Sunday Walkabout 9-11

lambs grazing in September

Labor Day marks the “end” of the summer season to a lot of folks. One last chance for picnics and beach trips…

Here on the hill, it’s just another day. As a Monday holiday, it does indeed cause a little wrinkle in our week. But, that’s nothing new. Here’s a post from ’14 about  Labor Day.

While our schedule has changed slightly over the years, things remain pretty constant around here. Although, instead of digging potatoes, we processed broilers.

It was an uneventful morning, no escapee chickens, no scalder fires… We were all finished, cleaned up and had the meat bagged and chilling before lunchtime. Oh, I do love when jobs go smoothly!

ready to process

bagging the last bird
a little less than four hours later

Blondie and Mr. B stopped by to visit and help me can off the last batch of squash. While I don’t know that we really need the squash for winter eating, I hate to see it go to waste. By canning it, it will be there when and if I need it, and it will taste better than if I put it in the freezer.

In checking the gardens for more squash and anything else that might need my attention, I discovered that the groundhog had apparently moved to the middle garden after his/her efforts to obliterate the winter squash had been thwarted. This time the zucchini had come under attack.

Now, say what you will about zucchini…you know all those jokes about submarines and locking your car doors to avoiding “gifting” … but, it is truly delicious and quite versatile. And, since it is a cash crop, I’m not about to allow the groundhog eat it all! I set a trap, baited it with a pear and waited…(I’m still waiting...guess they don't like pears) Groundhogs may look fat and silly, but they’re actually quite wily. …and horribly destructive. They are considered a noxious pest. Did you read the "Battle of the  Whistle-pig"?

Despite the groundhog attack on the winter squash, harvest time had finally arrived. The Boss had fenced around the entire planting and we didn’t see evidence of any more damage. But, we had our doubts about the harvest. So many of the fruits had been gnawed on, and once damaged, the heat and moisture would cause the squashes to rot or allow small rodents to eat them.  Either way, they would be useless to us. When the Boss went to pick up the first squash, this appeared to be the case, as its seeds were all spilled onto the ground and the squash was rotting around the edges.

what a waste!

However, there were indeed more edible squash than those that were destroyed. And, you wouldn’t believe the size of some of them!  A good number are pushing ten pounds. While these will be far too big for our customers to use whole, we will be able to cut them in chunks and sell them that way. (you wouldn’t believe how many butternut chunks we have sold over the years!)  

Now, that's a BIG squash!

…and I’m pretty sure that all the spilled seeds mean that we will have “volunteer” butternut squash coming up in the garden forever. While we can’t claim a real big success on the crop, at least it wasn’t the total loss that we first feared.

broilers checking out the field pen

With the big broilers processed, it was time to move the smaller ones outdoors. Actually, it was a little early since the whole rat attack incident impacted our carefully planned schedule. But, the last batch of broilers for the year was scheduled to arrive on Friday, this batch looks large and healthy, and it’s still incredibly warm, so it was decided that we’d go ahead and move them outside even though they’re young.  Again, an uneventful job. (yay)

last batch of broilers for 2016 arrived on 9-9

harvesting 'taters

Then the Boss worked at getting the Spring potatoes out of the ground. I know, I know, we had hoped to complete this job months ago, but between the weather and other more pressing jobs, it just didn’t happen. Thankfully, potatoes do well staying in the ground. However, the longer the potatoes are left in the ground, the better the chances for rodent damage, and damaged tubers don’t store or sell well. And, they will sprout again if left in the garden too long. So, they can’t stay there indefinitely.

The potato crop is so prolific this year that he didn’t come close to finishing before it was time to move on to another job.  So, digging potatoes will be at the top of the upcoming week’s “to-do” list.

hopefully these strawberries will provide a Spring harvest

While he dug potatoes, I worked on planting some strawberry plants and working in the hoophouses. Although the heat curtailed that job before completion as well. The heat makes it hard to work, but can also damage the tiny plants. So, I'll wait for a cooler day to finish up.

tilling for lettuce

ready to plant

planting completed

This September heatwave is really beginning to wear on us. Last week’s rains are but a memory as the continued heat is causing the grass to wither. Even with near-continual irrigation, garden production has dropped off considerably. Some of that is normal “end of the season” slow down, but the lack of rain is the biggest factor.

