Well it is starting to warm up and the sun is shining brightly on this beautiful Easter weekend. We have had some huge changes to our lives over the past few weeks and we are still finding our footing on this new path. Nick and I are now official Foster Parents!!! We are over joyed and maybe a little overwhelmed but it has been amazing so far. We owe a big thanks to our Honeylocust Homestead Team!! Auntie (Diana), Dad (Larry) and Mom (Wendy) have stepped up where and when we have needed help allowing us the time for our new little family to settle and bond! We are forever grateful for such an amazing support system and to those friends who have stopped by with toys, clothes and supplies!! We love you all!!
In the midst of a house full of Easter toys and time being spent blowing bubbles, drawing with sidewalk chalk and riding the adorable little tricycle (a special gift from our friends at Bella and Pearl’s Market Garden) outside, today’s post will be brought to you by dad! I hope you enjoy!! Happy Easter everyone!!!
Thick, Thicker, Thicket
When I was a young boy, I used to like to hide in a thicket of shrubs. In the centre was a shaded, mostly bare-ground habitat where the cottontails and ground hogs dashed for protection from predators. It was a nice shady place similar to a mini/dwarf forest.
Thickets are one of the mostly forgotten parts of our ecosystems. They are unique and around here consist of Staghorn Sumac, or Wild Crabapple, or Viburnum, or Grey Dogwood, or Prickly Ash, or Wild Rose, or Wild Raspberry brambles etcetera. Brambles are impenetrable for a young boy. Such are the brambles of Br’er Rabbits home. Thickets are mostly single native species habitats.
We have been educated about the importance of native species and native habitats, especially our most endangered spaces such as prairies and savannahs, both reduced by 99.7% of their original range/glory. There is some natural regeneration of open meadow-like habitats in recent years as some marginal farm land is abandoned and there have been efforts to restore or create some grassland and savannah habitats. What’s missing from these restoration efforts are thickets. If you read the journals of the early pioneers, surveyors and explorers (such as Lewis and Clarke), you will find many descriptions of the grasslands, savannahs and forest edges featuring large thickets and brushy openings. Often large thickets were encountered and westward heading pioneers had to be routed around a “mile of thicket” to move forward. These accounts come from a time when fire, both natural and anthropogenic, influenced the landscapes. Thickets were part of the resulting landscape and ecosystems molded by fire. Thickets evolved in these open fire dependent landscapes. They play a vital role in sustaining wildlife and belong there.
If you examine a thicket, you will see it is made up of a rhizomatous shrub or small tree species, usually one species per thicket. A mature dense thicket is actually quite fire resistant. There isn’t much, if any, herbaceous plant growth in the shady centre of the thicket. Hence no fuel for the fire to use and pass through the thicket. However, the fire does affect the edges of the thicket which are always expanding into the surrounding herbaceous growth of the grassland/meadow. The young shoots of the rhizomatous shrub are killed by the fire at the edge and the thickets are periodically controlled and reduced in size.
Today, most of the meadows and grasslands are gone and so are the thickets. Some were hanging on in farm hedgerows, along small streams and at forest edges but modern industrial agriculture has no room for hedgerows, or growth along streams and forest edges disappear with the forests. And pressures from invasive introduced plant species and the use of herbicides and pesticides kills of the thickets.
Thickets are a missing link for much of our wildlife species, especially pollinators and songbirds. Thickets provide a habitat that produces what the grassland and herbaceous layer does not. As an example, most thicket species are early season bloomers, April to early June here at the homestead. At this time of year, the herbaceous plants of the grassland have little to offer, being mainly summer and fall blooming species. This really matters to early pollinators like the Queen Bumblebees which rely on these early blooming thicket species. All the native early season bee species of the open habitats would not survive/exist without the pollen and nectar from the thicket shrubs and small tree species such as Wild Plum, Wild Rose, Prickly Ash or Staghorn Sumac to name a few. These shade intolerant thicket species are vital.
Besides bees and other pollinators, thicket species provide forage for the larvae of probably 1000 different butterfly and moth species and refuge for a myriad of insects, especially the singing insects. This is songbird food, especially the caterpillars of the butterflies and moths. Baby songbirds can only eat protein in the form of insects, mainly caterpillars. Plus, most thicket species provide a fruit (and seed) that is eaten by many mammals, birds and insects (and humans, Wild Plum is delicious). Songbirds love nesting in thickets.
So, are thickets important? You bet they are, and they should be included in ecological restoration efforts of prairies and in backyard landscape bio-plans (you have a bio-plan, right?). They should be part of the Native Plant Agriculture system, Silvo-pasture and Silvo-Agriculture and Regenerative Agriculture/permaculture efforts. We have numerous thickets here at the Honeylocust Homestead and I’m proud that we do.
So, lets reconsider the lowly thicket and protect what we have remaining and include these species in future land-care restoration/management strategies.
As we enter February, “Sweetheart Month”, we are rolling out our breeding program here at the Homestead.
We recently brought home our newest “Farm Family” member, Harrison. He is our Belted Galloway bull from Queensmere Farms (registered Belted Galloway breeders). Harrison arrived just in time to begin growing our Belted Galloway way herd. Our future goal is to provide ourselves, our family and the community with this extremely healthy beef!
Belted Galloway’s are a heritage breed, originating from Scotland. They are very hardy cattle and thrive on a grass-fed diet. Testing in Canada has found Galloway beef to be low in saturated fat and has been proven to be as healthy for the heart and brain as chicken and fish and naturally contains more omega-3 fatty acids. A grass based diet also involves less machinery being used on the Homestead than a grain diet, which results in a much smaller environmental footprint. Grazing is what cattle does best and this allows them to have a natural, healthy, stress free life. We will be breeding for 2 fall calves with the goal of having beef available late 2024.
