“Value-added” is a common buzz word these days. It typically means getting every last bit of profit available out of your product. 

Having added sheep to our farm this year I was a bit curious to explore all the possibilities. I was presented with an exciting opportunity to attend Fiber Mania last weekend.

Fiber Mania is a gathering of folks who represent the entire scope of fiber production, starting with the breeding and raising of animals (yes, live animals—  llamas, alpacas and angora goats on display); the folks who shear, clean, process, and dye the fiber; those who spin and make yarn; and on to the ladies who use looms to weave masterpieces; and the crafters who turn simple fiber into art—they were all there.

You may wonder what all that has to do with sheep. Well, my two favorite Jacob sheep farms hosted one of the many vendor booths. I got to see first hand what amazing things can be created from sheep, and also the many ways wool can be used creatively.

Cooking healthy and nutrious lamb meat was my original goal. Let me share some of the many other value-added options I witnessed this weekend.

First up Mud Ranch, Joan was selling pelts and fleeces:

I fell in love with this pelt! It is not the usual Jacob sheep color pattern of white with dark spots or patches but beautiful none the less, and WARM too!

Next up a beautiful fleece—it was sheared, skirted and bagged. It now awaits sorting, washing, and processing. I loved the many color variations in this fleece. That covers the basic right-from-the-sheep options, now onto to some of the many other possibilities.

This is where work transitions into FUN!

Next up at Kenleigh Acres, Shannon had an amazing assortment of items. Just to name a few: lovely felted bags, nuno felted scarves (gorgeous), felt covered soap, craft supplies and kits, pillows, how-to books, and more.  My favorite picks:

Kits for making needle felted sheep and needle felted flowers. The sheep are adorable as you will see in the next photo.

Yes I loved a whole herd of them home with me. The picture does not do them justice.

No fiber event would be complete without attending one of the many beginner to advanced level classes offered. My choice was beginning needle felting. You use processed wool, and a long needle with barbs on it to craft just about anything you can imagine. This day I learned the basics of ladybug sculpting. 

Value-added is not only financially rewarding, but at times can be most enjoyable on a personal level as well. To Joan and Shannon, thanks for a wonderful day!

Hello to all, I finally finished the portable chicken pen and it is working!!! (UPDATED with additional information on Nov. 13, 2011.) My goal here was to use the chickens to keep the growing beds weed-free through the winter rainy season here on California’s north coast. This is a “before” photo of the weeds that had overtaken the bed. This is the “after” photo, having left the pen on the bed for 5 days. After a quick rake to remove larger debris, and a second pass… Read the rest of this article »

Mother Earth News magazine just listed their top 15 Vegetable Seed Companies and PEACEFUL VALLEY Farm and Garden supply is on it!  Well done! Read the rest of this article »

Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply is now shipping leeks, garlic, onions and shallots!  Leeks are a wonderful winter crop. Here on the north coast of California they will grow now until mid spring. They add a lot of character to the otherwise dull landscape of the rainy winter season. Swiss chard and kale are two additional crops that add delightful color contrast to the beds. Chard now comes in a rainbow of colors and textures as does the kale. These crops also mingle very well together… Read the rest of this article »

I’m not sure if it is really flying, but somehow September seems to have just disappeared. The mornings are becoming very crisp and I can feel the impending season knocking on my door. By afternoon, however, the heat of the day assures that there is no time for rest. Not yet anyway. I haven’t opened the Tuesday Farm Stand at our house for two weeks now because my veggie supply has really slowed down. Not to mention that the last two Tuesdays Garrett has been off from his day job, so we… Read the rest of this article »

Hello Folks, This week I wanted to share a bit about the importance of livestock on the farm. In an earlier post I mentioned that our farm took an unexpected turn this spring with the addition of two Jacob sheep that were purchased as locker lambs (purposed for meat). Through these two fellows I have come to love sheep! I have used them extensively for weed control all over the property and their waste is happily decomposing and making the green grass grow. The grazing nature of sheep is the one… Read the rest of this article »

I had the pleasure of attending our local farmers market as a “customer” recently.  I picked up some amazing cherry tomatoes from fellow Freshman Farmer Dustin of Home Plate Organic Farm.  His tomatoes are a hit in our area! Amazing flavor and very colorful! Also picked up some of his lovely okra and prepared it by frying the pod, whole, in butter with some shallots (also form Dustin), cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and fresh grated ginger. A very tasty addition to our dinner… Read the rest of this article »

Normally I don’t mind sharing the harvest with a gopher or two.  They are usually very polite and only eat an onion or garlic every now and then, not a big deal. This year how ever they were taking down several onions, garlic, broccoli and cabbages a week. The population I assume has increased with the consumption of my farm crops.  A second issue was that of safety, the underground tunnels were all over in every direction and so close together that if you stepped just right you could… Read the rest of this article »

It was such a lovely morning that I decided to take my cocoa with a shot of coffee out with me to pick HUCKLEBERRIES.  I have a native edible landscape planting in front of my house.  All the plants were rescued from the back forty when a wind storm took out 9 large pine trees. I harvested far more than I expected so I joyfully came in and whipped up a lovely batch of huckleberry, strawberry, and rhubarb jam. I am trying a new type of pectin this year that allows me the option to use honey… Read the rest of this article »