Trillium Hill Farm, llc

First: A pitch to come to the Farmers Market tomorrow! We (and many other vendors) will be at the Hinesburg Town Hall from 9am-1pm for the first fall farmers’ market. Two more will take place on November 14th and December 12th. A few of the tasty treats we will have for sale include: beets, salad turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, eggs, winter squash, broccoli and cabbage.

Today I took the goats for a walk in the woods. Somehow this is more therapeutic than taking myself for a walk. Listening to the kids chomp on dried leaves like they are potato chips and hearing the does call softly to one another through the trees is a comfort. I love watching what they will choose to eat: dead goldenrod and very-much alive buckthorn, asters, maples, and when we got to the apple tree, everyone went crazy for drops- even though the apples didn’t fit in mouths very well. It is a sight to see.

This time of year the pastures are dying and the goats prefer the trees. We often put up fence around stands of “browse” (overgrown pasture/ very young woods) and while the goats are delighted, I’ve noticed they aren’t able to give much milk while just on browse (the high amount of fiber in this feed takes a long time to digest, therefore limiting the total amount of greenery they are able to consume during the day) nor do the kids grow very well. So, we try to mix it up, or I try to take the woodsy route to their grass pasture, to satiate their desire for twigs and leaves.

This time of year is also special for the goats because it is breeding season! About two weeks ago, we welcomed Max into our herd (for a limited time only). And he is getting along with everyone swimmingly. Max is the youngest of the group, and also the smallest, but he seems to be doing his job. The goats just went through their first heat cycle since he has been visiting, so time will tell if indeed he has. If the goats were bred in early October, that will mean baby goats in early March. Its hard for me to believe that I will soon be witnessing the third set of goat kids be born at our farm.

Fall also means that my favorite vegetables are in season. Right now we have around 150 pounds of sweet potatoes “curing” on newspapers in our living room. Upon harvesting, the sweet potatoes tasted a little bland. But over the weeks (its been about three since they were harvested) they are getting sweeter and sweeter. James has a very sensitive pallet for testing the sweetness of his potatoes- he was finally satisfied with the ones he baked for dinner on Wednesday. But wait, sweet potatoes aren’t even my real favorite– we’ve got cabbage, broccoli and kale– my absolute favorite greens– and raspberries! Our late-fruiting berries have been going since early September and are still kicking.

Fall also means that things are slowing down- I guess thats why I get to spend some time blogging today. Its definitely my favorite time of year.