The meat rabbits are here...all 4 of them. 3 does and 1 buck of the Californian breed. All are around 7 months old and in their first day with us have been bred. How successful will be determined at a later date. The captain has named the Buck "don Julio" after the tequila. Theres a story to go with the name but I'll save that too for a later date. 
Now these 3 ladies are for breeding and the offspring are for the meat. I most likely will be giving Chris and Lisa over at the 1 acre homestead, 1 of these does. I think 3 is just too much for us right now. Not to mention the cage space is running short. I need to build the buck his own hutch so the does can each have their own side this hutch which The Captain built all by himself. I was a good girl. Stayed out of his way and did not butt in with "you may want to do it like this..." or" no no no. You need to do this". I preoccupied myself with sanding the old dining table, preparing for paint.
The 3 are fine for a few more days together but need to be put in separate quarters soon. Now lifting that hutch is not a bit appealing since the captain made the floor base from a pallet. I would like for it to be out by the garden and moved down by the house for colder months. Maybe he can put some wheels on the 4x4 legs....
We had a day last week which afforded us the pleasure of tromping around the garden, wearing jeans and a sweater. Inspecting what has begun to show up and pulling the leftover dried weeds out.
We left carrots in the ground so we could harvest their seed this year and of course many herbs such as tarragon and savory. The herb which did surprise me was this single "broad leaf"sage plant. It barely grew past 3 inches last year and I thought it would not survive the winter. As I dug up a few carrots for the rabbits, I spotted this:
Already with a few green leaves poking through. I gently dug it up and transplanted to the parsley starts pan under the indoor grow lights. I plan to move it to another spot in the herb garden in Spring so as not to get overlooked again. I have never had success with sage starting from seed, so this was a big surprise. A very happy one.
We have 4 enchincea sprouted and going strong~another herb I have had no success with in the past. Of course that is 4 seeds out of 20, but I will focus on the 4 positives. That is more then zero.
Frog and I will make a trip to the local garden nursery to pick up a portion of their plastic seedling containers (the thin 4 pack kind) to start more seedlings in the next week or two. We have lots to prepare for Panda's new entrepreneur idea and our family food garden. Of course now she has excited due to a little surprise which came in the mail recently.
Patti Moreno from Garden Girl T.V sent us a packet of heirloom Marmande Tomato from a promotion in her email newsletter (which I enjoy very much reading and have Panda practice her reading to others by printing out some of her articles. She enjoys the reading and learning plus I stay focused on what she is saying instead of zoning out to a kid story).
Marmande
Semi-determinate, 70 days. Popular old French variety developed by the Vilmorin Seed Co. Scarlet, lightly ribbed fruit, have the full rich flavor that is so enjoyed in Europe. Medium-large size fruit are produced even in cool weather. Productive market variety. Imported European seed.
"The smooth, round Marmande with its even, deeply ribbed skin is part of the beef tomato family. Its luscious, meaty flesh is divided into a number of segments. This variety is perfect in salads, soups, sauces and warm dishes and is a delicious treat on its own."
Can you feel it? Is it becoming to strong to resist? I need to get my hands dirty! I need to smell the fresh dug earth and Spring air. I am hoping for nice weather to come soon and stay, but I will not hold my breath...for too long.
"In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt" -- Margaret Atwood
Sweet Garden Dreams,
~Tammie
Now these 3 ladies are for breeding and the offspring are for the meat. I most likely will be giving Chris and Lisa over at the 1 acre homestead, 1 of these does. I think 3 is just too much for us right now. Not to mention the cage space is running short. I need to build the buck his own hutch so the does can each have their own side this hutch which The Captain built all by himself. I was a good girl. Stayed out of his way and did not butt in with "you may want to do it like this..." or" no no no. You need to do this". I preoccupied myself with sanding the old dining table, preparing for paint.The 3 are fine for a few more days together but need to be put in separate quarters soon. Now lifting that hutch is not a bit appealing since the captain made the floor base from a pallet. I would like for it to be out by the garden and moved down by the house for colder months. Maybe he can put some wheels on the 4x4 legs....
