Posted on September 3, 2009 by walkingwater
I have been negligent in my writing. As with everyone these days, life has been very busy and demanding. We had some exciting new developments here on the ranch and all the hustle and bustle has kept me hopping.
First off we had a new experience with interns working with us on the ranch. Boy was this an education for us. We had 3 interns in all this summer though only one was worth the effort for us. I hope all our interns learned something and were able to build on the experience they had with us. Our intern quarters are crude and only just now being developed so these first pioneering souls had a tough go at it, to be sure. However, as our loyal readers know, I am accustomed to some discomforts and so wasn’t the most sympathetic host. We decided that we would not welcome anymore interns to our ranch until we had a little more comfortable lodging or were simply blown away by the candidates vigour and compatibility.
One of the most exciting developments for me personally was the completion of the WELL. As I watched the first muddy water come pumping out of our new hole in the ground my husband remarked that my face looked as excited as if we had struck gold. Gold! Pagh – water is SO much more valuable! As with all we do, the development of our new source of water has been slow. Our current set up includes a 1200 gallon holding tank a little elevated from the well. We pump the water into the tank using a generator and then have lines running down and across to the house. Just before the house we have a ‘T’ and valves. One line runs into the house. YES! I have hundreds of gallons of gravity flow water into my house now! No more noisy pumps or 50 gallon loft tanks. Oh the joys of seemingly endless water. Now if I can only get rid of the grey water bucket. At the ‘T’ another line runs to the sheep paddock and into buckets with float vaulves. This small but steady source of water keeps their water fresh and clean longer. We have less wasted water when we have to dump out the bucket to clean away the gunk and algea. This system will only work for the summer, but we have made plans to be prepared for the winter. One step at a time. I’m sure some people are cringing at our slow pace – but come on folks. We’re on a farm, the idea is to go slow and enjoy each step of the way.
The ranch is growing and we now number 63 head of sheep, 11 chickens, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 boys and 2 adults. Our marketing campaign has been showing signs of success and our production has been increased. One new development is the inclusion of another subsidiary ranch. We found a wonderful couple that live on the other side of the mountain. It was an accidental encounter, but one that may prove advantageous to everyone. They are happy to work with us to supply us with a certain number of weanling lambs that are then raised and pasture finished at Walking Water Ranch. This is our first year of trying this out and we are excited to see if we are able to produce a consistent product. This would reduce the number of breeding ewes that we must maintain on our ranch and decrease the impact. Something we are always looking to do.
We had 2 other new and exciting events this summer, but you’ll have to check back later to hear about that
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Posted on May 24, 2009 by walkingwater
Walking Water Ranch lamb is now being sold at the Kirkland Wednesday market at the Okanogan Harvest booth. Currently we are completely sold out of meat. Okanogan Harvest will have some lamb meat to sell at the market in August and we are taking orders for September through December processing.
- Whole lamb order: processed to your specifications, $550.00 with a %50 non-refundable deposit.
- Half lamb order: processed to your specifications, $300.00 with a %50 non-refundable deposit.
- Specific cuts order: processed to your specifications – minimum order of $100.00 with a 50% non-refundable deposit.
- Individual kryovac wrapped cuts will be available for sale through Okanogan Harvest at the Kirkland and Renton farmer’s markets in late August.
If you are a returning customer or simply want to try this delicious lamb, I would recommend you do not hesitate. Our lamb is limited and quite special. We always sell out early.
Many of our customers have asked why we have such a limited supply. Honestly, we are trying to grow the herd in order to provide more opportunities to try our wonderful lamb. We are sorry if you were disappointed to find us out of stock. Please reserve your lamb today to ensure you are not disappointed again.
Filed under: Renton, Sheep, farm, farmer's market, lamb, meat | Tagged: farmer's market, Kirkland, lamb, meat, Renton | Leave a Comment »
Posted on May 24, 2009 by walkingwater
No more whining about the cold and snow. It is spring at last. Ok, so yesterday was spring. Now it’s summer. Yep, that is how long spring lasts here in the Okanogan highlands. One day it’s cold and snowy, then poof – summer is in full bloom.
Our garden is planted and the sheep are out to pasture. Our portable fencing is such a wonderful system and Joe has mastered the art of laying out grazing paddocks to maximize grazing. The new lambs are a bit more dificult to move as they need to learn the new routine. All the lambs are now weaned and are growing well.
