Installment #7

of “One of these things just doesn’t belong here…”. This one is pretty obvious, but it just cracks me up! Other installments are here.

So what’s been going on around Sugar Creek Farm lately?

We’re just about done with our spring “on-the-hoof” beef sales. Next week is our last beef butcher date until fall, and that entire last heifer is going to be butchered into cuts for this summer’s farmers markets. Our freezers here at the farm are pretty full, so we’ll just store this one at the locker until we need it.

Despite a couple of last-minute cancellations we were able to get those quarters sold. (Though there is still one small quarter. Call it now, or we’re going to eat it ourselves! You still have time, it’s hanging now and won’t be cut until next week.)

Every Sunday afternoon we load one up and take it to the locker. They kill first thing Monday morning. Matt likes to take them in the day before so that they can have the night to relax again and not be stressed at butchering time. Overall we’re very happy with how beef sales have gone this year.

We’re just beginning our spring on-the-hoof pork sales. We have 15 head, with only 5 and a half spoken for at this point. We’ll also have some of these butchered into cuts to sell at farmers market this summer, but haven’t decided how many yet. So if we don’t get more of these sold on-the-hoof we may finally sell our first pigs to Niman Ranch. Going to have to decide what we’re doing in the next few days. (So again, speak up if you want some! March 17, March 24, or April butchering dates.)

I’m getting excited about starting chickens next month! Only about a dozen more and my first batch will be sold out already. That’s a good feeling 🙂 In fact we’ve probably had more early orders for everything this year than ever before. I got on my soapbox in our yearly newsletter a little bit – apparently it worked!

I finally got seeds ordered today. I feel so behind, but keep telling myself it will be okay. We don’t sell produce, this is just for our family vegetable garden.

Otherwise the winter tediousness of daily chores continues. Old Man Winter layed another layer of ice over everything again Sunday, and staying upright as you walk across the yard is a chore in itself. The hydrant in the cattle shed froze up, so now a hose has to be run from the yard hydrant to the shed and then carefully drained again after each use. Twice a day. The sows and boar have to be hand watered, as do Madeline’s fair pigs who have finally moved outside. Twice a day. Her pigs seem to be handling the transition to the great outdoors well, but I believe she’s got another post in the works so I won’t say anymore!

But really the winter has gone fast, too fast. I have a list of undone projects that I wanted to finish before we get busy outside. But at this season of my life, what with a busy family, a farm, my part-time work-at-home day job, and the bit of volunteering I manage to squeeze in, those project may just have to wait a good long time. And it will be okay.

3 years ago:

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