Winter has set in, with a vengeance. It has been COLD these last few days, and were starting to get hard frosts on the ground. Ive been very busy, getting the last of the autumn jobs done before ther...
Raising our chickens from eggs has been a long, interesting, wonderful and sometimes devastating experience. I want to share what Ive learned.Along the way, weve learned a lot, much of which I have n...
The baby chicks seem to be getting bigger every day. Theyre certainly not babies any more!Of the original 21 we hatched out, 17 have made it to this stage, and all are looking healthy and feathering ...
Ive been so busy lately that I havent had much time for posting.Autumn is a busy time on the farm. Its the last of the decent, dry(ish) weather before winters cold bites in, so were spending every fr...
After nearly two decades of being semi-vegetarian, vegetarian and (at times) vegan, Ive started eating lamb. I want to talk about why Ive decided to do that.When we bought Hazeltree Farm two years ag...
A few weeks back, I talked about saving lots of money by buying cosmetics on the internet, instead of at your local department store.Well!This week, I popped into my local department store, to check ...
I was busy this morning blanching and bagging loads of broccoli for winter. It feels to good to have a full deep freezer, with lots of yummy healthy foods that Ive prepared (and in some cases grown) ...
Our orchard fruit are ripe.I think these are "Black Doris" but were not 100% sure. Theyre dark inside, very juicy and so lovely to eat fresh or stewed.Ive been busy picking the fruit, and s...
Meet Ramses - our new ram!He was born in September 2011, so hes still a youngun, and raring to go already! We bought him from a friend down the road, as we were looking for a good-tempered young ram ...
Weve decided to stop free ranging our chickens. Well be building them an extended run and a "chicken tractor" and their free ranging days are about to end.It just hasnt worked. I know it so...
Weve had fifteen baby chicks hatch so far, and that plastic crate / homemade brooder is getting pretty crowded.Its getting to standing room only in there! And they havent all hatched yet!So Ive been ...
Our eggs are hatching like crazy right now, and its all I can do to keep up with them. Remember how I said we had one chickie hatch?Well, now we have SIX. The oldest four in the incubator. These were...
This homemade bread recipe is cheap, easy, terrific and fast. It makes two large (9 inch) loaves.Ready for spreading some butter, or lovely homemade jam. You just cant beat homemade bread, fresh from...
My kids lunchboxes are looking good this year, with a whole stack of budget treats to keep them happy and full.Heres what they get in a typical day:Sandwich: My kids get a sandwich, made from home ma...
Hello, cute one!The chickie is still damp from the egg. Over the next few hours, its feathers will fluff up. Ill post photos on Facebook when it is all cute and fluffy-looking.I asked my son what we ...
Its so exciting!The first of the chookie eggs in our incubator has started to crack - and its one of our own eggs, from our own chookies!A tiny beak! Cant wait for our cute new arrivals.Im so thrille...
I just killed my first chicken tonight, five minutes ago. My hands are still shaking a bit still.I always said, when I began this blog, that I wanted to be honest. I didnt want to hide anything from ...
Our chooks are nearing their end days, and Ill be the hatchet-bearer. Being a sensible girlie and all, Ill be putting their bodies on the compost heap, where theyll eventually be of use to the garden...
We bought an incubator a couple of weeks ago. Now were incubating chicken eggs.Our new incubator. I hope it works!Our old chooks have had a great run, but its replacement time. With the exception of ...
I want to talk about kids meals in restaurants and cafes. Theyre bloody shocking.This summer break, my family and I went for a holiday up the east coast of New Zealand, to Picton. We had a terrific t...
This year, Im only making one environmentally-friendly New Years Resolution. By limiting myself to one resolution only, I can manage it. Most years Ive tried to do something too hard, and failed. So ...
2011 has been a hugely busy year for us. You might be able to tell that, by the lack of blog posts this last month or two!Lambs!Ive learned so much this year, and yet I feel like I have so much more ...
Our property is organic. Within a few months of moving here and turning the farm organic at the beginning of 2010, the insects started coming back, and a family of wild ducks moved in. We were stunne...
The newspapers have had a lot of articles recently about how the retail shops are finding it hard to keep going in this tough economic climate. And how so many people are buying items online.Ive stop...
I realised the other day that I havent posted for a good, long while. Thats what happens when Im very busy, I guess!The sheepleFarm work has been rolling along. The lambs are all topping 30 kgs apiec...
The farm is looking very beautiful at the moment, so I thought Id walk around with the camera, taking photos to share with you all.The front driveway is filled with flowers. I carry a bag of seeds an...
This video snippet gave me a warm feeling - and reminded me how, in the midst of adversity, there are always, always terrific people doing kindness for others. Have a lovely day!
Everything else, barring my family and work, stands neglected right now. Including this blog. This is because NaNoWriMo is on, and Im scrambling to write a 50,000 word novel before November 30th. You...
Ive had a bad cough the last few days, and as I was going through the checkout at the local shops, the check out lady told me of this great recipe for home made cough medicine. Its easy, and works - ...
Ive posted several recipes here at Hazeltree Farm for home made cleaning products, but never my recipes for washing powder and laundry liquid. Both recipes below are really easy to make, and very eco...
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