More notes, just because this is a convenient place to keep a season's details together.
Two weeks in and I was able to drop Eva down to once-a-day milking. Patty Cow is keeping the front 2 quarters milked out so I'm only getting the back two. Bringing a little more than a gallon in each evening. And getting A QUART of cream each day!!! I'm not sure what the 'normal' percentages are on pure dairy cows but I'm thinking that nearly 25% cream is pretty darn impressive for a 1/2beef girl! Proud as can be of my little cow.
Between the new den floor, rain, family visits, rain, getting back into the milking routine, rain, and this brand new world of spring allergies - almost nothing has happened in the garden. Cool weather starts got leggy and died in their starter cells. Maybe in the fall? Strawberries are uncovered and coming up well. Again - busy with life - I've been dumping milk in the garden and compost when I don't have time to deal with it in the house. Should make happy tomatoes this summer I think. Having Eva in at night has created a need to deal with stall cleanings in much larger quantities. And since there is about 1/3 of the area that I want to be garden that is still lawn, I've started covering that in roughly 4'x4' sections with cardboard and dumping the stall cleanings on it. The cardboard will suppress the grass and the manure/hay/sawdust will eventually compost into very nice garden soil for this fall or next summer. Hahaha - the heart of every garden is looking forward to 'the next season', right?
Cane... going back to when my father was the official milk tester in Cal. Through wonders of chemistry ... Holstein cows tested between 2.8% to 4.2% butterfat. Jerseys and Guernseys tested in between 3.6% to 5.7 % butterfat.More notes, just because this is a convenient place to keep a season's details together.
Two weeks in and I was able to drop Eva down to once-a-day milking. Patty Cow is keeping the front 2 quarters milked out so I'm only getting the back two. Bringing a little more than a gallon in each evening. And getting A QUART of cream each day!!! I'm not sure what the 'normal' percentages are on pure dairy cows but I'm thinking that nearly 25% cream is pretty darn impressive for a 1/2beef girl! Proud as can be of my little cow.
Between the new den floor, rain, family visits, rain, getting back into the milking routine, rain, and this brand new world of spring allergies - almost nothing has happened in the garden. Cool weather starts got leggy and died in their starter cells. Maybe in the fall? Strawberries are uncovered and coming up well. Again - busy with life - I've been dumping milk in the garden and compost when I don't have time to deal with it in the house. Should make happy tomatoes this summer I think. Having Eva in at night has created a need to deal with stall cleanings in much larger quantities. And since there is about 1/3 of the area that I want to be garden that is still lawn, I've started covering that in roughly 4'x4' sections with cardboard and dumping the stall cleanings on it. The cardboard will suppress the grass and the manure/hay/sawdust will eventually compost into very nice garden soil for this fall or next summer. Hahaha - the heart of every garden is looking forward to 'the next season', right?
, and I'm sure the cream is doing no favors ... but on the nights when I've gotten home at 9pm and rushed out to milk - I just tossed it on the way back to the house. Or when it's pouring rain and I get almost an inch of rain on top of the milk before getting back to the house..... 
... The cardboard will suppress the grass and the manure/hay/sawdust will eventually compost into very nice garden soil for this fall or next summer. Hahaha - the heart of every garden is looking forward to 'the next season', right?
That is the attitude that keeps me motivated to keep planning my garden experiments. There is always next season.- the heart of every garden is looking forward to 'the next season', right?
