Marco and I held high hopes for this spring and summer. Learning from last summer's mistake, we began our seedlings indoors around March. We planted 12 different varieties of peppers, two varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, crazy squash, sugar-snap peas, green beans, edible soybeans, brussel sprouts and field corn and soybeans for the chickens this winter. All of these seeds were lovingly placed in cups of dirt, sprayed with water regularly and given as much light as possible. By springtime we had a strong group of plants looking forward to stretching their roots out in rich, moist soil.
As the spring began to warm, Marco and I set to work getting the gardens ready for the abundant seedlings waiting in the house. We had broken ground in two new areas to accommodate all our budding vegetables. We spent a month going through each garden 30 or 40 times with our small, old tiller. We love that tiller. It had a life expectancy of a week and it kept on going until the job was done. The reason for tilling the ground so thoroughly was to ensure the soil was soft and fine enough for the sensitive seedlings. Unlike field corn, plants like peppers and tomatoes don't flourish easily in chunky ground.
Finally the day arrived when Marco and I transplanted our seedlings into the gardens. We gave them a good watering to encourage them to settle in and hoped for the best.
The animals, in the mean time, were going great. Claribel appeared to mellow out over the winter and remained content to stay in the barn corral. The donkeys were settling in nicely. They enjoyed the space they had to run around and a cordial relationship developed between them and the goats.
One lovely April day, Marco and I arrived home from school just as a spring rain began to fall. We ran to the barn to usher the goats into shelter (goats hate getting wet.) Everyone scampered into the barn except Claribel. Marco noticed her standing under a group of trees and not moving. Upon closer investigation, Marco discovered Claribel had just given birth to a baby goat! Such JOY! We quickly set up a nice, warm pen in the barn for the new mama and baby. Claribel proved a wonderful mother and the baby appeared wonderfully healthy and hungry.
This is mama and baby hours after birth.
We named the new baby Lothan. We decided we wouldn't de-horn him and soon little horn-nubs began forming.
Lothan is now 4 months old and he's strong and healthy. His horns are huge and somewhat troublesome. Marco and I see the benefit of de-horning goats after they're born. They are less likely to hurt any other animal and they are less likely to get stuck in fences. Oh well, there's always next time.
Since Lothan is grazing on his own, Marco and I decided to try milking Claribel. We got about a half a gallon of milk from her each milking. Once the milk was pasteurized I wasn't sure what to do with it. So I experimented by putting it into our ice cream maker with a little sugar and fresh raspberries....and VOILA! - Alpine Ice Cream! It is delicious and good for the stomach. Marco, who is usually lactose-intolerant, ate the ice cream with no ill side effects.
We saw promise in this new concept - Alpine Ice Cream - so we decided to purchase another female goat to our farm family.
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