Archive for 'Market'
My goodness, it is nearly September!
July only dried out a little bit and we didn’t really see true summertime weather until a couple of weeks ago. This has been the summer that wasn’t. The rain and damp helped fuel a plague of late blight that ruined many a farmer’s tomato crop and also affected potatoes. My tomatoes seem to have not produced much of anything more because of the constant cool temperatures rather than disease. I have to check the potatos to see what is going on underground. This may not have been the best year to do NOFA-NY potato trails~lol.
The farmers markets have been affected by the damp weather only occassionally which is a blessing. We have only had a handful of rainy weekend days. The fall season is always so much fun with pumpkins and gourds and the cooler weather with a hint of the end of the season making everyone appreciate the market so much more. Hopefully we will continue to have dry sunny weekend days 
We will begin breeding the does in a few weeks for February kidding but the three yearlings that never kidded may well kid in January since I left them with the bucks all summer. Morpheus and Neo are taking their job very seriously this year and have been fighting over whichever yearling doe is in season. I will need milk for winter markets so I need to experiment with staggered breedings to accommodate the demand for cheese year round. I’ll miss the two month hiatus from milking each winter though.
Well, I have a batch of washed curd goat milk cheese on my to do list so I better get to it.
Published under Market, Weather, general,
It rained another 2.25 inches yesterday and we are up to our knees in mud. This month has been filled with rain and we have been unable to finish planting the garden and cleaning the barn. This type of weather is the worst for goats and we are doing everything we can to keep the girls healthy and happy in a bad situation.
The new Gardiner farmer’s market was scheduled to open yesterday but it rained so much it was cancelled. We hope for a better day next week so we can kick off this new market with a smile.
Published under Goats, Market, Weather,
It has been a very busy start to the 2009 farmer’s market season. Both Cold Spring and New Paltz markets opened on Memorial day weekend and the weather was spectacular. We are happy to be joining the vendors at Cold Spring and have been warmly welcomed by the customers who remember our two Saturdays there last October. This is our sixth year at the New Paltz market and it is always a treat to see all the familiar faces who support our market. We have been warmly welcomed at the Tuesday CSA share pick at Brook Farm Project and hope to work out an ordering system for Brook Farm members who pick up their shares on Saturday.
We are just beginning to wean the alpine/nubian cross kids along with Neesa’s and Calypso’s kids. This will make a considerable difference in our cheese production schedule considering we are currently feeding twenty-one gallons of milk to kids per week.
Here’s to hoping for a sunny weekend!
Published under Goats, Market,
The regular farmer’s market season begins in less than two weeks and let me tell you it is BUSY around here. Our live in intern arrived a couple of weeks ago and we have been doing farm clean up and getting things in place and generally running ourselves ragged to make sure that when the market season starts we can make cheese and get to market with a smile on our faces.
The weather has not been our friends lately with rain coming down in huge quantities followed by dry spells that have triggered brush fires and one big blaze on the mountain in the next county. Keeping the goats healthy when the ground is forever wet or the wind is blowing is tough but we want the animals to be as healthy and happy as possible so it all somehow gets done. The milking does have been able to spend time down the hill and have been browsing the spring growth and making happy milk for the cheesepot. Another group of kids are nearing weaning so we will be able to spend more time on paddock rotation and less on milk feedings which is a good thing in the rhythm of the day.
Cold Spring and New Paltz markets open in only a week and a half so milk will be going to culture for chevre on Friday and batches of fudge will be in the works for early next week. Stop by one of the markets and say hello and taste the cheeses and fudge.
We look forward to seeing you.
Published under Market, Weather, general,