Next we have our Registered Nubian Dairy Goats. As some of you may remember Daisy gave us our first 2 kids born here at the Homestead in 2022, Kliff & KornPop. Our two boys were sired by the late Cliff. This year Daisy has been set up with Cupid and she is now expecting around June 14th. We also have Koraline and Kliff who will be matched up once they are both ready for breeding. Kiff will be with us here until he has become a proven breeder, at that time he will be available for purchase as a Registered Buck. KornPop will be remaining with us for a companion whether. Our dairy goats provide us with the milk for our “Hand ~ milked, Hand ~ made” goats milk soap. Starting in the 2023 milking season, we will have a regular supply of goats milk soap available.
Moving on to our sheep, we now have Katahdin breeding stock. Our ewe Elsa is already “with lamb” and due March 17 (which also happens to be Nick and I’s anniversary). Time to start thinking of some Irish names for the lamb(s) to come. Coco our other ewe is waiting for her date with Bean which will take place here in the next week or so. Once they are both ready she will likely be lambing around the same time as Daisy. Bean is our Katahdin Ram and he will be the Sire to our future stock. Elsa being bred before coming to live to us has the potential to have a female lamb that is unrelated to Bean in which case we would expand to include her in our breeding program. The other lambs will be finished with the goal of having Katahdin lamb meat available late 2023.
As for our Kunekune’s our piglets are growing like little weeds. We did have a very heartbreaking loss last month, as their mother Gypsy ran into some complications and with everything our veterinarian and ourselves tried to do for her, we unfortunately were unable to save her. This is the part of farming that most people don’t get to see. The heart break and heaviness we experience when our animals are suffering and we are fighting with everything we have to save them. I refer to our livestock as our “Farm Family” because that is exactly what they are. They may be a part of our livelihood but they are given the very best life, they are loved and they are respected. As I read recently from another homesteader “Death is never an easy thing, even when it is expected and that is okay. We are so disconnected from our food sources. Walking into a grocery store and seeing packs on packs of meat readily available makes us not even think about the life that animal has lived. But that is not what I want to support. I want to know that the animal who sacrificed to nurture me, has lived with daylight every day. Lived listening to birds chirp and eating bugs everyday. Yes, I am a meat eater and yes, I still value that animals life. For me that goes hand in hand. So yes, when I get asked “how can you eat something you have raised yourself” it’s because of exactly that! I watched every day of it’s life be the way it should have been”. That being said, we will be keeping at least one of her female piglets to have in our future breeding program. At this time our little boar Jazz, who isn’t so little anymore, is getting closer to becoming a sire for our future Kunekune’s. We will be offering the specialty Kunekune pork in the fall of 2023.
As you can see, 2023 will be a big year for Honeylocust Homestead, and this is only the beginning. I have recently placed my seed order and chick orders as well. The first chicks arrive in March, and we have written up a plan for our poultry rotation in order to continue to provide our wonderful community with Honeylocust Homestead’s healthy, farm fresh and pasture raised meats! Chickens, turkeys and ducks are all on the list again as well as geese and potentially some game birds if we can get the paperwork completed for the licensing.
We will also be making some big announcements in the way of a collaboration with another local Homestead to bring to you some really exciting new offers! More to come on that soon.
There are plans in the works for us to offer some Homestead events this year, so stay tuned for all the excitement! The future is bright and we are so grateful for all the opportunities and support that has helped us get to where we are! Although we did suffer a few set backs, we’ve still hit the ground running for 2023 and can’t wait to see you all at markets, events or our farmgate! If you have any questions please reach out to us at honeylocusthomestead@yahoo.com … We love hearing from our customers!!
~ Becky Hunter
Welcome to your new home Harrison!!!Honeylocust Farm Fresh ChickenBecky holding Gypsy to comfort her as we fought to save her 💔 Goodbye Gypsy… you will never be forgotten!!A couple of Gypsys pigletsBelties in the SnowHoneylocust Homestead Farm Fresh Eggs! We’ve signed up for the Wallaceburg Farmer’s Market again this year! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Welcome to 2023 everyone! I hope your year is off to a great beginning! We have some wonderful new developments already happening here at Honeylocust Homestead and plans to offer so much more this year. We are expanding and we are very excited about it! I can’t tell you much right now but next week I will have a surprise to share. For this week we will be turning the post over to dad and learning a bit about one of my favorite trees and how we will be making great use of them here at the Homestead going forward.
Weeping for Willows
I’m just jesting with the title but I thought I would write about a much maligned group of trees; “Willows”.
Willows are in the genus Salix and the family Salicaceae. This is a genus of trees and shrubs which are hard to identify to species. We have several species growing here on the Homestead naturally and intentionally; planted 30 years ago. There are approximately 60 Willow species in Canada. Willows are plants restricted to the Northern Hemisphere with only one species being found south of the equator in Southern South America. Interestingly, Willows evolved from shrub forms first, then into trees. The two main species we have locally that are tree form are Black Willow and Peachleaf Willow. There are other Willow species, such as Blue-leaved Willow, Pussy Willow and Shining Willow that may grow to 6 meters but they are usually shorter with multiple stems, not quite trees unless you prune them for tree form. There are a few introduced alien species that grow into large trees such as Crack Willow, Weeping willow and White Willow (and hybrids of these). The alien species are brittle trees that litter the ground with small branches and twigs. Willows are mainly species of wetlands, stream-sides and swamps. So it is a problem to plant tree size Willows near drainage pipes and tiles as their roots will seek out the water within.
Willows have very high ecological values supporting over 400 Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths) species (their caterpillars) and the birds that forage on those caterpillars. Even shrub forms have these values. The smallest shrub form is Prairie or Upland Willow (Salix humilis) and is a great introduction to your landscape to support natures creatures.
Willows are easy to grow from cuttings, just stick them in damp ground to root or into a glass of water until some short roots appear and then plant. They also provide materials for crafting, making Willow Panels, Fencing, Furniture and Basketry. They make great forage for livestock. That will be a focus here at Honeylocust Homestead, crafting and forage for our sheep, goats, and cattle. We have hundreds of Willows growing here and we plan to plant more for these purposes to prevent much negative impact to the natural ones with our harvesting. Producing the branch material for these purposes, by coppicing and pollarding. Coppicing is cutting the Willow (or any deciduous species of tree) to near the ground and allowing it to re-sprout. Pollarding is just cutting the Willow higher, a meter or two, and then letting it re-sprout. Then every year or so you harvest the sprouted stems and use them for these purposes.
