by Laura Parker Roerden Go to the nests, she said. They are no longer hidden by the leaves. They are round, and have born tiny birds now strong enough to fly. You’ll know them by their shape, like hands now wrung. But the nests are high, she answered, and sway in the wind. Do not beContinue reading “The Nests”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Eggs, Eggs, Eggs-stravagant Equinox Eggs
by Laura Parker Roerden Each spring we increase our flock with new heritage breed chicks. This year we added all-heritage breed Buff Orpingtons and Araucanas. Buff Orpingtons, as their name implies, are buff-colored hens that lay tan eggs. Araucanas come in a array of colors, my favorite is almost cerulean; they lay different shades of blueContinue reading “Eggs, Eggs, Eggs-stravagant Equinox Eggs”
Safe Passage: Thoughts About #Fall
by Laura Parker Roerden (October 17, 2011) I feel held by the fall. This thought comes to me during my morning run along the River Bend towpath, in the lee of the Voss farm, one of the six other dairy farmers in Uxbridge while I was growing up. The Voss farm is no longer aContinue reading “Safe Passage: Thoughts About #Fall”
The Five Very Best Tips for Preserving Tomatoes
by Laura Parker Roerden My first experiments with preserving tomatoes involved burnt fingers, cuts, and a bloody looking mess of tomato waste everywhere that reminded me of that classic Julia Child SNL skit. Fortunately, canning does not have to be a horror show. Over time and with the help of my fellow canner and friendContinue reading “The Five Very Best Tips for Preserving Tomatoes”
The Swallows in Flight
by Laura Parker Roerden I. Every night now the swallows fall and rise together over the hayfield, slicing the sky as if skinning it open to feed on insects. I can imagine DaVinci must have seen them. His drawings of flying machines spoke of curved elegance; of momentum that turns planes of existence upside, down.Continue reading “The Swallows in Flight”
The Birches
For Lara and all the Garden Moms by Laura Parker Roerden (August 28, 2015) This summer was a long march of loss. Three parents of the kids we grew up with in the neighborhood of the farm died, one after another, as if the branch they were hanging from no longer could sustain them. Each was in theirContinue reading “The Birches”
In Praise of the Roo
8 Reasons Roosters Rule by Laura Parker Roerden Should you have a rooster in your small flock or backyard farm? The question comes up a lot. Roosters are noisy, are not necessary for hens to produce eggs, and many ordinances in residential neighborhoods forbid them. So unless you’re wanting to hatch your own eggs, which obviously requires themContinue reading “In Praise of the Roo”
Do You Know Where You Are?
(And other thoughts on eating locally wherever you are) by Laura Parker Roerden What does it mean to be here? I mean right where you are at this very moment. I can distinctly remember the first time I actually understood what being present to where I was meant deep in my bones. Like a lot of my epiphanies,Continue reading “Do You Know Where You Are?”
Signs of Spring on the Farm
by Laura Parker Roerden It’s that time again, when the hens become broody and build hidden nests that make morning egg collection a treasure hunt rivaling the White House Easter Egg Roll. Last spring we found this nest in our calf barn. Naturally, we left the eggs so that the mother hen could tend toContinue reading “Signs of Spring on the Farm”
We’re All Bigger on the Inside
by Laura Parker Roerden We’re still patiently awaiting the arrival of Mezzie’s first calf, which has felt just minutes away for five long days. My own first baby was born during a snowstorm in late January, when everything is quiet and suspended and nature gives us the blank slate on which to write a newContinue reading “We’re All Bigger on the Inside”