The other thing we need to start planning for soon is our wood supply. The full woodshed we saw while viewing the property was emptied almost entirely when we moved in, and I need to have the chimney and firebox professionally inspected and cleaned to make sure we're off to a good start. I have some leads on local wood suppliers.
Two weekends ago (wow, how time flies by), we butchered 22 rabbits - a project which had been hanging over our heads as we sorted the house, waited through incredibly hot weather, and planned our butchering site.
The site is temporary, as the workshop needs to be made safe for use or may eventually have to be torn down. We are hoping to work an outdoor kitchen into future plans for the farm. For our purposes, the location worked well enough despite some persistent, inquisitive wasps, and we completed the cull over a 2-day period. Currently we have 12 rabbit casseroles in the freezer, as well as portions of loin, hind and forelegs, and pre-cooked, seasoned meat pulled off of the bones. We made rabbit stock, bone broth, and a bit of extra seasoned gravy - all portioned and in the freezer for future meals. The wash buckets and much of the blood went to the King and Pink Lady Apple trees, and I decided to try saving the hides for curing later, since these rabbits were older (15 and 17 weeks) than the normal 12 weeks' cull. In the future, I look forward to being able to use more of the rabbit offal to feed to chickens and dogs as well. Seems a good way to pay respect to the rabbit's life.
The hides are currently in the freezer, for my attention later in the Fall. From the young rabbits we brought over to the Island with us, we held back a crossbred male rabbit (dubbed 'Thumper,' born of Sweetie and Notch) whom we hope to use in our breeding program, and we sent 2 of his sisters off to start a rabbitry with friends on the Southern tip of the Island. Their 'cost' is being bartered against part of the cost to go in on butchering a local pig for the freezer! We have welcomed 2 new litters to the rabbitry. Two sisters and first-time mothers have healthy, though small, litters of 5 and 7 kits. They've been wonderfully calm moms and the kits are thriving.
The bees are happily foraging, and we've only made 2 inspections since we arrived due to high heat. A family visit last weekend led to taking off the lid and removing a few bars to explain the hive, and I was so proud (and relieved) that the girls ignored the incursion.
The peach tree on our back deck had been ever so slowly ripening, and I finally harvested more than 100 peaches to put up in the freezer. I froze individual slices, chunky dices for cobblers, and a few whole peaches with skins on, to use for whatever suits in the future. Did you know the skins of frozen peaches and tomatoes slip off easily when they're partially thawed? I still haven't unearthed all of my canning supplies, and there are a few jars of sliced home-canned peaches still on the shelf, so the freezer was the way to go. The unripe peaches were left on the counter, and unfortunately were sampled by our aforementioned "mouseguests."
The ants and mice aren't the only challenges we've had to deal with. There is evidence that people broke into the old mobile home on the other side of the property, and that makes me nervous. We are hoping to have livestock dogs guarding the property and our animals in the future, but without proper fencing, I am unwilling to risk having dogs that might adventure off the property and cause problems with the neighbors. We've also been having some spotty connection with the 'Net, and then my provider was unable to contact the service guy to repair his 90-day-warranted install. 3 days without connection takes a toll when you're supposed to be attending school online. Luckily, the modem was replaced today, and all is again well with the world.
