We’re busy getting settled into a new site, so bear with us as we work out the kinks. We’re also getting settled into a new farm in a new state.
If you had asked me months ago where I would be heading into the July 4th weekend, I might have said, almost boastfully, but certainly optimistically….”done with haying and starting up workshops….” However, the reality behind that isn’t as bright.
While many things are ahead in New England this year, our hay crop is not. The weeds, on the other hand, are rampant. Nevertheless, there’s lots of work going on, and we’re busy trying to bring our neglected fields back into shape. We are also coming to grip with the lack of outbuildings and the fact that this farm has been fallow for over 3 years. That means bugs, weeds, sapplings and everything Mother Nature does to reclaim a place has gone on here unchecked. It turning out to be a bigger project than I imagined.
Meanwhile, several new structures have been built to house the poultry out on pasture–part of the reclimation process. A willow nursery and gardens have been hammered in and the orchards a yielding fruit despite being unkempt and a withering frost late in May.
We are still waiting to get a flock of sheep on the place, but we were fortunate enough to finds a sweet Jersey and Guernsey to get our dairying program up and running. Milly–the Jersey–is currently being milked and we are eagerly awaiting Hazel’s calf in a few weeks.
I’m barking mad on a good day, but I must say that I am totally besotted with my darling girls. And while they do tend to tie me down twice a day, I can’t imagine life without them at this point, as they make my cheese experiments and the food for the ducks and pigs all possible.
Speaking of which, we fell into 6 piglets soon after we moved here, adn although not what we would have chosen, we are grateful to have the little squealers. After a rough start–we got them at 3 weeks old–they are going strong now. They are finally getting the hang of being out on pasture and have only this week discovered what mud is for….
Likewise, the ducks are finally thriving now that they are out on pasture. We had a very rough start with them this year and lost more than I care to think about. All part of the learning curve I guess….
If you want to see some more photos of the farm, check out the Flickr set for Claddagh Farms.
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