New Grape and Cocoa Butter Soaps

NEW GRAPE AND COCOA BUTTER SOAPS ARE CURING!

I've been a "soap making fool" these past two weeks. I have two new kinds of goat's milk soap coming in December, a Grape soap shown above left with our Winemaker Smoking Man. It is made with grapeseed oil and dried grape hulls. The second is a Cocoa Butter soap (right) which is made with cocoa butter, coconut and almond essential oils. Grapeseed oil is a by-product of winemaking. It is a vegetable oil that is pressed from the seeds of grapes. It is good for skin moisturization. Cocoa butter is a tropical rich soap that is moisturizing and soothing to your senses. Double recipes of Shepherd's Pride, Peaches and Creme and Honey Creme soap have also been made and are in the curing process. I'm making another double batch of soap on Thursday night.

Cricket's Nest Holiday Open House

The Cricket's Nest will have their Holiday Open House on Saturday, October 31, from 10 until 4 PM. They will continue to have their holiday items displayed until the third week of December. For information, call 336.659.4315.

Guinea Pigs Are Here!

I've been weaning some of my short haired guinea pigs this weekend at age 21 days. They are ready to go to new homes. Right now, I have brown pigs and gray pigs. Later on, I'll be weaning some two-toned pigs. Since the Disney movie G-force came out, guinea pigs have been in a great demand. People sometimes forget about guinea pigs and how good a pet they are for children and adults. They make great interactive pets for those who can't have a cat or dog or want a pet that doesn't need exercising outside of the home. Guinea pigs are very social animal and do better in pairs to keep them emotionally healthy. Young children should be supervised when holding piggies and they should be housed separately from other animals. Rabbits can injure guinea pigs by kicking out and they have different care requirements. Overall, guinea pigs are very talkative and love interaction with people.

Nubian Buck Kids - Cain and Abel

Everyone has been wanting to see my new Nubian bucks' pictures, so here they are. They had their pictures made on Monday of this week. The buck kids were named Cain and Abel since they were the first ADGA registered bucks from our farm carrying the Buffalo Gals herdname. (Cain on left, Abel on right.)

Cain and Abel are both bottle raised and dam raised. They are very friendly except for on Monday - - they were disbudded (had their horns removed) .

Buffalo Gal's Soap Goes To Mostly Local Market

This afternoon we delivered a good selection of our goat's milk soap to sell at the Mostly Local Market in Lewisville, NC which carries local produce and meats along with other offerings. We also carried some of our gift sets. Visit Mostly Local Market in Lewisville! If you don't see the soap you are looking for at Tom and Anna's market, visit us at the farm for a bigger selection!

Hippity Hop

These are some of the weaned bunnies that we have for sale. Now is the time to purchase rabbits if you want to raise your own bunnies for the Easter season.

Lionhead Bunnies ($15)

(Some Adult Breeding Age Rabbits Available Too!)

Flemish Giant Bunnies ($20)

9 week old bunnies available now are varying shades of brown. 6 month old Flemish Giant brown bucks ($20). (Bunnies that will be available in 3 weeks are white, gray and black.) Dutch Bunnies ($15)

2009 North Carolina State Fair

Today, we left early in the morning to go to the 8AM Senior Doe Dairy Goat Show in the Expo Center in Raleigh, NC. There were so many dairy goats entered that one building was full and they had the overflow down the hill in a large circus style tent. Pygmy goats were housed in still another tent.

The Junior Dairy Show and Costume Class began at 9AM in the Graham Building. There were lots of nice dairy goats to see.

The Pygmy Goat Show was also today.

The fairgrounds gates open every day at 8AM and close at midnight. Advance ticket prices were $5 and the parking is free - - a much better value than the Dixie Classic Fair. After most of the Dairy Goat Show, we took in some of the other sites before heading home around 2PM. This was the last day of the fair which is a Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Hart Square - The Largest Collection of Original Historic Log Buildings In The US

Today we visited Hart Square. We were able to snag two tickets to the "sold out" event. It was a great experience! The weather was perfect - - sunny with a good breeze and temperatures in the 70's. For more than thirty years, Dr. Robert Hart of Hickory has rescued and restored Carolina life of the nineteenth century, recreating an entire village, Hart Square—the largest collection of original historic log buildings in the United States. Each year on the fourth Saturday in October, Dr. and Mrs. Hart open this restoration project to the public. Dating from 1782 to 1873, the seventy log structures—chapels, barns, houses, shops, and more—are all furnished, and around 220 volunteer artisans demonstrate the period techniques of flax breaking and hackling, spinning, weaving, herb dying, open-hearth cooking, broom and shoe making, shingle riving, wheelwrighting, tinsmithing, and moonshining. Visitors from across the country attend the one-day event, some inspired by the three-part series The 1840 Carolina Village narrated by the late Shelby Foote that airs on PBS stations. View a gallery of Hart Square. For further reading, see the October 2005 article "Cabin Fever" in Our State magazine: 1, 2, 3.

