Fall on the Farm

We’re not entirely sure what happened to summer, but fall here on the farm is definitely in full bloom….and it is nothing short of spectacular. The goat kids are growing up, the pigs are getting huge, the chickens are molting and the leaves are starting to change hue and fall to the ground. On the food front, the apples have been picked and pressed, hazelnuts collected and the garden largely eaten, frozen or canned. Most importantly, the animals are all fat, healthy and happy.

Our noses have been to the grindstone this summer. It’s been a labor of love to keep the garden tended and critters happy and fed while still finding time to tackle our long list of home improvement projects. What do we have to show for our summer? Well, for starters:

We successfully brought 6 new goat kids into this world

Hand milked over 12 gallons of fresh goat milk

Harvested over 75 dozen fresh eggs

Raised 3 pigs who each gained an impressive 175 pounds in 4 months

In addition, our freezer is about a quarter full of wild berries we’ve picked, tomatoes and greens from our garden and the basement has boxes of potatoes, shallots and onions. In other words, our coffers are getting full…and it feels great!

With fall here, we have a whole new host of adventures were’re looking forward to, namely duck hunting season, mushroom hunting, salmon fishing and, as our daily chores diminish a touch, perhaps a bit more exploring our own land and the surrounding countryside. With the shortening days, we’re also hoping to have more time to catch up on the blog. In the meantime, enjoy some photos from the homestead.

We participated in Simple Saturdays Blog Hop.