We bred our ewes to Baw Blue (or Blue as he’s commonly called) last year. Reese, our matriarch, “threw” Penny this past Spring.

Reese and newborn Penny

Penny was born jet-black except for a little patch of white on her nose, crown, and very faint white “tears” (which I didn’t even notice until it came time to note her markings).

Penny Today

As Penny’s coat grew over the summer, she exhibited signs of black and brown in her wool. The color of churro wool will do that. It can change with age and bleach out with exposure to sunlight. Yet, when the shearer came last week??? What a lovely surprise! As her outer coat fell to the floor, her inner coat was a shimmering light gray-blue against her black legs and under-belly…matched with her distinct “tears” means she’s BLUE. English Blue to be precise.

Blue is the genetic color designation (which does not change) and will be noted on her registry paperwork. Her wool color will change with age and will also be noted on the paperwork — which will accompany a fleece sample from her shearing at one year of age.

[The following “Genetic Color Terms” courtesy of  www.navajo-churrosheep.com]

Blue – Born black but in first year develop silver/charcoal inner coat while outer remains brownish/black. May develop white on eyes and muzzle but keep dark points, legs, body and belly are dark. Hips, sides are greyed.

English Blue – Must have white tears, may have white in ears or on muzzle. This is a pattern on Black or Brown.

Texel Blue – Resembles Badgerface. There is a dark bar over each eye, dark top of nose, dark under jaw on light face.

Why is this so special? It’s special because of the rarity of this particular color. The table shows, historically, less than one percent of the population of registered Churro possess this genetic color.

Navajo Churro Color Data – Past and Present

I’m so thrilled to have this color combination in our flock—and to know it’s the matriarch’s ewe-lamb that has it. I can’t wait until Penny’s of “breed-able” age to see how her very special traits are passed on!

Our host, Tracy Toth, continues the tour of a wool processing “fiber mill” in Wool Webisode 2.

On the last day of school this spring Bob, the bus driver, was 10 minutes late getting to our house. I figured appreciative parents were showering him with praise and presents (Bob’s one-of-a-kind). Instead, when I asked he just pointed in the direction of the feed store and said “traffic jam.”

“Oh…”, I smiled. He was referring to the four-legged variety and not the two-axle kind.

Every morning, a local dairy farmer leads his herd down the road to another pasture and then collects them in the evening to milk. If you time it just right, you get to watch the march—it’s special—only this time, it caught the school bus. I bet if Bob has to call the transportation office to explain the tardiness, not much of an excuse is needed.

School will be back in session in a few weeks and we’ll all be engrossed once again in our hustle and bustle. I can count on that traffic jam catching me at some point…and I can’t wait. It’s just one of the reasons I love this area.

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We have a stunning Barred Rock rooster that free-ranges with his “girlfriends” — about 5 or 6 hens. He has learned that, if the mudroom door is open and he sees human movement beyond the screen door, a loud crow of his will be summarily “answered” with a slice of bread. This morning was no different.

Every time I reach for my Pumice with Goat’s Milk soap I bought at Donna Howard’s Spotted Hill Farm, I marvel at the fact that the “special ingredient” came directly from her Mini-Nubians right in her own backyard!

She’s right–the soap has a creamy quality that you just can’t get in store-brand bars!

Be sure to watch our Goats webisode — and if you’d like more information about goats milk and soapmaking, go to www.spottedhillfarm.com

I didn’t always know Purslane, mind you. We met after I married.

David was away on a flight assignment with the National Guard (mid-July, as I recall) and I was left tending our veggie garden for a few days. This was my first summer doing this– I was on maternity leave from flying and halfway through my pregnancy.

I thought it’d be great to show David, upon his return, how I tidied up the garden…and proceeded to weed every row. The work was tedious (as weeding usually is) and my protruding belly and the hot summer weather made for an uncomfortable experience. I pushed through, though, and ended up with mounds and mounds of this succulent “weed” which, to my great surprise was very easy to pull, thanks to a recent rain. It was really productive work—it almost looked as though I’d taken a vacuum cleaner between the rows and cleaned the paths!

David was amazed at my handiwork and surprised me with an early birthday dinner at a restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin known for serving only local and seasonal fare (a rarity 11 years ago). Imagine my surprise when the salad course came and there, alone on the little china plate, was a heaping helping of….purslane. I remember looking up at him, quizzically, and saying “Are they kidding??” Nope. Not kidding.

