Radishes, beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, bok choi, kohlrabi, lettuce, greens, turnips, herbs … are all in the fields. The greenhouses are emptying out as we move those flats and flats of seedlings we started back in March out to the fields. We’ve been putting in some long, hard days planting and seeding as well as caring for the livestock.
Our third apprentice/intern, Kathryn arrived on Sunday. Just in the nick of time, we finished building her hybrid wood and canvas Quonset cabin. In fact we were screwing the last boards on the front step when she arrived. Kristen, Dale and Kathryn make up an amazing farm crew – enthusiastic, hardworking, interested and interesting.
We finally transferred the last flat of germinated plants from the ‘Seed House” to the greenhouse. So today, as a break from planting, we removed all the fluorescent lights – wrapped them in cardboard and/or feed bags and stacked them up in the top of the barn. We removed the plant racks, swept the dirt from the floors and began making the transition of the building back into Robin’s farm office. By next week, the remaining boxes of seeds (that currently take up nearly half of the house office) and field maps and other farm planning stuff will be lining the shelves and desk.
On Tuesday morning, we weaned all but the smallest three lambs – the last born. We de-wormed all the ewes, trimmed a few feet, loaded them into the stock trailer – in two groups – and transferred them to the large NE pasture. The ewes seemed happy to be out on pasture and only a few lambs (still penned close to the barn) are calling plaintively to their moms.
The baby broiler chicks arrived on Monday. The phone rang at 6:45 – the post office calling to say they had arrived. We moved them into a large stock tank with lights. It’s amazing to realize that these cute fluffy yellow babies will be big, white birds ready to butcher in just eight to ten weeks!
The eight baby bunnies of Leia, our English Spot rabbit, are also growing like crazy – well really they are growing like rabbits. I just separated the five boys, taking them away from Leia and moving them into their own cage. The three girls will stay with mom for another week and then they too will move into their own cage.
Our goat kids are growing and taking nearly all the milk from our five milking does. We’ve begun separating some of the does from the kids at night so that in the morning we get all the milk. Stormy, the two year old Saanen is giving three quarts every morning as well as feeding her twin kids. Mezzo, a yearling Saanen is milking about a quart and a half every morning – along with feeding her one buck kid. We’ve been letting the Toggenburgs each feed their twins and not milking them, but tonight I separated all the moms, so tomorrow morning I’ll get at least a couple of gallons of milk – enough to add to the two gallons in the fridge to make a nice batch of cheese.
This is the busy time of year at the farm. So much going on all the time, it is hard to keep track and every day, so much changes. It is exciting and exhausting all at the same time.
We look forward to seeing many of you at our first Farm Festival – the Blessing of the Fields and Flocks. This is a great chance to visit the farm – see in person all you read about and see in snapshots on the blog – meet us and our farm intern/apprentices – and share in some good food and beverages.
Until next week ……………….. Robin and Gigi