So there you have it, my pitch for the benefits of Willows in the landscape. Oh! And Willows have great medicinal purposes as well. They contain Salicylic acid which is a pain killer. They were the original source of aspirin.
~ Larry Cornelis
Black WillowPollardingWeaving WillowWillow BarkWeaved Willow Fence
Well, we are about to wrap up year one of business here @ Honeylocust Homestead! This year has brought us great joy, treasured friendships, and taught us more than we could possibly have imagined. Of all the things this year did teach us, it was the heart warming response from our community that really touched us the most! This Christmas, the sentiments and amazing comments and photos from family gatherings where our hard work growing healthy, heritage meats really shone through. We were able to sit back while enjoying our own very LARGE homestead grown turkey (weighing in just under 26lbs) and be grateful and proud for all the accomplishments this year brought our way.
There is one thing I wish I had stayed more on top of and that was this blog; My New Years Resolution will be to not lose touch again and to honor this weekly connection with all of our followers. Now, I am not perfect but be prepared to hear from us more often again. This being said I will not make any excuses and I will simply travel back through the last few months to share some highlights from the Homestead with you.
First of all if I skip back to where we left off this fall, the next venture I would like to share with you would be into soap making. With our new Honeylocust Homestead : Hand Milked ~ Hand Made Goats Milk Soap. Our soaps are all natural, with natural oils and herbs for your pleasure and needs. We are new to soap making so bear with me as we learn the ins & outs. Previously I was a student of the art of Herbalism and it is my hope to pair this knowledge with our new craft. Bringing to you a unique product from our Homestead to your home. The response to our new soaps was greatly appreciated as we sold out of our first 2 batches at the Wallaceburg Holiday Market. We currently have orders for the new year and there may be some new and exciting offers coming in 2023!
On a side note: I would like to thank everyone who braved the frigid temperatures and made it out to the 2022 Holiday Market to support local in-spite of the undesirable weather.
Stepping back a few weeks, I can not skip over the incredible honour that was bestowed upon us with the Wallaceburg & District Chamber’s : Business & Community Excellence Award for Agriculture Business 2022. This entirely unexpected honour left us speechless and feeling grateful for everything in our lives and for all those that have supported us along the way. We really have come so far!
We spent the beginning of December traveling back and forth to Highgate Meats with batches of our nutritious, pasture raised meats in order to provide for Christmas. The response to our meats from customers and their families was, as previously touched on, nothing short of heart warming and I can’t express this enough!!! We are extremely grateful to all of you who shared sentiments of how our meats brought such joys to your holiday tables.
Lastly we had quite the surprise a couple weeks ago when our sow (Gypsy) birthed her first set of Kunekune piglets. While unknown to us she was even pregnant. We now have 6 healthy, adorable Kunekune piglets, growing like weeds. It was a definite shock to find them and she delivered her first litter completely on her own. Being caught off guard we were unprepared and reached out to a friend for advice. Once we had an idea of what to do we went into top gear, creating a comfortable, piglet safe, set up. Gypsy needed a little coaxing to lie down for the first suckling but after that she had the hang of it and has been a wonderful momma. We will be looking in the New Year, at which piglets would make good breeding stock and pets. This will help us determine which ones we will grow to bring to our customers the very first of our nutritious, specialty, heritage Kunekune pork.
We are looking forward to bringing you our best again in 2023! We can’t wait to share our knowledge, stories and photos with you, throughout a whole new year.
Well, time has escaped me once again, as the bustle of summer projects and markets had us falling behind on our blog posts. I sincerely apologize for that. As the season is changing and things are starting to slow down, I feel a relaxing fresh breath of air. It has been an incredible summer! We have so much to be thankful for and the perfect time to sit back and review how far we have come is just around the corner. We have learned a whole lot this summer, from both our successes and failures. Although there are no true failures, only lessons learned. As we wrap up this season, I promise to share some of those with you. For today, I hope you enjoy Dad’s insight into “the perfect flower”, it may come as a surprise to you and I hope you learn something new.
____________________
Are you looking for a flowering plant that’s tough and dependable, that returns year after year and flowers for weeks. Has showy flower clusters that bloom when little else blooms and attracts and supports bees and butterflies. A plant that is coveted by European gardeners and grown in the fanciest European gardens. Well, I hope you’re sitting down when you read this because that perfect flowering plant is goldenrod.
That’s right, goldenrod, and I’ll explain why I think that. It has all those attributes plus they do not cause hay fever which they get blamed for. Goldenrods have large sticky grains of pollen that have to be moved by pollinating insects. It’s wind dispersed pollen, from grasses, trees and ragweed’s (ragweed blooms at the same time as goldenrod) that cause hay fever.
Goldenrods are in the genus ‘Solidago’. That name comes from the Latin words ‘solidus’, which means ‘whole’ and ‘ago’, which means ‘to become’. That translates to ‘becoming whole’, alluding to the many healing properties associated with goldenrods.
Historically, goldenrod was used to make rubber too. The tires on the model T that Henry Ford gave as a gift to Thomas Edison were made from the latex in goldenrods.
Goldenrods are found mostly in North America. There are 103 species native to Canada and the USA, 8 to Mexico, 4 to South America and 6 to Europe and Asia. In Lambton County we have 20 species. Some, such as Ohio and Showy are very rare. Showy is an endangered species. There are some species that I don’t grow (Canada, Tall) because they grow from rhizomes (root systems) and can be invasive in a garden scenario. They are still important plants in ecosystems and should be included in large scale restoration projects. I recommend and grow 9 species including blue-stemmed, early, gray, hairy, Ohio, Riddell’s, showy, stiff and zigzag. These are all well behaved goldenrod’s that grow from a caudex root system, (a short thick underground stem), and have a clumping habit/form. The different species have different leave shapes and unique flower clusters from cymes to spikes but they all have yellow flowers. Three of these species, blue-stemmed, hairy and zigzag are shade tolerant and can be grown in the woodland garden.
