Harvesting plums and apples

A couple days ago I went around the orchard and took a few pictures of the fruit we're harvesting.  The 4 plum trees are loaded, in the photo above this is about the number of plums from each tree.  Not all have ripened, I watch and pick only those that easily come from the stem and are turning purple or are dark purple.  I will harvest them all over the next week, and hope the rain doesn't crack too many.

Don't you love having the dilemma of an abundant harvest, it allows for creativity and chances to try new things.  So what am I doing with all these plums.  I'm on my second batch in the dehydrator, I remove the pit and dry them whole, they're delicious.  Some will be jam and preserves, some plum juice, and I'm planning to make a plum kuchen this weekend, plus we've been giving them away to family and friends.

The plum trees are on the left, it's hard to tell in the picture that every branch is heavy laden with plums. The Katsura's are on the right.

The apples below are called Akane, they are some of my ealiest ripening apples, the catalog said they ripened in late August to Early September, this year it's the middle of October.  They're delicious with a nice, crisp, sweet and tart flavor.

I planted all of these apple trees in 2007, when I made several purchases from Raintree Nursery and Burnt Ridge Nursery.  I also bought seedling nut trees that I planted at the same time.  The apple trees are just beginning to produce, so we didn't have a large harvest.  One must have patience and a vision when raising fruit and nut trees.  Every year I get excited even for 6 or 7 apples, simply the fact that they're growing and will produce more and more every year.  

Above is a Honey Crisp apple, they like our climate and taste so good.  All my apples looked great for being organic, I didn't spray anything, just added dry grass clippings as mulch.  I do plan to add aged manure and compost this year.  Fruit trees need nutrition in the form of compost, aged manure, and mulch in the summer.

 A dark red Williams Pride apple, it has a wonderfully crisp and spicy flavor.  It's also an early apple, and cross pollinates with Akane.  Having two different apple trees that bloom at the same time, and will produce their fruit around the same time, this is a keys to success with fruit production.  Having early, mid, and late apples, plums and pears is a good idea to spread the harvest out.  Plus it gives us the opportunity to process them and a reasonable pace.  Late apples are important because they're the best winter keepers, I'm planning to buy more late season apple trees to plant this year.

Above is one of three large buckets of apples that I picked from a tree at my work.  The tree was big and went out over a creek, the apples were perfectly ripe and taste great.  I'm making dried apples, and canning applesauce and apple butter, I'm also freezing some for apple pies and crisps.

We have 5  older Asian pear trees.  4 are the same and produce heavily every other year, but we have the one above that produces faithfully every year.  I think it's my favorite fruit tree on our property, I love the flavor, and texture of this particular Asian pear.  I like to eat them sliced with cheese, in salads, and just picked and eaten right off the tree. This winter I'm planning to get 3 or 4 more varieties of Asian pear trees, they do so well here and are such a favorite with everyone.   Asian pears are also very good keepers when kept cool and can last all through the winter. 

12 days old

Summer is a great Mom, we're all so proud of her.  Look how big and healthy her 4 puppies are at 12 days old.  The 2 males are in the middle, one is blond like his father, and one is dark red like Summer.  On either side are the females, one is a little lighter than the other.  Their eyes are all just beginning to open.

We like to sit on the floor by the fire with them and snuggle and love them.  They are so cute and the little noises they make are adorable.  They are just beginning to get up on their legs and practise walking instead of scooting, so being contained is becoming essential.  We're all having so much fun with them and are enjoying watching them as they grow up.

You can see how light the blond male is, he's going to be beautiful like his Father.  I just love the dark goldens too like Summer, her coat is a dark reddish golden and shines in the sun.

Puppies!

Summer went into labor yesterday on Columbus Day. Thankfully I was home and the kids were all home, so we all got to be with her as she gave birth, the timing was perfect.   When I went out to get fire wood from the wood shed around noon, there she was in the corner where she sleeps, she had been hanging out in here, (her bedroom), for the last few days.  It's a nice dry stall-like area right by the house, and doubles as a wood shed.  I went up to her and she whimpered, I looked down and saw she had just given birth to her first puppy, a little boy.  Quickly I gathered clean dry towels, a blanket, and told the kids.  We got her all clean and settled and began the 4 hours of labor and delivery. 

Having babies is exhausting.

4 puppies in all.  We waited until overnight, still has 4, so I think she's done.

 2 boys and 2 girls.

