If you want fresh, never frozen chicken ask by Wednesday. Tony harvested most of the broilers Friday and Saturday and will finish Monday morning. So, if you want fresh chicken to cut up, let me know by Wednesday, before I freeze all of them.
Garlic is almost all dug. More than half is cleaned and drying. Each year I try something new with several things. Last year it was cutting the tops of the garlic short before drying. Before that we laid the garlic with full tops out in single layer, but the tops overlapped. That was a lot of greenery to dry down. Our regional Cornell garlic specialist said it was OK to cut the tops, so we did. This year I am doing an “unapproved” thing – washing them before drying. Other farmers on Facebook hose the dirt off. Otherwise I spend hours with a toothbrush peeling the skin down to pretty. We’ll see. Apparently there are a lot of “odd things” out there this year with garlic, and mine is no exception. Amy took samples and sent them to the specialist for diagnosis. But that is something I really like about washing the garlic – it is much easier to see which ones have discoloration.
First Miss Muss has held steady with four ducklings. Second Miss Muss was down to six. Lost 5 this morning. Muscovies don’t quack, and are very quiet, but they hiss in defense and squeak when really upset. I heard her squeaking this morning and went out to see what was up (first Miss Muss and young had spent night with them and they have been bullying the younger ones). No sign of anything amiss other than a splat of awful poop that they emit in defense and only one little duckling. I am guessing fox. The first ones have been spending most nights in the winter henshed, and I have been feeding them in there. This evening I grabbed the remaining little one to lure momma into the henshed with the others, because I assume since the predator had such success it will be back. Normally ducks herd quite well but she was freaked out and I “herded” her around the yard four times before getting her into the henshed. Then she was so freaked that it was at least twenty minutes before she calmed down enough to recognize and accept her little one.
We got 23 Pekin ducklings this week, so I’ll have duck to eat this winter (my favorite meat). They are in the brooder house and will be raised like the broilers. Plan is that after Tony finishes the broilers tomorrow we will move to fresh pasture and put second Miss Muss and baby in with the Pekins out on pasture. We’ll see how if they integrate. Nights are supposed to be cool enough (oh, yes, please) that I will need to string an extension cord out for a heat lamp. But in the brooder house they just get “food”. Outside they will get high protein bugs and goodies that will be good for them. And as far as I know foxes haven’t gotten into the winter henshed, but that has surprised me because there are numerous places they could get in. I will be happy to have them inside electric fence.
Well, I am eating supper as I write this at 10:28 p.m. so that is about all.
Oh yea. Those who got sweet corn Tuesday – I am being so careful to not let it get over ripe that I think it wasn’t really ready. It was OK, but not superb. If yours’ wasn’t good, take replacements this week.
Candy onions are ready!
That and the hoophouse tomato plants have finally taken off and are producing well, and the tomatoes are getting larger. I’ll leave other updates for next week.
