One Year In

The last post on the blog was back on July 4^th.  Already it is Thanksgiving.  Where did the time go?!  Well, the weeks and months in between have been the proverbial hive of activity.  As a result, much has changed on the farm. 

From a livestock perspective, two litters of guinea hog piglets have expanded the porcine population.  Trudy had another litter and Bitsy had her first where she farrowed 9 piglets with 8 of them surviving.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 were taken to the butchers in September.  Collectively they weighed 620 lbs and produced over 450 lbs of pork.  This necessitated purchasing another freezer!  Despite the many hours invested in building the guinea fowl a big coop the guinea flock quickly began roosting in the trees and have never looked back since.  Despite living wild, only two or three birds were lost to predators.

Guinea fowl up in the trees.

This morning three piglets were delivered to their new owners.

New additions to the farm include a pair of Blue American Geese (a medium-large heritage variety) and some American/Sebastopol crosses.  The geese were brought in as plan C to keep the grass and weeds under control in the orchard following the lack of success experienced with the chickens (plan A) and goats (plan B).  The chicken flock has grown significantly and the Orpingtons on the top field have been integrated into the poop coop for efficiency purposes.

American Geese

White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks were brought in as chicks earlier in the year.

The orchard was finally completely fenced with 4x2 wire using wooden posts and T-posts with a number of gates including a farm gate (I finally got the “hang” of the fencing thing).  The fence has helped tremendously.  The ducks and chickens now have two fences separating them from predators.  The fence also means the geese can roam across the orchard (and no further) and the goats can roam outside their pen without eating all the fruit trees.

Fencing seems to be never ending.  Hanging hog panel with number 2 son today.

The garden has undergone the most radical transformation.  The current garden is only 1/6 the size of the original.  Keeping a large garden is definitely labor intensive.  The new smaller area is making use of raised beds and mulch to keep the weeds under control.  Goats, pigs and chickens are occupying the rest of the area that used to be the garden.

In the midst of all the activity going on the one year anniversary in September slipped by without really noticing it.  So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, now is a good time to look back on the whole Hereward Farm venture.  Clearly there is much to be grateful for; the opportunity to live a long standing dream for one.  A little over a year in and the farm is up and running.  So far it has proved to be an interesting roller coaster ride.  On the cost side, countless hours of physical and mental labor have been invested and the learning curve was (and still is!) steep.  Significant financial capital has also been invested.  On the benefit side, witnessing first hand the natural cycle of life with the land and the animals is a priceless experience.  The early mornings and hard physical labor are actually quite fulfilling ("fun" would be pushing it a bit).  Most of all, however, the knowledge, skills and experiences gained so far are considered important assets for an uncertain future. 

Bearing Fruit

The unseasonably warm weather and plenty of precipitation have been much appreciated by the orchard.  The heirloom fruit trees planted by the previous owners are bearing fruit.  We are not the only ones to benefit from the weather - Alabama’s peach crop is hitting the market several weeks earlier than normal.  As a baseline for future years, here are a few pictures of the various fruits taken May 14.

Apples

There are a number of apple trees in the orchard.  If all these apples make it to harvest then a fruit press and fermentation equipment may be in order.  Gallons of cider (as in Scrumpy) should result.  Another use for cider (besides the obvious) is to produce apple cider vinegar.  This is a useful folk remedy for just about anything that ails you – for both humans and the farm animals.  I remember drinking some rough scrumpy while at Bath University and can appreciate the medicinal qualities – it definitely made me sick.

Pears

While some of the apple varieties are doing better than others, all the pear trees are teaming with fruit.

  

Blackberries

These are growing like weeds all over the property.  I planted some additional heirloom varieties last fall that are already producing large berries.

Wild

Cherokee's planted last fall

Mulberries

This tree is in the front yard and was severely damaged by the April 27^th tornado last year.  It was touch and go whether it would make it.  Only half the tree is growing but the wonderful mulberries it produces are worth the eyesore.  The best way to collect the berries is to place a sheet or tarp on the ground under the tree and shake the various branches.  The berries fall out and you just pick them up.  Unfortunately, the squirrels have been jumping from tree to tree to avoid the dogs and they have already knocked a lot of the fruit out of the tree.

Blueberries

When the chickens were free-ranging in the orchard they helped themselves to the lower hanging blueberries.  As soon as these berries ripen and are picked, the Guinea Hogs will be let loose in the orchard to graze.

Muscadines

The muscadine bunches are still quite small on the established vines.  Some new vines were planted this year in what will eventually be the vineyard.  Last fall I remember seeing ripe muscadines all over and made a mental note to pick them.  The next day I went out with a bucket but could not find a single muscadine grape.  The birds and deer beat me to them.

Figs

Some new fig trees were planted earlier in the year beside the driveway up to the house.  There is an established tree in the orchard and an even larger fig tree outside of the house – this place was known as Fig Tree Farm after all!  There are hundreds of baby figs - looking forward to fig preserves later in the year.

So, with the snake from the last post, the apple beginning this post and finishing with the fig leaf - I am picking up on some definite Garden of Eden undertones here....