In the beginning . . .
Nina
It all started with the goats.
In 2006, Greg purchased a house with a little over seven acres just outside of Milner, Colorado. Being as we live in the mountains, all the land is on a slant. Lawnmowers are not even a remote possibility.
Our first summer, we would borrow a weedwhacker on occasion, but the grass still grew tall and lush. The mosquitoes, living in said grass, also grew tall and lush--on us! We quickly realized that we needed something more heavy-duty (and environmentally friendly!) than a noisy weedwhacker.
Erica started investigating scythes. However, her good friend Brandie, down at IdleWild Ranch in Kersey, persuaded her that goats were really the way to go, and look! She just so happened to have two who could use a good summer vacation.
So Erica went to Kersey, loaded two goats in the back of her Subaru (which is a whole 'nother tale in and of itself), and proceeded to drive back up into the Rocky Mountains, passers-by merrily shooting pictures on their cell phones the whole way. Her car was never the same, and neither were Greg and Erica.
In 2006, Greg purchased a house with a little over seven acres just outside of Milner, Colorado. Being as we live in the mountains, all the land is on a slant. Lawnmowers are not even a remote possibility.
Our first summer, we would borrow a weedwhacker on occasion, but the grass still grew tall and lush. The mosquitoes, living in said grass, also grew tall and lush--on us! We quickly realized that we needed something more heavy-duty (and environmentally friendly!) than a noisy weedwhacker.
Erica started investigating scythes. However, her good friend Brandie, down at IdleWild Ranch in Kersey, persuaded her that goats were really the way to go, and look! She just so happened to have two who could use a good summer vacation.
So Erica went to Kersey, loaded two goats in the back of her Subaru (which is a whole 'nother tale in and of itself), and proceeded to drive back up into the Rocky Mountains, passers-by merrily shooting pictures on their cell phones the whole way. Her car was never the same, and neither were Greg and Erica.
And then there were rabbits. And turkeys. And more goats!
Talkin' turkey
Nina and Jill, our two vacationers, went back to Brandie in the fall. As good a job as they had done, we decided we needed more than two to keep the greenery in line. Next summer, Brandie sent up four--Nina, Jill, Levi, and Clara.
A few weeks later, someone suggested turkeys or chickens to Erica as a way of protecting her garden from the hordes of summer grasshoppers. While Erica was starting to put the turkey-plan into motion, Greg suddenly showed up from a farm auction with a pair of rabbits. By late June, our motley crew included: 1 Greg, 1 Erica, 1 dog (Peabody), 1 cat (G Kitty), 4 goats, 10 baby turkeys, and 2 young rabbits.
But we couldn't just stop there, could we? Well, I suppose we could have. Normal people probably would have.
But no! Halfway through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, Erica came home and announced that we were not eating feedlot beef ever again if we could help it. Later that night, looking on Craigslist for rabbit hutches, we came across people selling meat goats. And somehow we wound up with six.
We bred the rabbits and got two babies. The learning curve cost us half of the turkeys. Two of Brandie's goats went back to her, two of them were sold for meat, and all of our six went into the chest freezer. (We had to buy another freezer for the turkeys.) That fall, we had rabbit for the first time, as well as Rocky Mountain Oysters (pretty darn good, although Greg had sympathy pains!). Thanksgiving was amazing.
A few weeks later, someone suggested turkeys or chickens to Erica as a way of protecting her garden from the hordes of summer grasshoppers. While Erica was starting to put the turkey-plan into motion, Greg suddenly showed up from a farm auction with a pair of rabbits. By late June, our motley crew included: 1 Greg, 1 Erica, 1 dog (Peabody), 1 cat (G Kitty), 4 goats, 10 baby turkeys, and 2 young rabbits.
But we couldn't just stop there, could we? Well, I suppose we could have. Normal people probably would have.
But no! Halfway through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, Erica came home and announced that we were not eating feedlot beef ever again if we could help it. Later that night, looking on Craigslist for rabbit hutches, we came across people selling meat goats. And somehow we wound up with six.
We bred the rabbits and got two babies. The learning curve cost us half of the turkeys. Two of Brandie's goats went back to her, two of them were sold for meat, and all of our six went into the chest freezer. (We had to buy another freezer for the turkeys.) That fall, we had rabbit for the first time, as well as Rocky Mountain Oysters (pretty darn good, although Greg had sympathy pains!). Thanksgiving was amazing.
Hence, Caprice Farm!
Greg & Buckaroo
After our 2009 "accidental farm," Greg and Erica discovered that we liked doing this. There'll be more planning and a bit less spontaneity, but we're keeping the fun alive in the name "Caprice." (Not to mention an oblique nod to the goats who started it all!)
Our winters are too hectic for us to keep livestock overwinter--and we don't have the set-up for it--but we've decided to make a family of critters a regular part of our lives. Between Greg owning Fireside Catering, Erica being on the Board of Directors for Deep Roots (a non-profit dedicated to local foods) and her prior involvement with the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, and both of us being foodies who love to cook and eat . . . well, we like knowing where our food comes from: how it was raised, what it ate, and how it died. We believe it brings us closer to the land, closer to the cycle of life, and that it gives us a greater appreciation for what we eat.
Our winters are too hectic for us to keep livestock overwinter--and we don't have the set-up for it--but we've decided to make a family of critters a regular part of our lives. Between Greg owning Fireside Catering, Erica being on the Board of Directors for Deep Roots (a non-profit dedicated to local foods) and her prior involvement with the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, and both of us being foodies who love to cook and eat . . . well, we like knowing where our food comes from: how it was raised, what it ate, and how it died. We believe it brings us closer to the land, closer to the cycle of life, and that it gives us a greater appreciation for what we eat.
Add a little capriciousness to your life!
Impromptu goat-herding
We love visitors. We love sharing our knowledge with others. Erica writes a monthly DIY homesteading column for the Valley Voice. Come on out, ask questions--we'll show you around.
After overloading on critters in 2011, though, we have decided to take a bit of a break. 2012 finds us with two goats (neither in milk nor slated for butcher), no turkeys, and a handful of rabbits. We will continue to breed rabbits this year, with an occasional one for sale here and there, but we are no longer doing direct sales. Without a lot of extra help, it is just too much work, and most people are not interested in getting their hands that dirty. Things may change, but not for the foreseeable future.
After overloading on critters in 2011, though, we have decided to take a bit of a break. 2012 finds us with two goats (neither in milk nor slated for butcher), no turkeys, and a handful of rabbits. We will continue to breed rabbits this year, with an occasional one for sale here and there, but we are no longer doing direct sales. Without a lot of extra help, it is just too much work, and most people are not interested in getting their hands that dirty. Things may change, but not for the foreseeable future.
"Goat herding" photo by Nikki Biefel.
All other photos by Caprice Farm.
All other photos by Caprice Farm.