Animals: Poultry, Hogs, Turkeys, Layers, Bees
We raised about 300 Cornish Cross Broiler and Red Broilers and 50 turkeys. These happy animals were kept in 10x10 pens moved daily for new forage. The turkeys took over one of the orchards for the last part of their lives. At about 10 weeks they were processed and sold on site. In addition to meat birds we had laying hens. A couple dozen eggs were collected twice daily and sold to friends and neighbors.
The hogs arrived small, feisty, and shy. They were also part of a rotational pasture system, allowing them to forage in new territory once they had nearly dug their current one up. These were my favorite buddies, if you can tell by the picture of me joining in their wallow.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at UMDuluth Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI): I helped Cindy with her IPM project, tracking pests in CVF and UMD orchards to inform more environmentally responsible pest control practices.
The Garden: beans, greens, squash, potatoes, corn, onions, cucumber, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, radish, peas...you name it, we probably had it!
The Greenhouse: Cilantro, dill, parsley, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme. Herbs were harvested fresh for meals, dried for herb mixes, and used to infuse homemade vinegars!
Fruit: 3 apple orchards, grapes, high bush cranberry, juneberry, currants, gooseberry, wild berries
Planting & Pulling: The berm in front of the greenhouse was cleared and planted with a variety of fruit bushes! I also helped plant a new orchard with 3 varieties of apple for a total of 50 new trees.
Cooking... And Eating!!!
Wildlife: Readers who are unfamiliar with Minnesota, the northern part of the state has a very unique and spectacular biome that supports diversified flora and fauna.
Dog Training: Honey joined us during my time there so I learned some serious dog discipline
Other Adventures: Community events, Great Lakes Aquarium, bike rides, hikes, Lake Superior swimming!
Thanks for reading!
