2023 midsummer newsletter
2023 midsummer newsletter
hot days are here and the action is nonstop
In this issue…
Hot weather, cool pigs!
Elijah’s first hay season
Lavender!!!
Podcast - “Small Farm Republic” with author John Klar
The hot days are here and nobody knows better how to stay cool than the piggos. Whether its sloshing in their water tubs or rolling in the mud they do it with style and joy.
Late July evenings are a family affair putting up the hay we’ll need to get the sheep and goats through winter.
Elijah turned eight months old this month and he’s already helping mama drive the hay wagon.
Our hay shed got a new roof just in time. Boy that was hot work up there on galvanized tin in the middle of summer! We were blessed with good weather for the week it took to cut, rake, bale, trailer, and store the hay.
Big thanks to our neighbors Gray, who cut and baled the hay, and Cindy who helped us load and store it.
Speaking of thanks for great friends and helpers, we’re grateful to our friend Jason who helped - all day in the sweltering heat! - with a blitz planting of 51 lavender starts. Huge thanks also to Joe from Smoky Mountain Lavender who provided us with these plants of the “Phenomenal” variety!
We also installed a drip fertigation setup. Figuring out drip irrigation and fertilizing and designing our system was a treat for my water engineer brain.
We plan to expand the lavender operation over the next few years. This will beautify the farm and provide income from selling lavender bundles and oil extract.
I did an interview with Vermont farmer and author John Klar about his new book, “Small Farm Republic.” John also has a Substack newsletter where you can follow his work.
Hopefully our next newsletter will feature piglets from this gal!
Photo caption contest! What to say about these three roommates? (I have no idea why Possum is sitting in the feed tray.)