Mostly Local Market

On Tuesday of this week, I visited with Tom at the Mostly Local Market at 6321 Shallowford Road in Lewisville, NC. This is a nice market to get fresh and local produce, meats, etc. They are new to the area and have been in business for approximately one and one-half months. The Mostly Local Market has a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, including locally grown potatoes. On Tuesdays, they have fresh bread and the "Moravian Pie Lady" was making her delivery as we left. They also carry beef, lamb, chicken and eggs. They have other items available too! Our goat's milk soap will be carried in this market, along with some of our gift sets, beginning Tuesday, October 27. Visit their web site or give them a call at 336.946.2857.

Forsyth Rabies Clinic

Forsyth County will once again hold their annual fall Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic. It will be held on October 24, 2009 from 12:00 – 3:00 PM in the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds Cattle Barn (Gate 9 on 27th Street). The cost is $5.00 for each pet vaccinated. For more information, call (336) 703-3110.

Lexington Happenings

On Friday, October 23 from 6PM until 11PM Lexington, NC is sponsoring Pigs in the City . . . After Dark at the DC Fairgrounds on Greensboro Street Extension. Enjoy a Lexington BBQ dinner and dancing to the sounds of the Special Occasions Band. With a winning bid, you can take home one of Lexington's famous Pigs in the City pigs at their auction, Piggy's Go To Market. The evening will end with fireworks by Hales Fireworks. Tickets are $30. Call Uptown Lexington, Inc. at 336.249.0383 for more information.

# 17 of the 2009 Pigs in the City 5, of Lexington, NC. (Pork BBQ Capital of the World). Was sponsored by Mize Grading LLC, and the artist was David Everhart. It was located on the SE corner of the square, on S. Main St. and E. Center St. in front of the statue. Dwayne Padon

On Saturday , October 24, beginning at 8AM, the Fine Swine Wine Sale will be held. This will be the release of the special fifth label of wine made especially to go with Lexington-style pork barbeque by Childress Vineyards. Bob Timberlake designs the label each year and both Bob and Richard Childress will be on hand to sign the bottles at the festival for a limited time. Beginning at 8:30 AM, the 26th Annual Lexington Barbeque Festival will be held in the Historic Uptown Lexington District. There will be craft vendors, activities for families and lots of Lexington BBQ. For an entertainment listing, call 336.956.1880. Also, October 24, Bob Timberlake will be having a Fall Open House. Bob will be present from 1 until 4PM to personalize artwork and items purchased in the Gallery. For more information, contact the Gallery. On the 24th from 10 AM - 3PM, you can celebrate 2009 BBQ Daze at Dempsey's Place. You can get a chance to preview Essick's new print. For more information call, 336.731.3499. And finally, Childress Vineyards will have Music in the Vineyards from 11AM - 3PM. Call 336.236.9463 for more information. And if that isn't enough to do, go to the Davidson County Woodcarvers Show and Competition on Saturday from 10AM - 4PM at the National Guard Armory. This competition brings woodcarvers from across the southeast to compete for cash prizes. There will also be vendors and demonstrations. For more information visit their web site.

Buffalo Gal's Soap

Two new types of Buffalo Gal's soap are now available, Lavender Lace and Romantic Rose. They both have a very nice smell, with the recipes including fresh lavender and rose petals (respectively). The lavender bars were very popular at the last craft show.

Also, as of this past weekend Buffalo Gal's bars of soap and gift baskets are also now available at Do You Remember? Antiques & Consignments in Germanton. Our web-nanny now also windchimes available there too.

First Nubian Kids Are Here

Today around 11 AM, Jackie delivered her first kids - - two bucks: Cain and Abel. The picture above is the boys at one hour old. Their birth was uneventful. Everything went as it was suppose to - - mom delivered on her own and cleaned the kids. The kids were strong, got to their feet fast and nursed on their own.

These bucks are my first ADGA registered Nubian kids and also the first to carry the Buffalo Gal herd name.

