Spring on Orcas Island

Cool but very sunny weather.  Not warm enough to eat outside, but soon it will be. 

Another tasty Mangalitsa product.  Brined and then hot smoked ham.  Really delicious, quite juicy with just enough smoke.  Tonight we will serve it with slow cooked local duck egg and asparagus cooked in some of the smoky fat.

Rubber Band Ball

Wondering what to do with all of the rubber bands from asparagus, etc...

This one is getting large.

Blossoms

 Nice Head of Pirat Lettuce.  All greens are being harvested from our garden at this point.  We will see how long we can keep it up

Another nice sunny day, actually warm enough for the bees to fly, hopefully lots of successful pollination.

Finally Spring

A nice calm sunny day at Ship Bay on Orcas Island.  Finally a day warm enough for bees to pollinate, the plums are in full bloom, so hopefully we will see more fruit this year.  The plums always seem to do ok with fruit production.

All the greens for the restaurant are now coming from the garden, radishes, turnips, Loma, Arugula, Pirat, Ruby Streaks Mustards, Frisee, Broccoli Rabe and Sugar Snap Tendrils.

The warm weather plant starts, tomatoes & Basil are looking very good as well, but still are on the warm bed.

Trees & Pigs

Asian Pear graft from last year.  It has been grafted onto a volunteer sucker that came up near an old pear tree.  Most likely old pear or quince stock.  It is amazing that this flowered on it's first real year.  Soon we will make a spot for it out in the orchard.

Here is Link.  She is a gilt that will make the trip to Lopez soon to be bred with a Berkshire.  She has really sized up very well.  Good natured and as you can see, she knows where the food is.  Maybe in the future she will be bred via A.I. with pure mangalitsa, when it becomes available.  We are most certainly sold on the pork quality, thanks to Heath, it has made us crazy enough to keep pigs on site.