Triple Creek Farm, June 8, 2013

This week the weather has been interesting.  We had a lot of rain, some from the cold front coming across and the tropical storm,  Andrea, bought rain our way.  I find myself wanting to build a fire as the cold front was a chilly one.  The signal on the computer has been a challenge this week.  I have not been able to receive messages or post hardly anything.  I guess it is a time to reflect and remember when we did have not have all of the gadgets to connect one with the world.  Oh, yes the messages, will be there waiting for me, when the signal returns to the strength I need.  Every once in a while we do need to realize our connection with the outside world is totally dependable on others and there is not a thing we can do about it when it does not function properly.

IN THE KITCHEN

The garden is starting to produce more than I can use.  I started freezing snow peas.  I enjoy having these in the winters past to add to stir fries and lo meins.

I have been thinking about trying some scone recipes.  I found one for Bacon-Blue Cheese Scones and I wanted to try this one as I had all of the ingredients except for the heavy cream.  No problem, Kefir will be my fix.  I let my kefir milk work for 1 additional day, I hunted in the jar with a spoon to find my grains and removed them.  Poured 1 cup of the heavy kefir into the measuring cup and I made these scones.  These were a hit at our house.  Dinner and the next morning they were finished at breakfast.  Most of all they were easy to make.

ON THE FARM

We had the ladies munching on more saplings, they look forward to the wagon appearing loaded with trees for them.  They, also, enjoy getting out of the pasture and free ranging in the woods. 

The ladies have spent quite a bit of time this week in the goat barn eating hay.  I really do not blame them because the rain was coming down at times.  

IN THE COOP

This has been a very sad week in the coop, none, not one of the eggs under Little Grey hatched.  She is still on the nest and pushing out a egg every once in a while.  I feel so bad for her, I have no one to blame, sometimes things like this happen and I have no reason why.  I have thought about everything I did and I think how I handled my part was right.  We have checked some of the eggs and they seem to have rotted.  I am not pushing her to get off the nest.  I am just hoping it will happen one day.  

Little peeps are doing good, they are becoming my buddies and letting me pick them up.  I really want to try and get these to be gentle birds, if one is a rooster it would help if he has knowledge of my handling him.  

The girls were kept in the coop one day during the rain and they seemed to fair well with the weather conditions.  I know they would rather be out but it was just too wet.  Little peeps are going out in the afternoons when the weather is good.

IN THE GARDEN

Garden is happy, may be a little too happy.  The bloody butcher corn is growing and the cucumber hills I put between the corn is looking as it it is going to work.  I wanted the corn to shade the cukes and give them a place to climb.  The garden is lush and green.  

Jersey Wakefield cabbages are starting to fill.  I am hoping to have a good cabbage crop this year.

Squash plants are in the blue barrels you see everywhere.  They seem to be so happy.  Tansy was planted in the corners of the garden, squash bugs were found on the tansy plants.  They were planted as catch plants for the bad bugs, I am hoping this will work.  

The snow peas have climbed unto the frame for the cold tunnel.  This is making for such an easy way to pick the peas.  The squash plants and starting to climb the tunnel and I have planted climbing spinach around the frame also.  I would like to have the tunnel covered by the heat of the summer with vegetation.

IN CLOSING

Learning is something we do everyday.  This week I purchased DE, I will be using this in the barn and coop, I also will be adding this to the feed of the flocks.  I have been told this is very good for the animals. This is a natural product and I look forward to good results.  

Now, what will be the next problem I will need to learn a fix for.  I hope it will be a simple fix but we all know in the garden, pasture and coop everyday is an adventure.  What will today bring?  Time will only tell.  Have a wonderful week!!!