Things have returned to some semblance of normalcy here on the farm. Farmgrrl - partner in all things green has returned from the snowy UK with renewed vigour and love for all creatures big and small, which is great since we currently have animals of all sizes in the menagerie.

All growing madly. The pastures are dangerous, one needs a compass to navigate. The zucchinis, as Ali the urban gardening glitter faerie mentioned, simply exploded with hugeness. Cucumbers have been pickled and salad’ed and tied up in lovely bondaged installation works and are currently kitchen decor before they find new homes in jars or stomachs or in the house of my sister. Tomatoes are being lovely, providing a bounty of round and pleated varieties daily. Greens are offering leaves for lunch. My corn patch produced! yes! However, the formula seems to be 1 for me, 2 for the rats. The rats are growing, there’s no doubt, judging by the size of the hole eaten in the door as they tried to gain entry one night. perhaps they are too fat to fit through the easy access holes in the floor now? Neha, our visiting international, made a lovely corn chowder the other night with the harvest. We have a great variety which has pink silk. Sweet pink ponytails hanging amongst the green… There is more to harvest, but almost time now to turn the corn stalks into mulch and begin the next planting…

corn

kernels intact

 pumpkins

part of the harvest 

I almost forgot the pumpkins… yes, masses of them, butternuts and jap… I’m searching for the watermelons in the pumpkin jungle… they’re in there somewhere!

pumpkins

lovely pumpkins 

Charlene was talking about the calves this afternoon, Frenchie (our Charolais) and Little Grrl (Jersey), who are just beautiful, beautiful… They are looking incredible. For once there’s enough, an overabundance of pasture for them to graze, and they eat all day and all night and it’s like the magic pasture… it never seems to disappear… Hinimoa is loking incredible also… We really need Tippi to come home to assist with the grazing. I’m loathe to slash such lushness… the weeds are growng in equal proportion to the pasture, but as previous posts attest, me and weeds have a nascent relationship and i’m entirely unsure how to treat them in this case…

Anyway, weeds aside, Charlene and I were talking about how lovely it is to be able to hand rear animals, how perfect they are, perfect creatures, and how their natures are shaped by their contact with humans, and if they must be farmed, then this is the only way we could imagine doing it.

We talked about our favorite breed of cows and i think decided that we loved the Belted Galloway the best, and would have a paddock full of Santa Gertrudis, Charolais, Angus with a Friesian X Jersey on the side if we had a place of our own. Still, I’m thinking always and alot about all aspects of farmng and how to farm hard hoofed animals witout damaging theenvironment. I know little about this.

We have also poultry at all stages of growth, from tiny fluffy chickens to teenage chickens and ols lady hens who are probably into their last lay. Our baby muscovy ducks grow at an incredible rate, and have adult feathers now, all sheeny greeny black and kind of dark violet. The ducks all have a large fenced run now down by the orchard, which is perfect. They still have enough room to freerange but not where the chooks and goat and cows eat and drink. Ducks love to foul the water, every available puddle or pond… so that there is no clean drinking water left for the chooks and other animals. They are water fiends! So this solution is perfect… all animals are happy…

produce

lunch 

‘Night, lovelies… see you shortly with something wild… Vxx