Sunday Walkabout 6-12

early morning on the hill

Summer is here!

More specifically, summer weather is here. The weeks (and weeks) of cool, gloomy, rainy weather suddenly gave way to the glorious blue skies of June. And, yesterday’s high temperature was nearly ninety degrees.

…and I’m here to tell you that much hay was made in the Valley yesterday. 

But, while that’s great for all those farmers…it really has nothing to do with what’s been happening here on the hill. Other than it's one more sign that it's summer. And, PAY ATTENTION out there on the road...farm equipment is everywhere!

baler next door

We have been slowly getting into the rhythm of the season that includes a seemingly endless loop of planting, feeding, processing, weeding, battling bugs, seeding, mowing, more weeding, and harvesting punctuated by Market day. This will pretty much be our routine until late summer. But, it’s now time to pick up our game and get into high gear.

turning the ewes onto fresh grass

broilers having breakfast

Bright lights chard seedlings

newly mulched Brussels sprouts

succession planting of squash

Colorado Potato beetle nymphs
are incredibly destructive

blanched cauliflower
ready to freeze for winter sales

harvesting broccoli/cauliflower

garlic is nearly ready for harvest

Angus added to the workload by getting stuck AGAIN!
the Boss had to put up a new fence (after he got Angus out)

But, this week’s rhythm was altered slightly with a roadtrip of sorts.

it was a beautiful day in our beautiful Valley

On Tuesday morning, we hauled the first load of lambs up to the processor in order to have fresh lamb chops, steaks, stew meat and sausage for the Market. (the customers are getting anxious; I know I was asked at least a dozen times WHEN yesterday)

This is a great looking group of lambs!

first round of the Lamb chop crop 2016
each one weighs approximately 125 pounds

I’ve included a photo here…not so you can go…oh, how cute! No, I’m hoping for a different reaction.

getting ready to go to the processor

I’m hoping that you will see and understand that we are not raising animals for cuteness. We raise them for food. They are big, healthy, muscular animals that fulfill their destiny by becoming someone’s supper.

It takes a good deal of knowledge and effort on our part to assure that the end product is both delicious and marketable. And, I think we manage to produce a product far superior to anything found in the grocery…and I’m proud of that fact.

We are hoping to re-arrange our schedule yet again and make a quick trip to the processor’s on Friday afternoon to pick up all that ovine yumminess for Saturday’s Market to satisfy our customers’ longings. Otherwise the customers will have to wait another week and I’m pretty sure somebody will complain. They might even pretend to cry!

I got to change up my schedule a little and make a quick trip to the Draft. While babysitting the grandsons may not seem to have anything to do with life here on the hill, the next generation is our hope for the future. And it’s really cool to watch them learn things.

Monday afternoon, I spent some time with the Kman while his mom kept an appointment. We played in the sand, blew bubbles and he toddled around the yard. Nothing real exciting...

…until I mentioned the chickens.

off he goes

He let go of my hand and set off toward the newly built chicken house, making his little chicken noises all the way. 

We then had to visit the chickens, ducks and quail.

showing Mamaw the chickens

I thought that his mom was extraordinary when she found her calling as a poultry fancier (and eventually became an expert on the subject) after seeing her first Murray McMurray poultry catalog when she was five. But, he’s not even 15 months old!

heading to the hay barn

We owe a big THANK YOU to the kids for helping us haul that load of last year’s hay that we’ve been trying to get for weeks.  (THANKS, B & J!!) That deal worked out well for us (giving us a headstart on our inventory for winter) the hay guy (emptying the wagon so he can use it for this year’s harvest) and the lambs…who found a feast in the barn.

It used to baffle me as to WHY the animals would turn down fresh, lush, green grass for dry hay in the summertime. One of our cow-friends (who is not in fact a cow, but a cattleman) explained he thought it was because they like the different texture…likening it to our human penchant for potato chips. The thought of cows and sheep munching on potato chips always gives me a chuckle.

checking out the new hay

Before we knew it, it was time to pick and pack for Market once more. The early morning was beautiful and the Market was busy. …and thankfully, the heat didn’t build until after we got home.

the stand is getting fuller every week!

The dry heat adds another layer of farm tasks as we need to assure that all the living creatures are well hydrated, our attention further stretched to focus on full stock tanks and well-watered gardens. 

One of our customers exclaimed that he’d never considered it, but those responsibilities could be a full-time job. …and he thought I was kidding when I laughed and said, “I know, that’s pretty much my life!”

…and that, friends, was the week on the hill.

Hope you’re having a Happy Sunday! 

You’ll have to excuse the short post. I just realized that for a week now, I’ve been running a week behind. We have broilers to process tomorrow morning and I haven’t done any of the prep work required. ACK! 

the broccoli is ready...

And, then, I happened to walk through the broccoli garden on my way back from watering the hoophouses. And, guess what? Yes, there is broccoli harvest that I need to work into my day.

…and the Boss said something about planting cucumbers…

Gotta run!

beautiful Sunday morning

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

 Did you want to see photos from the Market?  Follow this link for the Boss' latest...

https://www.facebook.com/stauntonfarmersmkt/photos/pcb.10154013738046141/10154013737941141/?type=3&theater

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! 

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