A Plucky Labour Day

We said goodbye to two of our CSA families today with their last produce basket of the 2020 season.

Goodbyes are always sad. I mean, we have been loading up their fridge with fresh, healthy vegetables for 14 weeks now! But, I must admit, I look forward to the end of our CSA program as a way to mark the changing of the seasons. As the busy growing and harvesting time slows down and school starts, I get excited to spend long evenings inside reading and soaping, chilly afternoons baking, and those cold nights in deep and cosy winter sleep.

That said, we certainly went out with a bang! Today's final baskets were epic: turnips, squash, chard, kale, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, parsley, daikon, red radishes, ground cherries, beans, zucchini, beets, oregano and absolutely humongous potatoes.  That is going to make someone the most incredible plate of poutine!

Once our baskets were picked up, we continued to work on our meat chickens. I am happy to report that they are all done and in the fridge. What an accomplishment. My plucking hand (which coincidentally is also my milking hand) is so sore!

Until today the fate of our last two Pekin ducks remained in limbo - dinner or egg layers?  After processing all these chickens, I feel that our freezers are sufficiently full, so we have decided to offer Peking Duck #1 and #2 a permanent home here on Gael Glen Farm. Besides, they get also extremely well with Kate (our half blind Indian Runner Duck) and Pecky Becky the turkey. 

Clearly they cannot continue to be called Pekin Duck #1 and #2 and require proper names. I am also seeking a name for the grey duck pictured above who we kept to be a buddy for Kate (Seamus' favourite duck).  When this duck was one of four identical ducks we could not tell any of them apart so she was just "duck".  But now that she is distinguishable from the others, she also needs a real name.

As such, I am all ears for duck name suggestions for these three ladies.  Please send me your ideas.  The winning suggestions will receive a dozen duck eggs when our Pekins begin laying (sometime around Christmas).  Thanks in advance.

I hope you all had a plucky Labour Day.   We certainly did.  Literally.