making syrup from black walnut trees

Ho boy- did Blind Hog and Acorn ever have a domestic scare this week!  The dreaded "warping of hardwood floor boards!"

Luckily, it was not "zebras" but a much simpler, less exotic cause of the issue.  A bit of cosmetic repair and all will be right with the world.

Hissy Kitty was the first cat taken to the vet- Acorn did in fact trap BOTH Nessie and Lil' Pumpkin who live in the hay barn.  Each however escaped while being transferred from the live trap to the pet carrier.  This issue has been resolved.

Sap collecting and syrup making is over, now is time to begin milking the dairy goats.  Only 8 quarts of skyr remain in the freezer!

Road is getting work done by the county, just in time for the next rains.  Fun fun!

Sleet covers the ground, but it is beginning to thaw.  Thank goodness for ice cleats!

Commercial goats have held off kidding (so far) during these single digit wind chills and icy weather.

Time to begin trapping the barn kitties and get them spayed/neutered.  Actually, Acorn had one in the trap already but it escaped when lifting the trap door to unload into the cat carrier. That was "Little Pumpkin," and "Nessie" was spotted when the "Special Kitty Tuna Pate" was reloaded in the trap...

County road is in dire need of attention, will see if communication with state reps will do any good.  The local road commissioner says there are no funds... 8 loads of gravel is all they can afford over here? 

Getting ready for more goat kids  and goose eggs! Fun on the farm!

Blind Hog and Acorn missed the worst of the last winter storm that went through, almost 3" of rain though.  They are not complaining.  Well, they are complaining about the county road and lack of maintenance...  But what else is new?

A few nice days to get chores done in preparation of yet more goat kids. Garden too could use some attention.

After the podcast, Acorn took Sam and the pregnant goats for that walk up in the east field- goats stayed up there a few hours before coming back to the barn. Dairy kids are growing like weeds, will be able to start milking the moms here in a bit.

All in all, a nice, uneventful week on the farm.  Nothing more strenuous to do that walk to the mailbox and throw a log in the woodstove!  That, and making ice cream but make SURE you know what you are grabbing out of the fridge! Ha!

Blind Hog got to do all the chores by himself for a whole week, timed perfectly with The Big Snow  while Acorn was down in Florida!  Florida??!! Not exactly a vacation but a"rescue" of sorts- getting her dad out of ICU and into hospice where he was able to have a peaceful end.

It was go go go for all concerned; crazy schedules, lack of sleep, emotional rollercoasters.  The PSA take home message is that it is never to late to write up your medical Living Will, DNR wishes, even a legal will:  https://www.freewill.com  You are welcome.

Acorn slept after lunch today, burned up a pot that was boiling down sap.  It happens.  That is one 8 ounce jar of syrup that was lost, plus the 3 gallon pot.

Onwards!

Four dairy does with a set of twins each- lovely!  Other than the first set of twins born during single digits, the others did very well, save for the last kid who had a front leg pointed the wrong way- Call the Midwife!

Grazing changes made, hay is moving out of the barn very slowly (for once!). Nice to have the grazing to carry the feed burden.

Blind Hog got two thumbs up from his cardiologist- good to go for another year. Acorn reports that "the sponsor" has their website up and working... All the small miracles!

Slow week on the farm- cold weather blew in and our farmers spent most of the time indoors.

Verdandi did kick off the kidding season with a set of twins- born at dawn when the temps were 0°F. Oy!  One kid was chilled so much that it would not stand, but an hour inside with some Lyle's Golden Syrup on her tongue and soon she was ready for milk and after that, her momma!

Calli, another dairy goat, has been doing a bunch of talking lately- she may go next. Acorn got all the dairy goats on the milling stand to give their hindquarters a trim- helps with kidding and milking.  Just in time for Verdandi's delivery!

A dozen 8 ounce jars of black syrup in the pantry- expect a bumper week coming up next week for sap. Temperatures will be perfect!

After another unusually warm week, Blind Hog and Acorn were not only able to work the goats and get them vaccinated, but also tap in 25 sap spiles into the black walnut trees, plus a sycamore.  

Acorn collected 19 gallons before the sap flow stopped- due to warm weather, but after the next 10 days the sap should flow again because it is going to get cold...  19 gallons boiled down to five 8-oz jars...  60:1 ratio...

Hay has been fed, woodpile loaded up.  Snow continues to fall...