The CAV Darren Williams Memorial Ride is also a fundraiser for the Rally Point Retreat
‘No one is forgotten’: Digby to Yarmouth memorial motorcycle ride supports those struggling with PTSD and other battles
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Freedom! Tomorrow was supposed to be the day our three month old guineas got to free range. All the birds have been confined for the last couple of weeks because at night they decided they were one flock. Today when Theresa went to release the chickens, all the guineas were waiting in the coop too! So today was the day.
Ending the growing season here at Rally Point Retreat is bittersweet. As the evenings get darker and the air gets chillier, what could have been in the garden is laid to rest. Beets are still waiting to be harvested and zucchini is being babied to get the last few squash before the frost descends.We experimented with grains like rice, amaranth and millet. The hope is to supplement our chicken feed with stuff we grow ourselves. They free range most of the time meaning our eggs are nutrient dense from a varied diet.
Squashes did SO well. Butternut and spaghetti squash, some long pie pumpkins and of course zucchini for muffins. Who doesn't love a butternut squash soup to warm the soul on a cold day?
Potatoes survived and gave us some tubers although the chickens worked REALLY hard to try to prevent that. This year was the first time harvesting seaweed to put some extra trace minerals back in the ground.
Finding surprise nests of guinea hen eggs and then learning to time their free run to allow those eggs to be laid in the coop was epic! Bigger yolk to white ratio in those eggs made for super rich baked goods all through the summer although the shells are really hard to crack. We even had a mama go off broody and come back with 7 new chicks to increase our flock.
Peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes grew in pots and bags and are still growing and producing. Soon they will move into the house so they can have a few more weeks of warmth and light to complete their beautiful fruit. Mexican meals are a favourite here so having ingredients to make homemade salsa is SO satifying.
Six new laying hens were donated late in the season and settled into our happy flock beautifully. Patches is in his glory with nine lovely ladies to woo, support and protect.
Our apple trees gave fruit! Not many, but after last year's disastrous weather issues just getting a couple beautiful fruit was nice. And the new pawpaw and persimmons will make for a lovely grove in the coming years. Currant bushes produced some and the blueberries did amazingly well. Our strawberries were indoors in towers and produced regularly. This time of year rooting the offshoots will mean we can double our strawberries for next year.
Garlic needs to be planted for next year. We harvested fat cloves this summer which will be the seed bulbs for next year. Is there anything more satisfying than growing something from something you grew yourself?
The chickens need new winter bedding to keep them warm and dry. The old, nutrient rich bedding gets moved to garden beds, bushes and trees so we return those nutrients to the earth for next year’s crops.
The wild things provided for us too. Wild oregano is dried to add to the bird feed and keeps them healthy and parasite free. Herbs like mint get dried for winter tea. The quince are looking plump and as they go yellow will be harvested for jelly or fruit leather.
We worked at harvesting more rainwater to use in the gardens and this has been a great stride in sustainability. Although this year wasn’t nearly as dry as last year, you just never know. Extra water is a good thing.
Fall is the time to wind down. To begin to settle into comfort and rest after a busy year. There is SO much to be thankful for here at Rally Point Retreat. We had many helpers this summer to build fencing, move and renovate the chicken coop, mow the lawn, clean out the memory garden, move the mill and get our boat water ready. Thank you to everyone who gave in their own way with what they had to give. We really appreciate it.
Happy Thanksgiving. Let us know what you are grateful for this year.