Anyhoo, fast forward to a week later. Bill had to run to the Home Despot for a few tools and other dude-stuff. Once he's home, he says - "I forgot. I got you a new bucket!"
 |
| OOOOOH! For meeeee? |
And they say romance is dead! :P
The building of a small family farm from scratch, warts and all.
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Romance on the Farm
In passing the other day, I mentioned to the hubs that we were going to have to find a bigger bucket for the pigs' slops. These boys eat like it's going out of style!
Anyhoo, fast forward to a week later. Bill had to run to the Home Despot for a few tools and other dude-stuff. Once he's home, he says - "I forgot. I got you a new bucket!"
And they say romance is dead! :P
Anyhoo, fast forward to a week later. Bill had to run to the Home Despot for a few tools and other dude-stuff. Once he's home, he says - "I forgot. I got you a new bucket!"
And they say romance is dead! :P
Monday, June 13, 2016
"Sprummer" in the Hollow
It's not even officially Summer yet, but the garden, critters, and occasionally, the weather, are all in Summer mode.
Those 3 or 4 days we had of 90+ degree heat we had a few weeks ago seemed to put our raspberries over the top. We've been getting a pint per day as of late, and they haven't even hit their stride yet. I think I'll be making a LOT of jam this year!
The strawberries are doing good as well, but tend to fall victim to the slugs and roly-poly bugs if not picked the second they become ripe. Thankfully, the duck yard is directly next door to the garden, which keeps the slugs and bugs in check, though a few still get through and leave their unmistakable mark.
The pumpkins, beans, carrots, sunflowers and watermelons are all up and looking decent. The potatoes are growing like gangbusters - we need to hill them up again!
The snow peas have finally bloomed, and will hopefully have their first fruits ready by this weekend. Besides a little Sungold tomato or a sun-warmed raspberry, snow peas are my favorite garden sneaky-snack. ;)
The pollinator bed is taking a little longer than usual to get going. The borage, not surprisingly, has reseeded itself con mucho gusto, to the point where I may have to pull a few out to ensure that my breadseed poppies, calendula and phacelia have half a chance at making it.
The lemon balm and spearmint have all but squeezed the chamomile completely out of the tea bed, meaning that a minty-reckoning is overdue. Since none of our critters are terribly fond of the stuff, and I have waaaay more already dried and put up that I could ever need for tea, I think I'll be offering up cut mint & lemon balm this weekend to anyone who is willing to take the stuff.
As for the critters.... OY.
The ducks are doing well, but their egg production is down due to thieving ravens. We're looking to add a net or some sort of barrier/deterrent to the duck yard/Quack Shack to keep the hungry little buggers at bay. Especially since we want to hatch out some babies, which we learned the hard and heartbreaking way, are also a favorite food of hungry ravens. :(
The chickens are doing well. Ruby the Easter Egger took off for about a month and came back with a single little black and yellow chick. We're calling her Garnet, though he/she is still way too small -and fast! - for us to get a good look at in the hopes of accurately sexing him or her. I suspect that Garnet's papa is our Cuckoo Marans rooster, Godzilla, which would make Garnet, if she is in fact a she, an Olive Egger pullet. The other gals in the flock seem to be falling prey to chick envy/baby fever and have been trying to sneak off to raise families of their own. Wrangling our stubborn laydies has been more challenging of ever as of late.
Our quail flock is expanding! We have ten 5-week old babies, and another four 1-week olds coming right behind them. We'll be hatching out more later this Summer, but the ducks have dibs on the incubator next.
The bees are humming along (see what I did there?)! We have three top-bar hives and one Langstroth, and as of last week's peek, all are looking healthy and full o' honey. Beekeeper Bill says that we should be able to pull some honey at the end of this month! These were all new packages as of this Spring, and they're off to an awesome start owing to everything blooming so early this year. Let's hope that our luck (and theirs) holds.
The goats are happy. We're down to just our two old ladies - Sophie and Chardonnay. They're doing a pretty good job of keeping goatlandia mowed down, and will soon be the recipients of a big windfall of blackberry vines just as soon as Bill and I can find the time to bushwhack the chicken yard. There's never enough time for everything!
