Welcome Rain

Sunflowers are happy for a breath of cool air and a drink of fresh rain- photo by Arlo

 We had a good week of hotness this summer and now we are back to rain!  Perfect timing here at Vespertine Gardens because we were just thinking we should think about getting ready to think about watering the fields :)  Our raised beds are watered routinely but the fields don't need it as much given the larger amount of clay they have.  So, no watering needed so far this season which is outside of the norm here.

This flower is offspring to the originals that grew on my family's farm in Iowa - photo by Arlo

  Batch #2 of the chickens went in to be butchered today and they look like very nice birds.  The cooler weather minimizes a lot of stress on the birds so they grow a bit faster and are a lot happier.

Box 6 filled with deliciousness

Our new flock has also begun to lay.  It seems like ages to wait for a bird to come to maturity and start laying.  Finding the first tiny egg in the coop is a very exciting event here on the farm.  Little Aida and Arlo have both had eggs as snacks the past few days because they want to eat them right up when they find them.  Our hens love to snack on the spent grains from the Blue Heron Brew Pub in Marshfield and seem extra relaxed and satisfied when they do haha!   Stay tuned for more from Vespertine Gardens!  We are hitting the middle of the season with the next box and tomatoes are right around the corner so get your canning gear ready!

"That's Farming."

Teddy Bear Sunflower

It is pretty typical these past few years to go swiftly from drowning, holding up the white flag of surrender to draught and begging the rain gods for their wet blessing.  We tend to curse our heavy clay soil from April to June then praise it from July to the end of the season and this year isn't much different though the praise seems to be a little slow in building.  That is where we are right now-always at the mercy of what we dearly refer to as Upper Management.  "That's farming".

Me "blogging"-(Photo by Sir Arlo Tormoen)

We are very grateful for the relationships that we have built over the years with some of our farming friends.  We have frequently highlighted Sunny Sky Farm in out CSA boxes over the years and this year we are so happy for his sandy soil and an overabundance of produce.  This box is mostly produce from Sunny Sky.  The produce that we lost in the spring would be ready for harvest here now so instead of giving a light box, it will be heavy with Sunny Sky abundance. 

Solar and raised beds

Batch #2 of chickens is growing fat in the field.  They are loving the pasture and the non GMO feed we are giving them this year.  We have had some predation problems this year but that is a normal risk with pastured birds-it is better then keeping them inside like conventional methods.  Feral cats have been a problem as have predatory birds.



 

Speaking of cats, one of our master mousers "Flapjack" is now a well known weasel killer!  FJ used to be an indoor cat and was declawed in the front until allergies acquired during one of my pregnancies forced her to become an outdoor farm cat.  She brings me "gifts" almost daily.  Usually a mouse or a mole is delivered to the front doorstep so a young weasel was quite an excitement.  This is concerning though, because where there is one young weasel, there are usually more and it was probably caught somewhere near our hen house (weasels are known to like chicken and eggs-the fresher the better). 

1/3 cup washing soda:1/4 cup borax: 1/4 baking soda(If you have hard water):2tbspDawn ultra dish soap:1gallon water
using a gallon container, fill halfway with HOT water, add all above ingredients and swirl to dissolve, then fill to top with cool water.  1/4 cup per regular load, 1/2 cup for filthy farming garb :)  HE SAFE

Through the years I have experimented with various ways of making my own self care and home care items.  One of my FAVORITE ways to save big $$$ is to make my own laundry detergent.  A sample of my recipe is in this week's box.  You use 1/4 cup per load and it cleans EVERYTHING.  You can also use it as a spot cleaner.  I usually add doTERRA essential oils to mine but this batch is plain so it is also great for newborns.  There are no added chemicals, hormone disruptors or other nasty stuff plus it costs pennies per load for real.  I purchase a box of each ingredient and make enough soap to last the year and then some (we do about a load of laundry a day for our family of 5). Let me know what you think and if you are interested in learning more about essential oils give me a call!