Last night I joined my husband in his weekly trip to get our round bale of hay for the week. The moon was gorgeous up in the evening sky, and the road out to the hay farm was quiet and still. All along the way we saw herds of deer coming out of the woods in various open areas, grazing like horses that belonged there.
When we pulled up to the hay grower's house, he had our round bale skewered on his machine, and my husband pulled up so M. could simply back up and place it in our truck.
M. came out, and I went in to see if they had any eggs for sale this week. E., his wife, took me over to the little original farmhouse they've refurbished and use for their sales of eggs and certified organic beef. She made me up a nice dozen of what she calls her "top shelf" eggs - those that had irregularities in the shell and are thus not sold. She said those were the eggs for "sharing."
She told me the eggs come from the "Run Around Ladies" - who are free to forage at will, and thus the eggs are full of flavor and very rich.
M. pressed an entire collard green plant into my husband's hands, and invited us back in to sit by the woodstove while E. worked on dinner, husband wrote the check, and the dogs lay like black and white rugs on the warm floor.
I talked with M. about getting some hay to send off for an equine analysis. He had graciously given me his results, done for the nutritional profile for cattle, but I needed a few more minerals analyzed for the horses. He showed me the hay probe, and said he'd get the sample ready for when we come next week, so I can send it off. I offered to give him a copy of the results, so he can share it with any other horse customers who might be interested.
Every time I go out there I feel like I've entered an episode of All Creatures Great and Small. It's a way of life I value and wish we had more of, where the things we need come from people we know, and the exchange works for the good of both.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
7 comments:
It seems like such a warm and friendly farm. If only more places could be like that farm. It puts me in mind of the slower happier time of the past.
is it just me, or has the moon been amazing these last few nights? as i was driving home last night and bringing in the horses, this eerie, beautiful blue moonlight reflected in the snow covering our paddocks almost bright as day... and keeps me awake at night :-)
the hay farm sounds like a really special place, all too rare these days. i dream of my farm becoming a place something like that one day...
Arlene, it's so lovely out there. They don't have horses, but when we left I could hear the cows verbalizing a bit, and it was sweet.
There has been a lovely blue tone to things this month. I think this is one of those moons that is closer to the earth, so maybe that and winter combine for the special light. There have been some nights it was so bright I thought a light was on outside.
I love going to buy hay. Your farmers sound like something out of a novel - really charming. My hay man has such pride in what he does - and he's so good at it. It is really a gift to find people like this who have so much integrity.
We've really enjoyed getting to know them and knowing that our horses' hay comes from such good people. All the meat, eggs, and veggies are icing on the cake!
Just read your added notes and I am in awe. How amazing.
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