Saturday Farm Journal

On Thursday, with the help of the son of a farmer from church, the broilers were slaughtered, processed, and placed in the freezer. The whole chickens varied in estimated weight from 5-7lbs. We decided to go ahead and stop growing them at 8weeks because the largest broiler died one evening and another good sized one became lame. We ended up with eleven chickens in the freezer for a total of (averaged and estimated) 55lbs of chicken. Not too bad for our first time. Next year we will be doing more, and possibly getting a few turkeys too.

The ducks have been moved to their permanent home. All eleven of them. At first we kept the two batches apart with fences until they were accustomed to each other. Now they get along just fine with only a little bit of dominating pinches now and again. 

We have been eating a lot of blueberries. Every two days we spend two hours picking everything that is tinged red. Once inside they are all blue within a few days and then we freeze them in gallon sized bags. I have already made Upside-down Blueberry Cake and will be making it again tonight to take to a family gathering. I will be sure to take a few photographs and put the recipe up on our other blog after this week-end.

The garden is doing great. Mom has been spending a lot of time each evening weeding, when she isn't picking blueberries. This past week she weeded some tomatoes and potatoes and Dad hilled them. I weeded some tomatoes and peppers, and staked a few tomato plants. We ate green beans out of the garden on Wednesday, they were so yummy. Next week I will be making Green Tomato Relish, since we ate up the last jar a month ago.

Last weeks lists:

• weed: cabbage and tomatoes
• water if it doesn't rain
• continue to watch for bugs
• replant cucumbers
• move layers outside and Peking ducks to house

Next weeks list:

• weed: cabbage and tomatoes
• stake tomatoes
• pick tomatoes
• make relish
• pick blueberries

Saturday Farm Journal

hot peppers, pears, blueberries, peas

Brussels spouts, red cabbage, beans, tomatoes

onions, squash, beets, carrots

It seems like the warmer it gets outside the more work that needs to be done. A lot of weeding was accomplished last Sunday with a promise that this vacation week we'll get more done. It looks like the peas are done and I'll be picking and pulling those up this week. I feel so foolish that I forgot about them! I allowed them to get too big for eating raw, but I think they will be just as tastey cooked. 

We received several mystery ducklings. They are some sort of laying breed. A cambell-mallard-runner cross maybe, who knows? The broilers have about 5 more weeks of life before Jason harvests them. We are hoping to get them outside for a bit of free ranging before that happens. Today a duck house is being built so the big ducks can go live outside in the pond and the little ducks can get out of the barn because they are stinky and messy. We did learn from our mistakes and they are where we could hose them down as needed.

List two weeks ago:

• Keep an eye on the bugs
• Re-plant potato, cucumber (looks like they are actually up so we didn't do this)
• Fertilize onions, tomatoes, peppers
• Weed

This week(s) list:

• weed
• watch for bugs
• weed
• water when needed
• weed
• move layers to a tractor outside

Duck Moving Day

The ducks keep growing and making messes and unpleasant smells. We have been waiting and waiting for the weather to finally turn to summer so that we can kick them out of the barn and outside. Well, today was the day. Last night Dad announced that he was moving the ducks out of the barn. It took most of the morning and some small hands, but they are moved and happy! 

Today

:: Some ducks have been visiting us off and on.

:: Plants were purchased: tomato, pepper, cabbage, Brussel sprouts

:: The blossoms on the pear tree have since fallen off and little tiny pears are not far behind

:: The blueberry bushes look like they have pale blueberries on them.

:: On Thursday the chicks arrive!

Saturday Farm Journal

Joining up with Ginny today.

April 15 -- April 21

• April 16

Sunny and dry. It got warm enough in the afternoon to consider swimming!

Jason tilled the main garden adding several square feet for a big potato patch. He then tilled the squash garden (non-running vines) and prepared my spot for sugar snap peas. Jason put up two tripods that were used last year for bean pole beans (which never grew) for the peas to climb. This is a great improvement from what we did last year, which grew lots of peas, but they got a little lost.

Dad weeded the strawberry patch and planted a few squash seeds underneath a milk jug with the bottom cut off. He's hoping it will act like a cold frame.

Dad also took the 4-Wheeler into the woods to take down his taps.

I planted 23 sugar snap peas at the aforementioned tripods.

• April 17

Sunny and dry

In the morning Jason and Stomper cleaned smelts so they didn't do much in the garden.

Dad put up a fence at the end of the purposed blueberry expansion for some arctic kiwi's. He picked up a male and female bush(ling) ((what do you call a bush that is only three spindly sticks?)) for a dollar each. He planted them about 8 feet apart and stuck them through the holes of the fence. I believe he will later go back and string them up.

Dad and Katrina washed the sap buckets and other supplies, then put them away for next year.

Jason washed out the small freezer we received from cleaning out a friends apartment property.

• April 18

49 degrees at 9:00 / 59 degrees at 2:00  Sunny and dry

Jason spent most of the morning fidddling with the truck trying to get it inspected. By the grace of God it passed another year. We are hoping to get as many years out of it as we can as it is the only truck we have between the two families.

While Jason was out he bought 3lbs of Kennebec Potatoes and 1lb of Red.

He tilled the garden a second time, but didn't have enough time to plant the 'tatoes.

• April 19

36 degrees at 7:30. Light frost in the morning. Another sunny and dry day.

Dad bought fertilizer and soil test kits.

• April 20

47 degrees at 8:20. Sunny and dry

The pear trees and blueberry bushes are coming along nicely. I am hoping and praying we don't have a repeat of two years ago when the pear trees had flowered out and then we had a hard frost and killed the flowers and all our pears.

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This warm dry weather has us a little cautious about planting. I think we keep waiting  for it to snow. However, Jason's Grandfather, who has been planting since before dirt, has most his garden in so I think our reluctance is unnecessary.

Early next week Jason hopes to plant the potatoes.

Pear Tree Last Week

Pear Tree This Week

Blueberries Last Week

Blueberries This Week

Kiwi Fence

Kiwi Bush(ling)