Aside from being showy with a large inflorescence of dozens of small yellow flowers you’ll really appreciate their values at attracting bees, butterflies and other beneficial pollinators. Their blooming period is critical as little else, except their close relatives the asters, blooms in late summer and fall. Monarch butterflies especially depend on goldenrod’s as a nectar source to build up energy for their long trip to Mexico. Goldenrods also support over 120 species of butterfly an moth larva, the most of any herbaceous plant.
Author, professor, and TV host Martin Galloway praises the virtues of goldenrods. Martin decries the disdain for them and explains that they have nothing to do with allergies, they flower for 6 to 8 weeks, require no watering and support a huge community of affiliated flora and fauna.
So there you have it. The perfect flowering plant. What more could you ask for from a plant? We have numerous species here at the Honeylocust Homestead. Don’t hold back. Plant and enjoy goldenrods in your home landscape. I think you’ll be glad you did and I know the pollinators will be.
-Larry Cornelis
Our Nature Trail, is spun with gold!Beautiful Bouquet Fillers
I would like to start today with a thank you to all those who did a rain dance yesterday. We got 1 ¼ inches of much needed rain! We still need more for everything to recover but at this point I am just grateful we got anything at all. It had been 2 months for us and the ground is dust to 4 feet down. The ducks and Geese sure were having a party last night!
Today I would like to give an update on the current happenings at the homestead. We have been fortunate enough to have some groups of friends by to visit the baby goats. The little bucklings have been growing like weeds and Daisy has been happy and healthy raising her two kids. Many of you that follow us on social media will have been introduced to Koraline. Koraline will be our new breeding doe for 2023. We are retiring Daisy and would like her to just live her days out comfortably, she deserves it! Cupid and Koraline will be the main players in our Nubian, dairy goat herd going forward.
Next, we move on to Lily, Luna and Linus. I am suspicious Lily may be pregnant. However, we are in the process of switching over to Katahdin hair sheep and so our little flock of 3 is available to a good home. They would be perfect for someone with a small farm looking to get started in sheep. We will be picking up our first Katahdin lambs on Saturday. One ewe born April 17 and a Ram lamb around the same age.
For those of you who have never heard of hair sheep or the Katahdin breed here is a little introduction…
Katahdin are hardy, adaptable, low maintenance sheep that produce superior lamb crops and lean, meaty carcasses. They do not produce a fleece and therefore do not require shearing. They are medium-sized and efficient, bred for utility and for production in a variety of management systems. Ewes have exceptional mothering ability and lamb easily; lambs are born vigorous and alert. The breed is ideal for pasture lambing and grass/forage-based management systems.
They have demonstrated wide adaptability. They were derived from breeds that originated in the Caribbean and British Islands and the state of Maine was their original home. In cold weather, they grow a very thick winter coat, which then sheds during warm seasons. Their smooth hair coat and other adaptive characteristics allow them to tolerate heat and humidity well.
The hair coat of the Katahdin varies in length and texture among individuals and can be any color or color combination. It generally consists of coarse outer hair fibers and an undercoat of fine wooly fibers that becomes very thick and longer if cold weather sets in and day length decreases. This undercoat and some hair naturally sheds as temperature and day length increase seasonally, leaving a shorter, smooth summer coat.
With all the new additions some renovations are underway. Nick and I have planned a new layout for the barn that we will work away at slowly. I am very excited about the changes and this new look is a big step towards our vision for the Homestead.
Leaving the barn, we head out into the pasture, or dare I say desert lands. We are in the process of adding an extra 2 acres, with the hopes of adding 3 more next year. At the moment we are dividing up the pasture we have to section off for different animals. We worked this week on pasture for the Kunekune pigs and although we are stalled at the moment on some issues with our temporary electric fencing, it is starting to look like 2 good little paddocks. We made the executive decision that the paddocks we mapped out will be permanent and so we will swap out the fencing for a more solid option over the next couple of weeks. We have 7 more small paddocks to make and this will be the beginnings of our small rotational grazing. We will move forward with regenerative and self-sustaining practices to help our land and our animals be the healthiest they can be. I am looking forward to the days where even in a drought we have lush pasture grasses for everyone.
Outside we have finished the stationary coop in our backyard, or as Nick likes to call it “the Chicken Condo”. This coop is for laying hens that may come out and free range during the day but have a safe place from predators overnight. The turkey and chicken tractors have been making their way around the farm (with a big thanks to Nick) and everyone is growing quickly. These turkeys will be ready for Thanksgiving, while our next set will be for Christmas. Our Plymouth Barred Rocks will begin to lay soon, and they will move from the tractor to the coop, making space for our new set of meat chickens.
One of the newest exciting developments for us has been our attendance at the Wallaceburg Farmer’s Market. We returned this past Saturday and will be joining the market from now until its end in October. We have fresh produce, pre-order forms for our Honeylocust Homestead meats, pollinator plants, fresh cut wildflowers, art and more! We greatly enjoy spending the morning with our other local vendors, friends, and customers. We hope to see some of you there!
Rebecca of Honeylocust Homestead
Klif & Kornpop @ 3 weeks oldKoraline our new Nubian doeling!Coco, our soon to be first Katahdin ewe lamb!Gold beets for market!Wallaceburg Farmer’s MarketSalad Turnips for market! Temporary fencing going up!At the market!!Our first tomatoes!Enjoying the new “chicken condo”
Well; we’ve had a busy day getting ready for tomorrow’s Farmers’ Market and with all this food on our minds, we thought it was a great time to share a quick insight into some of the new things we’ve been trying here at the homestead. I hope you enjoy this insiders view of our tables. Maybe you too will want to try something wild!
