The End of Summer on Our Homestead
Autumn is on its way and the nights are getting chilly. Our garden harvests are tapering off. The last batch of tomato sauce has been tucked into the freezer, alongside green beans and mixed vegetables. The hay field next door has been cut for one last round of hay. Flocks of starlings are gathering for their migration and the squirrels are busy stuffing acorns and sunflower seeds in the loose soil of my garden.
I love this time of year, when the weather cools down and apple orchards open for business. Pumpkins start showing up on doorsteps and straw bales and corn stalks adorn front yards. School buses are making their rounds. Leaves are just beginning to show a twinge of color. It’s almost autumn!
Soon I’ll butcher my old stewing hens for canning. I can’t feed them through the winter when they aren’t laying anymore. There are enough young pullets and ducks laying now to take their place.
The latest batch of turkeys will (hopefully) be ready to butcher in November. This might be the last time I raise my own turkeys for a while. It’s a bittersweet feeling. Every time I think about butchering my birds, I begin contemplating vegetarianism. So far I’ve always managed to muddle my way through the sad process. I know I can’t feed 10 turkeys through the winter either!
What are your plans for fall?