November!

Cool crisp fall days, the leaves are now mid-color change and quickly going brown and raining down from the trees.  Several days of light frosts have closed the summer chapter on most local gardens.  Today I will go to Pam's farm and start the pre-cooking for the hay crew.  Wednesday or Thursday should be baling day.  This is our first adventure in baling with our own equipment.  It's exciting!  More than half the hay for this cutting is laid down and drying already.  Saturday saw the start of muzzle loader hunting season, so you hear the occasional "pop" of long rifle fire in the distance.  It's time to gather winter meat.

Yesterday brought a visit from friend Stephanie, complete with a new turkey hen to join the Red Bourbon pen, a crippled  roo (born with a deformity) that we've been passing around among us for several months, and a duo of young Silkie hens to join Mulberry's crew.  Among the treasures she brought were an old washtub that needs to have its rust banished, an armload of fresh eggplant from her garden, and a flock of half gallon jars. 

I need to find my recipes for making tofu to share with a friend.  If you like it, and have never made it yourself, you should try it.  It's a little labor intensive, but the delicate, mild flavor and texture make it exceptional.  It's a little like making cheese.

The new turkey hen seemed to settle in fairly quickly once Patience, the Naragansett cross, gave up picking at her.  It was an adventure to convince the two toms that they really COULD get on the roost, even though there was someone else up there and it looked "different!" Standing in the turkey barn with a flashlight at dusk, patiently talking them through the half flying leaps up on to their 4 foot high roost, I was thinking how comical it was that 15 lb. turkeys were so insecure.  They should know by now that no one is gong to eat them!

The crippled roo went into a cage in the brooder house where the young birds live, so that he could have company.  The last hot light brooder bird went in with him so they could keep each other warm.

It will soon be time to gather up the milking equipment and go start the goats' day.  You have a great one, too!