No entries since January but we certainly have not been idle! The 470 first cross (Border Leicester x Merino) ewes arrived late December with 226 other ewes (on sold) and 4 wethers (into freezer…) and all had to be crutched and drenched with Cydectin for worms. They have settled well and putting on weight in muscle and wool so fingers crossed for shearing in late September. We have lost six, hopefully in the German’s Pinch scrub forest and not to human predators stealing them for their freezer.
We have also put in a new small dam in the western paddock to allow us to keep the sheep there and rotate their grazing. Before we would have had to open up almost 45 acres in three paddocks so a big improvement. The dam will take time to fill from rainfall and fortunately we have had more than usual.
We sowed 70 acres of Graza forage oats in mid April and the seeds shot well with the rain. We’ll put the sheep through in late August to finish them off before shearing and subsequent sale as breeding ewes. This year we will hold the best back and put with a ram to produce some lamb in May next year.
We made and erected the new sign for the farm in mid April and finally, we did some hunting and gathering…well gathering mainly. The hedgerows were laden with rosehips and hawthorn berries plus an escaped Pink Lady apple tree. We have made rose hip jelly, hawthorn jelly and an apple, tarragon and thyme jelly. Add to that some grapefruit and lime marmalade and it has been a pectin paradise in the kitchen! Perhaps best of all though was this year’s quince paste – a delicious tasting amber accompaniment to cheese and, if I do so myself, a triumph! Eat your heart out Maggie Beer…
Next time some more photos and a collection of sightings, some good and some not so appealing.
Ciao!!
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