So, that's about that. The critters seem happy, the garden seems happy, and the lawn and weeds are out of control, as ever. Life is busy, but good. :)
Those 3 or 4 days we had of 90+ degree heat we had a few weeks ago seemed to put our raspberries over the top. We've been getting a pint per day as of late, and they haven't even hit their stride yet. I think I'll be making a LOT of jam this year!
The strawberries are doing good as well, but tend to fall victim to the slugs and roly-poly bugs if not picked the second they become ripe. Thankfully, the duck yard is directly next door to the garden, which keeps the slugs and bugs in check, though a few still get through and leave their unmistakable mark.
The pumpkins, beans, carrots, sunflowers and watermelons are all up and looking decent. The potatoes are growing like gangbusters - we need to hill them up again!
The snow peas have finally bloomed, and will hopefully have their first fruits ready by this weekend. Besides a little Sungold tomato or a sun-warmed raspberry, snow peas are my favorite garden sneaky-snack. ;)
The pollinator bed is taking a little longer than usual to get going. The borage, not surprisingly, has reseeded itself con mucho gusto, to the point where I may have to pull a few out to ensure that my breadseed poppies, calendula and phacelia have half a chance at making it.
The lemon balm and spearmint have all but squeezed the chamomile completely out of the tea bed, meaning that a minty-reckoning is overdue. Since none of our critters are terribly fond of the stuff, and I have waaaay more already dried and put up that I could ever need for tea, I think I'll be offering up cut mint & lemon balm this weekend to anyone who is willing to take the stuff.
As for the critters.... OY.
The ducks are doing well, but their egg production is down due to thieving ravens. We're looking to add a net or some sort of barrier/deterrent to the duck yard/Quack Shack to keep the hungry little buggers at bay. Especially since we want to hatch out some babies, which we learned the hard and heartbreaking way, are also a favorite food of hungry ravens. :(
The chickens are doing well. Ruby the Easter Egger took off for about a month and came back with a single little black and yellow chick. We're calling her Garnet, though he/she is still way too small -and fast! - for us to get a good look at in the hopes of accurately sexing him or her. I suspect that Garnet's papa is our Cuckoo Marans rooster, Godzilla, which would make Garnet, if she is in fact a she, an Olive Egger pullet. The other gals in the flock seem to be falling prey to chick envy/baby fever and have been trying to sneak off to raise families of their own. Wrangling our stubborn laydies has been more challenging of ever as of late.
 |
| Just hatched! "Kotori", Japanese for "small bird". :) |
Our quail flock is expanding! We have ten 5-week old babies, and another four 1-week olds coming right behind them. We'll be hatching out more later this Summer, but the ducks have dibs on the incubator next.
The bees are humming along (see what I did there?)! We have three top-bar hives and one Langstroth, and as of last week's peek, all are looking healthy and full o' honey. Beekeeper Bill says that we should be able to pull some honey at the end of this month! These were all new packages as of this Spring, and they're off to an awesome start owing to everything blooming so early this year. Let's hope that our luck (and theirs) holds.
The goats are happy. We're down to just our two old ladies - Sophie and Chardonnay. They're doing a pretty good job of keeping goatlandia mowed down, and will soon be the recipients of a big windfall of blackberry vines just as soon as Bill and I can find the time to bushwhack the chicken yard. There's never enough time for everything!
So, that's about that. The critters seem happy, the garden seems happy, and the lawn and weeds are out of control, as ever. Life is busy, but good. :)
Monday, September 9, 2013
Puttin' it Up
My boo had the day off from work. The plan was for him to go salmon fishing in the Sound, just down the road a piece. Well, some bozo's boat had come untethered in the night and blown ashore at the boat launch, preventing Bill from putting in until the tide came back in, allowing the bozo in question to move his errant boat back where it belonged. And so, the day meant to be spent slaying fish was out. Instead, he came home and helped me do some serious catching up and putting up re: our garden landslide.
Socked away/made today -
Chelle -
Processed (washed, cut and froze)
*5 gallon bags of carrots
*6 gallon bags of summer squash
Picked and thrown in the dehydrator
*1/4 cup +/- bread poppy seeds
*1 cup German chamomile
*1 cup calendula blossoms
Bill -
Made
*1 pound goats milk mozzarella
*1 pizza dough
*1 beautiful Apple Pie (with our apples, of course)
*1 gallon apple cider (fermenting now)
*1 loaf white sandwich bread
Tomorrow I need to make a decision about what I want to do with our 10(ish) pounds of rapidly-ripening pears. Maybe jam, cider, pear sauce or ???
