Last year I attended a Cockerel Farewell party at Yellowood, to celebrate the shortish lives of their roosters before culling. It was such a fun, welcoming, warm, homey party - it was a wonderful way to get together as a community and show respect and gratitude for food we receive from the land. It's so easy to take meat for granted and be disconnected from its source when you buy it in a store. Not so when you are meeting the rooster who will soon become Thanksgiving dinner for the denizens of Yellowood.
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| Elise, me, and friends and family at the Cockerel Farewell |
One other thing Yellowood has, aside from chickens and veggies, is a walnut tree! This, I am told, is a bit of a nuisance on the farm, as it attracts hungry squirrels who launch walnuts into the chicken coop and are generally not the most pleasant creatures to share space with. However, it was very relevant to my interests since black walnut husks are wonderful for natural dying, yielding a lovely rich brown. I brought Cayce a jar of the blackberry jam I made over the summer, and in exchange I left with a whole bucket of walnuts. Also, I got to hang out with Cayce and some chickens. Well worth a jar of jam, in my opinion.
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| Yarn dyed with black walnut |
