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Farm Talk
Published: 5/21/2009
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FOXTAIL SEASON
I didn’t realize that there were so many seasons in the year. Lambing Season turned into Spring and now it’s Foxtail Season. That is when all those annual grasses dry out and my vet bills go up. (Read my blog for 5/21 to learn about that.)
When I was a kid and we moved from San Francisco to Cotati. We had 2 ½ acres and Mom let my brother and me get animals even though she didn’t know anything more about them than we did. Dave was in 3rd grade and started with a sheep. I was in 5th grade and started with a Jersey heifer. I remember that the pasture dried out in the spring and we tried to grow more grass by setting sprinklers. It wasn’t until I went to school at UC Davis and took courses in Range Science that I understood that we live in a Mediterranean climate and that means winter rains and summer drought—not a combination that will grow grass in the summer. I don’t remember if we had success in getting our pasture to green up, but even if something grew, it didn’t take long before we had more animals than the pasture would have been able to sustain without feeding hay.
I am fortunate to have irrigated pasture—that means that I can have green forage all summer even though we won’t be seeing more rain until the fall. The water comes from Lake Berryessa, via a series of canals and waterways. I irrigate about every 3 weeks to keep the clovers and trefoil and perennial grasses growing. But no matter how much I irrigate, annual grasses are going to dry out. That’s why they’re called annuals. Even though they provide forage when they are young and green, at this time of year they are a nuisance. They crowd the preferred plants and the seed-heads (foxtails) get stuck in everything from my socks to the dogs’ feet, sheep eyes, and the fleeces. One reason for shearing later in the year is to avoid having full fleeced sheep walking through dry grass and being covered with foxtails. I can’t seem to get rid of the foxtails, but I can work around the one of the problems by shearing in the fall.
NEW PRODUCTS
You can now purchase Jacob horn buttons on the website. More will be added as I get photos of them. See adjacent article for link to Buttons.
I’ve been playing with my rope machine and have perfected making rope with a variety of yarn. I have turned the rope into leashes and am selling these at the Artery in Davis. I plan to list these on the website next month.
Speaking of the Artery, I will be demonstrating weaving there on Monday, June 8. Come by and visit!
Happy Spring…oops…Foxtail Season!
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Have you seen my Jacob horn buttons? The transformation from a boring black horn to such a range of uniquely colored and shaped buttons is amazing. When creating buttons I keep the buttons from each horn together throughout the process so that, although no two are the same, I can match up buttons that were adjacent when they were still one horn--kind of like one of those kids' toys where you stack rings of decreasing size. I sell the buttons singly or in sets of 2 or 3 or more. You can now purchase Jacob horn buttons on the website and more will be added as I get photos of them. Click below for the link to More:Buttons.
Click here to be redirected to the link mentioned above.
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Meridian Jacobs Is Now On-Line...
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Welcome to the new and improved Meridian Jacobs website! I am very excited! You, my customers & friends, can browse farm photos, see a schedule of events, get answers to many common questions (tips), and order items or sign up for classes on-line--and you can use your credit card! I am also excited to introduce a new idea--the Meridian Jacobs Farm Club! Read about the Farm Club below. I hope that you'll spend some time learning your way around the new site!
You can contact me here.
Robin
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Join the Farm Club!
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Do you want to select your own fleece as it comes off the sheep? Do you want to know exactly where your food comes from ? Do you want to get dirt under your fingernails? Or maybe you'd like to walk in the sun, photograph flowers, and visit with friendly sheep. The
MJ Farm Club just may be for you!
Click here to be redirected to the link mentioned above.
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That most photos on this site can be enlarged by clicking on them?
That your Jacob wool item might be featured in a Photo Album if you send me a photo?
That when sign up as a Customer you can specify which e-newsletter you’d like to receive?
That eventually I’ll have all my handwoven items, lambskins, horn buttons, and Ashford products, etc. photographed and available through the website?
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