Glowing with happiness as a new mother.  Summer is such a good mom, she fusses over her babies continuously, and keeps them clean, warm, and well fed.  I have been her nurse, bringing her meat, cheese, eggs and milk, and of course her dry kibble and water.  I bring it right to her, she still hasn't gotten up.  More baby pictures soon, I want to keep one!

Early Fall

Everyone is off to work and school and I'm home all day, Yeah! I love being home! 

Fall is here in the Northwest, and the rain has begun again.  I'm sitting here writing and procrastinating on the morning milking, waiting for a little reprieve from the downpour.  The milk stand is under the eaves of the goat and chicken barn and we all get wet during rain.  A priority before the heavy Fall rains will be a cover for my milking area.  Early this morning I fed everyone, so now we're all just sitting under cover watching it come down.

The rain also gets me to thinking about my pickling cucumbers in the garden,  I need to harvest them and will make crock pickles with the large ones, and jars of pickles in vinegar and herbs with the smaller ones.  The basil is not liking this rain either, I need to go pick it right away, and make pesto.  *Note to self, pick basil before the end of September next year.

There are apples, plums, and asian pears hanging on the trees, we've been eating from them everyday, and will be harvesting them over the next couple of weeks.  This year our bumper crop will be plums, we have 4 mature blue gage trees that have hundreds of plums per tree, about every 3 or 4 years these trees decide to give a haul.  I'll be making plum preserves, dried plums. and plum juice. 

In the garden I still have potatoes, carrots and beets to dig, and am hoping the delicata squash will ripen before the first frost, I'll leave them on until the end of the month.  I also have tomatillos to harvest, we've never had to plant them, they just come up year after year, and we make the most delicious salsa verde with them. 

Fall brings the sounds of the Douglas Squirrels dropping fir cones everywhere, these industrious little guys scurry up and down the trunks of the large Douglas Fir trees in the forests, you can hear the cones drop and watch them race through the tree tops. Watch out if you walk under a tree where they are, they have a good aim, and must have fun with their cone bombs trying to hit us.  Fall is also the smell of the Katsura trees, the smell is undescribable, cotton candy-like, it comes when the leaves turn yellow and fall.  Vine maples are beginning to turn red, orange, and yellow, and the sedum autumn joy and purple cone flowers are still blooming.

This morning I got a fresh batch of sourdough started, my old batch I had left too long and it went bad, this can happen if you don't watch it close enough. Possibly it failed because I didn't have it stored in the refrigerator, which helps slow it down and last longer.  I decided to experiment  this time and try the yogurt maker to start it in.  The consistent warmth might help speed up the process of making a good strong sourdough in less time than the typical 2 weeks, which is about how long I have found it takes to get a really good flavor.  You can begin to use a starter after 3 days, but it's much better to let it work a little longer.  I'm hoping this will speed up that time.  The main thing I'll do is check on it regularly, and  feed it when it get's thin or too sour. 

To make the sourdough, I use fresh dark rye flour (Bob's Red Mill), mix a little warm water into it and make it a little thicker than cake batter. I start with about 3/4 of a cup of flour, it needs warmth to get going, so usually I just set it in a jar by the wood stove, and add flour every day or two.  You know it needs to be fed (flour added) because it will bubble and then fizzle out, then you need to feed it with flour, if it gets too full you will need to take some out, also allow half the room in the jar for expansion.  I only use the rye flour to get it going and feed it for a couple days, then I switch to whole wheat flour.  This Fall I'm looking forward to baking with my sourdough, we love pancakes, bread, and muffins made from it. 

On the stove I have pheasant stock going.  How in the world did I get a pheasant?  Well, A couple days ago J came and told how a pheasant had flown under his truck while on the way home, it was on our hill so not a lot of traffic.  He knew the tires didn't run over it, but when he looked back it was dying.  He felt really bad and went back to look, it was almost dead and must  have tried to fly up as it went under the truck.  A lady went by in a car and said "Oh how sad for that beautiful bird" he felt the same, picked it up by the feet to bring home, and as he was walking back to the truck another car came by, this time with a guy, he gave the thumbs up sign and said "Good for you!" 

While we all felt bad about this most beautiful bird dying, we gave it honor by saving some of  it's gorgeous feathers for craft projects, we had a wonderful meal, and now I'm making soup.  The girls and I had never eaten pheasant before, and let me tell you, it was so good!  I stuffed it with cooked rice, fresh sage and garlic.  I baked it and as a side dish we had steamed kale from the garden.  Yum, here's to Fall, the harvest and good eating, and thanks for the many small blessings that come our way.  Well the rain has slowed, I'm off to go milk. 