We have a 40×40 foot garden where we are growing our own vegetables. We have lettuce, leaks, onions, zucchinis, cucumbers, beets, broccoli, celery, yellow, green and purple beans, Swiss chard, tomatillos, a few potatoes and lots of tomatoes and peppers. In other garden areas scattered around the homestead we have sweet corn, numerous squash/pumpkin varieties and even melons (watermelon, cantaloupe). Also growing in our vegetable gardens are weeds. This year we decided to go no-till, no sprays (poisons), regenerative agriculture style with our gardens. In spring before we planted, the 40X40 garden was a dense carpet of little green plants but we still went ahead no-till/no spray. These plants were mostly annual weeds such as lambs quarters and pigweed. So, what we did was smother these still small weeds with old well composted manure, to 3” thick. There are basically 6, 4’ wide planting beds with 2’ paths between them. On the walking paths we laid slices of old hay (hay and straw bales are packed in slices) to walk and kneel on. That created great weed control on the paths too. Then we just planted straight into the composted manure, parting the compost so the seeds and plants were in the soil below. Of course, the seeding rows gave weeds an opportunity too but it was easy to control, really! What are weeds anyway? Usually described as an unwanted plant. Sunflowers are weeds in a wheat field. Most of what we call weeds are species from Europe or Asia. Lambs quarters and pigweed are European species that the early settlers brought with them from the old world to the new world. Many of our weeds were intentionally brought here as food for both people and domestic animals/livestock. As it turns out, the weeds in our veggie garden are edible. Not just edible but very nutritious and tasty. Enter the opportunity for foraging for some of our food. Imagine, healthy, tasty food free for the taking. These weeds are literally everywhere in our landscapes. So far this year we have included lambs quarters, pigweed, Japanese knotweed, mallow, garlic mustard, and milkweed into our diet. We have also foraged for fruit such as black-cap raspberries, serviceberries and mulberries. Plus, we have been planting fruiting shrubs and trees in our developing food forest. Back to the wild edible veggies, our favourites are the lambs quarters and pigweed. They are as good as any spinach or Swiss chard we are growing. We just steam them fresh as we would spinach and have a delicious healthy green on our plate. When harvesting these greens just pick the top 4 to 6” of the shoots. That’s where the most nutrients and enzymes are found and the most tender part of the plant. Friends pop their eyebrows when we tell them what we are eating. I sometimes send them photos of the wild edibles on our plates. Of Course, you have to be confident of your plant species identification skills. You should also be aware of whether the site you are collecting from is pristine/organic so as not to eat from a poisoned soil/site. I mentioned that we eat milkweed. We have eaten the spring shoots, flower buds and now the pods, (before they are over an inch long). It is recommended that you boil these milkweed parts twice, in a change of water. There is a lot of opportunity to eat healthy free food through foraging, but you need to know what you are doing. We recommend reading a good book on the subject if this interests you. ‘Wild Edibles’, by Sergei Boutenko is a good book.
Well… there is a lot more to birthing dairy goats than pygmy goats. When deciding to get Nubian goats as part of our homestead, I never imagined that we would have walked into such a pickle. Don’t get me wrong, Nubians are sweet, lovely, quirky goats and an immense pleasure to have around. What we learned was to do more research before buying a goat and if something doesn’t feel just right when you pick that new friend up, back out. Don’t be scared to say, “I’m sorry but I don’t think he/she is the right fit for our farm” When we bought our first 2 Nubian goats, I was naïve and so excited that I looked past some warning signs. Our doe was for sale for half price, and I was told she needed some extra weight because she was being picked on and didn’t fit in. Well, if that was true, it was only half of the story. We would come to find out within the week that she was also malnourished and “not a healthy animal”. First however, I would go through the devastating process of trying to save my new bucks life from Urinary Calculi (kidney stones, stuck in the urethra), that had been missed for far too long. Ultimately, our vet would recommend putting him down for his own sake as the pain of being unable to urinate intensified. No one ever said that animal husbandry was easy or that raising livestock is something for the faint of heart. All the positive experiences and the joy of having any animals will also bring worry and loss at times.
So why are pygmy goats easier you ask? Well 8 years ago this winter, we went to the grocery store on a snowy day and when we returned home looking out the back door, we saw these 2 things bouncing in the pasture. “What are those” I asked, and Nick responded with “Those are baby goats”. Well, we knew she was pregnant, but we did not know how far along, until that day. So, frolicking with joy out to the pasture to hug our new kids, we went along our way. In contrast, dairy goats, not so simple.
We believed Daisy was pregnant from the first couple of days after they arrived. As time went on, we had the vet look at her and he strongly doubted the chances, until she got too big to ignore and he looked further into it with his ultrasound. Turns out to our delight, KIDS!! We put her on a special diet that was recommended considering her health and watched very closely as she got bigger and bigger, and shinier and shinier. Her health improved and she looked like a whole new “mama goat” or as Nick likes to say, “a waterbed” while laying down. She was very wide!
About a month before her due date, Daisy developed mastitis in one teat and the vet had us milking that side out daily. This would ultimately cause loss of some colostrum -the element needed to supply the kids with anti-bodies and kick start their immune system- once the kids were born, it would be our job to make sure they either used the proper nipple or if there were more than 2, we would need to bottle feed at least one of them. This added an extra chore to my day. However, I was excited despite the circumstances to have my first chance to milk my dairy goat. Turns out, I still haven’t figured out how to do it and this became “the friendly barn groom’s” (Nick) extra chore. We knew the rest of her pregnancy would be a little more stressful for her, and a lot more stressful for me, “the farm worrier”.
