Farm Update
Population:
- 2 donkeys
- 1 steer
- 2 pigs
- 18 laying hens
- 39 baby broilers (changes monthly)
- 3 cats
- 4 adult does expecting in April
- 6 doelings expecting in August
- 5 wethers
- 3 humans (Larry and me, and Jennifer Mellilo, treasured WWOOFer.)
Favorite new tools:
Sandy: Pioneer Maid Woodstove with warming oven, water jacket and stainless steel cook top.
Larry: Portable band saw which slices logs into lumber. No stopping him now.
Jennifer: her new Kentucky Mandolin
2009 Production:
- 125 gallons of fruit wine: black berry, blueberry, raspberry, marion berry, rhubarb, quince, apple, dandylion, wild plum, blue elderberry, pear……
- 248 meat chickens
- 450 pounds of steer meat (thanks “Bum.”)
- 60 pounds of goat meat
- 500 pounds of cheese
- 15 dozen jars of pickles, canned cherries, cranberry sauce, juice, etc.
- plenty of produce and root crops
We’ve been eating really well this winter.
Enterprises in progress, some worthy of expansion through your participation:
- Vegetable garden
- Fruit and food forest
- Timber management and sustainable harvest
- Freshened goats with lots of milk for cheese making
- Broiler chickens in 3 tractors, scheduled to slaughter 40 per month for pre-ordered sales on farm
- Green cemetery permitting process begun
- Local square dances with live music
- Honey bees
We hope to build
- A bread/pizza oven
- A sauna and deck at the pond
- Storage buildings or caves for cheese, wine and roots
- Guest cabins
- Cheese kitchen
- Kitchen remodel
If you would like to be involved in any of these, get in touch and we’ll try to schedule so you get the farm adventure you’d most enjoy. Are there other things you’d like to do here?
Proposed Calendar
April 7 onward Kidding, fresh goat milk
April 18 Community Dance
April 24 Nature walk on the farm with Naturalist Brent Naylor, followed by lunch.
May 7 Chicken slaughter. (Order in advance).
May 12 Tilth benefit chicken dinner at 42nd Street Cafe.
May 16 Community dance
June 11 Slaughter chickens again.
July 11-18 The Raspberry Jam: come visit, make jam, can cherries, have some music, — just let us know how many people and when to expect you so we can feed you well. July 16 is another chicken slaughter
August 10+ six does ready to kid
August 16-22 The Blueberry Jam: pick blueberries, make jam, pie, wine, etc. Chickens slaughtered the 20th (your participation not required)
September 24 chicken slaughter
October 9+ Cider pressing, make cranberry sauce, etc.
October 29 chicken slaughter.
November 4-7 Dare to Be Square in Seattle
November 12-14 Tilth Conference in Port Townsend
November 19 Turkey slaughter (order by June 30)
December 26-31 Sandy with Laurie and Cathie at Brasstown, NC.
Then hibernate, interrupted by good food and visits.
In between, we’ll pursue the usual canning, tanning, pruning, planting, making of wine, music and good food, gathering firewood and mushrooms, etc.
Leave a comment