Our First School Group (And Rain!)

A few weeks ago a teacher from Wentworth Intermediate School came by the farm to talk about some groups of 3rd and 4th graders coming to Frith on a field trip in May. 

I decided that a scavenger hunt would be a fun way to introduce the kids to the farm and get them thinking a little more about what they were seeing here. 

We talked about what the animals eat; why there's only one rooster; why the greenhouse doors are open in the daytime; and why the pig pen has tons of holes dug into it. 

Some of the questions led them to beds that were labeled with some of our more exotic veggies - kale, collards and kohlrabi. The kids were supposed to compare their appearance and describe what they saw under the row cover. 

They went into the greenhouse and found some basil seedlings. 

They were most interested in the chickens and the pigs and had lots of really good questions; how many eggs chickens lay each day; where they lay the eggs and how we get over the electric fence!

We got a group photo next to the pigs and then headed over to the lambs. That's right, we got our lambs last weekend!

Afterwards, the kids presented me with a bouquet of dandelions with some turkey feathers, and one even said that he wants to be a farmer when he grows up!

Overall the kids were extremely engaged and truly interested in the different aspects of the farm. Most of them had not thought before about the process that goes in to getting the chicken that they eat for supper and there were some interesting moments when it registered that animals must die in order for us to eat them. 

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In other news, Wednesday marked the end of a dry spell that had lasted for over two weeks. We are still in the process of setting up our irrigation, so our newly-transplanted kale, collards and spinach had been looking especially parched.  

Wednesday night all that changed though and we woke up Thursday morning to a mist-filled farm. 

I think these shots are particularly beautiful.

Two beds of lettuce, planted Wednesday were especially glad for the perfect transplant weather. 

And we've gotten around ten more beds planted since the rain - brussel sprouts, turnips, bok choy, Napa cabbage and rutabaga!

Onza's kittens are sprouting up like weeds as well and all have opened their eyes in the past week. 

We'll likely have two kittens available for adoption in the coming weeks. Let us know if you're interested!