I watched very, very, very closely for the next weeks. Looking for any changes and on day 142, I became intensely obsessed with any little change I may think I noticed “in her parts”. This continued to consume my afternoons through to day 150 -expected due date- at 2:30 when the changes were real, and her water broke! Nick, Dad, and I were all in the barn when Daisy went into labor, it was quick and at 3:00 “little goat A” was born. “Little goat B” followed 45 minutes later. We watched her with her new little ones and after about 30 minutes from the birth of the now renamed, “Little Buck B” we saw “Little Buck A” try to drink from the correct nipple”. With little to no success we had to step in. Nick milked the colostrum out of the good nipple to bottle feed Little Buck A and Little Buck B. Once we got some colostrum in their little bellies there was a significant change in their strength and both were up trying to drink. Now the panic returned. I spent the next 24 hours hyper vigilant and noticing every little issue that may lead me to believe they were not getting enough milk. Unfortunately, Nick and Dad were away for the next morning – mid afternoon. Upon their return it was decided that they were in fact getting the needed sustenance and we have 2 happy, healthy little kids. We now have the joy of watching them bounce around and pull at each other’s, and momma’s ears. We can sit back and let her take over, not worrying as much. They have been renamed as Klif with a K and Korn pop. Nubian goats are a registered breed and each year a letter is assigned to document that year of birth. We always choose a name to fit that letter. Our little bucks will officially be…”Honeylocust Homestead’s Klif with a K” and “Honeylocust Homestead Daisy’s Korn pop”.
All said and done; it was a wonderful experience, and wait for it… I am now watching Lily (one of our sheep) in anticipation that maybe, just maybe, that rounder belly means she is pregnant as well.
– Written with the “fluffiness” and some grammar by Becky, highlighted with words from “the friendly barn groom”. (Maybe you can pick them out 😉)
Beautiful Momma Daisy!“The Friendly Barn Groom” milking away!My Great Grandfather’s milking stool… now in use again!! Thanks to my Aunt Diana for saving it when our old barn came down.“Waterbed” DaisyA tired couple of ladies!Born at 3:00 on Feb 8th, Day 150There is two!!Becky and the Buckling Brothers!Honeylocust Homestead’s Klif with a KHoneylocust Homestead Daisy’s Korn PopBrotherly Love Dad (Larry) with Korn PopHungry momma keeps an eye on those Littles 48 hours and bouncing about!Oh Brother! 😆 Friends out for Baby Goat Cuddles
P.s After writing this I took a break to head to the barn and I finally figured out how to milk my goat😆🙌😃
Here at the Honeylocust Homestead we consider supporting nature very important and so we have and continue to; integrate ecological function into our landscapes. The nature reserve, riparian and hedgerow habitats are supporting wildlife species that had been absent for many decades.
One conservation effort that we focus on is helping pollinators, especially our native bees. This is national “Pollinator Week” and we are proud of our efforts to support pollinators in peril with native wildflowers, shrubs and tree plantings. We also have pollinator plants, bee houses and bee house kits available when we attend farmer’s markets and through online order.
Everyone can help pollinators; it’s very easy and even small spaces can really make a difference. Following is an article that dad wrote for presentations he does about bees and other pollinators. I hope you enjoy and maybe even pick a few of the recommended plants from our lists to begin your own little pollinator garden. Every little bit helps and pollinators need all the help they can get!
Pollinator Gardens – Celebrate Native Pollinators
It’s in the news regularly. Our pollinators are in trouble. There are numerous reasons but the main problems are habitat loss and pesticide use including neonictinoides. Pollinators, including ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, moths and wasps (but especially bees) are critically important to our natural environment and to us. Most plant species need these creatures to pollinate their flowers to produce fruits and seeds. Many of these plants provide us with food (fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and herbs), beverages, fibres, medicines and spices. Depending on where you live and your personal diet, as much as 35% of the foods you eat are dependent on pollinators doing their job. This also supports billion dollar industries worldwide. Of course, that is an anthropocentric view. What’s really important is that 85% of all plant species and 90% of all flowering plants require pollinators to be pollinated. What would our world be like if we lost 85% of all plants on the planet? That would be an environmental disaster. This is one situation we can all do something about and help with by creating pollinator gardens and by not using pesticides in our landscapes.
Native plants are the foundation of pollinator gardens. Native plants attract native bees and also are host plants supporting the caterpillars of most butterflies and moths. That’s also an important feature in your pollinator garden, having host plants for butterflies and moths. Be sure to include shrubs and trees, not just wildflowers in your gardens. A blooming red twig dogwood or American basswood is literally buzzing with pollinators and also provides food for caterpillars throughout the growing season. A native oak supports over 400 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths).
Bees are the main pollinators of flowering plants. They actually collect pollen where as most of the other pollinators are accidentally pollinating while they feed on nectar. While they are feeding on nectar they get pollen on themselves, their legs, antennae, bodies etc, and then go from flower to flower looking for more nectar spreading the pollen to other flowers thereby pollinating the flowers. Of course, this is the goal of the flowering plants, to attract pollinating insects with their showy blooms and nectar.
Seventy percent of pollination activity is done by native bees. There are 4000 species of native bees in North America. These are mostly solitary bees (leaf cutters, sweat bees, mason bees and bumble bees etc) and they are the primary pollinators of native plants. These solitary bees are 75% ground nesters and 25% tunnel/tube nesters. Over 50% of our native bees are in decline; 25% are at risk of extinction; 4 species are seriously endangered and 3 have gone extinct. Since 1939, when DDT was introduced and with more and more poisonous pesticides being introduced since then, bees have rarely known an environment without poison. Today, their entire landscape; rural, urban, forested, soil, water and air, is massively toxic to bees and other pollinators. Add ongoing habitat loss, urbanization, climate change, introduced species and persecution means the future of bees and other pollinators is in peril.
Following is a list of features to incorporate in your pollinator garden.
– minimize lawn, think in terms of your grassed areas as carpet runners or area rugs, not wall to wall.
– better yet, eventually eliminate lawns
– have a diversity of native plants
– prairie wildflowers are excellent, have a prairie meadow garden
– provide blooms over the entire flowering season, spring and fall are particularly important
– natures colour palette is fine, butterflies and bees prefer purple, yellow and white and
hummingbirds prefer reds
– have a variety of flower shapes and sizes
– avoid cultivars, especially doubles
– plant in masses and drifts
– create micro climates using southern exposures for warmth and protection/screening from winds
– provide bare soil or a sand pile on the ground for nesting bees
– place some soil in an old birdbath and keep moist to provide water and minerals for pollinators
– cutback/cleanup your garden in the spring, not fall.
