Oh. I live with such an interesting family. This is what I saw when I came home the other day. Here, let me give you a closer view.
Yup. That is a bee hive. And yes, it is on the roof on the front porch, near the front door of our house. "Don't worry", I was told, "it is strapped down.". Oh, that's good. Then no problem. Something about a swarm way up in the tree nearby. Oh these crazy beekeepers.
Because there is also an active hive sitting on the porch in front of the workshop. I thought those hives were just there to be repaired, but obviously a colony has moved right in. I am happy to do my part to help pollinators, but its kind of "bees, bees, everywhere bees", on Our Tiny Farm right now.
The garlic harvest started this evening. The Spanish Roja were the furthest along, so they were the first to come out of the ground.
We have had perfect growing conditions for garlic and the crop looks great. Like usual the Spanish Roja are small, but we love their fiery taste. Tomorrow the guys will prep the curing area under one of the open sheds.
The Black Angus cattle are looking good. Guess we need to think about harvesting them soon, too, but we want to get a good size on them this time. We tried the smaller quarters last time because a few customers asked for them, but that is not the way to go. You get fewer roasts and steaks and they are smaller than I like them to be. So, back to the larger quarters and people can split them with someone if that is too much meat for them. That said, we have held our vacuum sealed beef in a freezer for 2.5 years and it tasted as fresh as it did a month after harvest
The donkeys and horse are doing fine, too. I have posted a few more pics and a video on the donkey page. We have some yummy blackberries and raspberries right now, but not enough to sell. Sorry. Other crops are looking good, too.
We have had many spectacular storms come through the past few weeks, so thought I would close with a photo of one that scooted by the other day. Hope you are having a great summer!
You have such a beautiful place there. I love the bees, the garlic...everything. I've just looked at the donkey pictures. Aren't they adorable! Maybe one of these days I will get a couple of donkeys. Poppy and I still dream about a small farm in the mountains. Small farms, especially in the mountains, are not easy to find.
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