging #127, hosted this week at Kalyn's Kitchen by WHB's creator, my foodie friend Kalyn. Thanks to her, food bloggers around the world are now in our third year of sharing information and favorite recipes each week using herbs, plants, veggies, and flowers. Want to join in? Check out the Rules For Weekend Herb Blogging.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and we love cuddling baby lambs almost as much as we love having freezers full of homemade and homegrown food.

Farm Photo 4/5/08: Chicken Dance

More Poultry In Motion

Welcome new visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

Got a thing for chickens?
Whitey The Chicken
Whitey's Adventures With Motherhood aka Whitey Watch (scroll down to begin at the beginning
Chicken Stuff
Farm Life Tidbits

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where our one rooster (that would be the blur on the left who is one of Whitey's chicks) thinks it's really fun to crow at the top of his big chicken lungs at all hours of the night. Every night. We've had the summertime fan near the bedroom running on 'loud' speed for the last seven months in order to get some sleep.

4/5/08 Daily Dose Of Cute

Soft Spot

Need A Little More Cute?
More Daily Dose Of Cute Photos
Lambing Season 2006 Photos
Lambing Season 2007 Photos
Lambing Season 2008 Photos
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where everybody's seeing spots this time of year - but fortunately it doesn't mean there's anything medically wrong with us.

Attention Homeless Heirloom Tomato Lovers: Would You Like To Move To A Farm?

This Could Be Your New Home Sweet Home!

No, this charming little place isn't located here on my farm, because if it were you can be sure we'd be living in it instead of in The Shack. It's actually somewhere even better - on Love Apple Farm which is located in the Santa Cruz mountains near the central California coast. It's halfway between San Francisco and Monterey and about a half hour's drive to the beaches in Santa Cruz.

My amazing foodie friend Cynthia Sandberg lives on and operates Love Apple Farm, a two-acre biodynamic paradise which originally became known for growing over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes each year. It is now the exclusive kitchen garden for world-renowned, two-Michelin-starred Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos, California. There are also gardening events and classes held on the farm, and right now the 2008 Tomato Seedling Sale is going on. Fortunately for us faraway gardeners, Cynthia also somehow finds the time to tend a deliciously informative blog called Grow Better Veggies. Be sure to check out her fantastic (and free!) Grow Better Backyard Tomatoes Booklet.

You'll find all the details about this wonderful cottage rental opportunity (along with why I'm telling you about it instead of moving in myself) over on my offshoot blog, In My Kitchen Garden. Oh, did I mention one of your new neighbors would be an enormous pot-bellied pig?

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the food is fabulous, the scenery is spectacular, and the animals are incredibly cute - but the words 'charming' and 'cottage' never seem to come to mind when people are attempting to describe The Shack.

4/4/08 Daily Dose Of Cute

Anybody Need An Experienced Sheep Dryer?

Lucky Buddy Bear is half Australian Shepherd and half English shepherd. He loves his sheep so much he licks them dry when they get wet.

Want to see more? Here's Bear (mostly) in action:
10/16/05: Evening Roundup
2/3/06: Stock Dog Extraordinaire
3/1/06: I'll Spring To Life If There's Trouble
3/5/06: Add Babysitting To Bear's Job Description
3/12/06: Resting But Ready For Anything
6/18/06: Now That's A Dedicated Dog
10/1/06: Bodyguard or Nanny Bear?
10/15/06: Veggie Patrol
2/18/07: Sheep Shearing Day Duties
3/15/07: Gang Activity
3/27/07: Hanging With Newborn Twins
4/22/07: Dog Inspection
9/3/07: Squirrel!
9/30/07: It's A Stock Dog's Life
11/25/07: Looking For Some Action
More Bear photos & stories

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where it's that soggy, muddy time of year when everyone from sheep to chickens to visiting foodie moms wants rubber boots - and nobody gets away with having only one job title.