The pumpkins and tomatillos cometh SOON so I need to get ready for a wallop.
Socked away/made today -
Chelle -
Processed (washed, cut and froze)
*5 gallon bags of carrots
*6 gallon bags of summer squash
Picked and thrown in the dehydrator
*1/4 cup +/- bread poppy seeds
*1 cup German chamomile
*1 cup calendula blossoms
Bill -
Made
*1 pound goats milk mozzarella
*1 pizza dough
*1 beautiful Apple Pie (with our apples, of course)
*1 gallon apple cider (fermenting now)
*1 loaf white sandwich bread
Bill's homemade apple pie, bread and pizza (with his mozzarella)
Tomorrow I need to make a decision about what I want to do with our 10(ish) pounds of rapidly-ripening pears. Maybe jam, cider, pear sauce or ???
The pumpkins and tomatillos cometh SOON so I need to get ready for a wallop.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Today's Take - 8/28/13
I've been doing an atrocious job of keeping track of our garden haul these past two weeks. And of course, it'd be just when we're getting tons of stuff too. Figures!
Zucchini - 11 pounds
Yellow squash - 4 pounds, 4 ounces
Eggs - 4
Goats milk - 1/2 gallon
Chamomile - 1 ounce
Tomatoes - 1 pound
Sweet corn - 7 pounds (weighed after I shucked it)
Scarlet runner beans - handful
Peas - handful
Zucchini - 11 pounds
Yellow squash - 4 pounds, 4 ounces
Eggs - 4
Goats milk - 1/2 gallon
Chamomile - 1 ounce
Tomatoes - 1 pound
Sweet corn - 7 pounds (weighed after I shucked it)
Scarlet runner beans - handful
Peas - handful
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Today's Take - 8/18/13
Zucchini - 3 pounds (another 2 or 3 were thrown to los puercos)
Yellow squash - 3 pounds
Pattypan squash - 10 ounces (just one squash)
Tomatoes - 8 ounces - mostly cherries
Yukon Chief sweet corn - 2 pounds
Chamomile flowers - 1 ounce
Sweet basil - 2 ounces
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - 6
We have two visitors in the goat pen this next few weeks - Fritzen & Oreo! They are here for "pregnancy camp" and Buckley is ON THE JOB.
The pumpkins and summer squashes are taking over the garden! The flower/botanical bed is getting invaded by the naked-seed pumpkins and the strawberry bed is being taken over by the sugar pies. I've had worse problems. ;)
Still only the one sunflower open. Seriously - what's it gonna take?!?
Bill harvested just enough corn for dinner tonight. It is GORGEOUS!
Yellow squash - 3 pounds
Pattypan squash - 10 ounces (just one squash)
Tomatoes - 8 ounces - mostly cherries
Yukon Chief sweet corn - 2 pounds
Chamomile flowers - 1 ounce
Sweet basil - 2 ounces
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - 6
We have two visitors in the goat pen this next few weeks - Fritzen & Oreo! They are here for "pregnancy camp" and Buckley is ON THE JOB.
The pumpkins and summer squashes are taking over the garden! The flower/botanical bed is getting invaded by the naked-seed pumpkins and the strawberry bed is being taken over by the sugar pies. I've had worse problems. ;)
Still only the one sunflower open. Seriously - what's it gonna take?!?
Bill harvested just enough corn for dinner tonight. It is GORGEOUS!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Today's Take - 8/16/13
Pattypan squash - 1 pound, 2 ounces
Yellow squash - 4 pounds, 8 ounces
Zucchini - 10 pounds
German chamomile - 1 ounce
Tomatoes - 4 ounces
Peas - handful
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - I dunno :(
We had 2 1/2 days of rain this past week, which gave my sprinkler a much needed break. Now we just need a 2-day scorcher to get everything popped and ripe.
The corn is about ready to harvest, but I'd like to leave it on the stalk for another day or to, since the rain got everything good and wet. The cantaloupes are coming along, but unfortunately, they're not looking like they'll be ready in time for the market. The tomatoes.... it's anybody's guess, but a hot couple of days sure wouldn't hurt their chances any.
