We were still new to goat herding when the first icy storm of 2019 blew in. I felt sure our Nigerian Dwarf herd could not survive it outdoors and insisted […]
On the Landscape
BACKYARD FARM
Sergeant Major Spruce, the Christmas Goose
What’s good for the gander is good for the whole farm
If our backyard farm were in my home country of Austria, we’d be trussing up a plump goose for our Christmas feast right about now. But here we are in […]
BOGSIDE
Storms, Sanding, and the Slow Restoration of Sassamanesh Farm
Bringing back an old cranberry bog is ‘a different adventure every year’
ORLEANS — The Outer Cape has its wild cranberry patches, hidden in the dunes and alongside ponds. But it takes a road trip to Orleans to find a cultivated bog. […]
GAP YEAR
Majoring in Dirt
Eastham’s Izzy Nobili plans a farm-to-farm path to college
Isabelle Nobili is a 2021 Nauset Regional High School graduate who has ambitious college plans. She’s going to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. What she wants to study there is […]
BACKYARD FARM
So, You Want to Wean a Goat
Lessons in how best to send your kids into the world
When we bred our doe, Buttercup, for the first time, we were novice goat keepers. We rented a buck, Stinky Dan, whose musky aroma was nothing out of the ordinary […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Walled Gardens Can Put Us at Ease
More than a collection of plants, a garden is a place that speaks to body and mind
On a recent trip to Philadelphia to visit friends, I had an opportunity to sit and think about space. My friends’ house is in a tightly packed neighborhood with narrow […]
BACKYARD FARM
A New Chick in the Flock
After a gradual introduction, a new bird finds her place in the pecking order
If you’re serious about raising chickens, the day will probably come when you want to add more birds to your flock. Most fledgling backyard farmers start out cautiously, with small […]
BACKYARD FARM
How to Milk a Goat, Maybe
Even with massage and sweet nothings, Buttercup won’t be milked
I think goat kids are among the cutest creatures on Earth. But most backyard farmers are more interested in goat mamas — does. That’s what happens when you’re keeping goats […]
ANIMAL RIGHTS
Eastham Adopts New Rules on Noncommercial Farm Animals
‘You want to see animals raised humanely. That’s the whole point.’
EASTHAM — The board of health voted on July 29 to adopt a new set of noncommercial farm animal regulations. The rules require households to apply for permits to keep […]
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE
Beauty and Quirkiness in Full Bloom in Eastham
A garden tour that prides itself on being a little on the wild side
Nearly 400 garden lovers turned out for the Eastham Garden Tour on July 13, which benefits the town’s public library. Visitors roamed six gardens that fit the event’s theme: Creative […]
IN THE BUD
Is It Wrong to Be Horny?
Why some backyard farmers are reconsidering ‘disbudding’ their goats
Goats have horns. That’s something I always took for granted. I grew up seeing goats on mountaintops throughout my childhood in Austria, and every one of them had horns. But […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Lilacs Tell a Story
A lonesome plant, found in the woods, might have marked an entryway — or an outhouse
In a recent conversation with a friend, the subject of lilacs growing in the wild came up. My friend had been on a walk in the woods of Wellfleet when […]
TOOLSHED
The Right Tools for the Job
A plantswoman on the hand tools she cannot garden without
TRURO — There are catalogs full of gardening toys to consider at this time of year. You can start to imagine that, if only you had the right apron, swivel-headed […]
HOMESTEADING
Sorrow and Joy on Buttercup’s Birthing Day
Two lively kids comfort a doe and her homesteaders
Last summer our sweet Nigerian dwarf doe, Princess Buttercup, gave birth with remarkable ease, which is typical for her breed. I barely noticed that she was in labor before her […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Bonsai Brings Untamable Nature Close
With fearless cuts, a caretaker tends the conditions for healthy growth
My introduction to bonsai was an encounter with a collection of straggly little junipers in pots in a friend’s yard. The plants were root-bound and malnourished, and they had taken […]
