June 12th-18th
Matt unfortunately had to work a lot of hours this week, he works shift work on a two week rotation and one week is always busy, but this week turned out to be a little busier as it happens sometimes. We also had some appointments and errands we had to run this week and so in the end we didn’t make a lot of progress on existing projects.
Instead, I shifted gears inside the house taking some time to re-organize the ‘bakery’ commercial kitchen in our basement. I cleared out a bunch of clutter and moved old ingredients that I wasn’t using up to our pantry. I also changed the layout up a bit, moving some tables and our massive 30 qt stand mixer around to make some more walking space. Next week we will be having our meat chickens processed and we’ll be butchering and vacuum sealing the majority of them so I thought now was a good time to simplify the space and make room for the work that is to come.
The Garden
Is looking incredible! The leek and onion transplants are growing very well, and I’m so hopeful that this will be the year that magic happens and I get a good crop (fingers crossed)! The kale and swiss chard are growing at record speeds with this cool wet weather, and even the outdoor tomatoes seem to be adapting well – the roma tomatoes have started to flower which is oh so encouraging. The greenhouse is thriving, peppers are starting to go to flower, the cherry tomatoes have a ton of tomatoes and the beef steak are flowering too! I have yet to transplant squash, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumbers – hopefully next week we’ll get that project dealt with.
Broilers
The meat birds are doing well. Unfortunately, we’ve had a large loss this year compared to previous years. We’ve had some with mobility issues that we had no choice but to put out of their misery, other’s with obvious heart issues. This cornish cross grows quickly but their genetics just seem to get worse and worse each year. It’s hard to be beat their efficiency but in terms of health and what we stand for we’ve started asking if we should start raising a heritage meat breed in the future. We’ll assess the costs associated to raise these birds, the losses and the costs to invest in another breed. Luckily, we’ve raised enough for the next 2 years for ourselves, so we have some time to make these decisions.
Everyone else on the farm was straight forward this week – sheep, cows, horses are on pasture. Layer hens and geese are being allowed into their fenced in enclosure now that we don’t have many migratory birds going overhead and the risk of avian flu is lessened.
Summer soccer has started for the kids and they’re both excited to be on the field this year. It’s going to make for a busy but fun season! Really looking forward to some extra family time <3