A big, fat, strawberry! I have some ever-bearers in the garden, most of which have done nothing but look very healthy and happy and green, but didn't put out a single berry. (Which is not surprising, since I only planted them in the spring.) However, last week I saw some green ones and today! Viola!
It was delicious.
And more pink things. Get a look at this baby!
This is a Pink Brandywine. If you've never grown a Brandywine tomato (they're the ones with the potato leaves), do it! They are huge and all meat with a very small seed cavity.
This is the second big girl I've pulled from this plant. Its beautiful tomatoes have made me want to save tomato seeds for the first time, so I will. How could you not want more of this luciousness growing? Oh baby!
Other random things: today I got all the animals fed in the morning as usual, and in the goose house was an egg. .....yeah....I don't know. No one is fessing up to it. I have no idea whose it could be. My best guess is that it's one of Arthur's girls, the Africans. Unfortunately, it was SO dirty that lengthy scrubbing and soaking in the organic enzyme cleaner I use couldn't make a dent in it, so we won't be eating it. When the eggs are that dirty, I'm pretty sure some of the stuff has gone into the pores and eew. No good. That's sad, but I guess I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for this weirdness from now on. Maybe I can rescue a few.
On the goose front, last week saw the departure of these two:
Caroline and Oliver were sold to a local homesteader who has a nice piece of land and a large pond. Yep, it's re-evaluation time. I think once the bustle of the first year is done (which it is for us), you look around and say "What's working and what's not?" Well, the chickens are working, the ducks are working, the rabbits don't do enough to be noticed, and the geese are not only noticed, they are loud and there are too many. We had 9. Now we have 7. I think 7 is still too many. They are great at predator protection, and good at weed control, and great at watchdogging, but they poo everywhere and yell alot. So, time to rethink the numbers.
Believe it or not, this is tough for me. I like the geese. They are intelligent in a way that I can't explain, and it makes their stubborness sort of endearing, instead of annoying--most of the time. Sometimes, they are just annoying. But surprisingly, the hardest thing about shrinking the goose population is my son. I was unprepared for his reaction to the departure of the two above. He cried and cried and cried. So any further reductions will be done slowly. I don't want to break the boy's heart.
But still, I guess he has to learn, just like we all do. Sigh. This is a toughie.
Off that topic, we're going to the fair tomorrow!! Yeay! Chickens! Pigs! Sheep! Goats! Cows! I LOVE the fair. Happy days!
Oh, and we are expecting blowback from hurricane Irene on Sunday. Whoopie! (that's sarcasm, if you can't tell) I have to get things nailed down outside today. In some places, literally.
I've got a busy day ahead, so off I go. Enjoy your weekends!!
Wow, you grow big produce! And I know what you mean about reevaluating things. I have decided to get rid of our Rouen ducks for the same reason. They are far too loud. Our one female call duck is alarm enough, add four more louder female ducks and it is downright painful. Good luck with the hurricane. Keep safe.
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