The start of "dog days"
Most people don't like the dog days of summer but I happen to be one of the crazy ones who do. The heat and humidity doesn't bother me and we don't have any air conditioning either. Our house has lots of trees around it and we open every window in the evening and let the cool air in and then shut it up tight during the day. We stay nice and cool.
The Lord was certainly looking out for us through the big storm last week. We only lost one apple tree and lots of branches but compared to some, that was nothing. Tim has been out with the crews around the clock, doing tree clean up.
All the farm animals are doing great. We did butcher the Freedom Ranger chickens last week and I would highly recommend them for meat birds. They didn't have the leg problems that the Cornish Cross did and the feed consumption was much less also. We butchered at 10 weeks and the average weight of a dressed bird was 5.5 pounds. That is the perfect size for us. They were also very easy to pluck and clean. All around, I was very pleased.
All the baby goats have been sold and we kept back 3 doelings this year. I am milking 3 does and getting 2 1/2 gallons a day. We have been eating lots of cottage cheese and ice cream. I found a great recipe for an American cheese that doesn't have to age and we love it.
The garden is thriving and we have tons of tomatoes coming on. Oh, I can hardly wait for that first tomato sandwich! We have been eating lettuce, onions and radishes until we are about tired of them. Some of our first squash will be ready this week. The herd bed is full of fresh basil, dill, parsley, sage, oregano and cilantro. Now, if I can just keep the cilantro from bolting until the tomatoes are ripe. The corn is taller than knee high on the 4th of July. Hopefully no storms knock it down this year.
Our two Sebastapol geese are growing like mad. One is much larger than the other so hopefully we have a goose and a gander. We have named them Rhett and Scarlett. They are very tame and sleep in the barn with the sheep and goats every night.They spend their days floating in the shady water of the creek. The baby call ducks are almost feathered out but I haven't let them go down to the creek yet. They have their own little pool in their pen that they are enjoying swimming in.
Well, I hope you are loving your dog days wherever you are. I know I am...
The Lord was certainly looking out for us through the big storm last week. We only lost one apple tree and lots of branches but compared to some, that was nothing. Tim has been out with the crews around the clock, doing tree clean up.
All the farm animals are doing great. We did butcher the Freedom Ranger chickens last week and I would highly recommend them for meat birds. They didn't have the leg problems that the Cornish Cross did and the feed consumption was much less also. We butchered at 10 weeks and the average weight of a dressed bird was 5.5 pounds. That is the perfect size for us. They were also very easy to pluck and clean. All around, I was very pleased.
All the baby goats have been sold and we kept back 3 doelings this year. I am milking 3 does and getting 2 1/2 gallons a day. We have been eating lots of cottage cheese and ice cream. I found a great recipe for an American cheese that doesn't have to age and we love it.
The garden is thriving and we have tons of tomatoes coming on. Oh, I can hardly wait for that first tomato sandwich! We have been eating lettuce, onions and radishes until we are about tired of them. Some of our first squash will be ready this week. The herd bed is full of fresh basil, dill, parsley, sage, oregano and cilantro. Now, if I can just keep the cilantro from bolting until the tomatoes are ripe. The corn is taller than knee high on the 4th of July. Hopefully no storms knock it down this year.
Our two Sebastapol geese are growing like mad. One is much larger than the other so hopefully we have a goose and a gander. We have named them Rhett and Scarlett. They are very tame and sleep in the barn with the sheep and goats every night.They spend their days floating in the shady water of the creek. The baby call ducks are almost feathered out but I haven't let them go down to the creek yet. They have their own little pool in their pen that they are enjoying swimming in.
Well, I hope you are loving your dog days wherever you are. I know I am...
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