Six other Nubian does will be kidding in March, 2010 using the same sire, Rainstorm.

Fall Gift Baskets

We spent about an hour last Friday night creating gift baskets of Buffalo Gal's soap. Below are a few pictures of the latest ones which are perfect for "Fall" gifts. The Buffalo Gal's gift baskets are available at the farm and Cricket's Nest.

Confluence Fall Festival

Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Confluence Fall Festival. The weather was cold and windy, but there was a good turnout despite the weather. I bought these stuffed goats from Hoegger Goat Supply to display in my booth at the craft shows. The large Nubian is modeled after one the prize goats from the Carl Sandburg Home, Connemara Farms located in Western North Carolina.

You'd be surprised how many pairs of boots you wear out working on a farm. Above, is a picture of some of the boot and cooking pot bird houses that Johnny has been making. He's selling them for $8 each, if anyone is interested in one. Several people bought them yesterday for unique Christmas gifts.

Cornshucking Frolic

A Corn Shucking Frolic will be held on Saturday, October 17 from 10AM until 5 PM at Horne Creek Farm in Pinnacle, NC. Horne Creek Farm is under development as a place to experience everyday farm life in North Carolina's northwestern Piedmont ca. 1900. Visitors can take part in daily activities and special events of bygone farm life, as well as see, smell, touch, and hear things once common in rural North Carolina. On Saturday, they will have children's games, quilting, beekeeping, apple butter, southern heritage apple orchard, tobacco curing, molasses making, wildlife display, wagon rides, country store, storytelling and more. The Frolic will also have traditional old time, bluegrass and gospel music along with clogging and square dancing. Chicken stew, pintos, fried pies and more is also available. A $3.00 donation is requested per person. No pets are allowed and the event will be canceled in the event of rain. For questions, call 336.325.2298. Horne Creek is at the Pinnacle Exit off of US 52 north of Winston-Salem.

Confluence Fall Festival

On Saturday, October 17th, we will be selling Buffalo Gal's Soap at the Confluence Fall Festival.

We will also have some soap gift baskets for sale at this event.

Also at the sale will be my Webnanny from Clinton, NC and her wares from Dinner Time Chimes.

In addition to the craft/artisan booths, there will be two bounce houses, hundreds of pumpkins, pumpkin painting, photos with pumpkins, pumpkin crafts, Games 2 U with Guitar Hero and more.

Bring the kids for some fun and come out for a fun afternoon!

If you're not familiar with Confluence, it is a non-profit coffee shop (and more) located on Peter's Creek Parkway/Highway 150 in Winston-Salem, NC. Directions can be found here.

Cool/Rainy Weather Is Coming

With the rainy weather forecasted for the end of the week and with the highs only in the 40's on Thursday and Friday, I decided to get some of my outdoor work done today. We hauled the wood rack up from the tractor shed and put it in its position on the porch. We filled it with dry wood from our wood shed - - so I'm ready to crank up the wood stove for another season. I've got my fire starters ready and the pipe has been cleaned out. I also mowed the yard again. It has really been growing with all the showers and sunshine that we've been having. I even had to rake grass in some spots! Two of my Nigerian Dwarf doe kids were weaned today. These blue eyed girls are now 8 weeks old. They are in a pen in the barn with a couple of older doe kids so they have lots of company. They will stay penned for a week or so or until they no longer try to get back to their dam. Rabbit toenails were also trimmed today. I made the rounds through everyone so they are in good shape to go into winter. The driveway was scraped getting it back into shape. The wet ground prevented the normal dust.

NC State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital

This afternoon, Seabiscuit, one of my Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat bucks had an appointment at NC State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Raleigh, NC for a breeding soundness exam. He was referred to the teaching hospital by Dr. Niki Whitley of NC A&T University in Greensboro, NC. Seabiscuit is an 8 year old buck who has a history of successful breedings. He was evaluated by Dr. Peter Farin of Ruminant Health/Field Services and Dr. Gabrielle Young of Ruminant Health and Reproduction Department of Population Health and Pathobiology. They both examined Seabiscuit and found that he is no longer a satisfactory breeder. Anyone who would like details of this exam, findings, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital or cost incurred is welcome to contact me privately.

