Taking a Look Back, the Farmstead in Review

What a wild ride this year has been for the farmstead! When we decided to write this post, Mr. Clucking It Up and myself had a big brainstorm session, the list was pretty incredible. We saw in real time all of the blessings that we have been given, the accomplishments we achieved and the failures we endured. Join us in taking a look back, the farmstead in review.

First let’s start with chatting about the many blessings we received over the course of the year. After that, we’ll talk about our BIGGEST failure.

Our number one blessing is our farm subscription shareholders, these are the people that believed in us at the very beginning of the year. Forked over dollars for seeds and tools, without knowing how the season would go. We could not do what we do without these faithful people. These people become farm-ily; we don’t get to choose family, we choose friends, but farm-ily, they choose us. We were blessed this year with a new KitchenAid Pro Line Food Processor after the one we had died (and was no longer eligible for repair) by one of our customers. An anonymous donor gifted us with what we refer to as the “chicken tilt a whirl of death” a.k.a. Yardbird chicken plucker, therefore making chicken processing so much easier. (We would love to thank you in person whomever you are.) There were many messages, notes and personal conversations of thanks, and gratitude.

As a result, we KNOW without a doubt that we are doing exactly what we’ve been called to do. By faith, we will continue to plant the seeds. Seeds of hope, forgiveness, love and tomatoes. Together we will feed the people.

Farmstead Additions

Early in the year, we did what we called, “The Great Cow Swap of 2020” with a good friend. She “loaned” us her Jersey milk cow (Lizzie) and took our ornery Guernsey (Gigi) for some training in manners. As a result, we now have two milk cows. Pretty sure she knew that was going to happen. Meanwhile, Gigi had her calf, my sweet Delilah girl and I love her with my whole heart. She’s at her new home now but, we get to visit often.

Some of the other farmstead additions this year were rabbits, turkeys, ducks, and a new goat. First, lets chat rabbits.. We started the year with four does and 2 bucks. They are a New Zealand/Californian cross. That is to say, they are great meat rabbits (and they’re cute). We have appropriately named them; Marilyn Bunroe, Scarlet O’Harea, Bunny Davis, Audrey Hepbun, Harey Cooper and Joe DeBunnyio. It’s really a star-studded cast (as with all celebrities, there’s bound to be drama, we had ours for sure).

Secondly, we added our girl Poppy Ann La Mancha. She is absolutely a goaty-goat of great character. She has the cutest little elfin ears and has so much make up. Poppy and Gatlin have become the best of friends, in other words, they are INSERPERAPBLE.

Then there was Covid…

Then there was Covid… how did that play into the farmstead? We adapted, just as farmers do. Something that we realized very early on was that being “quarantined” didn’t really have an affect on our day to day lives. On the other hand, it did have an affect on how we did business. There was no more farmer’s market, one of our bigger outlets for farm goods. Yikes on bikes…now what! During the beginning of Covid, we began to see a need for fresh farm food. There were shortages of all kinds, consequently we started what we call today the Clucking It Up Mobile Market. We really began doing our job of feeding the people. There was a need for our market in other neighboring towns, so we added locations as they were needed.

In conclusion, this move made it possible for both Mr. Clucking It Up and myself to be on the farm full time. Hallelujah and praise Jesus, it finally happened.

The farmstead went on to host the first Christmas Makers Market – which was a HUGE success. We had such a great time with our community making it happen. The farm store expanded it’s variety of items, we now carry locally mixed feeds and grains for critters. We dove head-first into creating custom tumblers. In addition, we learned to make gourmet marshmallows, grow sprouts, and create a beautiful life.

The biggest failure on the farmstead 🙁

What was the farmstead’s biggest failure? Believe it or not, it was our gardens. Personally, we struggled this year with getting our scheduling and daily use of our time on the right track. As a result, our gardens suffered dramatically. Thankfully, we have some AMAZING farmer friends that had our backs. We were able to work with other local farmers and supplement what we weren’t producing (thank you Jesus). Additionally, we were able to establish relationships with farmers we hadn’t previously known. To tell the truth, while it was our biggest failure, it was also a great achievement. More farmers = more food.

Peace, love and chickens