Walnut Dyebath Getting Started ......

Black Walnut Hulls For Natural Dyeing

If you're driving around at this time of year, you can't help but spot black walnuts dropped along the roadsides.  The crushed nuts and hulls & their distinctive brownish black stains are found along roads & driveways in the country & even in town.  Most people will let you pick them up if you ask.  Be sure to wear gloves, then either strip off the hulls or use the whole walnut, & soak in water for a couple of days.
Just Google "dyeing with walnuts" for all kinds of advice on how to do some dyeing. You can also concentrate the liquid & use it to stain wood & baskets
These walnuts came from the farm where we picked up the hay ..... you can see the trees in the background behind the corncrib with the longhorn steer hanging. 

Sheep Comings & Goings!

Sheep Coming! Can You Find "U"?

I took a few minutes today to get some pictures of the sheep as their grazing rotation takes them past the maples below the front pasture.  With the recent rain, the grass is really green & the maples are at their peak of color!  It's supposed to get cooler & start to rain tomorrow.  Hopefully everyone got their hay in today.  The sheep certainly like it when the weather turns cooler.

Sheep Going ..... Now Find "U"!

We've been considering jacketing the sheep, but we haven't gone down that path just yet.  It shows up in the color of "U".  She's not a true "black" black sheep, & you can see the difference in the sunbleached color of her fleece.  

Wild Rose Farm "U" & Some of The Flock

Got Hay?

3rd Cutting Alfalfa Hay

This wonderful warm October weather found most of the farmers in our part of Western Pennsylvania cutting, raking, & baling up 3rd cutting hay.  Wild Rose Farm got a nice load of 3rd cutting alfalfa hay & hauled it home today.  Our farmer friend may have some leafy grass hay for us tomorrow.  It depends on how it dries and if he beats the rain.  It will be round baled, so it can take some rain once it's baled.
Now how's this for barn art?  Our farmer friend has this on the side of his corn crib ......

Just realized when I went to start this post that the previous WRF post belonged on the LFLF blog.  Oh well ......... first time that's ever happened! 

Rainy Market Day

It was cool & rainy at the Beaver Farmers' Market on Saturday, but the market still had a good turnout. 

LFLF picked up baked goods, apple cider, & green beans before putting away the umbrella & jumping back into the truck.  We saw grapes again, plus new this week were chestnuts, decorative corn, bittersweet vines, & gourds.

The fresh winter squash & eggplants looked great glistening in the gentle rain!

To Market, To Market .....

Lambs Munching 2nd Cutting Hay

The recent rains have been great for the pastures & the ewes started a new rotation today.  The sheep will be enjoying the cooler weather.  Fall is market time for lamb at Wild Rose Farm.  We've been fortunate to get good prices for lambs the last 2 years.  We'll be taking in freezer lambs for a couple of customers in the next 2 weeks.  We also have some registered Rambouillet ewe lambs that will be going to a new home.  
Work continues on clearing an area for a building site for next year.  There are old fence posts in a line through this area & a "dead furrow" where the ground had once been plowed.  It's probably been 60+ years since that area was a pasture field judging by the size of the trees.  Just look at some of the firewood & timber that we have built up.  We'll be calling in a small portable sawmill to saw the cherry logs into boards. 

Logs & Fire Wood

Clearing & Brush Pile

2011 Fair Wrap-up

2011 Hookstown Fair

Wild Rose Farm got in a couple of fairs this summer.  The Hookstown Fair had great weather & we got some good pictures of the 4-H kids showing market lambs.  What was the new catch phrase this year from the judge?  As readers know, we're alert to new trends in livestock judging and the show ring this year did not disappoint!  In separating a 1st place lamb from the 2nd place lamb, the judge indicated that "my second place lamb would have had to have been a couple of clicks better to win the show tonight" over the first place lamb.  Love it! 

Good Sportsmanship - One Click Better!

We got shut out of the bidding on the market poultry pens at Hookstown - prices went way up - so we ended up at the Big Knob Fair the following week.  We successfully bid on a market hog that we are splitting with friends.  It's a great opportunity to support the 4-H youth who work hard on all of their projects.
Our final shot is from the Canfield Fair.  It was really hot on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, so we got there early and were leaving by 1PM.  Whew .......
The Largest Squash contest is always impressive, but if you look, the weight was down this year.

2011 Canfield Fair - Grand Champion Largest Squash!

Hoopiefest Found!

Hoopiefest Has A Special Theme This Year!

It took an event like Hoopiefest to bring Wild Rose Farm back to the blogosphere!  We've been very busy & things are finally starting to settle down a little at work.  Enough so, that we made it to the Beaver Farmers' Market Saturday morning.  Strangely enough, a few days ago, the thought of "hey, isn't it about time for Hoopiefest?" came to mind.  As I was wandering around the market (see other blog here), one of the vendors mentioned being invited to Hoopiefest.  "WHAT?", I said! 
"Oh, some old neighbors of mine have a party the 3rd weekend in August each year ..... my sister usually goes, & this year I got invited .... I volunteered to bring the corn, but they already had it lined up."  "It's out in the middle of nowhere." 
I couldn't believe it!  I mentioned the saga of trying to track this down for 2 years, but no directions were forthcoming ......  hmmmmm.  So ..... I returned to where we've seen the sign before and was not disappointed. Again we turned down the back road.

One Lane Bridge On The Search For Hoopiefest

  We drove on along the road looking for any indication the Hoopiefest was near ........ up ahead were a bunch of balloons on either side of a hidden driveway.  But no, this wasn't Hoopiefest. :(

A Baby Shower!

Just when it seemed like we'd gone too far & had surely passed it up - here it was!  Looks like it really is an honest to goodness Hoopiefest!  The picture has been cropped to protect the innocent.

Now You've Made It To Hoopiefest!