We are getting ready to start harvest next week. The herb garden is mowed; the flower garden is slowly filling up. It will be a pleasant change to have fresh food to eat again and to have the farm full of people twice a week. However, it also means that we have less days to plant and weed. This week we are making a big push to get the last large plantings in the ground and to cultivate as much of the fields as we can.
Even though some of the grass started to turn brown almost a month ago, most of the fields still appear green. It has been cooler lately, which I think has slowed the drying. The fields that the cows are grazing are still regrowing; there is so much for them to eat right now!
The chickens moved in the mobile coop last week. They had to walk across a small bridge to reach it of which they were quite unsure. We were not sure how well the coop would move but it was solid. It takes some skill to maneuver but it is satisfying to see it out in the field, rather than in our barnyard. The chickens spent the week inside the coop and we opened the doors today. We were excited to see them outside on grass but they were less so; they were rather timid about venturing out. Soon enough they will explode out of the doors when we open them.
My friend, David Howekamp, took some lovely photos of the May Day Festival; I could not resist sharing this one of the line up before the dance. He also took an excellent shot of a barn owl. We do not see the owls that often but we hear them all night and find their droppings all over the barns. I am grateful for their presence on the farm.