We had a day last week which afforded us the pleasure of tromping around the garden, wearing jeans and a sweater. Inspecting what has begun to show up and pulling the leftover dried weeds out.
We left carrots in the ground so we could harvest their seed this year and of course many herbs such as tarragon and savory. The herb which did surprise me was this single "broad leaf"sage plant. It barely grew past 3 inches last year and I thought it would not survive the winter. As I dug up a few carrots for the rabbits, I spotted this:
Already with a few green leaves poking through. I gently dug it up and transplanted to the parsley starts pan under the indoor grow lights. I plan to move it to another spot in the herb garden in Spring so as not to get overlooked again. I have never had success with sage starting from seed, so this was a big surprise. A very happy one.We have 4 enchincea sprouted and going strong~another herb I have had no success with in the past. Of course that is 4 seeds out of 20, but I will focus on the 4 positives. That is more then zero.
Frog and I will make a trip to the local garden nursery to pick up a portion of their plastic seedling containers (the thin 4 pack kind) to start more seedlings in the next week or two. We have lots to prepare for Panda's new entrepreneur idea and our family food garden. Of course now she has excited due to a little surprise which came in the mail recently.
Patti Moreno from Garden Girl T.V sent us a packet of heirloom Marmande Tomato from a promotion in her email newsletter (which I enjoy very much reading and have Panda practice her reading to others by printing out some of her articles. She enjoys the reading and learning plus I stay focused on what she is saying instead of zoning out to a kid story).
Marmande
Semi-determinate, 70 days. Popular old French variety developed by the Vilmorin Seed Co. Scarlet, lightly ribbed fruit, have the full rich flavor that is so enjoyed in Europe. Medium-large size fruit are produced even in cool weather. Productive market variety. Imported European seed.
"The smooth, round Marmande with its even, deeply ribbed skin is part of the beef tomato family. Its luscious, meaty flesh is divided into a number of segments. This variety is perfect in salads, soups, sauces and warm dishes and is a delicious treat on its own."
Can you feel it? Is it becoming to strong to resist? I need to get my hands dirty! I need to smell the fresh dug earth and Spring air. I am hoping for nice weather to come soon and stay, but I will not hold my breath...for too long.
"In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt" -- Margaret Atwood
Sweet Garden Dreams,
~Tammie
7 comments:
I'm getting into the same breed! I plan to obtain does sometime this spring.
I'll be so happy for spring!
How cool to have rabbits! I want some but Norm refuses - too much work and HE does the chores now, because of my knee. Perhaps we can re-negotiate after I heal up. My brother-in-law wants some, too. But he doesn't want to winter them, so is talking about getting babies in the spring and butchering them all in the fall. I would like to have mine in a more natural environment, as well - but don't think that would happen. Emjoy yours!
lol, the one at the back is sooo cute!
There are 2 of the does that are inseparable. They get along very well and the third doe seems to be the bottom of the clan. They do not hurt her, just exclude her from their cuddling and cleaning of each other. So I just leave the 2 together for now, until its time for nest boxes to go in their cage.
I really like the personality of the Californians. The kids can cuddle and play with all of them and they are very calm. They know and understand the kits will be grown out for meat but the 2 "sisterly" does will remain as our breeders.
I have been finding lots of recipes for rabbit meat on the net. I will start to compile them into a print out book and leave a spot at the top for notes/ratings once we try them.Place in a binder with plastic insert sheets.
I may make a downloadable/printable file to compile them so anyone else who is looking for rabbit recipes can print out and save in a binder for their own kitchen use. Just a thought for now...
We have been looking to buy some meat rabbits as well. Did you buy them from a local farmer?
Hi Country girl, I found a local source through the homesteading today rabbit forum. They have a list at the rabbit forum showing breeders who are members and where they are located. I just emailed a few who were by me and asked if they had any breeders for sale. I was lucky to find a woman who just bought my 4 from a neighbor who was into 4H and was cutting back on her flock. I was able to get them at a very reasonable price. I would advise looking for a breeder by you through that. Look at the where I hop side bar for the link. You will need to sign up as a member to access things, but it is worth it.
Best of luck!
Thanks for the advice!
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