– include host plants for butterfly and moth caterpillars
Another feature you can create in your garden is nesting opportunities for bees and other pollinators. Twenty five percent of solitary bees are tube nesters. You can build bee nesting houses and place in your garden. It can be as simple as drilling holes in logs and blocks of wood and placing them off the ground in your garden in a tree or on a fence. The holes should vary in size from a quarter inch to a half inch in diameter and as deep as the bit but not through the wood. These bees require tubular shaped holes/tunnels to nest in and raise young. In nature, they use holes in wood created by beetles and holes in the ground created by worms. They also use hollow plant stems and cavities and some excavate their own tunnels in the ground and stems. You can place 5″ pieces of hollow stems, phragmites and tall coreopsis works good in these nesting houses (see list below). These should be cleaned out and replaced every year or two. But just place the discarded stems in the garden some where in case there’s insects in them. Seventy five percent of our native bees are ground nesters. Leave bare ground or a pile of sand for them to nest in.
Think of these solitary bees as single moms feeding families at individual homes. The dads also visit flowers but only collect nectar as food for themselves. Only female bees sting. Foraging/feeding bees are focused on gathering food. You can safely get within inches of bees visiting flowers and not get stung. You can safely watch bees as they fly from flower to flower. Bees sting when they are harassed, stepped on, or get entangled in clothes, which can happen accidently of course. My daughter and I have actually petted bumble bees in our garden. Social bees (eg. honey bees) are different and nest in large colonies (hives of tens of thousands) which may be in trees, buildings or specially made containers. Stay away from social bee nests, they can be dangerous (actually deadly) defending the hive.
Hollow-stemmed/soft pith plants for tube nesters
Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea
Tall Reed, Phragmites australis (this is what I mostly use)
Goldenrod, Solidago spp
Joe-Pye Weed, Eupatorium maculatum
Tall Reed, Phragmites australis
Sunflowers, Helianthus spp
Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa
Tall Coreopsis, Coreopsis tripteris
What is a host plant?
A host plant is a species of plant that butterflies and moths use to lay their eggs on and their caterpillars need/eat to grow. Different butterfly species use different plant species and sometimes very specific plant species. Ninety percent are specialists, using only one or two species or genera to feed on. The other 10% are generalists that can eat a variety of species but even generalists have local favourites. As an example, luna moth caterpillars eat mostly sweet gum leaves in Maryland, where there’s lots of sweet gum, but eat mostly black walnut in Southern Ontario, where there’s almost no sweet gum. Nurseries do sell a few.
Together, we can make a measurable difference by providing pollinators with natural landscapes and pollinator gardens using native plants. But we can’t wait for Trump or Trudeau (politicians) to do it; We can’t wait for Shell, Enbridge or Wal-Mart (global corporations) to do it. We, the people need to do it so please consider creating a pollinator friendly landscape and sit back and enjoy the results. Together we can make a measurable difference.
Recommended reading; Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy, Natures Best Hope also by Tallamy, The Bees in Your Backyard by Joseph S. Wilson & Olivia Messinger Carril
Following is a list of common butterflies and the host plants their caterpillars require for Southwestern Ontario.
Juvenal’s Duskywing oaks
Northern Cloudywing hog peanut and other Fabaceae
Silver-Spotted Skipper honey locust and other Fabaceae
Common Sootywing strawberry blight and other Chenopodiaceae
Northern Broken-Dash switch grass (Panicum spp) and other Poaceae (grasses)
Dun Skipper sedges (Carex spp)
Long Dash Skipper grasses
Pecks Skipper grasses
Tawny-edged Skipper grasses
Least Skipper rice cutgrass and other grasses
Giant Swallowtail hoptree and northern prickly-ash
Spicebush Swallowtail spicebush and sassafras
Black Swallowtail sweet cicely and other Apiaceae (carrot family)
Tiger Swallowtail ashes, basswood, cherries and tulip tree
Clouded Sulphur hairy bush clover and other Fabaceae
Orange Sulpur showy tick-trefoil and other Fabaceae
Bronze Copper water dock and other Polygonaceae
Banded Hairstreak hickories and oaks
Eastern Tailed Blue showy tick-trefoil and other Fabaceae
Spring Azure dogwoods, new jersey tea and viburnums
American Snout hackberries
Great Spangled Fritillary violets
Northern Cresent asters
Eastern Comma elms, hackberries, wood nettle and other Urticaceae
Question Mark elms and nettles (Utricaceae)
American Lady pearly & sweet everlasting and pussytoes
Painted Lady pearly & sweet everlasting and pussytoes
Red Admiral wood nettle and other Utricaceae
Common Buckeye gerardias
Mourning Cloak elms, poplars and willows
Milberts Tortoiseshell wood nettle and other Utricaceae
Red-spotted Purple cherries, poplars and willows
Viceroy poplars and willows
Monarch milkweeds
Hackbery Emperor hackberries
Common Wood-Nymph big bluestem and other grasses
Little Wood-Satyr grasses
Northern Pearly-Eye woodland grasses
Inornate Ringlet grasses
Appalachian Brown sedges (Carex spp)
Eyed Brown sedges (Carex spp)
Native Forbs/Wildflowers ranked by number of Lepidoptera larva using them as host plants. (Lambton/Kent/Essex)
Goldenrods, 135
Asters, 115
Wild Strawberry, 82
Sunflower, 77
Bonesets, 35
Joe-Pye, 32
Violets, 31
Willowherb , 30
Wild Geranium, 26
Fleabanes, 21
Black-eyed Susan, 20
Ragworts, 20
Dogbanes, 20
Ironweed, 20
Evening Primrose, 19
Cinquefoills, 18
Wild Indigo, 18
Yarrow, 17
Wingstem, 16
Meadow Rue, 15
Penstemons, 15
Wild Bergamot, 13
Milkweeds, 13
Touch me not, 12
Wild Columbine, 21
Native Wildflowers best at supporting pollinators, especially bees, with pollen and nectar. (Lambton/Kent/Essex)
1 Sunflowers
2 Bonesets/Joe-Pye
3 Goldenrods
4 Asters/Fleabanes
5 Milkweeds
6 Coneflowers (Echinacea spp)
7 Evening Primrose
8 Tickseeds (Coreopsis)
9 Wild Bergamot (Monarda)
10 Virginia Mtn Mint (Pycnanthemum)
11 Figworts (Scrophularia)
12 Blazingstars
13 Ironweed
*Article by Larry Cornelis
Bumblebee on Blue VervainBumblebee on Rough BlazingstarPollinator GardenHummingbird MothMonarch ButterflyEastern Tiger Swallowtail ButterflyHalictid Bee on IronweedSolitary Bee Nesting BoxHalictid Bee on Purple Coneflower Bumblebee on Prarie DockBumblebees on WingstemHummingbird at Cardinal FlowerShowy GoldenrodWild Bergamot
Well it has been a few weeks and I apologize for the absence of our blog posts. I have to admit that I underestimated the time and energy our first spring would need devoted to start up. We also had some amazing new experiences! Our first Farmer’s Market was a hit! I have to admit I was quite nervous, dad was unsure but Nick was solid on his belief that we would “rock this” and we did! Thank you to everyone who came out to support their local small farms and businesses. You are the backbone of a lot of our endeavors. We are not scheduled for another market until July 30th at the Wallaceburg Farmer’s Market once again, however I am very excited to know we will be going back and look forward to seeing some of you there.
