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Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

making chickens happy (and ducks too)

little yellow is always the most photogenic of our flock

pecking through the forest of grass

all the birds checking out their new nest box

The chicken coop got a few fancy renovations this weekend. We had planned to cut the five gallon buckets that were in there in half to make them more accessible as nest boxes now that they have begun to lay eggs, but that plan turned out to be entirely too much work, and a secondary plan was executed instead. We had two old closet doors lying around, so we took one, wired it up like a trough, and hooked it up inside the coop. Instant, free, repurposed chicken nest box. Success. We also set up a small chicken wire fence outside the coop, clipped wings, and let them loose. It's not a huge pen, but it does double the size of their space, with new fresh grass to scavenge through. This means lots of supervision for a few weeks, because we do not fully trust the combination of flimsy fencing, first time wing clipping, and ever curious puppy dogs. 

They seem to approve.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

a late july garden

yellow squash

zucchini plants

gourds - the end of the garden in about the center of the photo

our first melon!

 The garden is going strong, despite being pretty weedy from all the rain and sunshine. We have had more yellow squash and zucchini than we can eat, plus some tomatoes and today I saw our first few melons hidden in the vines! The gourds have taken over and stretch out through the field past the garden's edge. This summer has been a great first year for our garden, we know lots of things to do differently next time, but had tons of good food to eat regardless. Life is in the adventure.

Live simply,

Angela

the mushroom business

our (messy) greenhouse, with new misting system installed

phoenix oyster mushrooms

blue oyster mushrooms

Zae the Protector

We are producing mushrooms, slowly. We are thankful that the demand is behind us, we sell out very fast when we do have mushrooms at market, and there are always more people interested.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

hippity-hops

Zae - protector of the bunnies, part time car cleaning assistant

amy guarding her new litter from me

hopper - now our only buck

We sold our first rabbit at the farmer's market last Thursday. We couldn't be more excited! We will have five more for sale at the Celebrate Catawba festival on August 10 at the Catawba Community Center from 10 to 3. There should be lots of cool things and nice people. 

Live simply,

Angela

bountiful harvests and the joy of fresh eggs

My amazing nieces and nephew helped me harvest some vegetables from the garden yesterday. They have been staying with us for a few days, and it is so nice to see them. We came back with a full laundry basket and a half of onions (red, white, and yellow) squash, zucchini, beets, carrots, and tomatoes. They were all quite tasty (the rabbits enjoyed the beet leaves) and Jonathan made me a great repurposed drying rack for the onions and beats (and soon enough, potatoes.) 

Thank you, first garden, you have taught us much already.

(BTW apologies for the crappy cell phone pictures, I lost my camera, temporarily.)

Oh yeah, and this morning I woke up to our first eggs from our beautiful hens. Yay!

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

july - the rainy season

the smallest bun-buns

bird baths

always interested - our three pretty hens

the first squash of summer

climbing cucumbers

and zucchini

a small harvest from the week

We have not been incredibly productive on the farm these past few weeks, not nearly as much as we should have been, but things are rolling along as they always do, regardless of our efforts (and lackthereof.) The garden has started to produce beautiful squash, zucchini, beets, and onions, which we have been enjoying on a nearly daily basis. The rabbits are growing fast and we should have 30 plus to eat or sell by the end of summer. The hens should begin to bless us with eggs within the month. The mushroom baskets are all pinning and we should have a nice and timely harvest for market next Thursday. 

Yes, despite our efforts, mother nature keeps us moving forward.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan