Turkey Day

Thanksgiving has come and gone and along with it, the broad-breasted whites. I do miss them a little. We actually had fun raising them. I'll miss them pecking at my belt as I came to feed them. I'll miss them "tomming up", our nickname for when they would strut for the ladies. They were so ugly, but when they fluffed up they thought they were beautiful. While we cannot confuse them with smart, they were inquisitive. They would peck at anything on the ground. When we opened up their gizzards we found rocks, glass, and a few screws. The kids got some real life "anatomy and physiology". We still have some heritage breeds and some geese to keep us busy through the holiday season. We wanted to keep back a goose and try it, but the demand has outweighed our supply, so we may have to wait until next year. We did have enough of the broad-breasted whites to smoke one and it was delicious. My mother-in-law cooked a commercial bird in the oven and just so as not to hurt her feelings, we put our turkey out last after the first wave of eaters. It was no contest, all the kin were asking to taste our bird and all we had left was wings and legs. We have received similar compliments from our customers as to the taste of the birds. Overall, it was a success and so it seems we will stay in the turkey business. So until next thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for all you have and for how the Lord has blessed you today.

Electricity

I used to teach physics in High School and I was always trying to figure out experiments to demonstrate principles of physics. The farm is good for experimenting with physics as well. We have electric fences for all of our birds out on the farm, this is to protect the birds, but mostly to keep predators out. So far this has not been a problem for me, until recently. I have touched the fence when it is live and it has a little bite to it for sure. Here is where we have to think about the flow of electricity - it will travel to ground. When you grab the fence and have rubber soles on your boots, it just bites a little bit. Not enough to make you pee your pants, but enough to make you let go. I usually just step over the fence rather than unplug it. This time as I swung my leg over I caught my boot in the top wire. I somehow managed to twist my boot at the same time so it became a little tangled. I began hopping on the one foot trying to untangle the boot as I slowly began to get a little more into the fence. Each time I grab the wire to get it untangled, it keeps stinging me with electricity. At this point I am bad off-balance and I start to tumble. Now I have watched my kids fall over the fence many times and it makes me laugh out loud. I actually began to laugh as I fell because I couldn't believe I had gotten this tangled in the fence. Kendall also was lending her laughter to the situation. Here is where my predicament and the kids differ. They would normally trip on the wire and fall into the chicken yard - but clear of the wire. I fell into the yard still attached to the wire. Here is where our lesson on electricity comes back into play. Now if I am touching the wire and at the same time touching ground without any insulation, then where is the "best" path for electricity to flow? That's right - through me. I have seen on Youtube before someone being tased and they make this weird yelping, yelling sound - this is very similar to the sound I start making as I flop, twist and kick at the netting, while the full 8kV courses through me over and over again. Finally my spasms got me loose from the netting and I scrambled to my feet a little rattled. Kendall stared at me open mouthed not sure to laugh or be worried about me. I break into a wide smile and explain how electricity works.

Petit Jean Apple Butter Day is October 23rd!

The Annual Apple Butter Day at Petit Jean Farm is Saturday, October 23rd!
Join Turtle Rock Farms and other local farmers as we celebrate the age-old tradition of community cooking. With the help of our Amish friends we will be making kettle apple butter throughout the day with a local foods dinner being served under tents around the Honey Barn. Bring the whole family and enjoy all the food and fun activities. Make this the first year of a new family tradition!
Dinner $10
Apple Butter $5
Call or email us to RSVP
(501) 733-6389 or info@turtlerockfarms.com

Help Us Bring Isabella Home!

Our family takes the biblical mandate to provide for the orphan quite literally. We have adopted 2 children and are trying to adopt a 3rd. Isabella is a 10 month old little girl from China who has special medical needs. She suffers from a type of Spina Bifida and needs an operation to help her grow and function normally. The cost of her adoption will be well over $20,000. We are planning several different fundraisers and coupled with the generosity of you, our family and friends, we hope to be able to raise enough money to cover the costs of bringing Isabella home. Please consider contributing any amount, but keep in mind that 150 people giving only $100, helps us reach our goal. Thank you for doing your part in helping "birth" Isabella into our family.
Blessings,
Jeff & Sarah Croswell

Farm Tour Day Was A Blast!