It’s really hot for this time of year.

…and it seems like it’s been hot, too hot, for a long time.

grazing at sunset

The heat isn’t helping the animals, either. The sheep and lambs head to the pines after early morning grazing and stay there until late afternoon, coming out only for water (and when called for feed). Egg production is down as the hens just hang out in the shade or take dustbaths to beat the heat. The dogs have taken to sleeping underneath the reefer during the daylight and patrolling in the late evening and early morning. The only group that doesn’t seem to be too affected is the broilers. It doesn’t seem like much affects their appetite and ability to grow!

With the growing season winding down around us, it’s time to think toward next year. Besides putting up food for winter and checking on the progress of the 2017 lambchop crop, we’re already making notes and preparations for next year.

tomato seeds for 2017

I finally got around to processing the tomato seeds. This is a stinky, gross job that I generally put off far too long that is not made any nicer for the delay. While I realize it is possible to simply buy new seeds each year, by saving our own we are able to preserve the traits unique to the tomatoes grown here on the hill.  You can read about the process in its entirety  here.

freshly processed tomato seed

And, just like that…it was time for Market once more. The Market went off without disaster or drama (like last week’s food truck saga). As a matter of fact, the Market seemed rather “off”. The week following Labor Day seems to be historically slow. I guess everyone has a difficult time getting back in the groove after a holiday. But, all in all it was a good day. Unbelievably, we’re more than 2/3 way through the Market season. Which puts us that much closer to Winter.

Yes, the thoughts of Winter are never far from our thoughts…despite the heat and humidity that we are currently experiencing, it is obvious that it’s coming, and a lot of our activities focus on preparation for the cold, dark days ahead.

a sign of the changing seasons
Monarch butterfly

with a little assistance
it flew out of the hoophouse and off to the wild blue yonder

But, for right now it’s time to renew and recharge (and do some laundry and bake a few loaves of bread) in order to be ready for the week ahead.

Hope you’re having a Happy Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll come “visit” us again soon.

 

sunset on the hill

Sunday Walkabout 9-4

Can you believe it’s already September?

The first of September marks the beginning of meteorological fall. And, the start of “pumpkin spice season” which is simply a precursor to all the Christmas displays. Christmas... Seriously?  HalloweenThankgivingChristmas is apparently just one long decorating event in the retail world.

But, my personal opinion about marketing aside…and just in case you’re wondering about meteorological fall…here’s the best explanation I have seen.

“Meteorological fall is different from astronomical fall which begins Sept. 22.

What is the difference? Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun. They are most commonly used and known. The seasons are defined by two solstices and two equinoxes.

Meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle and the calendar.

• Winter is typically the coldest months of the year and summer the hottest. Spring and fall are transition months
• Spring- March, April, May
• Summer- June, July, August
• Fall- September, October, November
• Winter- December, January, February

Since the Meteorological seasons fall on the same date every year, it is easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.”

– Samantha Davies, NBC5 Meteorlogist, Dallas-Fort Worth

even the backyard looks like fall

There is also a change in the light about this time of year as the days get shorter and the nights get longer on our trip around the sun. And, this is evident in the gardens as warm-weather crop production slows and the fall crops begin to mature.

So, for a couple of weeks, we’re generally in a weird state of limbo picking the last of the tomatoes while we wait for the Brussels sprouts (and other fall crops) to begin to ripen. We tidy up the gardens outside and work at getting the hoophouses planted and ready for the cooler days.

It’s hard to imagine it will ever be cool or cold again, because it’s been hot. Very hot. Weeds and pests seem to thrive on hot weather. The gardens look overgrown and tired.  Combined with the slowing of the growing season, it’s tempting to just bush-hog everything and call it quits. The fact that we hadn’t seen a drop of rain in what was beginning to feel like forever and you could almost watch the grass shriveling in the blazing sun in the late afternoon didn’t help anything. The entire farm seemed to be suffering from heat fatigue.