The first sunflower opened completely today - a Miriam Edible. It's one of the shorter ones, at about 7 feet tall. The tallest ones are probably around 10 feet high, but none of the big 'uns have popped yet.
We're down to 8 days to finish getting all of our stuff together and ready for the LoL Market, which means that besides those 6 hours (or less) per night that I slip into a coma-like sleep state, I'm constantly trying to do something productive with my time - knitting, cutting & wrapping soap, harvesting herbs and veggies, putting up said herbs and veggies, feeding the pigs non-stop, back to school shopping, trying to finish a few last minute upcycle projects to offer at the market, etc...
I'm exhausted and I still have 34 bars of soap waiting to be wrapped, another 3 dishcloths to knit to meet my minimum goal, apples to pick, salmon that need catching... you get the idea. ;)
A far more experienced farm chick than I said that Farmers spend all Winter planning for Summer, and all Summer scrambling to get ready for Winter. Yup.
Yellow squash - 4 pounds, 8 ounces
Zucchini - 10 pounds
German chamomile - 1 ounce
Tomatoes - 4 ounces
Peas - handful
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - I dunno :(
We had 2 1/2 days of rain this past week, which gave my sprinkler a much needed break. Now we just need a 2-day scorcher to get everything popped and ripe.
The corn is about ready to harvest, but I'd like to leave it on the stalk for another day or to, since the rain got everything good and wet. The cantaloupes are coming along, but unfortunately, they're not looking like they'll be ready in time for the market. The tomatoes.... it's anybody's guess, but a hot couple of days sure wouldn't hurt their chances any.
The first sunflower opened completely today - a Miriam Edible. It's one of the shorter ones, at about 7 feet tall. The tallest ones are probably around 10 feet high, but none of the big 'uns have popped yet.
We're down to 8 days to finish getting all of our stuff together and ready for the LoL Market, which means that besides those 6 hours (or less) per night that I slip into a coma-like sleep state, I'm constantly trying to do something productive with my time - knitting, cutting & wrapping soap, harvesting herbs and veggies, putting up said herbs and veggies, feeding the pigs non-stop, back to school shopping, trying to finish a few last minute upcycle projects to offer at the market, etc...
I'm exhausted and I still have 34 bars of soap waiting to be wrapped, another 3 dishcloths to knit to meet my minimum goal, apples to pick, salmon that need catching... you get the idea. ;)
A far more experienced farm chick than I said that Farmers spend all Winter planning for Summer, and all Summer scrambling to get ready for Winter. Yup.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Today's Take - 8/13/13
Zucchini - 18 pounds, 8 ounces! (Maybe I'd better switch to picking these guys every day instead of every other?)
Yellow squash - 7 pounds, 8 ounces
Pattypan squash - 7 ounces
Tomatoes - 8 ounces (YAAAAY!)
Blackberries - 2 pounds, 2 ounces
Eggs - 4
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
I saw that one of my Miriam Edible sunflowers had just begun to open up today - finally. The cantaloupes have set a dozen, maybe a dozen and a half fruits that I can see. Anything smaller that golf ball sized probably won't ripen in time, so if I even end up with 10 or 12, I'll be thrilled.
The pumpkins are still setting fruit, and some of the bigger fruits are probably already in the 10 pound range, easily. I can't wait to see what our total numbers are at season's end. :)
Planning to put up this week/weekend -
Basil (freeze pesto, basil compound butter)
Zucchini (zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini muffins, freeze grated zucchini, freeze sliced zucchini for stir fry)
Blackberries (fruit leather, freeze whole)
Yellow squash - 7 pounds, 8 ounces
Pattypan squash - 7 ounces
Tomatoes - 8 ounces (YAAAAY!)
Blackberries - 2 pounds, 2 ounces
Eggs - 4
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
I saw that one of my Miriam Edible sunflowers had just begun to open up today - finally. The cantaloupes have set a dozen, maybe a dozen and a half fruits that I can see. Anything smaller that golf ball sized probably won't ripen in time, so if I even end up with 10 or 12, I'll be thrilled.
