"Without dogs, our houses are cold receptacles for things. Dogs make a fire warmer with their curled presence. They wake us, greet us, protect us and ultimately carve a place in our hearts and our history. On reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs." -- Paul [...]
Back in 2013, we had a darling Nubian doe named Moonshine for a spell, taken in an emergency from a friend. Her twins died at birth so needed to be milked twice a day. What a dream on the milking stand and a great producer! I was happy to have her. However that milking schedule [...]
She's done it again! We are pleased to introduce Krystal’s newly published book. Only this one is a bit different- it’s the first in a series of what she likes to call “cookery” books- entitled “Classic Rabbit Recipes- A Highland Glenn Ranch Cookery Book”. Raising domestic rabbits for more than nine years has given ample [...]
We are pleased to announce Krystal’s latest and most personal book, “Country Diary of a 21st Century Lady”. This labor of love is a view of life here on our mountain ranch. Spanning the period of one year- 2014- it includes observations of the natural world surrounding us, the seasonal changes, animal life, and Indian [...]
Dirt under the fingernails. Scratches and bruises. Cattle getting out and having to be rounded up. Tall conifer-covered mountains. Bumpy dirt roads. Muddy diesel truck. The scent of the wood burning stove in the air… and in my hair. Soft fur. Hawks soaring in the big blue expanse. Calves playing in the paddock. Dogs romping. [...]
There is another voice on the ranch adding to the usual cacophony… Ducks! An adult flock of rare Ancona ducks is the generous contribution of a sweet Lady who has to move off of her farm. Thank You Sherri!!! Ducks are a completely new species to us, so it’s quite interesting and entertaining to watch [...]
Medicinal herbs are very near and dear to my heart! As our family herbalist, I rely on ethically harvested, sustainably grown and processed herbs that we cannot grow ourselves. I just heard about a campaign to raise awareness of the sustainability of herbs, called The Sustainable Herbs Project. Click here to learn more about how [...]
"Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning..." - The Farmers and Gardeners of Terre Vivante This is a wonderful book of fruit and vegetable preservation secrets collected from readers of the French organic gardening magazine Les Quatres Saisons du Jardinage (Four Season Gardening). The methods described date back literally hundreds of years, but are still in [...]
Over the past several years there has been a remarkable increase in the number of women, with a sprinkling of men, maintaining a family milk cow or dairy goats. Wonderfully there are no signs of the trend slowing down either! You can add me to that throng since 2012 marked the beginning of having my [...]
As autumn marches forward, wood is being cut and stacked for winter-time use. I grow nostalgic for the enveloping warmth of wood heat and cooking on the wood stove (someday soon with our Waterford Stanley cookstove!). The following book fuels the feeling! "American Wood Heat Cookery" – by Margaret Byrd Adams For anyone interested in [...]
