Scape Goat Ranch: first glance

There are a handful of reasons that I find myself in Austin Texas for the winter: to escape the cold, to have loads of climbing at my fingertips, and to be close to a forward-thinking, locally-focused, and outdoor recreation-based city.  More than anything, though, I was eager to finally connect in-person with Warring and James at Scape Goat Ranch.  I found them while searching on the WWOOF site for permaculture-based farms in the Austin area.  In Warring’s words, they are practicing radical self-reliance using punk-rock/alternative approaches to permaculture and organic farming.  Their mission aligned well with the farming and lifestyle principles that I’m currently striving for, and after a short chat on the phone with Warring I knew that we would be a good fit.

            We arrived after a full and indulgent wedding weekend in New Orleans.  The peace and quiet in the rural hills outside of Austin were the perfect remedy to our over-stimulated minds and bodies.  At first glance, Scape Goat Ranch couldn’t be more different than Chanticleer Gardens, our last farm in New Hampshire.  Scape Goat isn’t immediately breathtaking.  It didn’t help that our first two days were rainy and cloudy.  The ground is mostly dirt and gravel, as the goats have overgrazed the land (plans to eradicate this issue are being formulated).  There’s no typical “house”, just RVs, trailers, storage containers, and animal coops.  Pallets run along side-by-side, connecting buildings as a type of sidewalk to help with muddiness during rains.

After a couple of days, though, I started to really see the charm of this homestead.  Sitting down with Warring and James, I discovered how far along this place has come and the big plans ahead for us.  Once we get fencing put up, the goats will be rotated through the land, allowing the grasses and wildflowers to fill back in the landscape.  We’ll be constructing a greenhouse, expanding the outdoor garden, planting a new lavender & wildflower section, and improving various animal structures of the farm.  Once the rain clouds cleared out, a gorgeous view of the hill country surrounded us.  They have about 12 acres, and most of it is still woodsy.  James cleared a big trail loop through that part of the property, and I’ve been enjoying going for strolls under the cedar trees with Paisley and practicing yoga with the sounds of mourning doves and wrens around me.  It’s really quite lovely here, and the “grunginess” adds to the overall radical, “think outside the box” experience.  We’ve even gotten used to the fact that there is no sewage on the property.  I’ll spare you the details.

community kitchen

Hammock view

garden

Warring and James are the definitions of gracious hosts.  They truly want us to feel on their level when it comes to making decisions on the farm.  Warring is eager to tap into our previous experiences with WWOOFing to help her with figure out garden plans and greenhouse construction.  She’s always making sure that we have what we need and that we’re doing well each day.  The work load is extremely laid back; one of the first things James said to me was “we’re not slave drivers here”.  More than bringing in WWOOFers that they can utilize for work, they simply want to host people they jive with and those who can help create a sense of community on the ranch.  Warring especially wants to be a missionary in spreading the word of counter culture, self-sustainability, and alternative living options, and she’s said that hosting WWOOFers is her way of contributing to that cause.  In her words, she’s not trying to squeeze out every nickel and dime of work from us, she just wants us to become a part of their “crooked farm”.  That being said, we’re slowly getting guidance on various projects and hope that we’ll keep ourselves busy over the next few months.  The two of them are extremely interesting people; Warring is an ex-stage performer and worked in PR in Los Angeles, while James works in animatronics.  He worked on some big productions while in LA, like Pirates of the Caribbean.  He even drove around with Johnny Depp once.  Jealous.  The city became too much for both of them, and they wanted to move back close to family and reconnect with their roots.  James has been on this property for five years, Warring three.

The animals are the backbone of Scape Goat Ranch.   There are around 15 female goats, 5 male goats, a donkey, a dozen guinea fowl, 50ish chickens, 10 ducks, a pheasant, 3 turkeys, a few tarantulas, 9 cats, and 3 dogs.  And a partridge in a pear tree!  Animal care is our number one focus for now; morning and afternoon chores are a must.  Each animal has its own personality, and their moods vary depending on the time of day and when their last meal was (I understand).  All of the birds are raised for their eggs, and males & older females end up being processed for meat.  During a phone conversation with Warring last year, I mentioned that I was transitioning out of vegetarianism, but that I was looking forward to working on a farm that produced ethical, free-range meat.  She agreed that Scape Goat would be a great place to help me connect with my meat sources, and that “life and death are equally celebrated” on the ranch.  I got thrown into it more quickly than I thought; our first weekend here consisted of processing 2 chickens and 2 ducks. Warring makes sure that the entire process is as stress-free and pain-free as possible… she even meditates with the birds for a few minutes before slaughter to calm them down.  I didn’t actually kill any of them this time, but I watched carefully so that next time I’ll know what I’m doing.  I plucked all of them, and let me tell you, the amount of down feathers on ducks is astounding.  The whole process for 4 birds took us about 3 hours.  Sean and our fellow WWOOFer Matt did the butchering, which I hope to do next time.  It reminded me of dissections in my Comperative Vertebrae Anatomy class.  Two days later, we ate roasted duck for dinner, and gave much gratitude for the lives we took to nourish ourselves.  It was the first time I’ve ever eaten meat that I helped raise, and it was truly gratifying.  And delicious.

More photos to come... I've been slacking.