We are now raising about 35 arcauna

rooster. He keeps the hens really happy. Hopefully we have enough new chicks that are hens to keep the flock of egg layers going, so we have plenty of eggs to sell. All the roosters get canned, frozen or sold this fall. We don't keep any roosters unless we need a new one to replace an older one. Some of the older hens will be canned this fall, and the new ones will take their place.

My newest venture is trying to raise some houdan chickens. They are black and white with little black and white caps on their heads. Gail and I went to PA to pick up some Maran eggs and chicks and I fell in love with the houdans. Connie didn't have any sexed houdans for sale, but she had a dozen eggs. So, home to the incubator they came. Our newest hatch will hopefully be a dozen Marans, a dozen houdans, and another dozen arcaunas.

Gardens are doing well and the Farmers Market opens tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait. An Amish friend has a greenhouse full of ripe red tomatoes and I will be selling them tomorrow. That should get the people out and interested in the market. We have organic strawberries as well. I'll fill in the edges with greens and scallions, some salad garlic and my usual batch of honey. This should be a great year for us at the market.

Just finished a class on cheese making. I did the plain curd and did a small demo on making the cheese culture. People are more excited about making the cheeses if they can do it hands on. Its so much fun.

I rescued a dough bowl from Michelle's table. It had a huge crack in it and she didn't know how to fix it. Just soak it in hot water in the bathtub overnight, and then let it partially dry. Coat it with oil and let it soak it up and do it again if necessary. Works every time.