Sunday Walkabout 4-12

SPRING

Whew!  What a week!

Remember all those days back in the wintertime when it felt like Spring was never coming?  That we would never be able to get back outside and do any real work?  Well, those days are gone.  LONG gone! At this rate, they will be a dim and distant memory by the middle of next week.

Not that I am complaining by any stretch of the imagination.  No, it really feels good to get back to work in the gardens again. I am truly of the opinion that at the end of the day you should smell like dirt…and that broken, dirty fingernails are actually a badge of honor. But some of my gardening muscles must be woefully out of shape.  It was definitely a week for the ibuprofen as we got back in the routine of another growing season.

As I left for the town run on Monday, the Boss was making the first pass through the garden with the big tiller.  He had it all ready for planting by the time I returned.  We were scheduled to get all the brassica plants (the broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage).  But, first we needed to unload the feed and fertilizer that I had procured in town. 

…and the rosebushes. 

quite a load of work

I gave in to the urge for beautification and bought some rosebushes for the flower bed on the side of the house. It’s not like we really need another project, but they looked SO pretty! (we’d been talking about doing this for a LONG time) And, since we use the side door ALL the time, I would really like it to look pretty. I honestly don’t know why we even have a front door…even visitors walk straight into our kitchen from the driveway!

these are going to look SO pretty!

But, unnecessary rosebushes and future beautification projects aside…we actually completed all the things on the to-do list and then some. That’s always a good feeling!

After unloading from the town run and eating a quick lunch, we got to work planting the 800 or so transplants that had been hardening off in the backyard. Each plant was dipped in fish fertilizer and then plunked in the ground.  The Boss then tucked the dirt in around them. We finished that job just in time to do afternoon chores.  There was rain predicted for most of the week, and we were hoping the rain would water the new transplants for us. Not a drop in sight, so prayers were said that the forecasters were right…

ready for planting

By dipping the roots in a fish/seaweed mix, plant stress is minimized.
But, the "dipper" ends up smelling like a beached whale by the end of the job.
Blech!

tucking all the little plants in the ground

In addition to transplanting, we turned the sheep out on fresh grass.  Up to now, the cold overnight temperatures had kept the grass from growing and the sheep were confined to the winter paddock, supplemented with hay.  As the last flake of hay was consumed, the grass finally reached a point where it was obvious that we could turn the sheep out without adverse effects on the future growth.  They acted like they had gone to sheep heaven and grazed back and forth all afternoon.

on the way to the pasture pen

The warmer weather and greener grass allowed us to get batch #1 of broilers out of the brooder and onto pasture.  That meant they needed to be caught, crated and transferred to the outdoor pen.  Despite the fact that I clobbered my head into the brooder ceiling, dropped the chickens I had carefully gathered, fell down into the chicken poo, and made the Boss wonder if I had actually knocked myself out…the job went without a hitch. (I did have a residual headache for about 3 days) In less than 2 weeks, we will be processing that batch of broilers for Market!  There are customers waiting anxiously for the first chickens of the season.

in the pasture pen

Then, we weaned the lambs. (separated the lambs from the ewes)  Yes, that does explain the awful noise that’s coming from the hill. By way of explanation, I re-posted "No Silence of These Lambs" on Facebook.   The noise and chaos gets a little old, but after about three days, everything calms down again as the lambs figure out how to graze by themselves. We finally reached that point on Saturday afternoon when the hunger for grass won out. Calm has returned to the hill once more. (thankfully...the constant noise certainly didn't help my headache!)

they finally made it to the grass

515# of old ewes and 2 little lambs
I do wonder how much cash we will see

Since we had all the sheep in the barn, it only made sense to pull the “hayburners” and take them to the stockyard.  There were a few ewes that we knew we wouldn’t be breeding for 2016, and since they would no longer be feeding their lambs, there was no point in having them hang around any longer than necessary.  We also took two of the bottle lambs that weren’t growing out well and were quickly becoming a huge nuisance.  While taking sheep to the stockyard never yields much cash, it does put an end to some of the expense. Hopefully, the check will come this week.

We spent more “quality time” in the hoophouses, and the Boss got the strawberry plants planted. 

strawberry plants don't look like much when you plant them

 Two big boxes of onions arrived and there are thousands and thousands of onion plants waiting for us in the shop.  Planting them will be job ONE set for Monday, since it looks like April showers are indeed going to be a factor this week. Again.

bunches (and bunches) of onions

little broccoli just waiting for the rain

storm heading this way

Just when we were beginning to think that we might have to water in all the brassica plants, stormy weather icons began to fill the forecast. There was talk of the first thunderstorm of the season. The images on the radar and the rapidly blackening skies were just a little concerning.  Once weather station actually noted that if it had been summer, we would have been in “deep doo doo” (direct quote). In other words, some severe weather was headed our way.  (devastating tornadoes did pass through parts of Illinois) Ever since the Derecho in 2012, those big red/orange blobs on the weather radar freak me out just a little. 

