Farm Production July/August

Production Numbers for Month #2

As expected, fruit/vegetable production from July15 - August 14 was dismal!  It's just too hot to grow very much, but I did manage to harvest a total of 14.25 pounds of fruits and vegetables this past month.  Totals by ounce are as follows:

                                          Okra                                                  90

                                          Seminole pumpkins                          64

                                          Figs                                                   30

                                          Mulberries                                         19

                                          Jalapeno Peppers                             17

                                          Oregano                                             5

                                          Tomatoes                                         _3

                                                                                                 228 Ounces or 14.25 pounds

Milk production was still strong with a total of 85 quarts, or 21.25 gallons.  Way to go, Ladies.  This number will decline going forward, as I have cut back to milking once a day AND Little Miss Hope is slowing back on her milk volume.  She's been in milk since January and the last time she kidded, she dried herself off at about 7 months.  It's been a challenge to keep up with utilizing all of this milk, so I am not upset about the milk decline.  Cheese making during the summer has kept me occupied, while I watch it rain most days.

Finally, eggs harvested this month totaled 257.  I lost a couple of hens this month due to a combination of age and heat.  My southernmost chicken yard will need some fresh hens this fall and I will wait until our local feed store gets some in.  Last year, they had a good selection of chicks in September, so I won't have long to wait.

Two months of farm production records total:

                                          Milk                     36.55 gallons

                                          Eggs                       518

                                          Produce                52.25 pounds

I'm ahead on my estimated milk and egg production, but WAY behind on the Produce.  I will begin planting my fall garden in October, and then two months later I should begin to play catch-up on those numbers.  Between now and then, my only other crops are sweet potatoes and more bananas.

My first Barbados Cherry!

Blossoms on the Bush/Tree

One last thing...I found a quaint little nursery in a town north of me and purchased something new for me this morning:  Barbados Cherry Bush.  Vitamin C content in a single ripe cherry far exceeds that of several pieces of citrus fruit.  After a bit of reading, I planted it on the south side of the Tool Shed so it will have a bit of wind protection in the winter, plus sun for 2/3 of the day.  It's a small plant, measuring about 3 feet tall, but it already has several cherries and blooms on it.     

I also brought home a small fig tree that was on sale for $10.  The poor little thing needed to be rescued, so it will join my other fig tree in the garden tomorrow morning.  

Ministering and Mentoring...

Sharing the Goat Love

Opportunities to share my farming experiences and love of goats keep popping up!  Last week, we had a Farm Day Visit to a local Retirement Center.  I loaded up two of my young goats, Mocha and Josephus.  Using a wire dog cage and a Radio Flyer Wagon, I wheeled them into a large living room of the retirement home, and the residents were positioned in their wheelchairs in a big circle for a Goat Gala!  What a fun time we all had.  The residents surprised me with their interest, excitement, and participation.  They all got to sample some fresh goat's milk and the each got to pick out a bar of soap to keep and use.  I'm not sure how much my goats enjoyed the outing, but the rest of us had a great time.

This morning, a 14-year old girl came to my farm to see my goat set up and to experience dairy goat farming.  She is interested in obtaining a couple of milk goats and also having a few for meat.  This young lady already has farming flowing through her veins...she owns horses, cows, rabbits, and chickens!  She's tried her hand (unsuccessfully) at growing some stuff, but she's not giving up on that yet either.  Self Sufficiency is high on her list of long term farming goals, and she's doing lots of reading and research toward that goal.  Two hours with her just FLEW by!  We thoroughly enjoyed the morning together and I have a feeling there will be many more days with this young farmer.  Gosh, I love meeting someone like her and secretly wish I had discovered the joy of farming at a much younger age myself.

And the Rain Continues...

Rained In

The whole month of July seemed like one big thunderstorm.  Yesterday, we even had a small Tropical Storm (Emily) pass through.  The goats, dogs, and chickens have been inside their shelters more than they've been outside for weeks now.  We usually have one month each year that is predominantly rain, so July wins the prize for that this year.

The only thing I've got producing in the garden at the moment is okra.  The gumbo recipe I tried last week, sharing it with the whole family of 16, went over well.  That means I will be making it again and canning it. 

For lack of anything new and exciting, here are a couple of photos of my girls, whiling away the hours inside the barn.

Laura Grace is my lazy chow-hound doe.  She's giving about a quart of milk each morning.

Little Miss Hope has been lactating six months now and is providing about 24 ounces each morning.  She's got the richest milk of anyone in the barn, so I keep on milking her for cheese and such.

Speaking of cheese, I'll be making a batch of fresh cheese today to serve as part of dinner this evening....we are having our pastor and his family over for the first time.  Sure hope it's a nice evening for everyone.....