This Week on the Farm

 

Big Chungus Joins Team Aloha

This week I took a break from teaching students about worms and the importance of regenerative agriculture

and decided to focus on another passion; rabbits!  

 

A friend told me about Hidden Pasture Farms. 

It was well worth the drive to Fountain Inn SC to get there.  

 

Kate Nichols opened her agribusiness a year ago and already the place was full of kids and families.  

There are peacocks, all kinds of chickens, goats, ponies, cows, horses and of course

RABBITS!

If you have never been you have to go!  Here is Kate's Website.

Naturally, I could not resist taking Big Chungus, this gorgeous Flemish Giant Buck, home with us.  

Some addictions are just too difficult to withdraw from!

Mom I'm Bored...

My heart goes out to kids these days.  When I was one, 

(just a couple of weeks ago) I had lots of time to roam 

and run free.  My friends and I would make rafts and float 

on the pond behind our house.  We collected clams and 

made clam beds.  We created forts in the woods and rode 

our bikes for hours.  

So why does my heart go out to kids?  Because "the boogie man" 

has stolen their freedom to explore and to create.  This has 

been a heartache of mine for a long time.  You can read about it here.

My dear husband 

rolled up his sleeves and decided to help me put my dream together 

by creating a small area where kids can be kids and get down and dirty 

with their four and two footed friends. 

Do you see the black rabbit running in the background?  That's Ruby and she got out.  

Not to worry I have a plan and will get her back soon.  Believe me, I am an expert now 

at catching escaped rabbits...

 

Meet Maxine.  

She's the pretty girl in this place.

Here is Ruth, aka escape artist.  

If anybody is going to dig their way out, it's Ruth.  She is very tame.  

A dear friend of mine named Ruth used to hold her in her arms for hours

every time we met at our house for a gathering.  Ruth is so gentle and sweet, 

(both of them). 

Cleopatra 

is my oldest rabbit.  She birthed Ruth and several others who I sold.  

My grandson Gabe, has one of her offspring, named Josephine, 

formerly Jo until we discovered he was a she.  

Oh My...

Antonio Valentino the only male. 

He was born on Valentine's Day thus the name...  And true to his name 

he got out of his pen and now all the girls are expecting.  They are all 

getting quite hefty and digging holes in preparation for the new brood.  

I am about to be overrun with rabbits!  

Register for a lab and see for yourself!!  

Have You Ever Seen a Sunburned Goat?

Neither have I  

That's why I decided to make Aloha Goat Milk Organic Sunscreen!! 

While vacationing in Hawaii we went to a wildlife preserve called Hanauma Bay.  At the marine store they were asking people to trade in their harmful sunscreen for this expensive brand that is lacking oxybenzone and octinoxate. 

 

You see Hanauma Bay is a special place for me. 

 My husband proposed to me there many eons ago.  

I went back there again today and I was shocked.  The coral was not as beautiful as it was 39 years ago (oops I let the date slip).  It was quite sad to see the deterioration.  

My sister, Erna

sent me some helpful information: A 2015 study found that up to 14,000 tons of sunscreen enter the ocean every year, causing harm. “The legislature finds that two chemicals contained in many sunscreens, oxybenzone and octinoxate, have significant harmful impacts on Hawaii’s marine environment and residing ecosystems, including coral reefs that protect Hawaii’s shoreline,” the bill reads. “Oxybenzone and octinoxate cause mortality in developing coral; increase coral bleaching that indicates extreme stress, even at temperatures below 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit; and cause genetic damage to coral and other marine organisms.”

Now I don't know about you but if its not good for the coral and marine life how can it be good for me?  

So I had a talk with the goats and they all agreed to help me out.  We got together and devised a plan to save the coral reefs and keep our skin healthy.  I only feed my goats organic goat food and their pasture and hay is also pesticide free.  So you can't find a more pure bunch of goats anywhere around.  

Here is some sunscreen they sell in the marine store.   
Notice the price for 6 oz. $15.99 Wow!  That is enough to make a Dutch woman crawl into a lava tube!!  My goats and I sell our 8 oz. bottle of SPF 25 sunscreen for $11.00  What a bargain and it is all organic and healthy for your skin and the environment. 

Here is what we put in our sunscreen:  organic goat milk, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, apricot oil, pumpkin seed oil, shea butter, stearic acid, emulsifying wax, essential oils, permaben (vitamin C and E), non-nano zinc oxide.  When you put it on it makes your skin a bit white for a few seconds.  Those of us who remember sunscreen before Oxybenzone and octinoxate know that this is how all our sunscreen used to look. You don't need much. 

Please PM me or post a comment below if you want to find out more about this amazing product or try it for yourself.  Save the planet.  Save your skin and your children's skin.  Make a goat smile.  

