Missing Willow Farm

Our shiitake logs have started fruiting again.  It’s a Spring/Fall event around here.  I need to pull out a few recipes!

We don’t have a fly problem in our barns because we use fly predators. They are teeny little bugs who destroy the next generation of flies in their immature cocoon stage.  We get a monthly shipment and sprinkle them around our manure piles and forget about them.

Cross fencing our large pasture is in our future.  Brian’s going to try to do it himself.  Thankfully we have water on both sides of the prospective divide.  This will allow us to rest the grass on one side at a time.

Our sheep congregate behind the barn when Jack’s after them.  I guess they’re thinking out of sight, out of mind.

We’ve been harvesting from the greenhouse.  Peas, carrots, beautiful golden beets and a laundry hamper half full of spinach that needs to get in the freezer for making spanikopita down the road.  I spent over an hour washing and deveining the spinach then blanching it in boiling water and dunking it into ice water and… came up with a total of two 6 ounce freezer cups half full.  If you buy frozen spinach and think wouldn’t it be nice to grow your own, don’t bother!  Although, it’s nice to have fresh spinach on hand for salads.

Lambing has started up again.  We’ve had two within the last two days and think we’ve got one more to go.  This is Violet’s little lamb, just a few hours old searching for mom who was off having breakfast with the other ladies.  I can report that they were reunited.  All is well.

Our pickling cucumbers are already producing.  It’s going to be a banner year for dill pickles around here!

I’ve been casually checking our asparagus patch every morning and was delighted to find our first spear.  Yay!  Grilled asparagus risotto for dinner this weekend!

Roy chats me up at the water cooler most every morning.  Usually about his plans for the day, which are typically similar to the prior day’s plans.  At least that’s what it sounds like to me.