But, oddly, before I could write a “praying for rain” post, we woke up to over an inch of rain AND cooler temperatures. And, while the moisture caused even more weeds to sprout and bugs to hatch…it was amazing to be cool and comfortable as we did chores. The change of the weather (no matter how short-lived) did wonders for my outlook.

I think the broccoli grew overnight

Which is a good thing, because for the most part, this time of year is a test of our endurance and perseverance as we soldier on through to the end of Market season. And, it is imperative that we always be thinking ahead toward the possibilities and potentials of the upcoming season.

It can be a real challenge to remain positive and upbeat...and hopeful on a near-constant routine. 

and then we got another storm

even had a rainbow

watching it rain

inside kitty meets outside kitty

This week we had the added challenge of farm-truck repair. Since it wasn’t the kind of repair the Boss could do himself, we had to take it to the repair shop. That in itself requires we both take a roadtrip, well actually two, one to drop it off and one to pick it up. And, then there’s the whole farm without a farm-truck thing. That meant more than one trip to town for supplies. This particular repair wasn’t particularly cheap, either. But, that’s to be expected with a geriatric truck (it’s nearly twenty years old). And, a repair certainly was a WHOLE lot cheaper than a new truck!

However, it needs to go back to the shop for some fine-tuning…and that will affect this week as well…but, “whatcha gonna do?”

For the most part, the farm seems to be on auto-pilot this time of year. The gardens are doing their garden-thing, albeit a little slower and not quite so pretty.

super secure brooder

The broiler chicks are growing. After the securing of the brooder and the capture of the rat, we have suffered no more losses! The big broilers in the field pen will meet their destiny in the upcoming week and the last batch of chicks for the season should arrive on Friday.

the "big broilers"
this is tomorrow's "job du jour"

The lamb flock is growing well, although it is set to diminish somewhat next week as we deliver another batch to the processor’s. At that time, the ewe lambs will join the big girls to work on the “lamb chop crop of 2017”.

Speaking of the sheep...there is no news from the ewe flock. That fact alone is worthy of celebration. If we make it through next week with no new marks, it will be safe to assume that we can go ahead and note potential dates in anticipation of lambing season.

And, just like that…it was Market time once more.

market collage
9-3

We had a little added excitement this week and it became evident to everyone just what a great bunch of folks gather downtown on Saturday mornings.

The first thing I noted on my arrival was the absence of the big yellow foodtruck for Gloria's Pupuseria. Not only does it hold an anchor position at the Market, everyone loves JK and Gloria.

But, their somewhat aged, somewhat needy truck had failed them on their trip to town. They were stranded just blocks from the Market.

In true community fashion, one of the vendors went to help. When it became evident that despite his mechanical skills, the truck couldn’t be repaired without parts, a tow truck was called.

Shortly after I arrived at the Market, a wrecker truck swung into the Market, hauling the food truck.

A cheer and a round of applause went up as a group of vendors pushed it into place.

 They were back in business!

Everyone headed back to their own stands for an amazing day of Market sales.

Then, the mechanic-husband of another vendor made a parts run. After the Market, the repair was made.

And, to the best of my knowledge, the food truck is back on the road just in time for the local “battle of the food trucks”! More about that here.

That’s community. That’s our Market. 

Want to visit? Check out the Market's website. or visit Staunton Farmers' Market on Facebook.

Here's the link to the Boss' Market photos.

…and that was the week on the hill.

Hope you’re having a Happy Sunday! 

Thanks for dropping by! Come back and “visit” again real soon.

Sunday Walkabout 6-5

sheep shearing day

This week’s walkabout is all about teamwork, girl power and the transforming qualities of a good shower.

Well, now, that got your attention. Didn’t it?

Most of the country marked Memorial Day on Monday with picnics and swimming pools. Always marching to the beat of a somewhat different drummer, we sheared the ewes.

More specifically, Blondie sheared the ewes. This has been our “mother-daughter” time for a long time now. And, I generally write a post as a tribute to GIRL power… You can click HERE to read those. But, somehow the writing just didn’t happen this year. I’m sorry about that and I hope her feelings weren’t hurt. Because it wasn’t because we didn’t appreciate her efforts. We did.