Dixie Classic Fair/Dairy Goat Show

We attended the Dairy Goat Show at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds this morning. The show started at 9AM and continued until the afternoon due to the large amount of entries. There was a good representation of all breeds of dairy goats except the Nubians. There were less of them showing this year. There were also no Nigerian Dwarf goats shown. Toggenburgs were the majority of dairy animals with large classes of up to 15 entries at times. The judge was very good taking time to explain all decisions and to run through the different judging points on each animal. This was especially helpful to newcomers and fair goers giving them information on the judging system of placing animals. He also took the time to praise each animal for at least one good characteristic giving newbies and animals that placed last a good experience.

Fall Leaves

Fall has begun. The trees are beginning to show their colors here in the Piedmont at at our farm. The prime time to see fall color in the North Carolina mountains is the second or third week of October. Peak time is not the same all over the state as leaves in the higher elevations change colors earlier. North Carolina Travel and Tourism updates its weekly fall foliage reports each Tuesday. Howard S. Neufeld, a professor of plant physiology at Appalachian State University, reports for the mountain region. He suggests seeing the best colors by driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Virginia border down to Asheville and especially around the Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell area. He is forecasting that yellows and oranges will be the strongest colors with fewer reds. However, he said that some maples have intense red colors this year. The web site also features a fall color forecaster that allows you to see the expected color progression across the state through mid-November. You can also call 1.866.6LEAVES for information. For recorded information on fall colors in other states, call 1.800.354.4595 and select a region. In some regions, it is still too early for fall color, so the information will be brief. This information will be updated as the season progresses.

Swine & Cattle Artificial Insemination Workshop

Today we attended the Swine and Cattle Artificial (AI) Insemination Workshop in Greensboro, NC at the NC A&T State University Farm. The Swine Workshop was presented by Dr. Niki Whitley, Animal Science Specialist and assisted by Teo Barrrios, Swine Unit Coordinator and the Beef Cattle Workshop was presented by Dr. Ralph Noble, Chair, Department of Animal Sciences and assisted by Pete Burnett, Beef Unit Coordinator. The 3-hour Swine Workshop covered the pros and cons of AI, sire selection, anatomy/terminology, reproduction/estrous cycle, estrus detection, insemination procedure/tips and examination of a swine reproductive tract. After the lecture, we practiced artificially inseminating three sows. I was really surprised on how easy it was to inseminate swine. There is no restraint needed. You can rub their underline and apply pressure to their back. If they are "in heat", they will stand still for you to inseminate them. Not true for goats! I can just imagine trying to inseminate a goat without any restraints. We ate a quick lunch of pizza and Subway sandwiches in the Extension Building before beginning the next workshop. The 3-1/2 hour Beef Cattle Workshop covered beef cattle management, reproduction and fertility, sire selection, anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system of the cow along with estrus synchronization and pregnancy determination. After the lecture, we examined the reproductive organs of the cow and practiced artificial insemination techniques on the tract of reproductive organs because none of their beef cows were "in heat". This was a very informative workshop and I was glad that we got to attend. We received many handouts, catalogues, books, etc. on AI for both cattle and swine and learned a tremendous amount.

Soap Making

On Monday and Wednesday nights of this week, I've been making soap. Monday, I made unscented Goat's Milk soap in bars and the molded Nigerian goats and Nubian goat heads. Wednesday night I made some Happy Camper soap. The Happy Camper soap is a good outdoor soap with citronella and eucalyptus oils. I love the citronella smell. This soap will be ready to be packaged and sold in 6 weeks after it cures. Tonight, Thursday, I plan on making some Shepherd's Pride soap that contains goat's milk and lanolin. I made a quick trip to Sadie's in Stokesdale this morning to purchase some aloe vera liquid that goes into this recipe. They were out of it the last time I visited so I had to make a special trip to purchase it. Soap making is getting easier and quicker for me to do. I continue to find ways to make the process easier, faster with less cleanup time involved. I've been using a different stick blender this week and it has make the mixing process so much easier. This Hamilton Beach stick blender doesn't overheat like my previous one did and blends the oils and milk together without much effort. Today, the sun is shining but we got off to a cool start this morning in the mid 40's. As I was getting my goat's ready to milk on the milking stand, the steam was rolling off of their udders as I washed them. I think they enjoy the hot water bath. I'm milking three Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats now. One of them, Sara, has never been milked before. I just recently took her kids off of her to wean them. Sara's naturally polled doe kid is being picked up on Sunday to live in Sanford, NC. I've been milking Sara for three days now and she already knows the routine. Poppy went out to visit Stormy this morning. She is the last of my Nubian does that are being bred for March babies. The others are being held back until March, 2010 to be bred. We also did all our yard mowing today since we will be having a busy weekend and some showers are in the forecast. We are going to NC A&T Technical State University early Saturday morning to attend the Swine & Cattle Artificial Insemination workshop at their farm in Greensboro. The university farm is situated on 490 acres at 3136 McConnell Road. The workshop has two sessions including a "hands on" segment. The Swine segment runs from 8:30 AM until noon and the cattle session will start at 12:30 PM and will run until 4:30 PM. A light lunch will be provided in between the two sessions. This workshop is being given with grant money from A&T and is free for participants. They also will reimburse you for your round-trip mileage from your place of residence to the university farm. These courses normally run $250 - $350 per participant so we thought we would take advantage of this learning experience. Early on Sunday morning the Dairy Goat show will be at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds. I hope to attend some of that show before heading back to the farm for some goat deliveries. Rabbit sales are up. I've sold many Tennessee Redback bunnies this past week for hunt training and the sales of Lionhead and Mini Rex rabbits are picking up. I've also begun to sell some of my Flemish Giant bunnies this week since they have reached the 8 week old point.