Thanks to everyone who visited the farm on Sunday. Our family enjoyed playing host to all our friends and supporters. The weather was wonderful, the food was fantastic, and the hatchet throwing was hilarious! We hope to make this a recurring event for Turtle Rock Farms. For those that couldn't make the trip up the mountain, here is a slide show of all the day's activities. Enjoy!

New Website

It's official, Turtle Rock Farms is now your small, diversified, family, ONLINE farm! Our website hit cyberspace last night and is now a great way for you to keep track of happenings on the farm. Feel free to leave comments and feedback on the CONTACT US page. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions and to know how we are doing as your local farmers. Who knows, you may end up published on our website and other literature. Our blog will stay here until Sarah can figure out how to move it to our new site. It seems like everything we do comes attached with some kind of learning curve! Check us out at www.turtlerockfarms.com

Snakes Alive!

Remember the story about the black rat snake we found under the sheet metal? It seems we crossed paths again. We were out in Morrilton on Tuesday until almost twilight and I had not gone to the farm to put everyone to "bed" for the evening. As daylight was quickly departing, I made it to the moveable chicken coop only to discover a large pile of what looked like poop in one of the nest boxes. As I looked closer, it moved! It was a coiled up black snake with a diamond pattern on it's back. He had a large lump behind his head, which was an egg he was actively trying to swallow. (If you look closely in the picture below, the lump is right behind his head and between two eggs.) I tried to remember how Steve Irvin handles snakes all the time - crikey! I got a stick and tried to lift him out of the nest box, but that just seemed to upset him. So now he's slithering in and out of the boxes, but I can't get him up and out of the coop. Allow me to paint this picture, daylight waning, chickens coming in and out of the door while I'm repeatedly lifting a snake and dropping him. I finally figure out the balance point -which is behind the egg lump - and lift him out of the coop. In the process of lifting him out, his tail hits the bar by the coop door and he wraps his tail around it three times. There is no way I'm pulling him off this now, as he is holding onto the bar while I'm holding his upper half suspended in the air right behind the egg lump. He gets the bright idea that if he lets loose of the egg he might be more mobile. He begins to disgorge the egg, which under normal circumstances is a fascinating thing to watch. I'm just nervous that once he drops the egg he'll get under the coop and with a lack of daylight means - he wins. In no way am I going to be bested by a snake, but I have no time to contemplate this because about that time he drops the egg on the ground and now he's off. I “golf swing” the stick knocking him into the coop. Now the chickens are getting freaked out by my swinging the stick around and whacking at the snake, so they are flapping and jumping around and coming in and out of the door. I pin the snake's head with the stick and now there is another decision point. Do I grab it or kill it? I quickly determine with the amount of litter on the ground it is too soft to kill the snake inside the coop, so I decide he must be picked up. I'm not real excited about killing him as he does serve a useful purpose other than eating my eggs. Recounting mentally how Steve-o handles snakes, I grab him behind the head. Not being an expert, I'm not sure how firmly to hold him. I don't know if it was my grip or what, but he seemed really limp and his mouth seemed to stay open. Final decision time - what do I do now? I'm kind of in pacing mode - walking first one direction then another thinking what to do with him, when I spot the bluff. I figure if he survives the fall, then he deserves to live. I wind up and fling him over the trees as he did his best helicopter impression soaring over the tree tops. I take solace thinking he may have survived the fall. I wonder if he tells his snake buddies to stay away from “that farm” where the crazy guy chokes you and throws you over the treetops.

Let's Talk Turkey

Whew! It has been a very busy week. So busy in fact, when I sat down to update the blog I was going to apologize for not posting in over two weeks, but when I checked the last blog date it was only 8 days ago. Apparently we have managed to fill this last week with two weeks worth of work. Jeff and I have been hitting the pasture before the children awake and working until breakfast time, then heading back over after dinner and going until dark. This makes for much cooler working conditions and I have even come to enjoy those times of shared purpose and accomplishment. Farming is definitely not for the lackadaisical. So here is what has been going on since last week: the broiler chickens have grown exponentially,

we built 2 more hoop pens,

and started 40 turkey poults out on pasture (aren't they so cute?).

