You never know what you’re going to find on this farm.  Sometimes it’s a pleasant surprise — something beautiful, or something useful – or maybe even both.  Sometimes, it’s disgusting, useless debris.  We’ve found some of both lately.

In anticipation of getting our goats, Heidi and Peter, we cleaned up a part of the pasture that is overgrown with brambles and shrubs.  Under the brambles we found some old construction debris – broken toilets, scrap metal and junk.  We worked most of the day pulling the stuff out and smoothing out the dirt so that it wouldn’t be dangerous for the goats.  Just as Chris thought we were done for the day, I saw a piece of ugly, green shag carpet sticking out of the dirt no bigger than a carpet square.  Four hundred and fifty pounds later, we had the back of the truck bed full of dirty, stinking, rotten carpet that necessitated a trip to the county dump.  Oh, and an old sewing machine that popped out with the carpet.

But, it was the same week that the violets were blooming all over the lawn – really beautiful, deep purple violets.  I picked a colander full, put them in jars with some white vinegar and created a violet flavored, slightly pink vinegar that has been a great dressing (with a little olive oil) on our home grown lettuce.

So you never know around here – dirty, stinky carpet or beautiful, purple violets.  It’s just another day around here.