Those Feisty Frogs

YOU KNOW YOU WANT ONE

One what?  Why a bunny of course!!

This is Cleopatra.  She is the new mother of seven (yes seven) adorable baby bunnies.

Cleopatra had her babies sometime around Christmas.  We were in Hawaii at the time and received this picture from Holly who cares for the farm when we are away.

The bunnies came to school last week and my students are doing an excellent job taming them.  

Recently, I took them back outside and put them in an outdoor cage.  The next morning they were ALL gone.  All seven of them!  Horrors!!!  A mom was coming to pick two bunnies up for her children the next day.  What was I going to tell her?  Never fear.  We found all seven of them under the front porch.  Catching them was another matter entirely... That took most of the day.

A friend of mine told me that rabbit tea helps your plants grow.  So I looked it up.

Rabbit manure has more accessible nitrogen that will not harm your plants.  It is better than manure from cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs or chickens. Yet, it is classified as a cold manure. This is because the nitrogen in rabbit dung is a slow release nitrogen, making it less likely to burn tender roots.  Rabbit manure is less aromatic and has fewer pathogens than other fertilizers.  Put about a gallon worth of rabbit manure into the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, then add water, and stir occasionally till you have a weak looking tea. This can take a day or two.  Just dip your tea out of the bucket, thin it down till it is a weak tea color, and apply about 1 to 2 pints to the soil around each plant, not on the plant itself. Manure teas are especially beneficial in helping plants in the growth stage. Don’t apply manure tea once the plant is ready to set fruit, since the nitrogen in your tea will encourage the plant to grow larger but set less fruit.

Rabbit manure tea is a good source of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium. Rabbit manure is lacking in some trace minerals so add an ounce of concentrated sea minerals to your tea. Some sources add molasses. 

Now after reading all that don't you want one??  You know you do!

Two Important Questions

Hi Everybody!

My friends and family all laugh at this because when I drive up to the house I call out to all the dogs and goats, "Hi everybody! Howz everybody doing?" Then I hear a variety of sounds like baaaa baaaa baaaa, and woof woof woof. So, Hi Everybody! I want to tell you about a really fun opportunity for you to bring your own flock over here to our farm for a really, really fun farm science lab. The dates are Friday October 23, Sunday October 25th, and Monday October 26th.

All the proceeds of this lab will go to the Danner family to help them get on their way as missionaries to Taiwan. Clay Danner 唐弘恩 met my husband Mel at Starbucks and asked him two important questions. Come to the Lab to find out what these questions were!  Clay and Rhonda are dear to our hearts. Clay speaks fluent Mandarin and if you could just get that picture out of your head of a tall white guy with strawberry blonde hair you would think he was Chinese for sure! Here is some information about Clay and his wife, Rhonda:

• • In 1999 Clay took his first trip to Taiwan. The Lord revealed to Clay his future in Taiwan as a missionary.
  • In 2000 & 2001 Clay led three missionary teams from his university to Taiwan.
  • Clay lived in Taiwan from 2001-2004 as a missionary.
  • In 2000 Rhonda spent a summer in doing mission work in Thailand.
  • In 2001 Clay & Rhonda met.
  • In 2001-2002 - Rhonda spent 1 year in Poland on a mission team.
  • 2002-2004 - Rhonda spent 1-1/2 years in Taiwan as a missionary.
  • Their focus was on making disciples by inviting people into their lives, teaching them how to hear from the Father through reading the Bible and prayer, challenging them in what they believe, and empowering and equipping them to do the same thing with others.
  • Many were led to faith in Jesus and one of their greatest joys over the years has been to hear of and meet spiritual grandkids and great-grandkids who have been led to faith in Jesus through those they poured into.
  
  
  

If you would like to help Clay, Rhonda, Charis, Meili, & Liliana, and also treat your children to the funnest science lab ever, click here to register. We plan to have pony rides, teach about rabbits, chickens, Great Pyrenees Dogs, and goats. We will have a goat milking demonstration with goat milk ice-cream and goat milk available to sample. Each family will go home with a bar of goat milk soap made right here on the farm. There will be plenty of opportunities for your children to be photographed with the bunnies, chickens, goats, dogs, and the pony.

Parents this is a great opportunity for you to expose your children to a farm experience as well as learn some geography and help the Danners. Grandparents bring your grandchildren! Students will have an opportunity to study my power point presentation on rabbits, goats, ponies, Great Pyrenees Dogs, and take the quiz before the lab. The treasure box will be on site for those who complete the lesson.

See you soon!!

Suggested Donation not Mandatory

Option 1 $22.50 USD Option 2 $35.00 USD Option 3 $50.00 USD