Ranch Newsletter | September 2025

Originally sent to subscribers on September 30th, 2025

Farm Update

The last day of September and it's finally a fall feeling, rainy day.

The first weekend in September, we started pouring concrete for the sidewalk out back and finished the sidewalk a week and half later. After that we ordered some top soil to level out the ground around the sidewalk and now we are seeding the backyard with a mix of grass, yarrow, and clover.

I also went and picked up two maple trees and planted them in the back yard to replace the big cottonwoods we had to take down over the past two years. And now, hopefully, the major projects in the back yard are done and next spring the snow will melt and reveal a beautiful landscape instead of the weeds we've been dealing with.

Also this month, the CSA ended and I tore down the raised beds I've been using in our backyard for extra veggie growing space. The dirt was used around the sidewalks and to level out some low spots in the yard.

I built some chicken grazing boxes from the woods we used to make the cement forms and tossed a mix of cover crop seeds into them. The boxes are covered with mesh, so the chickens can't eat all the seeds. I'm hoping this will give them some green to eat during the warmer months when they aren't allowed in my gardens.

 We got a section of our field tilled up because we need to replant our alfalfa. But since alfalfa roots send out a chemical that prevents new seed from germinating, we decided to till up a section and leave the rest untouched so we would have some hay next year. The tilled area we then let sit for a couple week, sprayed it with vinegar to kill off any plantain that started growing back because it was starting to take over this section of the field, and a few days after that we planted our cover crop seed.

 I canned, froze, and dried a bunch of produce from the garden and the day after the last CSA order was picked up, I turned the gardens over to the chickens.

We had two very early mornings in September when we let our dogs our and they returned smelling strongly of skunk. Turns out we had one living under one of our sheds. We've since worked to encourage the skunk to move on and find different living accommodations by tossing moth balls under the shed and burying the entrance it had dug out. Turns out, skunks don't like the strong smell of moth balls (ironic, no?) and the skunk hasn't been seen or smelled since.

This morning before the rain started I tattooed the baby goats and drew blood from the adult goats for disease testing.

But September wasn't all work and no play. Craig and I went to a movie with friends, and had a date night making copper bowls at The Local Artisan Collective, and I went on a hike with friends one morning. I also attended the Valley Gals potluck at Green Acres Cottage in Huntsville town, and picked flowers at the Historic Monastery U-Pick flower patch.

In natural skincare news: I have been making soap like crazy this month, and I still have a ton of soap I need to make. I'm trying to get it all done by the end of next week because I was accepted to the Millcreek Holiday Shoppes again this year. If it's anything like last year, then I need to have plenty of soap stocked up and if I don't get it all made by the end of the next week, it won't be ready in time for the market. I'm trying not to stress about it too much though, because the soap I have made will be ready and if there are a few bars I have to wait a week or so to stock, then that is what I'll have to do.

My next soap making classes are:

• Saturday, October 11th, 2-4pm

• Wednesday, October 15th, 6-8pm

Learn how to create your own small batch of Bastille bar soap using entirely natural ingredients, resulting in a soap perfect for sensitive skin.

You will discover the science of soap-making, explore the ingredients suitable for homemade soap, and create a 1-pound batch of soap to take home, cut, cure, and enjoy.

Please note, you will be required to wear safety gear for this class - gloves, glasses, and an apron. We will be working with lye. Also note, the soap you take home you won't be able to use right away. I cover this in the class, but you'll need to be prepared to cut your soap the following day.

Classes are $55 each, are limited to 10 people, and have an age limit of 13 and older. If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here: https://www.julbudranch.com/events-1

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