Last year, the Boss and I took on the task ourselves. Read this. So, we REALLY appreciated Blondie’s willingness to take over her old job. But, it seemed only fair to let Blondie skip last season…she was 6 months pregnant at shearing time!

shearing begins

But, she found her old shearing groove quickly and things went fairly smoothly. We were both pretty amazed when she clipped one old gal out in just over four minutes! She was pretty proud of herself since it’s been nearly two years since she sheared a sheep.

No record time…the world record is currently held by Ivan Scott (Ireland) in Castlepollard, County Westmeath, Ireland on 4 April 2010. And the time? 37.90 SECONDS! Yes, that did say SECONDS. We’re talking FAST!

Here’s a video of a record shearing time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeQCVGtfjA4

Pretty amazing.

Shearing time gives us the opportunity to clip hooves and de-worm the ewes for summer. That’s my job. 

clipping hooves

And, we had the Boss help catch the last few since everyone was getting a little tired of the whole ordeal.

Teamwork!

And, with that…another year’s shearing is done.

FINISHED!

Oh…wait…Angus…

Since he has to be kept separate from the ewes (until breeding time in August) the Boss and I will put him on the “list” and hope we can get that job out of the way in the next week or so.

With the shearing job out of the way, and sunshine in the forecast, it was time to get some more stuff planted.

hauling mulch

While I did my “Monday town run” on Tuesday, the Boss set about getting ready to plant the peppers and the okra. He’s in charge of tillage, irrigation and fertilization. I’m in charge of seed starting, planting and mulching.

okra plants

pepper plants

…and those jobs go in the DONE column.

The lambs needed de-worming again. The warm, wet weather is all too conducive to explosive parasite growth, in this particular case, tapeworms
(Monezia expansa). While tapeworms aren’t quite as deadly as the Barberpole worm Haemonchus Contortus, they do keep the lambs from growing well. The first batch of lambs heads out to the processor soon, so we want to maintain our current growth rates.

Another “half hour” job and we were done with another day.

The winter squash planting was the next priority job.

He tills, hauls…I plunk and mulch…he irrigates…we’re DONE!

setting up irrigation

spreading mulch after planting

winter squash job - DONE

Teamwork.

…and now it’s time to harvest!

No, not the squash…the garlic scapes.

the first scape of 2016

What…you may ask…is a garlic scape?

To hear our most passionate and devoted garlic scape customer talk, you would think that it’s the perfect food. He can wax poetic on his favorite seasonal indulgence…although on second thought, he will take back that stellar assessment because he’s concerned that someone else may buy them and he might miss out on the bounty!   

harvesting garlic scapes

Garlic Scapes are what would eventually become the “garlic flower” of hardneck garlic. Now, before you get all excited about “garlic flowers” and saving garlic seeds, you need to know that most of the seeds are actually sterile (they won’t grow) and if you’re wanting to raise garlic you would be far more successful to plant garlic cloves (garlic planting 101 will be another post). And, order to have big, beautiful garlic bulbs, the plant cannot be allowed to put its energy into “flower” production.

lots of scapes

 By cutting the scapes, we provide the plant with the best conditions for bulb production and provide our customers (and ourselves) with a delicious garlicky treat. Here's a link to an old post with a RECIPE.

It’s been very hot and steamy lately. 

the dewy broccoli looks like waves on the ocean

the first cauliflower

heat causes cauliflower to turn purple

steamy sunrise

So, we took advantage of that and sprayed thistles in the alley. If you read last week, you know that we found that vinegar and salt were incredibly effective. Particularly because the lambs seemed to enjoy the slightly pickled thistles. The Boss filled the backpack sprayer with vinegar and I tagged along with a bucket of salt. The lambs quickly followed, munching on their new-found favorite snack.

spraying thistles with vinegar

salted thistles

munching on pickled thistles

Again…teamwork!  After a couple of days, the thistles are mostly gone. (at least for the season)

A little more mowing, a little bit of seed starting, a trip to the dump and what do you know…it’s time to prep for the Market again.

