November
Another month has
whizzed by and things are slowing down in the fields. We are still
cutting Kale, have some chard, spinach, turnips, kohlrabi, parsley, potatoes,
apples and pears. The cider sold out even after starting to ferment.
The 25 new chicks from last spring are starting to lay plenty of eggs, up to 2
dozen a day.
We took a young lamb
ram to butcher this week and will have some lamb roasts, chops and ground lamb
next week at the Farmers Market.
The Guinea fowl
hatched out a few weeks ago and we have gone from six chicks to two. We
are keeping them in the Barn to protect them from predators and have only lost
one in the last two weeks.
The garlic will be
planted this week for next year. We are cleaning up the garden beds esp.
around the blueberries, red raspberries and asparagus that should be producing
enough to sell next spring.
The weather changed
before we could gather any honey this fall so we will continue to feed the two
hives (a water and sugar mix) to give the bees energy to continue to make honey
for the winter.
We had a small scare
last week as Jasper the new pup was limping around (as he continues to find
ways to get out of the field) and one of our older ewes was limping
terribly also.
I took Jasper to the
vet and he was given a clean bill of health so we put him back in the field.
We were afraid the
Ewe had foot rot that had extended up her leg. We have been checking them
all regularly and a few had to be treated with topical Copper Sulfate for the
infection. Sometimes the infection can become contagious and the entire
flock needs to be put down.
Gratefully the Ewe’s
feet were fine. Rocky is just
getting a bit rambunctious as the girls are in Estrus at this time and he is
getting a bit rough with them
all…. as well as protecting them from the new pup! Within a few
days everyone was walking and running with out any issues and I can relax.
The main projects for
me these months are to look for receipts for tax purposes. I finally hired a
bookkeeper…. I know my limits and organization is not one of them anymore.
The other project is
to finally get started on the Federal grant we received to replace a large part
of our perimeter fencing. Dan and I, with some additional help pulled out
the older perimeter fencing last weekend. We should have the first phase
completed by Thanksgiving. New Cedar posts and four inch square Tencel
fencing, complying with organic standards to help us when we apply for Organic
Certification in coming years.
Hope everyone out
there is well and enjoying the season! Best wishes from the Farm.
J