Sauerkraut

A yearly ritual for me is the making of sauerkraut in the Fall.  It uses up  all the remainder of the gardens green cabbages, is easy to make, will last all through the winter, and even has the added health benefits of lacto fermenting.

Here's how I make it;  First sanitize everything with hot scalding water, especially the container you're using.  I boil water and pour it around the crock, wash the counter and knife real good, and make sure the cabbage is clean.  Slice the cabbages as thin as you can, make a layer of cabbage in your container, then sprinkle with salt, continue to layer in your container.  I use kosher salt, I'm sure you can use pickling salt, I have also used sea salt and it worked just fine, you just don't want to use table salt with iodine. The containers I have used are buckets or crocks, and for the last several years I have used this large 15 gallon crock.  It settles down to about half, so I have room to put a gallon glass jar filled with water to weight it all down.  As it's curing it needs to be covered with liquid, the liquid will come from the cabbage as the salt helps release it. 

I don't measure the salt, just sprinkle it on the layers, I make the layers about an inch thick and sprinkle like I'm salting a food dish then I add a little extra.  If you're salt sensitive try using less salt. I have played around with less salt and more salt, and have found a nice balance is good.  If you don't add enough salt the sauerkraut isn't as crisp.

Once I add all the layers of cabbage and salt, I punch it down, I use my fists (clean and sanitize first) to literally punch and punch it all down.  I spend 5 to 7 minutes doing this for my big batch, a smaller batch wouldn't take as long.  There are probably many ways to tamp down, I've even used a clean two by four in a plastic bag as a tamper, just so it's tamped down to help release the liquid.  I then place a cover like a large plate over it.  I have also placed a towel over top before the plate, but this has to be kept very clean, rinsed regularly in hot water.  Push down so liquid covers the plate, and set your weight on the plate, then I cover with a wooden lid.   Make sure the plate is sanitized along with the weight and the lid, the plate should be large enough to cover the surface of the cabbage.

You will need to check it daily, and skim off any scum or foam.  The time it takes to cure depends mostly on the temperature.  In warmer temps, like 75 degrees, it may only take 10-14 days, in cooler temperature like I have, around the low 60's it will take several weeks, I've let it cure anywhere from 3-6 weeks.  I then jar it up and refrigerate what I want to use in the next 3 months, and can the rest for late winter and early spring.  We eat this all through the winter months.

A few notes;  The cabbage can take a day or two to release it's liquid fully, in the event you don't have enough liquid after 2 days to cover the cabbage when pushed down by the plate, you will need to make a salty brine.  I just mix water in a quart jar add a couple teaspoons of salt and pour over it.  If cabbage is fresh it will usually have enough moisture.

I have found that the best way for me to keep a good eye on the fermenting sauerkraut is to keep it in my kitchen where I'll remember it, I've tried to place it farther away and have forgotten to regularly check it.  You will also want to check the flavor and taste starting when it's about a week old, once it reaches a taste and flavor you like, jar it up in pint or quart jars and refrigerate or can.  We begin eating it as soon as it's done, I like to serve sauerkraut as a side dish for lunch or dinner depending on what I'm serving.   Happy Fall!

having fun with the goats

Zolena (aka Zoie)  loves to clown around, here she is asking for grain.  Goats are all about fun and good food, they keep us all smiling with their charm and humor. 

Jersey is a total sweetheart, she will always be the one hanging around the most for attention.  Jarin calls her glamour girl because she is such a beautiful, girly goat.

Stormy flying through the air, he loves to climb the rocks and does the most amazing leaps off of them,

the higher they are the better the ariel stunt.

Running and leaping and off to play in the meadow.

6am call

I got up this morning a little before 6am and started a fire.   As soon as I was done the phone rang, it was the Post Office saying my package of chicks had come in.  I said, "I'll be right there!"  I got the kids up, made a quick cup of tea to go, and jumped in the car.  It takes me a little less than 20 minutes to get down our hill, through the valley, and into town.  I made it back in time for us to have a peek inside the box, then I ran the older kids to the bus stop.

10 days ago, I ordered 25 jumbo Cornish cross chicks from McMurray hatchery.  We've never ordered chicks through the mail, so this was a fun new experience.  In my order they also included an extra freebie, "a special rare chicken".  We'll let it grow and feather out, then it will join the laying flock,  and wait to see what kind of surprise chicken we got.  They also included 3 extra chicks, possibly in case a few died in transport.  Well, I'm happy to say they're all alive and thriving.

