Sunday, June 10

Tail End of the Week: Friday (Sunday) Farm Fix #13

Welcome to the Friday Farm Fix, a new series on Farmgirl Fare where I share a random sampling of what's been happening around the farm during the past week (usually on Fridays). Just joining us? You'll find all the Friday Farm Fix posts here.

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (1)
On guard in the front field

For the first time since last September, the entire flock (except for the two rams) is together again. Half of the sheep had already been grazing out in the front field, which is our main pasture, for the past couple of weeks, and a few days ago the moms and our seven remaining lambs joined them.

How do we know it's time to stop creep feeding the lambs? When they're too fat to squeeze into (or out of!) the creep feeder. Of course they don't agree with that reasoning. Nevertheless, the twice a day treats (with hay in between) are over. It's time to graze.

The plan is for the flock to live out in the front field for the next several months, protected by Daisy and Marta and free to eat during the night when it's cooler. Hopefully there will be enough grass out there for them (and the donkeys in Donkeyland) to feed them through the fall. The heat and drought aren't giving in.

I don't remember the fields ever looking this bad, although Joe says they have. In many places you can see more dusty bare ground than grass, and what little green there is just keeps getting browner.

All we can do is pray for rain.

20 more farm photos below. . .

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (2)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (3)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (4)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (5)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (6)

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6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (8)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (9)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (9a)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (10)This is the front field now; you can see it this time three years ago here and here.

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (11)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (12)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (12a)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (12b)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (13)Beagle Bert, bone collector (and Coolaroo pet bed lover).

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (14)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (15)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (16)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (17)

6-9-12 Friday Farm Fix #13 (18)

Want a bigger farm fix?

© FarmgirlFare.com, where this morning I told Joe I feel pretty lame since I can't always manage to get the Friday Farm Fix up on Fridays (although I did have an excuse this week, since I was gone all day Thursday and Friday), and he said, "That's just how farm life is. When you're surrounded by critters, plants, and the weather, you can never plan on getting anything done at a specific time. You just do the best you can." After 17 years on the farm (and being late for pretty much every single off-farm appointment), you'd think I would remember that. As for those promised recipes. . .

18 comments:

  1. Is it me or has Beagle Bert been enjoying a few extra table scraps? hehe

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  2. I continue to love the Friday Farm Fix! I think I even like that it doesn't show up on fridays... it's more realistic and genuine that way :-)

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  3. Thank you for some great photos. Especially enjoying the dogs and chickens..though I love it all!

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  4. I agree with Redd! No beating yourself up, Susan! There's something very honest and authentic about a Sunday Friday Farm Fix :) It's my favorite part of your blog -- keep them coming whatever day it's on!
    Karin

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  5. Friday...Sunday...it's still a Farm Fix and that's what matters! :)
    The fields ARE looking a bit brown and dry but your garden looks great and I love the sheepie scratching on the tree limb!

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  6. Hi! New follower here.

    Just wanted to say that I love your photos! Well worth the wait.

    Just curious, what breed of LGD do you have in the first pic?

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    1. Hi Kaela,
      Welcome to the farm! Daisy is a Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog. You can see more of her here. Her partner Marta (aka Marta Beast) is a tri-mix of three LGD breeds: Great Pyrenees, Komondor, and Anatolian Shepherd.

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  7. It's supposed to rain tonight on Lake Stockton. Hope it moves your way.

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  8. So hope you get Rain, know how important it is to the farm, think we have taken it all here on LI,NY, it's like Florida weather here this spring, sun then rain on and off for days and very humid,though my plants and Water bill love it, just wondering what the summer will be like ...

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  9. Consider rain prayed for..done! Does it make your days a bit easier to have all the sheep together? I hope so. Susan, does that shot show your garlic harvested already? I am growing for the first time this year in hardneck country and just harvested scapes last week. Pesto, yum! If you have harvested, would you please share how you time your harvest? As always, I really appreciate your input. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Cary,
      Your prayers worked - we did get a little rain on Monday. Keep praying! :)

      As for my hardneck garlic, yes, I harvested it all on June 6th - three weeks earlier than last year. When to harvest garlic depends on where you're located; for me it's when about 1/3 of the leaves turn yellow/brown, but in some places you wait until the entire plant turns brown.

      The best way to see if your garlic is ready to pick is to simply dig up a plant. For more help, Margaret Roach offers this helpful post on harvesting garlic on A Way To Garden. (She's in NY and her garlic isn't usually ready until July or August.) She also has a post on harvesting and curing garlic here.

      I was kind of disappointed with my garlic harvest this year, especially since I planted nice big cloves from last year and the plants were so big and promising a few months ago. Our spring weather has been really strange, though, and as you know we hardly had any rain.

      I did spend a lot of time watering the rest of the garden, but I'm so used to not having to water the garlic because it gets enough rainfall that it probably suffered. During the last month of growth you want to stop watering so the papery outer layers protecting the cloves will stay intact.

      I hope this helps! :)

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    2. Thanks so much! I do read and enjoy Margaret Roach and her garlic primers too, but especially appreciate your help. (Oh, and your mystery white birds are definitely some kind of egret. Picture of them in flight is classic. Very neat that you get to see the Great Blue Herons; aren't they amazing?) Have a terrific week!

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  10. Meh....Friday, Sunday, it's all the same when you work seven days a week, right? And I actually kinda like the fact that it shows up Sunday evenings more often than not........... :) I've been thinking the weather here isn't so bad in St. Louis but then I've got a hose. The difference between the front field now and three years ago is really obvious when you look at both photos. I'll be praying for rain in your neck of the woods right along with you. :)

    Have a great week!

    aliceinthemiddle

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  11. Ha! I just harvested my garlic too. Can't wait for it to cure. :)

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  12. I love Friday Farm Fix, too - no matter what day you share it with us! Again,mthank you so much!!!

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  13. Oh I feel for you guys. We had so many years of heartbreaking drought and that fear at the start of each season of what was to come is indelibly planted in my mind. Here's hoping things take a turn for the better for you. And tail end of the week can be whenever you want it to be!

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  14. Those lambs ARE getting round. They look great. So sorry about your fields. Everything looks like late August here, too.

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  15. Hi Everybody,
    Thanks so much for all of your comments. I love that you'll take the Friday Farm Fix on any day of the week.

    Thanks, too, for the rain prayers, wishes, and dances - they worked! We had 3/4" of rain on Monday but could use a whole lot more. Please keep at it! :)

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December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

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