The pumpkins are still setting fruit, and some of the bigger fruits are probably already in the 10 pound range, easily. I can't wait to see what our total numbers are at season's end. :)
Planning to put up this week/weekend -
Basil (freeze pesto, basil compound butter)
Zucchini (zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini muffins, freeze grated zucchini, freeze sliced zucchini for stir fry)
Blackberries (fruit leather, freeze whole)
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Today's Take - 8/11/13
Zucchini - 4 pounds, 8 ounces
Yellow squash - 12 ounces
Blackberries - 1 pound, 13 ounces
Peas - 5 ounces
German Chamomile - 3/4 ounce (These little flowers weigh practically nothing!)
Strawberries - handful
Cherry tomatoes - handful
Eggs - 5
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Crab - 3 Red Rock, 1 Dungeness :)
P.S. - Note to self - Chardonnay looks to be/is acting like she's in season again, which would mean a mid-January due date if she took. Oy...
Yellow squash - 12 ounces
Blackberries - 1 pound, 13 ounces
Peas - 5 ounces
German Chamomile - 3/4 ounce (These little flowers weigh practically nothing!)
Strawberries - handful
Cherry tomatoes - handful
Eggs - 5
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Crab - 3 Red Rock, 1 Dungeness :)
P.S. - Note to self - Chardonnay looks to be/is acting like she's in season again, which would mean a mid-January due date if she took. Oy...
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Today's Take - 8/7/13
I've started harvesting just every other day as of late, but judging by the size of the zukes I pulled today, I might need to rethink that.
Zucchini - 5 pounds, 6 ounces
Yellow squash - 2 pounds, 4 ounces
Pattypan squash - 6 ounces (Our first two!)
Peas - ? Bill ate them as he picked, naughty boy.
Chamomile - 2 handsful!
Eggs - 3 (worrisome)
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Zucchini - 5 pounds, 6 ounces
Yellow squash - 2 pounds, 4 ounces
Pattypan squash - 6 ounces (Our first two!)
Peas - ? Bill ate them as he picked, naughty boy.
Chamomile - 2 handsful!
Eggs - 3 (worrisome)
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Today's Take - 8/5/13
Zucchini - 6 pounds, 12 ounces!
Yellow squash - 3 pounds
Peas - 2 ounces
Chamomile - big handful
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - 7
Squashapalooza!
Yellow squash - 3 pounds
Peas - 2 ounces
Chamomile - big handful
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - 7
Squashapalooza!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Today's Take - 8/3/13
Zucchini - 3 pounds, 6 ounces
Yellow squash - 2 pounds, 8 ounces
Chamomile - handful
Peas - handful
Eggs - 8
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
There are several cantaloupes that are now baseball sized, and quite a few more that are golf ball/kiwi sized. I can't wait to finally try one!
The sunflowers are all about 7 feet tall, and still forming their buds. When are these babies gonna bloom?
Bill said that one of the turkey gobbled at him today. Just when I was starting to suspect that we'd ended up with a pair of hens too. Well, at least one of them is a boy!
The LoL Market is creeping closer, and my perparedness-mania is just starting to kick in. Will the tomatoes be ready for market? Not at the rate their going now. Will the soap be cured in time? 99% yes - whew! Should I knit more? It can't hurt. Tomatoes, squash, beets, corn (maybe), cantaloupe, eggs, apples, soap and knits - will it be enough? Man, I hope so!
Yellow squash - 2 pounds, 8 ounces
Chamomile - handful
Peas - handful
Eggs - 8
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
There are several cantaloupes that are now baseball sized, and quite a few more that are golf ball/kiwi sized. I can't wait to finally try one!
The sunflowers are all about 7 feet tall, and still forming their buds. When are these babies gonna bloom?
Bill said that one of the turkey gobbled at him today. Just when I was starting to suspect that we'd ended up with a pair of hens too. Well, at least one of them is a boy!
The LoL Market is creeping closer, and my perparedness-mania is just starting to kick in. Will the tomatoes be ready for market? Not at the rate their going now. Will the soap be cured in time? 99% yes - whew! Should I knit more? It can't hurt. Tomatoes, squash, beets, corn (maybe), cantaloupe, eggs, apples, soap and knits - will it be enough? Man, I hope so!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Today's Take - 8/1/13
Holy crap, it's August already!
The pumpkins and squashes are all starting to really go nuts all of a sudden. Our Cinderella pumpkins have a few good sized fruits started, and the Williams naked seed pumpkins have a few 5-pounders already going. :)
Zucchini - 2 pounds, 4 ounces
Yellow Squash - 1 pound, 13 ounces
Peas - 2 ounces (a measurable amount!)
