Joe has settled in nicely and we ride several times a week. Alissa Cue of Rohan Wood Stables has been out three times to provide private lessons at the farm and to help Joe and me work through getting to know each other. The last few rides have been very good.
Dahlia, our calf, has also arrived. She is flighty and suspicious, but she's starting to come into her stall at night with a bribe of grain.
Joe seems to think Dahlia is part of his herd and he's always trying to make her graze where he wants to graze. He also chases her sometimes. I expect by the spring we'll have to have separate pastures for them.
Speaking of pastures, it has been a dry, dry summer. We've tried to rotate the pasture by sectioning it off with wire, but the rains have been intermittent and the grass is not coming back as quickly as anticipated. Rob and I are fencing the middle field today in order to provide more grazing area for Dahlia and Joe.
Kelly, Steven and I picked strawberries at Kenny's Strawberries in Kentville. I picked two flats of berries some of which I froze and some of which I made into jam. This weekend past I picked blackberries. Last night I turned those into jam. The woods are full of berries and chokecherries so I expect I'll make more jam or jelly next week.
I picked up local peaches this week and preserved those as well.
Canned peaches in a light, spiced syrup.
The garden has been providing some meals for us. It was a constant battle to keep the chickens out of it and they enjoyed meals of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and lettuce. We ate beans, peas, Swiss chard and potatoes. If all goes well I will have a bumper crop of tomatoes to preserve. We may need cover it with plastic to protect it from frost while the fruit ripens.
There is nothing quite so rewarding as knowing you have the skills to provide for yourself. I know this fall will be busy with preserving food for enjoyment this winter with Mother Nature providing lots of wild edibles for our use.
