As some may know, we have moved onto 147 acres of raw land in Kansas. Such an adventure … we are now living off of the grid as we await for our home, barn and creamery to be built. The 600 lbs of cheese (Gruyere and Montasio-style) that we brought with us along a bumpy ride is being stored in a cooler at Sommerset Cafe in Dover, KS until our cooler is up and running (soon we hope!). Construction of the creamery may begin in a few months, but there are many unknowns. In the meantime …. we are searching for Normandy cows. These would provide us with the ultimate milk for cheese making!!! Fingers crossed. In the meantime, our flock of East Friesian sheep continues to grow. Our pasture is not only beautiful, but delicious. We have over 10 varieties of wild flowers and 5 varieties of grasses (including native brome, rye and wheat) Sheep, goats and cows will be grazing on a rotational system. We no longer feed grain and the sheep are becoming downright chubby! Sooooo encouraging!! We are focusing our efforts back toward a simplified means of growing food and making cheese. It’s not only much better for the animals and the land, but likely to produce outstanding cheese. Wow! Can you sense our excitement?
Here are a few pictures of the flowers we have found. There is tremendous variety. Most farmers call these ‘noxious weeds’ but the sheep love all of it. They seem to love everything that the cows would not. Ironically, grass seems to be lowest on their list of preferences.
White Yarrow is abundant here. The flowers make a delicious tea and their pop within the green landscape is stunning.
Dianthus is also abundant. You will find this delicate flower in medieval tapestry, most notably the Unicorn Tapestries. It looks so frail and delicate but thrives very well within all of the meadows.
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