Compared to other years, our second harvest, peaches, proved a bumper crop. We definitely owe it to our llamas, because their leavings make the best fertilizer. Had I not lived through the difference, I might not believe it, but even our farmers are impressed. You can be sure this fall the trek from the barn to the orchards will begin again.
I would be seriously remiss not to give credit to the man who manages the orchard, my husband. The two stamp orchards (one is definitely a mini) are his province. It is the one thing on the farm that he loves tending. And it shows, don't you think.Life on The Farm is a learning curve. We harvested our sour cherries on time, and the yield gave us one great deep-dish pie. We waited too long, however, with the peaches. Still, we had a nice yield, but lessons for next year include:
- Pick 2 days earlier than the ripeness you want.
- Cull about 1/3 of the yield early, so the harvest yields larger fruit.
- Try not to spray and see what happens.
- Make more crustless pies. Julia Child I am not.
- Forget making preserves.
Even the girls got into the act.Llamas
The Farm
Country Living
Peaches
Harvest
Pennsylvania
Turbo Tagger
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