Missing Willow Farm

Just a sample of what needs to get into the ground soon.  Shallots, potatoes, carrots, beets, spinach, lettuce, peas, kohlrabi & rutabaga.

Every single raised bed looks like this and there are 18 of them. Yuck.  That’s what happens when you spend a few weeks at the end of the growing season on vacation, then head right into the holidays.  Once the cages and stakes are set aside, we’ll need to weed and work in compost.  Then there’s the in-ground potato bed to plow.  This is a busy time for us.

I’ve started four flats of seeds so far, two each of heirloom tomatoes and hot peppers.  We received our seed order for the remainder of the garden yesterday.  The tomatoes and peppers will go in the ground in about two months.  I’ll group the seed packets into timeframes for planting.  Time to get the beds ready.

Here are most of them are so far (plus an older one), thick as thieves.  They run in a little fluffy gang.

Hermione gives me this much milk every morning.  I made my first batch of chevre yesterday and it didn’t set right.  I need to order fresh rennet and culture to remedy that.  I hope to put at least 50 blocks of cheese in the freezer before I get tired of the daily milking routine.  Probably sooner than later.  🙂

Hermione’s back on the milking stand.  Every morning.  Too icy to get the key into our mule?  Nope, still milking.  11 degrees out?  Too bad.  I keep reminding myself goat cheese is delicious.

Is there anything cuter than a newborn lamb?

Jack just can’t resist making angels in the snow.

We’ve had 3 inches of snow in the past 2 hours this morning.  Jack’s been playing in the snow, the lambs are frolicking, there’s a path out to the hot tub and a batch of jalapeno corn bread in the oven to go with the big pot of chili I made yesterday.  Bring it on!

The pond is iced over and we’re bracing for a big snow.  We have a winter storm warning starting tonight thru the next 3 days.  Should be interesting.  I made a huge pot of chili today and the champagne is chilling.  I think we’re all set.