Delving in
This is one of those things we've been thinking about for some time now.
Farming...
So, we've actually been busy doing some of this season. Just over a couple of weeks ago, we tilled up the tomatoe garden and put in three rows of peas - they are coming up now. Last weekend, we put in four rows of potatoes and one long row of onions. Then we started working another spot for corn.
Then came Monday.
We'd been thinking about milking cows to get our own milk for some time now - years. However, we've never owned a cow, or milked a cow before. So, I thought it might be best to start with something smaller.
Goats.
You know, if a cow happens to roll over on you while you are milking, you might have a problem? Not so with a goat ;)
We've been getting up around 5:30 to go out and milk, Badgermum has had the most success, getting between two to three cups in the morning and a bit less in the evening. The goats are getting use to us and we are getting better with taking care of them. We picked up this pair, a nanny and her kid, from a Mennonite farm up the road. We almost got the nanny before she had the kid, but that's another story. We have a pen for them, and we let them free range a bit - we stay with them and walk them around the yard while she eats.
The kid, a buc, is realy funny. He reminds me of a dog at times, nuzzles, jumps, runs, crawls into your lap. We call him Blue. Queenie, the mamma goat, likes some of the wild things in the yard: honeysuckle, blackberry, rose-like bushes, and wild onions! She's helping us take care of the yard. She follows us around, and meets us at her gate, and has gotten use to her milking stand.
That's the latest at the old homestead. We are turning what's left of this farm back into a farm. Little by little, bit by bit.
Po~
Farming...
So, we've actually been busy doing some of this season. Just over a couple of weeks ago, we tilled up the tomatoe garden and put in three rows of peas - they are coming up now. Last weekend, we put in four rows of potatoes and one long row of onions. Then we started working another spot for corn.
Then came Monday.
We'd been thinking about milking cows to get our own milk for some time now - years. However, we've never owned a cow, or milked a cow before. So, I thought it might be best to start with something smaller.
Goats.
You know, if a cow happens to roll over on you while you are milking, you might have a problem? Not so with a goat ;)
We've been getting up around 5:30 to go out and milk, Badgermum has had the most success, getting between two to three cups in the morning and a bit less in the evening. The goats are getting use to us and we are getting better with taking care of them. We picked up this pair, a nanny and her kid, from a Mennonite farm up the road. We almost got the nanny before she had the kid, but that's another story. We have a pen for them, and we let them free range a bit - we stay with them and walk them around the yard while she eats.
The kid, a buc, is realy funny. He reminds me of a dog at times, nuzzles, jumps, runs, crawls into your lap. We call him Blue. Queenie, the mamma goat, likes some of the wild things in the yard: honeysuckle, blackberry, rose-like bushes, and wild onions! She's helping us take care of the yard. She follows us around, and meets us at her gate, and has gotten use to her milking stand.
That's the latest at the old homestead. We are turning what's left of this farm back into a farm. Little by little, bit by bit.
Po~