Blackberries - 14 ounces
Strawberries - handful
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - 3 (Boo!)
The pumpkins and squashes are all starting to really go nuts all of a sudden. Our Cinderella pumpkins have a few good sized fruits started, and the Williams naked seed pumpkins have a few 5-pounders already going. :)
Zucchini - 2 pounds, 4 ounces
Yellow Squash - 1 pound, 13 ounces
Peas - 2 ounces (a measurable amount!)
Blackberries - 14 ounces
Strawberries - handful
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Eggs - 3 (Boo!)
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Today's Take - 7/31/13
Zucchini - 15 ounces
Yellow squash - 1 pound, 5 ounces
Sweet basil - 6 ounces
Garlic chives - handful
Eggs - 6
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Yellow squash - 1 pound, 5 ounces
Sweet basil - 6 ounces
Garlic chives - handful
Eggs - 6
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Today's Take - 7/30/13
Zucchini - 1 pound, 13 ounces
Yellow squash - 1 pound, 8 ounces
Snow peas - 1 ounce
Strawberries - handful
Blackberries - 1 pound, 8 ounces
German chamomile flowers - handful
Eggs - 4
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
The Guinea hens have either abruptly quit laying, or have yet again decided to move their nest. It seems like they will only lay in a given spot for 2 weeks or so, before finding our daily raids bothersome enough to warrant moving on to a new, increasingly difficult to reach location. If and when we do find a trove of Guinea eggs somewhere, the piggies will be getting a whole lotta eggs for their supper.
Speaking of piggies, the count down to bacon time is officially, unofficially on. We're hoping to get them finished in the next 6 weeks, but it'll depend on whether or not they gain well in that time, and whether or not we go bankrupt trying to keep these porkers in food. :\ Seriously, between the three of them, they can devour a 40-pound bag of pig grower, half a dozen loaves of stale bread and anything weird/bug eaten that comes out of the garden. Lately they've been getting 5-gallon buckets of some beautiful Yellow Transparent apples from a friend of ours' yard, and they can and do lay waste to that in under 5 minutes. They are eating machines!
So, come mid-September harvest time, our checkbook will finally get a well deserved break from both buying endless quantities of pig chow, and from spending in the neighborhood of $10 per pound for organically raised pork every week. I'll be sad to see our piggies go, but the freezer full of pork and the dollars saved will be awfully nice.
Yellow squash - 1 pound, 8 ounces
Snow peas - 1 ounce
Strawberries - handful
Blackberries - 1 pound, 8 ounces
German chamomile flowers - handful
Eggs - 4
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
The Guinea hens have either abruptly quit laying, or have yet again decided to move their nest. It seems like they will only lay in a given spot for 2 weeks or so, before finding our daily raids bothersome enough to warrant moving on to a new, increasingly difficult to reach location. If and when we do find a trove of Guinea eggs somewhere, the piggies will be getting a whole lotta eggs for their supper.
Speaking of piggies, the count down to bacon time is officially, unofficially on. We're hoping to get them finished in the next 6 weeks, but it'll depend on whether or not they gain well in that time, and whether or not we go bankrupt trying to keep these porkers in food. :\ Seriously, between the three of them, they can devour a 40-pound bag of pig grower, half a dozen loaves of stale bread and anything weird/bug eaten that comes out of the garden. Lately they've been getting 5-gallon buckets of some beautiful Yellow Transparent apples from a friend of ours' yard, and they can and do lay waste to that in under 5 minutes. They are eating machines!
So, come mid-September harvest time, our checkbook will finally get a well deserved break from both buying endless quantities of pig chow, and from spending in the neighborhood of $10 per pound for organically raised pork every week. I'll be sad to see our piggies go, but the freezer full of pork and the dollars saved will be awfully nice.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Today's Take - 7/26/13
Blackberries - 2 pounds!
Zucchini - 1 pound, 3 ounces
Yellow squash - 14 ounces
Chamomile flowers - handful
Lavender - handful - I think I waited just a little too long to try and squeeze one last harvest in. :(
Eggs - 7
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
I was so happy to see my German chamomile finally start blooming that I gave myself a case of over-analysis-paralysis about when/how to harvest it. Today I googled the heck out of harvesting chamomile and as it turns out, it's just like anything else - try to pick them on a warmish, dry day, just pop the flowers off and set them on screens (or paper towels) in an area that has good air circulation and that's that. And just like pretty much every other plant, the more you harvest, the more it stimulates it to produce more blooms. So we may just end up with fair amount after all.
