RABBIT SEASON.
Strangely enough, Jesse has a history with catching rabbits with his bare hands. After an incident at Bugtussle where he hopped off a tractor and snagged a bunny, he now chases after each and every rabbit we encounter with the hopes of repeating this miraculous feat. Well, yesterday, while I was down at the house writing a letter (hello Kristen!) I got a call from Jesse – “Hurry! Come up to the garden!” I rushed up the hill to find a little baby bunny in a bucket! Jesse had seen it while mowing, jumped off the tractor, and scooped it up! And as if this wasn’t weird enough…later, when back at the house, I heard a knock at the sidedoor and there stood Jesse – with ANOTHER bunny!It was pretty adorable getting to play with these little babies, especially since our rabbit Reba did NOT have her little ones. We don’t know if the breeder lied about her being pregnant, if they were simply mistaken, or if she has some complications…but her “kindling” date has come and gone. So, we will simply try again. And since rabbit gestation is only about 25 days – we shouldn’t have to wait very long!- Hannah.
FALLING FOR IT.
They say money doesn't grow on trees, but those people are decidedly not farmers. However, our trees (er, plants) need some rain to grow some food to give to our shareholders...and quick! But don't worry friends, this isn't going to be another post bemoaning the drought. Hannah and I are just ignoring it and getting some good work done!Beyond the watering we've been doing––hauling jugs of water up to the garden on a daily basis––we've started experimenting with microgreens! This is actually something we've been wanting to do for a long time and it's only now that we have no choice. If it works, it might help to punctuate our CSA offerings for the rest of the season. If not, then we'll adjust and keep trying because we. love. microgreens. We also went ahead and started a small run of fall items––broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage––with the anticipation that it will, probably, hopefully, rain again one day. And since the garden is still dry, we've been watering in beans, planting more cilantro, more basil, more carrots and all sorts of other tasty things! There are some possibilities for rain over the next few days, so we're remaining hopeful, working on the last half of our summer season and getting ready for what's going to be a spectacular fall season. And I rarely use the word spectacular, if that gives you any indication of our expectations!Also, everyone wish Wendell a happy 1/2 birthday today (six months old, half way to being a horse). ALSO also, we should be expecting baby bunnies within the next week!Here are some day-by-day shots of the greens. They grow so fast!
- Jesse.
SWEATY ANIMALS.
So, I don’t want to jinx it or anything, but it is SUPPOSED to rain in the next few days (I am knocking on wood as I type this, just in case). And as much as we are looking forward to this possibility, we are also hoping for a drop in the temperature! As uncomfortable as this heat wave has been for Jesse and I, it has been truly hard on the animals. I had to skip the delivery this week, simply because the animals need constant attention. By early afternoon, the rabbits need ice rubbed on their ears until they revive. We freeze bottles of water and lay the delirious rabbits on top of them. The chickens need new water every hour or so and huddle in the shade, panting and holding their wings out to the sides for ventilation. Poor guys! I feel terrible, wishing I could explain to them, apologize. We ourselves don’t have air conditioning, so I can do little to lessen the heat for them. I can only provide fresh water, fan them, ice them, and hope for a break.
Even the bees are struggling! Early evenings, they can be seen “bearding” on the hives. Bearding is what occurs when the bees are too hot - the bees huddle along the outside front of the hive. Hives need to maintain a temperature of 90 to 95 degrees, but when they OVERheat, the bees come outside the hive to lower the temperature, fanning their wings and creating ventilation. This usually occurs at night, when all the bees are inside the hive and it is more crowded then midday, when half the bees are out working the fields. For our hives, this has been happening pretty much EVERY night. I added empty super to the hives, and some extra vents on the top, but it is hard to compete with these temperatures.
Is it fall yet?!
- Hannah.
ANIMAL FARM.
So, for those of you waiting to find out what brand of creature Hannah and I were preparing for this week...we'd like to officially introduce you to Johnny, June and Reba––our new RABBITS! We drove to Lexington on Thursday and purchased two young bunnies and a pregnant "doe" as they are referred to in rabbit terminology. They will be our breeders and, according to the wonderful people who sold them to us, we will have baby bunnies from Reba on July 16th, or thereabouts!Between the chickens, the new bunnies, and Wendell, it's nice to finally have a variety of animals around. Animals are the heartbeat of a farm, the life, and they give your day routine. They are the first thing you tend to in the morning––even before yourself––and the last thing at night. And even though they do require sacrifice, because you have to be around to feed, water and shelter them seven days a week, they also reward your sacrifice ten-fold. The chickens will soon give us eggs for food and shells for compost. The rabbits will provide us with manure for fertilizer, along with meat and bunnies to sell for more income. Wendell will help protect them. And they all make us laugh and smile. With the addition of the rabbits, Hannah and I are beginning to feel as though, even if we don't own the land, we have our own little farmstead going. And it feels lively.- Jesse.