We know it’s still technically still spring since the wild onions and lupine haven’t bloomed yet. However, the 68 degree weather tells a different story.
Time to go outside and enjoy this wonderful sunny day.
Filed under: Fence, Okanogan, Sheep, farm, life style | Tagged: lambs, lupine, okanogan, Sheep, spring, summer | Leave a Comment »
Posted on March 15, 2009 by walkingwater
The news said precipitation. So we get snow! The one light of good news is that we are all done lambing. Our final two lambs were born Friday. So now we have: Eric, Erin, Evita, Erma, Emir, Eli, Ellie, Elizabeth, E.E., Ethan, Ebony, Emily, Emmett, Elliot, Evan, Eddy, Estell, Elle, Eyore, Electra, Eliza, Ellinore, Ezzie, Evette, Earl, Evonne, Eman & Einstein. Keep those ‘E’ names coming, we’ll have some more lambs in June.
For now we get to focus on preparing for the farmer’s markets. See you there….
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Posted on March 12, 2009 by walkingwater
Okay, spring is supposed to be here. So what’s up with these sub-zero temperatures. Yesterday morning we woke up to a temperature of 1 below zero. That is without the wind chill factor – and oh, was that wind chilly!!! The day before I had let the chickens out of their little night box. I figured they could spend the night outside if we got home too late to put them up for the evening. Ooh, was I wrong. I’m glad my husband suggested rounding them up before we left the ranch on our errands. Otherwise I would have been chicken hunting in the icy night with the wind howling up my coat. Either that, or we’d have had chicken popsicles in the morning.
I was so looking forward to spring. My boys are getting the fever. They are already dreaming of bikes and skate boards. Never mind we still have over a foot of snow on the ground and it doesn’t look to be going anywhere soon. We have been collecting wood from the forests. Never making the pile too big, it’s wishful thinking that we won’t be needing it soon. The problem with that is that we keep running out and having to go get more. Maybe if we make a great big pile it will suddenly warm up and spring will be here for real.
Here’s to wishful thinking!!!!
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Posted on March 4, 2009 by walkingwater
I would like to introduce one of our farm’s ewes. Malty is the Grand-Dam of our flock. She was one of the first sheep ever brought to Walking Water Ranch. Being chocolate brown, she is an unusual color for a Katahdin. Her coloring suits her personality. She is truly a black sheep in our flock – always going her own way.
Malty's first day at Walking Water Ranch
Malty has reached a grand old age and needs to find a peaceful retirement farm. Before she came to our farm, Malty lived on the Schrock Farm where she earned the name “Island Ewe” for her preference of living alone on an island in the middle of the river. When Malty came to our farm she was nursing twin ewe lambs and was as wild as a ‘march hare’. I sat in the middle of the paddock for hours with a bucket of grain slowly earning her trust through her greed for the tasty treats. Today she is one of our tamest ewes and will gladly accept pets and offerings of food.
Last year we decided Malty needed to retire from having any more babies, but she had other ideas. So this year she was again pregnant with twins. It was her most difficult preganancy and we were worried we were going to loose her. She has done so much for our farm and deserves the easy life. She has a lot of trouble seeing in the dark and so every night we have to go out and light the way for her to find her sleeping babies.
Malty will be done nursing her twin girls around the end of May, 2009. We are worried that she will get pregnant again if she remains on our farm and near our ram. So, if there is anyone in Northern Washington that would like to give Malty a quiet retirement home, please let us know. We would gladly give her away to a home where she will be loved and content.
Filed under: Katahdin, Local Color, Sheep, Washington, farm | Tagged: farm, flock, Katahdin, lambing, Sheep | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 18, 2009 by walkingwater
Well it is lambing season here at the ranch yet agan. We have been working towards creating a self cycling lambing system that will produce lambs year round. We specifically chose the Katahdin breed for their natural tendency to breed so prolifically. Eight of our ewes have lambed since December and we have 14 little springy lambs bounding around in the snow. More ewes are due to lamb in February and the rest will finish up in March and April. This year our ram had the run of the herd and so our due dates are all spread out. He has already bred back 5 of the ewes that lambed in December and they will again be lambing in July. As soon as the snow melts, we will be working on more paddocks and barns so we will be able to manage the herd more effectively.
