It’s been an exciting wet winter on the farm. We had 6” of snow a few weeks ago. Toby, Frankie and the pigs had a fun time frolicking in the woods! While it was fun to have snow, I was sick in bed with no energy to shovel snow.
I’m all better now and getting excited about the upcoming season! I’ve got more tomatoes, more flowers, more piglets and possibly even a cow in the works! Zinni is growing up nicely and we expect she may be pregnant later this spring! Until she has piglets of her own, we’ve been getting piglets from a local farmer. It’s nice to not have to drive far to get them. We will have tasty #OTBPork ready the first week of May and again the beginning of July.
The ladies have returned to laying after a few weeks down time during the longest days of the year. We had 3 new babies born on the farm that are starting to earn their keep. Two are young ladies and the third is a handsome specimen who looks like his dad, Drumstick. He’s learning the ropes from dad and the Dude/Tude duo. Until the farm stand opens in April, the cooler at the road will be stocked with eggs every Saturday morning. Feel free to stop by for a dozen. True to life outside the box, the eggs are from free range chickens fed organic corn/soy free feed. $6/dozen.
If you haven’t met Dude & ‘Tude, you’re missing out on quite an experience. These two banty beauties have a more assertive way of managing the farm than Drum, who seems to rule with a calming presence (could be that he’s about 5X the size of the duo). They take their job seriously. While Dude is more of a perimeter dude, its ‘Tude that mans the infantry. If you’ve ever been attacked by a rooster, you know it’s nothing to take lightly. Except with ‘Tude. He’s so small it’s hard to take him serious, unless he jumps on you while you’re gathering eggs. Instinct says to run or fight back, but he’s just so little and inflicts no pain, it’s hard not to laugh and have fun with him. Definitely an experience.
We will be selling “Tayze’s Tomatoes” again this year. As a tribute to my grade school BFF who died in April 2015 from complications of Type I Diabetes, we will be donating a portion of the funds from the sale of heirloom tomato varieties. The little seeds are under the lights and ready to make their appearance. Last year, our community joined us in donating $375 to a little boy in Oak Harbor. This year’s goal is $500. Please save the date and join us on May 2! More details to come.
The garlic is nearly 6 inches tall and the tulips are starting to poke out of the ground, sure signs that Spring is coming! I sure hope the weather stays true and the groundhog doesn’t spoil my anticipation. Rumor has it, only 43 days til spring!
~ Brandi