Kaley is the next to wake up, I take her to the bus stop an hour later at 8am.  Here she is holding one of the babies as we all sit by the warm fire.  We know these are meat birds, I told her that they're really only bred to grow and get big for a certain amount of time, like 8-10 weeks.   This will be our first batch of chickens that we are specifically raising for meat, 28 chickens will be ready right around Thanksgiving time.   I will raise them with the best life I can give them, and as we sustain them now, they will sustain us.  I am going to love going into winter with a freezer full of the best homegrown chicken. 

You can see my surprise chicken is the only black one in the bunch.

A curious thing

Joon our black nigerian dwarf goat is getting white spots all over!  She's 2 and a half years old, and I think she's always been solid black, until now, you can see a few spots in this picture, but up close, she's getting them all over.  I'm not sure what's causing it, but we're kind of watching her new look unfold as more and more appear.  

She seems healthy and is eating alfalfa hay, some grass hay, and lots of salmon berry greens.  I give her dry cob at feedings, with a sprinkling of black sunflower seeds, along with a handful of alfalfa pellets.  All the goats have loose minerals to eat any time they want to. I'm milking her once a day and have been for the last couple months, she seems happy and frisky.  We're planning to have her bred the first part of October for kids to be due next March.  It will be interesting to see if her spots stay or disappear. 

meet the new rabbits

Meet our newest Champagne d' argent buck, his name is Filbert (in light of a Filbert tree I planted in front of the rabbit cages several years ago).  Can you tell how curious he is?  I had no idea that a rabbit could be so friendly and funny, he runs to the entrance when I open his cage, and says hi, he loves to be pet and talked to, he likes fresh sticks to chew, and loves alfalfa and dry cob (corn, oats and barley).  He is 13 weeks old,  pedigreed, and will be a fine breeding buck here at Applegarth.  In the picture below you can see he still hasn't gotten all his silvering that comes with maturity.  When Champagne d' argents are born, they're all black, they turn silver as they age.

Pictured below is our newest rabbit, an 11 week old American Chinchilla doe.  She's roomed next door to Filbert and they seem to like each other.

Here's a little history on the breed.

The American Chinchilla rabbit was created in the 1920s using Standard Chinchilla rabbits and breeding them for larger size. This was to create a rabbit with a larger pelt and bigger body for meat.  It was one of the more highly paid for pelts at the height of the fur industry.

Originally, it was known as the American Heavyweight Chinchilla, it is one of the few rabbits that is truly unique to the United States. Now it is one of the Rare Breed Rabbits, seriously threatened with extinction. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has listed this breeds' condition as Critical, and they are encouraging more people to raise this fine breed of  rabbit as a heritage animal.

This is my first American Chinchilla rabbit, she is unbelievably soft, her fur is exquisite, plus she's a real sweetheart, and loves attention.  These are the two breeds I'm going to focus on, the Chamgagne d' argents and the American Chinchilla's.

Fall bounty ~ Gathering Hazelnuts and Filberts

Hazelnut trees can be found all over our Northwest woodlands and the hedgerows of older farms, they are our native species of nut.  Through  the centuries these nuts have supplied so much more than just food for settlers and natives. They have long been associated with wisdom, even magic, and everything from witches' wands, to royal sceptres and water dowsing rods were made from their precious and pliable wood.

The common wild hazel grows in abundance all over the Northwest, and seeking out its nuts is one of the easiest foraging jobs, (alongside blackberrying, which you can often do at the same time). Fresh, green hazelnuts are crisp, and slightly sweet, an utter delight when compared to the dried store bought ones.

Right now is the time to harvest as the nuts are falling from the trees, you will have to be quick to beat the squirrels.  When you know what a hazelnut tree looks like, you will see them everywhere.  Last week I went hazelnut and filbert picking next to where I work, these are the pictures of the trees I picked from and the nuts once I shelled them.  

I don't know how old these trees are, but they're probably around 50 years old, they bear loads of nuts that were dropping everywhere as I picked them off the ground.  When you stand below an old hazelnut tree, you feel small as they tower overhead, cathedral-like in their magnificence.

Below is a picture of what the nuts look like growing on a branch.

Pictured are both filberts, the longer pecan looking ones,

and hazelnuts the traditional round cobby ones.