Horse and Mule Days

On Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10, there will be two days of family fun at the Denton Farmpark in Denton, NC. The Denton Farmpark is a historical park that is open to the public three times per year. Some of the events and activities will be the NC Draft Horse & Mule Association, Field Demonstrations, Plowing, Harrowing, Dragging, Sowing, Pulling Logs, Pony Rides, Train Rides, Arts & Crafts, Corn Shredding and Shelling, Molasses, Saw Milling, Cider Press, Blacksmith, Cotton Gin, Trick Mule Show, Coon Jump, Mule Colt Raffle, Civil War Encampment, Cross Cut Saw Contest, Clogging and a High Noon Gunfight in the Town. The Mountain Marionettes will perform three shows at 9, 11 and 1 PM on each day. The Steel Magnolias will perform at 1 and 4 PM while Coyote Ridge performs at 2 and 5 PM. At 10 AM on Saturday, the Mule & Draft Horse Show will begin. There will be classes in halter, performance, driving, log skidding, gaming and more. Food is available for purchase and tickets are adults $8, under 12 $4 and preschool free. Denton Farm Park also has camp sites for those wanting to camp while at the Horse and Mule Days.

Cricket's Nest Craft Show

We had a good time at the Cricket's Nest Craft Show last Saturday.

The weather was beautiful and we had a good turnout.

The above picture shows some of our soaps that were displayed, photographs of some of my goats and a picture album showing pictures of each of our soaps and telling about our farm.

King Fest

The 20th Annual King Fest will be held on Saturday, October 3, from 10 AM until 4 PM in King Central Park on Kirby Road in King, NC. Included in the free festival will be live music (A Greater Love Quartet, New Country Grass, Taylor Vaden, and Brylcreems), arts and crafts, children's activities, a youth fishing tournament, heritage demonstrations, cake bake-off, cruise-in car show, miniature train rides and much more.

2009 Big Sweep

The 2009 Big Sweep waterway cleanup is on Saturday, October 3 from 9AM until 12:30 PM. We participate yearly by cleaning Buffalo Creek and the creeks that feed Buffalo Creek in our area. Last year, Winston-Salem had 3,500 volunteers in 40 locations. It was the largest cleanup in all 100 counties of North Carolina. If interested in volunteering, contact Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful at 336.771.5161 or 336.403.7824 or email Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful. All supplies and food are provided. If you cannot participate in the cleanup on October 3, you may schedule another day and/or time that is convenient for you and your group.

Cricket's Nest Craft Show

Due to the rain last weekend, we will be selling Buffalo Gal's Soap at the Cricket's Nest Craft Show this Saturday, October 3rd. The show is held in South Fork Park in Winston-Salem, NC from 9 until 3PM. I will also have some soap gift baskets for sale at this event. Come out and visit with us! Also at the sale will be my Webnanny from Clinton, NC and her wares from Dinner Time Chimes.

Dixie Classic Fair

The Dixie Classic Fair will be held this year in Winston-Salem, NC on October 2 - 11. For the livestock judging schedule, see http://www.dcfair.org/index.php/competitive-entries/judging. We'll be attending the open dairy goat show on Sunday, October 11 at 9AM. We attended this show last year and it was very interesting and informative. You can see the goats up close, view the different breeds and talk with the exhibitors before and after the show. This is a good opportunity for people to see many of the different breeds of dairy goats in one location.