I am sitting on my back porch on a beautiful Fall morning with a nice cup of coffee... I could not be happier but what is that sound??? My bees are not as happy and all I can hear is their buzzing around the yard! I went into my three hives yesterday to inspect the situation for the upcoming cooler weather. What I found is not what I was hoping for. One hive is doing great. They have plenty of honey to get them through the winter. Their numbers are strong and they are content to feed on goldenrod. The other two hives, however, are a total mystery to me. I found NO honey in either hive. They have been weak all season and I was hoping the fall bloom would strengthen them, but to no avail. I made the decision to take off the extra boxes since bees will freeze if given too much space and wax moths will come in. After taking off the boxes I noticed that the two weak hives were attacking one another. I went to bed in hopes of a resolution in the bee wars but came out to find hundreds of bees on the outside of the hives. Not a good sign. I quickly put on my gear ad replaced one of the empty boxes to give them more room. I'll watch them for a few days and see what happens. The real concern is the lack of honey. Bees need honey to eat during the cold winter months and since mine have none, I am going to have to feed them. This is not something I normally like to do since sugar water is not their natural diet but I am forced to give it a try. Without it, they will surely perish. I am keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for a mild winter and determined bees.
My friends Kelly and Erica brought over their shiny red "Whiz Bang Chicken Plucker" and I'm going to give it a whirl today. I've always plucked chickens by hand so today will be a new experience. I've already processed most of the broilers but three chunky birds are still waddling around the coop. Today is their day. They have proven to be very tasty and at about 10 pounds each, they provide a lot of meat. I cooked one in a browning bag covered with Apple Butter and it was the tasiest chicken I've ever had. I plan to add the others to the freezer and enjoy them through the winter. I do have some Mango Chutney just needing to be enjoyed so chicken may be on the menu tonight in Mill Creek!
Charlie and Butterbean, my dwarf Nubian goats, are starting to get their winter coats and have fluffed up quite a bit. A few weeks ago Josh, Jordan, and I spent a whole day making a new paddock for them using electric wire. They have now eaten most of the green in the area. It amazes me how much they are able to clear out in only a short time. One of my students came over yesterday and just loved spending time with them. He fed them carrots, one of their favorites, and discovered that Charie will take a carrot right out of your mouth! They are entertaining and cute to say the least! I am giving more thought to breeding Butterbean so that I can venture into the world of milking but do believe I'll hold off until I've gone through a winter with them first.
The garden is alive and beautiful! I now have planted the following: 3 varieties of lettuce, swiss chard, arugula, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, chives, cabbage, spinach, kale, corn salad, leeks, onions, garlic, beets, radish, carrots, and cilantro. The first salad of fall was wonderful and I look forward to many more. I also look forward to starting up with CSA boxes again and should be able to make a full delivery in a few weeks.
On another note, my house now has a beautiful new red roof! After working for 4 days straight, it is finally done. Thank you to my amazng brother for all of his hard work. Friends also came over to pitch in and without them I'd probably still be nailing! I chose to go with Ondura roofing. It is a recycled composite material that I am very happy with. The waste was close to nothing since we were able to put it right over the one layer of shingles on the roof. The only drawback is that it takes a lot of nailing and a nailgun can't be used since there are rubber washers on each one. This was a project that has, most literally, been hanging over my head for quite a while. Now maybe I can start saving for a shiny new TRACTOR!!!!
Happy Fall to all! I'm off to kayak the Newport River today and enjoy the perfect North Carolina temperatures.
Thank you Mike Gerken for this amazing image of Ms. Papa doing her thing!