If you don't have time to gather your own hazelnuts at this time of year, you will find them in farmers' markets where they sell commercially cultivated nuts. They're bigger than wild hazelnuts, but just as delicious when very fresh, check the frilly casing that it's not too dried out.

Along with hazelnuts, there are also filberts, the difference between the two is that hazelnuts are round with short, frilly husks that expose the end of the nut, while filberts are longer, thinner and covered by their husks – their name comes from St Philbert's Day on August 22nd, the date when hazelnuts are supposed to start ripening. .

Once you've eaten your fill of fresh hazelnuts, dry any you have left over. Store in a dry, airy room or shed in shallow layers in slatted boxes, or hang them up in mesh bags. Turn them regularly, or give the bag a shake, to ensure they're drying evenly and, once dry, remove the husks and store in a cool, dry place. And then you'll have hazelnuts!

Dried hazelnuts and filberts are a great addition to all kinds of dishes – toasting brings out their yummy flavours. Whole or chopped, they add crunch to autumn salads and stuffing's; ground, they're very good in biscuits and cakes, particularly when paired with chocolate.  I definitely have squirrel-like tendencies this time of year as I harvest and stash in preparation for winter's cold. 

back into a good routine

Finally I feel like nesting and cooking and cleaning, it's not that I haven't been cooking or cleaning, it's just that now I have more time to devote to it.  This whole last month has been beautiful and sunny, and I've been outside both working at the nursery on weekends, and working on our growing farm.  Now that the kids are back in school as of last Thursday, and husband is leaving for work early, I have some much needed time to work on things.  I have missed looking at other blogs and writing in mine.  The tiny bit of computer time that I've had, has been spent checking my email in the evening and that's about it. 

If you've been following this blog, I just wanted to say hello, and let you know I didn't intend to be gone so long,  guess I just needed a break and didn't realize it.  I'm feeling inspired, and have even spent some time catching up on other blogs I follow.  I should know by now that Fall is always the time of year I begin to feel more creative.

Many things need my attention right now, especially my house. I have painting to do before the weather turns cold and wet, and cleaning and organizing that need to been done, kind of like Spring cleaning, only in the Fall.  I'm harvesting crops today as tonight is a harvest moon, picking the rest of my green cabbages for sauerkraut and kimchee. And this morning I picked a giant zucchini, that grew out of control over our hot weekend, I'll make a couple of zucchini breads.  There are black berries and filberts to harvest and greens to continue to sow.  The garden has taken off with all the gorgeous weather, we are still picking strawberries, aronia berries, carrots, beets, onions, broccoli, kale, lettuce, potatoes and turnips. The pickling cucumbers are almost ready to harvest, and the delicata squash is growing like crazy.  The vegetable garden is the best this time of year, in September it shines.

In the rabbitry I have a new 9 week old American Chinchilla coming tomorrow.  I decided to go with American Chinchilla's instead of Silver Fox's after seeing them at the fair this year.  About a week ago we sold Peppermint our Angora rabbit, a real nice lady came all the way from the San Juan Islands to buy her,  she is going to be bred and will use their fiber.  Several weeks ago I also rescued 2 rabbits from a house near my work, some people moved and left them.  The 2 rabbits looked awful and I've been watching them come back to health with good food and care.  Pictures will be coming soon.  I am planning to just stick with the 2 breeds for now, the Champagne d'Argents and the American Chinchilla's, both are meat and fur breeds in the 9-12lb range.

The goats are doing great, I'm still milking both Joon and Zolena, and get about a gallon a day, between the 2.  We've been drinking it, baking with it, and making yogurt.  I've also been in contact with our Nubian's breeder to discuss a good buck to breed Jersey to, as we're getting close to that time.  Our newest baby goat Snowdrop is still too young to leave her mother, but we're looking forward to her coming here around early October.   Fencing is my next big expense, as I want to increase their paddock size considerably.  About a week ago, we laid out the corner posts for the new goat barn... patience!

I'm still working weekends, but that will wind down around the end of October, and then won't start up again until the first of April, the nursery business is seasonal around here.  So all through the dark and cold winter you'll probably find me here writing more.  I'm planning to make soap in a couple weeks, and will use the goat's milk.  I'm also planning to make a variety of cheeses, and breads, and will write about both.  Jarin has  resumed building the cabin, so some new pictures will be coming of the progress there too.

