Harvest / Grass / Pears

Diary

Posted: Monday 24 July, 2023

by Rosemary at 10:18am in Smallholding Comments closed

Tuesday 18^th July

Blackcurrants and white currants. I didn’t even know we HAD white currants here.

Wednesday 19^th July

We killed and cleaned this year’s meat birds today. We bought 12 day olds; lost one a couple of days in and one at maybe six weeks. So ten to kill; total cleaned weight 28.09kg, average 2.81kg, top weight 3.68kg, bottom weight 2.42kg. Sadly, I didn’t keep very good notes of inputs – feed mainly – but the price has rocketed. I reckon that each bird cost about £10 to raise.

Plus we have chicken heads, feet and necks for the dogs. Happy puppies.

chickens This year's chicken harvest.

Friday 21^st July

We have butternut squash. And the sweetcorn in the polytunnel has set cobs.

Butternut squash.

The cucamelon is bonny and there’s little fruit on it but, to be honest, I’m not hugely impressed. Probably just stick to cucumber in future.

Cucamelon.

Saturday 22nd July

Warm, wee breeze, rain overnight into this morning. Perfect growing weather.

Moved the cows into Near Top; so much grass. What a difference having no sheep. We haven’t topped since early spring, which is kind of killing me, but the sward is just moving with insects.

grass Braw grass.

Dan picked thousands of peas and podded them watching the cricket highlights. He also strimmed the front “grass” and started thinning apples. We have a bumper crop of pears.

pears Pears.

I weeded.

The move might have been a mistake; Grey’s not a happy boy because he can’t see his family. Oh dear.

Sunday 23^rd July

Warm but with a brisk breeze.

Grey rearranged his pen overnight, so there was a bit of dismantling and reassembling this morning. When the cows came in for a snack, I shut them in until Dan had whizzed round Home and the two Ditch paddocks with the topper, before letting them out into Near Ditch.

tractor Topping.

At least Grey can see them there, most of the time – and there’s not huge amounts of grass, so they might come in for a bite of hay. We’ll all be glad – including anyone In earshot – when he gets out tomorrow.

Bryn and I pulled all the ragwort in Far Top and Sheepfold. Sheepfold is hellish – poor grass and lots of plantain. Dan and I had a chat and we’re going to see if the bloke who stitched Laing’s Field for us a few years ago will reseed it for us at reasonable cost. Otherwise, we’ll do it ourselves and just broadcast the seed.

Dan banged in a new clothes pole; I suggested I could just run the rope to one of the posts in the hen pen, but he wasn’t awfully happy with that idea.

This evening’s dinner – mutton, potatoes, French beans, peas, carrots and shallots -was all home produced. Very satisfying both physically and emotionally.

dinner Home produced food - what it's all about.