Did I Jinx It??

A panoramic of the new garden area....not all will be garden the front half will be a crop.

What a beautiful weekend and I got out in the garden!! Yea!!  I even started some more lettuce and bunching onions, weeded the garlic and found a patch of garlic I thought I'd lost last summer. Hope I didn't jinx the weather!

Garlics planted in their new home.

As I was planting the lettuce and kneeling on this little patch, I noticed something different amongst the dandilions that had taken over this patch...sure enough there was garlic sprouting.  I tried weeding this patch but found this difficult to do so, as some of the dandylion plants had intertwined with the garlic.  So I up rooted the garlic and moved them to a better spot free of weeds, gave them a good watering and crossed my fingers!

Chickens looking for spring bugs in the newly disced field.

The Massey taking a break.

My DH started discing up the new area for the garden and on the new hiller as I think I will be planting very early this year.  We are still debating on a new tiller for the tractor as it makes our clay soil so beautiful to plant in!

The calves are doing well and are frolicing in the yard and butting heads.  However, their mom's are bawling crazy as they want to get out on the pasture...however, no pasture for them yet.  I let Melodie (my horse) out on the lawn today to mow some of the grass for me....boy was she happy with me!!  I had to put her back in her pen as I had to go to work and as I drove out the drive I could see her thinking on how she could get back there!!  She doesn't like the electric fence so I have no worries...the next nice day I will have to put her back there...until the pasture is ready.

Garden is Finally Done!!

Making the hills with a homemade hiller

Well almost.  I still have my succession plantings to do but that will come.  We were finally able to get out on the garden to plant and I have been doing so since the beginning of June.  I will hopefully be at the Renfrew Farmer's Market June 25 with lettuce, swiss chard, radishes, maybe strawberries if there is extra for market, rhubarb and hopefully some other stuff!!  Now I am just working on market set up.  I had some issues with my bunching onions so that will be a little later. The chickens are growing well and will be processed at the end of June beginning of July.

Row covered in plastic mulch

Making the holes using a propane torch

Chickens and Strawbery Rhubarb Crunch!

I am currently taking orders for meat chicken.  I have a limited number this year so call to reserve.

Also the Rhubarb is ready!!  $2.00 per bunch (approx 5 stocks).
Eggs for farm pick up available $3.50 per dozen.  Tueday and Friday pick up 12 - 6pm or by appointment.

I have also posted a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crunh if you don't know what to do with Rhubarb!  I have used this recipe with mixed berries as an alternative!  Supper yummy served with ice cream :)

Rain, Rain, and more Rain

No I'm not going to complain about the rain (as much as I want to) as there are places that are worse off than we are.  I just can't get into my gardens, unfortunately.  We get nice weather for couple of days and as soon as it dries out enough to get on with the machinery...it rains again.  We are on clay loam soil with old drainage that is starting to fail so when it is time to go we have to get going.  So today (as it is raining) I thought I would bring you all up to speed as to the goings on around here.  We finally made a mini greenhouse to get the indoor seedlings outside and I have had to start more in pots so they will be along far enough to plant when I can get into the gardens.

My 4 yr old broke his collarbone at the beginning of May and that has been quite an adventure for us and him.  For us it is a new experience as we have never had to deal with broken bones till now!  For the 4 yr old, learning how to manage with something that is so painful but there is little they can do for you.  It's like breaking your toe...not much they can do.  He is in a light brace to keep everything aligned while it heals and that's it.  He is almost back to normal and giving his mom, me, and dad constant anxiety.  We go next week to see the doctor and x-rays and hopefully get the brace off!

The Dexters out on a newly opened pasture enjoying the fresh grass.

I'm thinking Xander, our Dexter bull, did he job as Willow and Whisper haven't shown being in heat lately, so hopefully they are bred and will have our first calves next spring.  I can't wait!!  I hope everything goes well and we have some happy health calves!

Hey any bugs on here!! One of the layers checking out the newly planted  Red Pines.

We have gotten our meat chickens for the year.  We are doing the White Rock Broiler and Bonnie's Meaty Reds (I think that's what they are called).  We are using Bonnie's Hatchery this year to give them a try!  The chicks are doing well and the Reds have moved to the outside run to get the fresh grass and bugs.  Once they get a little bigger they will be let out to graze freely for a couple hours each day.  We were disappointed in the weights of our meat birds last year and we are thinking that they were allowed to free range a little too much thus getting too much exercise!  So this year we are going to try controlled free range.  The Chicken Tractors get moved daily and near the end of the day they will be let out to go about freely but not walk miles and miles like they did last year!  The White Rocks are about a week behind the Reds but they should finish at the same time by the end of June!!

Layer and Rooster enjoying the outdoors!  Yum Yum Bugs.

Also in May we had the 1rst Renfrew Scouting Troop out to plant 200 Red Pines.  The Beaver came here and Cubs and Scouts did another property.  It was a really good day!!  Although it pretty much rain the week prior it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  Bubble, one of the Beaver leaders, showed up in shorts!!  She was heckled a little bit in the morning as it was cloudy but 1/2 later was laughing at all us hecklers as the sun came out to stay!!  We hosted the lunch afterward and a good time had by all.  Most of the Beavers got to check out the new baby chicks and some got to check out the Dexters!

Our littlest beside one of the new plantings.

Well I see the clouds are starting to break up a little so maybe there will be a break in the rain and I can get the rest of the chores done!!

Warm Days and Cool Nights

Here they come! The nights are cool and the days are warm...time for the sap to run. I haven't done maple syrup in two years as we had such a surplus. Well I finally ran out just before Christmas...I guess we had too many Pancake Tuesdays! Well it will be fun as I now have 2 kids old enough to help a little more. I love getting them to help and Ethan, who is 4, is super excited as he thinks its his first time. Little does he know that I would put him in the backpack and trudge through the snow in the bush to collect the sap. That's quite a work out that's for sure.

I am also getting a pen ready for the new bull we are getting. I will post some pictures when we actually get him home.

We had a really nice day and I let the roosters out and took the little one out to meet the Dexters and roosters.  He looked at them and they looked at him, neither of them impressed with each other. The cows were more concerned with the roosters as they were eating the leftover grain that they like to spill on the ground.

On the seedling front, my onions, lettuces, and tomatoes have sprouted...just waiting on the spinach and the peppers!!  I found out our market starts at the beginning of May so I will have to get working on that green house soon so I can plant out the lettuces, spinach, radishes, chard and beets so I can hopefully have something by then!!

One Blistery Day!!

March is really coming in like a lion that is for sure!!  We has 15 cm of snow on Monday and today the wind is just crazy!!!  However,  the chickens are quite cozy in their coop!  Finally have the egg production back up and running regular enough that I can offer eggs for sale once again!!  There is still so much to do before spring planting. We are getting our seeds started, plans for the gardens and new idea's brewing for the market!!  Today is a good day for that.  I also have to get my maple syrup equipment cleaned and accounted for this year as I ran out syrup this winter!!  I think we had too many pancakes and french toast dinners :)  So that is on the menu today as well as getting more seeds planted.

Chickens Ready To Go!!

I have some really nice and fresh free ranged grown chicken....no hormones, no antibiotics, feed locally grown grains. They are $3.50/lb and roughly 3-4 lbs.  Call 613-570-8083!!!