Spring Creeping

Spring is creeping in around our farm. We had a nice, productive weekend, but for once, didn't feel rushed to get things done. Saturday I made a grass fed beef roast, carrots and potatoes, homemade bread, roasted corn and German red cabbage.

I let dinner stew in the crock pots, wafting the delicious smells of garlic and onions, baking bread, and the tangy sweet-sour smell of the cabbage throughout the house.

Outside, we had a glowing fire going under our first boil of maple sap.

When we finally capped the last jar, we had a little under 3/4 gallon of sweet earthy syrup.

Oliver spent the day attacking a most ferocious stick.

You can never be too sure about sticks.

They'll come at you when your not looking, so it's better to keep the upper hand...

...we think the stick won. 

After dinner, we decided to experiment a little further in our maple syrup project, and we successfully made maple sugar candy. (I'll have a how-to post up soon.) Man! Is it SWEEET!!!

Sunday, we went to mass and then stopped by the feed store for a few supplies. When we got home we trimmed all the goat's hooves, dewormed everyone and trimmed the turkey's flight wings so they don't jump the fence and go in the road.

In other news, the chicks are getting big. I forget how fast they feather in. 

I thought it being Monday, that the farming experiences would lull back into the weekday routine, but I got an exciting e-mail from a new farming friend and neighbor that we met last week.

Like us, they have a growing farm and lots of fun new experiences to try. Last week I helped her shear (her and my first) sheep. I can't believe how complacent the sheep are. She sat the sheep up on its hind quarters and the docile sheep simply let me shear it. No fidgeting, fighting or whining like we get with the goats. The beautiful wool came off in one large sheet, and the skin on the sheep was nice and tight which made it far easier to glide the shears across.

Tonight I'm trying my hand at helping to milk her cow. We're both new to this, as this is their first cow as well, but it's fun to learn new skills together.

You never know what your day will hold. Especially if you live in a farming community.