Thursday, January 20, 2011

Progress





Although I raised a vegetable garden in 2006, these are all first-time major additions to our homestead.

2007
  • planted our first organic vegetable and herb garden including
  • perennial starts of asparagus, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries
  • built a chicken coop and added laying hens
  • added red wiggler composting worms
2008
  • rhubarb crowns planted
  • purchased two Nigerian Dwarf milking goats
  • built a shed for the goats
  • planted fall garlic
2009
  • we added two cold hardy dwarf fruit trees to the front yard, one peach and one plum
  • and two elderberries
  • planted hops rhizomes
  • raised our own laying hens
  • first goat kids born
  • identified maple trees on property for tapping and syrup production
2010
  • planted cranberry bushes and one concord grape on an arbor built in'09
  • shared our garden with our first CSA member
  • purchased bees and hive
  • raised and slaughtered two groups of meat chickens, Cornish cross and Red Ranger
  • added a milking room and kidding stall to our goat house
  • sold two doe kid goats
  • purchased buck goat as a kid
  • butchered a spring lamb
  • harvested and processed acorns
  • invested in land
  • ramped up hard cider production
Changes/considerations for 2011 additions
  • one fall raised group of Red Rangers on pasture
  • add two heritage breed piglets to make use of whey and acorns
  • build a root cellar for aging cheese and storing fall harvest
  • try to produce a brie/Camembert and waxed Gouda cheese from goat's milk
  • begin a small orchard on additional acreage
  • process two lambs
  • give bees another try
  • Meyer lemon trees in pot
  • begin an outdoor mushroom patch
  • add meat rabbits or begin hunting squirrel

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