Wow, where did the time go?? We're already halfway through August! The garden is abundant, and the kids are in full swing with school and sports. Some of you may know that I'm an elementary teacher in my community for homebound students in grades K-3. School started the first week of August so I'm back to work full time as well, and doing what I can to help with the homestead. Newsletters may be a bit sporadic until I get my routine and flow going again.

We're delivering our August CSA shares this week! I'll be in touch with shareholders soon to coordinate delivery if I haven't already. If you've signed up for the fall share, we thank you so much! It's such a joy and honor to provide high quality meat and eggs for our friends and family. Fall shares will be delivered starting in September. If you haven't ordered for fall yet and would like to, click here! We ask that orders be placed this week so we know how many chicks to purchase. You can also order the winter share ahead of time and pay later if you know you'll want it. We are very limited on the number of shares we can offer. We have to raise all the chickens for winter and spring now while the grass is growing.

Tyler has been working hard to add a room on to our house for all of our fridges and freezers! Then he's adding a bedroom for our son. We built a tiny house five and a half years ago when the kids were smaller, and we have outgrown it. The kids needs their own rooms now, so we're making space for that. Tyler is also working on adding to the brooder so we can raise more chicks. We're on a real time crunch because winter is around the corner and we want to make sure we raise enough chickens to supply the winter and spring CSA shares. This is our first year in business and there's a lot to get done to keep things running smoothly. Tyler is working nonstop right now to maintain the farm and build all these additions. I'm sure winter will offer a welcome break for him!

I have continued making kombucha, which the kids love. Soon, I plan to expand my fermented food experience with sourdough bread. I'll let you know how that goes! Right now I'm doing Whole30, so I'm refraining from grains and sugar, which means kombucha and bread are out for the time being. Whole30 is a 30 day program that helps reset metabolism and kick sugar addiction. There are other health benefits, but my purpose for doing it is mostly to cleanse bad stuff from my diet and re-establish healthy habits. You can read or listen to a podcast about Whole30 here if you're interested in learning more about it. This is third time I've done it. The last time was 5 years ago at the beginning of the year. It's pretty intense and requires a lot of planning, but it's only 30 days and I feel great!

I tried a new craft recently. My boy, Jacob, found a ton of four leaf clovers last year and we pressed them to use in crafts. We just got around to using some of them, and started by making coasters! I ordered pressed flowers on Amazon and used them with the clovers to add color. It has been a lot of fun! We made amulets for necklaces and keychains, too. We had so much fun making the crafts that we took a hike this weekend and collected all the flowers and leaves we could to press for more crafts. This was our first set of coasters. We're keeping them for the house, but maybe we'll sell some if we get enough made! Aren't these pretty?

We're still setting up at the Orange County Farmers Market every Saturday in Orleans. Come on out and see us if you get a chance! Have a great week everyone!

Peace, Love, and Pastured Poultry,

Sandi