We escaped the devastation, but did get some measurable rainfall which did the brassicas and the strawberries a world of good.

broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower transplants after a little rain

In between planting and harvesting and weaning, we made a dump run and de-wormed the lambs, I started seeds for the first squash and cucumber plantings (and more lettuce and spinach) and the Boss mowed grass for the first time of the season. 

And, then, it was time for Market once more. 

the first colors of sunrise as I left for Market

That was a quick week! I think time does actually FLY this time of year.  There are never enough hours in the day.

Saturday’s Market enjoyed some beautiful weather (until the end when the wind picked up). We sold out quite early.  While selling out is a great thing, having a good supply is also good.  This time of year, we have a hard  (read---impossible) time keeping up with demand, particularly for greens.  It is quite difficult for many customers to understand that the weather in January and February is STILL affecting our crops.  All the greens we are selling now have been growing (or trying to) since much earlier in the year.  The seedlings I planted this week won’t be ready for harvest for at least three weeks, quite possibly longer. And, that broccoli won’t be ready for harvest for at least 6 weeks. There’s a lot of advance planning and work that go into getting the crops growing so that they will be ready for harvest. (hmmm, I think I feel a blog post coming on) But, all in all, it was another great Market day.

empty baskets and artwork
some of the things I love about the Market

Now it’s time to catch up on some of the inside stuff that didn’t get done all week.  By the looks of my desk, I really…really need to spend some time on the computer doing bookwork.  While this is probably not my favorite way to spend great quantities of time, (especially when it’s a pretty day)  I do like to have all those little figures lined up, the accounts tallied and the checkbook balanced. So, I guess I’m headed to the office…

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you’re having a Happy Sunday!

…wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

I do hope you’ll come “visit” again soon.  (just be sure to pat the dog and cat on your way in!)

doin' a little backporch chillin'

Sunday Walkabout 4-5

 “with each new day comes new strength and new thoughts”

     -Eleanor Roosevelt

Most mornings I pause on my way to the barn to take a photo, much to the sheep’s outspoken annoyance. Each beautiful sunrise is a promise of a new day filled with possibilities. Even those “not so spectacular” mornings hold potential. Although I must admit, I struggle with gloomy weather. I don’t usually post at those times, partly because I know it’s just a matter of skewed perspective on my part and partly because I’m almost certain no one wants to read a list of all the things that seem to be going wrong at a particular moment in time.  One of the reasons I write the “Sunday Walkabout” is to help myself see the progress from the past week, to focus on the positive and put any struggles and frustrations into perspective. (and to give Tbone the chance to check up on the old folks while he drinks his Sunday morning coffee).

Spring was fully evident this past week.  Flowers are popping out all over, there are birds singing everywhere and if you look closely you can see a slight greening of the trees along the ridge.

I'm pretty sure the bluebirds will be nesting near the garden
again this year

With Spring comes the Market and all that is involved in Market season.  Market activities will define our lives and dictate all of our activities from now until Thanksgiving.

But, I’ll get to that in just a minute.

A lot of people have asked me, and I can only suppose that even more wondered…

This is the face he made after I told him we were having
"awesome burgers" for Uncle Tbone's birthday 

so, YES, GB#1 is home!  

He came home last week and the new family is doing well.  I’m pretty sure I could just sit and watch him all day long.

 

GB#2 is a very active little guy

Not only did he (finally) come home…but, the very same day I got to “see” GB#2!  Blondie and Tbone invited me to come to the ultrasound appointment when they got to find out the gender of their baby.  And…much to my surprise…it’s a boy!  I do hate to admit that I guessed wrong, but I did.  Here’s hoping that the cousins will be good friends since they will be so close in age. (and that they grow big and strong with a desire to help the old folks on the hill…) 

Two new babies in the family in one year...

 Exciting times here on the hill!

After all that great news, it was just a little hard to focus on the job at hand.  But, focus we must…because like I said... With Spring comes the Market and all that is involved in Market season.  Market activities will define our lives and dictate our all of our activities from now until Thanksgiving.

While I headed into town for feed and supplies, the Boss got the last of the garden spaces plowed and put Waylon in his “summer paddock” out back.  With the garden soil turned for the first time of the season, it really begins to look like spring.

