Category Archives: the Farm

Ten Years in Minnesota

Posted on August 27, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

As the students have been returning to the colleges here, I’ve been very aware that it was exactly ten years ago that I arrived in this place. I had come for an academic year at the Collegeville Institute, following the … Continue reading →

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First Egg

Posted on August 13, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

First egg! Mark this date: August 12, 2015 (born March 22). Turns out when the chickens chase you around squawking at the top of their crowy little throats it means they’re “broody.” I was hoping that was what it meant, though … Continue reading →

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Seasons

Posted on August 9, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Few things are harder to visualize than that a cold, snow-bound landscape, so marrow chillingly quiet and lifeless, will, within three months, be green and lush and warm, quivering with all manner of life, from birds warbling and flying through … Continue reading →

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Beets and other Pickles

Posted on July 29, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

As soon as I got back from vacation I hustled to get all the cucumbers into an overnight soak of water w/alum and the jars and lids ready for a major pickling session. It makes me so happy when I … Continue reading →

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Alpha Chicken

Posted on July 12, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I had such a nice day Thursday with the chickens. Me and Biggie are good buddies and this morning while the other four were busy with the fresh water and feed she followed me out of the pen and stood as … Continue reading →

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Seventeen Acres

Posted on July 7, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

In addition to a garden going like gangbusters, we’ve had another gorgeous unfolding to view this summer. Out on the edge of our property is a new 17-acre prairie. This prairie has been rented and planted in corn by a … Continue reading →

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Prairie Chickens, Garden Chickens

Posted on June 30, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

The chickens got good and bonded to their pen and coop before I started leaving the door open for them during the day. The hope was that they would not wander over to the other two homes and yards on … Continue reading →

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Here Today, the Prairie Edition

Posted on June 22, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

This time of year, when the days are their longest and we’re getting both intense sun and rain, I wonder what my big hurry was earlier in the spring. Things happen overnight this time of year. The beets plump, the radishes … Continue reading →

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Prairie Walk

Posted on June 10, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Sometimes you just have to let the prairie speak for itself. The lupine spreads every year, and the milkweed does, too. I saw my first Monarch butterfly from my window Sunday, and one today but couldn’t catch it with my … Continue reading →

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All In

Posted on June 1, 2015 by susanmsink@gmail.com

As of last night, the garden is officially “all in.” There is something in all of the 15 raised beds, the onions, potatoes and beans are going strong and the two projects: chicken coop and squash bed, are complete. It’s … Continue reading →

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