We had our first batch of Farm Fresh Grass-finished rabbits go in for processing and we were very surprised with the interest and response. We have sold out that set of rabbit and look forward to the day we can supply our community with more Farm Fresh and Local meats. We are still taking orders on our chickens and turkeys for the year. We have a dozen chickens going in for processing next week and we will be contacting those who have made reservations shortly.
Daisy our Nubian doe is due in 3 weeks. She is now in the uncomfortable stages of her pregnancy and she has more than earned herself special rewards and her own personal fans in this heat.
We also hosted our first couple of events. We held the Sydenham Field Naturalist Plant Sale here at the homestead and we had our first “Farm Field Trip Day” where we had the opportunity to meet a wonderful group of children and share a bit about our passions and what we do here on the homestead. We look forward to more of these events in the future. I did think I would have a program up and running by this time but in reality there has not been enough time to sit down and plan things out. Now that the spring clean up and planting is mostly behind us we look to the next tasks of expanding our pastures and I hope to have more time to share with our amazing followers in the weeks to come.
Today we are learning about snakes. So if you have a phobia I would suggest now is the time to maybe check out a different part of our website. We are adding special pages to introduce the breeds of animals we have here at the homestead and talk a little more about our animals.
For those of you that stay with me here and read the next portion of the blog written by my dad, Larry. I would only like to add that no matter what you have heard, in case you haven’t had the opportunity to touch or hold a snake of your own, they are not slimy at all! They are dry and actually their scales feel really cool. Snake anatomy is something that I have always found quite interesting. There will be a future Honeylocust Homestead art kit for children to learn a little more about their amphibians and reptiles.
I hope you enjoy and learn a little more about snakes and how we feel about them on the homestead from dad’s following words.
Nick & I at our first market – The Wallaceburg Farmer’s MarketDaisy awaiting her due date.SFN Plant Sale
Honeylocust Homestead Snakes
So, here at the Homestead, we have 5 species (spp) of snakes sharing our landscape. They include Eastern foxsnake, Milksnake, Eastern gartersnake, DeKay’s brownsnake and Smooth greensnake (only 1 sighting). Historically, 200 years ago and longer, there would have been other species here as well, such as Eastern massassauga, Timber rattlesnake and Northern watersnake (I saw one as a child) and a few others. There are 16+ snake species in Ontario.
It is June 15 as I write this and our resident snakes are busy and active. We see snakes pretty much every day. Currently, we are seeing more Eastern foxsnakes than any of the others. I fear I may kill or hurt one while cutting the grass. The Eastern foxsnake is an Endangered Species in Southern Ontario and they are strongly protected by law with up to a $20,000 fine for purposely killing one. A friend recently shared a story about how he overheard a conversation at a table of young men in a restaurant with one proudly declaring that he had killed 2 large (5’6”) fox snakes – and the others congratulated him – very sad indeed, not to mention “illegal”.
Here at the Homestead, one of our goals is to protect and enhance biodiversity and naturally, that includes snakes as well as the Bambis, Thumpers and Tweety-birds found here. Our belief is that one is all and all is one, we are nature and we are family with all of existence.
Female Eastern gartersnakes and Brownsnakes give birth to young snakes but Eastern foxsnakes, Milksnakes and Greensnakes are egg layers. Our newly formed manure piles are an excellent spot for snakes to lay eggs. They are typically laid in June and hatch in August and September depending on how warm it is and where the eggs have been deposited. Manure piles do heat up. Young, baby snakes are called neonates.
In the past, we created round nesting structures of fencing and filled them with leaves and straw left to decay. This system has also worked for the egg layers. We found neonates close by. And of course, our 25 acre Ducks Unlimited Canada nature reserve is excellent habitat for them.
Protecting snakes is a challenge because they are much maligned and misunderstood. Since we don’t have any poisonous snakes here, we can relax when we encounter one. I would probably have a different respect for snakes if I lived in Texas or Australia where there are many poisonous spp.
Even so, we believe we have to protect our snakes as part of our natural heritage through public education and outreach such as citizen science efforts. Maybe there would be fewer and fewer conversations like the one my friend overheard at the restaurant.
“warning” – the following photos are of snakes taken on our Homestead.
Snake in the Grass – Foxsnake“Hey lady, there is a snake on your back!”“Making Friends”Brave Little BoyNick and a GartersnakeCan you find a snake in the manure?Foxy!Let’s learn about snakes.
Honeylocust Homestead 