He also got the vehicle maintenance out of the way. And we got the brassicas outside to “harden off” prior to planting. In case you’re wondering…just prior to planting, we expose all the transplants to the elements so that they will not be stressed after they are put into the garden. Our method for this is to put them in our big utility trailer and park it in the backyard. This allows us to move them all to shelter should bad weather be in the forecast. Last year it snowed on them! (keeping them in the backyard makes the job of watering them easier)  Currently, they are in the tractor shed to protect them from Friday night’s thunderstorm and last night’s freezing temperatures.  But, they ARE going in the garden Monday, since it looks like we are in for a week of rain. If the weather turns cold again, we will just cover them up.

moving the cabbage plants to "harden off"

Squeekie stands guard over the brassicas

Then it was back to the hoophouses for lots more cleaning and lots more planting.  The warmer weather means that we can finally leave the plantings uncovered…and this is a good thing.  While the row covers kept the tiny plants protected from the cold, they also provided a cozy, private place for small rodents to have a feast.  I can’t tell you how annoyed I was to find that something had eaten the tops off the scallions! (and chowed down in the kale, too) Despite the rodent damage, the crops in the hoophouses are looking pretty good. We should have them in total production by the end of next week.

rodent damage to scallions

lettuce

undamaged scallions

kale

early Spring delight
Miner's Lettuce or Claytonia

The rest of the week followed the choreography that is Market season.  We weeded and seeded, planted and harvested. Each day has its prescribed activities in addition to routine animal chores. 

the pullets have assimilated to the flock and are laying well

the sheep are waiting (not so patiently) for fresh, green grass

the "baby" broilers are getting big!

A box of strawberry plants arrived on Thursday afternoon and joined the bags of potatoes in the shop, awaiting drier weather.  We got an email informing us that our order of over 4000 onion plants will arrive on Monday…and the hatchery informed us that batch #3 of broilers has indeed been “set”. 

Yep, it’s definitely Spring!

We were both a little surprised that getting back into the swing of Market preparation felt easy and went off without any complications…and we actually had a fair amount of stuff.

this week's farm goodness
as posted on Facebook

And, then…it was time for Market!

the very dark farm when I left for Market

The weather forecast wasn’t too promising for Opening Day.  First, there was a good chance of rain. (thankfully that blew through earlier than predicted) Then, the weatherman said it would be “breezy”.  You can almost tell just how windy it will be by how many “E-s” one particular forecaster uses when he says the word “breezy”.  And, Saturday…well, it was “breeeee-eeeezy”!  Before the Market ever opened, one vendor’s tent flipped over and would have blown through the parking lot like a giant kite, if it hadn’t been for the other vendors running to the rescue! Yikes! 

Things calmed down somewhat after that.  

Personally, I think wind is the worst weather phenomenon we encounter at the Market.  Bags and signs go flying, the produce gets dehydrated and wilty and it is hard to hear the customers.  Despite the (COLD) wind issues…it was a very good day!  It was good to catch up with folks we hadn’t seen since Fall and meet new people and talk about food and farming.

While this doesn't look like much,
we had LOTS of re-stocking to do...
the freezer was filled with meat
and we had four coolers of eggs

this is all that was left at the end of the Market

We finished just $25 short of a record Opening Day!

I must say, it's always good to get back home

Now, to just keep it up for the next 33 weeks of Market season.

The coming week promises to be busy. We hope to get the broilers  AND the sheep out on pasture (that might require some fence repair), the broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower planted in the garden and the strawberries tucked into the berry patch…just for starters. We should actually wean the lambs, haul some sheep, start some seeds for summer crops and go to the dump as well…then there’s the bookwork, the laundry…and some of the market freezers need de-frosting…

Looks like I better quit typing and get busy.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hope you’re having a Happy Sunday!

Please come back and “visit” us again real soon!

Time to Get It in Gear

Farmers' Market
-TLW image

With less than 24 hours (by the time you read this) until Opening Day of the Farmers’ Market, it’s time to get it in gear.

Shake off any residual winter lethargy, dig deep and find that enthusiasm for good food and hard work…and move it!

It’s time to start the dance that is Market season. After 17 years, it's not hard to remember the steps...the rhythm of the season comes back naturally.

Each day of the week has its prescribed activities that must be completed in order to be ready for Saturday morning. Here are a few examples...

Every Saturday morning from now until Thanksgiving, we focus on selling the fruits of our labors. No matter the weather or our health (or our mental outlook).

Our livelihood depends upon those five hours.  Five hours. While that might not sound like much…it can be intense.  So…

Get ready!

Get set!

GO!

Here’s to a great 2015 Farmers’ Market!

 

It won't be long until the Market stand looks like this!

Hope to see you there! 

If you can't attend in person, "visit" us virtually HERE  Or check out the Market on  Facebook.