Homesteading: The Dog Days of Summer
Flags are flying, and we are getting ready for the fourth!
But June was busy here on the farm:
Last month brought us the birth of three fillies.
Tantra’s filly, named Xhaphire is super friendly - aggressive friendly, as long as you are scratching her rump… which is kind of silly when a little filly is pushing her little ass to you, for many, many scratches.
She is going to be tall and strong, just like her mama.
The fillly above, who we think is black, will have to get tested for color (she could be a sooty black, bay-black, or even a buckskin).
Still searching for the right “X” name for her. Suggestions are appreciated.
The last born is below:
This filly, named Xassandra (Casi) is super high-energy and so much fun!
We thought we were finished building our broodmare band. The plan was to keep just a handful of exceptional mares and call it good.
Well... that plan lasted about five minutes.
Now we have three more outstanding fillies, and it looks like we’re backtracking on that decision. The reality is that there are so few people breeding quality Lusitanos in the United States that it’s hard to justify not continuing. Every time one of these special youngsters comes along, we look at each other and say, “I guess she’s staying.”
Summer has definitely arrived. By Wednesday, temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees.
That means the mares and foals will spend the hottest part of the day in the barn. So it’s the usual summer routine: cleaning stalls, filling water buckets, checking that all the fans are working, then bringing in the mamas and babies and getting everyone settled before the worst of the heat arrives.
Jade especially dislikes hot weather, so he’ll be joining them in the barn until temperatures become more reasonable.
In the meantime, the mares are grazing in the fields closest to the stallion paddocks. Let’s just say that everyone is keenly aware of everyone else’s presence. The hormones are definitely flowing, which makes riding the young stallions a bit more... entertaining than usual.
The baby peafowl are still living indoors in a brooder. We have six total, three indoors and three being raised by a pealady in the coop.
With this stretch of hot weather, the three babies will probably be houseguests for at least another week before they're ready to move outside.
Our young peacock, Reepicheep, named after the fearless mouse from The Chronicles of Narnia and son of Prince Caspian (the peacock), has become completely fascinated by the constant peeping from the brooder. He also seems to have concluded that the human house is a rather luxurious place to spend the day.
The other morning, we were sitting in bed with the side door open so Kitty could come and go. Suddenly, Robert looked toward the bathroom and said, “What the heck?”
Sure enough, Reepicheep had quietly wandered into the house and made his way into the bathroom. There he stood, calmly surveying what he had apparently decided was his new kingdom.
After a few ruffled feathers, the brave explorer was gently returned to the world beyond the wardrobe.
My vegetable garden is growing like crazy, with so much produce we can’t possibly use it all, particularly the squash.
One of the biggest crops coming on right now is the blackberries. It looks like we’re going to be harvesting bushels of them, and I can’t wait to start picking gallons of berries by mid-July.
The garlic harvest is finished, yielding about 50 pounds fresh. Once the tops finish curing and are trimmed off, that will probably come down to around 20 pounds of usable garlic.
After the bulbs cure for another week or two, I’ll separate the cloves, blend them with olive oil, and freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. It’s a trick I’ve come to rely on because, no matter what I do, my garlic rarely keeps much past Christmas. This year I also sprayed the harvested bulbs with hypochlorous food spray to help prevent mold and fungal growth during storage. So far, it seems to be working.
The basil is thriving. I tucked it into one of the ornamental beds, where it’s surrounded by marigolds and gladiolas. It makes a surprisingly attractive combination while providing plenty of fresh basil for the kitchen.
The beets are coming in nicely as well. Most of them will end up pickled and canned so we can enjoy them throughout the winter, although we’ll certainly be eating plenty of fresh ones over the next few weeks.
Beet tops taste surprisingly like spinach. Sautéed with young squash, fresh garlic and olive oil, they make a great side dish.
We have been so busy that we still haven’t had a chance to AI (artificially inseminate) the cattle. It is getting late in the season, so this is high on my to-do list.
But Miss Evie remains as sweet as pie. I am smitten by this bovine and love introducing her to children.
On another note, Robert planted white clover in many of our pastures this spring. The primary goal was to establish a living cover crop that would outcompete certain weeds, particularly pigweed. So far, it’s doing exactly what we had hoped.
The added bonus is that the bees absolutely love it. The pastures are alive with pollinators, and the hives have been buzzing with activity. If all goes well, we’re hoping for a really nice honey harvest later this summer.
Well, that all the news here on the farm.
Off to do more chores.
JGM
When the homesteading emails arrive, I try to read them right away. There is something so utterly life affirming about the stories of your life on the farm. I don’t know where you get the energy to do what you do, but I’m thankful to vicariously share the experience. The photo of your peacock next to the tub is stunning! All the best to you both and your expanding animal kingdom!
I once attended a residential dinner party sponsored by Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, featuring assorted guests of all species. At one point I made my way to the restroom, but as I cracked open the door, I saw that it was already occupied by a regal peacock standing atop the sink basin and peering into the mirror. Though I still feel it was incumbent upon the peacock to lock the door, I felt momentarily embarrassed, and quickly retreated.
I tried again a half hour or so later, and again found the peacock atop the sink basin. I must have shown a flash of irritation, because the peacock really went off on me. "Do you think it's easy looking this good? Where else do you think I'm going to find all the necessary grooming products? Perhaps you think me unpheasant, but why don't you wander behind a bush in the backyard, or else wait until I am done here." I didn't bother arguing, and just waited uncomfortably until I got back home.