I am in no doubt that Autumn has arrived here at the homestead. This is most evident in the changing meadow. All of the long grasses have achieved a pale beige state, the tall nettles are looking thin and in the new light the copper beech appears green and brown. I’m sitting next to the disused swimming pool which over the years has become more like a Japanese water garden with ivy, unruly plum overhanging and fading hemp agrimony. A satisfying sight in this warm morning sunlight. Our large black cat sits beside the deep water looking up into the trees for unsuspecting birds. His fur shines and he takes pride in himself by looking my way and regally he begins grooming. It is warm this morning but there is a chill in the completely drinkable air. My partner uses this description a lot at the moment as there has been a noticeable decrease in the late summer pollen we have been suffering from. You can fill your whole lungs with its freshness like pure water. I have so loved the summer but this autumn newness is impossible to resist. I have been turning my thoughts towards introducing a new batch of hens to join our remaining three. We have been offered two chicks that will need to be eased into the flock and a few more ex-battery hens will come along soon. I will be getting them from The Hen Welfare Trust which I feel needs as much support from smallholders as possible. We are making an effort to wean ourselves off of mass production where we can and send a message to the powers that be that we don’t want to benefit from the exploitation of animals, people, or the environment. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start supplying my neighbours with a few eggs by next year. Hen welfare is very close to my heart now because I have seen how unique and characterful they are. Even if you may only be able to keep two or three hens, it becomes commonplace like it used to be, neighbours could supply neighbours and so on. The egg farms could stop killing off one-year-old birds and our egg needs would be met in kinder ways. Our primary school even keeps them. I think the idea is catching on slowly but there is still a lot of work to be done to get the word out. It’s good news that City farms are starting to become attractive and allotment uptake is on the rise. Something to think about and try to adapt into daily life if that strikes a chord with you. Next on the animal saving agenda for me is my addiction to dairy. The two mother cows and calves in the field across the lane are working on me. The children and I visit them at their gate and they are so gentle and enchanting we are powerless to resist their charm. I won’t harp on about the numerous evils associated with that industry in larger scale right now. My neighbour is certainly not into that kind of farming up here. I will continue to battle with my attempts to give up dairy so it remains a work in progress. I plan to get the enclosure ready for the new chicks shortly so I will enjoy some much needed hard labour. There is nothing like that post hard graft feeling that keeps a girl going! I think I would have made a good Land Girl as I have always enjoyed a bit of outdoor work. It will be wonderful to be in the warm sun doing something real, feasting on this autumn air. Times are changing next week as our lockdown bliss is drawing to a close with school starting again. I will be aiming to gain as much sustenance from nature as I can get in the coming days. I also wish you strength and good health as we enter into even more uncertain times. Catch the warm sun on your face. It’s Autumn.
Tag: signsofautumn
The Turning Wheel
With so much change taking place lately I have scarcely had the time to write. Late summer has arrived here at the homestead with the first signs that the year is waning. It has been a month since the summer solstice and the position of the setting sun has shifted back over to beyond the distant bluff. I have never been so aware of this occurrence before. The official harvest season begins soon even though we have all been enjoying many delicious treats from our gardens already as it is late July. The stars of the Autumn harvest for us this year are gradually coming into flower. Behold, the humble but enchanting pumpkin flowers! They are sensational seen with bright orange calendula and nasturtium flowers dotted all around the patch. Tall sunflowers that are in bud stand like guards behind the scene with sweet corn preparing to fruit (or veg!). Our pyramidal cauliflower rows look leafy and strong next to the broad beans that have plenty more to give well into August. The cultivated edibles are largely looking after themselves with just the occasional light thinning around them when they look a little drowned by the wilds. I’m gently controlling the overgrowth in there and I feel I have reached a happy balance. I see that the resident insect life is pleased with very little disturbance from me or the children. The green and black flies never managed to form any damaging strongholds but I do see that they are crazy about the wild yarrow. That is fine with me because I harvest the young regrowth of yarrow for eating and leave the long flowering tips for the insects anyway. Because there is so much of it growing here and there, lining the path to the chicken house, growing amongst flowering apple mint, there is enough to make everyone happy. Is it possible to have a mutually satisfying relationship with aphids? That could be a revelation. Now, the yarrow has been growing continuously over the summer, but the white dead nettle died back a few weeks ago. I am learning that quite a few wild plants have a second growing season. The white dead nettle was the one I may have mentioned before that was harbouring lots of exciting bug life early in the season. The children particularly loved watching the stinkbug activity but also enjoyed the huge variety of bees that were visiting it. It is returning and with flowers too. We will be on the look out for creatures that may appear on them in the coming days. Our wild salads have contained young leaves from plantain, dandelions, mustard, nasturtiums, cress and yarrow this week. Only the nasturtiums have been grown by me, no other input was required. That is simply wonderful! There will be more radishes soon and I need to peek at the carrots tomorrow to see if there are a couple of orange tops showing. It is a time of abundance and with that comes mindfulness of preserving some of the bounty for later in the year. So far, I have been drying chamomile, calendula, lavender and purple dead nettle for later use but have not really had an excess of vegetables or fruit yet. There is still plenty of time to bottle some sunshine as I see we have lovely apples, pears, blackberries and hedgerow berries to collect later. The evenings and the air in general is cool but there is blazing warm sun when it does come out. A feeling of change has swept over this land and it is welcomed with quiet reverence and anticipation for the new things that will come. Sadly, our hen numbers have dwindled down by another loss but we are not phased. I found her where she fell from her roost and hoped she went in her sleep during the night. I kept her above ground until the children woke that morning and let them smooth her grey feathers and thank her before placing her in the earth. They were happy that I allowed them to help me and picked flowers to place on her. She is in a lovely spot now where they know she is near and have not been sad at all. With only four hens left, we will soon want to get a few more. The wheel of the year is turning and our pumpkins are growing.
This Wild Homestead 