Here at Applegarth farm, we have been working at getting more self sufficient than ever these last 10 years, starting with gardens, then bees, fruit trees, rabbits, chickens, and now goats.  I can finally tell you, our land and animals are sustaining us, as well as we are sustaining them.  It is one of the best feelings I've ever felt, to eat everyday the freshest food, that we've grown, planted, harvested, and milked.  To start a fire and heat and cook with wood we've cut, chopped and stacked. With small steps you can look back in time and see how far you come over the years.   Day by day the choices we make determine our future.

late summer; kids, gardens, the fair, and goats

We've been having the most incredibly beautiful, warm, sunny, summertime, weather.  I've been outside as much as I can soaking it all up.  Can you believe I even ate a ripe tomato off of one of my plants that I started by seed, a big deal for me, since it's the first one in 2 years.  Last year none of my tomatoes ripened it was so cold. Every few days I've been watering, and my squashes will be ready to begin picking any day, I have Sunburst patty pan, Zuccini, Rhonde de nice, and Delicata squashes I planted, the pickles are ripening and the basil is growing.

Today I was outside picking the last of the black currents and gooseberries, I've been freezing most of the berries I pick, and when the kids go back to school, I'll make the preserves and jams.  I also harvested 5 large cabbages today and will make the first batch of sauerkraut, I still have many more to harvest, and will turn most of it into sauerkraut and kimchee.  I like fresh cabbage this time of year to make coleslaw, and to put in soups and salads, and we've been eating lots of broccoli, kohlrabi and kale.  This is our most abundant time of year,  we have been eating from the garden almost everyday for most of the summer, but now more than ever, plus we'll have many things that will go all the way to late October.

It's that time of year again, that we've been school shopping for the kids and getting them all ready to go back to school.  They've been having fun this summer just hanging out being kids, and now it's almost time to get back into the school routine.  We're planning to go to the river a couple times in the next week to swim and pick blackberries, by the end of August the river slows down and is safe for the kids to swim and play in it.  This time of year they're all wondering who their teachers will be and who will be in their classes. 

We went to the Evergreen State Fair on Thursday, which lucky for us is right in our own town.  This is truly a country fair, with lots of horse events, logging, rides, and local judging of jams, baking, produce, artisan brews, quilts, paintings, photos and lots more.  It was fun to walk around and see all the animals, crafts and booths that were set up, the local granges set up the most amazing displays of garden produce and canning that you can imagine.  Of course I had to go look at the goats, and rabbits, and I thought our goats were more beautiful than any I saw there, not that I'm prejudice or anything.  We also watched a couple of the 4h goat shows. Then Tessa and Jarin watched the bubble gum blowing contest while Kaley and I ran around looking at the baked goods on display and some of the booths.  We found her a beautiful aquamarine ring that fit her little finger, it will be a nice ring for her to remember summer and the fair, as she looks at it during school hours.

The goats have a happy routine they seem to like.  Milking is going well and we have settled into a comfortable rhythm.  I love that every time I go out to visit the goats or chickens, I'm bringing back armloads of the freshest milk and eggs.  I have been drinking more milk than ever, I think we all have, it's that good! The yogurt is also delicious, it's light, tart and tangy, and with a little honey is just right.  The goats have won over the hearts of everyone, they are so lovable and call out for attention.  We also try to give them one or two walks with us everyday, and they run as fast as they can and leap and play.  It puts a smile on my face to watch their exuberance and happiness.

We've been discussing plans for the new goat barn, what it will need, a milking room with power and hot water, a feed room to store hay and grain, and 4 stalls... might as well put the dream out there.  We are planning to go look at a couple goat farms that have had goats for 20 to 30 years, and we'll see how they're set up after living with goats for so many years.  They are the farms where Jersey and Zolena came from, both are farms with many years of raising goats. 

The chickens are all thriving, we have Henrietta and the Cuckoo Maran sitting broody again, this will be their Fall chicks, they began sitting about 10 days ago.  The older pullets are getting big and looking like small chickens, I still can't tell which will turn into roosters yet.  The smalls chicks are growing and their mom is back on the perch and is letting her chicks sleep by Henrietta since she's sitting broody, she even lets them come sit near her at night.  In rabbit news, I also picked up my Champagne d' argent buck last week, he's only 8 weeks old, and is so cute an cuddly, he has one ear that flops to the side that gives him some personality. 

Anyway that's the current update for what's going on around here.  Hope everyone is safe on the East coast with the hurricane beginning to touch down there, I was glad to read the winds have slowed a little.   Good luck, stay safe!