Stone Baerm Adventures

So I'm visiting the Stone Baerm Homestead (https://permiemilkmaid.wixsite.com/my-site) to learn about permaculture and help out this summer. Today I got a tour of the gardens and the barn.

I'll have my own plot to experiment on, and I think I'm going to start with a hugel bed as it's something I've read about a lot but never put into practice. Later tonight I'm going to be introduced to night chores at 11 which is later than my usual bedtime, but I will adjust over time!

My first impressions are that just about everything is reused if possible - wood, scrap metal, food scraps, it all gets reused. My first task helping with dinner was to dump the compost into the chicken coop. Man the chickens here are big.

I had a great massage from the massage chair here.

I've also already learned about the magic of hemp. Before petroleum was used for just about everything, hemp was used. Ropes, fabric, even parts in a car that would be fiberglass now were made from hemp at one point. Sometime in the 20th century it was made illegal so it wouldn't compete with oil, and it seems to have worked. Thankfully it is making a comeback! It's making me wonder about all sorts of things we did before oil was used for just about everything...I'm gonna be doing a lot of learning in this area I think.

Finally, the baby goats are very cute. Very inquisitive and sweet.

I'm hoping to post here daily, even if it's short. I'll be sure to take some photos to make this even more fun.

*Edit* Does anyone know the best place to post something like this? I know the boots at Wheaton Labs post in the Wheaton Labs forum but I couldn't find another place like it, so rural was the closest match. If someone knows a better place let me know or feel free to move it. Thank you!

Sounds very cool Cam. I checked out the homestead website and find myself impressed. I hope your adventures are enlightening, productive, and inspiring.

Lew Johnson wrote:Sounds very cool Cam. I checked out the homestead website and find myself impressed. I hope your adventures are enlightening, productive, and inspiring.

Thanks Lew I know they will be!

Today started with 3 eggs for breakfast that were taken out of the barn last night, with some goat cheese curds melted on top. Good stuff!

The big task today was some sheet mulching of some grassy spots on the property. We put a layer of cardboard down, then rolled a bale of straw overtop to leave a layer on top. One of the bales was a little misshapen, so it was a workout to move and we had to use forks to spread it out. The other one rolled just fine and was much easier to work with. I put together a gif of the second sheet mulching we did.

Following that it was break time. I had some goat's milk yogurt with berries, oats, cinnamon and raw honey. It was another good meal. I also began watching Geoff Lawton's PDC videos on DVD. I've been zipping around from topic to topic when I'm learning about permaculture, but this will give me a very good base knowledge to go off later on!

More to come.

Are the mulched spots going to become growing space for edibles?

Lew Johnson wrote:Are the mulched spots going to become growing space for edibles?

I believe so. Last year they grew potatoes in one patch and they were very successful with no watering other than what the rain gave. The area in the gif is in the beginning stages of building soil as it's on bedrock.

It was a quieter day today as it was drizzling just about all day.

We went through morning chores, where I tried to milk two goats, both with zero success. It's a bit of an interesting hand movement you need to actually get the milk out of the udder, and I haven't figured it out...yet.

Then we did a walk around my plot I have to work with, and went over sun/shade patterns throughout the area. We also found all the potential materials that could go in my planned hugelkultur bed. Lots of stuff to say the least. I put together a very rough diagram of what I'm thinking, and am open to suggestions or questions as this is all brand new to me.

The rest of the evening will be spent on reading, the PDC videos or practicing the movement to milk a goat.

Hi, Cam

Thanks for sharing.  I added your thread to our Projects Forum as that seems the closest to what they do at Wheaton Labs.

I also added it to the Permaculture Forum since this is all about permaculture.

I know you will have a great experience there and learn a lot so please keep sharing!

Anne Miller wrote:Hi, Cam

Thanks for sharing.  I added your thread to our Projects Forum as that seems the closest to what they do at Wheaton Labs.

I also added it to the Permaculture Forum since this is all about permaculture.

I know you will have a great experience there and learn a lot so please keep sharing!

