The girls

These are 3 of the 4 milk does I have now. One is dry at the time, so she doesn't come in the milk room.

This is Sandy. She's mostly Nubian with a little Togg. thrown in. I've had her since she was a few days old. And she's 7 now. She just had triplet doe kids a month ago, so I am not milking her yet. The kids are old enough to be put up at night so I could milk Sandy in the mornings, but I haven't done that yet. She's a great milker, with really nice big udders and great teats. She likes to kick when we first start back with milking, but then she settles down after a week or so. I have to have really quick reflexes to get the bucket out of the way before a foot gets in it or she kicks it. Which has happened a few times.

This is Zarah. She's just turned 3 and is a first freshener. She had twins a buck and a doe. The doe kid will be moving to Atlanta tomorrow, so I hope to take the buck kid up the road to a friends for awhile. Then I will be milking Zarah twice a day. She has really small teats, which makes it hard to hand milk. So I bought a Maggiedan hand milker for her. Much easier!

I do hope to sell all my LaMancha goats. I have Zarah and Zeeboo, who is a black and tan 4 year old doe. And Zarah's buck kid, who is 3 1/2 months old. The John Henry, the older buck, who is the sire to Ella and Ira. He's 3 years old. I want to go with Nubian does and a Boer buck for a more meatier goat.

And this is Penelope Jane. She is part Nubian and Lamancha. And naturally polled. She had twin doe kids her first time back in Feb. and one had horns and the other didn't. I like that, because I do disbud all my kids. For a first freshener, this doe has  a HUGE udder and great big teats! I am very pleased with her. I was getting nearly a gallon a day at her peak and now we're down to a little over a half gallon, 4 months later. Not too bad for a first freshener. And she is so easy to milk too. She's only kicked the bucket one time.

And this is what the dogs do. This is Bubba. Stella is still inside or she'd be right there too. I squirt milk for them. And he's waiting for more. I'll be making some farmer's cheese, which is a soft cheese. I make Sandor Katz's recipe from Wild Fermentation. SO easy to make. And even my daughter likes this cheese. Add lots of raosted garlic and herbs and it's amazing.

So if anyone needs some good LaMancha dairy goats, let me know.

Around the farm this morning.

They are finally mowing and baling hay all around my farm! I was so happy to see this. And it smells SO good. I love the smell of hay, but sure do hate loading it. And unloading it. And stacking it. My least favorite job to have to do. But it sure is pretty and I sure am happy when I have a barn full. I am still waiting for the 2nd cutting of hay. I hope it'll be a good one.

Just one of the elderberry bushes around my farm. Full of flowers. And since the birds always get the berries before I do, I am going to get all the flower clusters and make jelly and a drink that I found a recipe for last year. It's like an fermented elderberry lemonade. It was so good, I just have to make more. But I do want to make jelly for the market. Which, by the way, several people came to my booth today because i do have unusual jellies.

What the heck is this? It is so yellow. I saw it from way down here at the house this morning. And it's way at the top of the goat yard. Far away. It's so bright and yellow. On an old tree stump.

And I think this is lichen maybe? Not sure. But it's beautiful. On an old tree root out back. So pretty too.

Just a few of the Cornish Cross meat birds. I just noticed this morning, that I will probably be butchering some of them soon. They are growing like weeds. I have been giving them the fermented grains since they stopped getting the starter-grower about a month ago. And they do free range. I only feed them in the morning and again in the evening. They are on their own the rest of the time. And doing great. The Freedom Rangers are a bit slower. And they're in the chicken tractor. I may just let them out soon. I'm moving them twice a day.

Hope all is well with you all. And that you have a great Sunday with family and friends.

Bob and Joe's new home

I went up to feed Bob and Joe tonight and brought my camera this time. I love it over there. It's at the foot of Lookout Mt. and just acres and acres of the most beautiful land. So much to see there. Every which way you look. And this is a very old homestead. There are 4 old barns and a really old house all built in the 1800's. And all still standing and in pretty good shape.


                 This is the old corn crib. They get the right side for their little house. Really nice too.

Here you can see the other old barn to the right and their shelter to the left. Up past that little camper is the old homestead to the left.

                                                    In a few weeks, this will be all brown dirt.

                                                This is the biggest barn. I just love old barns.

This barn is where the electric is. Allen ran 2 strand of electric fence wire and it goes to the other side of their shelter. They have plenty of room and grass to munch on. I brought them a bag of scraps and they acted like they really didn't need it. But they ate it anyway, just to make me happy.

You can see Lookout Mt in this picture, to the left. And that is the biggest hay field from here to the mountain. I know, because I have gotten hay from here before. Hundreds of acres.

Here is the old corn crib again. Allen plans on later letting the pigs up in those woods behind this barn. There's lots of oak trees in there full of acorns in the fall. Just right for finishing off hogs.

So I do believe the boys will be happy here. I wouldn't mind living here myself.

Blueberries

I was outside after the rain awhile ago and I spotted some ripe blueberries on one of the bushes!!! About 6 of the best ripe juicy berries I have ever eaten! And from my very own bushes in my yard! It just can't get much better than that.

Has anyone else been getting blueberries yet? This bush is a Tifblue, so I guess they are the earliest ones. I also have some Climax and Premier and a Becky Blue.

I am just so happy to be getting fresh blueberries from my own bushes in my yard.

Pig rodeo

Today was the day for the pig rodeo. See the pigs way down at the end? I put up the Premier fence as a barrier to get them to where we needed them to go. That worked.

Here is where we wanted them. They went just fine and we got the gate shut. Only a little rooting along the way, but no problems here.

We took one of the cattle panels from their pen and got them in this little tiny space. hoping they'd just walk right up onto this nice cozy trailer. But not before a little pig drama. We got Joe, the white pig, on first. Putting a bucket over a pig's head and pushing them backwards really does work! If they're small! Which Joe is a bit smaller than Bob. (I did try it on Bob, but he didn't want anything to do with that game.) So got Joe on and put that piece of plywood up on the trailer to hold him in while he ate and we tried to get Bob on too. But Bob had other plans. We put that other gate that's in the back of the truck where the plywood was. But Bob pushed it away and off he went. Just exactly like the last time we tried to load pigs. Just like the last time, I run screaming through the yard, cussing and throwing buckets and sticks to get him back to where he was  supposed to be. Acting like a crazy lunatic. We did get him back in and he was tired. He rested his big fat butt on the tail of the trailer. Then the guys pushed and pulled and got him up on the trailer!

And here they are. Ready to go to their new home up  the road. I'll have to take pictures of where they'll be living for a few months. It's really nice.

 So, ba-bye for now, Bob and Joe. It's really been fun. I'll miss you guys. But I'll still bring you bread and scraps, ok? Be good. See ya.

And off they went.

Feta cheese

This is the feta I made 5 days ago. All marinating in olive oil with fresh cut basil, thyme, oregano and chives. It is SO good. I love to make a frittata and add this feta to it. With some good sauteed veggies and roasted garlic Bruschetta. Too good!

95

Yep. 95 degrees Wednesday. Farmer's market day. From 3-6. The hottest part of the day. On white concrete and rocks. By a busy city street. With lots of traffic. UGH! Not really looking forward to this at all. But we have to do it. We are tough. I'll take lots of ice cold water and some wet towels. And I have a canopy. But it's only half way in the shade. And I have soaps. And jelly. And now plantain slave. It could be a liquid in this heat. And so could the soap. That's very nearly 100 degrees. That's pretty hot if ya ask me.

So please think nice cold thoughts of all us farmers and artisan type folks out there in this awfully hot heat. And I hope you all have a very nice day!