From the Fields
Farm updates, growing tips, and permaculture wisdom.
Today I pulled two readings off the apple ferment and logged them in Ferment
Today I pulled two readings off the apple ferment and logged them in Ferment, the app I built to track every batch.
Transferred the whole living culture into a fresh tote today
Transferred the whole living culture into a fresh tote today, and the smell stopped me in my tracks.
Meet Mimi, and her very first dahlia of the season
Meet Mimi, and her very first dahlia of the season.
99 degrees on the farm
99 degrees. Out here soaking the squash, pumpkins, and potatoes, all planted in one dense row.
One plant. Two names. The same exact face.
One plant. Two names. The same exact face.
Snipping the high tensile line to pull the chicken tractor off the short grass
Snipping the high tensile line to pull the chicken tractor off the short grass and into the tall stuff.
This brew never ends.
This brew never ends.
POV: your flowers were alive this morning.
POV: your flowers were alive this morning.
I rescued a truckload of apples from the landfill and fed them to 250 meat birds.
I rescued a truckload of apples from the landfill and fed them to 250 meat birds.
We design for moments exactly like this
We design for moments exactly like this.
Stop scrolling. I'm about to wreck these flowers
Stop scrolling. I'm about to wreck these flowers.
Meet wild fleabane
Meet wild fleabane.
Meet the bachelor button. 💙
Meet the bachelor button. 💙
Spiny amaranth came in strong this year
Spiny amaranth came in strong this year.
Hemp and sunflowers, planted way too densely on purpose
Hemp and sunflowers, planted way too densely on purpose.
Planted these pumpkins too close, so today was thinning day
Planted these pumpkins too close, so today was thinning day.
Homemade cheese from leftover LABS whey
Homemade cheese from leftover LABS whey.
The whole job of an airlock
A ferment that's bubbling hard needs to release gas without letting air rush back in. That's the whole job of an airlock.
Monoculture keeps it neat. We keep it abundant.
Monoculture keeps it neat. We keep it abundant. Black oil sunflower going down over the patchy spots by the nut trees.
Most people see rotting apples and smell a problem. I see free fertilizer.
Most people see rotting apples and smell a problem. I see free fertilizer — homemade lactobacillus serum turns the apple haul into living liquid fertilizer.
Everybody thinks they know what this plant is for
Everybody thinks they know what this plant is for. Most people are wrong.
We don't push this land, we follow it
It starts small. A tray of day-old chicks, a strip of soil turned by an old orange tractor, a little water given by hand. We don't push this land, we follow it.
Everyone saw garbage. I saw gold.
Everyone saw garbage. I saw gold. A thousand pounds of half rotten apples, headed for the dumpster, now headed for fertilizer instead.
Where everything grows together
Run-a-muck Farms — where everything grows together.
What's good?.... Fermented Feed
What's good? Fermented Feed.
Life is short. Plant the seeds.
Life is short. Plant the seeds.
Never seen a crowd this disappointed to learn I have no food
Never seen a crowd this disappointed to learn I have no food. Pasture-raised Freedom Rangers running the welcome committee at Run-a-Muck Farms, York County PA.
Tag the coworker who'd make this much eye contact at lunch
Tag the coworker who'd absolutely make this much eye contact at lunch. Pasture-raised Freedom Rangers at Run-a-Muck Farms.
today everything's running a little a muck
today everything's running a little a muck.... the chicks got fresh pasture, the hemp and sunflowers finally broke ground.
Most mornings on the farm look like this
Most mornings on the farm look like this.
There is no such thing as a full chicken
There is no such thing as a full chicken. We throw down a pile of feed and the whole flock descends like it's the only meal they will ever see.
The old tom cat picked his spot
The old tom cat picked his spot.
Selecting the best genetics from our flock
This year we're selecting the best genetics from our flock to produce next year's eggs.
It seems like every day is planting day at Run-a-Muck
It seems like every day is planting day at Run-a-Muck.
Tilled narrow strips down each side of the tree rows
Tilled narrow strips down each side of the tree rows in the back field and direct seeded into them today.
Bill Gates is the single largest private owner of farmland in the US
Bill Gates is the single largest private owner of farmland in the United States.
Twenty five acres of permaculture paradise on this side of the road
Twenty five acres of permaculture paradise on this side of the road.
The industrial chicken barn is a sealed box
The industrial chicken barn is a sealed box.
The best feeder for 8 day old chicks?
Genuine question for the homesteaders, the backyard flock people, and the pastured poultry crowd. What is actually the best feeder for 8 day old chicks?
This is the part of brewing nobody films.
This is the part of brewing nobody films.
These chicks have only been alive a few days
These chicks have only been alive a few days and they already know exactly what to do.
Zero weeds in this entire field and people are paying admission to walk it
Zero weeds in this entire field and people are paying admission to walk through it.
Most Arbor Day posts tell you trees clean the air.
Most Arbor Day posts tell you trees clean the air. True of every tree.
Earth Day 2026. Thirty five chestnut seedlings in the ground
Earth Day 2026. Thirty five chestnut seedlings in the ground at Run-a-Muck Farms.
Tubing, mulching, watering by hand out of the skid steer bucket.
Tubing, mulching, watering by hand out of the skid steer bucket.
Stop waiting for the "perfect" season or the "perfect" plan.
Stop waiting for the "perfect" season or the "perfect" plan.
Reality is born from intention.
Reality is born from intention.
We planted haskap berry bushes today along one of our wet area edges with four
We planted haskap berry bushes today along one of our wet area edges with four varieties; Indigo, Tundra, Beauty, and Blizzard.
We don't have all the answers at Run-a-Muck. That's kind of the point.
We don't have all the answers at Run-a-Muck.
Twenty pawpaw trees in the ground and I have been waiting a long time for this
Twenty pawpaw trees in the ground and I have been waiting a long time for this moment.