Around the farm stuff...

I must admit that although our garden and farm are still producing, by this time of year, my get-up-and-go kind of goes. I'm not checking on it like I should be. Granted, it's waning. But, we do have tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, and jalapenos that are coming in. I've put a few pints of beans by and some salsa as well. Last year I turned to freezing because of the ease and speed, but this year I am considering the benefits of the preserved food being able to sit on a shelf as opposed to spending money keeping it cold. We have two upright freezers that live in the basement and they stay pretty full with meat: farm-raised rabbit, pork, and chicken; venison and squirrel; and beef from down the road. Any space I could free up in the freezer would be good. Occasionally I get a little help in the garden. I call for my "eagle eyes" to find the green beans hiding in the depths of the plant. They come in night gowns or sometimes nothing at all to help me pick for a minute or two. Or, at least stand there with me while I pick.

My favorite tool for harvest is my apron. I find myself tying one on frequently in the kitchen or when I'm headed out to pick. Although, I have recently been designing one in my head that has a toggle for easy carrying. 

In other news, we took our goat Louisa, to the open goat show at the Harrison County Fair this year. Last year, Cam went just to observe and see what it was all about. This is not the 4H show for the kiddos, anyone can enter. So, we took a goat this year to see how she'd do and for the experience. Turns out, she WON! Grand Champion! She not only won her category of senior does (she's actually just a yearling milker), but she won overall! We were so pleased!

Showing goats has some rules to it, you see. Cam was really not familiar with the showmanship aspect of it. Luckily, the families that were there were very friendly and helpful. One loaned Cam their clippers to trip Louisa's tail in the required fashion (buzzed with a tuft on the end). They gave him pointers for the future about how to spruce her up a bit for the competition. It was great. They were even whispering pointers in the ring about where to stand. Now, that's sportsmanship.

We all went to cheer Cam and Louisa on. Lila told Cam afterward he'd done a "stupendous job!". We were very proud of both of them. 

 

Cam tried really hard to get a good pic of Louisa with her ribbons. She was none too cooperative. She's trying to flee the scene! We hope that next year Lila will take the reigns and show the goats in mini-4H.

Living Garbage Disposals

Lined up to eat

Ok, we don't actually feed them garbage, but they do eat pretty much every scrap of food that is left on our plates.  We have raised pigs now for three or four years.  The first year we had seven or eight up on the hill.  The main purpose of the pigs was to try to seal in the pond that's up there.  Their wallowing, pooping, walking, and generally living on the space was said to be a great way of making the bowl-shaped depression that was unable to hold water into a pond.  So, we bought pigs.  We did a co-op adventure that year, raising the pigs for not only ourselves, but our neighbors and friends.  We each paid a share of the feed costs and then when the time came for butchering, everyone paid their own bill.  Because, if you didn't know it folks, that's what  you do with farm pigs.  They did a pretty good job that first year, but we felt the "pond" could still hold water even better with another year of pig living.  So, again they came. 

Cam got really tired of toting water and feed up the hill twice a day for several of the hottest months of the year, so this year, we scaled back and he built a more permanent shelter in which to house them in that is near the barn.  The down side to that is that they're near the barn.  Which also means near the house where we can smell their smelliness.  And, yes, folks, they do smell.  Cam positioned the pen in such a way that the wind doesn't often blow from the pen to the house, but when it does, peeeeeuuuuuu!  
Aside from the smell, I do actually like having the porkers around.  It makes me feel pretty good that our "waste" becomes food for them and any excess we have actually makes it cheaper to raise these guys because it means less feed to buy. It's also really nice to know exactly where our pork comes from and how it was raised.  I love that the distance from the farm to plate is, oh, about 100 feet.