Sustainability in Action

Well, it's been a good summer. With our discovery of Alpine Ice Cream, Marco and I bought two more goats. They are now 4 weeks old and adorable. They are also Alpine Goats - the female is named Penelope and the male is Glen Black.

Glen Black is on the left, Penelope is on the right.

Marco and I have a year of owning goats under our belts. Many people ask us why we bought goats. Our first thought was that goats were small meat animals, so we could have many on a smaller plot of land. Alpine goats are also known for their excellent milk and tasty meat. Goat meat is very popular in other cultures (and is becoming popular in the U.S. as well.) Goat meat is a great option for people who don't eat pork. It is popular among the Hispanic, Hmong and Somali cultures.

Once we got goats, Marco and I fell in love with them because of how friendly they are. Unlike the donkeys, our goats will follow us around and feel most at ease when we are interacting with them. They have hilarious character traits and are wonderfully playful. We often take our goats for walks through our woods. Since they are herd animals, they stay close to their leaders: Marco and myself. They are natural lawnmowers, clearing areas with even the worst overgrowth. They love burdock plants and other nasty weeds. They are clever, smart creatures and were one of the first animals to be domesticated. Man and goat have been companions for ages.

Beyond our new goat purchases, Marco and I have been busy with two local farmer's markets. Over the winter we used recycled materials to construct a Cedar Hills backdrop for the market. The backdrop has pictures of us, the farm and our family - introducing ourselves to farmer's market visitors. The board also holds our missions statement, some pricing information and other services offered at Cedar Hills. Cedar Hills offers more than just vegetables. We also sell home-made breads and pastries, homemade laundry detergent and toothpaste, we sell organic shampoo and conditioner and farm fresh eggs. Cedar Hills also offers professional massage therapy, wholesale pastry orders and private tutoring/specialized education for student K through 8th grade.

The markets have been wonderful. Each week sees an increase in visitors and each week we are able to offer more vegetables.

Our gardens are doing great. We've begun picking zucchini, tomatillos, chilies, cucumbers, sugar-snap peas and green beans. Marco and I have been bagging up and freezing most of the peas and beans for winter time. We want our gardens to sustain us over the winter. Any excess fruits or vegetables we sell at the markets.

We also have several apple trees on the farm. The apples are about the size of baseballs right now. We are going to have a great apple harvest, which means lots of apple pies, apple sauce and apples to set aside for winter. Apples are one of those fruits that will stay fresh for a long time, as long as their skin isn't damaged.

This is our dog Boston and the Apple Blossoms.