What a week!

It has been such a busy week! 

Monday: I made a huge batch of feta- apparently it is Maine's favorite cheese right now!  I also met our new state dairy inspector, gave her lots of product samples for the lab and walked through the facilities with her during the inspection. Doug, Jens and the Mossbraker crew worked on cleaning out the heifer winter barn and putting up new walls and fencing to convert it into a chicken housing area.  We currently have about 65 laying hens and 200 started chicks- there will be lots of eggs this winter! 

Tuesday: Doug and Jens finished the first cutting of hay on our home field. The aged manure and lime we applied in the spring has made a big difference in the quality of hay this year. 44 bales of wrapped baleage line the edge of the field and will just sit and wait to be eaten this winter by the cows.

It was my birthday today, the big 4 - 0! It was absolutely beautiful weather and my sister, mother and brother -in-law made a surprise visit and brought me plants from their gardens.  We didn't waste any time in getting them in the ground.  Plants mean so much more to me when I can look at them and remember the person who gave them to me, and know they came from that person 's garden. A new garden bed is in the works, wrapping around the porch and front of the farm store building.  I finished the day by doing my civic duty and going to the town council meeting where I serve as a councilor for District 4. My district is the largest in voter size and area because it is basically the most rural part of town. District 1,2 and 3 are described in detail by street borders, and the description for district 4 is basically "everything else not previously described".

Wednesday: After the usual get up super early and send Doug off to market in Portland by 4:30am, I milked cows, fed the rest of the critters and set myself to replanting the sweet corn and grain corn.  The crows had a feast on the newly sprouted plants! I spent an hour or two replacing the drive belt on the tiller and going to pick up the new seed at FedCo. Before I knew it , the day was over and I only had one patch retilled and ready to plant! Not as production as I had hoped.

Thursday:Made a batch of raw milk Tomme and packaged all the feta in jars of brine.  The crumbles will be mixed with herbs and packaged tomorrow.  After morning chores, Doug spent the majority of the day mowing a neighborhood field.  He figures it was about 7 acres or so. After evening milking, Doug installed the new heating element for the pasteurizer ( two day shipping turned in to four!)

Friday: Made a batch of yogurt this morning and packaged feta, cut and wrapped cheese wheels for markets tomorrow and bottled milk. Hoping to work on teh garden some more this afternoon. Doug and Jens are going to be raking, baling and hauling all the hay he mowed yesterday. Once they get the bales back here to the farm, they will be wrapped and set with the previous ones.