Everyone needs a goat



I have to say I was a little suspicious at first.

Goats? Aren't they loud and smelly?  Well, the guys are, but the girl-goats are awesome. Antigua Farms has three pygmy goats 'on loan.' They don't smell and you can hardly hear them. Still not convinced?

Here are the top 7 reasons everyone should own a goat:
1. They are cute as hell
2. They entertain your children for extended periods of time
3. They eat unwanted grass, weeds, and greens that you would otherwise compost
4. They'll help trim your trees for a fire-wise yard
5. Their poop makes great fertilizer for your garden
6. Their poop also keeps javelinas away
7. They give you milk!
 

Fertilizer

Lovely javelina repelent



Milk!

It's quite amazing, one little pygmy goat can produce over a pint of milk per day. The milk is incredibly rich and there is so much of it, we need to find ways to store it and preserve it.

I made yogurt, which was actually quite simple but to be honest, was pretty strong. So still in the works, I am trying to make goat cheese... You can buy supplies very easily online, from yogurt makers, to strainers, cheesecloth, thermometers, and even various bacteria and molds.

Somewhat uncharted territory for me, but if I somehow create some homemade 'crottins de chevre,' or some 'Reblochon,' I'll be a happy expat.

Thomas milking Twilla

Outdoorsy Peach Cobbler

Beware, I have discovered the amazing, multi-purpose dutch oven! You can use it for anything, it will last forever, and you can let it do all the work. Yes this sounds a little like an informercial, but man these things are pretty cool.

During our last bbq, we let our peach cobbler cook in the coals and just as it got dark; dessert was ready! If you want to try it, this is what you'll need:

 Peach Cobbler a la dutch oven

- 1 bbq or campfire
- 4 cups of sliced peaches

- 1.5 cups flour

- 2.5 cup milk
- 1.5 cups sugar

- cinnamon/cardamon

- 1 stick butter

Warm your dutch oven by covering it with hot coals. Melt in the butter first then mix in all the other ingredients, stirring well. Add the peaches last so they don't all stick to the bottom.

We just started our barbecue and let our mixture sit on some hot coals, adding more as the evening went on and the burgers were cooking. Once the bbq was free, we transfered the dutch oven directly into the bbq pit and let it cook for a little over an hour.

 

It does look like our dessert survived a thermonuclear blast, but I promise you it was quite lovely. More to come on the oh-so-great dutch oven, thanks Michaella!

Summer Harvest

Here are the latest pictures of Antigua Farms. After all this hard work, it is finally paying off.

We've been eating kale, chard, and bok choy for a couple of months now, but the summer crops are now ready to harvest and we are thoroughly enjoying it. I haven't bought a vegetable in probably a month.



Weekly 'share' from the garden: arugula, bok choy, sorrel,
radishes, green onions, shallots, kale, and lettuce mix!




These last few weeks we have picked tons of yellow and orange carrots, radishes, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers, jalapenos, green onions, fresh herbs, string beans, and a variety of tomatoes!

Raspberry bushes are now in the ground as well as a pretty little plum tree. We've been picking produce, planting new rows of lettuce, radishes and carrots, and prepping the winter crops too (cabbage, broccoli, and squash).

The garden is flourishing. Plants (and unfortunately weeds) have been growing like mad. But man, it's working, we're growing food, lots of it!!

Cherry tomatoes



Yellow crooknecks

Chard

In the News...

Alright, vacation is over, back to work folks!

Jim got interviewed by Gerard Ungerman of Respectful Revolution last week. He and his partner have started a not-for-profit advocacy project documenting positive, small-scale projects from people across the US. These range from social justice issues, healthy living, food distribution and hunger, or energy efficiency, to name a few. There are so many people out there with unique and inspriring ideas and projects!

Gerard's motorcycle broke down in Prescott and he somehow heard about us and came to see what we were up to! To be honest, we were surprised he wanted to talk to us. We didn't think we were doing anything special, but it was nice to discuss healthy food, small-scale gardening/farming, and community  work. The concept of his documentary are that no project or idea is too small, and that together, at a grass-roots level, we can make a lot of positive things happen.

If you want more information on this inspiring and uplifting project, visit www.respectfulrevolution.org

Stay tuned and follow Gerard's journey at www.facebook.com/respectfulrevolution