Babies, Plants, and Everything In Between

It's been a crazy busy time at Ellis Farms in recent weeks (hence the reason I have not updated the blog in forever). Our new website has launched and we've had wonderful response. You can find it HERE. Plants in the greenhouse are popping everywhere and we are busy moving them to the ground. We can't wait to see what comes of the many varieties that we are adding to our lineup this year.

Last week, we also had some new additions come to the farm. Our goat babies are finally here! Mandy kidded with a gorgeous set of black and white twins (a doeling and a buckling) that we named Trixie and Domino. Trixie will be retained on the farm and Domino is available for sale after weaning the first week of June. Domino is naturally polled.

Cocoa, our registered dairy goat, also kidded with twin bucklings. We have named them Java and Butterscotch. They will also be available for sale the first week in June. Butterscotch is naturally polled and blue-eyed.

We have had the best time this past week watching these four navigate their new world. They are running, jumping, and playing all over the place!

Our next additions will be four piglets in May that we will be raising for meat for our own personal use. I'm doing lots of research and reading to plan. Pictures of the pig homestead will be posted soon.

Hopefully you all are planning and prepping your own gardens and enjoying what pleasures come from that. It's been a blessing to us for sure. We enjoy spending that time together as a family creating food that is healthy for our family.

Til next time,
The Ellis'

Planning for Spring

We're making our way through Winter and are slowly seeing those first signs of warmer weather, which means things are about to kick into gear here on the farm. It will be potato planting time in two weeks! One of our projects that we're almost finished with is a greenhouse. This will enable us to start our seeds and plants earlier to keep them healthy and ready to be put in the ground at planting time. The hubby has done a great job on it.

We have been in talks with a local restaurant, Farmer Baker Sausage Maker, that is set to open up in March here in Lincolnton. They have been using our molasses in their food hub and other places while their restaurant is being finished. They are discussing with the hubby about growing onions and potatoes, among other things, to use in the restaurant. We are very excited about this venture with them.
In addition to the veggies, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of new Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. We are fairly positive our primary milker, Cocoa, is pregnant. You can take a guess by her picture. :) I'm crossing my fingers for a set of twins.

 And last but not least, we have a newcomer to the farm. We adopted Miss Emmee, a 5-year-old tortoiseshell cat, who will join Miss Sassy in the house. She's still getting acclimated to the house, the other pets, and us. We will keep you posted on how she's doing. Til next time, The Ellis'