The past couple of weeks started off busy and ended just as full, but in the best way. We had our fair share of April and May showers, but the warm temperatures made up for it. We wrapped it all up with a breathtaking sunset: the sky lit up in streaks of pink, red, orange, and purple. And best of all? The sun didn’t dip below the horizon until 8:45 p.m.—a sure sign that summer is on its way.
The Thursday night following our last blog post wrapped up with some much-needed socializing at Open Mic Night. We met up with both new faces and familiar friends to watch Al and Al—affectionately known as The Als—perform. It was a fantastic evening filled with laughter, good conversation, tasty pub food, and a much-appreciated break from farm life.
The next day, Addy kicked off campfire season by cleaning up the fire pit—mmm, there’s nothing like that classic smoky scent. It’s one of our favorite perks of living out in the boonies: the freedom to enjoy a fire whenever we like (as long as there’s no burn ban in effect, of course). A few other tidy-up chores were also checked off the list. Addy moved the old bedding cleanout from the Duckie Bunkie to the compost pile and cleared a new spot in the Quonset hut area to start organizing our growing pallet stash. Later, it was off to Fredericton to scoop up more pallets from Fabricville and a nearby store—both were thrilled someone actually wanted them. We’ll gladly take them! With all the projects we’ve got planned, pallets are pure gold.
Our friend Courtney came up for a test run of her Jedi cosplay for the upcoming MiraCon, and wow—what a transformation! Although the costume wasn’t quite finished yet, you never would have known it by looking. In just about seven hours, she pulled together an absolutely photo-ready look. Naturally, we couldn’t resist doing a photoshoot. We wandered around the property with camera in hand, snapping shots of her as a full-fledged Jedi—lightsaber and all! It was such a fun and creative afternoon.
After wrapping up the shoot, we treated ourselves to a pizza dinner (because what’s a creative day without carbs?) and ended the night with s’mores around the campfire. There’s just something magical about a warm fire, gooey marshmallows, and good company under the stars. It was one of those simple, perfect days that make us grateful for this space and the people we get to share it with.
As soon as the weather cooperated, Addy dove into the first big project of the year—fencing in the garden. With dogs and goats always curious and getting into everything, a solid fence was crucial to give this year’s vegetables a fighting chance. Once the posts were pounded into place, Addy made a trip to Home Depot and returned with seven rolls of wire fencing. The garden area currently measures about 90 feet by 70 feet, so it was a big task—stretching all that fencing and hammering in what felt like hundreds of U-nails.
Of course, no project goes off without a few hiccups. Before finishing one of the back corners, Addy had to take down a tree that was already leaning precariously into the fence line. That should’ve been straightforward—except none of the chainsaws would start. They worked fine in the workshop, but once on-site, nothing. Frustrated with the ongoing issues, Addy decided it was finally time to invest in the electric chainsaw that had been on the wish list for months.
Luckily, Canadian Tire had the exact model in stock—a full kit with two batteries and PowerShare for longer run-time. It made quick work of the tree, and with that out of the way, the rest of the fencing went up smoothly.
Rain pushed the next phase of the project to the following day, but Addy stayed productive by building a smaller gate on the side of the garden closer to the animals. It’s wide enough for wheelbarrow access—and maybe even the ride-on mower. A double gate was also installed on the upper back side of the garden to allow for compost access and (hopefully) future tractor use. The setup may be rustic, but it’s effective—and a great start to the season’s outdoor goals.
In the kitchen, we broke out the dehydrator for the first time this year, putting it to work on a batch of dehydrated strawberries. With a great deal on strawberries from Walmart, we ended up with more than we could eat right away, so we sliced them into ¼-inch pieces and filled up the trays. Since there was extra space, a few apples and bananas joined the strawberries in the dehydrator.
But it wasn’t just the fruit that went to good use. As we were preparing the strawberries, we made sure to cut off the tops generously, with a plan in mind: strawberry top syrup! Nothing goes to waste on the farm. We doubled up on a simple syrup recipe and simmered the tops on the stove, letting the flavors infuse. After straining and cooling the mixture, it was bottled and stored in the fridge. This homemade syrup is perfect for a variety of treats, from Italian sodas to strawberry milk, whipped cream, ice cream, and even pancakes!
As for the goats, they are all thriving. The kids have been growing strong, and this past week marked the beginning of our first official milking season. The kids are finally old enough to be separated from their moms at night. At first, it was a bit of a struggle, with the moms and babies crying out for each other, but they’ve started to get into a routine. Ally’s kids were delayed for a week before being separated, but now that they’re used to it, the barn is quieter each night. With all eight kids sharing a stall, it’s a true cuteness overload!
With the start of milking season, our routine has shifted a bit. While Addy heads out to feed our Great Pyrenees and put on their GPS fence collars, I’m in the house, getting the milking basket ready for the day. This year, we decided to invest in an electric milking machine, and it’s been a game-changer! The machine has a 7L stainless steel container and an adjustable pump, which makes milking much more efficient. Since the machine needs to be plugged in, we also picked up a Bluetti Solar Generator, which works like a charm—another great addition to our off-grid setup!
Overall, milking has been going pretty smoothly. We’re getting over 2 liters of milk per day, which is great. Once the dogs are fed and free(ish), Addy scoops and portions out grain for the does, bucks, and wether. We’ve even been giving some to the kids! Most of our goats are pretty calm on the milking stand and have resigned themselves to their jobs here on the farm… but Ally? Well, Ally is a different story.
Ally kicks, fights, and screams through the entire process. The first morning of milking, we spilled most of her milk—what a mess! After watching a few YouTube videos, I learned a trick to hobble her using a simple leash. That helped a bit, but she still has her moments. She does okay with the milking machine, but when it comes to hand milking? Nope. Even after being hobbled (both back legs tied snugly together above the knee), she still full-body bucks, and I haven’t been able to fully empty her udder. It’s manageable for now since her kids are with her during the day, but once they go to their new home, that’s going to be a real issue.
So, if anyone has experience with a difficult milking goat and knows of a solution, we’d love to hear from you!
The garden! It’s finally safe to wander and inspect the garden area now that Addy has most of the fencing in place. Some of our hard work from last year is really starting to pay off, especially with what managed to overwinter successfully. The first crop we noticed was our Egyptian walking onions—every single one made it through the winter and is growing by centimeters each day! We’ve already harvested a handful, and they’re looking great.
Our lemon balm herb also survived the cold, giving us a head start on one of our favorite herbal tea ingredients. The rhubarb, which is well-established now, is thriving, and we’re happy to see the raspberries starting to bud. Even better, it looks like the blackberries, currants, and blueberries all made it through the winter too!
Of course, with spring growth comes the inevitable weeding. One look at the bed where we had peppers and asparagus last year reminds us just how much there is to do. But while we were inspecting that area, we spotted a few tiny asparagus shoots poking through! This is only year two for them, so we won’t be harvesting yet—but it’s a great sign that we’re one year closer to enjoying our very first asparagus crop.
Thank you so much for following along with us through all the springtime hustle and homestead happenings. From fencing in the garden and battling stubborn goats, to cozy campfires and Jedi cosplay, it’s been a packed couple of weeks—challenging at times, but so rewarding. If you’ve made it to the bottom of this post, we truly appreciate you being part of our journey. Your support, encouragement, and shared excitement keep us going. We can’t wait to show you the next round of projects and progress as we continue building, growing, and dreaming. Until next time!