Winter is upon us. We have been readying ourselves for the cold and it has taken its sweet time coming. This morning we had the first flakes of the season. I just love snow and hope we have a lot this year….. We’ve got a big pile of wood and the furnace is stoked with it.
There are certain things you do at the end of the year when you live on a farm. One thing is to pick up all the equipment you won’t use for a few months. It never seems there is enough time to do this when things are growing. We’ve still got a ways to go neatening and tidying – it isn’t our strong suit.
We planted our garlic and finished planting the last of the spring blooming daffodils, allium, and English Bluebells. I look forward to the blooms next spring.
I’ve moved the now grown baby chicks out of the rotating chicken coop since the grass has stopped growing. They are now with the adult chickens and they have started laying eggs! We have gone through a dearth of no eggs for a month so it is very exciting to have something to pick out of the nests – just in time for holiday treats.
The sheep are almost finished grazing the fields – there isn’t much grass left to eat. In a couple weeks, they will all be in a field where we have a “greenhouse” barn. There they will stay until next April when the grass starts growing and the ground has dried out. Some of them are looking pretty pregnant. The earliest we’ve ever had a lamb is December 23rd – I will be sure to post when the first baby is born along with official baby pictures. Soon, it will be lambs, lambs, lambs around the blog and the farm. I feel like I have neglected posting animal pictures but it has been so dreary that noone looks very photogenic at the moment.
Our pigs have taken up residence in our freezer. It happens every year and every year it makes me sad and lonely to know their fate. I enjoy feeding them and talking to them every morning. The dogs and I miss the pig routine. We raise pigs so we know where our food comes from and what it ate. We are fortunate to be able to grow our own proteins and share it with friends and family. In a couple weeks the bacon and the hams will be finished being smoked. Here’s an interesting sight from Great Britain to check out if you want to know more about growing your own food.
6 comments:
Poor little piggies. Fated to become bacon.
I know if I lived on a farm I'd end up vegetarian surrounded by hundreds of animals.
Oh, I think the picture of the sheep in the field is beautiful! The poor little piggies, though...but hey, ham is good.
My husband and I dream of having a sheep farm, so we both enjoy your blog very much!
We had pork for dinner last evening, but unfortunately I cannot tell you where it was raised. We live in town, so raising animals, other than cats and dogs, is prohibited. I love the field of sheep, so peaceful and tranquil. Do they mind going into the field with the 'greenhouse barn' area? Are sheep very high up in the intelligence scale for animals? Surely they are higher than chickens!
We will be dining for the next few weeks on the most delicious fresh pork...
A very good friend of ours raises a few pigs a year, and every Christmas he butchers and distributes one as his gifts to his friends. I was not raised in a farming environment, and the necessary ability to separate pet from food... I don't know if I could do it. But I certainly appreciate benefiting from his sensible attitude!
My parents used to raise pigs too. Its hard in the beggining to remember them as pets and see you mom frying bacon up. But I miss the quality and flavor of the sausage we used to get. The store bought stuff just doesn't compare. I keep trying to talk my dad into raising a pig or two again.. some 20 years later.
How lucky you are to live in such a wonderful place. Most people dream of a home like that!
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