We have been working on an adeptation to Cornell University’s Star Breeding Program. Our goal is to have 5 distinct lambings a year. In this way, we will have a continued supply of lamb all year.
We have been waiting for a special ram lamb to add to our breeding herd and he has finally come. Ebony was born February 1st, 2009. His dam was born a twin and is half dorper, half katahdin. His sire was born a triplet and is a full blood registered katahdin. Ebony was 13lbs. at birth and is jet black except for a small white patch on his head and a speck of white on his side. His twin sister was 10lbs at birth and is all white except for a patch or two of black. Their dam is tending to them wonderfully and the birth was easy. We are excited to watch this little goliath grow – he is already as big as the 1 month old lambs.
We are still on lambing watch as we have 9 ewes left to lamb and 3 look to be due any day. Our boys love coming up with all the names for the lambs. Each year we assign a letter of the alphabet – this year it is E. So far we have Emir, Eric, Erin, Elizabeth, E.E., Ethan, Elliott, Emmet, Evita, Erma, Ebony, Emily, Eli, & Ellie. We need about 11 more names, so I’d like some suggestions. We are running out of ideas.
Filed under: Fence, Katahdin, Ranch work, Sheep, breeding, farm, lamb | Tagged: farm, flock, Katahdin, lamb, paddock | 2 Comments »
Posted on November 30, 2008 by walkingwater
We recently attended our first meet & greet with the Seattle Chef’s Collaborative. We were bit apprehensive and really didn’t know what to expect. This particular meet & greet was held at the FareStart Restaurant and the theme was about distributing extra food resources from the food service industry to the needy and homeless.
While we have not been actively working on this particular problem, it has been rolling around in our minds about how Walking Water Ranch can help. We have a few solutions we would like to pursue, but more on that later.
As to the particular success or failure of our participation at the meet & greet, I think it was a very positive experience. We spoke to a number of interesting and intelligent people. As a group the Chef’s Collaborative has a vast amount of food service knowledge and advice for it’s membership. I am excited about our future with the Chef’s Collaborative and am grateful for the advice to join.
All the knowledge we can glean will only benefit our operation and aid us toward our goals. The next Meet and Greet will be in November and then the big event, Farmer – Chef Connection will be in February. We are looking forward to both of these events and what they mean to Walking Water Ranch.
update: Joe since has attended the November Meet and Greet and was again filled with information and ideas for our development and the maturation of our farm.
Filed under: Cooking, Local Color, Seattle, farm, food, meat, sustainable | Tagged: Chef's Collaborativ, food sevice, homeless, hungry | 2 Comments »
Posted on October 15, 2008 by walkingwater
While fall is definitely my favorite time of year it is also our busiest. All the big farm chores that we have put off all summer in favor of day at the lake or a trip to the mountain to pick berries or ride horses have suddenly become very pressing. All our winter wood must be gathered and stacked. Not to mention the green house/ wood shed’s new cement floor needs to be completed before the wood can be stacked. The final harvest from the garden must be gathered and then mulch needs to be spread. The barn and lambing jug needs to be cleaned out and fresh straw laid, but not until the barn gets it’s fresh coat of paint. Oh, the list is endless!
One great thing about this time of year is the smell of the rich food cooking. Smells seem so much clearer in the cool fall are and the smell of stew or pumpkin bread fills the air. This time of year we have a fire going most of the day and I love the opportunity to cook indoors for a change. Cooking a stew here is a major feat during most times of the year as I must cook it outside on the propane grill. As all you cooks know, good stew takes hours of simmering and that means lots of fuel. That’s one expensive stew!!! So for us, fall and winter is the time of stews. Leaving the pot on the wood stove to simmer and then enjoy at the end of the day is a wonderful treat. Not to mention, an almost effortless meal. This year I was considering jarring some soups, chillies, and stews – but I think not. Until I have a pressure canner of my own and a stove to use it on, I’ll stick to the simple jellies and jams.
So for now my canning is done. One task completed. Though I didn’t put up as much as I would like and I didn’t make any apple sauce as I had intended, there is always next year. Besides, we still need to dig our root cellar before we get too carried away with our yearly jarring. One more for the chores list.
Filed under: Cooking, Ranch work, canning, farm, life style | Tagged: barn, canning, chores, Cooking, fall, farm, garden, harvest, jarring, pumpkin | 2 Comments »