The honeybees were thick on the chamomile and borage this afternoon. I was going to bring in a few borage blossoms as well as the chamomile, but thought better of it when I saw the bees working the heck out of the borage. I didn't want to take food from their hardworking little mouths.
We're hoping to have the farm stand open this Sunday, to coincide with the first day of blueberry season. We should have zukes, yellow squash, kale and eggs aplenty, and maybe some basil as well, though it has started to bolt. I'm thinking of have some homemade scones on offer as well. We'll see if tomorrow feels like a baking day or not. ;)
Zucchini - 1 pound, 3 ounces
Yellow squash - 14 ounces
Chamomile flowers - handful
Lavender - handful - I think I waited just a little too long to try and squeeze one last harvest in. :(
Eggs - 7
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
I was so happy to see my German chamomile finally start blooming that I gave myself a case of over-analysis-paralysis about when/how to harvest it. Today I googled the heck out of harvesting chamomile and as it turns out, it's just like anything else - try to pick them on a warmish, dry day, just pop the flowers off and set them on screens (or paper towels) in an area that has good air circulation and that's that. And just like pretty much every other plant, the more you harvest, the more it stimulates it to produce more blooms. So we may just end up with fair amount after all.
The honeybees were thick on the chamomile and borage this afternoon. I was going to bring in a few borage blossoms as well as the chamomile, but thought better of it when I saw the bees working the heck out of the borage. I didn't want to take food from their hardworking little mouths.
We're hoping to have the farm stand open this Sunday, to coincide with the first day of blueberry season. We should have zukes, yellow squash, kale and eggs aplenty, and maybe some basil as well, though it has started to bolt. I'm thinking of have some homemade scones on offer as well. We'll see if tomorrow feels like a baking day or not. ;)
Today's Take - 7/24/13
Zucchinis - 1 pound, 4 ounces
Strawberries - handful
Peas - handful
Eggs - 10!
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Blackberries/Marionberries - 3 ounces
The corn has both tassels and silks out now - hooray! The sunflowers are officially taller than me, and Scarlet and I spied two kiwi-sized cantaloupes on one plant today. The garden is happy!
Strawberries - handful
Peas - handful
Eggs - 10!
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
Blackberries/Marionberries - 3 ounces
The corn has both tassels and silks out now - hooray! The sunflowers are officially taller than me, and Scarlet and I spied two kiwi-sized cantaloupes on one plant today. The garden is happy!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Today's Take - 7/23/13
On my garden walk today I noticed several of Bill's Italian bees working the heck out of the borage. :) I'm glad that they like it, because the stuff is threatening to take over the whole flower bed! The lemon cucumbers are setting fruit like mad, though none have ripened yet. I hope they keep pumping them out until market time in August!
Zucchini - 7 ounces
Peas - handful
Golden beets - 2 pounds (These are the last of them. They were too small to harvest, but had been so ravaged by slugs that I thought I'd pull them and feed them to the piggies before the dang slugs could eat them completely.)
Eggs - 6
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
I heard a pair of ravens gwawping just outside today. I find them and their intellect fascinating, but my interest is tempered by fear for my poultry. I have heard more than a few stories lately about ravens flying off with eggs, young birds, etc., and our Brahma-caunas are still petite - maybe 2 pounds each - which sounds like a reasonable serving size for two hungry ravens.
Speaking of birds, last weekend when we were out in Budd Bay, fishing and crabbing for our supper, we got to see a bald eagle up-close and personal as it swooped down to grab our discarded leftover crab bait, some freezer burned flounder. It's easy to forget how massive they are when you ever only see them high above you against a scale-less sky. we do get to see them here at home fairly often, being as close to the water as we are, but when wearing my figurative farmer hat, I am generally less inclined to just sit back and appreciate their size and beauty, and more likely to fret over whether my animals might catch a hungry predator's eye.