Those are just the highlights, but you get the gist of our workload. I will let Jeff fill you in on all the drama and excitement that has accompanied our latest projects, so think of me as the play-by-play announcer and he's more the color commentator. So far our brooder experiment has been successful. The brooder ring within the hoop pen out on pasture has been a lot easier to manage and a lot cleaner than the traditional boxed-in on litter approach. We have only lost one turkey so far which is a very good percentage, considering this is our first experience with turkeys. The second batch of turkeys (our heritage breeds) arrives later this week and then we can take a breather for about a day and then the work begins on getting everything spruced up for the Turtle Rock Farms Tour Day on Sunday, August 8th. Be sure to let us know if you are coming. The event is free, but we need to know how much food to have on hand. I'll be posting directions to the farm on the Locally Grown Markets and sending out an email to those that RSVP to turtlerockfarmsgood@gmail.com account. This is really getting fun now!

The Second Batch of Meat Chickens Is Here!

Today we picked up our second batch of broilers from the county 4-H office. They are just such cute little yellow cotton balls when so young. Alas, they grow out of all the cuteness in about 4 days when they start putting on the meat. We are shooting for a good showing at the market sale this year, which will give the children a nice bit of spending money. They will have earned it after all the feeding, watering, feeding, pen-moving, and feeding. So some of these chickens will have to wait until after the fair to become someone's Sunday dinner. They seem to be adjusting just fine to the new brooder. The next few days will determine if it is a keeper design. Now on to the next project--turkey poults are arriving Friday, so stay tuned.

Make Plans For A Farm Tour!

Come visit Turtle Rock Farms on beautiful Petit Jean Mountain on Sunday, August 8th from 2:00-5:00pm. Join our family for an afternoon of farm, fun, and food! You can tour our gardens, see where we raise our pastured poultry, and sample some our homemade/homegrown delectables: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Stuffed Eggs, Iced Tea, and Tomatoes. We will be running a hay-ride shuttle from our house to the pasture and holding a knife throwing contest for the youngins. You are welcome to bring the whole family, just be sure to RSVP before August 4th via phone or email so we can make enough for everyone. We hope to see you there!
The Croswell Family
turtlerockfarmsgood@gmail.com
(501) 733-6389

Turtle Rock Farms, LLC!

We just received our official notice from the Secretary of State of the Articles of Organization of Turtle Rock Farms, LLC. This is our first time to start a small business and are very excited! Now to go about the business of business--opening checking accounts, meeting with CPA's, setting up filing systems, keeping records, organizing the farm office, etc. Wait! Where is the "small" part of this small business?

New Addition

Since we are a community farm, we share our space with Sheep and now Horses! Here are couple of pics of the beauties. We have some more exciting news to share, but that needs more time to explain. So check back for the official announcement.

This Also Is for the Good

There is an encouraging saying in Judaism, "Gamzu l'tova," which means "This also is for the good." Today we received a call from our hatchery telling us they underestimated the demand of turkeys this year and were all sold out of the type of turkey we ordered 2 months ago. What?! No turkeys?! What about our pre-orders?! We are dead in the water! Or so I thought. While the hatchery was out of all the large production breeds, they did still have some heritage breeds, which were small in size and 50% more expensive. Yikes! That's not what first-time turkey growers, who may or may not kill them all the first week, wanted to hear. However the gracious supervisor at the hatchery offered us a substantial discount on the birds so that the difference was less than a dollar! Now we had to rush around and educate ourselves on these different type of turkeys before they arrive next week, so we got out the "Backyard Poultry" magazines and fired up the google search engine and what we found was very exciting. Our turkeys, Bourbon Red and Blue Slate, are rare heritage breeds that have not been genetically bred for super-production, but are very beautiful and natural birds that have outscored production white turkeys in taste test after taste test. These breeds have retained the natural instincts such as, mating, brooding, mothering, and best of all for us, foraging on native grasses. Wow! All of the sudden the pit of despair and disappointment in the bottom of my stomach became a flutter of excitement in my chest. I know we will feel better about raising this type of historical, natural bird, and we hope our customers will, too. We are already planning to hold a few back this year to start a breeding program in order to have a continuous supply of these regal birds. So yes, I think "This also is for the good!"

Snake!

The other day while out at the farm we were inventorying some old corrugated metal sheets to see if they would work for the new brooder roof. I've been here in the country long enough to know to lift anything in tall grass with my boot and not my hand. I had three helpers with me, helping by playing football in the field. As I turn over the last piece of sheet metal, I see a flash of black. There are several varieties of snakes that we have seen around that are black: rat snake, cottonmouth, and my personal fav - the king snake. I immediately called the kids over to see it. I assumed it was a king snake, but he started shaking his tail like a rattler. This puzzled me as the kids came running. He was pretty nervous and kept trying to tunnel under the grass and the sheet metal. The kids finally made it and as I was pointing him out to them with my boot - he struck! He hit my boot, recoiled back under the grass before I even flinched my foot back. I laughed and said excitedly, "Boy, did you see that?" The kids all in unison said, "Make him do it again, Daddy!" Yep, they are adjusting just fine to the farm life!

We got home and they excitedly told momma about our adventure. Of course, they were mostly talking football, but then got around to the snake discussion. So we looked it up in the Arkansas snake guide and it turns out he was a black rat snake. When startled or when they are defensive, they shake the ends of their tails like a rattler. Nothing's on the end of their tails, but ours was just a shaking it. So if you ever see a black snake that is shaking his tail nervously without a rattle, he might be a safe guy to keep around.

Our "Re"cent Farm Activities

Part of the thrill of farming for us is to find ways to re-purpose, recycle, and re-use materials in our various projects. Our chicken coop, chicken tractor, hen-mobile, pasture pens, raised garden beds, tomato trellises, flower pots, nest boxes, waterers, and even our bathroom sink are all functioning in their second life. This morning we were planning out our day and knew we needed to build more roosts for our hen-mobile. We had the idea of harvesting some of the bamboo from the back of our property, cut to length, instead of using traditional lumber and all the cutting and screwing involved. It worked like a charm, our chickens are happier, and best of all, it was free!

Market Expansion

This week marks the first week we are selling some of our products at the ASN Local Food Club/Little Rock Locally Grown. We are very happy to be expanding our customer base and to reach a larger area with our "Family. Friendly. Fresh." approach to farming. Be sure to check our daughter's newest products--Duct Tape Wallets & Checkbook Covers. She came back from 4-H Entrepreneur Camp a child on fire for selling and marketing! We are so proud to see her embracing the simple farm lifestyle and modeling after our farming efforts. So not only is Turtle Rock Farms expanding into other markets, but we are expanding into the next generation!

A Note of Thanks

We wanted to send you a note of gratitude for your continued support of our efforts here at Turtle Rock Farms. Our family farm could not be a success without our loyal customers who desire a more wholesome, local product. As we continue to grow and try new projects we hope you will be there along side us. We want you to think of Turtle Rock Farms as “your” farm and that we are your resident farmers. We want to produce products that meet your standard of freshness and quality. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for future farm products, as well as feedback on how we can improve our existing items. Currently we have organically-grown heirloom tomatoes, eggs from our pastured hens, fresh-milled organic flour and my daughter’s organic herbs. We plan to offer pastured broiler chickens beginning the middle of August and will have pastured turkeys ready for you in time for Thanksgiving.

We have set up several avenues of communication that we hope you will use. We have a farm blog detailing the happenings around the farm found at www.turtlerockfarms.blogspot.com and we have a fan page on Facebook titled Turtle Rock Farms. You can also email us at turtlerockfarmsgood@gmail.com. We know you want to know how your food is produced and where it comes from, so we want to be as transparent as possible. We frequently post photos and updates on our blog so that you can follow along with our farm adventures. We plan to schedule farm tours later this summer and invite you to beautiful Petit Jean Mountain for a visit with our family.

Thanks, again for your support!
The Croswell Family & Turtle Rock Farms
Family. Friendly. Fresh.

