Big Ash Farmstead

ISO: a beater with a heater!! Apparently our vehicles think it's cute to die in pairs, since this happened last winter too. If you or anyone you know is selli...ng something cheap, let one of us know :)! And yes, we are looking on CL and FB Marketplace as well, we would just rather buy from someone we know. See more

Photo bomb from Chloe/Cee-Cee!! The black doe in the background is for sale, along with her doe kid. Stormy is a hard working yearling doe and her doe kid, Little Star is super cute. If you know anyone with a little homestead they would make a great addition.

Two very nice dry yearlings for sale! Rebel (black head) and Greta (cream colored) will be one in March. Both are Alpine/Boer crosses from very strong mothers.... Only selling because 1) We can't keep them all! and 2) I need space in the barn for the new kid crop. They are both friendly and easy to handle. Perfect starter doelings for a herd of meat-goat crosses. PM for price and further details. I'd like to see them go together, but willing to separate. See more

Paid Internship or part time or full time farmhand position available. Stone & Thistle Farm, a pasture-based livestock farm in East Meredith, NY Delaware County...), seeks an intern(s) for the 2019 season. The farm raises 100% grass-fed beef, lamb, goat, pork and poultry for sale at farmers markets. The farm operates a farm stay, seasonal restaurant (Fable=farm+table) for events, farm tours and workshops. Responsibilities may include livestock care, on-farm poultry slaughter, farmers markets sales, agri-tourism and value-added food processing. Desired skills are enthusiasm, creative thinking, problem solving, carpentry, veterinary, physically fit and excellent social skills. Housing, food and weekly stipend. May to November (flexible). 6 day work week with Mondays off. www.stoneandthistlefarm.com or on Facebook and Instagram @stoneandthistle. Apply [email protected] with cover letter, resume, and references by March 31. In person or online interview required. See more

Good Afternoon to my friends, my fellow farmers, and to all fans of The Shit Show! As you know, we here at Big Ash like to get a bit introspective now and then,... especially this time of year, when the weather lends itself to more "down time" here in rural Delaware County. At the moment I have a little more down time than I'd like on account of the vehicle limbo that I'm currently in, a situation that isn't being helped by the Polar Vortex. I've hesitated to write this post, lest it be perceived as a search for sympathy, or as a complaint. It isn't either: we are poor, but we are tough, and like all of you, we'll weather this storm the same as any other. I was born poor, and I've been poor for most of my life. Not down and out poor, not homeless and eating out of dumpsters poor; just good, old-fashioned, run of the mill, "I've paid for gas with change and eaten my share of Ramen poor." It wasn't my choice when I was young, my parents made choices that meant we didn't always have what other kids had; there were times when I resented that, but they were fleeting, and I wouldn't say that growing up poor was a bad thing. In fact, as an adult I'm fully aware that I've made life choices (where to live, choosing not to work in an office, etc) that keep me poor, and honestly, most days, I'm perfectly okay with that. Why? Because I think that not having money forces me to live a more conscientious life, one that I might not choose to live (and I say this because I know myself very well) if I were well-off. Which brings me around to our current situation and how I came to be thinking about money and it's many faces today. It started with a washing machine, or several washing machines, all of which eventually died, and when the last one died we decided that it made more sense for people that killed washing machines on a regular basis to just go to the laundry mat. Ah, but now....now we are faced with two dead vehicles and no wheels outside of rides from my brother and a few friends (none of whom need to be forced into hanging out at the laundry mat), so this morning I was hand-washing laundry and hanging it in the basement by the wood stove, and it occurred to me that we (collectively, as a society) take a LOT of things for granted. Things like washing machines and vehicles, but not just that, we take it for granted that someone or something will always catch us when we fall, we take it for granted that some unexplained power will always straighten things out in the end. When that doesn't happen we take it for granted that there is someone or something to blame for our falls and fails, but the reality is that often when shit goes wrong, it's simply the outcome of things nobody controls (the weather) or things controlled by so many (the economy) that our little say has literally zero impact. Next time you have to do laundry, or need to run somewhere in your car, or even the next time you have to pay your electric bill, stop for a second and be grateful for the opportunity to do these things instead of taking them for granted. And people. Don't take them for granted either....let someone do you a favor if they want to (it makes them feel good), and in turn, do a favor when you can, even if it isn't sought (sometimes people hate to ask). At the risk of sounding fluffy, a lot of shit in this world could be solved by personal responsibility and individual care, rather than this modern notion that "someone else" will deal with things. That's my introspective ramble for the day, maybe you agree, and maybe you think it's just a load of bullshit, but here at Big Ash we are always happy to share. Thanks for tuning in to "deep thoughts" from The Shit Show. As always, keep on keepin' on, keep your stoves loaded and your animals fed, and may we all live to see that damn groundhog do his yearly thing! See more