Hi Anne,

Thank you very much I appreciate it! I certainly will keep on sharing. This is not only for permies to see what's happening here but also to show my family what I'm up to, as cell coverage here isn't good enough for calls and the internet usage is limited. Here is today's entry.

--------------- Goat Milking - Tutored by Daisy and Lucy ---------------

Today was another quiet day due to some on and off drizzling.

I milked two goats though! They were Daisy a boar cross, and Lucy, a pure Saanen. I got the equivalent of about a tablespoon out. So maybe saying I milked them is a bit of a stretch, but it's an improvement over yesterday! I just wasn't squeezing hard enough before. I will complete the milk a goat BB I just know it. Even if it is a ways away.

The other work today was clearing out the chicken coop. It's got quite a smell to it, pungent and sharp. I helped bring out several wheelbarrows of the hay/manure mix out to the edge of the property for the chickens to pick through again in the brighter light. While I was at it I got some pictures of the chickens and the goats. If you take a look at the last photo, you might notice some darker hay next to the fresher stuff. They have been putting the hay there for years now, and the slope of the land has actually changed because so much soil has built up. The driveway is wider than it once was. The power of compost!

I enjoyed reading your first post, Cam and will look forward to read more.  This certainly does sound like an adventure. Grandma Jones

Mary Ann Jones wrote:I enjoyed reading your first post, Cam and will look forward to read more.  This certainly does sound like an adventure. Grandma Jones

Hey Grandma,

Welcome to Permies! I'll be posting everyday unless we lose internet or something like that. There is a lot of info on here so if you want some tips for growing good tomatoes this year I can find some neat threads for you to read through.

Good to hear from you!

I would enjoy reading the tips on growing tomatoes. Cheers, Grandma

Hey Cam
I love reading your posts!  Milking the goats sounds challenging but fun.  You'll get it.
You sound like you have found a place that you fit in really well.
Mom

Mary Ann Jones wrote:I would enjoy reading the tips on growing tomatoes. Cheers, Grandma

Here you go! I did a quick search and found two threads you might like.

https://permies.com/t/156044/flavorful-Tomato

https://permies.com/t/153236/Instructions-growing-tomatoes

Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
Hey Cam
I love reading your posts!  Milking the goats sounds challenging but fun.  You'll get it.
You sound like you have found a place that you fit in really well.
Mom

Hey Mom! It is a challenge but I'm getting a bit more out each time I do it. I forgot to include in yesterday's post, but orange peel and vinegar makes a fantastic cleaner. I feel like you've mentioned it before when you saw it in a magazine but we've never tried it. Kate says it has cleaned things that no other cleaners could have an effect on.

--------------- Fiddleheads and Feed ---------------

So today I came along for some errands. A first for me was some foraging we did, picking fiddleheads. There were far more there than we could hold in our bags, and in just a few days a new patch will be ready for a harvest. The ones we picked were close to a small river - close enough for the soil to be moist but not so close to be muddy or soaked through. The areas that got more sun were further along too.

Following that we did some running around, and we picked up a 1 ton bag of feed (that's 2000 lbs or 907 kg!). I liked watching the suspension on the pickup truck sink down as the bag was lowered into the back. No quick corners were taken and the speed limit was not exceeded with that giant bag in the back on the way home.

When we got home, I helped unload the feed bag. Now THAT was a workout. I was thinking I'd do some digging on the hugel bed but after emptying the feed I changed my mind.

The rest of the day has been relaxed. I had a couple big helpings of dinner, we watched a movie, and now we're having tea while watching the news. Looks like I may be starting digging on the hugel bed tomorrow.

Lots of digging today. I started on my two 3' X 10' hugel beds, and I made good progress. Dug about a foot down in each, then put a 6" or so layer of horse manure down. More details at this link.

Tomorrow I might make some more progress and I may do some clearing out of the chicken coop. We might be working on building a new fence around the garden too.

Hey Cam!
This looks like it will be a wonderful learning experience for you. Enjoy!
Cheers,  David