We’re already planting Spring crops at Leafhopper Farm. From radishes to Brussels sprouts, these little seeds were sewn under the cloche for protection against future frosts. I’m also shrinking the garden

We’re in the high water stage of Weiss Creek’s winter flow. After several inches of rain in the past week, the soil is finally saturated and surface runoff is cresting. Bank erosion of glacial till Fresh

Now is the time to plant your starts and young trees folks! That’s what’s been happening at Leafhopper Farm and we’re well on our way to having some new native plant habitat around the landscape. In the

The fencing is on here at Leafhopper Farm! After receiving a King Conservation District cost share grant and mapping out stream buffers, the fencing began. I’ll be installing 635′ of woven wire stock fence

While trying to pull apart a partially split piece of firewood yesterday, my left thumb received some impact trauma. I’ve injured this thumb before, falling off a bike in childhood (a fractured metacarpal);

Liz Crain of Leafhopper Farm discusses the climate of the Snoqualmie River Valley. The peaks of the Cascade Mountains capture the moisture from the Puget Sound and Pacific Ocean to the west creating a

Perhaps it is not often reflected, that food is a necessity to live. I would argue, that at least, in industrialized agricultural societies, food is not a focus. We have all been brought up to know that

Liz Crain of Leafhopper Farm demonstrates how she clips the wings of a chicken to prevent them from flying out of their enclosure. Trimming the feathers does not cause the Hen any pain as long as you don't

There were a few chantrelles in the woods still calling, so a foraging we will go! It was a late season this year, also minimal. I’ve written more reflections on the weather and mushroom cycles in previous

Well, our wet winter is taking a break as the typical December high pressure system moves in to give us a reminder of why The Pacific Northwest is such a beautiful place. This panorama above was taken

One of these birds is not like the other. What if I told you color was just the tip of this ice burg? The meat from these two birds will taste the same, cook the same, share a similar texture, and are

It’s late November here at Leafhopper Farm, and though the official winter months are not quite here yet, our climate has us thinking it’s spring. A fly perched in one of our water catchment tanks is an

Traded forest for cacti over Thanksgiving for a chance to dry out a bit down in Tucson Arizona. When there, I always take time to visit here. The raptor flight demonstrations are amazing, and birds do

The pond is up and ducks are in at Leafhopper Farm! We’ve had over 5″ of rain in the last two weeks, opening the floodgates for our wet winter weather. On the bright side, this deluge from the south brought

Great Blue Heron has been hanging out around the pond with the Magpie Ducks. The pond was first dug to honor the heron who kept flying over every time a water feature was talked about in the design of

Leafhopper Farm’s laying flock reaches 30 birds. Another 13 chicks will soon join their older sisters in the hen house. As temperatures drop to below freezing and light begins to vanish as early as 4:30pm,

Our troop of Magpie Ducks were out in the sun today. It was their first introduction to the pond. It’s been snowing the past few days and the cold temperatures make swimming chilly, so the ducks spent

Chicks are outside in the snow! Winter weather continues here at Leafhopper Farm as we visit with the youngest members of the farm as they venture into November fully fledged. There are a few red combed

Liz Crain of Leafhopper Farm demonstrates how she trims and cleans her Garlic after harvest. First she cures and dries them, then she cuts off the roots and upper stalks, and then she peels the outer layers

Leafhopper Farm is getting snow today! It’s the earliest I’ve ever seen snow in Western Washington since moving here in 2009. As a hill country dweller, it’s not out of the question to have snow by the