MEET ELLEN.
I told you we had a new member of the farmstead, and here he is: our brand new Black Cochin rooster, Ellen.
Although it may seem strange, Jesse and I actually want a rooster in our flock. We wanted a little protection for the girls, plus, we simply prefer fertile eggs. We assumed that at least a few of the pullets we bought a couple months ago would end up being boys.....but we got all girls! So when some dear friends and shareholders offered us a rooster, we were intrigued. We weren't sure about how our small, young hens would do with a full-grown rooster, but shortly after meeting him this past weekend he was in the backseat of the car, on his way home with us. As you can see, he is super friendly....characteristic of the breed. He is getting along great with the chickens, although Wendell isn't quite sure about him yet. Now, hopefully having a man around will encourage our ladies to finally LAY!
- Hannah.
LOUISVILLE, CONTINUED.
Many many many months ago, I saw that my favorite Rufus Wainwright was playing a show in Louisville in August and bought tickets the day they went on sale. Last week, Jesse and I were shocked to discover that it was AUGUST somehow....seriously, where did it come from? Luckily, Jesse's mother stepped in and saved the day, watching the farm for us and allowing us to stay a few days in Louisville. We haven't been away from the farm...well, EVER...since we moved here earlier in the year. It was a wonderful treat, a chance to catch up with old friends, listen to some magical music, and eat lots of good food. The trip was mostly full of coffee shops, book stores, Indian food, and maybe even some ice cream. We went to Hillbilly Tea, where we had lunch on our wedding day last December....so delicious. We also saw the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild- suspecting it probably wouldn't make it to the Danville Cinemas 8 anytime soon. It was a BEAUTIFUL film! Basically, we had a great time feeling like "city folks" for a couple days...walking around town, eating brunch, staying out late. But it was quickly back to the farm life for us....chasing down escaped rabbits and harvesting melons and trying to contain the overflowing tomato pile on our kitchen counters. And we wouldn't have it any other way.
CITY FOLKS.
Greetings from LOUISVILLE! Jesse and I are spending a few days in one of our favorite cities (we spent a pretty special day here last year). We are so thankful to Jesse's dear mother for farm-sitting for us and allowing us a worry free, mini vacation! We will be back to posting soon, with a recap of our trip AND yet another new addition to the Rough Draft family (Yup....more animals).
BOTTLING.
Blackberry season proved to be rather fruitful this year, if I may be allowed a mildly over-literal statement. But we ended up with four different batches of wine with at least some percentage of blackberries involved: mulberry/blackberry, blackberry/blueberry, blackberry, and a surprisingly funky blackberry/beet wine.Wednesday, I decided to bottle what I could.I love natural grape wine––I do––but there is nothing quite like the variety of hues, aromas and flavors of these country wines. Although all the batches have seemed drier than last year's blackberry wines, I'm impressed with how well they survived the heat waves (literally fermenting in our non-air-conditioned house), and how much potential they are already showing. Needless to say, Hannah and I are definitely looking forward to some tasty dinner pairings this winter!- Jesse.
