Buckets of Rain

Good morning, 

Weather rocked our focus and perspective this week. Thunderstorms and very heavy rain soaked the farm and our region this week. Rain gauges recorded everything from 4” to 7” and more in just our town alone.

Thank you to our dedicated town highway department. All things considered we were lucky. Our rain gauge boasted 4” of rain, which is LOTS of rain in just a few hours, but some folks who caught more of the heavy bursts saw even higher rainfall. 

Rivers and waterways carry this water wherever it lands and the power of moving water is amazing. Spear Road at the corner of our farm has a small stream that goes under the road, which turned into a surging river with the rain. Water pulled a good section of the road along with it.

Many other roads and farms had more damage. Some culverts nearby were completely washed out leaving roads impassable.

The weather forecast gave us ample warning that there might be significant rainfall so all of the animal groups were wet, but not too wet. For the past two years Racey and I have tried to have hay cut off the fields where the chickens are and each year rain and hay coordination has meant we’ve cut hay late in July or August. 

July hay is considered “late” and the grasses are “over mature” which means there is more grass stem in the hay and less “leaf” which has more nutrition like protein and energy. Like so many things there is always another perspective. The late hay provides an incredible thatch for the chickens as they make their way around the field. 

With 4” of rain in this flat field with clay soils there was plenty of standing water after the heavy rain. Yet the chickens hardly noticed since any puddles are covered by the thatch of grass that is pushed down by the coops. The chickens still have plenty of fun pecking bugs and such from the tall grass and they easily forage on the leaves and seeds. The tall grass lays down, providing a mat of sorts that means the wet weather and pecking chickens do not generate the same mud and uncomfortable conditions that shorter grass pastures have in the past.

Racey and I wondered out-loud if this unintentional strategy might actually be worth pursuing intentionally as our weather patterns continue to move towards unpredictable and extreme.

Favorite Recipe this Week

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

We have been loving the boneless chicken thighs and they make an appearance on the grill at least once a week. Racey and I have also been taking advantage of the great savings on our Bone-in Chicken Thighs and we like the boneless so much we’ll cut out the bone for quick and even grilling.

Rub with your spices of choice. We like a mix of garlic, thyme and pepper, a pinch of salt and then lemon juice and schmaltz. Grill and enjoy for dinner. The key is cook more than you need. Then slice leftovers for chicken sandwiches the follow day. It is like the best cold cut you’ve ever had, plus it’s pasture raised organic (can’t get that in the deli counter) and no nitrates or preservatives. YUUUUM.