The Kitchen Smells So Good!

Right now in the kitchen I have fresh green beans with little baby potatoes and ham hocks from my pig, collard greens with ham hocks, a chicken in the oven that I butchered the other day with shallots from the garden and onions from the farmer's market. I have fresh rosemary, thyme and lemon thyme on the chicken. So everything except the little onions came right from this farm. It smells amazingly good all over the house. Such a good feeling.

There are some almost ripe tomatoes out there too. I thought I'd give them a few more days to ripen. But this morning on the way to the garden, I saw Benjamin Bunny. Bubba saw him too and took off after it. I was going to tell him not to chase the cute little bunny, but thought about all the food that cute little bunny might help himself to. SO I let Bubba chase it out of the garden.

Me and the grand, Kansas, went out to the garden this morning and she helped me pick the beans. She broke that all but a few. Then I went out and dug the little bitty tiny cutle little potatoes. I wanted to raost them with the chicken but decided to put them in with the beans.

I also made bread and rolls. That smells so good too. I love fresh bread right out of the oven. With butter and some good homemade jelly. Yum! That's like dessert.

What are some good things you're eating from your farm right now? I would love to hear.

Things Around The Farm

It has been awhile since I have posted here. The garden is slowly coming around and growing. It's been way too dry. We had a bunch of tornadoes April 27th and it has not rained since then. I am watering every day. I did get a ripe tomato the other day!!

And the goat kids are growing like weeds. I am ready to sell them. Don't they look like they need to get out of there? This is what their mommas see on their way to the milk room each morning. The kids are hollering "Ma!!" and they just wlak on by. They only have one thing on their minds. Well, 2 if you count getting milked.

I got 3 ewes yesterday. They are 6 month old Katahdin-Dorper sheep. They are a meat breed. They could possibly be bred. But it just happened the other day so who knows. I also have a little 1 month old ram lamb that I got at just a few days old. I am bottle feeding him. He's a Hampshire-Suffolk cross. I figured that at 6 months, if these girls are not pregnant, that he could do the job for some spring lambs. We shall see. I will try to post pictures of the lambs soon.

I have a few turkeys setting on at least a thousand eggs somewhere in the hay jungle in the pasture. I have not seen them in a few weeks now. I hope they are ok. I just can't see them. So in a few weeks I hope to see some little turkey babes.

I also have 6 meat birds that will be going into the freezer tomorrow. They can hardly walk. They won't even come out of the coop now. I am going to put them all in a cage tonight for their meeting with the hatchet tomorrow morning.

I have 7 little Buff pullets that I will move to the back into a coop in a few weeks. I have a game hen setting on a bunch of eggs in a bushel basket in the garage. When they hatch I will move them to that coop. Lots of moving going on here.

I am also going to be moving Mazie and Chuck over to the other pasture after Chuck is steered hopefully on Sat. Then they can eat down that grassy hay. While they are over there I will have the other pasture mowed. Then later put them back and then move the sheep up there. Musical animals. Anyone else do this?

I think I need a sheep dog now to help with all this moving. I have a friend who breeds and raises Aus. Shepherds. I have been thinking about getting one.

My Garden

This in my garden. On the right is when it was just turned over. On the left it's just been plowed.

The little part to the left is where I planted beets last week. Then there are grape vines. Then next I just planted 20 Rutgers tomato plants today. At the far end I planted 2 rows of Blue Lake green beans. I like the bush. Running beans are a lot of work. So I always plant bush beans.

We need to get the old tiller fixed So I can til some before planting more. I have Silver Queen corn, squash and zuchinni seeds to plant too. Also an heirloom sweet corn I saved seeds from last year. Then okra and cucumbers and peppers and more tomatoes. There is a farm over the ridge that I get heirloom tomatoe and pepper plants from. I will go see what they have next week.

I have cabbage and broccoli in raised beds to the left of the garden. I also have free range chickens. Gardens and chickens don't go well together. Especially at the beginning. And when tomatoes start ripening. So I am going to have to put the hens in coops til winter. They will not stay out of the garden right now. And I want veggies. If I have to pen them up that means I will have bugs and ticks. And probably snakes. So I have some thinking to do here.

I did catch 4 of the Buff roos tonight. They are in a coop right now til I can get them butchered. Have to wait for Truckin' Man to get home to help with that chore. I have 3 game roos that will have to be shot. They roost up in the trees so there's no catching them. Unless I can get them in the milkroom when I feed them in the morning. I will try. My son-in-law said he would be happy to come out and target practice. I will keep one Buff roo. That's all we need.

I hope everyone is able to plant a garden this spring. With the way food prices are going up and all the food scares, I am planting alot. And raising all our meat too. And milk.

And We're Done!

I had put Sandy in the barn last night and checked on her when I would wake up through the night. But no babies. And none this morning. So I let her out. A few hours later she's up under the trees "talking" and I noticed a bubble. So I hollered at the grands to come watch. I have NEVER seen this goat kid and I have had her since she was a few days old and this was her 5th kidding. So I was really excited. And man, is that girl fast! She popped the first one out and within 5 minutes the 2nd one was out. And of course she is staying on her record of having all bucks. She had a doe way back in 2008. Her last doe kid. I could tell right away what they were. But they are cute. The 2nd one has toggles or wattles and looks like her. The 1st one looks like the dad. Both have elf ears that are a little longer. So they are back in the barn and she's had her bucket of warm molasses water and some more feed. I am happy it's over and now on to the milking!! We are in the milk again!!! My camera needs batteries so will take pictures when I get them.

Sandy

This is Sandy. She is about to have her kids. I hope . Her udder has filled up and is really big. So I went ahead and put her in the back of the barn in a stall. And Abby and her kids are next to her so she won't be lonely. But she was standing outside the barn and it's about to pour down rain any minute now. So I had to put her in. She would have her kids right outside. But not tonight. I am so excited. It's been 3 years since she has had a doe. SO I am hoping she has a doe. I can hardly wait to see them. It's nice and warm and dry where she is. So hopefully the next post will be some good news.

Broody Turkeys

Here are the 3 hens on the same nest. They are so funny. It rained all day yesterday and the roof in the barn is leaking. There was a drip right next to the nest and I was afraid the eggs would get wet. So I grabbed an old drawer and some pine shavings and ran out to put the eggs in there up on a few bricks. Well, the original hen did not like that at all. She broke one of the eggs. So now there are 10. And a different hen is on the nest now and the other hen is back in the corner right next to the drawer nest. Turkeys are funny creatures.