First Autumn CSA

The leaves are starting to change here in West Virginia. We have some of the most beautiful fall foliage in the country during October. We get some pretty spectacular views at the house, so I hope to have some neat pictures to share with you over the course of the next few weeks!

It's always somewhat depressing to know that the summer Farmers Market season is coming to an end. We only have two more weeks of a summer market left until the winter market starts. To help ease my sadness about the ending of the market, I stocked up on some summer produce for my CSA box this week.

I picked up a dozen ears of corn, bell peppers, apples, tomatoes, and a huge watermelon. We had some corn last night that was delicious. And we enjoyed some watermelon for dessert. We ate outside and the chickens loved us because we shared our rinds with them.

I roasted a pumpkin from the garden this weekend and I am looking forward to going to the Springs Folk Festival later this week. Dan is ordering some things to make hard cider from the unpasteurized apple cider I pick up for him by the gallon. I also snag a gallon jug of maple syrup. We love that! On the road to the festival, there is an Amish family that generally has a few wagon loads of goods. This is where we got hooked on delicata squash. You can pick up pie pumpkins for $0.50 or $1 and other squashes for just as affordable. I'm looking forward to stocking up on some to throw in our root cellar.

What plans do you have for fall? I'll share some progress on painting the chicken coop and our fall garden this week! Happy Monday!

Coop Progress!

The coop is moving right along!  We are getting excited for our chicks this week and even more excited for the fresh, free range eggs we will get! Here's some progress pictures as of about 20 minutes ago :-)

There will be windows, don't worry. And Dan is currently working on the nesting box jut out on the east side. The "siding" and trim will be painted to match our house. There will also be a chicken door and ramp to the right of the full sized door. 

The planting has also begun in the garden! Onions, potatoes, carrots, peas, and parsnips are in the ground. The seedlings are coming along and we are anxious to get started planting everything else. After the late frost last year, we will probably err on the side of caution and wait a few days past our "last average frost date." One of our next projects will be fencing in the garden to keep curious chickens and deer out!

Have you started planting in your garden? Be sure to check in this week as I share our brooder set up, one my favorite chicken resources, and best of all - fluffy chicks!

Little Flowers

While out watching Dan finish putting the roof on before the rain this afternoon, Kole hands me this:

Our yard is dotted with these little purple beauties. And it made my heart melt to watch my rough and tumble little boy carefully pick this for me. He also picked one for Jenna. I may have him pick a lot more soon and make some violet jelly. Has anyone ever tried it?

In other news, the coop is coming along!

The north side features the man door and will also have the chicken door. The east side will have the nesting boxes in a bump out on the side. And the South side will have a few windows. Dan worked really hard on the design and is anxious to see how well his original passive solar design works.

Here's a view of the coop from the bottom of the garden:

The chickens will be free range, so we will be fencing the garden in. We plan to let them in in the evenings for some supervised pest control.

And here's the view of the house from the bottom of the garden:

It was very cloudy today, with lots of wind. It is supposed to get chilly tomorrow,  with the possibility of *snow.* While I don't want to see any more of the white stuff this year, I know it won't last! Happy Monday!

Coop Beginnings

The coop construction has begun! We decided on a location last night and we picked up the materials for the floor today. The weather was cloudy all afternoon, but cleared up for the boys to put some cement in the post holes. Tomorrow will be the floor. It's moving right along!

Chicken Plans

...are moving right along! We will be getting our 20 babies the end of April! While I'd love to get them sooner, travel and a hard winter make for a delayed start. Speaking of winter...we are to have snow today. And then 72 degrees on Tuesday.  Bipolar much, mother nature??

Dan has been hard at work planning our coop. We spent the other evening poring over our chicken books for guidelines on the design. Yesterday, we stopped by 84 Lumber and Home Depot to check on lumber and their she'd kits. I'm not 100% sure which direction we will go, but we are getting there.

We will be starting our seeds today. A little late to the game, I know...but, I'm anxious to get my hands in the dirt. I'll leave you with our sunset Thursday evening. And when I went out to snap the picture...I heard PEEPERS!  Spring just might stick around!