Yesterday as promised we had a good hard frost. 
Our John covered a variety of plants with blankets but I think we are reaching the end of the summer vegetables.
Bobby Blanc is in love with one of the Surrogate Milkers. They are getting a handle on the routine very well and soon will take over a few milkings each week. Giving me extra time to get the farm in tip top condition before I go. I leave for New Zealand at the beginning of December, for three weeks. YES. You are coming too!
Yesterday we had a game of soccer with a basket ball. Ton Ton brought a stick thinking it was hockey and Charlotte refused to pass, even though Sheila was in the open… ah well.. lots to learn in the sports department.
Good morning. We are all prepared to pick the grapes today. They are in the midst of a gentle frost this morning as I am writing. Freezing and sweetening those grapes.
It will be a very busy morning. I do the picking because I will do the late summer prune at the same time. Pruning and training for next year is an important business. 
We will destem and crush into big buckets and then the waiting will begin.
The grass fed, and alfalfa finished, beef we collected yesterday from the meat locker was tasted last night and was pronounced outstanding by Our John. I was deeply impressed. He had never tasted a pasture raised animal until we started to grow them ourselves. The steak was tender and tasty. A massive improvement on my first attempt to grow beef before I had enough good pasture. Raising only one steer a year means I have to get it right. I have had a great confidence boost from last night’s dinner. Everything on the plate was from our own farmy and gardens. I opened another bottle of last years Farmy wine -we have to decide on a name- and much to my delight it has mellowed, losing all it’s cleaning fluid notes. There is not a lot left. I probably should not have had so many ‘tastings’ through the year. I told John to hide this years vintage from me.
Good luck with that I hear you say!!
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
47 responses to “Pigs Play Ball Too you know…”
Bobby Blanc looks deeply content. I imagine you will be flat out getting everything ready for your departure.
What a great feeling of accomplishment to be eating only self-produced food and wine. How often does this happen?
I don’t leave for two months yet, But there is an awful lot of training and preparing to leave a whole farm.. lucky for me my surrogate milkers are the kind of people who like to get ahead of the game too.. c
Looking forward to seeing NZ again. Never did get to South Island … too many sheeps and horses to stop and pet along the way 🙂 I know it is always better for fruit to ripen on the vine, but would picking when ripe and then freezing briefly not have the desired effect? (Delete if this is just too stupid to publish). There is nothing that can compete with organic, farm raised beef … except maybe Lamb:)
Laura
No that is actually not a stupid idea but it is cheating, I think that the slow freeze and then slow thaw might make a difference to our end result. NOW I have read that some naughty growers do do that, they pick and freeze then call it IceWine.. but we bite our thumbs at them don’t we Laura..cheats! c
Absolutley … not to mention all the preservatives that get added as well :(. Laura
What a lovely read C. I love the sports activities that are going on and how fabulous to really be eating and drinking from your farmy now – kudos!:-) Mandy
I think having Our John hide the wine is a very good idea indeed. It will give you a thrill looking for and finding it, as you most probably will. I tell My John to hide the candy he sometimes buys, and then I often root it out in the freezer where he thinks he has found a sure hiding place. 🙂 Just love the pic with the Shush Sisters and Ton Ton! Happy Sunday! Di
Love the shot of Ton Ton and Sheila and Charlotte playing together! Wonder if they’ll pick up ice hockey in the winter!!
Also, I have a question to ask on behalf of a friend with two dogs. How best to get in touch with you?
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. So We will be going for a fall hike today. Thank you for all the good, hard work on the farmy and then your diligence in bringing it all back to us in lively photos and posts!
Mey
A hike will be wonderful.. do you take baby in a back pack? My kids used to be lugged through the forests like that all the time.. just email me on celima.g.7@gmail.com. I would be happy to help you with that question as best I can.. I love questions.. Happy Thanksgiving Mey.. c
Hi Celi! I can imagine you did all sorts of wonderful hikes with your kids. Yes, when they are a bit older we put them in a backpack and will often go ski with them like this, too! G is only 2.5 months though, so I had her in a bassinet that fits in the Chariot (a wonderful contraption that you can attach to your bike or just use as a stroller on its own). My 3 yr old, R, also went in it and the 5 yr old, J, was on the attached bike (hubby towed it)!
Thanks so much for writing back so quickly! Hope you are well.
Mey
P.S. Just sent you the ‘question’ 😉
Awww isant that little piggy just so cute!
What a lovely post 🙂
Can’t wait to go to New Zealand!!!!
The waiting is the hardest bit, a while to go yet.. c
Wine, C! Exciting. I have no doubt you will come up with a clever and suitable name. What a wonderful, wonderful dinner of the farmy’s bounty.
your sports team is too cute, even if they all need to get on the same page! i can’t wait to go to new zealand. i’ve never been there!
Great news with the beef and the wine. Practice makes perfect, but a few little slurps are always recommended while you wait for perfection!
YAY – we are going to New Zealand with you!! I can hardly wait.
Good to hear about the wine and the beef! I can’t imagine the satisfaction of having EVERYTHING on the table come from the work of your own hands…
Have a lovely grape-picking day! No frost just yet, but it was 40 this morning…won’t be long now.
TonTon looks like he really is playing ball. Great photos. I need to finish planting before we get a frost!
It’s very important to taste your wine frequently. Congratulations on your meat outcome. Love the intramural sports elective at the farm. I cannot wait to go to New Zealand!