As the Boss headed out into the dense fog toward the Market (hoping that both wheels would stay on this week) I set about the farm chores for the morning. More than once it has been suggested that morning chores could wait until after Market, that I should just head to town with the Boss…

it was still foggy and steamy when I drove in at 6:45

Following the big rains, the early morning air was incredibly steamy, it was like swimming through the atmosphere (the humidity stood at 93%) and the beams from my headlamp bounced back off the moisture in the air, rendering it fairly useless.

With the lambs and chickens fed and watered, I headed out back to the ewes, broilers and ram paddock. Even in the fog, I could tell something wasn’t quite right. Ordinarily, all the animals make a fair amount of commotion at feeding time. The lambs call out as they jostle around for the best place at the feeder, the hens cluck as they slowly exit the henhouse in the darkness. The ewes start complaining that they are still waiting for me to get their breakfast delivered and Angus generally voices some sort of editorial on the day as well.

Except, he wasn’t.

I listened for his deep, gravelly BAA-AA to echo through the darkness over the rest of the pandemonium. Nothing.

I thought I could see him through the dark and the fog, but I wasn’t sure. He didn’t answer when I called him. And, worry began to course through my mind.

Finally, I got to him in my appointed rounds. Only to find that he had his head stuck THROUGH the fence…UNDER the feeder. Did I mention he was stuck in the super rigid, heavyweight, cattle panel fence that surrounds the feeder? I have no idea why or how he managed that. I do know that there was no way I was getting him out. I tugged, I pushed, I said a few bad words.  And, I wasn’t about to hop in the ram pen, in the dark, by myself, with Angus. He’s not the sweetest animal to begin with, and he was downright crabby at his current situation.

Angus- stuck UNDER the feeder
in the foggy darkness

I was hoping against hope that he would just miraculously spring free. But, that wasn’t happening.

This was going to take some TEAMWORK. I put a call in to the Boss.

He suggested bolt cutters (which I had already thought of…but, cutting holes in fencing is always a last resort…better get a second opinion) I headed through the jungle-like atmosphere back to the shop to get the tool.

Which, of course, I couldn’t find.

Another call. Which my phone dropped. And another…

he was not happy that I was wasting time documenting the whole thing

Eventually, I got hold of the Boss, found the tool, “swam” back to the ram paddock through the rain-soaked grass and the humidity and with three small clips, freed the agitated ram. Yes! Girl-power. (nah, more like old lady gumption) A quick assessment revealed that he was indeed his usual self. Meaning, he snarfed down his breakfast with gusto and bellowed for more. I don't think anything interferes with Angus' appetite.

As I walked back to the house for the umpteenth time, I rejoiced that we have made it a priority to do farm chores before Market. Angus never would have survived the heat of the day stuck in the fence like that with his full fleece and no opportunity to get a drink of water.

...and a funny Facebook post
(you should "like" us to see more farm stuff)

…and it did make for a good story at the Market!

The Market was a hopping place with good music and lots of customers. Check out the Boss' photos. https://www.facebook.com/stauntonfarmersmkt/photos/pcb.10153996432291141/10153996430866141/?type=3&theater

…and it didn’t rain!

great Market day

I’ve told you how this place runs on teamwork. I’ve given you a couple examples of girl power. But, you’re probably wondering why I mentioned the transforming qualities of a shower. After a week of working sheep, harvesting garlic scapes, going to the dump, AND spreading mulch, you probably think I mean that WE were transformed. Well…we did smell better, but transformation is a pretty strong word.

I was actually talking about the ewes. Look how the big rain transformed those grungy woollies into eye-popping whiteness!

before shearing

The first rain after shearing always makes them looks so clean and lovely.

Between the bright white ewes and the lush green grass, sunglasses might have been in order. This beautiful sight won’t last long (especially since the rain makes mud…) But, they do look nice for a short while.

…and that was the week on the hill.

Hope you’re having a

Happy Sunday! 

there's no place like HOME

Thanks for dropping by. Come “visit” us again real soon!