Garlic Harvest

Cambridge Farm finally had the opportunity to harvest the first fruits of the garlic crop for 2010.

With plenty more to come and also the Elephant Garlic this year the winter stews and roasts will certainly be tasty so make sure you put your order in... (especially when cooked in the pizza oven).

The harvesting was a pleasure as was the braiding (see image).

New Additions to Cambridge Farm

We are PROUD to announce we have some new additions to the Cambridge Farm: QUAIL!

Born on the 19th of December 2010. The video at 1 hour old shows they are very healthy. 8 in total were born from our incubator, with some more eggs still to hatch.

The Leisure Center Nears Completion

Over @ the Cambridge Division the Outdoor Leisure Center is very close to its first chance to entertain!

After a hard days work/exercise in the lovely surrounds @ Cambridge Farm or @ the Acton Park Small Holding nothing quite beats relaxing under the Ole Oak Tree whilst sipping some home brew and enjoying home grown pork sausages and chicken on the BBQ.

As time passes the wood fired pizza oven and the built-in roasting oven and webber will provide ample cooking facilities.

The Escaping Wallaby

Where's Mushi when you need him? Can you see the wallaby escaping from our vegetable garden? Tasmania is abundant in wildlife, and they enjoy early morning trips to the vegetable garden, just like us. This morning I also spotted a rabbit and two potoroos.

We protect the garden with a chicken wire fence held up with star droppers, driven into the earth. Kangaroos and wallabies have been known to jump our fence, a future goal is to build a stronger 6 foot high fence. With rabbit and possum protection to bottom and top of fence.

Bee Hive II not looking good

A brood box frame has very dark brown comb.

Our second hive doesn't look good. Very dark brown/black comb in the brood box. The supers have a similar look. But there are some eggs in the cells and on the top photo you can see drones walking around, maybe the queens there somewhere. 

Our bee keeping books says, the tan/brown cap is brood. That means there should be little baby bees under these brown caps. You can see this in the bottom photo.

Brood in a super

There is a lot of bees in the hive so I hope it will be ok. But when I compare this hive with the other hive it looks poor. The other hive is dripping in honey! Heavy frames loaded with capped honey! We really don't know what we are doing, so I wonder if there is something wrong. Perhaps the hive swamped and the brown comb is because it's old and they are re-building the hive with a new queen.

Pinkeyes for sale

This makes us feel good - Our babies finding a good home in your kitchens!

Pinkeyes for sale at Source, Sandy Bay

A Seen of Devastation

Came by Jill & Matt's smallholding to see the progress of the "garden entertaining deck". I thought to myself, "That is looking fantastic, most of the framing done. what is that Ute doing near the bee hives....?"

Is this a seen of devastation or what? Matt wasn't around to ask, but it's made my morning more interesting.

To make it more challenging, we have the two bee hives just in front of Ute. I wonder how they will react to horde of people trying to get a bogged Ute out. Better let Matt borrow my bee suit. Better wash it afterwards too...

Pruning the Tomato Laterals

Phil shows as where the lateral is as he removes it

First Fruits - Yes!

Promising start, first fruits appear

Beekeeping for Dummies

Jill owns this book; Beekeeping For Dummies

We need as much help as we can get on bee keeping!
At my current skill level I should get this one too: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping