Listen Now

Thanksgiving has come and gone, Blind Hog and Acorn took advantage of some nice days to get YET MORE CHORES done.Wood got split, food got cooked, and we ate  ate ate.  Badger came and spent the night, said it was her ideal  Thanksgiving.  Nice and quiet, something we have in abundance here at SteelMeadow.Check out the pictures under "Episodes" on the website.

Another rainy Saturday, two in a row?  Crazy!  Just in time too as Blind Hog and Acorn finished off with the new ditch at the old goat barn.  Drain laid, gravel dumped and cross drive trench dug/piped/filled.  Done!  AND, water is officially draining out of the pipe.Blind Hog and Acorn went to the Big City and shopped as if they don't want to go back for a couple months- they might not want to!  Staples were purchased; pantry and larder are groaning.  All is good, especially in the mincemeat department...Acorn earned an advanced plumbing merit badge with the kitchen faucet- now to see if her skills extend to the clothes washer which is acting up.  At this writing, no more water was leaking onto the floor.Fun Fact- you never, ever want a skunk to spray your car.  The paint and finish will not recover...Pictures of the Great Corned Beef and Pastrami Experiment are on the website- just go to the Menu Tab for "Episodes"...

Blind Hog and Acorn had enough to keep them busy this week but today it is raining, so they get a bit of a break.Blind Hog had a birthday and will be eating cake all week long, hence the need for some vanilla ice cream.  Acorn has plans to add lavender flowers to it.  "Honey lavender vanilla"...Nothing super exciting this week.  Blind Hog is tired of picking up rocks, Acorn's guitar chords are improving (well, she thinks she is getting better...)Oh... The skunk.  How could we forget about the skunk???  Guess we did have a bit of excitement last night after all...

Blind Hog and Acorn have not stopped- cleaning out the pig barn, ditching a drainline on the old goat barn.  Blind Hog even had to use his dowsing rods to locate buried electric lines.Want to find out more?  Take a listen!  Sam will protect us from all kinds of intruders, even dried up snake skins...

Acorn has been busy cleaning the house after RAIN finally fell from the sky.  She also goes on a bit of a rant- wondering why folks just won't wear masks. So frustrating.Blind Hog has his work "cut out for him " (pun intended) as a dead tree fell across the driveway, and thus he will get another cord or two added to the winter's stash of firewood.There is a 505/50 chance of podcast next week- depends if we can avoid contracting the Covid as poll workers on election day, plus Blind Hog's birthday will be coming up.Sunset was beautiful this last night of October.  House is getting cleaned-0 with or without Sam's help, the bees are fed and the geese are happy.  As are we all.  See pictures under the EPISODES tab at https://www.blindhogandacorn.com

Today was the day to take the buck kids to market, our dairy buck also went to a new home where he will meet new Alpine dairy girls to call his own.  "Win-win,"  Acorn says.Blind Hog pulled out another old post from the old goat barn, he and Acorn will put in the last new post in there- hopefully that will do it for barn repairs for the year.Acorn has been cooking winter squash (aka pumpkin) and it appears on the menu 2-3x a day... Poor Blind Hog, he suffers so...   You can see how she prepares it on the website, https://www.blindhogandacorn.comWinter is approaching the farm.  Garden to be mulched over, new ginkgo trees to plant.  All the excitement!

Blind Hog and Acorn have a few minutes on the porch during strong winds.  It was a lovely day, just BLUSTERY!Garden is changing over from summer garden to winter garden, the old goat barn gets yet MORE repair work.Pi finally calved, a bit later than the rest.  Her heifer's name is Ram. There is a Bible story in there, brought to you by the Badger.Acorn has always wanted a dress form and found one, cheap!  Some taping, bracing, padding and voila!  Body Double! Blind Hog found a use for hurricane truss ties we have had for upteen years, ditto with the Acorn and her old thermal underwear...  "See, we knew they wuold come in handy!"

On this dark morning, Acorn begins the podcast and is joined by the Blind Hog, coffee in hand.  Has been a busy week doing barn repairs, and so much more to do.Mars makes a nice appearance.  Strawberries and raspberries also giving us a lovely red "end of the season" treat.www.blindhogandacorn.com

Blind Hog and Acorn sit on the porch while Sam has his supper and discuss the past week's work.  Acorn is not sure how many goat kids are running about, and Blind Hog was reminded to check the almanac before digging- the phases of the moon specifically!Acorn also "virtually attended" a Podcasting Masterclass Workshop and learned some really cool things, some of which will help future Blind Hog and Acorn episodes #haveaplan.  Some times you cannot see the forest for the trees, and Acorn does want to stay focused.  Don't we all?

Come out to the apiary with the Acorn and go through the four hives.  You will be safe, no bee suit required HOWEVER if the incessant buzzing of bees will give you the willies, then you might want to skip this episode!Acorn went through all four hives and found a few interesting things.  You will learn a fun fact about what bees do when they are smoked and how the Acorn will feed them sugar.  We do have a drought going on, after all...No pictures from this episode- could not record and take pictures at the same time!  Acorn tried, will have to work on that for next time.

Acorn thought she would be super tricksie and record an episode with Blind Hog and the Badger at lunch, only to later find that the recording was full of buzzes, snaps and feedback.  Nope!  So, Acorn sat down and did an off-the-cuff episode, best laid plans and all. Maybe next time.Gutters are up on the dairy barn, trenches dug for the drainage lines and so it goes.  Don't know why we are putting up gutters- has not rained in 2 weeks!  But it will, one day- and we will be ready!Acorn is looking at tenor ukuleles, and after struggling mightily, found a vendor with big heart- TheUkeBug.com is a mom and pop store in Ohio.  Acorn called them up on Saturday and had a great chat with Barb.. Wonderful selection, Barb and Greg went over the top to help poor Acorn decide between two ukes- and at this writing, she still is not quite sure which one she'll go for.  Find out next week! 

Blind Hog and Acorn finish off their talk from last week about things to think about when you start up a farm, discuss predators that might be lurking about, firewood in the stacks, and ways to use surplus veggies.  What did Acorn put in the dehydrator this time?

Blind Hog and Acorn sit on the porch and record "en plein air" with the new shotgun/cardioid mic on the smartphone.  Surprise! It worked out quite well.  Even recorded in stereo!Bullets from the episode on "helpful hints for starting a farm":start as debt free as you canlook into apprentice and internship opportunitiesread some Joel Salatin, and even the old Scott and Helen Nearing booksfencing will and should always be a number one priorityinvestigate different animals, breeds, as well as breedersyou do not buy breeding stock at the sale barn/auction house- that is where you take your problemssafety equipment for animal handling is cheaper in the long run than a trip to the emergency roomtravel around the area you are thinking about farming, look at places- LOTS of placesconsider your (wholesale/retail) market opportunitiesbuilding codes or property restrictions? Better fine out now than later!

A storm finally makes it to the farm and rain- you know, water droplets, falling from the sky.  It is a beautiful thing.Blind Hog and Acorn drag out and sort through boxes of old books and toys- trying to avoid brown recluse spiders.  Of course the Ozarks are in the smack dab middle of brown recluse territory...Acorn has a cheese cave full of cheeses and the dairy goats are set to dry up for the interim. No more morning milkings until kids are bon in February!Ukulele lessons?  50% off?  Lessons?  Learning? That got Acorn's attention, say no more! Fun fact- ukulele strings are easier on the fingers than the strings of a mandolin, especially for Acorn.Check out www.blindhogandacorn.com for pictures from this week's episode.

It has been a most busy week on the farm- bee hive check, cleaning out the chicken coop and mucking out the two goat barns.  Blind Hog and Acorn are both two tired pups.Never one to sit with idle hands, Acorn snaps the days' haul of pole beans while she and Blind Hog talk about the week, the farm and past dining habits...Check out the website, www.blindhogandacorn.com for pictures from this latest episode.

The heat of summer continues, as does the workings of the pressure canner.  Blind Hog and Acorn just keep truckin'.Spices arrive, goats depart- but not without a little drama first. Of course, we must have the drama.  Acorn shares fun animal facts, probably more than what you would like to know. Cannot say we didn't warn you.  Astrophotography is harder than it looks.  Art museums are always more fun with a smart ass, or two.  Or three.Check out the website for pictures for the episode! www.blindhogandacorn.com

Lack of big rain has not hurt the elderberries too much, what has Acorn been doing with them?Blind Hog and Acorn hung the gutter on the porch and started a new project, which brought up memories of "The Nightmares of Livestock Transport." Trailering goats and cattle is never a dull moment.Visit the website, www.blindhogandacorn.com for pictures regarding the episode!

Acorn has been a canning fool- it it stands still long enough, she will plunk it in a jar and slap a lid on.Blind Hog has been getting a workout the past couple weeks between working the goats and prepping the firewood.  Acorn talks about the garden, missing IKEA, why farm vacation travel is best done in December, and a special goaty-friend.Check out the website for pictures regarding this episode:  www.blindhogandacorn.com

This has been a killer week on the farm- working the goats (did a headcount and we now have 100 exactly), weeding the garden, planting the Fall veggies, canning, cutting firewood.  Blind Hog came in for a break and Acorn set him down at the microphone."A farmer's work is never done..."If you want to see what a "rolling store" liked like back in the day, visit the website www.blindhogandacorn.com and take a look at the post for Episode #10.

Acorn wants you to bake your own bread- sourdough bread to be exact!  Think of it as a grand science experiment.  It is really easy, as she will explain. And if sourdough bread isn't enough to get you cooking, maybe the thought of waffles and fresh-baked cookies will.Acorn will also talk about bees and honey extraction- bee warned- this episode is filled with "fun facts." On the website, www.blindhogandacorn.com, there are loads of pictures for this episode, Blind Hog and Acorn must have had some spare time...  Enjoy!