New Farmstead Goodies & A Sneak Peek

We're very excited to share some new farmstead goodies being released in our Shop today!

After our first release and a successful holiday season with our original Farmstead Milk Soap collection of Milk, Oat, and Lavender, we decided to expand our horizons with 4 new soaps for Valentine's day. We thought it could be the perfect time to play around with some fun ideas we'd be having (like local beer in soap), so for a few months we locked ourselves in the "soap cave". We experimented and tested (on ourselves and friends - no animal testing here!) until we emerged with these four new soaps that we love and that will hopefully make some people smile this Valentine's day. You can read more about our Activated Charcoal, Clay & Kefir, Cocoa Stout, and Rose bars here!

For sometime we've been getting lots of requests for a lip balm, but wanted to wait until we had something really special. We had starting making our own salves this past summer and have enjoyed using them on sore muscles and scrapes this fall and winter. Eureka! Why not make a lip salve? We started infusing different oils and nut butters with the calendula and comfrey we had grown in our gardens (following organic practices). Both are known for their extraordinary abilities to soothe and heal and have proven to be the perfect match for the blend certified organic oils and butters we use to craft the salve. They're available in Naturally (unscented), Geranium Rose, Lavender, and Wildwood. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Finally, we wanted to leave you with a sneak preview of the final piece of the new release - His and Hers Valentine Gift sets featuring the new Farmstead Milk Soaps, Herbal Lip Salves, and new note cards made from my sketches. We're a tad delayed on getting it in the shop (printing issues - ugh), but they should be available early next week if not sooner. Here's a little peek at one of the sets:

Thank you all so much for your support!

 

The Life of Joplin - Blowflies Strike


"Hey man, can I help you with something?"

Our first birth on the farm was three weeks ago. It was the adorable little Joplin. We haven't written about her much since then. With the beef cows there's just not that much action. For Janis (Joplin's mom) and Corrina, it's just eat grass, chew cud, drink water, move to a new paddock, and repeat. Joplin's basically the same, just throw in some quality time on the udder. The cows are easy and I love them for it. One strand of hot wire keeps 'em fenced in. Fresh grass and water keeps 'em happy. And I don't have a whole lot to worry about. 

Joplin's first few weeks have been largely uneventful, except for her first three days. Joplin encountered exactly what we feared: "flystrike", or Myiasis, a product of the blowflies. The blowflies took advantage of Joplin. Right on her wet spots. The two wet spots on the rear end. I was worried about it, so I checked everyday. On her third day I lifted up her tail, spread her legs and a handful of maggots crawled out. Disgusting. Also scary. Poor Joplin looked perfectly happy and healthy on the outside, but something was eating her alive.

 

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First Birth on the Farm - Janis' Calf (A Heifer, We Think)


As I was stringing up some new fencing for the cow's new paddock I peered into the trees and saw a little head poke out. I was pretty far away, so I thought it might just be Corrina's nose. Then I saw it stand up and do a gangly little walk out into the sunlight. What!? Is that a baby calf!? It was a bit surreal.

Sure enough Janis had her baby, just as expected, exactly 11 months after her last calf. That means she was bred about 45 days afterward. 

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