It's August, hay season this year just kept going and going. Although there wasn't as much hay, we had a lot more fields this year than we did last year, and they kept coming and coming. With all the hay we went from crazy busy to stupid crazy busy. We would get all the animals fed, fuel up the tractors and throw the sprinklers out into the garden and hook up the soaker hoses. Then jump on the tractors and drive away for a few hours and come back to move the hoses, then back out to the hay field. Needless to say after 4 weeks of that both gardens were jungles. Darryl pushed the lawn mower through and I followed with the new weed eater and we found the paths!!! Then the weeding started. It was about that time that I really appreciated the plots that we used the black plastic and soaker hoses, as we only had to weed a few inches around each plant. The corn patch was the most entertaining, 3 people on their hands and knees crawling through the corn patch pulling weeds. (The corn was waist high at this point). Every once in a while you would stand up to stretch and all you could see were weeds wiggling and then they were gone. It highly resembled a bugs bunny cartoon when he was pulling the carrots under ground.
The Pekin Duck experiment was a success although I haven't done the paperwork yet, all the ducks sold and the reviews were excellent. The first batch of meat birds has come and gone with the second batch to go to the abbatoir tomorrow and the third and last batch of the season currently under a heat lamp in the livingroom. The first batch of Thanksgiving turkeys are growing well and the Xmas turkeys are also in the livingroom; co-habitating with the zebra finch and 1 flightless cockatiel.
The pigs Crisp E. Bacon and Friar Tuck (thanks Uncle EI) have also come and gone. I think they were the friendliest batch of pigs to date and loaded into the truck in under 3 seconds. Matt and Isaac were still getting the back gate in place and the pigs were in the truck with the cattle cage gate down in the blink of an eye.
Stroganoff came back from his visit to Hope Hill Farm in June, with any luck Tessie and Honey should have some little black calves early next year. With a little more luck we should have 3 little black calves early April. Fresh milk in May from Daisy, um yummy. Piper the sheep and Louise the cow never did give birth in May. We are pretty sure Piper miscarried and we aren't sure about Louise, she'll get one more chance this spring otherwise in the words of our favorite vet - "she'll be a Mac Attack" = 1200 lbs of burger. September 25th the herd will get thinned out to half as Prime Rib, Stroganoff, Sally (Salsbury Steak) and Cass (Casserole) head off to Plecas meats.
The sheep had their visit next door at Art Farrow's, where they have all grown nice and fat. Now they are home, at Aldercreek Farm and Mark Farrow's finishing off. A few of them are already almost as big as their moms. Poor old Walter is in segragation down in the back pasture (the nicest) with the biggest pond and the 4 bottle lambs for company. His is not happy. He has gone through a bit of an identity crisis after living with the cows for so long. Hopefully when I let him out at the beginning of September he'll remember he is actually a sheep and have a great visit with all the ewes.
The Tuesday market is a success so far, we have had a very full table every week, with very little coming back home to fill the freezer. The beans are filling the totes and the corn and tomatoes are getting closer to being ready. This year the farm tour is September 1st from 10 - 4. Hope to see you then. All the best, I hear the blueberry patch calling (weed me, weed me).
The Pekin Duck experiment was a success although I haven't done the paperwork yet, all the ducks sold and the reviews were excellent. The first batch of meat birds has come and gone with the second batch to go to the abbatoir tomorrow and the third and last batch of the season currently under a heat lamp in the livingroom. The first batch of Thanksgiving turkeys are growing well and the Xmas turkeys are also in the livingroom; co-habitating with the zebra finch and 1 flightless cockatiel.
The pigs Crisp E. Bacon and Friar Tuck (thanks Uncle EI) have also come and gone. I think they were the friendliest batch of pigs to date and loaded into the truck in under 3 seconds. Matt and Isaac were still getting the back gate in place and the pigs were in the truck with the cattle cage gate down in the blink of an eye.
Stroganoff came back from his visit to Hope Hill Farm in June, with any luck Tessie and Honey should have some little black calves early next year. With a little more luck we should have 3 little black calves early April. Fresh milk in May from Daisy, um yummy. Piper the sheep and Louise the cow never did give birth in May. We are pretty sure Piper miscarried and we aren't sure about Louise, she'll get one more chance this spring otherwise in the words of our favorite vet - "she'll be a Mac Attack" = 1200 lbs of burger. September 25th the herd will get thinned out to half as Prime Rib, Stroganoff, Sally (Salsbury Steak) and Cass (Casserole) head off to Plecas meats.
The sheep had their visit next door at Art Farrow's, where they have all grown nice and fat. Now they are home, at Aldercreek Farm and Mark Farrow's finishing off. A few of them are already almost as big as their moms. Poor old Walter is in segragation down in the back pasture (the nicest) with the biggest pond and the 4 bottle lambs for company. His is not happy. He has gone through a bit of an identity crisis after living with the cows for so long. Hopefully when I let him out at the beginning of September he'll remember he is actually a sheep and have a great visit with all the ewes.
The Tuesday market is a success so far, we have had a very full table every week, with very little coming back home to fill the freezer. The beans are filling the totes and the corn and tomatoes are getting closer to being ready. This year the farm tour is September 1st from 10 - 4. Hope to see you then. All the best, I hear the blueberry patch calling (weed me, weed me).