Rain: Our Love, Hate Relationship

The rain has not been our tomatoes best friend. It has caused a lot of cracking in our Cherokee Purples. The overwhelming response to them at market has been exciting, but I am not sure we are going to meet all of the orders this week. We feel very strongly about providing a high-quality product and anything less is just not good enough. I will be making salsa and red sauce this weekend with the rejects, so all is not lost. Next year we are considering low covered tunnels for growing so that we can maintain a steady water regimen. Always learning!

Independence Day

We spent the 4th of July with family out in the Pocahontas area. We spent the trip learning about our day of Independence. We also learned about the history of our state flag. One of the additional pluses of home-schooling, school's always in session when your parents are the teachers! Once we got to Granny and Paw-paw's house we had the usual eats that you would associate with a 4th of July picnic. Corn on the cob, watermelon, hamburgers, hot dogs, brisket, potato salad, chips, and the list goes on. As each one of those cobs of corn were finished and each watermelon rind was thrown away I was sad. Now my father-in-law is a big proponent of composting, so he was saving all the throw-aways. But I was sad to see him throw it in the compost when we knew our chickens would have feasted on all those leftovers. I did manage to sneak a beef rib bone to our dog, but then found out right before we left he threw up in the house. Granny was not happy about that. So we left without chicken scraps, but ready to get home to the farm nonetheless. Everything was doing well, no new predator threats or problems. The tomatoes are looking gorgeous. There is just something about those Cherokee Purples. It's like they grow too fast, they have scaring on them - every one of them. The Travelers are much prettier to look at, but I prefer the taste of the Cherokee Purple. Let's have a quick poll - which ones taste better, Cherokee Purple or Arkansas Traveler? Vote in the comments below.

Poultry on Pasture

Today was a special day. We completed the move of our laying hens to their new home on acres and acres of tall, grasshopper ladened pasture! It was an adventure in and of itself, but then again, name something here on the farm that we've tried that hasn't been! I love it when dreams become reality!

Official Tomato Farmers!

This week marks the first sale of our organic heirloom tomatoes! We had such a great response from the market that we are oversold for the week. We have been taste-testing the different varieties at dinner and are having a hard time deciding between "ooh, that's a really good" and "mmm, that's a really good" tomato! Both varieties, Arkansas Traveler and Cherokee Purple, are exceptional in flavor, with the Travelers being more traditional in appearance. The Cherokee Purple, while having the distinct color of a bruise, surprises your tastebuds with the full vibrant taste of natural summer goodness. We may be somewhat biased, but these are the same tomatoes your grandparents probably told you about, and for good reason--they are just plain good! We hope the weather continues to be "tomato-friendly" and we have many more weeks of production ahead of us. Be sure to visit the Conway Locally Grown Market starting this Sunday to place your order for our tasty tomatoes and other Turtle Rock Farms products.

Starting Over From Scratch

Today the chickens to replace the ones that the "mystery murderer" ate arrived at the post office. We hope we have secured the brooder better this go-round. The lone survivor chicken looked like a giant compared to these day-old chicks. It was amazing to see the difference in size just one week makes. Now, hopefully, we are in the chicken business!

Small Farm Diversification

Last week at the market we tried selling some of the gladiolas from my front herb garden and were very successful. We sold out! I only wish I had planted more. Our aunt in Bigelow has a very profitable cut flower business, which we will definitely be exploring as an option for next season. This week we are going to be offering our fresh-milled organic wheat, spelt, and oat flours at the market. We have long been enjoying the health benefits of milling our own grains and are excited to share this knowledge with our customers through Conway Locally Grown. We should begin harvesting our tomatoes later this week and hope to expand our offerings to the Little Rock area via the ASN Food Club. Turtle Rock Farms is ripe with potential!

