The last few days have been divine. Tons of sun. Not too hot. And very little wind. Just wonderful. Gorgeous weather and no need to leave the property at all. So we gardened and farmed, We picked and ate, Our John worked on his pool, The Matriarch worked in the flower beds and generally we had a lovely productive time. Don’t you love it when by midday you have achieved almost everything on your mentally challenging list. 
I finished the shelter for the plonkers in the small Salad Bar field and the two black and white pigs were moved quietly across. They are very prone to anxiety this breed. The little field is high with clover and grass and even a few thistles. I set the hose to running in the thistle patch and told them to start making their wallow and while they were at it dig those thistles out. No problem at all. They were thrilled to oblige. 
This meant that the Red Plonker could move into the vacated pig pen on the east with access to his own little field with a private wallow. He still has Poppy and Sheila wandering in and out next door as company however he seems deeply calm and is definitely the biggest of all the pigs. This one is destined for The Matriarchs freezer so she brings containers of special treats out for him.
My half ton of specially mixed summer feed is going down very well. Mixed for me at a local mill exactly to my specifications. It is 1/4 local corn (I do not trust organic feed corn as most of it is imported from Brazil or China and the I am dubious about the regulations.) However the corn I buy is locally grown which is the best I can do, so it is 1/4 corn, 1/4 barley, 1/4 rolled oats and 1/4 whole oats. And I add wheat germ to the pig’s servings. I like having a feed I can feed to everyone. The pigs also get milk and eggs daily. 
And now they are eating clover and grass. Perfect feed. Sheila and Poppy eat so much grass that they do not need very much grain at all.
I took apart an old wheelbarrow (keeping the undercarriage with the broken handles just in case – you never know when you may need a wheelbarrow undercarriage) and dug it into the ground as a little pond for the ducks. Tima thinks it is wonderful. The ducks? – well they are still thinking about it. They do prefer their roasting dish.
I have cut a small hole in their fence so they can escape to the miniature pond within Tima’s enclosure. But Tima the fatty cannot get into the ducks yard. It will take a few days for them to get brave enough I imagine.
Tima spends most of the day in the garden with me and the dogs or sleeping with the dogs so they have her run to themselves.
The Black Mariah has been pushed into Daisy’s Field as extra shade. One of the jobs I hope farm stay visitors will help me with is planting a long row of willow cuttings along the side of this field. Willows are great feed for animals when there is a drought. Plus they grow very fast. Shade and feed! Perfect.
Well I hope you have a lovely day lined up.
I do.
Lots of love from your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
42 responses to “We’re back!”
I would certainly avoid grains and greens from China, having lived there I know what they consider organic … And it’s not what you want.
And the corn grown here in the USA, unless it is organic, is GMO. They get you coming and going.
I know, believe me, though there are farms around here that grow the old style, not organic but not GMO.. still hard to find though.. but the oats and barley and wheat are non GMO… best I can do in this environment.. c
So, must you feed corn? With all that good raw milk and eggs, is corn really necessary? Is there such a thing as grass fed and finished pork?
Yes, they can definitely be raised on grass it just takes much longer, and you need a breed that will do well on grass. The Hereford is such a breed. But sadly I am not feeding up Herefords this year. Of course it is a leaner carcass but surely better. They really do not eat a huge amount of grain and of course Sheila and Poppy even less, it being summer with all this lovely feed around. But yes, good question G.. c
Welcome back, Celi. We’re supposed to have a hot, humid day today then thunderstorms late afternoon.
I’m amazed at the size of the garden. That shot gave us a whole different perspective of the darm. Boo and TIma are so cute together. A lazy summers day in the shade of a lovely porch, veranda. Would make a great book cover.
FARM.
Welcome Summer like weather to your farmy. At last you have lots of green and the farmy family is thriving. Happy Memorial Day.
Oh, I DO love having most of my to-do list knocked out by lunch time!
Love Tima’s round tummy sleeping next to Boo.
She is such a fat piggy.. c
Isn’t it great to start seeing the fruits of our labour? Your garden is looking wonderful. I am picking strawberries, freezing half and eating half, every day now. I like to freeze as many as I can as in the winter there is nothing like strawberries on my granola in the morning to remind me of summer!
Have loads of kale, I am going to try freezing that as well, not sure if it does well being frozen, but there is more than I can eat right now. Peas are in flower, but my beans are really poor this year – not sure why, only about a 1/3 of what I planted has come up!
Glad you are getting to enjoy some good weather for a change
Hugs Lyn
evidently you freeze kale the same as you do spinach, blanched and frozen in flat packs.. i will do it too. But mine is way behind yours yet, we are still at the baby leaves in the salad stage! Do you have a rabbit eating your beans? c
I could feel your contentment through your words! Thank you for the daily smile : )
So much lovely garden goodness going on at the Farmy! It all looks so beautiful! You must smile everyday when you see those two Tima and Nanny Boo together! Love it!
I love weekends where everything I need and want is right on my doorstep. Time seems to relax when you stay at home. Perfect.
Could you expound on your idea about the willow twig shade and feed area? That sounds very interesting……
Thanks,
Elizabeth
I will plant the cuttings quite close together on the outside of a fence so that as they grow I can weave them together into a living fence, and shelter belt, as I trim it I feed it to the animals, willow is very good for fighting worms. Also at home we feed willow to the animals in times of drought. I once knew a farmer in NZ who used willow branches to make the fences in his yards and they all grew and eventually joined up, creating solid edible fences it was a most amazing thing to see. c
Hmmm. that’s very interesting. Do they expect a lot of water to get started?
The picture of the dog and pig stretched out for a nap made me laugh!
When I was a child ( over 5o years ago) on our family farm in Germany my grandfather raised pigs and I remember him feeding the pigs boiled potatoes from our fields. Is that something that is still being done?
It’s about time you had a good day or two! Wonderful that feeling of getting things done. I like the idea of the willow fence. My dad put a willow stake in the middle of our front lawn once and it grew so fast into a huge weeping willow tree – perfect for disappearing under to say good night to our boyfriends.
It’s true – you never know when you will need a wheelbarrow undercarriage! And my chickies used to drink out of an old, deep paella pan..it was their favourite!