Suddenly It's Fall!

Hey There !

Dave from McElhoes Family Farm/Belmont here.

Well, the drought hasn't ended, but it seems more endurable now that cooler temperature have arrived. It seems rather sudden. One moment I am way behind in my springtime work and suddenly I am way behind in my fall work.

The picture above is from an old Aquarium in Katie's room. The "worms" are monarch caterpillars she is feeding and growing out to, hopefully, become butterflies she can release to return to their breeding grounds in Mexico. It is said that these later ones are the ones that actually are the "return generation" and breeding stock for next year. She hopes to feed and protect them until they are mature. She has had good success in previous years, but it still seems she finds fewer each year. Last census I heard was nine caterpillars of various sizes, one has already gone into the cocoon, and several are getting close. If you see messy patches of milkweed around the farm stand or our pastures, they have been left for "caterpillar food" We will have some free seeds for you in the farm stand if you interested. Help yourself.

Katie is back to school, so my seasonal child labor is over. Of course, she ain't cheap... Anyway, the summer garden is largely done, and the farm stand, just so recently opened, is running low on our meager selections. Still though, eggs and garlic seem to be flying out. Thank You to anyone who has been kind enough to stop by. We hope to have more stuff next season, and in the meantime we will continue to offer everything we can.

Our next batch of Pastured Chickens is looking to be ready in probably three or four weeks. They are healthy and lively, but our late start means now they have cooler evenings, and while not uncomfortable for them, they do EAT a great deal more. We will have one more small batch a few weeks after these, and then we will be done (finally!) for this year. I will keep you updated here, and if you are in our Chicken Club and haven't already purchased, we will hold back supplies until your orders are filled. If you haven't considered our Chicken Club, watch the website for the upcoming year's offer.

Thanks for Listening,

Dave

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly." ~ R. Buckminster Fuller