DISASTER

Nothing gets the heart pumping first thing in the morning like your children in a panic. Two of the kids were yelling, out of breath, and talking over one another. I put on my calm fatherly hat and said, "What was that?" "Something killed all the chickens!", they manage to say in unison. Oh boy. Sure enough, death has come quickly. Something dug under the chicken brooder and killed 30 baby chickens. To this point, we have not had problems with predators on the property. Hence, we became lax and lost our sense of vigilance. We suspect our cat as the culprit since the hole seemed too small for opossum or raccoon. Plus he has a history of killing as he did grab one of last year's chickens and taste-tested a wing. Incidentally, the amount of flies was staggering, sounding like the luzula horns at the world cup, just a constant buzzing in my ears. We have one bright spot in this whole tale - one made it out alive. I guess she ducked out through the hole when the killing started. The kids found her stumbling around by the compost in a state of shock. So immediately the kids are nursing her back to health and she looks pretty good despite what she went through. While it is not a happy day here at Turtle Rock Farms, God will provide. We will make the brooder a little more secure and we will move on. Lessons learned on the farm can sometimes be harsh ones, but we are glad for the experience.

The First Batch of Meat Chicks Arrive!

Today I made the trek down to the post office to pick up 50 broiler chicks. I love the looks I get from the postmaster when she hands me my peeping package! Once home we introduce them to water, food and their new home for the next 4 weeks. Think meaty thoughts little ones!

Business Cards

We just received our new business cards for the farm. I guess that makes us official now! We also have matching labels for our egg cartons on the way. We used VistaPrint and were very happy with the products and service we received.

Chicken Graduation

Today our "teenage" laying chickens graduated to the big yard with the other adult hens. No graduation is complete without plenty of pomp and circumstance, so we made this event quite memorable for them. We trimmed their wing to make sure they wouldn't fly over the fence and gave them each a new ankle bracelet to make them distinguishable from our other more mature Cinnamon Queens. Since they weren't very familiar with their new home, we had to hand-tuck them into their bed in the coop tonight after dark. We thought giving them a little time of adjustment would help them settle in better. We hope they integrate well into the rest of the flock this week before we move them out onto the pasture next week. Two more months and we will have 52 laying hens--eggcelent!

Our Little Entrepreneur

Avery's mint garden has been really successful and this week she decided to try to sell some of her various types at the locally grown market in Conway. She has included suggested uses and recipes with each bunch of mint purchased. We are so proud of her entrepreneurial spirit and hard work! Check out her market ads by clicking here and search under herbs. We are hoping she sells out at next week's market.

Tip-toeing through the tomatoes!

The tomato plants have really taken a liking to our place. I spent the afternoon yesterday tying up branches to trellises, cages and our Florida weave system. I also pruned the bottom leaves back to keep everything off the ground to lessen the chance of bugs and disease. The Travelers and purple Cherokees all have blossoms and/or fruit, but our Brandywines still look like they are struggling after their rough start. The soaker hose and hay mulch method seems to be keeping everything else moist and happy. We should be getting our packaging, labels and flats next week and then it is off to market! We'll keep you posted.

Birds, Birds, and More Birds!

The plan has been set in motion! Today we placed our order at the hatchery for our pastured poultry.We will have 50 broilers shipped June 21st, 40 turkeys shipped July 19th, and 100 broilers July 28th. The chickens will be brooded at our house for 4 weeks, then moved out to the pasture pens to enjoy growing big and meaty. Be thinking about your favorite chicken recipes and how much better they will taste with fresh pastured poultry. And it is never too early to start planning this year's Thanksgiving dinner complete with a Turtle Rock Farms all-natural turkey. Now to build a couple new brooders and put the finishing touches on the pasture pens.

UCA Students Help Get Our Poultry Projects Up and Running

This week we had several UCA students visit the mountain to learn "hands-on" about sustainable farming. Ed Martsolf of Petit Jean Farm arranged for the students to come out to our pasture and help install electric fencing and build our broiler pens and hen-mobile. They were able to get two broiler hoop houses nearly completed and our mobile hen house (a re-purposed horse trailer) completely secure and ready for the nest boxes to be installed. We hosted an ice cream social at our place and treated the weary workers to ice cream made from raw milk, our country fresh eggs, and our daughter Avery's organic chocolate mint leaves. We hope these young men and women have gained an appreciation for the simple life and have enjoyed seeing the fruits of their labors.