Thanks to our long autumn season, readying the farmstead for winter is a gradual process. The frost killed the last of the tomato plants, hot peppers and the colorful zinnias but there are a few pockets of green growth remaining. Kale, a bit tough and well suited to the appetites of the geese, still grows in the vegetable garden, calendula blooms with bright blossoms around the back and herbs grow in the protection of the fenced period garden. The fruit terraces, site of the paste tomatoes, have been grazed down by the cows, sheep and goats. The electronet fence that protected the comfrey and rasberries has been rolled up and stored.

With a butcher date next week the chickens have been sorted. The Buckeye rooster, hens and seven chicks hatched this summer are in the winter coop. The timered lights are set to trigger egg laying. It will be a few months before the chicks lay. I anticipate keeping one rooster from this summer's chicks to complement our breeding flock next year.