Weaning Lambs

Here is the first group of lambs to be weaned. They are shetland/BFL crosses except for the weather in the left fore ground. He is out of our texel cross ewe bred back to our BFL. They have grown really fast and with all this rain the pastures are holding up really well. The fleeces on the weathers are so nice I will shear them this fall before they go to the butcher and have lambs wool to sell.

Needles, Wheel and Loom

So what have I been up to as far as my fiber interests. I have been weaving rugs for a special order and have finally got them done. They turned out really nice and I hope my customer likes them. I also wove a double throw which was fun and I learned something new. I used store bought yarn and some of my naturally dyed mill spun yarn.

I've been spinning some gray shetland and knitting a baby cardi and hat for a friends little girl who is due in August. As you can see it still needs buttons.

Sourdough

With all the rain we've been having I started sourdough for baking bread. In the picture above the rye flour is beginning to bubble meaning I've captured wild yeast. I started with 2 cups of rye flour and 2 cups of water to begin the process. Each day for a week I added 1 cup more of flour and water until the yeast had established itself and I had 3 quarts of starter.

This is the starter after 7 days, the yeast is bubbling and it smells kind of yeasty and fruity. If mold had formed it means it spoiled and no yeast was captured. With this sourdough starter I was able to make 4 loaves of sourdough bread using no commercial yeast.

As you can see, 4 loaves of delicious sourdough bread using a rye sourdough starter, whole wheat flour a little sea salt and whey from some earlier cheese for a liquid. This was easier than I thought and the bread rose quite nicely. It does take a longer time than conventional yeast to rise but the results are worth it.

Fruits of Your Labor

While at a family reunion this past weekend, I was filling my plate with various homemade goodies when a distant cousin of my husbands commented how she had bought live lettuce at the grocery store. My youngest daughter replied "Yeh, we have that in our garden." I know my small SE Ohio town is a little behind the times but our grocery store does carry organic veggies and gluten free foods but this was a first for me. My brother-in-law explained that Live Lettuce is sold with the roots still attached  in water) so the plant will last longer in your frdge. All I need to do is go to the garden, cut lettuce and wash it for a salad. It doesn't last long at all.

 With all this warm weather the berries are ripening. This is the first of the red raspberries, they will bear again in the fall. We are also getting bluebarries and will soon be harvesting black berries. I love raising small bush fruits, they need minimal care and produce lots of fruit for their size. I placed ramay over the tops of the berries and berry trellis to deter hungery birds.

Broccoli are heading out and I harvested over 18 heads to eat and put in the freezer There are still a few more to head but the bulk of the broccoli are now done and the ground will be prepared for a late summer or fall crop. I planted brussel sorout seeds and more lettuce for tender eating when the old lettuce gets bitter. I checked on them today and they are up. Not only am I growing veggies but I grow quite a lot of herbs for my Herbal Moth Repellant and for soap and salves. This is Lavender one of my favorites and the blossoms were thick and very fragrant. Harvesting this herb is like taking a little trip to France.

Garden Goodness

Despite all the rain lately, the garden is growing fast. We have been eating chinese cabbage, several varieties of lettuce, onions, beets(golden and red), sugar snap peas, and spinach. The picture above is broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower with snap peas in the back ground.

Here are the first tomatoes setting on. They are a little bigger than golf balls. This variety is an heirloom called Moskovich. I also have a variety called Indigo Rose with tomatoes setting on in my kitchen garden.

 

Here is the first Kohlrabi ready to eat. It has a mild broccoli flavor but a little sweeter. I peeled off the outer layer and sliced thin to munch on raw. For supper I steamed some slices with snap peas and red peppers and served with spagetti. Kohlrabi is earlier than broccoli and fills in for a fresh green veggie until the main crops arrive.

Pigs on Pasture

Yesterday spelled freedom for our two pigs, who finally were put out on pasture. With early grazing from the ram the clovers and grasses had recovered enough to turn the pigs out. As you can see they were delighted to root their noses into soft dirt and greens. The pen next to this one was rooted up by the pigs we butchered this winter and turned over by my husband and planted with open pollinated field corn. Pigs do a wonderful job at ploughing and fertilizing as well as provide delicious meat. We feed an organic non-GMO feed consisting of barley, field peas and corn. No soybean meal. The feed is ground by the mill and then we soak it with leftover milk or whey from the goats and our nieces cows who are all on organic pastures.

Horticulture Happenings

Blossoms are everywhere and that includes the apple trees in the orchard. This year we are using an other approach to caring for our fruit trees. It is permaculture which uses a permanant mulch around our trees using composted hay and wood chips. We removed all the turf out to the drip line and applied the mulch to encourage bacteria and fungi in the soil around the trees, therefore feeding the soil which feeds the roots which feed the tree. The results are less mowing, we like that, healthier trees and fruit.

Apple trees with new mulch.

A new raspberry trellis with blue bird box. My berries will also get a mulch along with the blackberries. My new blueberry plants got a pine needle mulch. Lettuce started in Feb. and set out under the hoop house at the beginning of the month will be ready to eat very soon. This variety a butter crunch is called Tom Thumb.