March 2011.....Red Fox Farm is stirring!!

Winter 2011 at the Farm

It doesn't seem like that much time has past since the last posting.......WOW!!! So much has happened, so I guess should update all the news that is the news. Last year's harvest was wonderful for just about everything. I made ketchup and now will be trying to grow whatever I need (especially fennel) to make lots more. Lane; our son, Dylan and his significant other, Sarah; and most everyone on the Farm prefers it now. Zucchini and cucumber relishes make things darn tasty when you roast hot dogs or whatever in the fire place. We ate all our potatoes, loved them, but really didn't have enough to last until next harvest. The "3 sisters" way of planting corn, green beans, and squash doesn't work for us. We'll be planting those crops the way we always have this year. We want to plant more specific this year however. For example: several recipes are made from the tomatoes, peppers, and onions we grow; so now we will grow as many of the other ingredients in those recipes as we can. Also we have fallen in love with all the colours in the garden....a kind of patchwork look about things. Our cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, our eggs......who knows where how far we'll go with this theme. Oh by the way............Death to stink bugs!!!!!

Steve, one of the Ameracuna roosters.

Some Delaware hens

Our chickens are laying between 9 to 13 eggs daily. We learned a lot about keeping chickens this winter. If the temperature dips below 32 degrees; heaters in the coop are a must for the water and the chickens. Letting the litter build up on the coop floor is a life saver in frigid temperatures here in Pennsylvania. I recommend wood shavings, The flock will compost it for you. Just sprinkling a fresh layer on every other week through the winter really helps. Always build nesting boxes with slanting bottoms. No one gets a chance to find out what eggs tastes like. One of our Delawares, now known as Cannibal Katie, waits for the other hens to start laying and then force them out of the box to get the eggs. Wench!!!! Slanted bottoms allow the eggs to roll to  safety and we are not experiencing the egg loss as before. Foiled the cannibal's evil plans!! Bwaaahaahaa!!!! A mix of scratch grains and layer crumble does a chicken good and a discovered treats are flock block from Tractor Supply and most especially freeze dried meal worms.

Ameracuna hens and a Delaware hen

Clean up is in progress. Snow/ice/rain/mud has caused a slight delay in our schedule. We're inspecting the raised beds, re-allocating the chicken run which is going to go over like a lead balloon. Prune(not the evergreens of course) and spraying the fruit trees and evergreens for bag worms and others pests. Looked long and hard for no residual types of organic spray. Getting ready to do some serious post hole installation for permanent fencing, gates, porch posts, and last but not least four new fruit trees for the orchard, Then there are all the flower beds. Whew, I'm tired........going to bed. More news later.