Zucchini - 7 ounces
Peas - handful
Golden beets - 2 pounds (These are the last of them. They were too small to harvest, but had been so ravaged by slugs that I thought I'd pull them and feed them to the piggies before the dang slugs could eat them completely.)
Eggs - 6
Goat milk - 1/2 gallon
I heard a pair of ravens gwawping just outside today. I find them and their intellect fascinating, but my interest is tempered by fear for my poultry. I have heard more than a few stories lately about ravens flying off with eggs, young birds, etc., and our Brahma-caunas are still petite - maybe 2 pounds each - which sounds like a reasonable serving size for two hungry ravens.
Speaking of birds, last weekend when we were out in Budd Bay, fishing and crabbing for our supper, we got to see a bald eagle up-close and personal as it swooped down to grab our discarded leftover crab bait, some freezer burned flounder. It's easy to forget how massive they are when you ever only see them high above you against a scale-less sky. we do get to see them here at home fairly often, being as close to the water as we are, but when wearing my figurative farmer hat, I am generally less inclined to just sit back and appreciate their size and beauty, and more likely to fret over whether my animals might catch a hungry predator's eye.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Today's Take - 7/22/13
Russian Red kale - 2 pounds, 14 ounces
Basil - 2 1/2 ounces
Golden beets - 2 pounds, 2 ounces (I really need to just pull the rest of these. The slugs seem to love these the best. :\ )
Bulls Blood beets - 2 pounds, 14 ounces
Blackberries - 3 ounces
Eggs - 8
Goat Milk - 1/2 gallon
Today was the first day selling our goodies at our farm stand. I wouldn't have chosen a Monday to start, but the girls were very keen to sell their marionberry lemonade to passersby, so I figured, what the hey? They didn't sell a thing, and ended up drinking all of their own lemonade, but then again, it was a Monday, soo... better luck next time, I hope! If the blueberry farms open this weekend we should see tons of traffic, so hopefully we'll have at least one customer.
Aim high! ;)
Yesterday I forgot to mention that I noticed a bud had formed on one of my Hungarian Blue bread poppies. I don't know why, but growing your own poppy seeds seems so badass to me! I hope that I manage to get a worthwhile amount out of them, or short of that, that they at least self-sow and bring a bigger crop next year.
Basil - 2 1/2 ounces
Golden beets - 2 pounds, 2 ounces (I really need to just pull the rest of these. The slugs seem to love these the best. :\ )
Bulls Blood beets - 2 pounds, 14 ounces
Blackberries - 3 ounces
Eggs - 8
Goat Milk - 1/2 gallon
Today was the first day selling our goodies at our farm stand. I wouldn't have chosen a Monday to start, but the girls were very keen to sell their marionberry lemonade to passersby, so I figured, what the hey? They didn't sell a thing, and ended up drinking all of their own lemonade, but then again, it was a Monday, soo... better luck next time, I hope! If the blueberry farms open this weekend we should see tons of traffic, so hopefully we'll have at least one customer.
Aim high! ;)
Yesterday I forgot to mention that I noticed a bud had formed on one of my Hungarian Blue bread poppies. I don't know why, but growing your own poppy seeds seems so badass to me! I hope that I manage to get a worthwhile amount out of them, or short of that, that they at least self-sow and bring a bigger crop next year.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Today's Take - 7/21/13
As you may have noticed, daily dispatches have been... less than daily. My record-keeping has never been stellar, but I really was hoping to get a whole month straight of farm product on the official record. Guess not. :\
Anyhoo, today's today's take is even better than usual, because we took the boat out in the salt and brought home a few crabbies. Yum!
Red Rock Crab - 3
Goat Milk - 1 gallon
Eggs - 9
Blackberries - 4 ounces
Zucchini - 7 ounces
Yellow squash - 5 ounces
Peas - handful (are these things every really going to take off or not?)
Russian Red kale - 8 ounces
Oregano - 1 ounce
Anyhoo, today's today's take is even better than usual, because we took the boat out in the salt and brought home a few crabbies. Yum!
Fisherman Bill with one of our soon-to-be tasty crab.
Red Rock Crab - 3
Goat Milk - 1 gallon
Eggs - 9
Blackberries - 4 ounces
Zucchini - 7 ounces
Yellow squash - 5 ounces
Peas - handful (are these things every really going to take off or not?)
Russian Red kale - 8 ounces
Oregano - 1 ounce
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