Our Pennsylvania neighbors always ask for a bowl of purslane from the garden. They’ve been eating it for years. I’m always happy to oblige; the supply is endless. Me? I’m happy to stick with the mesclun mix we plant. But I recall that trip to the Wisconsin restaurant every year about this time—when it’s time to “tidy up” the rows.

My dear friend, Lisa, has lived in London for many, many years and returns to the area four times a year to visit her father. I don’t have to ask anymore, enroute from the Philadelphia International Airport, if she’d like to stop for groceries for her dad—it’s just routine now. Our pit stop? Kimberton Whole Foods.

I first heard about KWF a few years ago, after we’d moved to the area. An actress-colleague of mine came to work and told me she’d discovered this wondrous grocery. I stopped in and found the selection and quality unbelievable; exclusively organic produce (local, when possible), a variety of natural and organic groceries, and an amazing selection of body care. I’m not the only one moved by KWF; the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture acknowledges their vision as well. See www.pasafarming.org

Lisa loves KWF and I love stopping to shop there! Established in 1986, KWF has grown to become the largest independent natural foods retailer in eastern Pennsylvania.

Please visit their website www.kimbertonwholefoods.com and be sure to subscribe to their newsletter!

Red potatoes were ready to dig today!  David gently forked the ground until it coughed up this variety of early/new potato, the Red Norland, which we planted about 100 days ago (days to maturity are always listed on your seed packet so that you may plan accordingly).

It’s hard to explain the feeling of loosening the dirt and letting it fall through the fork only to reveal these red beauties left rolling around on the tines…it makes me pause every time. It’s a family favorite–so delicate and tender–and the skin gives way easily as you take bites.

Usually, we can keep the bushels through the winter in the basement. Last year, we didn’t run the furnace at all (which is in the basement) because we used both wood stoves. Aside from keeping the family cool–remember the record snowfalls in the northeast?–it kept the potatoes and squash perfectly.

David is great about planting an abundance of Red Norlands and we’re always excited to see that first bushel basket he’s pulled from the earth.

Our Navajo-Churro sheep herd started with a phone call to Linda Cummings at her Shepherd’s Loft Farm. After two trips to the farm (first to meet our ewe and her lambs—then to pick them up at a later date), we were on our Churro way! 

“Daisy,” pictured in our Sheep segment is the daughter of “Reese” and 2010 was her second year of lambing. I’m holding “Petal,” her ewe-lamb, and Petal’s ram-lamb twin, “Warloch” is in the jug as well.

You can learn more about Linda on her Shepherd’s Loft blog. Go to http://guitner.blogspot.com

My husband David and I explored the Four Corners region in the southwest shortly after we were married.

My employer had a pilot base in El Paso and at the end of one of my trips I planned to meet David there to travel around the area. Many dusty, back roads later we found ourselves in Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo Nation.We were profoundly moved by the land and the people. I remember stopping at a ravine just to watch a shepherd guiding his flock of Churro sheep down the banks of a river. Little did I know how profound an impact this scene would ultimately have on our lives.

Fast forward, 10 years later. Now we own a farm in Pennsylvania and we raise Navajo-Churro sheep – the count’s at 29.

When we settled here six years ago, we were eager to purchase animals and wanted to make the right decision regarding breed. To be honest? I was looking at the heritage of it all. My husband was closely watching what could be called “the return.” At that time the Navajo-Churro breed happened to be featured on the cover of a Hobby Farms magazine that I picked up at Tractor Supply. The article noted that the Churro had been providing a “return” for the Navajo for centuries: wool, milk, and meat equals “Life.” It brought to my mind the terrain and the shepherd of years before. The primitive setting. The culture. All right there in a breed of sheep.

The following year, I found a Churro breeder in Pennsylvania – at the time, the only one in a very large region. We paid a visit and couldn’t believe the beauty of the Churro: the four-horned rams, the eyecatching variety of the wool colors! We were sold! I think Linda saw it in our eyes – how moved we were. She sold us one of her remarkable ewes with two ewe-lambs “at side” (a mom and her twins). Our herd was born.

Linda sent this NPR link recently. It’s a wonderful story about the Churro. I felt a lump in my throat hearing the Navajo weaver say, “Sometimes, I just sit with them.Watch them.” I will do that too – just go out and sit with them.

There’s something magnetic about the Navajo-Churro. Something undoubtedly special. You can feel it and see it. Is it the centuries-old heritage they possess, the wisdom I believe I can see in their eyes, or are they just glad for the company? Who knows? I’m a sucker for heritage. I’ll take it over “return” every time.