Redleaf Farm

now on Instagram

Redleaf Farm is now on instagram. I can do it from my phone, rather than wait til I’m in the office, so click on the link to follow for more regular updates on #farmlife

Hunting is something most people consider a solitary exercise… Not with the Sparke family! We have 4 kids who don’t want to miss out on anything. So we all went out camping in our bush to go early morning hunting. We started with a big camp oven roast by the creek, then set up swagsContinue reading “Huntress”

Redleaf Summer fun!

2016 has seen lots of summer fun at Redleaf farm. Kids have been swimming and enjoying the dam and creek, floating away the days… We have had several litters of piglets keeping us busy and have baby ducklings and even a baby turkey. I’ve been making apricot jam and fig jam for the kids, andContinue reading “Redleaf Summer fun!”

Free-Ranging Pigs

Anise the black Slavonian has been doing some clearing in the bush paddock in readiness for her babes. The sheer volume of foliage she has bulldozed into a nest overnight is astounding! It is what pigs do…. So lovely to have them living and nesting naturally in a pigs’ paradise paddock. Gee they have madeContinue reading “Free-Ranging Pigs”

Free-Range Salami!

Our dear sow Poppy damaged her ligament in her knee. She was a Saddleback X Large Black – our greediest and fattest sow. She is now the most magnificent salami. We have Mild Italian, Spicy Italian and Spicy Spanish style available now at $30/kg. Large sticks are approx 1.5kg, small sticks 800g. Let katrina@redleaf-farm knowContinue reading “Free-Range Salami!”

Irish Wolfhound puppies for sale!

Whiskey and Guinness have had their second (and last) litter of puppies. Unfortunately for Whiskey, one of them got stuck, and so she was raced to the vet for the rest to be delivered by caesarian. She had an unprecedented 17 puppies! It’s been a sleepless week for me, making sure every one stays warmContinue reading “Irish Wolfhound puppies for sale!”

Mud, mud and more mud

The kids (led by the biggest one of course) have been enjoying the ‘mud run’ – a boggy challenge in the Polaris Ranger… It doesnt ever end cleanly. Often the resulting bog requires offloading/pushing/getting completely covered head to toe in good fresh glorious mud!

Ultimate ‘farrowing crate’

Our friendly sow Anise has demonstrated beautifully how a free-ranging pig chooses to birth. The ‘sow stall’ she built herself under the trees resembles a lovely nest – protected and cozy, she has ripped low branches off the surrounding trees to line the hollowed out patch. It did take us a few hours to findContinue reading “Ultimate ‘farrowing crate’”

Creek-to-plate lunch

Well everyone loves paddock-to-plate, but we have had a cracking summer of creek-to-plate lunches too… We have found that the yabbies love pork and venison – making sure nothing goes to waste! The kids favourite is a simple yabby spaghetti with sage and burnt butter.

Paddock-to-plate late lunch

What a fantastic way to celebrate life! Bubble and Crackle. The table was set for 36 friends. There were as many children, with Irish Wolfhound puppies interrupting their cricket game. Pork and Champagne kept the masses happy, served up by ‘Hogget’ of biota dining, with a few simple garden salads and bread rolls. Delicious. Cheers!