Peacock Orchard

American Guinea Hogs for the farm

I am excited to announce we have a breeding pair of American Guinea Hogs chomping away on grass as we speak.

Joey is a 7 month old boar. He was calmly walking around the pasture when we first saw him. Meanwhile his brothers were madly humping each other. We picked the calm one. He doesn’t mind pets. Doesn’t seem to mind much of anything. He’s a chill little dude.

Tu-Tu (Can you tell the kids named them) is 11 weeks old. She isn’t too fond of being touched but she’ll tolerate it for brief moments if it means food. Her mom was a calm sow.

I’m hoping for calm pigs with calm kids. It’s rather imperative since our kids help out with chores and do love their piggie pets.

Sparta, our lovely Akbash, is desperate to make friends with the piggies. He stands off to the side whining and wagging his tail and trying to get close enough to sniff.

I have modified the barn and runs so that the pigs are separated, sort of, from the birds. The birds have no problem fitting through the hog panels and the gate slats. The pigs aren’t able to squeeze through quite as successfully. This means I haven’t had to stop allowing the birds to free range.

Size reference for ya. Tiny pigs still!

While the birds have no problem going after the pigs food they aren’t a big fan of quick moving, loud grunting pigs. Enjoy this sequence photo of the birds happily grouped and then scattered to the winds when the pig came back. lol

Installing Bees- 2017

We built two top barrel beehives many years ago. I’ve been trying to attract a swarm of bees ever since.

https://peacockorchard.com/2015/07/16/top-bar-bee-hive-construction/

I have finally called it quits and bought a package of bees. Whooo, nerve wracking.

I picked the bees up in their lovely little box. I believed myself fully prepared to install the hive. I’m great at being delusional! You should have been there. It was hysterical in a not so hysterical at the time way.

So I get my opening cover ready and remove the feed, immediately placing a block over it to prevent the bees from escaping. I turn around, place the feed down and bam, package tips over spilling a mass of bees out.

So I quick as lightening get the queen and insert the candy, hanging her on my bars. My husband flees the onslaught of angry insects but not before receiving a few battle wounds. I persevere in my protective gear. I dump some more of the bees out. The tarp is attached to the hive so they can walk right up. I drum on the back a little. I read somewhere they’d march right up if I did that. Bloody liars. So I decide I’ll just wait until after lunch and see what they are doing.

Well, miracle of miracles it did work. They walked themselves up and into the hive, mostly.

I had some hang on on the outside and I had to brush them off and put them in the hive.

Through some slats you can see the mass of bees around the queen. Amazing!

My bee feeder was found. Glory bee! It’s a chick waterer with glass stones and chicken wire tent to keep the birds off.

I nervously checked the next morning and they were ALIVE! I removed the tarp, and that board, which had been supporting the tarp. All is right with the world. Or at least it was until I decided I really should have insulated the hive BEFORE I put the bees in it. No worries, I can staple some insulation on. No worries. What do I do that is no worries. /sigh So I pull the insulation tight and thwack, all the boards fall off releasing hordes of angry bees, again. I manage to get them all back on, miracle of miracles, and finish stapling the insulation on. They all calmed down and went back in. What a relief!

It took them no time at all to release the queen. Now to wait and see what my bees can do!

Testing Almonds

Despite what California farmers would have you think almonds are extremely drought tolerant. What they aren’t is particularly cold tolerant. At least that was what I believed. I have a few Russian Almond bushes flourishing but I really wished I could grow a few sweet almonds. Thanks to One Green World I think I might be able to. I am going to be testing two of their almond varieties out this year.

https://onegreenworld.com/product/all-in-one-almond-tree/

https://onegreenworld.com/product/halls-hardy-almond/

Planted inside the protection of the fenced yard with the dogs to protect them from rabbit predation. If these trees successfully survive winter in Wyoming I will be deliriously happy and graft out as many as possible.

So stay tuned to see if I can get anything else crazy to grow around these parts.

New Kraters First Snow

Snow blows. At least around here. I was unsure about how the rest of the property would handle being kratered. The current kraters are on a slight slope between two swales. They have a nice line of bushes blocking the wind. They’ve been doing well. Will all the property do this well? I just wasn’t sure.

It’s snowed and the kraters filled up with snow just fine. What a relief!

I’m excited to see how the seeds sprout and things progress come spring.

For now, it’s all good.

Futility of Mulching

Nebraska must love me. They have to with all the mulch I’ve put out to blow their way. I’m not quite sure why I still bother. I suppose it’s foolish hope.

There is a reason mulch is praised so highly in Permaculture. Natural mulching is the ideal. Having enough plants and trees that their own natural growth patterns create the detritus that cover the ground. Living the dream.

I’m not living the dream. I’m living the dead land, high wind, low precipitation life. As such I keep spreading mulch out around the property. Then I watch it blow away, to Nebraska. *sigh*

So drumroll please, I’ve mulched the cider orchard. I am about to share my magical mulching secrets.

First I put a collar around all of the trees again. I take them off in the spring because the trees are so small and the collar covers them completely.

Next I water the trees well. It hasn’t rained in months. The cider orchard trees were planted so I can water them, they are expensive.

Next I rip open the glorious bags of mulch. These bags come from my former boss’s residence. I happen to know they are completely organic so I feel no guilt in using the leaves and clippings from their lawn.

I piled the leaves high. I figure if they’re going to blow away best to give them a sufficient mass to move.

I give it a few weeks, or days, depending on wind speeds. I’m happy right now, though.

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Butcher Block Island Construction

Our new island is a true thing of beauty. The kitchen is almost 100% done. All that is left is a new floor and putting base boards on all the cabinets. This is a big deal for me. I started this entire kitchen remodel so I could get a big, beautiful island the kids would be able to access better. Our old island was…gross.

Small and oddly angled it just wasn’t that functional. If I was rolling dough on it there was no way the kids could get up and help me out.

I used the IKEA Algot system and cut it up to make the perfect fruit and vegetable storage baskets in the island.

I was able to fit five large baskets perfectly into the island frame.

I find the baskets extremely useful!

I router-ed two of the 4×4 braces to fit the electrical wire inside the island frame. I also sneezed, can you tell?

Island framing has begun. Can you see the dirty outline of the old island? I was excited to add an additional outlet to this island.

A thing of beauty!

I decided I wanted the planked look on the island as well. There was a big debate about whether to stain or paint the island. I decided I wanted to paint.

The color was not what I intended but it works just fine.

I ordered 8′ maple boards. As the island is 8′ long I planned to glue cross pieces onto each side. It covers the rough edges and gives the counter top the over hang it needed.

I glued the maple planks together with Titebond III Ultimate. I also managed to glue some of the tarp in. I’m talented!

This is how I bypassed using a clamp to glue the edge pieces on.

Then the planing began. I planed for about a month.

Then it was time to sand. To help flatten the butcher block island I screwed it down before I began planing and sanding. As such I was not able to take it outside to sand. I got a little creative.

It worked. No one was more shocked than I. I barely had to clean dust off of the rest of the kitchen.

Then the sealing began. Well first you have to wash it, several times. Then I scrub with lemon and salt. Then clean again. Then oil, many times. Four regular coats of oil and one coat of oil that is mixed with beeswax.

Doesn’t the edge look great!

Now the kids, the dough, the machines and whatever else I want can fit on the island.